The Guitar Pick has evolved over the years, in thanks to many guitar players, who have molded or modified they guitars picks, for their unique style of playing.
Guitar picks today are now available in all sizes and styles.
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| Guitar Pick Infograph |
Showing posts with label Learn Guitar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learn Guitar. Show all posts
April 28, 2015
Guitar Picks: Which One to Use
Guitar Picks, A major asset to all guitarists, come in many different styles, sizes, and materials. The basic guitar pick is made from various types of plastic. Some of the basic plastics used to manufacture picks are, Celluloid, Nylon, Acetal, Acrylic, Delrex, Lexan, and Ultem.
The Guitar Pick has evolved over the years, in thanks to many guitar players, who have molded or modified they guitars picks, for their unique style of playing.
Guitar picks today are now available in all sizes and styles.
The Guitar Pick has evolved over the years, in thanks to many guitar players, who have molded or modified they guitars picks, for their unique style of playing.
Guitar picks today are now available in all sizes and styles.
August 27, 2011
Basic Jazz Guitar Chord Chart
These are some of the basic Jazz guitar chords used in Jazz music. This basic Jazz guitar chord chart is the stepping stone to Jazz music, as you progress there are many more intricate guitar chords to learn.
By George Luker (C) 2011 Krule Music
May 14, 2011
How to Find Guitar Chords
Did you ever wanted to know what the exact guitar chord was, and how it sounded? This new guitar chords software lets you search and hear the exact chord. Bookmark this page now for future reference. This free chord finder is a great tool for all guitar players, from novice to professional players.
For anyone who is learning to play the guitar, this is an extremely helpful and free tool to use. The benefits for a beginner, is that you can hear the actual sound of the guitar chord. While you are hear, check out our other posts for blues scales and guitar chord charts.
If you need guitar strings, we recommend you buy them through the link to the left, you will save money, and don't forget to get your guitar picks as well.
Bookmark this page now.
Musicians resources always posts interesting content for all guitarists and musicians.
How to find guitar chords is easy to use, play and have fun.
Copyright (C)2011 Krule Music
For anyone who is learning to play the guitar, this is an extremely helpful and free tool to use. The benefits for a beginner, is that you can hear the actual sound of the guitar chord. While you are hear, check out our other posts for blues scales and guitar chord charts.
If you need guitar strings, we recommend you buy them through the link to the left, you will save money, and don't forget to get your guitar picks as well.
Bookmark this page now.
Musicians resources always posts interesting content for all guitarists and musicians.
How to find guitar chords is easy to use, play and have fun.
Copyright (C)2011 Krule Music
May 02, 2011
Dunlop 535Q Crybaby Wah Pedal: The Leader in Quality
The Dunlop 535Q Muli-Wah Crybaby pedal, is one of latest crybaby pedals from Dunlop manufacturing. The 535Q is close in spec to the original Jim Dunlop Cry Baby pedal. The GCB-95 which is the original cry baby pedal is the best selling guitar pedal of all time.
The 535Q Multi-Wah Crybaby Benefits Versus the Original Wah Pedal:
The 535Q Multi-Wah Crybaby pedal is the same as the original pedal, the difference is the added flexibility of the pedal, which makes it customizable.
The main advantage is you can control the tone of the wah, that the pedal produces. You can also control the intensity of the pedal effect, this is done with the "Q" button.
Like the original cry baby pedal, the 535Q is durable and built to take the abuse of being on the road.
The picture to the left demonstrates some of the typical settings for the 535Q Multi-Wah pedal.
Note: always plug the Wah pedal before all other effects pedals, this will give you the best sound and control. This is a basic tip for all wah pedals.
The Original Crybaby Wah Pedal: the GCB-95:
This is the exact model and pedal Jimi Hendrix used in the studio and when he played live. The GCB-95 is the wah pedal that put Dunlop on the map for guitar effects.
The Original Crybaby Wah pedal (GCB-95) that started the rock revolution. This is the pedal that Jimi Hendrix used at the historic Woodstock concert, and on many of his recordings including the all time classic "Voodoo Child".
The GCB-95 is still built to its original design spec, and is still manufactured in the USA by Dunlop Manufacturing Inc.
The pedal is one of the only products on the market, that has not changed since it was first introduced to the market. Dunlop is one of the only manufacturers for guitar effects and instruments, that has not changed or outsourced the production since day one.
No matter which crybaby wah pedal you choose from , you get a top quality guitar effects pedal, and that has never changed over time.
Who Uses Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedals?
The following is an impressive list of guitarists who only use Dunlop Crybaby wah pedals, of course Jimi Hendrix is one of the first guitarists to use the wah pedal. Some of the other guitar hero's are Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Prince, Steve Lukather, Adrian Smith, Vivian Campbell, John Frusciante, Warren di Martini, Warren Haynes, Robin Finck, Steve Vai, and many other guitarists.
If you're looking for a wah pedal, the 535Q Crybaby Multi-Wah Pedal or the original from Dunlop is the only pedals you should even consider. Time tested, musician approved, and still manufactured to exact specs.
By George Luker (C) Copyright 2011 Krule Music
The 535Q Multi-Wah Crybaby Benefits Versus the Original Wah Pedal:
The 535Q Multi-Wah Crybaby pedal is the same as the original pedal, the difference is the added flexibility of the pedal, which makes it customizable.
The main advantage is you can control the tone of the wah, that the pedal produces. You can also control the intensity of the pedal effect, this is done with the "Q" button.
Like the original cry baby pedal, the 535Q is durable and built to take the abuse of being on the road.
Note: always plug the Wah pedal before all other effects pedals, this will give you the best sound and control. This is a basic tip for all wah pedals.
The Original Crybaby Wah Pedal: the GCB-95:
This is the exact model and pedal Jimi Hendrix used in the studio and when he played live. The GCB-95 is the wah pedal that put Dunlop on the map for guitar effects.
The Original Crybaby Wah pedal (GCB-95) that started the rock revolution. This is the pedal that Jimi Hendrix used at the historic Woodstock concert, and on many of his recordings including the all time classic "Voodoo Child".
The GCB-95 is still built to its original design spec, and is still manufactured in the USA by Dunlop Manufacturing Inc.
The pedal is one of the only products on the market, that has not changed since it was first introduced to the market. Dunlop is one of the only manufacturers for guitar effects and instruments, that has not changed or outsourced the production since day one.
No matter which crybaby wah pedal you choose from , you get a top quality guitar effects pedal, and that has never changed over time.
Who Uses Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedals?
The following is an impressive list of guitarists who only use Dunlop Crybaby wah pedals, of course Jimi Hendrix is one of the first guitarists to use the wah pedal. Some of the other guitar hero's are Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Prince, Steve Lukather, Adrian Smith, Vivian Campbell, John Frusciante, Warren di Martini, Warren Haynes, Robin Finck, Steve Vai, and many other guitarists.
If you're looking for a wah pedal, the 535Q Crybaby Multi-Wah Pedal or the original from Dunlop is the only pedals you should even consider. Time tested, musician approved, and still manufactured to exact specs.
By George Luker (C) Copyright 2011 Krule Music
April 18, 2011
Tascam DR-05: Handheld Portable Recorder
Do you ever have a great idea for a song, like a melody, or guitar riff, and its in your head.? You want to record it, but your not near a studio, or takes too much time to go into your home studio, turn on the computer, set mics etc. You don't want to lose that idea, but it takes too much time just to record something real quick, before you forget it. This happens all the time to many musicians.
Mobile Recording Solution for Guitarists: Tascam DR-05
There is a solution to this problem, the Tascam DR-05 the most innovative mobile recording device on the market today. A Solid State recorder that lets you record in MP3 or WAV format to microSD or microSDHC media.
Simple and easy to use push button and menu, lets you record you're guitar parts or vocals on the spot within a minute. Its as easy as plug in your guitar, turn it on, press record. That's it. The Tascam DR-05 is a handheld portable recorder, the perfect recording solution for musicians. Its battery operated, uses two AA batteries.
The fact that it is so small, it can go in your guitar case or nap sac is just simply amazing and brilliant. The cost of the unit is so affordable, versus what the handheld portable recorder can do, its just mind blowing. A guitarist can record his parts in WAV format anywhere and then send it in a file to anyone or upload to a computer that has the actual recording software like Pro-Tools, Sonar and so on. Do you see the true potential this handheld recorder has?
Benefits of a Mobile Handheld Recorder:
A handheld portable recorder is a must have for all musicians, the benefits to a guitarist are endless. No more lost songs or melodies, decrease studio time, write and record your guitar parts anywhere.
Do you have a Tascam DR-05 in your guitar case?
By George Luker (C) 2011 Copyright Krule Music
Mobile Recording Solution for Guitarists: Tascam DR-05
There is a solution to this problem, the Tascam DR-05 the most innovative mobile recording device on the market today. A Solid State recorder that lets you record in MP3 or WAV format to microSD or microSDHC media.
Simple and easy to use push button and menu, lets you record you're guitar parts or vocals on the spot within a minute. Its as easy as plug in your guitar, turn it on, press record. That's it. The Tascam DR-05 is a handheld portable recorder, the perfect recording solution for musicians. Its battery operated, uses two AA batteries.
The fact that it is so small, it can go in your guitar case or nap sac is just simply amazing and brilliant. The cost of the unit is so affordable, versus what the handheld portable recorder can do, its just mind blowing. A guitarist can record his parts in WAV format anywhere and then send it in a file to anyone or upload to a computer that has the actual recording software like Pro-Tools, Sonar and so on. Do you see the true potential this handheld recorder has?
Benefits of a Mobile Handheld Recorder:
- Quick set-up and recording on the spot.
- Easy menu navigation.
- Record guitar parts or vocals in WAV or MP3 formats.
- Directly record to microSD or microSDHC media.
- Record complete tracks anywhere.
- Songwriting tool for guitarists and vocalists.
- Built-in Chromatic Tuner.
- Variable Speed Audition (Slow down music without changing the pitch.)
- Level Align Function
- Built-in Speaker
- Battery Operated
- Compact Size 4.8 x 2.6 x 7.5 inches
- Lightweight under 3 pounds.
A handheld portable recorder is a must have for all musicians, the benefits to a guitarist are endless. No more lost songs or melodies, decrease studio time, write and record your guitar parts anywhere.
Do you have a Tascam DR-05 in your guitar case?
By George Luker (C) 2011 Copyright Krule Music
March 02, 2011
Guitar Effects Pedals: A Handbook for the Guitarist
Guitar effects pedal, have been around since the late 50's, through the years the guitar pedal has evolved into complete racks today, which are used by many guitarists, especially a touring guitarist. Guitar pedals come with many effects from distortion and chorus, to cry baby Wah's.
Some of the effects pedals today, do come with an all-in-one type of effect, which is beneficial and
economical to many guitarists. See our post on Mega-Wah Guitar Pedal: The Only Seven in One Pedal for a great review on this amazing Mega-Wah pedal.
Most guitar players do prefer some of the older stand alone effects pedals, which now can be bought second hand through, fellow musicians, pawn shops, and used music instrument stores.
A guitar pedal basically modifies the guitar signal and pitch, to give you a specific sound, like feedback for a distortion type of sound, a cry baby type of sound from a wah wah pedal, and so on.
Understanding the history, and evolution of the guitar effects pedal, is interesting to most guitarist, but can also give you an insight in how to modify and manipulate your effects pedal.
"Guitar Effects Pedals The Practical Handbook" written by author Dave Hunter is an absolute must read, and for most guitarists, it will be an enjoyable and informative read, the book also comes with a CD.
The handbook goes into details on the evolution of the guitar pedal, with a chapter dedicated to the history of guitar effects, also listing most of the "Vintage Models" and brands. This chapter alone is worth the money spent on the handbook. Another chapter goes into detail on current contemporary brands that are available on the market today.
The best part of "Guitar Effects Pedals The Practical Handbook" is chapter 5, which is exclusively dedicated to the guitarist, and a section that many guitarists need to know. This section is the Tips, Tricks, and Tone of guitar pedals. Using an effects pedal is one thing, knowing how to get the setting for that perfect tone, has always been a elusive knowledge of many a great guitar player.
Guitar Effects Pedals The Practical Handbook grab a copy of this book today, and learn how to use guitar effect pedals properly, and save yourself hours of settings.
By George Luker (C) Copyright 2011 Krule Music
Some of the effects pedals today, do come with an all-in-one type of effect, which is beneficial and
economical to many guitarists. See our post on Mega-Wah Guitar Pedal: The Only Seven in One Pedal for a great review on this amazing Mega-Wah pedal.
Most guitar players do prefer some of the older stand alone effects pedals, which now can be bought second hand through, fellow musicians, pawn shops, and used music instrument stores.
A guitar pedal basically modifies the guitar signal and pitch, to give you a specific sound, like feedback for a distortion type of sound, a cry baby type of sound from a wah wah pedal, and so on.
Understanding the history, and evolution of the guitar effects pedal, is interesting to most guitarist, but can also give you an insight in how to modify and manipulate your effects pedal.
"Guitar Effects Pedals The Practical Handbook" written by author Dave Hunter is an absolute must read, and for most guitarists, it will be an enjoyable and informative read, the book also comes with a CD.
The handbook goes into details on the evolution of the guitar pedal, with a chapter dedicated to the history of guitar effects, also listing most of the "Vintage Models" and brands. This chapter alone is worth the money spent on the handbook. Another chapter goes into detail on current contemporary brands that are available on the market today.
The best part of "Guitar Effects Pedals The Practical Handbook" is chapter 5, which is exclusively dedicated to the guitarist, and a section that many guitarists need to know. This section is the Tips, Tricks, and Tone of guitar pedals. Using an effects pedal is one thing, knowing how to get the setting for that perfect tone, has always been a elusive knowledge of many a great guitar player.
Guitar Effects Pedals The Practical Handbook grab a copy of this book today, and learn how to use guitar effect pedals properly, and save yourself hours of settings.
By George Luker (C) Copyright 2011 Krule Music
February 10, 2011
Musicians Connecting on Social Networks
Musicians Resources a blog centered around various resources for guitarists, musicians, and music professionals is expanding its popular blog with more unique and specific content and articles.
Our blog has always been centered around all aspects for musicians, from learning the play guitar, to current resources available for artists, to marketing and exposure.
One of the key aspects of basic marketing for musicians is social networking, this is an extreme advantage for musicians and bands. Staying connected with fans should be your ultimate priority.
Remember to subscribe to our blog to receive our latest posts, we are also on Facebook and Twitter, where we also post additional unique content for the music industry. So add us on Facebook and twitter so we can all stay connected.
Link to Musicians Resources, our direct links are listed below.
Blog: Musicians Resources
Facebook: Musicians Resources
Twitter: Musisource
Musicians connecting to each other is the very first step to marketing, and we all do this with social networks. Are you following Musicians Resources?
© Copyright 2011 Krule Music
November 30, 2010
Complete Guitar Tuning Chart
There are many different tunings for the guitar, which all give a unique sound and depth to the guitar and its sound. Alternate tuning is becoming more popular with guitarists, bands, and songwriters. This guitar tuning chart has every tuning known. The most common tuning for the guitar would be standard E tuning, then open G tuning, Open C tuning, and Drop D and so on.
The most preferred tuning by many guitarists is standard tuning (tuned down 1/2 step) or commonly known as Hendrix tuning. D tuning is also preferred by heavy metal guitarists for the low growling sound, like Van Halen, and Motley Crue.
This complete guitar tuning chart is an excellent quick reference for musicians and guitarists who need to tune their guitars quickly, to an alternate tuning.
The Complete Guitar Tuning Chart:
This complete guitar tuning chart is a quick reference guide to alternate tuning, don’t forget to read our other articles on Drop D tuning, and blues scales.
© Copyright 2010 Krule Music Group
The most preferred tuning by many guitarists is standard tuning (tuned down 1/2 step) or commonly known as Hendrix tuning. D tuning is also preferred by heavy metal guitarists for the low growling sound, like Van Halen, and Motley Crue.
This complete guitar tuning chart is an excellent quick reference for musicians and guitarists who need to tune their guitars quickly, to an alternate tuning.
The Complete Guitar Tuning Chart:
This complete guitar tuning chart is a quick reference guide to alternate tuning, don’t forget to read our other articles on Drop D tuning, and blues scales.
© Copyright 2010 Krule Music Group
November 02, 2010
Basic Guitar Chord Chart
When learning to play guitar there are many chords, and chords specific to many genres of music. This basic guitar chord chart is the basic chords regardless of the style of music you play. Along with different guitar chords, there are also different tunings for the guitar, which you would play a specific type of chord.
Basic Guitar Chord Chart:
Guitar Pro 6
Tablature editor software, the most innovative and recognized tab writer on the market. Guitar Pro 6 lets you print, write and edit your tablature for guitar.
Easily write songs and demos with the software, and print or post tablature anywhere.
Guitar Pro 6 is an indispensable tool for all musicians and artists, just on the ability to actually print your songs in tablature makes it worth the money spent.
Although not actually mentioned or listed as an advantage, when you file to copyright your songs, using a printout from Guitar Pro 6 makes your application look more professional. Also if your sending your songs to other songwriters to learn, its a great tool.
Copyright 2010 © Krule Music Group
Basic Guitar Chord Chart:
Guitar Pro 6
Tablature editor software, the most innovative and recognized tab writer on the market. Guitar Pro 6 lets you print, write and edit your tablature for guitar.
Easily write songs and demos with the software, and print or post tablature anywhere.
Guitar Pro 6 is an indispensable tool for all musicians and artists, just on the ability to actually print your songs in tablature makes it worth the money spent.
Although not actually mentioned or listed as an advantage, when you file to copyright your songs, using a printout from Guitar Pro 6 makes your application look more professional. Also if your sending your songs to other songwriters to learn, its a great tool.
Copyright 2010 © Krule Music Group
August 11, 2010
Keith Richards: Telecaster as a Weapon
Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones demonstrates how to protect yourself and your band mates on stage. Touring life is rough most of the time, and when stage security is not there, you must be ready for anything.
This is footage of a Rolling Stones concert from years ago, Keith managed to see a fan get past stage security and was coming towards Mick Jagger. Keith did what any brother of the road would do.
He took off his Telecaster managed to get a good swing as the guy came, and smacked him directly in the face with his guitar. I am surprised the guy didn’t suffer a concussion.
TheTelecaster is the heaviest guitar that Fender makes, it is a solid body guitar that weighs over 7 pounds.
Keith Richards being the respectable guy he is, actually bailed the guy out of jail after the concert. He still talks and jokes about the incident, claiming the guy owes him $150.00
By George Luker © Copyright 2010 Krule Music Group
July 14, 2010
Blues Guitar Lesson Video: Basic Blues Riffs
This video is an excellent Blues guitar lesson, Peter Vogl the instructor in the video, gives an easy to follow blues riff lesson, based on the basic Blues scale. The Blues guitar lesson is the standard blues riff, that is most commonly used in the Blues, and by many blues guitarists.
Once you understand and know the Blues scale, like any other genre of music, it is easy to improvise and make your own unique riffs. You can look at some of the following posts we have done on Blues scales, and guitar chords, which will help you with the video.
Before watching the video, read our post: Blues Scales: The Full Five This all the five major scales used to play Blues Guitar, and Yes it is Free.
Blues guitar has always been a more melodic style of music, versus any other genre of music. This is because of the off notes which are dominant in scales, instead of the actual root note, that should be the dominant note to play. Play with the scales and create some unique riffs. Blues guitar is half technical and half emotion. That’s what makes a blues guitarist shine.
By George Luker © Copyright 2010 Krule Music Group
June 10, 2010
Guitar Lessons: Chords, Tips, and Videos
Learning to play the guitar is a life long lesson, even the most experienced guitar players, and virtuosos are constantly learning something new. Guitar techniques, tips, and how to improve your playing, can only start with you desire to learn.
One of the most important tips for all guitarists new and old is, discipline, openness, and being versatile. I will elaborate more later on the three tips I had just mentioned, because they are extremely important.
In the meantime, here are a few of our older posts, that have some great guitar chord charts, and some good tips for blues guitar players.
Free Open G Guitar Chord Chart: Is a post with a Open G guitar chord chart, obviously you need to change the tuning on your guitar to Open G, which would be DADGAD. With Open G tuning, you need to play your guitar chords a little differently, the guitar chart shows you all the positions of the chords.
Blues Guitar Lesson: Drop D Tuning: Drop D tuning is a great way to play songs, that are in the key of D. Drop D tuning would be DADGBE, which gives the guitar a much deeper sound. Drop D tuning is popular in folk, country, and rock music for its unique sound.
This post is a favorite of mine, it also includes a free instructional video, that shows you how to tune to Drop D, gives you a few licks and guitar runs to use in Drop D tuning.
Free Blues Guitar Chord Chart: This gives you all the basic Blues guitar chords, which is all in standard E tuning. It is not an extensive chord list, but does give you the basics to start with. Some good Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar chords here.
Blues Scales: The Full Five: This guitar chord chart, lists the full five blues scales, and all their positions, this is all you need to know, for the blues scales. At this stage you would be more of an intermediate guitar player. This will take some practice to learn all the notes, but gives you a great advantage in your lead guitar playing.
Acoustic Blues Guitar: Video Tips and Tricks to Stand Out: A Great video with some tips and tricks to make you stand out in your guitar playing. This is another favorite of mine, some of the tips are very easy to do, and add so much sound to playing acoustic blues on the guitar, but also good little tips to basically play the acoustic in any genre of music you prefer to play in.
Fender Stratocaster: Free Blues Guitar Lesson: Very good video with some awesome guitar licks, if you’re a Eric Clapton fan, or David Gilmour fan. You need to watch this video for some good tips.
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Blues Guitar Lesson, The Shuffle: All Stevie Ray Vaughan fans will love this blues guitar lesson, a video on how to play Stevie’s trademark guitar shuffle.
Musicians Resources, has many posts on learning the guitar, reviews of new musical products, and the legends series, where we go into details with our favorite guitar heroes. There are many resources on the music industry in general as well, be sure to look around, and subscribe to our blog.
© Copyright 2010 Krule Music Group
May 29, 2010
Free Open G Guitar Chord Chart
Here is a great Free Open G Guitar Chord Chart, which as you can see there is different chord positions, because of the Open G tuning of DADGAD.
Open G tuning has become more increasing popular with many guitarists. Drop does give the guitar a unique low pitch, which is great for finger picking style, especially playing songs in the key of G.
Open G tuning is used mainly in old country music, and Celtic music, but has also been in used in many blues songs. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, is a major fan of Open G tuning.
Looking for a complete list of alternate tunings for the guitar, refer to our post on the Complete Guitar Tuning Chart which has a full list of all known tunings.
Open G Tuning for Blues Guitar, is one of the best selling books on open tunings. By Dave Rubin, the book goes into great detail with charts, and explanations on why this alternative tuning is a favorite for many blues guitarists.
Open Tunings for Blues Guitar (Inside the Blues)
The book goes into details on all the open tunings used in Blues guitar. Each chapter discusses a particular song and structure to better understand open tuning.
One chapter discusses Muddy Water's classic song "I Can't Be Satisfied" which is played in Open G tuning.
Other classic blues songs with open tunings, which the book looks at are as follows.
Open G tuning has become more increasing popular with many guitarists. Drop does give the guitar a unique low pitch, which is great for finger picking style, especially playing songs in the key of G.
Open G tuning is used mainly in old country music, and Celtic music, but has also been in used in many blues songs. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, is a major fan of Open G tuning.
Looking for a complete list of alternate tunings for the guitar, refer to our post on the Complete Guitar Tuning Chart which has a full list of all known tunings.
For Drop D tuning, you could find a video guitar lesson from our post Blues Guitar Lesson: Drop D Tuning.
Open G Tuning for Blues Guitar, is one of the best selling books on open tunings. By Dave Rubin, the book goes into great detail with charts, and explanations on why this alternative tuning is a favorite for many blues guitarists.
Open Tunings for Blues Guitar (Inside the Blues)
The book goes into details on all the open tunings used in Blues guitar. Each chapter discusses a particular song and structure to better understand open tuning.
One chapter discusses Muddy Water's classic song "I Can't Be Satisfied" which is played in Open G tuning.
Other classic blues songs with open tunings, which the book looks at are as follows.
- Elmore James: "It Hurts Me Too" played in open D tuning.
- John Lee Hooker: "Boogie Chillin No.2" played in open A tuning.
- Robert Johnson: "Phonograph Blues" played in A (add9) tuning.
- The Allman Brothers Band: "Statesboro Blues" played in open E tuning.
- Robert Johnson: "Drunken Hearted Man" played in drop D tuning
March 09, 2010
Blues Scales: The Full Five
These are the full five scales for blues guitar. With these five scales you can cover the fret board back and forth. Play with the scales, you will see how they connect.
These scales are the basics for any key. Once you have mastered these scales off by heart, you are half way there, to being a blues guitarist. Of course feeling, touch, and emotion are the missing keys. (pun intended)
By George Luker © Copyright 2010
These scales are the basics for any key. Once you have mastered these scales off by heart, you are half way there, to being a blues guitarist. Of course feeling, touch, and emotion are the missing keys. (pun intended)
By George Luker © Copyright 2010
February 05, 2010
Blues Guitar Lesson: Drop D Tuning
Drop D Tuning, DADGBE is an alternate guitar tuning, from the standard E tuning EADGBE.
Drop D tuning is frequently used in heavy metal; guitarists who play heavy metal usually need very fast changes between power chords. The tuning has also been used in many other types of music, including blues, country, folk, and classical.
Drop D allows fingerpickers to play chord shapes higher up the neck while maintaining an alternating bass. The tuning also allows for chords with a root or bass note of D to be played with a D an octave lower than with standard tuning, and allows playing of open D chords to include the fifth and sixth strings for a deeper sound. This can be especially useful for songs in the keys of D major or minor. The tradeoff is the loss of the bass E note in chords or fingerings which the player cannot adjust to include fretting the sixth string at the second fret.
Here is a video with an example of the sound of Drop D tuning.
January 29, 2010
Free Blues Guitar Chord Chart
Here is some good basic Blues guitar chord charts. Which are all the sevenths.
Below this chart is all the other basic open chords for the Blues.
The classic Key of C (C7, F7 and G7) One of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s favorite keys to play in.
With one of his greatest songs Texas Flood.
In one of our older posts (Blues Guitar Lesson from Stevie Ray Vaughan.)
but in the key of E is his instrumental Rude Mood.
Here is some great open chords, which does give you the ability and imagination to play open strings. Musi-Source will post more info on blues guitar chords, leads, and scales to practice with.
Below this chart is all the other basic open chords for the Blues.
The classic Key of C (C7, F7 and G7) One of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s favorite keys to play in.
With one of his greatest songs Texas Flood.
In one of our older posts (Blues Guitar Lesson from Stevie Ray Vaughan.)
but in the key of E is his instrumental Rude Mood.
Here is some great open chords, which does give you the ability and imagination to play open strings. Musi-Source will post more info on blues guitar chords, leads, and scales to practice with.
December 29, 2009
Blues Slide Guitar
Slide guitar playing in blues music had been popular for many years but not many people understand how this guitar playing style originated and the techniques used to produce this fascinating guitar sound. In the early twentieth century many American blues players began their careers playing music on a single string instrument called a diddley bow. This was a kid's toy consisting of a wire stretched between two screws. It seems logical that without access to store bought instruments the emerging adult musicians would develop an instrument based on what they played music on as children. Of course the early blues players did use conventional guitars but a guitar played with a slide made from a knife or a bottle neck more readily complemented the vocal style and blues harp techniques the people used to express their lives in music.
Blues guitar players who took up slide guitar and influenced other musicians to do so were Muddy Waters and Elmore James. Both of these guitarists were driven by the music of Robert Johnson, built on his legacy and further influenced electric blues players like Johnny Winter and Duane Allman. Elmore actually started his musical career on the diddley bow when he was twelve years old. A confirmed individualist, he played a modified acoustic guitar to sound like a solid body electric.
Many students of blues slide guitar think that Earl Hooker is the greatest slide guitar player ever. He sometimes uses wah-wah with his slide playing and often amazed other musicians with his ability to make the slide guitar "sing". But Earl Hooker did not need electronic effects to make his playing great as people who played music with him praise his technical skills. Elmore James' song, "The Sky Is Crying" was covered by modern blues legends Albert King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and George Thorogood.
Arguably one of the most high profile slide guitar players is Ry Cooder. He is a skilled guitarist who enjoys injecting his own personality into traditional songs of many genres but he is remembered for his slide guitar on the soundtracks of "Paris Texas" and "Crossroads". For these contributions alone he must be included in any list of blues slide guitar players.
Duane Allman was a great blues player of the late sixties to early seventies probably most widely known for being the "other" guitarist on the Eric Clapton song, "Layla". His mastery of blues music is undisputed and there is a story of the joy he expressed the day he discovered how well a Coricidin bottle could be used as a guitar slide. The story goes he had never played slide guitar before but after that day his slide playing became an indispensable part of The Allman Brothers Band repertoire.
If you want to learn how to play blues slide guitar, you will probably need to learn to play using open tunings, maybe even get yourself a guitar with heavy gauge strings and a high action specifically for open tunings. But to learn slide guitar techniques you can begin with any steel string electric or acoustic guitar using standard tuning. You will need your index finger to damp strings that you do not want heard so experiment with your slide fitted to your middle, ring finger or pinky. You will also want to try out finger picking style playing combined with slide techniques.
November 06, 2009
Chord Progressions: Introducing the Basics
When you listen to one of your favorite songs you become aware to the fact that it is built up of notes and chords that are changing and causing the song to evolve in a way that is pleasing to the ear. The question that I want to look at today is: why do some chords sound good together and others sound absolutely terrible?
To answer this, we need to look at root notes as they are the base that chords are built upon. If we take the notes of a scale and number them from 1 to 8, you will find movements between notes 1, 4 and 5 consistently sound better and stronger than between any other number. Let's take a look at a scale (for learning purposes we will use the C Major Scale):
It might be a good idea to get your guitar out at this point and just have a play around with the notes in the above scale so you can hear what I mean about strong movement between numbers 1, 4 and 5. Also, play around with some of the other numbers to see what some weaker movements sound like.
So, now that we have established the above fact, let's use it in some chord progressions.
A turnaround progression is a sequence of chords that can be continually repeated due to strong sounding chord movement between the ending and starting chords. In the following turnaround progression we use the F chord (F being 4 in the C major scale) to get back to the starting chord C (C being 1 in the C major scale): 
Try playing the above chord progression using a strum of your own. If you don't know the chords, they are shown at the bottom of this page - you will hear that the progression sounds good and repeats itself through a strong chord movement.
Here are some more turnaround progressions for you to practice:
1) 
2) 
3) 
Chords
This free lesson is provided by Jamorma. Providing excellent guitar courses.
Learn to play like a pro.
November 05, 2009
The Blues Guitar Scale, How to Master It.
If you are new guitar player who wants to make a career or a hobby out of playing blues guitar, then this essay will give you the basic points to get you on your way as a player and interpreter of the blues. Or maybe you have no intention of specializing in blues guitar playing. In that case my essay will give you the bare bones of musical interpretation using the guitar. These basic points can be applied to any genre of guitar music.
So, let us start with a minor pentatonic scale. Whenever you see the word pentatonic you know the scale has just five notes. This is the A minor pentatonic scale starting at the root note - A at the fifth fret of the sixth string:
E---------------------------------5--8----
B--------------------------5--8-----------
G-------------------5--7------------------
D-------------5--7------------------------
A------5--7-------------------------------
E-5-8-------------------------------------
If you are used to playing barre chords, just barre the fifth fret and use the third and fourth fingers to play the notes at the seventh and eighth frets. As the first note in this scale is the root note, all you need to do to play this scale in other keys is to slide your first finger up or down the guitar neck. So now we move the barre up to the eighth fret which gives us the root note C. You will notice that now we have added some extra notes. This is the blues scale in the key of C. The notes we have added to the minor pentatonic give you more opportunity to give your music that "bluesy" feel.
E-----------------------------------8---11
B-----------------------------8---11------
G--------------------8--10--11------------
D---------------8--10---------------------
A-------8--9--10--------------------------
E-8---11----------------------------------
The minor pentatonic scale can be played in other positions on the fretboard. You need to learn where the notes are because the same note played on a different string sounds different. So the more positions you can play in the more variety you can put into your playing.
A word of warning here. Do not spend all your time learning the scales by heart. Once you can play a scale in one position, play with it. Try bending the notes, see what other notes sound good with the notes in your scale. In other words, give the scale some of your individuality. If you do not feel confident about doing this, then just fall back on imitating what other guitar players do. Do not worry that you are copying other guitarists' material. Most guitar players start off this way. Using other musicians' licks as a springboard for your own playing will get your juices flowing and you will be adding your own licks in no time.
Another way to approach learning scales is to learn a melody by ear and try to work out the scale it comes from. This might seem like hard work at first but it is a very pleasant way to learn music. Another thing to remember that blues music has a resolution. Your solos are all travelling to the end of the twelve bars or whatever style of blues you are playing, so any note you play on the way is fine.
Once you have a basic understanding of the blues scale and you can play it in a couple of positions on the guitar fretboard, you will need to look at the question of phrasing. There are so many excellent blues music tracks on record going back over a hundred years all you need to do is listen and imitate. Of course, your imitation does not have to be one hundred percent accurate, but other guitar players blues solos give you ready made starting points for your own original blues playing. One point to remember for beginner blues guitar players is that now you have a blues scale to play, you do not need to play all of the notes all of the time. If you have a backing track or some music you would like to solo over, start with one or two notes in the scale. Bend them, hammer them on, practice your vibrato, slide into those notes, make them yours.
Do you want to learn to play the guitar? http://playaguitarforfree.com/ is my blog which shows you that there are many people like you who wish to learn how to play bass, acoustic or electric guitar. You will find guitar lessons, videos, articles and reviews to answer your questions, calm your fears and help you play the guitar.
September 10, 2009
Acoustic Blues Guitar: Video tips and tricks to stand out.
Here is a great video from Next Level Guitar it gives great tips on the A7 lick. You can easily stand out as a blues guitarist with these simple to learn tricks. Acoustic Blues guitar has always had an amazing sound with open strings.
See the Free lesson below from Next Level Guitar.
Matt shows some awesome tips, and very easy to learn. Watch the video, it is totally amazing. Next Guitar Level offers many video courses on line. We highly recommend Next Level Guitar, because of the extreme ease of the lessons, and complete how too blues licks.
Matt demonstrates very well, the rhythm, the licks and riffs. Matt also provides extra info as you go along in the lesson, which gives you more understanding of how and why the riff or lick is done in that particular style and key.
Visit their site for more details here. Next Level Guitar.
By George Luker © Copyright 2009 Krule Music Group
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