Free Professional Guitar Lessons

Do you really need to learn how to read guitar music notation? Aren't guitar tabs enough for you to learn? Read on to find out.

Advantages of reading guitar music notation

If you know how to read guitar music notation, you can easily play any music even without hearing them before. The notation will be your guide to the pitch and length of the notes. Other symbols that also serve as descriptions will tell you how to play according to the composition. Another benefit is that you can also play music even if the sheets are are written for a different instrument. The notation guides you to which notes to play. Knowledge in notation will also guide you to composing music for other instruments and arranging musical scores. It is a requirement for composers to learn about notation so they can create their own music sheet and share their compositions to others.

Using guitar tablature

By using guitar tablature, even students can start playing other melodies using the entire fretboard as a guide. It is also easier to learn the chords and riffs. Also, tablature notation proves to be easier to read and understand despite alternative tunings, with the tab notation to guide you where to place your fingers. The Internet has tons guitar tablature renditions that you can easily access and use for your practice and training.

Though guitar tablature may be easy to use, it's still best to learn how to read sheet music notation. This is especially true if you have plans of composing or arranging music. Start by naming different notes, and you're on your way to learning more about sheet music notation.

Some argue that alternate picking is a better technique than directional picking. In fact, guitar idols like John Petrucci and Paul Gilbert are known to use alternate picking with great success. However, alternate picking requires more movements, which may at times cause discomfort, muscle strain, and injury. Let's take a closer look at directional picking to uncover its many benefits.

Directional picking vs. alternate picking

Some people claim that directional picking is simply not as powerful as alternate picking-- that it often distorts rhythm and affects precision. However, distortion in rhythm and precision is often a result of lack of training. Guitar legends like Mike Walsh and George Bellas are known for using directional picking without losing precision and rhythmic control. It can be tricky at first, but with practice, some might find directional picking to be more efficient, as it lets you achieve greater speed. The key to this is stabilizing the forearm muscles with special training so you can gain better control.
Benefits of directional picking

With proper training and the right approach, directional picking can let you achieve better results in playing. The movements are minimized with this technique since the straight line approach is used. You go directly to the next string you're supposed to play, as opposed to following the predetermined picking patterns with alternate picking. With minimized movements required when picking, you can achieve greater speed, better flow and accuracy in time. Another benefit of directional pocking is that it minimizes muscle strain.

Though directional picking can help you play better and develop better techniques, it takes time to learn everything and master the art.

Playing the guitar is a simple and an easy thing to learn. It just takes some patience and an ear tuned to music. As with all skills, you will need to practice it to enhance it.

Guitar tip: developing speed and coordination skills

To develop your skills in playing the guitar, you must first have the time and effort to learn it. The most important thing in learning to play the guitar is to have one. You will never be able to apply what you read or learn from books if you don’t have a guitar to tinker with. To develop your skills in speed and coordination, you can always try playing a single song first. Try playing it over and over again until you get the hang of it. By using the guitar every time, you can then master how the cords are played and with less effort and time to do it.

Guitar lesson: learning different musical styles

It is important to note that learning different musical styles will be of great help in your quest to learn the guitar. Learning different styles like the blues or classical musical styles can enhance your skills in playing the guitar. Even if you don’t like a particular musical style, it is still important that you learn it. It may be difficult at first but in the end you will notice the big help it has done to your guitar skills.

Learning the guitar will take some time but your patience is the key to your success.

There are factors that affect a musician when playing guitar. The quality of the instrument and amps, for one, has direct effect on the quality of music played. The pick is another factor – though often overlooked – that affects how a guitar player plays.

What to look for in a guitar pick

When selecting a guitar pick, you need to consider the pick’s size, thickness, and material. These aspects have effects on the sound you make when strumming the strings of your guitar. The thickness of the pick affects the volume and tone of the sound. It’s the same with the material of the pick. The size of the pick, on the other hand, affects its usability and ease in handling.

Reliable guitar pick brands

Popular brands of guitar picks include Jim Dunlop, Fender, Steve Clayton, Teckpick, Ibanez, Gibson, Peavey, and Dava Control. These makers have been around for quite some time and have loyal following among guitar legends and guitar wannabes alike.

Customized guitar picks

You can also get customized guitar picks done if you want a personal feel to your guitar pick. When doing so, determine the size, thickness, and material that you want. Select the design of your guitar pick. You don’t have to stick with the usual triangular shaped picks.

If you’re into playing the guitar and want to score free guitar chords online, there several venues for you to do so. All you need is Internet access and a printer.

How to find free guitar chords online

There are several websites that offer free guitar chords. Typically, all you’d need to do if you want the guitar chords for a certain song is to do a search using your favorite search engine. Depending on the popularity of the song, you can come up with several results. You can then take your pick and print out your free guitar chords

Getting the best free guitar chords online

The problem with some free guitar chords online is the correctness of the notes. Many sites that offer free guitar chords are actually offering user submitted chords. These aren’t necessarily the correct chords for the songs.

In any case, you can make do with these free guitar chords by comparing the different chords available. If you can, play them out first before selecting the guitar chords that you’ll eventually use.

If you’ve taken to playing guitar, then you definitely would need to warm up your fingers before playing. There are several benefits to warming up. Even professional players need to do this before practicing songs or playing gigs.

What is “The Worm?”

The Worm is a type of guitar warm up exercise for the fingers. It is a series of progressive notes that you need to play at a certain speed. As you become a better guitar playing, you can gradually increase your playing speed.

Benefits of doing finger warm up exercises

When playing guitar, it is important to be accurate, “fluent,” and fast when it comes to playing different guitar notes. You can only become this with constant practice and through finger warm up exercises. These exercises can increase your hands' dexterity.

Other examples of warm up exercises for fingers

There are other warm up exercises for playing the guitar. Not all of them have nice catchy names like The Worm. Some have plain names, such as Warm Up Number I. All of these warm up exercises are best done with a metronome.

There's two less lonely people in the world when Russell Hitchcock finally found a soulmate in Graham Russell. Oh no, they're not middle age gay couples! They're the musical duo behind the soft ballads of Air Supply. I know, for the past years they've vanished into thin air, but I still find their melodies kinda sweet. I'm not actually a fan of the group, but come on, admit it, there's a hopeless romantic thriving in us all. When you're alone, I bet you'll feel the same drama of finding and losing love while wallowing in the lyrics of their melodies.

It was back in the 80s when two Russells, Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, started making beautiful music together. Back-ups did come and go, but this musical duo was tougher than marriage. They've stuck it out through fame and defeat while invading the American music industry. Actually, they first met in "Jesus Christ Superstar" in 1986 and started a band called Air Supply. But thanks to Rod Stewart, they made a stunning international breakthrough after playing the front act for Stewart's North American Tour. The Australian music legend, Air Supply, made a debut on airwaves when they signed a record deal for Arista in 1980.

Their first album, "Lost in Love," was a sold-out in 1980. Air Supply zoomed to fame with 2 million copies of their album sold. "Lost in Love," "All Out of Love," and "Every Woman in the World" hit the charts and knocked every romantic soul helpless with their tear-jerking melody. My personal favorites were "Here I Am" and "Sweet Dreams," which are included in their second album. There were considered guitar chart classics, especially before, when I used to look like Cat Stevens and played like Santana. Unfortunately, sooner than expected, the duo lost the spotlight. The duo disbanded and reunited, but didn't make a sucessful comeback.

Even when it comes to using our hands, we tend to have our personal favorite. I wonder why we always use the right hand in writing, cooking or handling! While the other left receives less of the attention he needed. But just to be fair, we must develop the same impulse and strength on both hands. For instance, in playing the guitar, the perfect notes and tunes rely heavily on your beautiful left hand execution. It also suffers a great deal in putting up with pressure on chords while retaining the varied finger positions on strings. Just as a boxing champ can strike a knock-out with a power left punch, flexibility and accuracy should also intensify your left hand technique.

There are different shapes and chords and each should be treated with unique specialty. Sometimes you'll need a firmer grip but most of the time, a gentle touch may do the trick. A good guitar player knows exactly how to work with both hands in seamless coordination but a more challenging task is to master the left hand technique. You do not need to employ too much pressure or strength, just relax and make your fingers at ease with the chords and strings. Flexibitlity and accuracy is best achieved once you learn to distinguish the different muscle strengths and contractions you'll need to impose on your left hand. There are various tips to relax a left hand touch. This routine will improve you guitar playing in no time.

Step 1, place your left hand on 5th position: the first finger on the 5th fret, second on the 6th fret, third on the 7th fret, and the pinky on th 8th fret. Next, just touch the strings and release the pressure. Then, elevate all your fingers except for the first and you're now ready to pluck the B string. You're not supposed to hear a note, just a muted pluck so continue plucking and slowly place your first finger down and soon you'll hear a clear note. Repeat the cycle but this time, use your second, then third and the fourth finger. To get the fret buzz, back off all the presssure from your fingers.

We often hear people claim that music soothes our ailing soul, but what if you hear lyrics like "We come bursting through your bodies, Rape your helpless soul"? You will then conclude that music isn't always as good as it sounds! If you hear this excerpt, "We force you to kill your brother, Eat his blood and brain" from Demons by Rigor Mortis, I'm sure you'll feel the creeps running through your veins. But when you're in a rock concert you do not mind at all. You just start slamming your hands and banging your head; you become oblivious to everything. And people start rounding up like an obsessive herd. I wonder, is there a conniving power behind this flare?

Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll: this is the slogan of rock stars who live their lives in waste and who are utterly ruined by fame and misery. This glaring lifestyle catches the critical eye of the cynic, that's why rock bands and their music are linked to Satanism and evil. Some dismiss it as a total bluff, an unproven mystery, while others continue to gather stories that try to support this claim. They say that rock bands are like puppets, they are hypnotized by music recording companies who used them as baits to the unknowing and ignorant music consumers. Money, music and fame. They say that this is the devil's way of sabotaging our faith and power.

Hearing about the arresting stories of the Satanic rock band cults, I know that many self-knowing hypocrites will say that we should bring back the Beatles when their melody and beats are innocent and real. But little do people know that John Lennon and Keith Richard of Rolling Stones are heroin addicts. At least that's what biographical researches say. Just so Richard could get an American Visa, he had to undergo blood transfusion and wash away the trace of his heroin-contaminated blood. This free sex and drug trade also happened during the musical reign of the Beatles and the Rolling Stone. There's no way of telling if this is a fact or a myth, but all I know is that all instruments--whether a simple guitar or a complicated trumpet--can be potential sources for good and evil. But it's not an excuse to drift away from our faith just becasue of a lousy music.

Does your playing suck real bad, with your knuckles all red and hurting? Suck it up, crybaby! To remedy that pain and awful playing, a good exercise trick may just do wonders. Yes, there's an exercise for wanna-be guitar players like you. I've seen fingers bleed, strings tearing out from relentless playing, but still nobody could master a trick. So in one of my classes, I decided to apply an age-old practice of guitar exercises. Guess what? It worked! After two weeks, I was able to spot some of my students' flaws and and improvements. Give my boys a decade from now and they can play as good as John Mayer and Ryan Cabrerra.

Guitar exercises are like dog tricks; you can find them on the Net or in dusty guitar books. Just follow some finger patterns and slowly advance from one phase to another. You think it's easy? Not quite! It may take some time and much of your patience. But if you're willing to go through a drill that will improve your accuracy and give your fingers some flexibility, then it may be worthwhile. In playing the guitar, time may suck you dry. You'll have to pay attention even to minor details before you can advance to playing like Carlos Santana. The truth is, some exercises can be frustrating. So when you feel like your finger patterns are all sloppy, slow down a bit and retain the pressure, holding on to it for a little longer.

Like in yoga and other fitness exercises, you'll need to focus and breathe deeply. Relax your mind. Your fingers would hurt a bit but in order to strengthen your muscles, you'll have to welcome the bitter pain. This is not about racing so don't think about speed yet. Concentrate on the tempo and clear notes before you shuffle along one pattern to another. Make it an everyday routine and in no time, you'll able to adapt speed, techniques and strength. Take your time because good things happen to those who are willing to wait.

There's a raging drama within us all and what better way to express this growing cynicism of teenage angst but to rebel with the music of Guns 'N Roses. I'm sure you haven't erased the image of Axl Rose on your nostalgic minds, in his tight-ass leather spandex and trashy black shirts. Classic,huh? And don't you forget about Slash. He's the hot puff of curly black hair who plays the electric guitar like a music god. Pot anyone? Just kidding! But they are true blue rock star icons of the early 90's. They're the Beatles of the modern rock 'n roll jam. Babes went gaga over them while guys tried too hard to fit into those tight pants, pouting a cigarette and fiddling an electric guitar on the other. Sad to say, bandwagons are not meant to stay forever. They dominated for a while and disappeared when it's already time. Out with the old and in with the new. Yet one thing remains, their music will continue to blast on our airwaves.

Melting two bands into one heavy metal jam, Guns 'N Roses got its name from Hollywood Rose and LA Guns. One lousy day in LA back in March, 1985, a group of rock musicians was born with Axl Rose on lead vocals, Tracii Guns and Izzy Stradlin on guitars, Ole Beich on base, and Rob Gardner on drums. It was after Gardner and Guns couldn't make it to a gig in Seattle that Slash and drummer Steven Adler joined Guns 'N Roses on their stage performance. And the Guns 'N Roses soon strummed their way to fame. Their first signature song was "Welcome to the Jungle" followed by their first album, Appetite for Destruction. One debut success ensued another before they made a world-breaking record of 90 million album sales worldwide. They're hailed as charismatic leaders of the hard rock genre. When you see GNR perform on stage, man, they'll rock your souls out. They're a perfect ensemble of attitude and style.

Although Guns N' Roses helped introduce a new brand of music style, stardom had gone to their heads. Their clashing personalities, drug and alcohol abuse couldn't stop them from breaking apart. In the end, Axl Rose was left with no one but as the sole member of GNR. These guys may be crazy, but crazy people are genius. We may be obnoxious of Axl Rose's hip hop grooves and plastic surgeries but no matter what they say, GNR rules! They played like hell during their time and they'll forever be reminiscent of a new-age heavy metal drama we once enjoyed.

Tony Bacon's latest published book, which is entitled "The Ultimate Guitar Book," is all about guitars. Where would you find such a book that contains it all--from ancient guitar trends to the latest, from guitar physical parts to music's essence in a person's daily life. It is a 192-page book where you will see nothing else but guitar images right from its front cover to its back cover.

The book basically shows a tremendous display of unique guitars from around the globe and it specifically features old-fashioned acoustic guitars to latest electronic guitars. It is actually a compilation of a total of 450 unique and classic guitar photographs that will capture any guitar aficionado's attention. No author has ever dared to bring such a book that is full of guitar pictures and abundant in information like Tony Bacon.

I've purchased Bacon's book because aside from its free guitar lessons, it is also an educational book. It gives me a lot of information that I have never known before. It's an eye-opener for me because I've learned a lot of new things like the origins and types of guitar. I also realized that playing guitar for some people is not a way of passing time, nor is it for prestigious music awards, but it's their passion.

As a man, whose meager earning can't even assure his son of a college education, the least I could do is to leave him my passion for music and guitars. I was beginning to think that I'm a failure as a father when I barged into my son's room. It was banging and ripping my ear off with Eminem rapping like hell on his radio. Then I thought, is that what they call music?! You just curse in rhyme and beat and you're entitled to a music slam?! I thought of my good old days. Music was tender and smooth then. There were lovely melodies and sweet lyrics. So I decided to introduce my boy to The Cascades, hoping it will give a little cheer to his ripped off ears.