Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Learn Guitar Easy - Chord Structure

Simple Instructions to Learn Guitar Easy (Chord Structure)

Read carefully:
A combination of three or more tones played simultaneously and perceived as sounding as a whole is called a chord.

A few rudimentary principles will help you understand the nature of conventional chord construction.

The simplest chord is the major triad, which consists of three tones. We can build a triad by selecting the tonic of a certain major scale and by adding two or more tones above it on alternate degrees of the said scale.

For example, if we start with the tone C as “do”, the tonic of the C-major scale, we get the triad do-mi-sol, 1-3-5, or using the letter names C-E-G.

The tones of any chord maybe arranged in different order, and they maybe duplicated an octave above or below without changing the essential nature of the chord.

This is the reason why often times we see chords such as C/E, (the first inversion of the C major triad using the chord tone E as the bass) or C/G (the second inversion of the same triad using the chord tone G as the bass).

Building chords in thirds (on alternate scale degrees as described) was the basis of all conventional harmony from 1700-1900.

In the twentieth century serious music composers have expanded chord vocabulary by additional means of construction for the sake of more colorful and complex effects. Although additional means of construction have been introduced, modern pop, rock and jazz music still follow the conventional way of chord construction – by thirds.

Learn guitar easy going back to the major chord; you may be wondering why there are lots of fingering for a certain major chord. This is possible because in the 12 frets of the guitar, the notes simply repeat themselves in increasing octaves, at their corresponding string.

C, for example, is on the first fret at the B string, third fret at the A string, fifth fret at the G string, and on the eighth fret at the E strings. As reference, here are the other notes and their possible fingerings:

D: 3rd fret at B, 5th fret at A, 7th at G and 10th at E;

E: 2nd at D, 5th at B, 7th at A, 9th at G and 12th at E;

F: 1st at E, 3rd at D, 6th sy B, 8th sy S snf 10th at G;

G: 3rd at E, 5th at D, 8th at B, 10th at A and 12th at G;

A: 2nd at G, 5th at E, 7th at D, 10th at B and 12th at A;

and B: 2nd at A, 4th at G, 7th at E, 9th at D and 12th at B.

So depending on how the melody of the song is arranged, the chord formation can assume any fingering position as long as the triad is formed and however it is conveniently played.

Simple example for you to learn guitar easy:

The C on top of the guitar chord chart represents the chord name (it's the chord of C).
Chord diagrams show you how to play new chords.

Think of it as a picture of your guitar sitting in front of you.

The 6 vertical lines represent the 6 strings on a guitar (low E on left side, high E on right). The horizontal lines represent frets except for the top line which is the nut of the guitar.

Black dots on the diagram tell you what fret and string to place your fingers.

White dots mean to play the string open (an open string is a string that is played without any notes being fingered on the fretboard). Strings that don't have a black or a white dot are not played.

Fingers are named as followed:

To play the chord on the following chart, place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string and strum all six strings.

End of learn guitar easy. It may take you awhile if you are just learning to play, but don't get frustrated. Practice is the name of the game, if you find yourself getting frustrated put the guitar down for a minute.

c)2008 Copyright http://learn-guitar-easy.blogspot.com

Monday, December 15, 2008

How To Care For Your Guitar

Learn guitar easy also include for you how to care for your guitar.

The best or perfect level of humidity for a guitar changes from one musical instrument to another, subject to the humidity situations in the workshop or factory where the guitar was assembled.

The humidity at the time that the instrument was being assembled set up the primary dimensions of your guitar. This configuration of dimension is permanently sealed into the entire structure when it is being assembled.

Therefore, when humidity changes, each component will expand or shrink unevenly, yet the dimensions of the guitar’s structure will remain uniformly constant.

The most frustrating problem in the care and maintenance of a guitar of high quality is the wood’s tendency either expands or shrinks with humidity changes. Damage brought about by humidity changes requires costly repairs.

Guitars of high quality are made from solid wood all over, which is why these expensive kinds sound much better compared to low-priced instruments.

However, solid woods are very much susceptible to changes in humidity because of the fact that they easily can expand or shrink.

Usually bloating at the back is a problem, most especially when the back of the guitar is made of extremely hard wood, particularly rosewood. This problem is brought about by the expansion of wood causing the glue on the brace’s edge to detach.

High humidity connotes a waterlogged sound from your guitar; it will lack projection and volume having a lifeless and damp tone. The guitar can also be damaged structurally when in high humidity.

When a guitar is kept in the basement, a problem that may occur is wood deterioration triggered by intense humidity resulting in a damp basement area.

The problems brought about by extremely low humidity levels are even more severe. Excessive loss of moisture in the tone woods makes the sound of the guitar brittle.

At some point stress on the wood can result in cracks due to uneven shrinkage.

Learn guitar easy by learning how to fight humidity:

1. Store your guitar in its casing away from any heat, especially in winter. Keep the case lying flat on the floor and never let it lean or hang it on the wall.

2. Examine it every so often so you can watch out for signs of humidity. Observe its back; when there is a drop in it will sink a bit and you can notice this clearly. When humidity rises, backs grow an arch. If the back becomes very flat, introduce some moisture, such as placing a dish of water in your storage area.

3. During certain periods when the humidity is extremely high, keep your guitar in a room where there is available air-conditioning system as it dries out the air.

4. When outside conditions are not too hot, such as in spring or a rainy day, keep your instrument in a warm room, but do avoid the basement, as it tends to cool a lot.

There are many available devices to handle with extreme dryness. When low humidity occurs in your area only in chilly or cold weathers, a furnace-mounted of good quality humidifier can be very effective as well as hassle-free.

There are also console humidifiers having rotating belts that are very efficient and space saving, ideal when your space is limited.

A guitar that is good sounding now can be a wonderful sounding guitar even twenty years later as long as it being properly and carefully cared for.

The sound of a guitar is created by the echoing of wood. When the wood matures the echoing quality will improve, increasing your guitar’s worth.

This, plus the model, make and style that later will not be produced anymore, your guitar could be valued many times your purchase price now, in 15-50 years.

Just keep in mind that a good quality guitar is also an investment worth your trouble.

c)2008 Copyright http://learn-guitar-easy.blogspot.com

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Learning Guitar Jargon

Learning the Guitar Jargon is what we called it learn guitar easy on our own efforts.

Guitars popularity is manifested all through-out the radio stations and the music videos in MTV. It’s one of the most sought-after musical instruments today. Almost all types of music in modern pop civilization have been influenced by the guitar in one way or another.

For people who would like to get their hands on a guitar, they must first learn the guitar jargon. The guitar jargon is made up of weird-sounding words that are unique to the guitar world.

Learn guitar easy and you must be able to know the parts of a guitar and to be able to know how to play it. The guitar jargon also applies to the guitar parts. Listed below are some of the guitar parts:

-Body
This is also referred to as the sound box. This is the largest guitar part and it comes in different shapes and sizes. The acoustic guitars usually have a hollow body, while electric guitars have solid or semi-solid bodies.

Acoustic guitars have hollow bodies because they rely on the body construction for sound resonation. Electric guitars use electronic pick-ups to intensify the sound.

-Headstock
The headstock is the part at the end of the guitar which holds the tuning keys. It is connected to the neck of the guitar.

-Nut
The nut is the piece between the guitar neck and the head. It is a small rod with indentations to hold the guitar strings in place.

-Neck
The neck is the long section which holds the fret board.

-Fret board
The fret board is divided into different notes by small metal rods. The number of frets in a fret board varies depending on the type of guitar and the brand. Modern electric guitars usually have 20-22 frets in the fret board.

-Bridge
It is a part of the guitar’s body and it is important in sound resonance. It gives some sort of elevation for the guitar strings so they can produce nice vibrations.

-Pick-up
The pick-up is an electronic device which acts like a microphone. It picks up the vibrations from the strings and converts these vibrations into electrical impulses. They are usually found in electric guitars

-Amp
The amplifier is like a speaker box where the sounds of the electric guitar come off.

-Capo
This is a device which is attached to the fret board. This thing allows a player to play the same chord structures but on a different key.

Listed below are some of the different words that one might encounter to learn guitar easy.

*Reverb
It is added to the sound of the guitar through an effects box or through amplifiers to make the sounds a little bit more natural.

*Riff
Guitar riffs pertain to musical pieces which are parts of a song.

*Tablature
Guitar tablatures or more commonly known as guitar tabs are written music for guitars. It is similar to musical pieces (with notes and other musical symbols) but the notes are translated into guitar frets. It’s a useful tool to learn guitar easy and to learn how to play the guitar.

*Vibrato
It refers to a guitar technique where the string is slightly bended in a fast rate to make a longer resonating sound.

*Arpeggio
This refers to a technique where one takes out notes from a specific chord. He can then use these to make an spontaneous lead technique or add to the rhythm of the song.

*Pick
Made from a plastic, this is the small device which guitar players use in striking the guitar strings.

*Whammy bar
This is an attachment to the bridge of electric guitars which can be used to bend the pitch of the notes. One can pull the whammy bar to be able to make his guitar “yelling.”

*Plucking
It’s a picking technique where a player does not strum the strings all at one but hit the strings one by one to be able to get a softer and more defined tone.

*Palm mute
This is a technique where a player uses his picking hand (usually the right hand) to mute the strings while strumming to be able to get a distinct tone. It is very popular in the punk rock world.

Nowadays, world of guitars is composed of many other new words. One must be able to learn guitar easy or at least have an idea of what these are to be able to appreciate the wonderful instrument that is the guitar.

c)2008 Copyright http://learn-guitar-easy.blogspot.com

Friday, December 12, 2008

Learn Guitar Easy With Different Kinds Of Guitars

Learn guitar easy would be different in terms of playability, overall appearance and sound quality.

The following list is some of the types of guitars that guitar players or aspiring guitar players can learn guitar easy:

Acoustic
Start your learn guitar easy learning path with an acoustic guitar.

Acoustic guitars are dependent on their structures and body shapes in resonating sounds. Unlike modern electric guitars, they don’t rely on other external devices in making sounds. The natural vibrations of the strings are resonated by the body of the guitar.

Acoustic guitars are generally made out of wood. The neck is usually made from mahogany and the fret board is made out of maple or rosewood. There are many kinds of acoustic guitars. Here are some of them:


1) Acoustic Bass

Acoustic bass guitars are bass guitars without electronic pick-ups. The body of the guitar is used to produce the sounds. These are usually 4-stringed guitars but there are acoustic bass guitars, which have 5 or 6 strings.

2) Classical

Classical guitars are very popular. They are usually the choice guitars for beginners to learn guitar easy. The strings are usually made from nylon. These are usually played in a standard sitting position and used in playing classical music. Classical guitars produce think and whole sounds, which are very warm to the ears.

Flamenco guitars are almost similar to the classical guitars; however, these guitars produce crisper and thinner sounds than the classical ones.

3) Steel-top

Steel-top guitars are much alike to the classical guitar. These, however, are constructed to be more resilient. The parts of the steel-top guitar are reinforced and their bodies are significantly larger than the classical guitars. They produce a warmer tone than the classical guitar.

4) 12-String guitar

A normal guitar usually has 6 strings, but the 12-string guitar, as its name implies, has 12 strings. Each string is accompanied by another string with the same note but is usually tuned in a higher octave. This kind of guitar produces a semi-chorus effect, which is very pleasant to the ears.

5) Resonator

This type of guitar is similar to the steel-top guitar, but the steel in the middle of the soundboard is used to resonate the sound from the vibration of the guitar strings. This produces a very thin and distinct sound.

These guitars are usually used in playing the blues. There are also variations of the resonator guitar; the square-neck resonator guitar is played on the lap like a piano or organ. The round neck resonator guitar is played like a common guitar. Resonator guitars work very well with glass or metal slides.

6) Archtop

Other instruments such as the violin and the cello inspire the archtop guitar. An archtop guitar usually has the f-hole design. Jazz players prefer archtop guitars. Some archtop guitars can reach prices of about $25,000 USD.

Learn guitar easy with some of the basic types of guitars that are available out there for everyone. Guitars are made to fit into the preferences of the player in terms of playability and sound. Choose the guitar that best fit your preferences.

c)2008 Copyright http://learn-guitar-easy.blogspot.com

Friday, December 5, 2008

Learn Guitar Easy - Predecessor, Evolution and Electric Guitar

learn guitar easy
Today, learn guitar easy present to you another three sub topics (in History topic) to be discussed:

1. The Predecessor (Forerunner)

Up to at least 5,000 years ago, many guitar-like musical instruments in the ancient times can be found. Some were recovered in archeological expeditions in the Iranian region of Susa.

First documented mention of the instrument dates back to the fourteenth century and the said guitar-ancestor had three pairs of strings (double courses) and a single string with the highest tone.

It was believed that the word guitar came from the word “qitara” (an Arabic name for the different kinds of lutes during the early times).

2. The Evolution

The guitar is said to originate in Spain and it is believed that the people of Malaga invented the instrument. The guitar evolved from having three pairs of strings to four pairs of strings and eventually six single strings.

It is become popular in the 16th century. It was played by the lower and middle classes as a counterpart for the vihuela which was played by the aristocrats. The vihuela was tuned like a lute but had a body alike to that of the guitar. Learn guitar easy never take place at that time.

Serious evolution of the guitar took place during the 18th century: the double strings were replaced by single strings and a sixth string was added.

In the 1800s, Antonio Torres de Jurado makes learn guitar easy and the first gave birth to the classical guitar. He increased the size of the body of the guitar. The guitar still struggled during these times because it was considered as an instrument for the taverns - an instrument which cannot be used for classical music.

In Spain, where people hated the piano, they found that learn guitar easy. However, it was tainted with views that guitars are for undesirables.

3. Learn guitar easy with Electric guitar

It was born in 1931. By using electronic “pick-ups” it was able to produce sound. The pick-ups change the vibrations from the strings into electric signals. The body of the electric guitar is semi-solid or solid, depending on the design.

The structure of the guitar took a great leap when the electric guitar was born, no longer did its sound depend on the structure and construction of the body, but on the quality of the pick-ups and soundboard.

The sounds of the electric guitar can also be modified to be able to achieve a desire tone. The use of guitar effects box has given the guitar a wide selection of sounds.

Today electric guitar is continuously gaining popularity in all fields of music, even in classical music.

Learn guitar easy because it is a very lively musical instrument. Through evolution, the guitar has made its spot on the modern music landscape. From basic instruments with many variations, the guitar has become an authentic and much-sought after instrument.

c)2008 Copyright http://learn-guitar-easy.blogspot.com

Monday, December 1, 2008

Learn Guitar Easy - Introduction and History

learn guitar easy

Learn guitar easy will teach you all about the guitar. To begin we shall start with the history.

The guitar has been one of the most popular musical instruments today. Most of the kinds of music that one hears from the radio use guitars in many ways. Pop, rock, reggae, blues, ballads and everything else is influenced by the guitar.

The guitar, together with the drums and the piano compose the modern music scene equipment set. The playability of the guitar has made it one popular instrument. A guitar can be played by a learning child or an experienced guitar player.

If you interested in learn guitar easy then you should know guitar is not picky with its players.

Today, one of the method learn guitar easy has been enhanced with electric type of guitar - mostly used in musical production. The guitar has gotten a very good accompaniment in the form of the effects box. Today, guitars can emulate the sounds of a piano, a violin, even the sounds of the human voice. The guitar is continuously widening its horizons.

With the functions and features of the modern electric guitar, one can’t help thinking about the beginnings of the instrument. Where did the guitar come from? This article tries to give a brief history of the wonderful musical instrument, which is the guitar.

The creation of the guitar cannot be traced to a single person. The guitar came about through the evolution of its predecessors. Its image has also undergone change throughout the centuries.

Today, playing the guitar is a symbol of talent and musical prowess, but during the early times, the guitar was actually a symbol of being poor and it was refuted by most classical musicians.

That's all for today. For the next post still we shall talk about the history but more focus on the guitar's predecessors, evolution and electric guitar.

Let's learn guitar easy.


c)2008 Copyright http://learn-guitar-easy.blogspot.com