Saturday, 01 October, 2011 11:31 Written by Joshua
Many of you that subscribe to our newsletter have asked me how long it should take to learn to play guitar. My answer usually varies because, to tell you the truth, there is no set time limit. And of course, how do you determine when you think you have actually learned to play guitar?
While some think having learned guitar only includes being able to play a few simple songs. Others are speaking of being able to play professionally. Also, the amount of time it takes to learn to play the guitar varies depending on your learning style and the amount of time and dedication that you intend to commit to practice and the process of learning.
Tuesday, 13 September, 2011 12:52 Written by Joshua
There are more than a few ways to learn guitar these days. So before you decide on the best course or method for you to learn how to play guitar you have to fully understand your goals and objectives in learning guitar and really understand your own personal learning style. Only then, will you be able to apply that knowledge to finding the right course or other guitar instruction for you. Here are a few of the types guitar lessons that are available:
Tuesday, 30 August, 2011 15:08 Written by Joshua
Today I wanted to teach you a little about how to play harmonics on the guitar. Harmonics refers to a bell like sound that can be heard when lightly placing your finger over certain frets on the fret board. There are several interesting playing techniques that can incorporate these sounds. The great thing about harmonics is that even a beginner guitarist can try them out easily. However, I put this in the advanced category because some of the pinch or artificial harmonics techniques can become a bit difficult.
Wednesday, 04 May, 2011 05:51 Written by Joshua
It’s no secret that learning to play any instrument one of the first things you will naturally learn are scales. This is no different with guitar scales. If you get a good guitar scales chart and begin learning each scale you will find that you will begin learning the notes on the fret board more easily. This also sets you up in a good position to be able to play a lot of lead guitar riffs. By knowing how to play each scale and how the scales can be used for improvised solos, you will greatly broaden the range of your guitar playing skills.
There is no wrong place to start when it comes to learning guitar scales but I personally prefer to start with the major scales. The major scale is named after the root note in the scale and always follows the same pattern relative to that note. One whole step is equal to moving two frets up the neck on the guitar and a half step would be one fret. The pattern for the major guitar scale is:
Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half
You can follow this pattern from any root note in order to play all the major scales. To get you started with guitar scales today I have provided the tablature for each major scale A through G below. These are great patterns to practice on your guitar to improve speed and dexterity in your fingers. If you need help reading these, check out my post on how to read guitar tablature.
These are just the first position guitar scales for each key but they should get you going and give you something to work on for a while during your practice sessions. There are plenty of other places on the neck that you can play each guitar scale and there are also other types of scales such as minor scales and pentatonic guitar scales. As you continue on your journey to learn guitar you will begin to learn all of these as well and how they all fit together in music theory.
That’s it for this tutorial but keep checking back for more useful lessons that I will be publishing on a weekly basis. There will certainly be a few more on guitar scales and also a few on other interesting topics.
Friday, 04 February, 2011 16:31 Written by Joshua
When I started playing guitar, there was online guitar instruction but it was geared towards those who had already learned the basics. These online guitar lessons did not have sound, for the most part, no videos and very few illustrations. As a beginner, they frustrated me. For instance, how was I supposed to know what a 4/4 time signature sounded like as opposed to a 4/6 if I’d never heard any that I could identify? There was some information but no context to put it in. Taking a beginner guitar lesson online was an exercise in futility.
Guitar lessons online have come a long way since the early 90’s! There are videos that you can pause or slow down, sound files, easy to read tablature and illustrations to show you exactly where to place your fingers, the proper way to strum a chord and even sound files that help you tune your guitar!
