Learn Acoustic Guitar Lessons

Deftones have recently announced that they will blast – off with their own headline tour to kick off this August on the West Coast and would play dates all across America up to the Midwest. These dates are also considered warm up gigs for the bigger BLACKDIAMONDSKYE tours coming this fall on which they would share the stage with metal giants Mastodon and Alice in Chains. The headline tour is in support of course of their recently released album, Diamond Eyes. The concert is also part of their continuous charity support for their fallen band mate, Chi Cheng who is still in the hospital for years after being involve in a terrible car crash and was comatose until lately. Today he is half – conscious and showing signs of recovery. For more information go to www.oneloveforchi.com

On the other hand, I am currently listening to the new record from Avenged Sevenfold which features one of my favorite drummers alive, Mike Portnoy. The song nightmare never fall short of the Avenged Sevenfold category and Portnoy did seem to make a good job out of it. Splendid chops, heavy brutal drumming in sync to the dark song and heavy guitars. Can’t wait to get my hands on the new album.

If you are an intermediate level guitar player and is looking for something to learn, something new for you then I would suggest playing the blues. And if you agree on that one then you came to the right place. I can tell you the fundamental things that could boost your blues playing skills. A little info on the good things about playing blues guitar and blues guitar solo would prove itself helpful in your learning and you will also find here tips to boost your skills in playing the blues. After reading this, you are sure that you are on your way to playing the blues on your guitar so dust of your Stratocasters and plug it on the amps. Let’s go.

One of the most wonderful thing about blues guitar playing is the fact blues itself is one of the most interesting genre of music. Learning it is the best learning experience you will ever have and would connect you to other genres as well. It’s some sort of foundation for advance guitar learning. that is primarily the reason why many musicians aspire to learn it but not all were successful, blues is something you don’t just learn, you must also learn how to feel it because blues itself is as complicated as human emotions, one could say.

Here are some tips to boost those blues playing skill:

1. Bending
2. Vibrato
3. Slide

Figure these techniques out and you will realize that this would be applicable to every guitar style you would encounter.

MetalCore is basically a fusion of two heavy genres but has evolved into a more melodic heaviness. Some say that MetalCore is like this: heavy guitar riffs, double pedals, screams or growls then all of a sudden, usually on the chorus part, a cheesy and poppy vocals butts in. no matter who you define it, I don’t give a damn, what’s important is we emphasize the guitar techniques that are used in this type of music.  MetalCore music usually includes huge, trudging heavy breakdowns, somewhere in the song and features heavy guitar riffs and harmonized solo. Not all MetalCore bands do this though.

It’s kind of hard to determine which band is MetalCore and which band isn’t. since they’ve mixed it up with other genres pretty badly but to just set an example, we have Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying and Miss May I. these bands show pretty much most of the characteristics of a MetalCore band.

The usual tuning that MetalCore bands use are Drop D (D A D G B E), Low C (C G C F A D) or something much lower than these tunings. The point here is to achieve a heavy sound, most especially on breakdown parts, this is essential.

The techniques that are commonly used in this genre are alternate picking, palm muting, pinch harmonics, and occasionally some bends, tremolos and vibratos. Pretty much the same with Metal.

Squier is proud to release their 3 new axe this year 2010, reviving the classic Telecaster with 2 exciting models and a straight to the point Stratocaster model that sports a Humbucker. All with the traditional look and feel of a Squier.

The 2 brand new members of the remarkably famous and of course best selling guitar from the Classic Vibe series – the new Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom and the new Classic Vibe Telecaster thin line guitars. These two guitars are based on two classic models of the Telecaster from the 1960’s that were favorites of blues, country and jazz guitar players.

The Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom is a pretty sight, with its 3 – color Sunburst finished model, a double – bound body made of alder. maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and 21 medium jumbo frets. Custom Alnico V single coil pickups, mint green colored pick guard, and vintage style tuners. Plus the three – saddled bridge with threaded saddles.

The Classic Vibe Telecaster Thinline on the other hand features a vintage semi – hollow body of mahogany wrapped in a natural finish with an f – hole and white pearloid pick guard. Maple neck, 21 fret medium jumbo, same alnico V pickups and same bridge and tuners.

The Squire Bullet Strat HSS is simple guitar and also affordable that makes it suitable for beginners and students. It also sports a humbucking bridge pickup for extra roar.

Let me tell you the most proper way of holding the guitar. but before I continue I would like to warn you that this post is for beginners only.

Ok, now lets begin with the proper way to hold your guitar. first, it is always best to use a guitar strap. These are belt – like materials made up of different components but usually synthetic fibers that is connected from both ends of the guitar’s body. It is slung along your back so you can let it hang in your shoulders and your hands would be free to play the guitar without supporting it using your hands.

Make sure that your strap is not too tight to allow you to move. Some guitar players like to let the guitar slung too low. This is not wrong but it would be more difficult to play the guitar that way compared to when it is slung on a normal length but it always depends on your playing preferences.

The sling is connected to a strap button. Some strap buttons are connected to the neck joint, on the back part of the guitar. on the other end of the guitar, is the guitar body strap button. This is where you place the other end of the sling.

The strap buttons varies depending on the model of the guitar, electric or acoustic. The main thing is, you can let your guitar hang on your shoulders and let your hands play the guitar.

The importance of aural skills, also known as ear training is neglected by most guitarists. They skip this skill and dive directly into a flurry of tabs, continuously pounding themselves with speed exercises and stuff, completely ignoring the ability to hear, which is the greatest thing and skill a musician must have.

Training your ears is the most fundamental factor a musician must have. It is the tool that most efficiently improves musicians. It is important that your hearing skills are built to the highest standards to become an efficient musician. Ear skills are about hearing notes, techniques, or the composition of music properly and being able to analyze the music itself.

For guitarists, having a good aural skill makes picking up improvisations, techniques and other musical stuff much easier. You could understand a guitar riff more precisely and more accurately than those with poor hearing skills. You could definitely hear which note was hit, the pitch of a chord or if the note wasn’t supposed to be there, things like this.

You might not understand it but hearing isn’t the same with hearing with aural skills. Yes, you could hear a song as it is but with aural skills, you can hear music, the rhythm of the guitar, the adlibs, guitar solos, the precise drumbeat or which note the bass guitarist was running in to. It’s quite different with just hearing the music alone.

Keep your vuvuzelas in our closet, ready your amplifiers and crank up that distortion and get ready to rock and roll with power chords. Yes, these types of chords are the favorites of rock and roll music. A power chord is a type of chord shape that only has the root note and the fifth note in it. The root is the name of the chord and the fifth is the 5^th note on the major scale. The name power chords are derived from its sound, heavy and powerful. That is why it is ideal to use power chords together with the distortion pedal or anything heavier.

You can either use the easy 2 – note power chord for quick witching or the three – note power chord that has a fuller sound. The 2 – note power chord doesn’t include any open strings, this means that is very much movable an you can do the chord shape on any fret. To do a two – note power chord, simply find the root note and the fifth note, and you’re done. For example you wanted to do the G power chord, simply place your index finger on the third fret of the 6^th string (root G) and on the 5^th fret on the 5^th string and voila; you now have a G power chord. If you move it two frets up, that’s an A power chord.

If you are a newbie in guitar playing, changing the strings of your guitar is as crazy as detonating a nuclear bomb and you don’t want to mess with a nuclear bomb, right? But don’t worry my dear padawans of guitar, changing the strings of your guitar is an easy task as long as you have the right tools for the job and a sufficient amount of knowledge added with a little practice. If you have all these things, you can change your guitar strings like a pro. Changing your strings should be done regularly, most especially when you are using your guitar frequently. Beginners should initially know this because in the later part of their guitar lessons, they would come to a point where they will need to replace the strings urgently and also, you don’t want to always pay a guitar technician just for re stringing your guitar, right?

Here’s what you need:

-          New set of strings.

-          Wire cutters

-          Guitar tuner.

Okay, so you have these requirements already. Let’s begin.

1. Remove the strings and replace it with a new one, one at a time. NEVER REMOVE ALL OF THE 6 STRINGS AT ONCE. This would ruin the neck of your guitar. ask no more, just do it.
2. Start with the lower E or the high then work your way up or down. Keep it organized.
3. Cut the excess length of string after you wind it up.
4. Tune the strings then stretch it, then tune it again. Do this until the strings are fixed and doesn’t detune anymore.

That’s it!

This is one of the most exciting things with being a musician, especially, a guitar player: being in a band. Yes, nothing is more exciting than playing in a group, on a concert, in front of people. Do you want to play with John Mayer? Or Joe Satriani? Do you want to join their band? No, you can’t do that. They are on the topmost level of guitar playing and their pretty much famous now so there’s no chance of getting into their band. However, you can always join a band that’s still underground or still not famous. It is the perfect way to start it. Or better yet, call your musician friends or relatives and form a band. Establish a group, give it a name, and the rest is history.

Okay, now that you have your group, you now have the chance to make it big or just play around, it is your call. So the next thing that you should do is learn some cover songs so you could gig instantly or write your own song and let the gig wait, either way, it’s all good. Practice regularly; dedicate a certain amount of time for it so you would get better as a group. Remember, not because you are good in playing the guitar that doesn’t mean that the whole band is also good. You have the individual skill but your skill as a group needs honing and sharpening. You need to work hard to work out your skills as a group. Once you are ready to do gigs, go out and get some.

With all the countless variations and brands out there, it makes it difficult for a beginner guitarist to choose which guitar to buy or which gear should he or she be purchasing. The best thing to do is ask an experienced guitar player, like me! You don’t necessarily need to ask a legendary guitar virtuoso to these things for these can be learned through years of experience. So, let’s start with guitars.

Guitars:

1. Gibson Les Paul Studio – this is one of the most popular electric guitars in the world. I suggest that you buy the Les Paul studio since you’re just beginning. It is pretty much cheaper than the Les Paul standard but sounds as good. Les Paul’s are the one of the best out there. Sustains are long and it has a warm, overdriven tone.
2. Squier Stratocaster – Squier’s are same with Fender’s, only cheaper. Why are we focusing on cheap stuff? Well, it is because it is essential for beginners to learn which guitar would fit them, so in due time, when you are good enough, you could choose another guitar you want, and it won’t hurt your feelings. Squier Stratocasters are of good quality and tone.

Amps and Effects:

1. Line 6 Spider II – it is very affordable, comes with 4 amp models and the basic effects.
2. Marshall M$ Mini Full Stack – It’s the mini version of the MS4 and it is very portable.
3. Digitech RP50 – lots of effects, cabinet and pick up modeling and stuff. The best for beginners.

Well, that’s pretty much all you need to start rocking. And always remember, PRACTICE!

Hello Guitar Aficionados! Today, I want to share to you my favorite guitar solos of all time, in the whole world. A word of warning, this is not the general top 4, this is only my opinion so you don’t have to hack and slash me if Malmsteen wasn’t on the list. Okay! Let’s start off with:

TOP 4 – Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Child – I don’t think I have to explain why but for each and every one of you, I will. Anyway, I just love the eccentric guitar solo. So much accents and bends, you can’t just imitate it.

TOP 3 – Joe Satriani – Starry Night – ok, I know on this one, not all of you would agree with me but for me, though it’s underrated, it is the most melodic sounding guitar solo from Satriani. I love the whole song too.

TOP 2– Eddie Van Halen – Eruption – this guy is no doubt one of the pioneers of the crazy guitar sol thing. Dive bombs, both finger on board, man, name it.

TOP 1 – Slash – Sweet Child O’ Mine – The whole song is Epic, but the solo is hundred times more epic than the song. Super catchy, Super great. You will find that it misses the super speed solos, but the feel is great.

Well, I think that’s about it.

Ex – Guns n’ Roses guitarist, Slash, was said to be lining up Michael Jackson to include him on Slash’s solo album when the singer died of cardiac arrest. We’ve all seen Slash teamed up with the late singer on some of his tracks on his record as well as live performance and he totally is regretting the fact that he didn’t immediately ask the king of pop to sing on his album just to return the favor.

Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on the 25^th of June 2009, days before the launching of his comeback concert called, “This is it” which features a lineup of shows that kicks off in London.

Slash said that the time that he was thinking who to feature on his album, the King of Pop crossed his mind, he thought it would definitely be cool because he has a something that would definitely make MJ rock. But he hesitated on the thought because on that moment, Michael Jackson was busy rehearsing for the comeback concert so he thought that he won’t have the time for this.

Well, that’s part of history now and guilty or not, Michael Jackson will still be one of the greatest legends in the industry of music.

Last Tuesday afternoon, Fall Out Boy Front man Patrick Stump made a statement in response to Fall Out Boy band mate, Pete Wentz regarding his comment about the band’s uncertain status. Stump announced that he doesn’t know if they will be playing again because he’s not in Fall Out Boy right now. If you look at it a certain point of view, it seems that he did quit Fall Out Boy and is no longer interested whether they would play again together or not. Pretty sad story for FOB fans all over the world. But maybe it really didn’t mean to mean that way. We don’t know really.

Anyway, after this story about Stump was posted somewhere in the net, FOB drummer Andy Hurley posted on Twitter that he also quits following it up later with a post saying, he didn’t really quit, everything was just being blown out. This leaves fans goggling, thinking along those lines.

When asked, FOB members seem to just don’t know anything about their status. Poor guys, victims of the Major Label monsters. Now, this is clearly a good example of Music Moguls manipulation. They sign artists and when their no longer marketable, they throw you away on a corner like a crumpled piece of paper.

Anyway, FOB could follow what Yorke said and start going indie, going to their music roots at the same time. There are millions of people who would love to support them if they do that.

I woke up this morning and I had this strong urge to get up and click my windows media player to search for something I heard on my head while I was dreaming in my sleep. I can’t seem to remember which song was playing in my head so I scanned and click through my Beatles library (yes, I do have a library of Beatles songs) and there I found it. The song Rain, sung by John Lennon. Yes, I was definitely dreaming about that song and the setting was pretty weird. I was in a room full of mascots eating pizza while it was raining and John Lennon keeps on popping in and out while singing this song and playing his Rickenbacker. Funny dream, really. But it made me come to a realization. While I was listening to the song (I’ve put it on replay) I realized how catchy the song was and the psychedelic feel it has. Why the hell is this guy singing about the rain? The weird drums rolling off tempo or in a syncopated way, the guitars playing with three chords or so, the bass line’s psychotic riff plus John Lennon’s unique voice. It is just too perfect for me. This is definitely my favorite Beatles song.

Assuming that you are still living with your parents, do you also encountered that certain problem where your parents would totally disagree with your music and your passion? If your answer is yes, then you definitely know how that sucked big time. There’s nothing more annoying than a parent who doesn’t understand fashion and fads. They think that their thing back in the days were the proper ones. They never considered checking out what’s in today. They think the fashion nowadays is ridiculous just because it isn’t the same with the fashion back in their days. This is not an open – minded attitude.

Luckily, there are parents who are supportive and accepted the fact that they were once like us, conforming to the latest trend and music. This kind of parents are worthy of awards. Parents that would understand that rock music today got heavier and louder. Parents that doesn’t flinch at the sight of an emu kid. Parents who knew that this whole hardcore or metal thing has nothing to do with drugs, (although most Rockstar do it0 but we’re mature people here anyway.

Personally, I grew up with cool parents and uncles. My uncles are musicians and my father loves music, regardless of whatever genre it is. I grew up listening to the Deftones and Foo fighters and they supported me. They even bought me CD’s even if they think it’s a bit noisy.

I am a lucky dude.