Guitar Archives

Jun152020 by Paul LinusNo Comments

An introduction to Blues Slide Guitar

Music

There's nothing quite like the sweet sound of glass, steel or pipe making a guitar string cry. No other sound immediately identifies blues music like slide guitar. There are almost as many different playing styles and sounds as there are variations in the tools of the trade and like all truly great art forms, it's fairly easy to pick up but difficult to master. For the most part, a player chooses to wear a slide on the ring or third finger, which offers a good degree of control whilst leaving the other fingers free for chord shapes, escapes or stops. There are notable exceptions of course - Australian slide master Dave Hole pops his slide on his first finger and plays over the top of the neck. King of the Delta slide, Robert Johnson, wore his on the pinky or fourth finger, as did Ho...

May162020 by Paul LinusNo Comments

National Resonator (Steel) Guitar – development and history

Music

Back in the '20s, bluesman played the National Resonator Guitar. This guitar was 3 to 5 times louder than any guitar made of wood. It was also impervious to outside environments of tent shows and juke joints. This was because of its metal body which is what made it instantly recognizable to the fans of the Blues. Bluesman- The Delta Blues and the National Resonator Back then the Blues artist had to make himself heard over the normal noise that occurred when the crowd assembled to dance and enjoyed themselves. These early jazz bands were large and were normally fronted by women singers, like legends Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey who had to be loud enough to cut through the crowded tent with no acoustics. Most guitars back then were the catalogue type like the Harmony Stella Parlor...

Apr172020 by Paul LinusNo Comments

How to tune guitar by ear

Entertainment

Many guitarists are horrified at the thought of trying to tune their guitar without the use of an electronic tuner. After all, they went pro for two reasons: to get hot dates and to hire a guitar tech. But not only can tuning a guitar by ear improve playing, it can help on the occasion when a string goes out in midsong. With a little practice, it's a great skill not just for tuning a guitar but for tuning ears. Something to Tune to First, find something to tune to -- a piano, keyboard, pitchpipe, tuning fork, or even a harmonica. For a standard tuning in E major, start with the A string and strike an A note below middle C on the keyboard, or blow an A note on the pitch pipe. With a diatonic harmonica in A major, blow into the 4th hole. Pluck the open A string and listen c...

Apr122020 by Paul LinusNo Comments

Guitar Hero and Rock Band Guitar player tips

Entertainment

Transitioning from the medium to hard difficulty can be one of the hardest things for a Guitar Hero or Rock Band guitar player to do. The initial switch from easy to medium is downright simple by comparison, most beginning players can adapt from three to four buttons fairly quickly. The real challenge starts when going from the four button setup of medium to the much more difficult five button configuration of the hard and expert difficulties. It’s easy to get confused when the game requires players to push multiple buttons with the same finger. The transition from medium to hard in Rock Band and Guitar Hero is perhaps one of the most difficult in the music game genre. Adapt to the Orange Button Some players insist on using their pinkie finger to press both the blue and orange...

Jan212020 by Paul LinusNo Comments

Kids learn 5 ukulele songs in the key of C

Music

These five new ukulele tunes are all in the key of C and stick to the chords C and G7. Just like the songs parents learned with their kids in the articles Parents and Kids Play Their First Ukulele Song and Play Ukulele Tunes With Two Chords: C and G7, these are great traditional campfire tunes everyone’s likely to know. They’re a little trickier though, because the chords change more than one time per song. If parents continue to strum on the downbeats with their child, it’ll make the increased amount of chord changes easier to handle. As in parts 3 and 4, the downbeats are noted by the syllables in all caps. In the next part of this article, provided parents and kids feel ready, they’ll get to throw in some strumming embellishments. Hush Little Baby (To find the first note, paren...

Dec212019 by Paul LinusNo Comments

Guitar soloing techniques and how to play the instrument fast

Music

An arpeggio is simply the notes of any given chord played separately and distinctly. Actually, ever chord can be played as an arpeggio just by playing one note at a time, in any order (arpeggiated picking). Many songs have been created that just use arpeggios. Arpeggios are great for: Improvisation Creating a melody Finger picking styles Sweep picking Fretboard tapping Check out Guitar Space How to use Arpeggios When a guitarist solos over a chord progression, they may use arpeggios as a way to bridge the gap between chords. One trick a guitarist can use is to play an arpeggio over a chord that does not quite fit in the key they are playing in. Instead of staying with a particular scale(s) over all the chords, a guitarist can switch to the chords arpeggio, and then come ba...