TRURewindMusic Blog

What's the Difference in Guitar Strings?

2009-08-16T10:04:00.004-04:00

So, you made the decision to buy that guitar you've been thinking about. You loaded up on all the essentials: guitar case - check, guitar picks - check, cables - check, amplifier - check, effects - check, guitar strings - wait a minute. Did you say guitar strings? Doesn't this guitar I just bought already have guitar strings?

The answer is yes. Hopefully, they are the kind that the manufacturer recommends for the kind of guitar you have just purchased. The first suggestion is to ask the music store where you purchased your prized possession what kind of strings your guitar has on it, if you can't tell by looking. Not all guitar strings are the same. But understanding the differences doesn't have to require a PHD in guitar string technology. Just keep in mind the sound and style you are looking for.

It simply requires a little bit of reading and a general understanding of the sound that each type of string design produces, and trying out a few and deciding on one that you like. We are going to take a look at some of the most popular types of guitar strings in a little more detail in order to help you make an educated decision on choosing the best guitar strings for you.

The Guts

Some of the earliest produced guitar strings were made out of either wire or gut (called "cat gut, although usually made out of sheep intestine). Modern guitar strings are divided into two main types - nylon and steel. Classical and Flamenco guitars are likely to use nylon strings, while electric, flat-top and arch-top acoustics would use steel wire strings.

Guitars are usually strung with a set of six guitar strings, each a different thickness and tuned to a different pitch. The usual layout is the first and second are "plain", the fourth, fifth, and sixth are "wound", and the third can be either. Of course there are 12-string guitars, 7- string guitars, 8-string guitars, bass guitars (which usually have 4, but I have seen as many as 8). The basic premise remains the same, there are just more strings.

Understanding the Basics

Since it is not very practical to make thick strings, the only way to increase the mass of the bass strings is by wrapping them in extra wire around their central core. These would be called wound strings. The core would be either round or hexagonal. In steel guitar strings it is a steel core, and in nylon, yep, nylon.

The wire winding material can vary. They can be generally classified as "white" or "silver" metal (stainless steel, nickel, nickel alloy, silver-plated copper) or "gold" or "yellow" metal (bronze, brass, or some other alloy). Both types can be used on acoustic guitars, but most players typically prefer the yellow bronze or brass strings due to their bright, crisp sound. You can only use certain guitar strings on electrics with magnetic pickups though, the white metal ones because of their magnetic responsiveness. Yellow metal strings and nylon guitar strings will not work with a magnetic pick-up. If your guitar has a contact transducer or a microphone you can use any type of guitar strings.

Guitar strings can take on a variety of shapes based on the winding they are given.

Roundwound Strings

In order to produce the bottom three or four strings (the wound ones), the nylon or steel core is wrapped with a long, continuous length of round wire. They are typically wound by a machine that spins the central core. The result is a string with a crisp tone and volume, and they give a clear ring that is fitting for either acoustic or electric guitars when the strings are new.

Flatwound or Tapewound

These strings have a much smoother surface than that of roundwound strings. The reason is because the winding is not made from a wire but rather from a flat metal tape or ribbon.

The problem of finger squeak (the noise produced by the left hand when moving up and down the fingerboard when making contact with the guitar strings) and trying to find a solution to overcome it, led to the design of the flatwound string. The flat surface of the flatwounds help reduce this noise.

Flatwound guitar strings are a more mellow sounding string than roundwound and are preferred by jazz guitar players because of it. Rock guitarists don't typically care for them, due to their lack of brightness, and not much percussive tone compared to the roundwounds. They also tend to not last as long.

Compound flatwounds are made with both a round and a flat winding. The are first wound round and then covered with a flat ribbon winding. Jazz players also tend to love these.

Groundwound Strings

Guitar string makers were searching for a way to combine the advantages of roundwound and flatwound strings and created the groundwound guitar strings. Produced much the same way as the roundwound strings (by wrapping a round wire around a core, grinding down the winding and then polishing it to remove the protrusions. This produces a "flattened" surface), groundwounds provide some of the bright tone quality, projection and sustain as roundwounds and the smoother feel of flatwounds.

Silk and Steel Strings

Often called "compound strings", these are special because the inner core is made up of a combination of steel and silk. The treble strings are plain steel. The bass strings are a steel core wrapped with a fine layer of silk fiber and then a regular metal winding. Typically only used on acoustic guitars, the sound and feel falls somewhere between that of steel and nylon.

It's Your Choice

You now have the information you need to make an educated choice to choosing your guitar strings to develop your sound. The best advice I can give you is to try out different things. maybe as you start replacing guitar strings, try a new brand or new winding type until you have found the ones you like best. Guitar strings are as personal as your guitar. You have to play what you like.

Happy playing!

TRURewindMusic.com Guitar Strings and Accessories up to 55% Off!

Developing Finger Dexterity

2009-07-26T13:19:00.001-04:00

When learning to play the guitar, especially in the beginning, it is important to develop and practice the right habits and techniques. When you are trying to develop finger dexterity, it is absolutely critical to be able to use your finger tips when playing, especially when attempting to play scales.

There are several cool exercises to help you develop your finger dexterity and allow you the finger strength that you need to be able to become accomplished. Typically the best of these exercises involve playing patterns that require you to play each and every fret on the keyboard accross all strings, not focusing too much on the scale you are playing or the key. You want to be sure to use your finger tips and not the flat part of your finger to properly complete.

To explain the exercise, I found a video on youtube that does a good job in demonstrating the technique, which you can watch. To put it in to words for you to follow, hold your guitar as you normally would with your fret hand on the neck. Start at the 5th fret of the 6th string (A) and play each note in sequence through each of your 4 fingers. 1st finger on 5th fret, 2nd on the 6th fret, 3rd on the 7th fret, and 4th on the 8th fret. Continue this pattern down each string and return back to the sixth in reverse order. Practice getting faster and faster and fluent at the pattern and reverse and then shift up one fret and repeat.

This exercise is great for beginning guitar players, but also as a warm up for guitar players of any skill level. You can also use variations of this exercise as you learn new techniques like hammerons, etc. Focus on playing it as quickly as you can, but no faster. This will force you to play cleanly to keep your guitar playing from sounding sloppy.

I hope you find this exercise helpful.

Happy Playing!

www.trurewindmusic.com

The Minor Scale

2009-07-19T15:40:00.004-04:00

There are three different minor scales - the natural or relative minor scale. the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale.

Each of these has an individual step pattern, but they all share one element that differentiates them from the major scale. The first and third notes in the scale is always a tone and a half (one whole tone plus a semi-tone). This is called a minor third , and it is a contrast to the major third interval characteristic of the major scale. The minor scales differ from each other in terms of whether the 6th and 7th steps of the scale are raised (made sharp) or not.

The foundation of minor scales is easier to understand if we start by looking at how the natural minor scale is related to the major scale, and then go on to see how it is altered to produce the harmonic and melodic minor scales.

The Natural Minor Scale

As the "Ionian Mode" is the predecessor of the major scale, the natural minor scale is derived from what was called the "Aeolian Mode" Both of these modes were diatonic scales - played on the white notes of a keyboard. But, the difference is the Aeolian starts on the A, versus the Ionian starting on the C.

What this means is that the notes of the two scales are the same. But, because the natural minor scale has a different starting position, it has it's own step-pattern: tone (1st note to 2nd), semi-tone (2nd to 3rd), tone (3rd to 4th), tone (4th to 5th), semi-tone (5th to 6th), tone (6th to 7th), tone (7th to 8th). The 8th, of course being the octave.

When you compare the C major and the A minor scales, you will see that the 3rd note of the minor scale is the 1st note of the major scale (C), and the 6th note of the major scale is the 1st of the minor scale (A). This relationship is the key in understanding the connection between major and minor scales. Every major scale has a relative natural minor scale, and each minor scale a relative major scale.

Finding the relative scales is pretty easy. It is 3 semi-tones down from the major to the minor, and three semi-tones up from the minor to the major.

The major scale and it's relative natural minor scale share the same "key signature," therefore, they share the same notes. But, because the start at a different place, they have different step patterns and a different sound.

The Harmonic Minor Scale

The harmonic minor scale was developed as a result of the principles of harmony applied to the construction of chords.

A chord can be built on each note of the scale and the most important are those built on the 1st note (the "tonic" or I chord) and on the 5th note (the "dominant" or V chord). One of the three notes that goes to make up the dominant chord is the 7th note of the scale. In the major scale, the 7th note is one semi-tone below the tonic. But, in the minor scale, the 7th note is a whole-tone below the tonic. This translates to mean the dominant chords built on the 5th notes of major and natural minor scales do not have the same effect. In order to overcome this problem the 7th note of the natural minor scale is raised (made sharp) by a semi-tone. The new scale is called the "harmonic minor" scale.

The Melodic Minor Scale

The problem with the harmonic minor scale is that when you reduce the interval between the 7th and 8th notes to a semi-tone, the interval between the 6th and 7th is increased to three-semi tones (a minor third). If this were a melody line, it would be an unacceptably big jump. The solution is to raise the 6th note of the scale by a semi-tone. In A minor, it would be an F to an F#, and it would reduce the interval between the 6th and 7th notes to a tone. The result is a smoother melodic "flow." This method is effective when going up in pitch (ascending) and the scale that is produced is called the melodic minor for it's improved melodic potential. When playing a descending melody, it is not so important to have the semi-tone interval between the 7th and 8th notes, because the melodic flow is naturally smooth. Because of this, the ordinary minor scale is used.

I found a cool video by Justin Sandercoe that explains the difference between the minor scales and talks a bit about cadence, which we will cover later.

I hope this helps!

Happy playing!

www.trurewindmusic.com

Developing a Sense of Timing

2009-07-13T20:07:00.006-04:00

Without question the easiest way to improve your timing is to play with good musicians. It is the most effective way of learning to keep up with the tempo of the song, and it teaches you about rhythm and how rhythm is established.

The drummer, bass player and rhythm guitar player create rhythms by playing different parts, not by playing on the same beat. This creates a complex and interesting "composite" rhythm and it is critical that each player have a good sense of timing and a feel for what other members of the band are playing. Any band that have put in a lot of practice and have gotten their timing right will sound "tight" and effective.

However, it is not always possible to play with other players either by choice or by circumstance. This is when developing a sense of timing becomes more difficult. Varied tempo is sometimes done on purpose for effect in songs, however, as a beginner, you should focus on learning regular and steady tempos. There can be a very real danger in losing your timing when it comes to a tough chord change or a difficult run.

To remedy this, it is recommended to employ a metronome or drum machine. These are a must have for the practice tool box, because it reminds you when you go out of time and keeps a steady beat to keep you in line.

The simplest and cheapest of these "time-keepers", the metronomes are, in my opinion the best solution because they are simple to use and travel well, in case your practice space varies. Most metronomes operate on a battery and plug directly in to your amplifier to produce "standard" rock rhythms.

The more expensive drum machines can provide programmable, complex beats, and usually require hours of study to get to understand them, although the end result is often worth it.

The other alternative is to just use the old fashioned "play along with the cd or mp3." Which was called a cassette tape in my day.

Like anything else when it comes to your guitar playing, it takes time and practice to master having great timing. Stick at it and practice good habits!

I hope this helps.

Happy playing!

www.trurewindmusic.com

Using a capo

2009-07-07T17:01:00.001-04:00

A capo is a cool little device that allows you to play a chord progression in different keys while retaining the same chord shape. It acts like a sort of artificial barre on the guitar strings, much like your finger does when playing a barre chord.

The capo fits around the guitar's neck and raises the pitch of all six guitar strings. The fret that it's placed in determines the amount by which it raises them. If you place the capo on the first fret, you will raise the open string by one semi-tone; put it on the 2nd and it will be raised by two semi-tones; and so on. What this translates to is that an open chord of C major played with a capo on the first fret becomes C# major, and the same shape with the capo on the 2nd becomes D major. Basically, the fingering remains the same, but the notes are different.

Let's say you wanted to sing a melody to go with a fingerpicking using the chord progression of Am-G-F-E but the key in which it is written is too low for your voice. You would feel more comfortable if it were raised a semi-tone to the key of Bb minor. A capo allows you to change the key and continue to be able to play pretty easy chords without having to re-tune your guitar. If you placed the capo on the first fret of the neck of your guitar, the same sequence would now be Bb-Ab-Gb-F. Since these four chords can only be played as barre forms, which (without a capo) would become much more difficult - especially during finger picking, the capo provides an easy solution. But, the finger positioning wouldn't change from the original key as it was in the key of A minor. This makes the fingering much easier.

How to fit a capo

The capo is clamped over the fingerboard of the guitar just behind the chosen fret so that it raises the pitch of any chord you play.

I found a cool video on You Tube by ivideosongs that demonstrates a little more about the use of a capo.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Tuning Methods

2009-06-26T21:20:00.001-04:00

This week, we will discuss some of the many different ways to tune your guitar. Getting your guitar in tune is one of the most important first steps to becoming a competent guitar player.

Many beginning guitar players find it very difficult to tune a guitar. The reality is that the technique or tools you use really depends on the ability of your ears to perceive differences in pitch between two separate notes, and the ability to recognize good intonation when you hear it and the difference when you don't.

If you are just starting out and don't know the difference between tones, I recommend using an electronic tuner to do the work for you.

Although it is very important to develop your ear to be able to tune manually, an electronic tuner is a very good tool to have, as it can often overcome noisy environments and is virtually fool proof.

Some people find the ability to judge pitch easier than others. If you are one of those that find it difficult, understand that your ability to judge pitch will improve, along with your technique, the more you play. You will eventually develop a musical "ear" and it is a skill which develops with experience.

The best approach to good tuning is to take your time and go slowly and calmly. Being tense or in a hurry will find it hard to recognize whether a particular string is sharp or flat.

Always try to tune UP to pitch, not DOWN to a pitch. What that means is that you should slacken the string slightly so that it goes slightly flat and then tighten it to bring it up into tune. This helps to keep it stable at the right pitch.

For many guitarists, string slippage is a big problem. It can be virtually prevented by ensuring that you use the right guitar strings that fit and "stretching" them properly, by hitting them fairly hard, bending them or pulling them away from the guitar to give them a chance to settle down before playing them.

If you use lighter gauge strings, the problem of going out of tune is exaggerated. This problem can be common if you subject your guitar to drastic temperature changes, from a cold room to a warm room, or vice-versa.

The methods to be described will allow you to tune your guitar to itself (relative tuning). In order to be tuned to standard concert pitch, you must have at least one accurate reference note (found by using a device such as an electronic tuner).

Tuning to Chords

Guitars typically sound perfectly in tune in one chord but slightly out of tune in others. It's part of their nature. It is due to the intervals between notes being fixed by frets. In order to minimize this, the positioning of the frets is designed to spread out across the fingerboard any inaccuracies in the intervals between notes. In effect, the guitar will sound correctly in tune in very key. This is called "tempered tuning."

Tuning to chords is a great way to check and, if needed, adjust the compromise of the tuning. Once you have the open strings in tune with one another, play a chord, sounding each individual note and listening clearly to the intervals between them. I usually use a progression of the G, C, D chords to ensure that they all sound right. If they don't determine which note(s) sound out of tune and adjust accordingly.

Tuning to Harmonics

"Harmonic" notes will be covered in another lesson. If you don't know what they are, skip this method for now.

Harmonic notes often have a purer sound than the open strings of fretted notes. This is because of the phenomenon called "beat tones." Beat tones are generated when two pitches are close but not quite the same. If one note is vibrating at 440 Hz (A) and the other one is slightly flat, at, for instance 436 Hz, you will be able to hear 4 beat tones or pulses per second when you play them together. As the out of tune note is brought to the tone of the original note, the beats will slow down, or even disappear as they become totally in tune.

The place on the fret board to check this is the 5th fret on the lower string vs the 7th fret on the next highest string. For Example, if you were tuning the 'E' string and the 'A' string, you would ring the 5th fret harmonic on the 'E' string and measure the tone against the 7th fret harmonic on the 'A' string. This is the same on all strings with the exception of between the 'G' and the 'B'. The 5th fret on the 'G' should ring the same as the 4th fret 'B'.

I hope you find this helpful in developing your ear to tune your guitar.

For all of your guitar strings and guitar accessories needs, please visit www.trurewindmusic.com

Scales and Modes - A Brief Lesson in Theory

2009-06-18T18:29:00.001-04:00

The earliest forms of scales have roots that go back to the ancient Greeks, named after their most important tribes - the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian. Each of them contained eight notes (from the root to the octave). These notes were the equivalent to the notes on the white keys of the piano keyboard, written in descending order.

The Dorian scale descended from E, the Phrygian from D, the Lydian from C, and the Mixolydian from B.

Musicians from the Christian Church adopted these scales in the Middle Ages. But for some reason, they decided to introduce various changes. First, they reversed the order, to make them ascending. Second, they changed the root notes. Third, they changed the term from "scale" to "mode." This made the formerly known Greek Dorian scale the Dorian Mode and made it from D to D, the Phrygian Mode went from E to E, Lydian Mode from F to F, and the Mixolydian Mode went from G to G. And the Greek Lydian scale, originally descending from C, now ascended from C and was renamed the Ionian Mode. Also, the Greek Mixolydian Scale, which descended from B, now ascended from B and was renamed the Locrian Mode. The scale that began on the A was called the Aeolian Mode.

This now meant that there were 7 modes - one for each of the white keys. We have already seen that the characteristic sound of any scale or series of notes is determined by its step-pattern of tone or semi-tone intervals. Since each mode has its own step-pattern, each mode has it's own sound.

In the Middle Ages, the modal system was the source of melody. By the 16th Century, the increasing complexities of "polyphony" (music which contains 2 or more harmonized melody lines) were leading to the breakdown of the modal system.

There was a new harmonic language being developed as the 17th Century began. The concept of "tonality" was expanded to include the key system (which is another lesson). All music had a "key signature" which identified the tonic (or first) note of the scale as the "key-center" or "home key." The intervals between notes were fixed by their distance from the tonic note or key center.

The heart of the key system was the concept of diatonic major and minor scales. A "diatonic" scale comprises the notes proper to the key. The diatonic major scale has the same pattern of tones and semi-tones as the medieval Ionian Mode (started on C), and the diatonic natural minor scale has the same pattern as the Aeolian Mode (which started on A). The resemblance, however, is one of structure, not usage.

For all your guitar strings and accessories needs, check out www.trurewindmusic.com

Left-Hand Technique

2009-03-25T16:37:00.001-04:00

(I would like to thank the Guitar Handbook for the following excerpt on left-hand fretting techniques)

The function of your left hand is to press the guitar strings down onto the frets in order to sound the required notes. Before your right hand strikes the strings, your left hand must be in position, creating a specific selection of fretted notes for your right hand to play.

Many of the lead guitarist's left-hand techniques - for example, hammering-on, string-bending, slides and vibratos - are all part of the arsenal of tricks associated primarily with the sound of the modern guitar. In contrast, the rhythm guitarist's left hand tends to be more concerned with fingering chord shapes. However, modern rhythm guitarists also use many syncopation and "chop" techniques that rely on the left hand for damping effects. It is, after all, left handed damping that creates specific time values by releasing the strings when it has sounded for the required duration, and that cancels unwanted notes when several strings are played at once.

To play a single clear note without touching any other strings, your fingers should be arched so that the tips come down onto the fretboard more or less at right angles to it. This obviously means that your fingernails should not protrude beyond the ends of your fingertips. You should keep them trimmed.

When you fret a strings, you should hold it down between two frets, but just behind the one you want. The vibrating length of the strings will then be the distance from the higher of the frets to the saddle.

Use only as much finger pressure as is necessary to make the note sound clearly. Pressing too hard will tire your fingers and may hurt. Beginners will experience this immediately-especially with steel strings-since it takes a while to toughen the fingertips and learn how to apply just the right amount of pressure to the guitar strings.

We will get in to more specific style based left-hand techniques in future posts, but that is the foundation.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

www.trurewindmusic.com

How to Play Simple Songs Today

2009-03-11T11:11:00.001-04:00

Most popular music on the radio or anywhere you hear it today consists of a few basic chords. These chords are put in to a succession to convey the feeling or mood that is desired by the song writer.

When you take these chord progressions and utilize different picking patterns, you should be able to hear how these same chords can sound quite different in different songs.

The picking pattern on you picking hand is an important skill to master. While I was looking for a lesson to share this week, I came across a cool video that demonstrates a pretty simple excercise on how to improve your strumming techniques.

The video helps demonstrate how to practice alternate (up and down) strumming on the guitar strings, while changing chord patterns with your fret hand.

I hope you find this video helpful in helping you become a better strummer and ultimately a better guitar player.

www.trurewindmusic.com

How to Play Beginner Guitar Chords

2009-03-01T10:44:00.001-05:00

Playing the beginner guitar chords is a very important step in becoming an accomplished guitar player. The reality is that virtually every song is based off of fundamental chords or some variation of those chords.

I found a cool video that helps visualize the placement of your fingers on the guitar strings and what those chords should sound like. I thought it was a pretty cool lesson on how to be sure you are placing your fingers in the proper places on the strings and helps you hear the difference between those chords.

If you can master these basic chords, you should be able to play just about any song you want to.

I hope you find this video valuable.

www.trurewindmusic.com

The Major Scale

2009-02-21T09:41:00.001-05:00

The Major Scale is the building block for music. It is basically a 7 note step. It is made up of whole steps and half steps. Any time you skip a fret and play the next note, it is a whole step, if you play the next fret, it is called a "half step."

The note you start on is the key of the scale. If you follow the step pattern of whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step.

Try playing the scale on one guitar string only before moving on to other ways. I found a cool video that explains what I have written here:

www.trurewindmusic.com

Guitar 101 - Using all of your fingers on the fret hand

2009-02-12T20:47:00.001-05:00

When you are learning to play guitar, it is important to build up your finger strength and be able to use all of the fingers on your fret hand equally.

I found a cool video on You tube that demonstrates a pretty simple excercise to get your fret hand finger strength up. Practice this exercise for a few minutes a day and you will find that your fret hand finger strength will improve in no time.

The guitar strings may be painful at first, but that will pass as you build up calluses on your finger tips.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Bar chords

2009-01-31T13:01:00.001-05:00

The cool thing about playing the guitar is that you can skip over a lot of the fundamentals and jump right in to playing chords. The fundamental chords utilize all four fingers and all six guitar strings.

I found a cool video on You Tube that explains how to play the 4 most commonly used chords in many popular forms of music.

This video focuses on the G chord, the C9 Chord, Em7, and D. As the video explains the finger positioning on the strings is relatively similar on all of these chords and they provide a good foundation for building up your finger strength and strumming technique.

Watch the video as Aaron Tomberlin explains in more detail. I hope this helps.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Proper Fretting Techniques

2009-01-24T17:32:00.001-05:00

When beginning to play the guitar, many players are in a huge hurry to master the fret burning licks on their favorite recordings. At the early stages of learning to play the guitar it is important to walk and master the basics first.

I found a cool little video on You Tube that talks about how to properly position your fingers on the guitar strings to obtain the proper sound, and not have a dead dull sound.

There are occasions when you would want to put your finger directly on the fret to obtain a "harmonic" note. This will be covered in a later lesson.

The basic idea is that each fret on the fretboard, shortens the length of the guitar string to produce the note you are looking to.

Check out the video lesson for a bit more of a description.

Enjoy!

www.trurewindmusic.com

Understanding guitar Tablature

2009-01-15T20:54:00.001-05:00

Tablature is a system of writing down music for the guitar. It is based on a six line grid that represent one of the six guitar string. The top line is the 1st (top E) string, and the bottom is the 6th (bottom E) string. The numbers on the lines are fret numbers. For example, a number 3 on the 2nd line from the top tells you to play D om the 3rd fret of the 2nd string. An O on the line indicates that you play the open 2nd string.

The system relies on you being able to hear the piece of music so that you are familiar with the rhythmic structure of the song and the timing of the notes. It is used in conjunction with memory.

It is basically a form of short hand that helps you determine where to put your fingers on the guitar string while you play along with the cd.

I found a pretty cool video on You Tube that helps demonstrate what I just discussed. I hope this helps you understand how to translate tablature to your guitar string and you will soon be learning your favorite songs in no time at all.

Good luck!

www.trurewindmusic.com

Strumming the Guitar

2009-01-08T21:04:00.001-05:00

The ability to play rhythm guitar is one of the most important pieces in your quest to be a good guitar player. Being able to strum the guitar and keep rhythm with other players is critical.

I found a pretty cool video on You Tube that helps explain the fundamentals in developing a good strum. Basically, you want to count out the rhythm of your pick hand with a 1 & 2 & 3 & 4, etc, starting with the 1 being on the down stroke and the & being on the up stroke. Watch the video for a clear explanation.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Learning the notes on the guitar fretboard

2009-01-01T11:42:00.001-05:00

For many, the task of learning the notes on the fretboard of the guitar is very daunting. I found a pretty cool video on You Tube that breaks down the task to a much simpler process by learning the 7 notes of the C scale first, ignoring the flats and sharps. It focuses on learning the 7 "natural" notes of the guitar first and shows you how to learn them on each string. The 7 natural notes of the guitar in the C scale are C-D-E-F-G-A-B.

If you can learn the position of each of these notes on each guitar string, you will find that your ability to memorize the position of the notes throughout the fretboard is much easier.

Starting with C being the first note to learn, you will learn where that note is located on each guitar string throughout the guitar fretboard.

If you can follow this process, you will cut the time it takes to memorize the notes of the guitar by as much as 1/2.

For all your guitar strings and accessories needs check out: http://www.trurewindmusic.com/

www.trurewindmusic.com

Proper Picking Techniques

2008-12-25T08:46:00.001-05:00

Holding a guitar pick is pretty simple as long as you apply some basic common sense. The guitar pick should be held between your thumb and index finger on your picking hand. You will want to keep your wrist locked and utilize your elbow as the pivot point to move the guitar pick to pressure the guitar string.

Some people will recommend using a light grade sand paper on your guitar pick to sharpen the edge and help it grab the strings. This is a good trick to use as your competency improves.

It is recommended that you use a medium or heavy gauge guitar pick with a standard width. There are some over sized picks that you can use for the very beginner or for the younger guitar players. These picks are good for strumming and for establishing the very fundamentals of using a guitar pick. Lighter gauge guitar picks tend to be flimsy and can break quite easily.

Name brand guitar picks are usually good to start with, but guitar picks, next to guitar strings are probably what you will be likely to replace the most, so it is important to finds picks that are within your budget and picks that last based on your playing abilities and preferences.

It is recommended that you learn to be able to use a guitar pick using both down and up strokes on the strings. Your picking hand will become fatigued very quickly if you utilize only up or only down strokes with the guitar pick. You will also be able to play much faster over time if you are able to pick using up and down strokes.

For the very beginner, start by just using open strings (no pressure on the guitar strings or neck from your fret hand), and practice using up and down strokes on each string. As you are able to produce a consistent ringing from the open string, practice going a little faster along each string.

When you feel comfortable with your ability to pick up and down consistently, try playing some notes on the fret board and using the same exercise until you are comfortable with the sounds being produced. These sounds should be a clear ringing, sustained sound with no "dull" non-ringing of the notes.

To prepare for strumming some chords, practice by strumming the pick along the open strings, again with no pressure on the guitar strings or fret board, as you did in the beginning. Be sure to use both up and down strokes to keep your pick hand from getting tired and developing your up and down picking ability equally.

Once you are comfortable with the individual notes, move along to strumming some chords, using simple chords first and being sure to be able to ring out each note of the chord both individually and together. Once you re comfortable with a few basic chords, try changing between those chords until you are able to do so efficiently and without stopping between chords for finger placements on the guitar strings.

For all your guitar strings and accessories needs check out:

www.trurewindmusic.com

Kevin Uhrig is a singer and guitar player and director of http://www.trurewindmusic.com, and believes in providing good information to allow consumers to make educated decisions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Uhrig

www.trurewindmusic.com

The Anatomy of the Guitar

2008-12-18T18:15:00.001-05:00

This video describes the various parts of the guitar that you will need to become familiar with as your ability to play the guitar gets better.

For all your guitar strings and guitar accessories needs check out: www.trurewindmusic.com

www.trurewindmusic.com

The basics on playing the major and minor chords

2008-12-11T19:20:00.001-05:00

I was searching you tube for some ideas on topics and I found this cool video about playing the major and minor chords on your guitar.

This is a great video for the beginning guitar player, just getting familiar with where to place your fingers on the guitar strings.

While playing the guitar for the beginner may seem like a difficult thing to start to understand, it is much easier to grasp if you break it down into small pieces.

One of the first exercises is to understand the difference between the basic chord fingerings.

This video demonstrates how to play the most basic major and minor chords, like A, E, D, C, and G.

There is even a final demo that teaches how to play the basic part to Gloria.

For all your guitar strings and guitar accessories needs, check out www.trurewindmusic.com.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Getting Started Playing Guitar - How to Choose the Right Guitar Strings for you!

2008-12-04T19:03:00.001-05:00

When you are making a decision to take up a hobby like playing the guitar, the last thing you need is a complicated process on how to decide what types of equipment to buy, and how to create the different sounds that a guitar can make.

If you are just beginning to play, you are likely to want to go with a nylon guitar string, as they are easier on your fingers and will allow you to learn how to apply the correct amount of pressure with minimal discomfort to your fingertips. Nylon guitar strings produce a mellow, soothing tone. If you are going to play the classical guitar, you are likely to want to stay with these guitar strings, as they are very common in the classical style of guitar playing.

Ball-end nylon strings are popular for the folk-style guitar player. These strings can handle the strumming associated with folk style playing.

Silk and steel guitar strings are what you want for finger style playing, because they are gentler on your fingers.

Bronze guitar strings provide a brilliant, bright tone and are often used on acoustic guitars. They are wrapped in a bronze coating to provide the "brightness" commonly heard from an acoustic guitar.

There are also mutliple choices for the electric guitar player as well. Flat-wound guitar strings are easier to play and produce a tone that is common in jazz styles.

Nickel wound strings, commonly found in brands like Ernie Ball, they are made from pure nickel wire wrapped around tin plated hex. Nickel strings produce a warm, rich toneThese are the types of strings that are commonly heard in rock-n-roll style guitar playing.
Round wound strings, popular in manufacturers like GHS, are made of nickel plated steel, and they produce a bright, long-lasting tone, commonly used in heavy metal, rock, country, blues, and pop styles.

There are also multiple gauges (or thickness) of guitar strings to consider when making your choice. Heavier gauges are better for rhythm style playing and lighter gauges are better for bending and playing solos. It is important to determine which thickness is best for your needs, and remember that they may change as your ability improves. I would suggest a medium light to medium gauge if you are just beginning, as these can be a little more versatile than heavier gauged strings.

For the guitar strings you need and more visit:
http://www.trurewindmusic.com/

Kevin Uhrig is a singer and guitar player and director of http://www.trurewindmusic.com/, and believes in providing good information to allow consumers to make educated decisions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Uhrig

www.trurewindmusic.com

Strumming the Guitar Basics

2008-11-28T10:42:00.002-05:00

The first element of learning to properly strum a guitar is to learn how to hold the guitar pick. The short video below demonstrates how to practice strumming the guitar strings without being too concerned about finger position and in fact, just strumming the guitar strings without the fret hand touching the strings at all.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Choosing guitar strings

2008-11-23T10:04:00.001-05:00

Choosing guitar strings doesn't have to be difficult. The first step to choosing your guitar strings starts with the type of guitar you have or the style of music you want to play.

There are nylon guitar strings for classical style playing, nickel guitar strings for electric guitars. They can also be stainless steel guitar strings, however nickel is far more popular.

For an acoustic guitar, you are likely to want bronze guitar strings, with the first three strings being stainless steel.

Those are the three major differences in choosing your guitar strings. The video below recaps the information in this blog and also provides a visual for your information.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Guitar Basics - Getting started

2008-11-21T17:21:00.001-05:00

If you are thinking about learning how to play the guitar. It is important to consider what items you will need to get started.

The first decision is to decide which type of guitar you are going to choose. The two basic types are acoustic or electric.

If you choose the electric guitar, you will also need to choose a quality guitar chord, and a quality amplifier.

You are also going to need a guitar strap, possibly a guitar case, and a backup set of guitar strings.

The video below covers most of these key points.

www.trurewindmusic.com

You can Tune a Guitar

2008-11-15T12:25:00.001-05:00

Next to knowing how to change your guitar strings, knowing how to tune your guitar is probably equally as important.

There are several more advanced guitar strings tunings, such as drop 'D' and other creative tunings to give you those different tones, which we will cover in later posts.

Today we will cover what is called the standard guitar strings tuning.

Your strings will sound in the following notes from top to bottom - E-A-D-G-B-E. There are several ways to accomplish getting the tuning of your guitar completed. The easiest of which is through the use of chromatic tuners, which you can find for very reasonable prices.

There are also methods like harmonic tuning, which again will be covered in later blogs.

The video below will focus on the simplest of tuning methods, which utilizes learning the note positions on each guitar string to subsequently tune each consecutive string.

www.trurewindmusic.com

Guitar Strings and Accessories

2008-11-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

This blog is designed to help answer questions about guitar strings and guitar accessories, as well as anything related to music.

Let's start with learning how to change your guitar strings first.

The video here demonstrates the easiest way to change your guitar strings:

www.trurewindmusic.com

Music Blogs Directory