How To Play Guitar Songs…Helpful Hints

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

How To Play Guitar Songs…Helpful Hints

Article by Steve Warren









It is really exciting to be able to pick up a guitar and play a song. And it is most rewarding to be able to play songs for your friends. To learn how to play guitar songs you must first decide what type of songs would be best to play.

There are so many songs to choose from it is sometimes hard to get started. Here are a couple of ideas to help you make that decision.

The most obvious place to start is what kind of music do you like to play. Are you playing just for your own satisfaction or are you entertaining others? If you are playing for others, what kinds of music do they like? Where will you be playing? Is it a party or something more formal?

Also, your level of experience is another factor. If playing for others pick a piece of music that you can handle very well. Not just to make you look good, but to give a pleasing performance for your audience.

You might want to consider songs that are sing-a-long favorites. Great fun can be had by all with a sing-a-long. Everyone loves to sing and it tends to bring back good memories.

Maybe you just want to add flavor to a party with soft melodies. Or, maybe it’s a birthday, or a wedding party, the list is endless. I think you are beginning to see that the choice of music is very important to why and where you are playing.

The key is to feel what your audience is feeling. What kind of people are they and what type of music do they enjoy best? Get inside your listeners heads and figure out what they like and you will be a hit. They will think you are the greatest thing since the Beatles if you give them what they want to hear in a professional way.

You don’t have to be a George Harrison to sound like a winner. Just stick with your skill level and give them what they want to hear and you will be a star in their eyes.

Now you have some good tips on how to play guitar songs, so the only thing left is to pick up that guitar and start practicing.

Get your “FREE” sample online guitar lessons. Presently you can receive free lessons to try out the material before putting down your hard earned cash. Just go to http://www.squidoo.com/learn-to-play-guitar-1 while they are still available.



About the Author

My early childhood was filled with music. My Grandparents would get together with family or friends and sing around the piano. And my Grandfather had a band with his brothers. They would play for dances and gatherings in the neighborhood. I would love to pass that fun and memories on to you.










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Getting Back to the Guitar – Music Theory Basics (Part I)

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

Getting Back to the Guitar – Music Theory Basics (Part I)

Article by Jesse









Honestly, who doesn’t want to be able to melt faces off a 30,000person crowd with a 10 minute solo so deadly it will make the firstnine rows of the stadium cower in terror from the awesome shred? I know I do. I also have this burning desire to express my musical majesty with the world, but I just never knew the proper way how.

I played the guitar for a couple years now, taking some basic lessons getting me started in the right direction, even learning how to play most of my favorite songs on the radio. The thing was, I was mostly just fiddling around here and there without getting down to some serious business with my guitar playing. After breaking my wrist in a freak tragic snowboarding incident, I stopped taking lessons, although I still played guitar once my wrist healed. Over the past 3 or so years, I casually played, jammed a bit with some friends and continuedon my wayward path.

I just recently became frustrated with my lack of own personal discipline with my guitar playing and went back to get some more lessons. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong, that my technique was right, and just someone to push me to that next level my guitar playing. I went in and asked him to start right off with the very basics. Something I could learn right away so I could immediately go home and start writing some of my own songs. I told my teacher I was especially interested in song writing and composing. This is the first thing he sat down and wrote on my paper, “The Musical Alphabet and Its Spacing.”

Some of you might groan at the thought of something so basic or so boring, or you just might groan because it has to do with simple theory. Ew, not theory, that’s like the fruitcake your Aunt gives you every Christmas of music right? She says you need to have it, but you never want it. Here are the facts, theory may seem boring and hard, but it is vital in creating music, and can be quite fun when understood. I am just going to scratch the surface on basic theory that will help you get up and running immediately with writing music. Theory gets so ridiculously deep, and there are many websites out there I will refer you to if you are interested in diving any deeper into this vast ocean known as theory.

Anyways, on with this musical alphabet business. First, we must understand the term “musical interval.”

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How To Tune A Guitar Using An Electronic Tuner

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

How To Tune A Guitar Using An Electronic Tuner

Article by John Mackinnon









When just one guitar string plays a little too high or too low the whole guitar can sound dreadful. Unfortunately, guitars, even expensive ones, fall out of tune quite easily. In fact, a professional is lucky to keep their guitar in tune for just a half of a dozen songs in a row while performing.

Learning how to tune your guitar is one of those absolutely essential skills that every guitarist absolutely, positively must acquire. It is equal in importance to learning how to play chords or read tabs.

Tuning With An Electronic Tuner

An electronic or electric tuner is often a small, light weight, inexpensive device that listens to a plucked open string, compares it to an internal reference data base, then provides a visual indicator if the note is sharp or flat. As you loosen or tighten the string it gives you constant feedback until the string is in tune.

These wonderful devices should definitely be a part of any tool chest because many people have greater visual than auditory acuity. These tools can be especially helpful if you have not yet developed an ear for sensing small differences between pitches.

The down side is that there is always a small but sometimes significant margin of error. Sometimes a string that is in tune according to the device may actually be out of tune relative to the other strings.

To offset this margin of error, slowly strum chords across the entire neck of the guitar and fine tune each string by what sounds good. Be careful not to strum only one or two chords and just one end of the neck. This will sometimes produce out of tune notes at the other end of the neck. Find a compromise tuning that best fits them all, (or at least the chords of the songs you intend to play).

Electronic Guitar Tuners By Function

Electric tuners can be categorized by how they sense sound. Here are the main categories:

Sensing Sound vibrations in the air through a small built in microphone. Often this type has a socket for directly plugging in an electric guitar. The least expensive models are usually battery operated and offer just standard tuning options. This can be a good starter combination for beginners.

Sensing vibrations by touching the guitar. This type is useful in a noisy environment since it is deaf to sounds in the air. However, I have found that these tuners can be a bit slow to produce a read out. They are also not effective when used with a solid body electric guitar.

Direct plug-in style for electric guitars or acoustic guitars with amplification pick ups. Some models have input and output sockets so that you can leave them plugged in and still use the amplifier. Some variations are designed to act like an effects foot switch for easy operation during a concert. This type of tuner is useful for quick and convenient tuning in a noisy environment.

Sensing by light waves bouncing off the vibrating string. This type is called a strobe tuner. It is often thought to be the most accurate and also the most expensive. This is used most often by advanced players or professionals.

Common Options Available For Electronic Tuners

Price Range: Expect to pay to USD for most beginner electronic tuners and 0 to 00 for the professional strobe models. Fortunately, much can be accomplished with tuners in the -50 range.

Chromatic Tuning: allows you to tune to any note in the chromatic scale and not just the six standard open string notes. This is especially helpful if a string is so far out of tune that you do not know where to begin.

This feature is absolutely essential for songs that were written for alternate tunings. Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are a just a few of the many artists that have used alternate tunings.

Combination Tuners: some tuners are available with metronomes, bass tuners or even chord charts built in. The down side is that if you break it you also loose the use of the other devices.

Power Options: some tuners operate on batteries only and some offer AC/DC adapters as an alternate power source. Many battery only versions do not require much power which results in a surprising long battery life.

The battery only versions are often compact for stuffing into your guitar cases.

Recommendation For Beginners: buy a small, inexpensive (under ), battery operated chromatic tuner that has a built in microphone for tuning acoustic guitars and an input for direct plugging electrics. Also, consider buying a model that contains a metronome.

Tuning a guitar requires compromise and personal choice.

It is important to understand that tuning a guitar is always a matter of compromise and personal choice. Try not to get stuck trying to tune the guitar perfectly according to the blinking lights of an electronic tuner but, instead use the tuner as a rough guide then focus on finding the best artistic compromise based on your hearing for the songs you intend to play.



About the Author

John Mackinnon started taking guitar lessons over 40 years ago and still enjoys the learning process. His website http://www.CompareGuitarLessons.com focuses on reviewing dvd based and online guitar lessons. Also you will find FREE guitar lessons, articles, a new Online Guitar Tuner and Chord Finder Tool.










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Beginners Guitar Lessons, Rhythm – 3 Tips To Get The Most From Your Strumming

Posted on January 9, 2012 by admin

Beginners Guitar Lessons, Rhythm – 3 Tips To Get The Most From Your Strumming

Article by Mike Hayes









Rhythm guitar playing is a lot more than playing a few openchords, it’s a real art form. When people listen to music thefirst thing they hear (or feel) is the rhythm. In fact it’s thedetermining factor as to whether a listener likes the song ornot.

Often the beginning guitarist purchases a chord book with theview of learning to play their favorite songs, so they set aboutlearning a whole bunch of difficult chord shapes, eventually manypotential guitarists give up playing the guitar because theycould not produce the sounds they were hearing on their favoriterecordings.

The trick is to be able to identify the real problem, where theseguitar newbie, tone deaf, untalented or did they simply not knowhow to go about learning.

The answer is “they simply did not know how to go about learningthe guitar”. In a nutshell, those who know how to learn, get itand those who don’t…don’t!

Here’s a list to help you choose what to practice to develop yourbeat and eliminate the confusion.

Tip 1 — shaker

I recommend developing an awareness of your rhythm without theguitar at first. The good news is everyone has a natural sense ofrhythm, it’s just a matter of building an awareness of yourrhythm.

To develop your rhythm, (a) take a plastic drink container andconvert it into a shaker by half filling the container with riceor sand.

(b) Next, put on some music you enjoy and simply invent a rhythmwith the shaker (imagine you are a percussionist sitting in withthe band).

(c) Make certain to tap your foot while listening to the musicand using the shaker, this may be tricky for a start, it’s a bitlike “patting your head and rubbing your tummy”, it takes adifferent type of concentration, with practice you will get it.

(d) Use your strumming hand for the shaker (right hand) for righthanded players.

When you feel comfortable with the shaker and foot tapping, pickup your guitar, block out the strings with your left hand(assuming you are a right handed player) don’t press the stringsdown to the frets, just cover the strings lightly so that youstrum the strings with your right hand you make a percussivesound when you strum, we don’t want to produce any chord sound atthis stage.

This effect is what I call a “blank guitar”, because you are notconcerned with the harmony (chords) of a piece of music you canconcentrate 100% on the rhythm.

For a right handed player their right hand is their “rhythm” handand their left hand is their “colour” (harmonic textures) hand.

By tapping your foot you are becoming aware of the “ground beat”.

Tip 2 — picks

It important to be able to transfer your “gut energy” onto thestrings and project yourself through the guitar. To do this avoidthin picks. Thin picks are a hazard to speed and accuracy.

I recommend using medium picks — Fender (brand), mediumthickness picks are good for beginners.

Ideally, as you gain more control of your strumming hand a heavypick will give you the best sound quality and projection.

Tip 3 — down and up strums

Although it’s obvious that guitarists use down and up strummingpatterns, the thing that is difficult to discern from watching isthat good rhythm guitarist only play a few strings when strummingup.

For example if we play an open “E minor” chord you would strumsix strings for the down strum and only two or three for the upstrum.

This lets the chord breath, and invites the listener into yourmusic. Usually the first two or three strings work well on mostchords for the upbeat.

The single most important thing for a guitarist to develop istheir rhythm, their “beat”. It does not matter how many chordsyou know, if you haven’t developed your beat, your playing willsound lifeless and dull to the audience.



About the Author

Mike Hayes develops systems and products to help you succeed inyour guitar playing. Find out more about how to learn guitar fastwith his popular free ecourse, available at:=> http://www.guitarcoaching.com










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7 Things To Do To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitar Chords

Posted on January 9, 2012 by admin

7 Things To Do To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitar Chords

Article by Mike Hayes









People respond to the three basic elements of music in thisorder: rhythm, melody them harmony. Firstly, rhythm – if we don’tlike the rhythm of a piece of music our interest in that musicstops there.

Secondly, melody – the melody is the tune of the particular pieceof music, it’s the part we hum or whistle.

Thirdly, is the harmony – this is where chords come into thepicture and the vast majority of people have difficulty with thisaspect of music.

Often, when learning the guitar we often experience a musicalbrick wall while trying to learning to play chords. I have setout 7 tips to help you avoid the common traps.

1. Make sure your guitar is set-up properly: If your guitar istoo hard to play your hands will become tense and tire quickly.Please keep in mind that when you buy a guitar the action of theguitar (the distance of the strings away from the guitarfretboard) will need to be adjusted, regardless of the brand orprice range. This true for both new and pre-played instruments.

2. Learn the names of the notes on the guitar: Guitar playersgenerally think in terms of lead guitar or rhythm guitar playing,when in reality chords are simply combinations (verticalstacking) of notes.Each chord has a specific spelling, once youknow how to spell a chord you can create many different ways ofplaying that chord on the guitar… if you know the names of thenotes and their location on the guitar fretboard.

3. Create string four grids: By dividing the six strings of yourguitar into four string grids each grid consisting of threestrings. Grid one – first, second and third strings. Grid two -second, third and fourth strings. Grid three – third, fourth andfifth strings. Grid four – fourth, fifth and sixth strings.

4. Learn the triadic and scaletone seventh versions of chords: Bylearning both the triadic and scaletone seventh chord structuresmany chord substitution possibilities will become obvious.Following is an example of the triadic (three note) chordstructures in the key of C major – C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B dim.The scaletone seventh (four note version) of the same scale wouldbe: CMaj7, Dm7, Em7, FMaj7, G7, Am7 and B minor 7th flat 5.

5. Pay attention to the strumming hand: The most common mistakeguitarist’s make is to focus all their attention on the chordfingering while neglecting the picking hand. Many times the chordformation is correct however unwanted notes are being played bythe strumming hand. For example often guitar players incorrectlystrum five strings for a D major chord, while this chord soundsfine the sound you are producing with this five string chord is aD/A chord (D major chord with and A bass note.)

6. Learn to play slash chords: A great way to increase you chordvocabulary is to play simple triadic chords with different bassnotes. For example a simple chord progression such as A///|E///|D///| could be made more interesting by playing an “A” note inthe bass for each chord: A…|E/A…|D/A…

7.Learn to recognize chord progressions: The fastest way to learnto play guitar “by ear” is to train yourself to recall the soundof chord progressions. Many songs are based on standard chordprogression templates such as the one, six, four, five chordprogression. In the key of “G” this progression would look likethis: G///|Em///|C///|D///||

A great many people give up playing because of a poorly set-upinstrument or because they can’t seem to get the same sound theyhear on the recordings of their favorite artists, by applyingthese simple tips you will hear (and feel) immediate results.



About the Author

Mike Hayes develops systems and products to help you succeed inyour guitar playing. Find out more about how to learn guitar fastwith his popular free ecourse, available at:=> http://www.guitarcoaching.com










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How To Play Guitar: For Serious Beginners Only

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin

How To Play Guitar: For Serious Beginners Only

Article by Michael Kruce









In the next few minutes you’re going to learn that to teach yourself to play guitar with online guitar lessons is not only fun, but can also be easy and fast. But there are certain things you should know about before you attempt to look for guitar lessons for beginners.

If you’ve been searching the web for guitar lessons online, I’m sure you already found out what I’m about to tell you. There are tons of sites that will offer you free guitar lessons and they tell you that you will learn to play guitar fast.

In most cases they offer you very little in complete instruction, and only give you fragments of information. What good is learning something out of the correct order in which you should be learning them? Yeah. You’re right. Not good at all. It’ll confuse you and leave you frustrated.

Beginner guitar lessons need to start you at the beginning, not in the middle or somewhere other than the beginning. Do you want to learn to play guitar fast and not know why you’re doing what you’re doing? Or do you want to learn to play guitar fast and understand the concepts?

What I want to do is point you in the right direction. I want to teach you how to learn guitar the correct way. It’s easy, and according to your honest desire, can be very fast. How about you playing songs on your guitar in under 7 days? Yes you can.

In order to teach yourself guitar, it’s wise that you understand that you have to have a real desire to want to learn how to play guitar. It takes discipline. You have to practice everyday. The more you practice, the faster you’ll be playing songs for your friends, family, boyfriend or girlfriend.

Won’t that be cool? Whether you want to learn how to play electric guitar, or if you want to learn how to play acoustic guitar, you need to know the proper foundation to start out on, and then build on that. That’s what I want to do for you.



About the Author

Adam Michaels has been writing articles for many years. Come visit his latest websiteover at http://www.save-my-marriage-now.net/ which helps people who cry href=”http://www.save-my-marriage-now.net/Help-Save-My-Marriage.html”>help save my marriage.










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How to Play Guitar – Difference between solo playing and being in a band

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin

How to Play Guitar – Difference between solo playing and being in a band

Article by Bob Messina









There are many different ways to play guitar and the varieties are huge and they can all impact on how you learn. For instance, if you wish to play blues music then blues guitar lessons would be appropriate but plain electric guitar lessons would not be. Even the difference from wanting to be a solo musician and playing in a band will cause differences in how you learn and can impact on how you wish to play and learn. It may sound like a tough choice if you are unaware of what style you want to learn but it may help you in the long run.

A good place to start learning an instrument is by using popular guitar tabs. These will show you how to play the most popular and simplest songs and give you a great grounding in learning how to play an instrument. Although there are many intricacies involved with guitar playing, it is possible to use easy guitar tabs for beginners and still learn a lot about the instrument.

Always keep developing your skills

If you want to become a great guitarist then you should never stop learning new skills. Its not enough knowing how to play guitar, you should be seeking to further these skills and talents along the way. You may like one style of music when you start learning an instrument but you may become introduced to others over time. This means a few years down the line that blues guitar lessons would be of interest or perhaps electric guitar lessons may be more appealing. Human beings constantly evolve and develop and your musical preferences may do the same. Always try and keep an open mind with regards to new styles and skills.

However, you should never overlook the basic either. No matter what new talents you learn or different styles you master, you should always be able to play the basics. At any point, you should be able to view popular guitar tabs and play a selection. Whether this makes you popular at parties or gives you fun, it can be a good talent to have. There are so many different levels of skill involved with playing guitar it would be impossible to master them all but never forget the fun that can be had from easy guitar tabs for beginners. Music should always be fun and you should never lose sight of the things that got you interested in music in the first place.



About the Author

Some of my friends were interested in starting to band and naturally I wanted to join in too. I needed to know how to play guitar and I found a fantastic website that taught me everything I needed to know.










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Do You Want To Be Center Stage?

Posted on January 7, 2012 by admin

Do You Want To Be Center Stage?

Article by Andy Bow









Learning Guitar OnlineIt all started with a small concert, my first show. I remember being in the audience, watching as the band that killed more batteries in my Discman than any other took the stage. It was incredible! There I was, sixteen years old, front row with barley a one foot riser separating me from my heroes. The powerful tempo rising from the drum kit, the singer as he thrashed about the stage, vocalizing all his strife in an angry rock and roll howl, and there were the guitars. I had never before put that sound together with a person. Sure I had seen people on T.V. and stuff, playing away, but this was something entirely different. The ferocity and intensity was stifling, and the natural charisma that existed between the guitar and bass, created a perfect harmony of rock and roll rebellion. This was my first love.That night after the show, my friends and I, all feeling the same exhilaratation, decided it was time to form a band. Of course we had no idea how, but the spark was lit and nothing was going to stop us. It was decided that Jim would play the drums because he could talk his parents into buying him almost anything. Steve had the charisma and the voice so we put him in front of the microphone. So it was down to Bill and I, and we both wanted to play the six-string. After a few arguments and much frustration, the band to be came up with a plan; we had one month to prove our skills. We both go home, learn what we can, and in one month’s time we meet with the band and show off what we learned, best man wins, looser plays bass.I attacked this challenge with all the tenacity I could muster. I bolted to my nearest music shop, dumped my savings on a guitar, amp and a couple of books on how to learn guitar and got started. The first thing I realized was that all the gumption in the world was still not going to make this easy, in fact, knowing nothing about instruments at all, it was almost impossible! But I began to practice anyway. I learned a few notes, from there a couple chords, but it still sounded really amateur and I decided that books weren’t going to cut it, I needed professional help. I searched the classifieds and poster boards of music shops for some lessons, made a few calls and quickly realized that no one could really work with my schedule or my budget! I needed lessons now, but I couldn’t really afford to pay for them. Now is the time to panic!Then one day as I was surfing around on the internet, a came across an ad for learning guitar online, desperate, I clicked away, and I found everything I was looking for! The lessons we available anytime of the day from any computer, and the price was lower than anything else I had checked out. I jumped right into some guitar scales for beginners, practiced them to death, I really wanted this. Every free moment was spent starring at the computer screen, tearing my fingers to shreds on my guitar. After a couple weeks I was climbing my way up and down the pentatonic scales, and had moved from beginner to novice, I had even started to write some of my own material. The online learning was a gift from the rock gods!So the month was up, it was time to prove my skills. The band met at Bill’s and I went into battle mode, muscles tense, breathing controlled, mind focused to a sharp point. It was time to rock! I watched Bill plug in his gear as I set up across the room, my eyes shooting daggers at him, sure we were friends, but this was war. We flipped a coin, he lost so he went first, shooting me a cocky grin. It only took a couple of seconds to realize I had this. Bill finished playing a couple covers he had learned, just standard power chord stuff with some terrible rhythm. I smiled, nodded my head, and thrashed away, my fingers climbing the scales, finding their positioning perfectly. I rocked out a Sabbath song I had learned, then a couple of my own I was working on. Bill was stunned. “How the hell did you learn to play like that?” he asked me. I told him about the online guitar lessons I had taken, how cheap and instructive they were. The next day he traded his guitar for a bass, and I showed him the internet site and helped him sign up. As it turned out, Bill was made to play bass, and soon we were rivaling each other, always trying to get ahead of the other guy, and making some pretty awesome music in the process!



About the Author

Dene Lingard is the publisher of http://www.LearnGuitarOnlineToday.com, a website devoted to Guitar Enthusiasts and people wanting to find a more suitable way to learn guitar. His long-time dedication to learning guitar and theory, as well as drums, has paid off personally for him. He now plans to put a band together which has always been a dream of his.Dene spends his leisure time keeping fit, scuba diving and playing tennis as well as developing his guitar learning website.










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Learn the Benefits of Mastering the Guitar

Posted on January 7, 2012 by admin

Learn the Benefits of Mastering the Guitar

Article by Hein Fivaz









Playing the guitar is a dream for many people. You cannot help, but think about the dream of becoming a rock star and playing the guitar before thousands of fans. That being said, learning the guitar can be a challenge, but there are great benefits to playing guitar.

When learning how to play guitar you might be surprised at how much creativity you tap into. Music is a highly creative and emotional art form, and at first, you may not realize how therapeutic playing guitar can be. It is true that there is some basic work behind the study of a musical instrument like the music theory and terminology that you must learn to be successful. However, once you get that knowledge under your belt you will begin to play guitar with more freedom and creativity. You will be able to explore improvisation as well as possibly even writing some of your own songs.

Learning guitar will stretch your mental capacity. You are going to be challenging yourself both intellectually as well as physically. Your mind has to wrap itself around a new language and a new way of reading (i.e. reading music or charts), and your fingers have to improve their dexterity to play the different chords. As you work your way through your guitar course of study you will be pleasantly surprised at how challenging the study is, but how well your brain and body adapts to it. In no time, you will be talking in musical terms like pianissimo and accelerando like it is a second language. You will also start to see how your guitar playing can help you in other aspects of your life like in your ability to sing more on pitch, or how you can suddenly find the beat in a song with a greater ease.

As you begin to progress from easy guitar to more complicated repertoire you will start to feel an increased sense of self-confidence. Especially as you begin to head into performance opportunities where you are able to play guitar in public you will find yourself working on your self-confidence levels. Additionally, there is something really wonderful about conquering a skill that once seemed like such a foreign concept. As you start to be able to play the songs you love to sing along to on the radio, your confidence will begin to soar. Pretty soon, you will start to feel that confidence carry over into your everyday life.

More than anything, the biggest benefit of playing guitar is that it is quite simply fun. Yes, you do have to work hard to progress, but as you do you will find a great deal of enjoyment from learning how to play guitar. You will get to play the type of music that you want to play, and you will start to feel a great sense of satisfaction from seeing yourself growing and progress musically. The next time that you are at a friendly gathering, you will be the hit of party if you break out your guitar and play some tunes that everyone loves. Music sets the tone for a great time, and what could be more fun than being the one who gets things going?



About the Author

For more information on Guitar instruction please visit Learn Guitar Course – a popular online Guitar website that provides advice on software and lessons to the Beginner Guitar Player.










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How To Play Scales On Guitar

Posted on January 6, 2012 by admin

How To Play Scales On Guitar

Article by Gyorgy Huba









A lot of guitar newbies are keen to practice scales because they think that’s the thing to do but they have no real understanding of the purpose of learning how to play guitar scales. I can think of a number of different reasons to learn how to play scales on guitar. You can play scales to warm up your fingers and to keep your hands in playing condition. This means daily practice of a number of scales which present certain challenges to the groups of muscles involved in guitar playing, keeping them on their toes, so to speak.

There is also the kind of practice you do to actually learn a scale and become familiar with how it sounds. You can also learn to play a scale on the guitar in various positions so that you will have a number of different sounds or tonal possibilities at your command. Try playing a few notes down at the first position on the guitar and then try at various places further up the neck and you will see how different they sound. For instance the note E on the open first string sounds different if it is played at the fifth fret of the second string or the ninth fret on the third string.

There are various ways of practicing scales on the guitar like for instance, starting with an open string and playing your scale all the way up the string to the twelfth fret. Or you could just find the notes in the chords you are learning at the moment and turn them into scales. Another way of playing scales is to confine your fingers to a certain group of frets and find the scale within those frets. Here’s an example of the C major scale played within the first three frets on the guitar:

e |——————————0-1-3–|

B |————————0-1-3——–|

G |——————–0-2————–|

D |————–0-2-3——————|

A |——–0-2-3————————|

E |–0-1-3——————————|

Scales are also great for practicing specific techniques like all up or down strokes with the pick or to work on your hammer-ons and pull-offs. This is a good place to talk about HOW we play scales on guitar. You should be motivated by keeping your left and right arms and hands relaxed as you practice. Don’t do fast, repetitive practice of a scale until you know it well. If you are trying to play a scale fast and you are not certain of where your fingers are going next, this uncertainty will always stay in your muscles when you play that particular scale.



About the Author

Newbie guitar players are flocking to Guitar How-To for the free articles, tutorials and videos on every aspect of guitar playing you can think of. Fast track your guitar expertise now at http://guitar-how-to.com/










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