Guitar Werks.com

Beginner Guitar Chord Charts- Even More Chords!

2010-08-17T22:11:00.003+08:00

I found this very comprehensive guitar chord chart from the Guitar Warrior website.
It is worth checking out, especially if you are feeling bored with the standard basic chords.

Click on the image to get the full size if you need to print it out!

(Disclaimer: Chord chart is property of Guitar Warrior. Here is the link: http://www.guitar-warrior.com/Printable-guitar-chords-guitar-chords-chart.html )

Beginner Guitar Lessons Chord Charts-The 7 Basic Major Chord Patterns

2010-08-17T22:01:00.003+08:00

There are a total of 7 basic major chords every beginner guitarist should master. Start here with these 7 easy chords, and then progress on.
Here they are:

(Chord chart credits to http://www.guitar-beginner.com )

Beginner Guitar Chord Chart

2010-08-17T21:35:00.006+08:00

First up, I have to acknowledge that this chord chart does not belong to me, but it is the property of Ty Lombardi from Electric Guitar Blog (http://www.electricguitarblog.com). I'm now starting to be more careful about copyright violations, after I realised I had ignorantly lifted off a guitar chord chart from someone else's site two years back!

He has created this very useful, comprehensive guitar chord chart, and though it was meant for electric guitar, it is actually a good starting place for beginners who are looking for a decent beginner guitar chord chart to learn.

To print it out, click the image below and it will pop up in full size. Then press "print" from your file menu or press ctrl+p. That's it!

Feel free to share with others whom you know are learning too, and also visit Ty's blog if you can.

Enjoy!

How To Make Full Use Of Guitar Lessons For Beginners

2010-08-17T21:16:00.002+08:00

Great guitarists like John Mayer will attribute one word to their success: Persistency

Guitar lessons for beginners require persistency. Persistency is the keyword in becoming a good guitarist. It WILL be time-consuming, period.Therefore, to become a good guitarist, finding good guitar lessons for beginners are a MUST!

There are several ways of doing so. Approaching a guitar instructor, or registering for online guitar lessons will be most ideal. However, it will be most ideal to get an instructor for one-on-one training, as you get customised lessons.

Usually in the first few lessons,you'll learn musical chords that can be played on the guitar, and the next thing you will learn is how to place your fingers on the guitar strings. Knowing how to play those chords are essential, as they range from A to G. You will also learn how to tune and arrange you strings. After you have tune the six strings on your guitar, with the help of your instructor, you'll be introduced to the concept of open tabs and first position.

Persistent practice will make you good in choosing the right tunes to practise with, as well as in changing keys and notes. As a learner you have to know the difference between playing and practice. Both are essential, but don't mistake one for another.

The best players are approached regularly by the ones with wide-ranging musical taste. As a beginner learner, exposing yourself to different genres of music is a very fast way of learning guitar,as no style of music sucks. This is a perfect complement to all guitar lessons for beginners. You learn best by hearing!

Being persistent in getting the right timing is also another one of most important secrets in learning guitar, as you have to learn how to keep the tempo going correctly for any song you play. It is a habit that needs to be developed over time.

In my experience, it is also good if you have some form of guitar learning guide too. Guitar E-Books, nowadays more commonly available online, are one of the best ways to help complement your guitar learning experience. Never understimate the power of having a good guitar guide to help you learn the guitar.

Beginners Guitar Lessons Are The Key To Learn Guitar Quickly!

2010-08-17T21:16:00.001+08:00

Mention 'beginners guitar lessons',and most people would shudder at the impression of having to go through the pain of pressing their soft fingers against steel strings. If you are one such person reading this article, and have been discouraged trying to take up beginners guitar lessons and you went nowhere, read on.

There are a lot of people around that have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar but have never seemed to find the time to seek out lessons. With the internet, a person can get beginners guitar lessons right from the comfort of their home. No longer is there the need to walk out the door and drive to the instructor.

Many websites have been designed to allow people to take step by step lessons that will have them playing simple tunes in no time at all. Being able to visualize what is being taught makes it an even easier way for people to learn then the conventional ways of the past.

People can learn scales(often a scary subject, but isn't!), how to read the tablature, how to play chords and many other things without spending a dime in most cases. Many of the beginner's guitar lessons that are found online are free.

With the beginners guitar lessons offered in this manner you will quickly learn everything that you could imagine with the guitar. The sites even go as far as to teach you what to look for when it comes to buying a guitar.

Advice on the types of guitars that are available and the kinds of music that they are often associated with can also be found on websites that offer beginners guitar lessons. For example, the Ukelele (a miniature guitar), is often associated with Hawaiian music. These beginner guitar sites also give good tips when it comes to price factors as well. This is altogether good information to have on hand before you head out and actually purchase a guitar.

With the ability to see everything that you need on your monitor it makes learning the vital fundamentals of guitar very easy. There is hope for anyone when it comes to learning the guitar, and all that they need is to show the initiative and effort and the improvements will start to show in due time.

But you may question: "Why taking up beginners guitar lessons are the key to learning guitar quickly?"

Have you ever noticed that the construction time for laying the pillars of a building always takes the longest, but when the foundations are laid, the structure goes up very quickly!

When you invest in laying the proper foundations in beginner guitar lessons,you will get up and running learning more advanced guitar stuff such as tabs in no time!

Beginner Guitar Tabs Will Help You Understand Chords Faster

2010-08-17T21:14:00.000+08:00

This is a short introduction to beginner guitar tabs

Guitar tabs are a very old way of writing music down. This is done so that other musicians or learners can understand how to play a particular song.

An example of a guitar tab for the chord (A major) is shown here:

E---
B-2-
G-2-
D-2-
A---
E---

Open tabs are usually the first few tabs which a beginning guitar player learns. It may not be easy to learn at first, but with regular practice a learner can quickly get a hang of it quickly. Beginner guitar tabs are used a lot in music compositions. They are used mostly on acoustic guitar, but can be transcribed for electric guitar riffs too.

The best way to learn how to play the beginner guitar tabs is by learning musical chords. Beginner guitar tab are used everyday by beginners as well as advanced players in all styles of music.

Beginner guitar tabs often are written in such a way that they represent chords, and every guitarist needs to know how these chords work. Chords are named according to letters going from A to G.

Here are some of the most basic chords:

Minor Chords-

An 'm' after a letter means that the chords are a minor(etc. Am)

Seventh Chords-

A '7' after the letter means that the chords are a dominant seventh(etc. E7).

Major Chords(most common)-

Letters without 'm' and '7' mean that the chord is a major chord(Bmaj etc.).

It is advisable for beginners to practice these chords in tabulature form until they have memorized them. This will greatly help in chord changing fluidly.

This is only a beginner's outline but the real musical pleasure comes after learning and practicing. Many people believe that learning the guitar requires some extraordinary skill, and some even have this mythical mindset that becoming a good guitarist requires some unimaginable supernatural blessing(which of course is not true!)

Note that guitar tabs are sometimes shared with the standard note script, and once you learn what note each of the six strings on your guitar plays, you would have covered another important step in learning guitar tabs. All the numbers associated with guitar tabs can be played together at the same time, or what is termed as a 'strum'. A beginner can visit online forums or subscribe to a musical band or group to have a comprehensive knowledge of beginner guitar tabs.

Beginner Guitar Music-Stop Playing Ugly Sounding Tunes Today!

2010-08-17T21:13:00.000+08:00

How you start learning beginner guitar music will come a long way in influencing the quality of sounds you'll play on your guitar in the future.Let me explain why in this article.

Music is one thing that has helped man to become a civilized being. It has differentiated human from other planet beings. Every person on the globe likes to listen to good music. There are a number of musical instruments which produce music. The guitar is a very famous music instrument. It is a stringed instrument and produces beautiful, melodic tunes.

Many people love to play the guitar as it not only produces good music but also provides great style. A guitar usually has six strings that are stretched over a wooden plane that is hollow. Many people would love to learn how to compose beginner guitar music, but have no idea how to.So they settle for a compromise on wrong methods of pressing their chords, wrong ways to strum the guitar. This explains why how you start learning beginner guitar music affects the sound quality that comes from your fingers.

All these could be resolved with proper instruction.

The following instructions will help you to play proper, nice sounding chords on your guitar. These instructions help you to understand the basic notes in guitar and help you to know your basics in a better manner. In this example, you will learn how to play the "G" chord, a relatively simple chord. The G chord is made of three basic notes: "G,B,G"

First Step:

The first step is to place the second finger of your left hand on the third fret of the first string (top down), to get the root note of the chord and this produces the note, G.

Second Step:

The next step is to place the index finger of your left hand on the second fret of the second string (top down) to get the note, B.

Third Step:

The final step is to place the third finger of your left hand the player on the third fret of the sixth string(top down) and this produces the note, G.

If you did do the above mentioned steps correctly, you should see something like this in guitar tabulature:

E--3---
B------
G------
D------
A-2----
E--3---

Now, clinching your right thumb and index finger together in a pincer shape, strum the full length of the six guitar strings over your sound hole. Congrats! You have strummed your first chord.

I hope this example helps you to understand the most basic guitar playing theory: Chords.

If you want to understand the basics better, you should do some research online and practise along with jam tracks. Listening to more songs will expose you to learning to pick up the musical chords behind the song, and you will be able to play the guitar in a more convincing way. However, the best way to really start creating beginner guitar music is to buy a beginner guitar E-Book and read it, as the information provided are very simple to understand.

If you would just keep doing the advice shared, you should be able to play more notes, and eventually be able to play good music on your guitar.

Learn Beginner Guitar Chords Quickly In No Time

2010-08-17T21:12:00.000+08:00

Learn Beginner Guitar Chords Quickly In No Time.

Beginner guitar chords are what every beginning guitarist should start learning. This is the most important factor in order to properly understand how to play the guitar. The guitar chord has a significant role in most guitar lessons.If you do not learn the chords properly, you can not expect to do well in mastering this versatile instrument. Here are five killer tips to master your chords quickly:

1.Start with the basic chords

Basic guitar chords are A, G, D, and C which are open chords. This is a combination of minor and major chords like the D Minor, A Minor, C Major and so on. If you are able to play a few of them, you can begin to create tunes from your guitar.

Every learner of the guitar class must learn to play these basic chords to become good players of guitar.

2.Practice Smart!

Practice makes you a perfect exponent of the music. You have to learn to put the fingers at correct places to create correct sound notes and then only you hope to create good musical tunes to please everybody.The key to success in guitar playing is only practicing. More and more of practicing will bring perfection and success with your beginner guitar chords venture.

But it is also important for you to practise smart! For a start, you must where to put the correct fingers and press the correct frets on correct strings, so that your guitar playing will improve by leaps and bounds. Illustration charts which are readily available online show the correct position of fingers with a particular chord. While working on the family of chords, practice on songs that are easier to play.

3.Experiment with chord families

Somewhere along the way, you will encounter a new term called 'chord families',which will require a basic understanding of guitar chords. For instance the chord family of A is a contribution of A, D and E chords and so on. It is better to start with one family and to give it a thorough practice to get it imprinted in mind. Once you have mastered a few chord families, nearly every song that you hear at the music shops, you will be able to discern what chord families those tunes belong to,

4.Regular guitar maintenance

People often overlook this. Regular guitar maintenance like changing old strings helps to boost confidence, and in turn, boost your ability to learn beginner guitar chords quickly. Take care of guitar strings and when they wear out, change those strings and tune them properly for the best sound effect.

5.Use a Guitar Ebook as a guide

Why bother forking out $500 for a private guitar instructor? A good guitar E-Book is sufficient enough to guide any beginning guitarist along the right path of learning the basics. These days, the Internet offers many cheap beginner guitar E-books that also teach the more common beginner guitar chords like A, G, E.

3 Hot Tips To Finding A Good Beginner Guitar Lesson Online

2010-08-17T21:11:00.001+08:00

3 Hot Tips To Finding A Good Beginner Guitar Lesson Online

Taking a beginner guitar lesson online can be quite expensive. I know, it is just terrible, but like most things, you can always find something free online. Believe it or not, you can also find a good beginner guitar lesson online, for free.

Tip 1: Find those that offer follow up lessons!

Taking up these lessons will bring you through all the basics you need to start practicing and, you may even find follow up lessons. Most basic beginner guitar lesson guides generally consist of learning how to hold a guitar, what parts the instrument is made of, how to pick, a few chords, a scale and even a couple of songs to play along with (so you can quickly taste the fruits of your labor.)

Tip 2: Find those that provide you with special advice

There are vast amounts of online resources where these lessons can be found, and some sites will even tell you how to fix your guitar if you happened to inherit an old one requiring some form of repair before you can play it. So look for some good guitar lessons which provide you with an introduction to this instrument from a holistic point of view.

Tip 3: Find those that give you buying tips

Next you are going to need a six-string guitar, and does much help if the online guitar lesson site you are looking at provides you with solid advice on purchasing a guitar.I think this is obvious, but worth mentioning anyway, because guitar lessons are, after all, aimed at people who have one. If you don't own an instrument, you can always borrow one until you get your own. You will also need a medium gauge guitar pick, a chair which has no arms and a fair amount of patience.

By the end of your first guitar lesson, you should have learned how to hold the instrument, the different parts it is made up of, the name of the open strings, how to tune the guitar, how to hold a pick, and how to use what you've learnt to play at least one chromatic scale. It would also be nice if you could play a simple tune using the Dmajor, Gmajor and Cmajor chords.

The sooner you see results from your beginner guitar lessons, chances are you are going to want to learn more. But remember, patience is the one key factor that will ensure your success. If you have a short attention span, split your lessons to stay focused.

That's all for now folks!

Jamorama Online Guitar Lessons Will Help You Learn To Play Guitar

2009-08-08T23:51:00.003+08:00

Jamorama Online Guitar Lessons? Have you heard of it before?

Anyway, I don't usually do this, but I've been recently recommending a piece of online guitar software lessons to people, and it's called Jamorama. Its the hottest selling online guitar course right now on the Internet!

It seems that a lot of folks settle for playing the “Guitar Hero 5” console game on the Xbox 360 these days, but I guess if you’re reading this then I assume it's certainly not enough for you if you really wanna learn guitar. I mean, come on, does jamming away on a plastic guitar to the song 'Barracuda' in Guitar Hero really help you to improve your guitar? (I'm chuckling when I think of that..:-))

If you truly need to learn how to play the guitar for real then this guitar learning software: Jamorama Guitar Lessons, is exactly what you need.

Teaching private guitar for a few months, I now understand better the frustrations my beginner students face learning the guitar. I don't admit to being the best guitar teacher around, but what usually happens is that I've got students who spend lots of time practising their guitar, but still struggle with basic things like strumming after 8 lessons.There is a limitation to private guitar coaching, and it's always got to do with the limited time you pay for having your guitar teacher around.

I've come to the conclusion that for all the benefits of hiring a private guitar teacher, it is still better for beginners to always have good guitar learning materials at hand that they can practise with at their own pace.

Jamorama Guitar Lessons really offers that benefit that cannot be found with a private guitar teacher, nor in trying to learn it totally on your own off the Internet. You will be able to learn beginner guitar at your own pace, and if you think in the long term, you save much more by using Jamorama Guitar Lessons instead of hiring a private guitar tutor. Why? Because with these online lessons you only have to make a one time payment of $49.95 one time, and then you have 100% access to it forever.

Stick with the old way of learning guitar through instructors, and trust me, it is not as effective and fast as compared to learning with this entire package of online guitar lessons! Don't do yourself a disfavor, and realize that after forking out $1000 for private guitar lessons, you still have not progressed as much as you wanted to.

Since every purchase of Jamorama comes with a total satisfaction guarantee, there’s absolutely no risk in trying it out for yourself. There’s a 2 month full cash back refund policy. That essentially means you can try the lessons for 2 months at no cost(no frills).

Also, their lessons are very easy to understand. They include step by step instructions that you will be able to follow no matter what your skill level is currently at. These online lessons are great for people just starting to play and more advanced level players.

On the left is an example of one of the chord lessons:

Some Features

(1) Download on the internet instantly.
(2) 100% satisfaction guarantee.
(3) Learn how to play guitar with a band(Not Guitar Hero, the real deal!).
(4) Learn all styles of music including rock, jazz, pop, & blues.
(5) Practice on your schedule at your own pace.
(6) Famous song lessons are included.
(7) Taught by a great guitarist named Ben Edwards.

Please do read the full review here at http://www.guitarwerks.net/jamorama-review.html for more information.

Or you may go direct by clicking this banner:

And lastly.It's officially National Day today in Singapore! And celebrating 44 years, I must say that I'm very proud to be a Singaporean living in this land the past 22 years. Count on me Singapore!

2009-07-31T23:30:00.003+08:00

Looks like we have another winning application for the iPhone now! Yonac Software has released the very first real steel probably ever to exist on your iPhone and iPod Touch..the steel guitar.

"With its gorgeous open-tuning sounds (you can change the tuning on the spot, to your preference), easy-to-manipulate "slide bar" and accelerometer controlled string bending, it is a unique app that fits the iPhone interface like the proverbial glove. Unlike the countless copycat guitar apps with pain-in-the-neck controls and non-existent playability, Steel Guitar is a masterpiece of elegance and simplicity that is built to empower your musicality. Experience it for yourself. "(taken from their website)

These just some of the features that Steel Guitar boasts:

1.4 different instruments

that offer a choice among four unique tube-driven tones. So basically its 4X4

2.Pedal to the Metal

You can lay it flat, pluck, and rotate along the four axes to play a lick, or change the chord

3.Playability First

You can simply use a single fingertip to slide through a I-IV-V without the risk of damaging your phone

4.Pluck 'n' Tune

Never worry about turning the peg of a real guitar and bursting the string. Just tap the arrows and pluck to see where it takes you.

La Bamba Guitar Tabs

2009-07-30T14:43:00.002+08:00

One of the few early guitar tabs I learnt when I first started out, I first learnt how to play La Bamba on the guitar when a scout leader showed me. La Bamba is very very easy to play, and it is basically a repetition of the intro throughout the whole song. Enjoy!

intro:

e-------------------------------------------------------------------|
b-------------------------------------------------------------------|
g-----------0---0-2-------------------------0---0-2-----------------|
d---------2---3--------------0-3-3-2-0----2---3---------------------|
a--0-2-3-------------------2-----------3----------------------------|
E-3----------------------3------------------------------------------|

Besame Mucho Guitar Tab

2009-07-29T21:01:00.007+08:00

By the way,theses are the guitar tabs for Besame Mucho( compliments to
Erik Olofsen who wrote these tabs out)

Intro
---------------- | ------5-------7- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
----1-------3--- | ----6-------8--- | ------5-------5- | ------4-------4- |
--0---0---0---0- | --5-------7----- | ----6-------6--- | ----5-------5--- |
---------------- | ---------------- | --4-------4----- | --4-------4----- |
---------------- | ---------------- | 0-------0------- | 0-------0------- |
0-------0------- | 0-------0------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |

------1-------1- | ------1-------1- |
----2-------2--- | ----2-------2--- |
--2-------2----- | --1-------1----- |
---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- |
0-------0------- | 0-------0------- |

Besame, besame mucho
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
----1-------1--- | ----1-------1--- | ------3-------3- | ------3-------3- |
--0---0---0---0- | --0---0---0---0- | ----5-------5--- | ----5-------5--- |
---------------- | ---------------- | --3-------3----- | --3-------3----- |
---------------- | ---------------- | 0-------0------- | 0-------0------- |
0-------0------- | 0-------0------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |

---------------- | ------3--------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
------3-------2- | ----4-------3--- | ----1-------1--- | ----1-------1--- |
----5-------3--- | --2-------1---1- | --0---0---0---0- | --0---0---0---0- |
--3-------2----- | 3-------2------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
0--------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
--------3------- | ---------------- | 0-------0------- | 0-------0------- |

Besame, besame mucho
------3-------3- | ------1-------1- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
----3-------3--- | ----2-------2--- | ----3-------3--- | ----3-------3--- |
--3-------3----- | --0-------0----- | --2---2---2---2- | --1---1---1---1- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | 0-------0------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
0-------0------- | ---------------- | 2-------2------- | 1-------1------- |

---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | 1--------------- |
------1-------1- | ------1-------1- | ------3-------3- | --3---3-------3- |
----2-------2--- | ----2-------2--- | ----2-------2--- | ----1-------1--- |
--2-------2----- | --1-------1----- | --3-------3----- | ----------0----- |
---------------- | ---------------- | 2-------2------- | ---------------- |
2-------2------- | 2-------2------- | ---------------- | 0-------0------- |

Besame, besame mucho
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
----1-------1--- | ----1-------1--- | ------3-------3- | ------6-------6- |
--0---0---0---0- | --0---0---0---0- | ----5-------5--- | ----6-------6--- |
---------------- | ---------------- | --3-------3----- | --5-------5----- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
0-------0------- | 0-------0------- | 5-------5------- | 6-------6------- |

---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
------3-------2- | ------6-------5- | ---------------- | --------------5- |
----5-------3--- | ----5-------4--- | ----4-------4--- | ----4-------4--- |
--3-------2----- | --6-------6----- | --5---5---5---5- | --5---5---5----- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
5-------3------- | 4-------4------- | 3-------3------- | 3-------3------- |

Besame, besame mucho
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
----3-------3--- | ----2-------2--- | ----3-------3--- | ----3-------3--- |
--0---0---0---0- | --2---2---2---2- | --2---2---2---2- | --1---1---1---1- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | 0-------0------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
0-------0------- | ---------------- | 2-------2------- | 1-------1------- |

---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
------1-------1- | ------1-------0- | ----1-------1--- | ----1-------1--- |
----2-------2--- | ----2-------1--- | --0---0---0---0- | --0---0---0---0- |
--2-------2----- | --1-------0----- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
2-------1------- | 2-------1------- | 0-------0------- | 0-------0------- |

Break
------5-------6- | ------5-------5- | ------7-------7- | ------5-------5- |
----5-------6--- | ----5-------5--- | ----7-------6--- | ----5-------5--- |
--5-------7----- | --5-------5----- | --7-------7----- | --5-------5----- |
4-------6------- | 5-------5------- | 7-------6------- | 5-------5------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |

------5-------3- | ------1-------0- | ---------------- | ------2-------1- |
----5-------3--- | ----3-------3--- | ------5-------4- | ----3-------3--- |
--5-------4----- | --3-------3----- | ----2-------2--- | --2-------1----- |
4-------3------- | ---------------- | --4-------4----- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | 3-------3------- | 2-------2------- | 0-------0------- |

Besame, besame mucho
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
------1-------1- | ----1-------1--- | ----3-------3--- | ----3-------3--- |
----2-------2--- | --0---0---0---0- | --2---2---2---2- | --2---2---2---2- |
--0-------0----- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
1-------1------- | 0-------0------- | 1-------1------- | 1-------1------- |

--------------0- | ----1-------0--- | ----0-------0--- | ----0-------0--- |
----3-------2--- | --1---1---0---0- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
--2---2---2----- | --------1------- | --2---2---2---2- | --2---2---2---2- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
--------0------- | 0--------------- | 3-------3------- | 3-------3------- |
1--------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |

Besame, besame mucho
------3-------3- | ------1-------1- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
----3-------3--- | ----2-------2--- | ----3-------3--- | ----3-------3--- |
--3-------3----- | --0-------0----- | --2---2---2---2- | --1---1---1---1- |
2-------2------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | 0-------0------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | 2-------2------- | 1-------1------- |

---------------- | ---------------- | ------3-------3- | ------1-------1- |
--2---1-------1- | ------1-------0- | ----3-------3--- | ----2-------2--- |
----2-------2--- | ----2-------1--- | --3-------3----- | --2-------2----- |
----------2----- | --1-------0----- | 2-------2------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | 0-------0------- |
2-------1------- | 2-------1------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |

---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ------5-------7- |
----3-------3--- | ----3-------3--- | ----3-------3--- | ----6-------8--- |
--2---2---2---2- | --1---1---1---1- | --0---0---2---2- | --5-------7----- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
2-------2------- | 1-------1------- | 0-------2------- | 0-------0------- |

-10----- |
---12--- |
-----12- |
-------- |
-------- |
-------- |




If you know how to play the chords A minor, D minor and A, then you shouldn't have a problem
playing this song on the guitar.
major and E major so most guitarists should be able to handle it.

Learn To Master The Guitar Quickly. FREE Download!


For the printable version (.txt) file, please click this link.

Andrea Bocelli Sings Besame Mucho

2009-07-29T20:46:00.002+08:00

I don't confess to being a fan of romantic classicals,but Andrea Bocelli really blew me off my feet when I watched this video on Youtube!The song was written in 1940 by a 16 year old Mexican girl,Consuelo Velazquez, and the song itself is a forthright expression of her deep feelings to be kissed.Till today, it is still recorded and/or performed by thousands of performers.Jimmy Dorsey,the Beatles, American Idol's Sanjaya are just some of the examples of famous performers who have sung this song.

Here are the original lyrics to Besame Mucho :

Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
Bésame mucho
Que tengo miedo perderte, perderte otra vez
Quiero tenerte muy
Cerca, mirarme en tus
Ojos, verte junto a mí
Piensa que tal vez
Mañana yo ya estaré
Lejos, muy lejos de ti
Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
Bésame mucho
Que tengo miedo perderte, perderte después

Enjoy!

"How To Play The Guitar Like A Pro" Ebook released

2009-07-28T13:45:00.000+08:00

Hello guys..

The 1st release of "How To Play The Guitar Like A Pro!" guide has been released at last! It has been completed after 1 week of intensive compilation of common guitar topics on this blog. The guide is written towards beginner guitarists in view, but there's in harm in reading it if you are a more advanced player. It's offered free currently for the first 100 downloads only, so do grab your copy before it is gone.

You all STRONGLY encouraged to download it!

After you have read through this guide, you will:

1)Learn which guitar techniques really work and which ones don’t

-Discover which simple and easy to learn tricks will be right for you

2)Learn that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive lessons, one book is all it takes!

-If given the choice between choosing 2 same apples, in which one costs more than
the other, which one would you rather buy right?

So grab a free copy today for yourself before you have to fork out $20!

(Click on the picture cover to go straight)

Free Guitar E-Book in progress

2009-07-22T01:47:00.004+08:00

Since this blog was conceived in May 2007, the traffic has grown considerably to approx. 100 unique viewers and 150 pageloads per day, with a couple of repeat visitors as of July 09. I must confess that in 2008, I did not really post much on this blog as I was serving my National Service. However, the traffic still kept growing! And I believe that it has helped many who are looking for useful information on a range of topics like tuning your guitar, what to consider when buying a new acoustic etc. So I want to say a big thank you to all who are reading this, and have supported this blog,

I've also received many useful and constructive comments from various people who do drop by this blog. One such thing that I noticed in my logs is that people tend to have difficulty searching for topics like learning how to tune the guitar, learning chord structures on this blog, due to the complicated nature of the categories. As part of my passionate pursuit to share and add value to visitors to this blog, I am in the works of developing a compiled e-book, "How to Play the Guitar Like a Pro!" which will address common topics searched in Guitar-Werks like:

Methods for tuning your guitar
Learning chord structure
Learning basic 4/4 rhythm strumming
How to Strum

The date of launch will be on the 28th of July(Singapore GMT). It's a free download, and it's my way of saying 'thank you' to you for just visiting this blog, and making it possible.Do leave your comments here if you are interested to get a copy of it. Thanks!

PerfectPitch Free Guitar Tuner

2009-07-22T00:05:00.004+08:00

Please feel free to download and make use of this free PerfectPitch Guitar Tuner . Quite an amazing and professionally made digital guitar tuner that works for Windows XP 2000/2003/Vista/2008. I'm sharing this cool app as I found it courtesy of the folks at NCH software.

Some cool features of it(from their web):

Tune to absolutely any note you want.
None of the constraints of conventional tuning patterns.
Highly accurate pitch detection.
Simple and intuitive interface.
Tune your guitar through any available sound input device including Microphone or Line In.
Excellent tool for checking fret board intonation.

Hope it helps you!

DOWNLOAD HERE

The History of The Electric Guitar: How Music Was Changed Forever

2009-07-16T17:11:00.000+08:00

In The Beginning
The guitar’s soft melodic tone made it difficult for people to hear it when being played alongside other instruments. So during the 1930’s an inventive individual decided to change that and invented the first electric guitar. Little did he know, or have imagined way back then how the invention of the electric guitar would significantly affect the course of 20th century music.

Like most new things, the electric guitar had its critics but it quickly won people over because of its ability to allow musicians to play much more creatively and express their own individual styles.

The First Pickup
In 1924 an inventive engineer working for the Gibson guitar company named Lloyd Loar, designed the first magnetic pickup. Using a magnet, he converted guitar string vibrations into electrical signals, which then were amplified through a speaker system. This first pickup was crude, but it was a great beginning.

The First Electric Guitar
In 1931 the Electro String Company was founded by Paul Barth, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker, and developed the first electric guitars marketed to the general public. They made their guitars from cast aluminum and were played on a person’s lap using a steel slide much like today's steel guitar. Because of their unusual material, they were affectionately called “Frying Pans.”

The early success of the frying pans prompted the Gibson guitar company to build their first electric guitar, the ES-150 which is a legend today.

The First Solid-Body Electric Guitar
Electric guitars were quickly becoming popular, even though there was a major problem with their construction. Their bodies would vibrate due to the amplified sounds coming through the speakers they were played into, causing what we know as feed-back. The obvious remedy was to build a guitar made with a solid body which wouldn’t vibrate so easily.

As with most innovations, there is controversy over who invented the first solid –body electric guitar. Guitar legend Les Paul in the 1940’s developed his affectionately called “The Log” solid-body guitar by attaching a Gibson neck to a solid piece of wood…a railroad tie, hence the name “Log.”

Around this same time, guitarist Merle Travis and engineer Paul Bigsby developed a solid-body electric guitar that resembled the solid-body guitars that we’re so familiar with today.

The First Mass Produced Electric Guitar
Leo Fender in 1950 was the first to mass produce an electric guitar which was originally called the Fender Broadcaster. This guitar was quickly re-named to the infamous Telecaster because the name “Broadcaster” was already being used by another company. Leo followed this up in 1954 with the most renowned guitar of all time…the Stratocaster.

Leo’s success led other guitar manufacturers into developing their own mass-produced electric guitars. Most notable was the teaming-up of the Gibson guitar company with Les Paul to create the famous Gibson Les Paul electric guitar.

More Affordable Electric Guitars
During the 1960’s and 1970’s famous brand name electric guitars were too expensive for the average person to buy. Less pricey imitations quickly came to market but they were sub-standard in sound and playability. The Japanese, in the 1980’s started manufacturing electric guitars of similar quality to the more expensive American made models, but with much more affordable pricing. This prompted Fender and other leading guitar manufacturers into producing less expensive versions of their classic models. This resulted in electric guitars now being more affordable and accessible to more people.

Today, the Gibson and Fender guitar companies are still producing some of the most well-known and best made electric guitars on the market. But it’s getting crowded with other high quality brands such as BC Rich, ESP and Peavey. Innovative designs, shapes and materials are being incorporated with new technologies to produce better sounding electric guitars.

Modern guitars have built-in software allowing them to sound like other types of guitars. Some are even fitted with pickups that synthesize the sound of different instruments or record the notes in musical notation.

The electric guitar has come a long way with an interesting and inventive past and many in the industry say it has an even brighter future.

What to look for in a Guitar Humidifier

2009-07-16T17:10:00.000+08:00

Dry weather or environments can cause irreparable damage to acoustic guitars, in the form of fine cracks in the wood.

One way to supply additional humidity to your guitar is through a device known as a guitar humidifier. These devices are designed to release humidity inside the guitar through the sound-hole. Sound-hole humidifiers all utilize some type of water reservoir with an absorbent medium such as a sponge, water absorbent floral foam or absorbent polymer. The medium is then surrounded by some type of cover which holds the water absorbent medium in place and restricts the flow of water evaporation from the medium. To get inside your guitar, they slip between your guitar strings and are held in place there. Depending upon the brand of humidifier you purchase, it may or may not touch the wood inside your guitar. Dampit is designed to lie inside your guitar, while Planet Waves and Oasis are completely suspended from the strings.

Water holding capacity and the restrictiveness of the outer cover are the greatest factors in determining how often you will need to refill the device. Needless to say, you can’t stick a quart container of water inside your guitar, but there are several humidifiers that will hold an ounce (30 cc’s) or more such as Oasis or Planet Waves. If your guitar needs several cc’s per day of water vapor, a humidifier that holds only 5-10 cc’s will need to be refilled every few days.

Planet Waves and Dampit utilize holes in the outside membrane to release water vapor. Oasis uses a fabric which allows the water vapor, but not the water, to pass through the material to keep your guitar humidified. One downside to evaporation holes is the risk of water leakage. Very careful handling can minimize, but not eliminate this risk. Oasis is a water-tight, sealed unit which eliminates the risk of water leakage.

When to refill your humidifier is one of the great mysteries which have been solved by Oasis. Since Oasis is a flexible sealed container, is shrinks as the water inside of it evaporates through the fabric. When Oasis begins to look like a prune, you need to refill it.

All of the sound-hole humidifiers work. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. As with any new product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.
product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.

What It Takes To Be A Guitarist

2009-07-16T16:55:00.000+08:00

True interest in playing guitar comes from a burning desire to be what your heroes are. Its a blind passion. But, before you even pick up a guitar, you must first ask yourself these questions: Do I listen to music differently than my friends who don't play guitar? when it comes to listening to music, do I see myself being able to not only play all of the guitar parts, but be able to play all of the guitar parts on stage? Do I see myself playing guitar above anything else under GOD?

If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, chances are you have what it takes to become a serious guitarist. Now, you should pick up your guitar, and if the burning passion's there, never put it down. Never let it go. By now, you should know that playing guitar is much more than just something that you do, You are a musician, and that's not just something that you do, its who you are. So be proud, not just anybody can say their a musician. Your an artist, and that's a beautiful thing.

Now that you've figured out that you are a serious guitarist, you should now set out to be the best guitarist that you can possibly be. You are about to set out on a lifelong journey. a very fulfilling journey of mastering your craft.

So what do I do first? You might ask. You get lessons, buy books on learning guitar, video tape your heroes every time their on television, and then study them, whatever it takes to increase your skill as a guitarist. You should keep in mind that no matter what, if the passion is there, you will learn. So don't worry if you can't afford lessons, or afford books on learning guitar, if you have the undying desire and burning passion with or without help. No matter if the odds are in your favor or if the odds are stacked against you.

How do I know? Well, since me and my brother were old enough to remember, we've had a very close kinship, and a great understanding of music. But, unfortunately, our family was very poor. We were twelve before we got a guitar to create on. Our parents couldn't afford guitar lessons, so what we did was got our friends that were learning to play at the same time, and borrow their books on guitar, and then we would watch as they played the way their teachers taught them to play. We practiced night and day. We very rarely played outside like other kids. We never learned to swim because we played guitar all the time, we didn't go swimming. But, because we sacrificed so much for our craft, it wasn't long before our skill was unparalleled by our peers and we were teaching our friends teachers. We were showing guitarists twice or three times our age who were playing guitar before we were even born. We didn't have a guitar teacher, yet by the time we were the age of fifteen, we were the teachers. When we played talent shows at our high school, we were the talk of the school and very respected.

Now, I'm not saying by any means that you have to do to become a great guitarist. I'm just saying that this is how me and my twin brother learned. You should take your own path. Your path is always the best path to take.

Well, that's it. As always, I hope you found this article both informative and entertaining. May GOD bless you always, and in always.

An introduction to Martin Guitars

2008-09-14T01:36:00.002+08:00

Martin guitars are hand made by skilled craftspeople, many still using the design and techniques introduced by the company's founder in the 1830s. The privately held manufacturer is acknowledged as the creator of some of the world's finest musical instruments. Although Martin guitars are about the most imitated guitars in the world,there is one characteristic of Martin guitars that the rest of the guitar industry has either been too slow to pick up or not implement; the fact that Martin guitars are numbered sequentially. Because Martin guitars are built right in the back yard of Nazareth PA(where their headquarters is), it is definitely a great thing to have an acoustic guitar icon in your living room.In fact, at least 80% of guitar artistes own a Martin or have owned one before!

Qualities of Martin Guitars:

Martin guitars are light, aesthetically pleasing instruments. They possess ease of play, with lyric al qualities, and also possess clear, balanced and precise tones. They are also very rich in color that projects well. Martin guitars are often the first choice for acoustics, whereas Gibson and Fender guitars are often preferred for electrics.

Value for Money

Martin guitars are the best guitars for the money out there today especially the D-18GE which is the best buy for a high end mahogany dreadnought. Another, like the Martin D-18 Authentic 1937 goes way beyond the D-18GE in detail to create an exact reproduction of a prewar D-18. Martin guitars are wonderful, but for some reason, they have elected to use really cheap looking pickguards. Many Martin owners replace them, and that's what I have done as well. Martin guitars are always a good investment and they are highly recommended!

What are guitar strings, and how gauges are used to measure them?

2008-09-14T01:22:00.002+08:00

In its essence, the guitar string is wrapped around the arm of the tuning mechanism and it sticks out about a 16th of an inch out the end. Also, the guitar string is fixed at the bridge and neck of the guitar and hence each guitar string must have a node at these positions. Attaching guitar strings at the bridge or at the neck will place a restraint or boundary condition on the guitar string's movement. If you've played with the Slinky toy before, you will notice that the guitar string works just like it.

Also, the measure of guitar strings go by their gauge size. Gauges vary from really light 8s up to heavy 12s. Your choice of strings will depend on the type of music you play and what you feel comfortable with. Gauge classifications differ among manufacturers for electric guitar strings, but are generally divided into extra super light, super light, light, medium, medium heavy, heavy and super heavy. Once you find strings that suit you, note the dimensions of each string on the packaging. Usually, they are either heavy, medium or light. There’s no need to go through this procedure when ordering string sets in the family of Stick 4ths/reversed 5ths tunings, including Baritone Melody, Deep Baritone Melody (down a whole step), Matched Reciprocal, Deep Matched Reciprocal (down a whole step), and the Grand Stick equivalents for these.

Advertlets- the better choice for guitar advertisements?

2007-12-05T00:55:00.000+08:00

Well..chanced upon Advertlets.com from Galvin's (www.galvin.worshipsingapore.com) site.

Was quite intrigued to find out what it actually was, and its advert "Blog advertising has finally arrived in Singapore" caught my attention at first glance.

Upon re-directing to the home page, I realized that Advertlets is actually strikingly similar to Kontera's pay-per-ad advertising system, which i do use on my other blogs. However, what really impressed me was that it is an Asian-targeted one, and it had already made payouts to its Malaysian bloggers who joined, and was now expanding its Malaysian reach to Singapore. (I've been waiting eagerly for someone to launch a Singapore version, and I'm glad Advertlets has done it!)

Ok, here goes the workings of Advertlets... It's almost similar to how Google Adsense works;- You insert code to allow Advertlets to display targeted ads to your theme topic on your blog, and relevant ads are displayed, which bring in revenue for you when visitors click on them.So for a try, i decided to try Advertlets and experiment if it can bring in better focussed ads relating to guitars on Guitar Werks. Advertlets also does allow user-defined polls to be placed on your blogs, so that you can better keep track of the profiles of users to your site, thus bringing in more targeted ads that generate more revenue.

So far, it looks really promising. I do hope that Advertlets will help take Guitar Werks one notch higher in terms of providing relevant and quality ads to my visitors, not just any other irrelevant ad that so often surfaces with other platforms. So here goes Advertlets.com...check it out!

Beginner Guitar For Toddlers?

2007-11-07T22:48:00.000+08:00

Ever imagined a 2 year toddler playing a guitar to the tune of the the 'ABC' song? I just had that stray thought shoot past my mind. I'm sure its quite difficult to fathom that picture, but to see if that could be true, i did a search on Youtube and saw a video of this little kid who could strum a song on the guitar perfectly in rhythm!So, its a reality!

Also,from the Google search results I discovered a company named iPlayMusic.com that actually sells beginner guitar videos that are tailored for a fun and interactive family learning experience for parents as well as their little ones. Check it out at the iPlayMusic website here..

Well, thats it for a long time away from posting on this blog due to military service. And happy Deepavali to all my friends as you enjoy the public holiday!

Playing guitar...Is it difficult?

2007-10-06T23:47:00.000+08:00

I'm not going to kid you; playing guitar is extremely difficult at best and almost downright impossible at worst. I am not just talking about picking up the guitar and playing a few songs I am talking about real practicing for the environment that you will eventually be playing in which is, of course, in an ensemble with other musicians who we hope will always be better than you.

In this world with all kinds of styles of music and bands, finding someone to teach you what you really dream of playing is kind of tough. The problem is finding a teacher who’ll give you a good guitar lesson that doesn’t include all the stuff that really doesn’t matter when it comes down to just playing a song.

What's interesting is you can use the note intervals of whatever mode you're playing and use each note as a starting point for the next mode in sequence. The students who work hard on this area of their playing always do better than those who don’t. Your playing will open up to a diverse range of styles.

As such,I've divided learning the guitar well from past experience into three main parts:
Learning,Practicing and Tuning.

Learning

I have found that learning to play guitar is like many other activities. The main considerations in choosing guitar gifts are experience level, style of music preferred, and what gear and learning material they already own. A person can get along fine these days by learning a few chords and knowing how to read tab, right.The traditional way of learning guitar is by taking private lessons from a guitar teacher.

The array of choices is staggering, ranging from free online guitar lessons, to high-end distance learning guitar instruction leading to a certificate from Berklee College of Music,. The best and easiest path to becoming a competent guitar player is by learning some chords and then applying them to learning the rhythm parts of songs. Chord Diagrams are the single most powerful tool for learning and improving your guitar playing.

Practice

There are many principles involved in an effective practice session and I think some of these are a motivation founded on a love and passion for the music you can produce on the guitar, an acceptance of the fact that you must practice on that technical level you have reached, a working knowledge of muscle tensions and how to minimize them when you play and how to work on reducing them when you don't play. Is there a best way to practice on your guitar? If you decide on an electric guitar, then you'll want to purchase a practice amp too.

The most basic requisite is that you want to learn this art and with this desire you will find ways to practice improvisation in all your guitar playing. For example, take a two bar passage in a classical guitar piece that you like and practice it until you master it and then memorize it. The remedy for this is of course to practice reading the sheet music without looking at the fretboard.

Tuning

By cleaning your strings you not only increase their tuning life but they will retain their crisp, bell-like tone for longer. Worn strings are by far the most common cause of a bad tone and contribute to a lot of tuning problems. I have always used pitch pipes, and great though automatic tuners are, you cannot beat the training given by tuning the guitar with just a pipe and your ears.

Some things on guitar can be learned in minutes, some in days, and others in weeks, but tuning will sometimes take even longer, because you have to train your ears. In order to keep the string in place during tuning (winding) put a ½” 90 degree bend at the end of the string with a pair of pliers.

Don't waste money on guitar teachers!

2007-09-20T15:42:00.000+08:00

Do you spend $80 to $100 on a guitar teacher each month? That's a whole lot of money for two hours of lessons. 1/3 of the lessons are getting tuned and warming-up. You're basically paying for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or less) of guitar instruction because who knows how many students your teacher had during the hours before you. You spend time talking about other things outside of guitar playing too.

This leaves time for what? Learning one song or technique for $100 per month?

A great guitar teacher can be good for a Rock guitarist as a beginner or someone who plays in the other styles like Jazz and Classical. But in my opinion, if you can learn how to tune, change your strings, learn your chords and scales on your own, there's no need for a private instructor at any stage.

Instead of having one over-paid private guitar teacher, why not have several guitar teachers for less? For $20 or more you could invest that money into guitar lessons DVDs created by some of the most skilled guitarists today like Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, and Michael Angelo Batio. Not to mention older videos by top pros like Joe Pass and Frank Gambale. Also, you can get instructional DVDs about theory, chords, soloing, scales, and about playing in any style or using any technique you want to learn.

You could go online (recommended for better selection) or to your local music store and put that $100 per month into 4 or 5 guitar lesson videos with all sorts of teachers, jam-packed with several lessons. I assure you that the teachers in DVDs are far better than your guitar teacher. No offense to him, but you're overpaying that guy. Unless your lessons with your teacher are lifechanging, consider investing in videos instead.

What else is there?

Not only are there DVDs featuring some of the best guitarists ever, there are plenty of method books with audio created by top names like Hal Leonard and even Berklee College of Music. Funny thing is most guitar teachers hand you one of these method books and teach you from it. If you've already learned the basics, good technique, and how to read tablature or notation, I recommend you buy good guitar books and learn it yourself. The methods explain everything brilliantly. And don't forget about all the digital method e-books and online programs.

You also have the option of joining up with a guitar lessons membership site where you can learn from a variety of great teachers. Combing instruction DVDs, method books and audio, and using a membership site where you can often interact with teachers, you'd have 100s of lessons per month benefiting from tons of different guitar teachers, and you'd be paying the same as for 1 hour and 20 minutes of lousy private lessons.

Anything else?

Oh yeah. There are free guitar lesson videos on YouTube and free-to-use forums where you can talk to guitarists who are way better than you about any question you might have. There are tons of free guitar lesson sites, guitar teacher blogs, and anything else you can think of.

Lonng time away from this blog

2007-09-20T15:18:00.000+08:00

It's been suppppppppppppppper long since i've last updated guitarwerks..I apologize for that because i had to serve my compulsory military service in July and am only back for a break now, and was held up with lots of web projects in the months of april and may..

Well..It seems that even though the blog has not been updated, it has been seeing consistent traffic! In fact, guitar-werks gets an average of 60 unique visitors daily, and a small handful of repeat visitors..I really wanna thank those who've supported this blog!

So do look forward to more guitar articles to come..

Guitar Hero-A cool guitar game

2007-04-24T00:34:00.000+08:00

Was just surfing around on the Net, and i came across this quite cool guitar game called "Guitar Hero 2". From what i read, it is both available for PS2 and Xbox 360s, and the gameplay represents a cross between "Dance Dance Revolution"(Hey Mr Wonderful...Aye Ayee Aye,I'm Your Little Butterfly Remember?) and O2 Jam..

I did further research and found out that someone actually wrote a review about it. So here goes(courtesy of Pauline Go):

"Guitar Hero is a great music video game. The game is developed by Harmonix Music Systems, and it is published by RedOctane. The primary controller is designed to simulate the playing of electric guitar. Guitar hero was first released in North America on November 8, 2005. Then it was released in Europe on April 7, 2006.

The player must press the corresponding button according to the scrolling notes of a song. The player can also use the “Dualshock System” by pressing X, L1, L2, R1, and R2. The player will earn points for every note hit. Chords have twice the value of single notes. When the player hit ten consecutive notes, chords will count as one note. The player can temporarily double the score by using the Star Power. Using the Star Power effectively, the player can multiply his points up to eight times.

Player score are shown at the end of the song. The player can also view his longest note streak and accuracy percentage. Guitar Song is quite a complex game. The average song can usually have about 400 – 600 notes. The difficult song can contain up to 1000 – 2000 notes.

Guitar Hero
has over forty seven songs. Thirty of these songs are from the covers of the originals. The player can choose to be eight playable characters in Guitar hero. Six of them can be played from the beginning of the game. The rest of the characters must be unlocked as secret characters. Each characters have their own unique personalities and playing style."

Bloggerwave--A 3rd Way to finance your Guitar

2007-04-21T00:49:00.000+08:00

I recently signed up with Bloggerwave,

Another very useful blog company that pays people to blog about product reviews etc.

Bascially, it works pretty much based on Opportunities, meaning offers to allow a blogger to write about that can fetch anywhere between $5-$50 per post depending on the advertiser.

Here's my review of Bloggerwave:

Could potentially be the next big thing in 'pay to blog' services
It has lots of bugs still (it is still in beta testing)
Very simple, and creative interface.
It has got very few opportunities at the moment for bloggers, as it is a new company.

However, Bloggerwave is willing to pay between $5-50per blog post, provided it has been approved and that it remains in your blog for 30days. After 30 days, it will pay you the money into your Paypal account.

On the whole, i see lots of growth potential with it. We just need to give Bloggerwave some time before it rapidly gains a huge following, and i believe it will be comparable to Pay-Per-Post. The best thing about Bloggerwave is that its criteria for acceptance is not as stringent as Pay-Per-Post, as it only requires that your blog to be about 3weeks old to qualify.

New classifieds to sell,buy, trade your guitar and stuff!

2007-04-20T22:39:00.001+08:00

I've just set up a classifieds section for any guitarist or person looking to sell or buy their stuff.. This is just an added convenience for all blog readers, so hopefully you can find your sales leads here!

Guitar-Werks Classifieds

Filed Under: [Resources]

Just how rejected this young generation feels?

2007-04-20T00:24:00.000+08:00

The face of Rejection

Ho Seung-Hui, shot dead 32 people before killing himself in Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Shootings

Excerpt from the video message that Cho sent to NBC

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today ... Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."

"You just loved to crucify me. You loved inducing cancer in my head, terror in my heart, ripping my soul."

"Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust fund ... your vodka and cognac wasn't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough ... to fulfil your hedonistic needs."

"When the time came, I did it. I had to."

Eerie,evil,Rejected..

Just how warped has this young generation been influenced to do extremely wicked things, in this case psychotic Korean Ho Seung-Hui going around shooting and killing 33 people at Virginia Tech.(including 4 professors)?

In the manifesto that he mailed to NBC shortly before he started walking around killing his victims, Ho let out an angry tirade of profanities against the rich and numerous unspecified enemies. One such message that he made:

'You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul and torched my conscience. You thought it was one pathetic boy’s life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people.'

What could be the reason that motivated him to do so?

Rejection.

A moving incident was told by Dr James Dobson about his friend Alice's daughter, who was only 3 years old when it happened:

"Alice's daughter always loved to hang out at their local playground in the evenings, and Alice would always bring her daughter to play there daily. Alice daughter, being very young, loved to befriend and follow a group of 5 year old children who also often played at the playground. Being still a very young toddler,she toddled after this group of 5 yr olds wherever they went. However, these 5yrs didn't really appreciate the company of Alice's daughter, and pretty soon, they found her a nusciance. So,they would always leave her out of their catching games around the playground, and Alice's daughter was always left alone.

Then one day, she came running up to Alice, and said "momma, i want a lollipop..and a lollipop now!". Alice, assuming that her daughter was hungry, brought out one stick from the house. However, her daughter said "momma!not one, but three lollipops!". By now, Alice knew that her daughter wanted to give the extra lollipops to her 'friends'.. So, rushing in to bring out a whole basket of lollipops, she gave it to her daughter. As Alice stood watching the whole scene, what happened next made her swallow her throat.

Her daughter ran up to that group of friends at the playground, and said to them "Here are your lollipops, they're all for you". The three 5 yr olds stared at Alice's daughter for awhile, and with a wide grin on their faces, snatched all the lollipops and ran away in different directions, with a mocking laughter from their mouths as they ran off."

This just demostrates to us how the youths of today try to yearn for acceptance from their family, and friends, but they are replied and challenged with remarks such as:

"You dumbass!Why can't you do well in school like your brother??"

and

"Hey bitch, you want to be our friend?Prove us by the number of times you have slept in bed with those guys!".

Even to the point of letting others abuse their bodies. Even to the point of being motivated by deep rejection and depression to kill others with a Glock and Walter semi-automatic pistol.
This generation of youths are always constantly feeling they can't leave up to their parents and friends expectations. What would have happened if the father said to his son :"Mr Wonderful, I've seen your school grades, but I still love you son because you're wonderfully made!"

Ho was described by teachers as a 'loner' and 'withdrawn' student who even one lecturer said he did not know "we had a Korean person who was in the English department and was male until I met him in class.".

I've experienced the malady of rejection myself before(but thank God I've found salvation in Jesus's mercy and accepting love), and I found out that what stems from within the heart, will ultimately show forth on the outside. If you breed a seed of rejection just because of one incident where you parents called you a 'Failure', and do not remove it, it will continue to grow, and grow , and it will begin to sink you into the depths of depression, and as it grows more, you begin to think of ways to end your life, and as it grows, you feel like the world owes you everything, and finally when that seed of rejection is fully grown.. WHAM! it brings forth death.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ"
Rom 6:23

This generation of youths need fathers who will tell and shower them with "I love you, my son!". This generation of youths need the right friends who will tell them "I accept you unconditionally for who you are, no matter how bad a failure you may be". This generation of youths needs upright mentors who will teach and instruct them "Broad is the gate to destruction and hellfire, but narrow is the way to eternal life"

But most importantly, this generation needs Jesus!

Who shall Jesus send to take His Good News to this lost generation?

Lord, send me..

Signed out,
John

How to re-string your guitar?

2007-04-20T00:15:00.000+08:00

Changing your guitar strings might make you feel a litte uncomfortable if you have never done it before, but it's really quite simple and should become a regular part of your guitar care routine. Before you do anything, first take time to make some personal observations such as:

1. Which way do you have to turn the tuning keys to tighten or loosen the strings?

2. How are the strings aligned from the nut to the bridge?

3. Which is the heaviest string?

Taking mental notes will probably save you some frustration and make the job much easier.

Below you will find some helpful steps to follow for changing your strings. Once you've changed your guitar strings a couple of times your confidence should begin to grow and you won't need to refer to these steps any longer. I like to remove all of the guitar strings in order to give my guitar a thorough cleaning, but you can remove and replace them one at a time if you prefer.

Guitar Care and Maintenance Tools:

- Needle-nose Plyers (to cut string ends)
- String Winder
- Soft Cotton Cloth
- Guitar Cleaning Polish (do not use furniture polish, oils, or wax)

REMOVING THE STRINGS

Acoustic Steel String Guitar-

1. Using the string winder , begin slowly loosening the string(s) until completely slack.

2. With the needle-nose plyers, carefully grab the string from the capstan (the part it winds around) and pull through the hole until it is free.

3. Taking the string winder again, use the cut-out at the end of it to grab the pin at the bridge. Gently pull the pin until it comes out of the hole.

4. Continue this process until all the strings are removed.

5. Clean guitar surface thoroughly.

Classic Nylon String Guitar-

Follow steps one and two above. When you come to step three, take your needle-nose plyers and carefully loosen the figure eight knot at the bridge. Pull the string free.

Electric Guitar-

Follow the same procedure as described for an acoustic steel string guitar. However, if you have an electric guitar with a movable bridge you may want to take it to your local music store and have them show you how to do it safely. If the bridge is moved from it's correct position you will not be able to tune your guitar after restringing it.

RE-STRINGING YOUR GUITAR

Acoustic Steel String Guitar-

1. Bend the ball end of the string slightly and place it inside the hole below the bridge. Some steel string guitars do not have pins. When this is the case, just pull the string throught the hole.

2. Line up the string with any grooves in the pin. Insert the pin into the hole, making sure it is secure.

3. Take the other end and insert into the hole on the capstan.

4. Pull the string through leaving a fair amount of slack between the capstan and the bridge.

5. Bend the string at the point it comes through the capstan to keep it secure.

6. Watching out for your eyes, begin turning the key with your left hand. Once you get it started it may be easier to use the string winder. (For safety reasons, you might want to cut off any excess string. I usually wait until after they're all on to do this).

7. As you are winding, apply some tension to the string with your right hand to help keep it taught. Make sure you are winding in the right direction! On the bass strings you will be winding counter-clockwise (away from you). On the treble strings you will go the opposite direction.

8. Continue to wind each string until all the slack is taken up. Do not worry about tuning yet.

9. Cut off all excess string length.

Classic Nylon String Guitar-

1. Put the string through the top of the hole found just below the bridge.

2. Pull about 3 inches through.

3. Bringing the string up over the tie block, pass it underneath itself at the original point of entry.

4. Come down over the tie block again and wrap the end of the string around itself in a figure eight type pattern.

5. Insert the other end of the string down through the hole on the capstan.

6. Wrap the string around the back and then underneath itself in order to secure it in place.

7. As described above, begin turning the key with your left hand while maintaining some tension with the other until all the slack is taken up. With a classical guitar you will wind clockwise on the bass strings and the treble strings.

8. Keep the string as straight as possible as it continues from the capstan through the nut and down onto the neck.

9. You should not have any excess string length, but if you do, cut it off.

Electric Guitar-

Follow the same procedure as described for the acoustic steel string guitar.

Another Way to finance your guitar-Earn money for bloggging!

2007-04-19T02:14:00.000+08:00

Oh,

I just joined this program that pays you to blog about topics that interest you. Its call Blogvertise, and all you've gotta do is sign up. Then you wait for the admin approval of your blog, and if approved, the admin will send you a link and the task to do. In the task itself(a posting actually), you're expected to have at 75 words typed about the product, and to include at least 3 links.
Then you submit you blog entry back to admin for approval, and you must leave the entrythere for 30 days. After 30 days, Blogvertise will pay you accordingly to the tasks assigned.

Each task can fetch up to $10, so its quite worth it.

I'm still awaiting the admin's reply now..

Check out http://www.blogsvertise.com for more details

Signed out,
John

Ok..i've found a very INNOVATIVE way to finance your guitar..

2007-04-15T23:25:00.000+08:00

Oh well! If you're planning to set you eyes upon buying a guitar soon but want to earn some extra income in the meanwhile, this may interest you.

I was just surfing blogs on Friday, and happened to chance upon the blog of this guy who says he's being paid to set the URL of this new search company to his homepage, and to use it normally like you would with Google.

Thought it was kinda interesting, so i thought would just check it out and sign up. Basically, the company is called SlashMySearch, and it is a new search engine that is paying people to use its services and promote it. They have a 3 tier revenue generating structure: You, the first level,
Your direct referrals(60% of their earnings), and your referrals referrals(20%).

It says that it pays you just for surfing activity on the net. So i tried it out, and guess what, within 30mins of surfing and trying their engine, my earnings increased USD$0.05cents just like that! So, i thought i was cool, and i referred another 3 friends, and 1 of them referred another 3 more, and just 2hours ago, my earnings shot up from $0.12 to $0.40 in just 1 hr of doing nothing!And it was continually increasing even up till hte point i wrote this (now it's $0.45cents)

So i made a calculation, and did an excel formula spreadsheet, and i calculated how much i could earn assuming the following factors remain constant:

1. Each hour a person surfs,he earns $0.25,
2. He surfs for 2 hrs daily..
3.My targeted direct referrals are 10 people for this month(level 2)
4.Each of my referrals refers 10 more referrals=100 referrals(10 X 10)(level 3 downline)

I would earn easily USD$405 in just one month.

Here are the workings screen shot from Excel:

Myself (level 1)
Ave. $$ earned per hr			0.25
Ave.hrs surfed per day			2
Total $$ per day			0.5
Total $$ per month			15

Direct Referrals (level 2)

Signups			10
Total $$ per month-individual			15
Total $$ per month-all			150
Total Comm from Direct Lines			90

Referrals Referrals (level 3)

Signups			100
Total $$ per month-individual			15
Total $$ per month-all			1500
Total Comm from Down Lines			300

Total earned Per mth(USD)			405
Total earned Per mth(SGD)			611.55

Hows that just for taking a bit of effort to use the search engine and to promote it to your friends?

Plus its 100% completely free to join, so we have nothing to lose!

Why not check it out below?

Check out SlashMySearch

So, buying that Taylor guitar isn't a too faraway dream after all for you...

Signed out,
John

Looking to buy a new guitar(but you have got no cash)?

2007-04-14T01:27:00.000+08:00

Ok..

So you're eyeing that Taylor Jumbo which costs $1200, but you have got no money to afford it right now. Or maybe you have got a savings plan all clearly laid out, but the possibility of buying it is only next year, after you get your Ang Pow money from Chinese New Year (especially if you're a schooling student..).

So what do you do?

Let me offer a very simple piece of financial advice tip for you. It sounds like a financial planning lesson, but truth to told is that we must all practise some financial wisdom!

Practise The Cookie Jar Concept!!!

"During the period of WWII, the concept of 'Cookie Jar' to save one's money emerged in England. Basically, as the English back then in the early 1940s were going through a horrific times like enduring the daily bombings by the German airforce, food was scarce, and commodities were very expensive. That was where families would set apart a portion of their wages daily, and put these savings into empty cookie jars and hide them in a safe place. If they wanted to purchase a transistor radio which may have cost GBP50 back then, they would accumulate enough savings in their cookie jars, which were often labelled with the name of the specific items they were intending to buy..."

And they bought the transistor radio when they had saved enough..

Sounds simple right? There's no rocket science to the Cookie Jar concept. Just plain old discipline. With a world that offers quick cash, quick satisfaction, quick money, quick success, the discipline of the Cookie Jar is often being overlooked. But if we would practise it, i guarantee you, that you can buy anything you want.

In our time, most people do not use cookie jars to store their money anymore. They use the electronic equivalent, which is the bank. But the sad thing is that even banks promote 'credit' in the form of credit cards, to give you cash to get instantly anything you want. And so without practising the 'Cookie Jar' concept, people rake up so much credit that they get stuck in deep debt.

So the solution to this is to practise discipline. If you really are setting your eyes upon a guitar to buy and have a one year savings plan, why don't you take the extra effort to deposit your daily savings into a one-year fixed deposit scheme at your bank? In this way, you practise the Cookie Jar concept, and besides, it earns you interest of anything between 1-4% per annum!

Note: I know of a friend who saved up $60,000 over 2 years using the Cookie Jar concept, just to buy his new Hyundai Sonata car, and guess what, he paid in COLD HARD CASH(imagine the notes he had to carry haha)!

It will pay off in the long run, and I think its well worth it to practise this age-old advice to save up for your Taylor guitar!

Cheers!

Rhythms and beats-- Training with the Guitar Metronome

2007-04-14T00:45:00.000+08:00

Besides learning chords and learning how to strum the guitar, a very useful tool for any beginner is also the metronome. The metronome is a device that will train your strumming to be in tempo with beat.

To start with, try learning the 4/4 beat first, which is probably the easiest beat to catch. Most living things survive on sync with the beats of their heart rhythms, so the 4/4 is the most natural beat the human body can adapt to. For a detailed guide to getting the 4/4 beat right, read the previous post I made in March about "Beginner-Guitar-Lessons-Strumming"

Also, i've found another free, very useful metronome tool to help you.Its called Metronome for Windows. It plays tempos from 40 to 340 beats per minute, so you may download it below.

Cheers!

Download Metronome For Windows Here.

How to sell your used guitar (and gear..)

2007-04-13T00:25:00.000+08:00

Three years ago, i bought a cheap, $150, Samwick electric guitar when i first started learning to play the electric.

About the beginning of last year, i sold it off to a contact of my friend for $100 as i decided to stick with the acoustic guitar.

Also, two years ago, i bought a $200 Marshall Stack Amp from Davis Guitars at Peninsula Plaza, and sold it off in Sept last year for $140 to a electric guitarist who saw my ad at Luthermusic's Classifieds.

Are you also keen to sell your guitar? or maybe it could be your digital effects pedal, or your limited edition Kapo..

Here are 5 very practical tips to note when selling your used guitar online:

1. Take a flattering picture of your instrument.

Since this is a used guitar that you are selling the buyer will want to see a clear picture of the condition of the instrument. Try not to conceal anything. Make the picture look good but don't try and deceive the buyer.

2. Write a compelling description.

Try and inject a bit of passion into your description without creating hype. Also, it is useful to tell the potential buyer why you are selling. Are you just tired of the instrument? Have you decided to sell your acoustic guitar because you are only interested in playing electric?

3. Decide how you will accept payment.

Don't forget that the buyer may live on the other side of the country. Do you want to wait weeks for a money order to arrive? One service that many people use is PayPal. You receive your money instantly and there is also a comfort level for the buyer as they can always use PayPal in the event of a dispute.

4.Figure out shipping costs(if any)

Make sure that you figure out what the shipping costs will be to various parts of the country. You need to also decide whether you will sell outside of your country. If you live in Singapore, will you ship to the United States or to Spain ? Also remember, that when you ship across borders there are custom and taxation issues. Are you paying this or is the purchaser?

5. Where do you want to post your ad?

You can use an online auction site like Ebay or a classified ads site like Kijiji, Craig's List or Guitars for Sale Online . If you use Ebay make sure you are clear on how the auctions work.If you live in Singapore, Luthermusic's classifieds is a very good classifieds source also.

What happens if you find a buyer through an ad in Craig's list and yet your auction has a week to run on Ebay and you have some bids. You can probably get out of the auction but just make sure you know what you are doing so that you don't find yourself locked in an uncomfortable situation.

Lastly, a very good channel of selling your guitar if you have it listed on a forum like Ultimate-Guitar.com . Trust me! I advertised this blog in that forum, and got like 102 hits in just one day..

Yup.Those are some key points to take note. If you have any extra suggestions or questions, feel free to comment.

Signed out,

John

Kindly give your feedback..

2007-04-12T02:08:00.000+08:00

Dear reader,
I'm so glad that you are taking time to read this post. If you have been a regular reader of this blog, I so thank you for it!

I would really appreciate if anyone could just give feedbacks regarding the blog. Is the blog informative for you?Or do you think there's something that can be improved? Please do let me know.

As you may notice, the design has been changed again. I'm experimenting with trying to make the blog more lively, so pardon me if you think the color combinations are horrible(i have bad color combi!haha). Feel free to leave comments ok?

John

What if you are a left-handed guitar player?

2007-04-10T23:31:00.000+08:00

As read this, you may be wondering..

"All the lessons that I've learnt in the past have got to do with right handed guitar players. So what do I do if i'm a left hander?"

Glad you ask that!

A distinct and important group of guitar players are the left-handed guitarists.

The left-handed guitar is held with the freeboard in the right hand and picking done with the left hand. The strings are reversed, and the guitar looks like a mirror image of a right-handed guitar.

One thing you must consider is how available left-handed guitars are. Until recently, they have been pretty hard to find and you’re still going to have some trouble located a left-handed guitar is you’re set on one particular style.

However, good musical instruments manufacturers make no assumptions, and are not biased toward only the right-handed player. The left-handed player is equally dear to them. They make it a point to give this player many options and do their best to accommodate the left-handed guitar player. They are adding several new lines of left-handed acoustic guitars including 6 or 12 strings, either metal or nonmetal. Many manufacturers offer left-handed players the option of specially ordering a specific guitar. The price depends on a number of factors, including the quality of the acoustics, the material body and visual appeal. Those with finished necks and mahogany bodies are usually very expensive. Guitars manufactured by left-handed guitar specialists also cost more. Some manufacturers and music shops offer free lessons especially made for left-handed beginners.

Ok, so you need not worry. There willl always been an available left-handed guitar that you can ask from any local guitar dealer:- you just have to make a special request, and they'll be more than glad to help you...

Need to find guitar cords?

2007-04-09T11:41:00.001+08:00

Are you looking at how to play guitar cords, but do not know how to? For example, Am7, C#maj7, but you have got no idea how it works?

I face the same problem , but i've found a free guitar cord finder program you can download to assist you in finding chords. Nutchords is a free program to help you find the chord notations , as well as to assist you in alternative tunings.

It is a Zip file, so please unzip it before installation.

Download NutChords Here.

The 5 types of people who learn.Which one are you?

2007-04-06T01:22:00.000+08:00

In every activity that we do, we will always be at one level or another.

If you ask the usual Shea O' Neil obessed, 8year old basketball kid at your local basketball court what NBA means to him, he'll most probably reply that he wants to be like Shea when he grows up. However, if you were to ask Shea himself what NBA means to him, he would probably reply that basketballing is his life. Why? Because NBA basketballing has become the life that this basketball maestro walks, talks, and lives out.

It's the same way with people who learn the guitar. Which are you?

5 types of Learners

1.The Bummer

These people who are clueless and are at the bottom level. They are ignorant and just waste their time. These people have a dead end job that they hate. But they don't want to invest in themselves and in educating themselves.This is the person who just uses the Internet to waste time. Watching videos, chatting with friends, reading with email, surfing the net aimlessly so on. Basically, its just a pastime and a means of pleasure. They believe there is no way they can master anything because they think that they have no time or the resources. They think that world class guitarists are naturally talented and 'gifted', so they can't compare to them

My advice to these people:Stop making a fuss and get a life!

2.The Pretend- to-Be

These people have heard of how exciting learning the guitar is, and they often dream of learning the guitar to romantize their partners, and also how they can use it for fame and glory. Or they may also want to learn the guitar for a good cause(etc. a career). However, these people always say "I'm interested to learn guitar", but never ever dare lift a finger to do anything, because most of the time, they want results without sacrifice. And because of the excuse of not knowing where to start, they get lazy and never want to put an ounce of effort in. They talk alot, but never ever get anywhere.

My advice to these people:What are you waiting for? Get it going.

3.The Newbie

These people are actually on the track. These people have some knowledge and they have done their homework. They simply lack the technical know-how to get to where they want to be. They've bought guitar books and might have a few guitar courses under their belt. They tend to learn by observing others play, but in time they get overly confused while trying to learn everything, because they just want to get everything right the first time instantly. They may know how to play 2 or 3 chords, but that's all they'll stop at. However, they are heading in the right direction.

My advice to these people: Take things one at a time, and never be afraid to ask for help.

4.The Master

These people know what it takes to play good guitar, the sacrifice required, and have been doing so faithfully for a long time(Maybe even 5 years!). Along that path, they have acquired numerous skills, and have attained the level of 'skillful'. They have a guitar playing flair and skill that sets them apart from the ordinary learners. However, there comes a time where they think 'that's all there is to guitar", and so they get stuck in their usual rout of playing the G family, then doing some hammer offs here and there, and playing the same songs over and over. They have not come to understand that there comes a time where progressing in skills means being able to humble yourself, and starting anew all over again learning the guitar to gain insights and skills they've never knew existed in their fingertips, because they have not polished up small areas of their skills which need improvement.

My advice to these people: Swallow your pride, and start from the basics again.

5.The Giver

These are people who have mastered the guitar inside out for many years, and are role models of continual learners. They have attained a stage where it is almost impossible to even catch a single mistake in their rhythm and strokes, and have become synoymous with excellence. However, what sets them apart is that they continually invest their life experiences and skills back into the beginners, in hope that someone else will benefit greatly from their wisdom.

My advice to these people: Give back to society!

I guess i've been stuck in Master stage for way too long.. Need polishing in some areas of playing guitar, such as my timings.

What about you?

Tommy Emmanuel-Aussie Folk Style

2007-04-05T17:17:00.001+08:00

Tommy Emmanuel on the acoustic guitar, playing "Amazing Grace" in his native Aussie fashion.

Do notice that with the acoustic guitar, there's more to than simply strumming and chords, but that there are a million and one tricks that can be incorporated into your playing!

Ahhh! Search Engines have finally found this blog!

2007-04-04T00:03:00.000+08:00

Just to sidetrack a little..

I found out that Google search engine has just successfully indexed guitar-werks blog on its search engine! So that means it is gonna be very easy to search for this blog from the search engine..

Just an update too..

I've just started work with as a receptionist with a telemarketing company two days ago, and guess my job scope?

-Hear customers scold me.
-and for me to scold them

That's right! I've got tons of customers making queries about SIA's Krisflyer Services, and i've got a couple of 'hard knocks', especially Singapore ones.

Here a transcript of what happened for one such case:

John: Helo madam, this is Krisflyer membership services, how may i help you?

Lady:I would like to know why ah, but why do i have to keep giving my Krisflyer ID when the customer service reps never ever call back?

John:Ma'am,its because we have to verify your identity and to assist you

Lady:What's the point of doing so? Why can't you just use the system and check for me my details?

John:Ma'am, you have to understand that I am just a receptionist, and i have to pass your details on to our cust service reps,so that they can process your request asap.

Lady(screaming..):THIS IS PLAIN STUPIDITY! WHY CAN"T YOU JUST USE THE SYSTEM WITH MY ID? THAT'S SO STUPID AND REDUNDANT YOU KNOW...

John: But Ma'am, you have to understand we're doing our best to speed things...

Lady(still screaming): THAT"S THE REASON WHY SIA SERVICE LEVEL HAS DROPPED SO MUCH THESE FEW MTHS. LIKE THAT STILL DARE SAY SIA HAS GOT THE BEST SERVICE. WHAT A JOKE! YOU KNOW WHAT?I'VE BEEN CALLING THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND EACH TIME THE STUPID REPS JUST KEEP SAYING THEY WILL CALL AND THEY NEVER DO!

John: Okokkok ma'am..listen to what i've to say...(interrupted)

Lady(still screaming):LISTEN WHAT LISTEN?I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU. YOU BETTER BLOODLY PUT ME ON TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP NOOW!

John: But Ma'am, they are experiencing a high call volume, so please co-operate with us.

Lady(still screaming): CO-OPERATE? DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO OK!!ELOO, I AM THE CUSTOMER ,AND WHO IS IT THAT MUST BE HEARD?

John(frustration level 70%): Yes ma'am, you're the customer, and we take priority over our customers. But ma'am, if all you wana do is to shout your way, i won't be able to help you. Please listen ma'am, help me to help you.

Lady( screams till no voice): YOU KNOW THE WAY YOU TALK TO ME, YOU SOUND LIKE THE VERY IMPATIENT TYPE YOU KNOW THAT? AND YOU DARE CALL YOURSELF 'RECEPTIONIST'..YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M STARTING TO GET OFFENDED, AND IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PUT ME ON THE LINE FOR A REP NOW, I SWEAR I'M GOING TO WRITE IN A LETTER TOMMORROW MORNING TO THE CEO OF SIA, AND SAY HOW LOUSY THIS WORLD CLASS AIRLINE IS!!!!!

John(frustration level 90%):Ma'am, call me impatient, or whatever it is ok? but understand i'm here to help you, and stop messing things around for us and yourself OK? listen, i can put you on hold, but all our reps are busy, and i can only roughly assure you that they will call you back within the next 24 hrs.

Lady: 24hrs??? (hahahahah laugh sacastically), what lousy SIA is this?Looks like i'll just go ahad and write in the letter.

John: OK, you may. But let me offer you a proposal. They call you in the next 30mins ok?

Lady: next 30mins? YOU BETTER MAKE SURE NEXT 30MINS THEY CALL ME UNDERSTAND ANOT! IF THEY DON"T CALL ME BY 1030pm SHARP, I PROMISE I WILL SEND IN THE OFFICIAL COMPLAINT, DO YOU GET ME??

John: Yes ma'am

Lady: ok,make sure they call me. Wait wait wait..now i have another extremely frustrated Krisflyer member who wants to talk to you...(hands phone to her angry friend, and whole process repeats...)

See what I mean? thats my job scope.hahah..looks like blogging about guitar is better. But sometimes in life you just have to be thick-skinned. agree?

Visit to Swee Lee

2007-04-02T11:08:00.000+08:00

Went to Swee Lee Music Company last tuesday, and tested a high quality Cort acoustic guitar.
Swee Lee is a local singaporean music company, that has a diverse range of acoustics, electrics and bass guitars.

This is the Cort MR-727F Acoustic Guitar. It was surprisingly resonant for its price, and has crisp fretwork on the fretboard. It is made of Maple wood, and is currently going for a price of SGD$640.

Reasonable quality for its price.

This is a good guitar for beginners who have a long term usage aim in mind. More details can be found at http://www.sweelee.sg.

Guitar Chords Site To Relaunch Legal, Inferior Version

2007-03-29T16:50:00.002+08:00

Several websites have sprung up to help musicians share these notations, but as soon as they get encyclopedic enough to be really useful, they tend to get closed down. One of them -- MXTabs.com -- is being resurrected by MusicNotes as a legal service....

Perhaps, it's high time we learnt the art of transcribing music by ear. After all, sharing guitar tabs freely in the past used to hurt the artistes pockets. What do you think?

read more | digg story

Need a hand in tuning your guitar?

2007-03-29T11:40:00.000+08:00

Please feel free to use this free guitar tuner.

Passion

2007-03-27T16:25:00.000+08:00

I'm typing this entry from a cyber cafe now. (What a place to talk about guitars, with CounterStrike 1.6 and Dota blaring in the background haha!)

Well, i want to tell you that it has been 6 nice years of guitaring, and i'm still learning. It is a temptation for a person who has many years of experience under his belt, even outside the realm of guitars, to say that he has learnt enough. As was with the previous post, great guitar legends are not born from complacency, but with an imbuilt desire to keep advancing, and advancing, and advancing in knowledge, skills and competency. However, passion is the thing that drives them!

I remember in the first two years when i just starting improving in my skills, that i would faithfully spend at least 3 hours every 3-4 days in a week to practise my guitar. Back then, i owned a classical guitar, so that was where i begun training. In fact, in those two years, I nicknamed my guitar 'grandfather', because it knew me inside out (especially my armpit and fingers hah!).. As age wore on with time (polytechnic etc..), i found that i had less time to practise.

This was where passion really came in, and though my time spent practising the guitar wasn't as long as 2-3hrs a day, I still eeked out spare time to play it (like before going to bed, sometimes i even refused to bathe just to play it!), and i still maintain this pattern till now.

Therefore, passion will drive you far, even in the boring times where you pick up your guitar and feel like there's nothing new to play. Keep pressing on!

Signed out

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Learn from the experts..

2007-03-26T00:55:00.000+08:00

Another cool way of learning guitar fast is by learning from those who are much more skilled than yourself. If we ever want to improve, we must be willing to be humbled and to learn from better guitarists.

I remember sitting at the feet of my pals who were WAY better guitar players in the past, I benefitted from acquiring new tricks and styles from them. I'm a classical, contempo player with the acoustic, but as i was exposed to my friend Jeremiah's playing on the electric, i picked up palm muting technqiues from him which have carried me a looooong long way. (thanks dajie!)

Yup..it never hurts to learn more. The wise person is one who is ever willing to humble himself and learn more, while a fool would think that he knows everything.

Signed out

Doyle Dykes -

2007-03-24T22:47:00.001+08:00

Ok fine..These previous posts were for aspiring beginner guitarists. I found this video of world reknowned maestro guitar player Doyle Dykes doing his stuff. Honestly, one of the best ways I learn the guitar very quickly is by getting tips and learning techniques from such pros in their videos. So sit back, relax, and be inspired by Doyle Dykes!

Beginner Guitar Lessons- Tuning the Guitar (Part 9)

2007-03-21T01:28:00.001+08:00

One of the fundamentals of guitar, besides actually learning how to play, is learning how to tune the guitar. It is an inevitably challenging task at first, but like changing the strings on a guitar, it is something that becomes easier over time and is important—if your guitar isn’t tuned right, you won’t sound good no matter how well you play.

Fortunately for beginners, the current electronic tuners make tuning a breeze. It is still worth learning, however, to tune a guitar the good old fashioned way—using a piano or other reference. In this lesson, we’ll go over both methods of tuning.

Using an Electronic Tuner to Tune:

Electronic tuners, such as the excellent Korg CA-30, offer an extremely quick, easy and effective way of tuning the guitar. The instructions for using such a tuner are quite simple:

Turn the tuner on by pressing the “power” button.
Pick the low e string open. The tuner will show what note it is. If the tuner shows a D note, you’ll want to increase tension (tune up) by turning the tuning peg counterclockwise. If the tuner shows an F note, then you’ll want to decrease tension (tune down) by turning the tuning peg clockwise. Keep decreasing/increasing tension until the note shows up as an E.
Next, pick the A string open. The tuner will show what note the string is. If it’s a G#, tune up; if it’s a B or C, tune down. As with the low e string, repeat the process of decreasing/increasing until the note shows up as an A.
Repeat the above process with the last 4 strings until they show up as D, G, B, and E notes, respectively. You want to tune all six strings into standard tuning: E (6th string, closest to you) A D G B E (1st string, furthest from you).

Using a Piano/Keyboard to Tune:

If you want to develop your ear, or just don’t want to buy a tuner to tune the guitar, the alternative is to use a Piano or Keyboard as a reference. You’ll do the following to tune this way:

Find a piano and locate the E key. Look for the two white keys with no black key between them. The first white key is an E, the second an F.
Play the E key.
Next, play your low E string. Play the E key again and try to match the open low E string with the sound of the E key.
When the two sound identical, or almost the same, you can move on to tuning the rest of the strings.
Play the 5th fret of the low E string. Then play the open A string. If the two notes you have played sound practically the same, then the A string is in tune. If not, tune your A string to the sound of note on the 5th fret of the low E string.
Now, play the 5th fret of the A string and then the D string open. Tune your D string to the sound of the note on the 5th fret of the A string.
Play the 5th fret of the D string. Tune your G string to the sound of the note on the 5th fret of the D string.
Play the 4th fret of the G string. Tune your B string to the sound of that note. It is worth noting that this is the only string where you play the 4th fret, and not the 5th.
Finally, play the 5th fret of the G string and tune your high E (first string) to the sound of that note.

If you don’t have access to a piano or keyboard, you can always find a reference (perhaps an MP3 of the low e string) and tune the strings to that using the second method described.

Developing your ear to hear the individual notes will take time, so there probably will be some frustration with the above method of tuning. In spite of this, it is still an excellent idea to learn both methods of tuning, not just the first one.

At this point, you have completed a basic course in learning the guitar. For some further reading, some excellent online guitar learning material I feel are worth paying for are shown below:

1.Jared Crebs-The Beginner's Guide To Unlocking The Guitar

2. GuitarTutorPro

3.Guitar Burning Speed

Beginner Guitar Lessons- Strumming 4/4 beat (Part 8)

2007-03-21T01:26:00.000+08:00

If you are learning how to play the guitar, the basic 4/4 strumming technique is one of the first guitar playing techniques that you must be able to master. This is usually used by beginners to hone their guitar skills and get the feel of the instrument.

In learning the basic 4/4 guitar strumming, you must be knowledgeable about the different basic requirements for guitar playing:

Strokes

Guitar strumming is basically composed of two different strokes: the downward stroke and the upward stroke.

The downward stroke is done by drawing the picking hand (usually, this is the right hand) from the uppermost string down to the other side. The upward stroke is the opposite of the downward stroke.

Finger placing

When reading guitar instructional materials, the fingers are usually assigned numbers. The left-hand fingers are numbered from 1 to 4: the index finger is numbered as 1, the middle finger is numbered as 2, the ring finger is number 3 and the little finger is 4. This numbering is important to remember because tablatures show a beginner how to form chords by placing the fingers properly on the fret board.

The fingers of the left hand are supposed to be placed near the succeeding fret bar to ensure that you get quality sounding vibration from the strings. You must remember not to stress your fingers when pressing the frets.

4/4

If are playing the guitar by reading notes, you can refer to the beat shown near the clef sign to determine if the song should be played with a 4/4 beat as this is what you call the time signature. The time signature looks like a fraction when written in musical notation, the upper number tells one how many beats there are in one measure and the bottom number indicates what kind of note will receive one beat.

D-A-G-A

In learning the basic 4/4 guitar strumming, one can use the different chord families when practicing. One of the most popular chord patterns used in practicing this particular technique is the D-A-G-A chord pattern. It’s very popular because the chord patterns are easy to remember and very easy to perform.

You must first memorize the placement of the fingers on the fret board to be able to do the chords. This can take some time and beginners must be patient. Learning the guitar takes time and dedication and cannot be done overnight.

When you are able to master the chords, you should practice doing the chords one after the other, and this is where the 4/4 strumming comes in. In strumming the guitar in a 4/4 rhythm, you should count 1-2-3-4 repeatedly for each chord and shift to the next chord as you repeat the count. You can use downward strokes for each chord when you begin and then practice strumming the chords upward and then downward-upward.

A beginner will almost always find that the left hand is left out when practicing strumming because the fact is that the fingers are still adjusting to doing the chords properly. It will take time and a lot of practice to do the 4/4 strumming technique but it will be worth it.

When the left hand is being left out, you must not stop the right hand and wait for the left hand to form the chord patterns. Be consistent in your counting and strumming to prevent the right hand from becoming slower and train the left hand to be faster in forming the chord patterns.

After you become comfortable doing the 4/4 strumming technique with the D-A-G-A chord pattern, then shift into doing other chord patterns such as C-E-F-G or G-C-F-G. Opt to learn the different chords and familiarize your fingers with forming them. Learning the chords and strumming should be done simultaneously which will allow you to be able to learn at a much faster rate and understand the mechanics behind playing the guitar.

You must remember that the guitar is an instrument of passion and you cannot be a guitar expert in one night. There are many things that you must learn about the guitar to truly appreciate the beauty of the instrument.

Beginner Guitar Lessons-Learn to play chords in A (Part 6)

2007-03-21T01:23:00.000+08:00

With a guitar you have many easy nice sounding chords at your disposal. Let's play a few open guitar chords in the key of A.

Guitar tab

Guitar tab notation is a way of showing how to play melodies and chords on the guitar. It usually consists of six lines representing the six strings on the guitar and numbers that indicate the frets to play.

In this guitar lesson we will use a form of guitar tablature that uses numbers instead of a tablature staff. I have found that ordinary guitar tab staff notation sometimes will be displayed uncorrectly on article sites.

How to read this notation

I will use two numbers to show how to play the notes. The first number indicate the fret and the second the string to play. An example:

3/2

This tab notation tells you to play the third fret on the second string. It is the note D on your guitar. For clarification: The first string is the string with the highest pitch.

A turnaround in the key of A

What is a turnaround? It is a set of chords that can be played over and over again on your guitar as an intro to a song or between verses and so on.

We will start with an ordinary A major chord that with the guitar tab notation previously explained will look like this:

0/5 2/4 2/3 2/2 0/1

We will omit the sixth string to get a cleaner sound. Let's add an E chord. We will not use the ordinary E major och E7 chord. Instead we will use an easier chord that is called E major with A as bass note notated E/A.

The guitar chord looks like this:

0/5 2/4 1/3 0/2 0/1

We will finally add an Asus chord. The guitar tab notation looks as follows:

0/5 2/4 2/3 3/2 0/1

You can play the chords in the following manner:

A E/A Asus A

You can strum the chords with two or four downstrokes on each chord. As I mentioned before this chord progression works as a turnaround and can be played over and over again.

A turnaround in the key of A minor

We will start this turnaround with the plain and easy A minor chord. It looks like this with guitar tab:

0/5 2/4 2/3 1/2 0/1

If you release the finger pressure a bit and slide the chord up two frets you will get the following chord:

0/5 4/4 4/3 3/2 0/1

A nice sounding chord that can be named in different ways. We can call it B minor with A as bass note and an added E note. Abbreviated it will be Bm/A add 11.

By sliding the chord up one more fret and changing just one note (by pressing down your little finger) you will get the following guitar chord:

0/5 5/4 5/3 5/2 0/1

This will be an A minor seven chord. The short notation is Am7.

Played in the following order the chords will create a turnaround:

Am Bm/A add 11 Am7 Bm/A add 11

These two turnarounds are easy contributions to your guitar repertoire and can be changed and developed as you like.

Beginner Guitar Lessons-Learn to play chords in D (Part 5)

2007-03-21T01:22:00.000+08:00

A guitar is an amazing instrument. Sometimes hard to play but with easy nice sounding guitar chord secrets everywhere. Let's explore some easy but nice guitar chords.

Our first guitar chord will be Dmaj7. It is played in this way for example:

Dmaj: 0/4 2/3 2/2 2/1

An explanation of the notation. The first number indicates which fret to press down. The number after the slash which string. 2/3 means, press down the second fret on the third string.

If you lift up your fingers from this chord you will get a very easy guitar chord to play indeed! We can call it an Em7. It will look this way:

Em7: 0/4 0/3 0/2 0/1

This little chord progression makes a nice little intro to a song in D-major. If we write down a little guitar chord sequense it might look like this:

Dmaj7 / / / Em7 / / / Dmaj7 / / / Em7 / / /

We will now spice the second chord a bit by playing a Gm6. It looks like this:

Gm6: 0/4 3/3 3/2 0/1

We can use this guitar chord in an intro with the same function as the one above:

Dmaj7 / / / Gm6 / / / Dmaj7 / / / Gm6 / / /

Let's introduce a new guitar chord. We can call this chord D11:

D11: 0/4 5/3 5/2 5/1

As you maybe already have figured out you can slide the Dmaj7 chord up a few frets and you will get this chord. We will now create a progression with these three guitar chords:

Dmaj7 / / / D11 / / / Gm6 / / / Gm6 / / /

The next guitar chord is easy to play too. It is a G-minor chord. It is actually the same chord shape as the guitar chord Dmaj7 but on the third fret. It looks like this:

Gm: 0/0 3/3 3/2 3/1

Now we will create a guitar chord progression with these four chords together:

Dmaj7 / / / D11 / / / Gm / / / Gm6 / / /

The art of sliding chords to new frets is an exciting and easy way to find new guitar chords and sounds to use in your playing.

We will end this article on easy guitar chords in D by experimenting a bit with the D-major chord. Here is the most common D-major chord:

D: 0/4 2/3 3/2 2/1

By sliding this guitar chord up three frets up you will get the Dm7 chord or D-minor seventh. It looks like this:

Dm7: 0/4 5/3 6/2 5/1

Slide it up two frets from this position and you will get a G-major chord. It looks like this:

G: 0/4 7/3 8/2 7/1

The last guitar chord to explore will be A-major with D bass, notated A/D. Here it is:

A/D: 0/4 9/3 10/2 9/1

Let's make an impressive intro with these four chords but with the same chord shape by sliding the D-major chord up:

D / / / Dm7 / / / G / / / A/D / / /

The guitar really is an amazing instrument. Many more chords can be changed in similar ways to create new interesting sounds that will enrich your playing!

Beginner Guitar Lessons-How to read Chord Charts (Part 4)

2007-03-21T01:21:00.001+08:00

Diagrams of guitar chords are an essential tool for all guitar players, from beginner to advanced. They are a simple way to visualize exactly how to finger chords on the guitar fretboard.

Diagrams of guitar chords can be used as a tool to learn new chords, chord progressions, and the rhythm parts of songs. Groups of chord diagrams can be conveniently presented in the form of a chord chart.

The ability to understand and use chord diagrams does not require the ability to read musical notation. This greatly simplifies the process of learning to play the guitar, and is a big reason why the guitar is such a popular instrument.

In the spirit of the Guitar Player’s Toolbox focus on providing only practical , “how to” tools, the following info is provided below:

• Types of Guitar Chord Diagrams and How to Read Them
• Tips for Using and Finding Chord Diagrams
• Additional Resources for Chord Diagrams and Charts

NOTE: If you already know how to read and use diagrams of guitar chords , you may want to jump straight to Guitar Chord Charts

Types of Guitar Chord Diagrams and How to Read Them

A chord diagram visually illustrates how to form a chord, and can provide additional musical information. Diagrams of guitar chords come in various flavors. The most common type is a simple “chord box” (see Figure 1 below) that shows the fretboard in a vertical orientation, with the six strings running up and down. The low E (thickest) string is on the left, and the high E (thinnest) string is on the right. The horizontal lines are the frets. The thick solid line at the top of the box represents the nut of the guitar (end of the fretboard).

Figure 1. A basic chord diagram example

Another common way of showing diagrams of guitar chords is to have the strings run horizontally, usually with the low E (thickest) string on the bottom and the high E (thinnest) string on the top. The same B5 chord is shown in Figure 1 on the left.

These example diagrams of guitar chords show the use of some standard symbols that illustrate exactly how to finger a particular chord.

• The circles (or dots) show which strings to finger at which fret
• The numbers on the circle / dots indicates which finger to use on that string (1= index finger to 4 = little finger).
• A “O” symbol at the top of the box means the string is played open
• An “X” symbol at the top of the box means that the string is NOT played
• (Sometimes, the musical notes corresponding to each fretted string are also shown).

The next example below ( Figure 2) shows a Barre chord diagram, in this case a Bm7. These example illustrates another important point about reading chord diagrams.

Figure 2. Example of a Barre chord diagram

Do you see the arc shaped thing on top of the box, just above the 4 dots on the 1st fret? This arc shape indicates a Barre chord formation, with one finger laid across the fretboard to form multiple notes.

Note: Guitar chords can also be illustrated in the form of guitar tabulature. Guitar tabs are another essential tool to help learn chords, and more importantly to learn to play the rhythm parts of songs. Click here for more info about Guitar Tabulature and how to read it.

Beginner Guitar Lessons-Chord Charts (Part 3)

2007-03-21T01:18:00.003+08:00

Basic Guitar Chord Charts

A Great Tool for Learning the Basics

If you’re a beginning guitar player, basic guitar chord charts are an indispensible tool for learning chords. Chords form the backbone of most rock and pop music. You can play thousands of songs with just a dozen or so fairly easy chords!You should practice these basic chords repeatedly until you know them cold, and can transition from one to the next quickly.

What are basic guitar chords?

When you are first learning to play guitar, concentrate on learning basic chords to build a solid foundation. There are three basic groups of chords: major, minor, and dominant seventh (7th) . These three groups of chords make up much of the world's music.

The Basic Guitar Chord Chart below shows you how to play 15 chords. These are “open chords” played with one or more open strings and with all fingering near the end of the fretboard near the nut. Open chords are the easiest type to learn and play, and are the best place to start.

After you have mastered these fairly easy chords, you can always go on to Barre Chords, and other more complex chords later. Master the basics first! A good way to make practicing these basic chords more interesting is to play them in groups known as Chord Families. This will alow you to pretty quickly play some great chord progressions and songs.

Click Here For To Download This Ebook.FREE!

The Basic Guitar Chord Chart

The Basic Guitar Chord Chart below shows a good variety of some easy-to-play open chords. The chords are represented in the form of a guitar chord diagram or “box” that is much easier to read than standard musical notation.

(Disclaimer: The chord chart above is not mine. It belongs to Peter, from http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com . )

Beginner Guitar Lessons-Basic Chords (Part 2)

2007-03-21T01:12:00.000+08:00

The basic guitar chords are very important for the aspiring guitar player. That’s because without the basic guitar chords actually playing your favorite songs would be impossible and making music with someone else wouldn’t be that easy either. So, the basic guitar chords are where you should start if you want to play music, especially your favorite songs. Did you know that the majority of rock and pop songs can be played by only knowing the basic guitar chords? That means you could learn the basics and still play some of the most popular songs!

Chords are not notes; instead they are combined of notes. A chord has at least three notes that are played together and sometimes more. A guitar can only have six notes in a chord because there are only six strings. The way to play a chord on the guitar is to strum three of the strings at the same time. The resulting sound is a chord. All chords can fit into one of three groups depending on what notes make up the chord. The groups include Major, Minor, and Seventh. The Major chords are the richest sounding chords while the minor chords are a little more solemn. Seventh chords do not provide a rich sound like the Major chords and actually sound like they may be missing something although these chords work well for certain types of music.

The problem with learning the basic guitar chords is that there is not an agreed upon list of what those chords are. There is, however, a list that includes up to 18 basic guitar chords that most everyone agrees upon. So, you should make it a goal to learn all 18 of these basic guitar chords. Doing so will ensure that you are able to play all the songs, almost, that you ever dreamed of and you will have more fun playing.

The approved “basic guitar chords” come from keys A, G, C, and D. These chords are played by pressing down on one string while strumming the others. These are easier to play than other chords that are complex. Some of the basic chords are A, Am (A minor), C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, and G. You can learn the chords anyway you want, but the recommended way is to learn them by the keys, or chord families, so that you can start playing a bit as you learn. The chord families include the keys of A, D, G, and C. A is made up of A, D, E; D is made up of D, Em, G, A; G is made up of G, Am, C, D, Em; and C is made up of C, Dm, Em, F, G.

Learning the basic guitar chords is not hard if you are dedicated to doing so. There are a couple of tricks, however, that might help you learn faster and start playing the songs you love. For instance, use a guitar chord chart as you are learning. This ensures you will learn proper finger placement from the start. Another tip is to master one chord family or key before moving on to the next. When you are an expert at one chord you can start “playing” already and learning the others will be a lot of fun! There are a lot of tips to learn to play the guitar, just follow the ones that seem most helpful to you and have fun!

Beginner Guitar Lessons (Part 1)

2007-03-21T01:11:00.000+08:00

Have you just bought a guitar or are you thinking of getting one, but you just do not have the first clue on how to strike a chord? If so, getting guitar lessons is definitely something you should consider.

It may be that you can even play a little bit already, but taking guitar lessons can still help to improve your playing abilities and your confidence.

The lessons that are available are categorized in nine different sections -

- The basics
- Technique
- Chords
- Scales
- Tuning
- Music Theory
- Music Styles
- Guitar Tech
- Forming a band

The categories are broken down into individual lessons, offering you the chance to start from the very basics and work your way up to even being part of a band.

What You Need to Know About The Basics

So what should you expect to learn from the first lesson? Well, as with everything, it is important to start with the very basics and work your way up. It is a good idea to know your way around a guitar and you should expect to know all of this after your first lesson. You should also learn how to look after your guitar, tune it and also how to use the pick.

Generally, once you know the basics on how to look after the guitar, it is good to start off learning the basic chords before trying anything else. Many people find that the best way to start is by learning the G chord and working your way from there.

Obviously, before you start, you will need the basic equipment. Basic equipment includes a guitar, a guitar pick to play the chords, a comfortable chair and it is also wise to have a great deal of patience. Make sure that you buy quite a few guitar picks as they are small and they can be easy to lose or break. It may be an idea too, to buy medium gauge ones to start with because they are not too hard or too flimsy and they are good for beginners.

Now you know all about the guitar, it is now time to learn how to hold it correctly before you start to play anything. So grab your guitar and sit comfortably in your chair with out slouching, as it will bring on bad habits while playing the guitar. Your instructor will talk you through each step and, before you know it, you will be putting together your first sequence of chords.

Overall, to play a guitar the only thing you really need is passion. If it is something that you feel you want to succeed in, having guitar lessons will help you immensely. The more advanced a person becomes, the more tricks they can perform with their guitar that will help to bring confidence to their playing. Remember it is a good idea to keep practicing and it will soon pay off.

The First Step and Most Important Thing in Learning Guitar

2007-03-21T01:09:00.001+08:00

Most of the guitar lovers playing guitar for few years but still unsatisfied with their progress. They feel like still stand at the starting point and can't enjoy their playing. This mainly caused by most of them don't build up a strong foundation at the begining. I found that some of the guitar learners even just playing guitar for one to two years but are more better than so many that playing for over five years. This is the foundation problems. Me myself was an example when I started playing guitar long time ago.

The secrets of learning guitar are mostly base on the foundation.To have a good foundation for future success,we need three important factors :-

1.Listening:

Ear training is a MUST basic training that every guitar learner should have. But most of them avoid this as quite a boring and time-consuming job. Without a good listening, we are unable to move to higher level. To overcome this problems, I suggest that guitar learners may choose one of the well known Ear Training software on internet. I found that there are few really good software that will improve your listening step by step and really FUN. You feel like playing game when you learn.

2.Daily practice: (Both fingers and ears)

Daily practice is another important thing we should do.(Ex.fingers exercises, practice for the basic scales) I suggest that beginners practice PENTATONIC SCALES at the starting point because this scales are the most simple scales that only have 5 tones. Try to practice 20 to 30 minutes daily. Remember that even just 20 minutes of RELAX and CONCERNTRATION DAILY practice is more effective than few hours of unconstant practice.

3.Look for a teacher:

You may find either private guitar teacher or guitar lessons on internet. For my opinions,learn guitar from internet maybe better because of the convinience of time and cheaper. There is just one question of learning from internet that what lessons to choose, what lessons are really work. Myself as a guitar lover have been playing guitar for 15 years.

I do the research on guitar lessons from internet over 5 years for myself and my groups. I've spent a lot of money for it. Recently I just built up my own little web page telling guitar lovers a few good guitar lessons that really work and would like to share with all of you.

The Different Types of Guitars

2007-03-21T01:07:00.001+08:00

There are different types of guitars. There are acoustic guitars, electric acoustic guitars, semi-hollow guitars, electric guitars, twelve string guitars, four string bass guitars, five string bass guitars, the list goes on.

I will take some time here to give a brief overview of some of the guitar types listed above...

Acoustic guitars: They are those guitars that produce big enough sound for a very small audience without any form of amplification. They are popularly used in country music and classical music. They come in different shapes and sizes. However, they all have the following in common: A hollow body, a sound hole, a bridge, a neck and a tuning machine.

Electric guitars: These do not produce loud volumes without amplification. In fact, you'll hardly hear it even with the slightest background noise. They usually have solid bodies, usually have longer necks than their acoustic counterparts and also have in-built pick ups for sound amplification. They are very popular in pop and rock music.

Electric acoustic guitars: These are basically acoustic guitars with special amplification. The amplification is such that you can't achieve with a regular acoustic guitar mic'ed without having feedback problems. This one comes with a special pick up that amplifies the sound without compromising the acoustic character of the guitar. The very good ones are usually very expensive.

Electric Bass guitars: These are special guitars that are built to produce those deep notes. They are specially built to handle the stress and strain of the pull by those big strings. They are mostly built with solid bodies. Although there are a few that have semi-hollow bodies.

They are usually the longest of all guitars (I mean their necks). The standard electric bass guitar is the four-string bass guitar. However, five string bass guitars are also becoming very popular. There are also six string bass guitars.

There are other types of guitars like I mentioned at the beginning. However, they are all variations of, or a blend of, the three I've described here.

Buying Your First Electric Guitar

2007-03-21T01:04:00.001+08:00

Buying your first guitar is a big step, and there are a lot of things to consider. Electric, rather than acoustic guitars are the most frequent choice for budding guitarists, as they are generally easier to play and, for many beginners, more fun as well. Knowing which equipment is a necessity and which is overkill, comparing prices and brand names, and sorting through a mountain of technical jargon and specifications can all make the process intimidating. This is particularly true for budding musicians or people trying to find that perfect gift for the musician in their lives.

But buying a guitar doesn't have to be hard. In fact, many professional musicians look back on buying and learning to play their first guitar as one of the most fun times in their lives. This article will sort out of a few of the most confusing aspects of guitars and accessories, and at the same time make the process of buying your first guitar as personal, easy and fun as possible. After all, you're not really interested in buying a guitar, you're interested in playing it!

By using the menu below, navigate through the rest of this article, including what you'll need to get started, as well as how to select the right guitar and amplifier.

Necessary Equipment

There are a few absolutely essential pieces of equipment that are needed to play the electric guitar. The bare minimum set of equipment includes:

A Guitar This one should be obvious, but read the section on choosing the right guitar for more information about which features to look for when buying your first guitar.
An Amplifier (Amp) Some guitar amplifiers come with built in speakers and some don't. Many have particular features which put them ahead of others in their class. Read the section on choosing the right amplifier for more information.
An Instrument Cable At least 6 ft. long, to connect the guitar and amp.
A Set of Guitar Strings
A Guitar Pick

The contents of this list may seem obvious to some, but overlooking any one of these items will require an inconvenient trip to the music store or your favorite music supply website before you can start playing. In addition, there are several other items that are not strictly essential, but many musicians would say they cannot live without:

Distortion and Effects A key element of a guitar's sound is the effects that are used to modify it. The most common, essential effect for rock music, jazz, blues, and most other forms of modern guitar is distortion. Some amplifiers come with built in distortion, some don't. Read the section on amplifiers for more information.
Guitar Carrying Case It's pretty hard to move your guitar around without damaging or detuning it, so a hard guitar case or soft "gig-bag" are an important piece of equipment.
Instruction Book If you're just starting out playing guitar, having an instruction book to guide you will definitely help. It's no substitute for taking professional lessons, but it's a start.

Since there are many pieces of equipment needed to play electric guitar, one attractive option is to purchase a single "kit" containing all the neccessary items and accessories. An example of a good quality, affordable guitar kit is the Vintager Guitar Pack.

Now that you know which equipment you'll need to start playing, read the sections below for more information about selecting the right equipment to meet your needs.

Choosing the Right Guitar

The most important and possibly most intimidating part of putting together your first electric guitar "kit" is selecting the guitar itself. Music stores have walls full of guitars with a wide range of quality, features and price tags. So how can a beginner sort through the ocean of terminology, brand names, and jargon without getting lost? The choice really comes down to three essential elements: body construction, electronics, and budget.

Body Construction

Although electric guitars derive a lot of their sound quality from their electronics, the construction of the guitar's body is even more important. The way sound resonates through the body of the guitar will determine whether it produces a warm, solid tone or a hollow one. As common sense might dictate, a solid-body electric guitar will produce a stronger more solid tone than a hollow-body guitar. Although some people do like the thinner sound that comes from a hollow body guitar, a solid body will be the most versatile, and most appropriate for beginners and veteran guitarists alike. In addition, a well constructed guitar should have the entire body, neck and fretboard made of wood, not of laminate or plastic materials.

A second consideration is the guitar's size. A "standard" electric guitar has 22 frets, meaning each string is capable of producing 22 different notes. However, many electric guitars, particularly those marketed to beginners are smaller in size. Except for small children who lack the wingspan to reach a full sized guitar, this is undesirable, as it limits the range of notes the guitar is capable of producing. Therefore, teenagers and adults looking to purchase their first guitar (and 10th guitar, for that matter) should look for full-sized, 22 fret guitars.

Finally, the last important feature of an electric guitar's construction is the bridge. The bridge is the part of the guitar where the strings attach to the guitar body. There are two types of bridges: fixed bridge and floating (vibrato) bridge. For most aspiring guitarists, the vibrato bridge will be the best choice. This allows the guitarist to "bend" notes as they are being played using the included "wammy-bar". This is a common technique in rock, blues and jazz music. Although the bridge won't have a large effect on other aspects of the guitar's sound like those listed above, a floating or vibrato bridge really makes guitar playing more fun and expressive.

Electronics

Another essential element of a guitar's sound is the system of electronics it contains. The most important element of an electric guitar's electronics is its pickup (or pickups). Pickups are like small microphones that sit just beneath the strings. The position and quality of the pickup(s) in the guitar will have a large impact on the guitar's sound. Pickups placed near the bridge produce a sharp "twangy" tone, while those placed near the fretboard produce a deeper more melodic tone.

The best option for a beginner (and many more advanced guitarists) is a guitar with multiple pickups. This allows the guitarist to choose the appropriate sound for the type of song being played, and greatly increases the guitar's versatility. A common setup is a guitar with three pickups and a switch that allows the guitarist to select which pickup(s) are being used. In this case, a 5-way switch allows for any pickup to be used, as well as combining multiple pickups to produce a unique sound.

Budget

Just as with any product, budget is an important factor to consider when buying an electric guitar. Guitars can range in price from about forty dollars to several thousand. And just like with most products, the top of the price range spectrum is occupied by "designer" guitars with celebrity endorsements that don't offer much more in the way of quality than those in the middle of the price range. In short, they are the equivalent of a designer handbag: inflated price without much real functional benefit.

The truth is that most of the name brand guitar manufacturers (Fender, Ibanez, Behringer, Jackson) produce an affordable beginner model, and most of these models are of perfectly good quality for a new musician, and will last for years. As long as you stick to the guidelines in this article for body design, electronics, amplifier design, etc., you can't go too wrong.

The next important task is selecting the right amplifier to go with your new guitar!

Choosing the Right Amplifier

Most people (but perhaps not all people) realize that the electric guitar does not produce any sound by itself (except an almost inaudible twang). The sound you here from an electric guitar actually comes from the amplifier, which is connected to the guitar by an instrument cable. Therefore, the quality of the amplifier is as important as the quality of the guitar itself in determining how the guitar will ultimately sound. Much like selecting the guitar itself, the process of selecting an amplifier can be intimidating, but can be boiled down to a few essential features.

Power

When reading about a guitar amplifier, the first thing that is always listed is the power rating. The power of a guitar amplifier is measured in watts (abbreviated W). The higher the wattage, the louder the sound it can produce. However, although this feature of an amplifier is important for stage performers, it is not the most important thing to a beginner guitarist.

Practice amps are available with as little as 5 watts of power, while amplifiers with hundreds or thousands of watts of power are typically used for stage performance. Realistically, a power rating of 10-15 watts is more than enough to wake the neighbors, and you'll rarely if ever max out the power of your practice amp. The more important aspects of an amplifier are its features and effects, as these will affect the sound quality.

Features

One important feature of an amplifier is the type of electronics it employs. There are basically two types of amplifiers: solid state and vacuum tube. While almost all modern electronics, including guitar amplifiers to some extent, have phased out vacuum tubes and replaced them with transistors, it is still widely accepted that vacuum tube amplifiers produce better tone, better distortion, and better all around sound quality. In fact, many if not most professional rock, blues and jazz musicians use vacuum tube amplifiers because of their superior sound quality. Most practice amps in the price range affordable by beginner guitarists do not include vacuum tubes, but there are a few companies that have made this option available. The Behringer AC108, included in the Vintager Guitar Pack, has a vacuum tube that can be turned on or off, allowing for increased versatility and sound quality, while still maintaining an affordable price.

Another desirable feature of guitar amplifiers, particularly for beginners, is a CD input. This allows the guitarist to plug a CD player, cassette or iPod into the back of the amplifier, and play along with his / her favorite tracks. If you've ever tried to learn to play guitar, you probably realize that this is something beginner guitarists do all the time during the learning process, and the convenience of a CD input makes this process much easier.

Effects

The last major element to consider when buying a guitar amplifier is the built in effects it includes. Effects such as distortion, reverb, and equalization (EQ) allow the sound produced by the amplifier to be customized, thereby increasing its versatility. The more effects that are built into the amplifier, the fewer effects you'll need to go out and buy separately to produce that perfect sound you're looking for.

The process of buying an electric guitar can be confusing, but it should be fun, too. Music isn't meant to be about instruction manuals and long spec sheets – it's about fun and inspiration. Hopefully, by providing some basic guidance on what you'll need to start your guitar career, this article will make that process easier and more fun.

Buying Your First Electric Guitar

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By using the menu below, navigate through the rest of this article, including what you'll need to get started, as well as how to select the right guitar and amplifier.

Necessary Equipment

There are a few absolutely essential pieces of equipment that are needed to play the electric guitar. The bare minimum set of equipment includes:

A Guitar This one should be obvious, but read the section on choosing the right guitar for more information about which features to look for when buying your first guitar.
An Amplifier (Amp) Some guitar amplifiers come with built in speakers and some don't. Many have particular features which put them ahead of others in their class. Read the section on choosing the right amplifier for more information.
An Instrument Cable At least 6 ft. long, to connect the guitar and amp.
A Set of Guitar Strings
A Guitar Pick

Distortion and Effects A key element of a guitar's sound is the effects that are used to modify it. The most common, essential effect for rock music, jazz, blues, and most other forms of modern guitar is distortion. Some amplifiers come with built in distortion, some don't. Read the section on amplifiers for more information.
Guitar Carrying Case It's pretty hard to move your guitar around without damaging or detuning it, so a hard guitar case or soft "gig-bag" are an important piece of equipment.
Instruction Book If you're just starting out playing guitar, having an instruction book to guide you will definitely help. It's no substitute for taking professional lessons, but it's a start.

Now that you know which equipment you'll need to start playing, read the sections below for more information about selecting the right equipment to meet your needs.

Choosing the Right Guitar

Body Construction

Electronics

Budget

The next important task is selecting the right amplifier to go with your new guitar!

Choosing the Right Amplifier

Power

Features

Effects

How to Choose and Buy an Acoustic Guitar

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Knowing how to choose the right guitar and how to identify a bad one will save you from countless headaches, not to mention finger aches. Also, choosing the right acoustic can be tough, especially these days, when there are so many styles to choose from.

Acoustic guitar bodies come in basically the same shape, with some variations, but they do vary in size, colour, wood-type, style, and extra features. You can even buy an acoustic guitar so small that fits into a hiking backpack.

The most common type of guitar in use today is the folk-style of guitar. This is the guitar you will see played around most campfires and parties, and is the one found in most music groups, church choirs, and in the corner of most homes.

Guitars come in a very wide range of prices, but when it comes to instruments, in general, you get what you pay for, especially when you buy new. There’s a difference between getting a bargain and buying cheap.

But whether you buy new or used may be determined by many personal factors, and each has their own pros and cons.

Buying new, gives you a warranty and, hopefully, a return period, if for some reason you’re not totally satisfied with your purchase, or something goes wrong.

Under ‘normal’ circumstances, a used guitar can usually be purchased cheaper and has already gone through its “break-in” period.

Commercially built guitars are usually mass manufactured. “Custom-made” guitars are exactly that. They are custom built and tailored to your specifications by a highly skilled guitar maker.

Prices for a custom-built guitar vary considerably, depending on the skill level of the craftsperson you contract the job to, but, as a rule, they are generally quite higher than a commercially built guitar of “similar” quality. Each custom built guitar is unique and therefore hard to compare in price to a commercially built guitar.

Understanding some of the parts of a guitar will definitely help you when it comes to the Pre-Purchase Checklist.

BODY: This is the part with the sound hole in the front. It is where the strumming is done, and it can vary in size. The actual size, shape, type of wood, coating, and general build of the body also affects how the guitar will “sound”, whether it’s a rich and warm sound, or a thin and ‘twangy’ sound. The body tends to be the part that also gets scratched, damaged, and generally banged-up the most.

NECK: This is the long piece extending from the body and ends at the ‘head’ of the guitar where the ‘Tuning Heads’ are, also known as ‘machine heads’. The strings travel from the ‘Bridge’ on the body, across the sound hole, along the ‘Fret Board’, which is attached to the front-side of the neck, and finally arriving at the tuning heads where they are wrapped around tuning posts. The tuning heads are then turned by hand, which then turns the posts, making the strings tighter or looser, thus affecting their ‘tuning’. Necks tend to warp and twist if not looked after, or if the guitar is left propped against a heat source.

BRIDGE: The Bridge is normally located on the front of the body, by the sound hole, and on the side of the hole opposite to the neck. The strings are usually fed through the bridge first before they cross the hole and travel up the neck to the tuning heads. The bridge is like an anchor-point for the strings. Metal bridges are best, but on most acoustics they are either hard plastic or wood. Bridges have a tendency to crack and split over a long period of time.

FRET BOARD: The fret board is glued to the front of the neck. This is the part you press the strings onto to make chords or play individual notes. Because it’s glued on separately, a fret board can be made of a wood that’s different from the neck.

The strings travel over the fret board and the distance they are above the fret board makes a difference to the playability of the guitar. If the strings are too far above the fret board, then they will be hard to press down, making the guitar hard to play.

When a beginner plays a guitar, initially his or her fingertips are very soft and need to be hardened. A guitar with the strings too far above the fret board, also known as having a ‘high action’, will cause the player’s fingers to hurt so much that they are likely to put the guitar away in discouragement and possibly stop playing altogether.

STRINGS: Acoustic guitar strings, come in a wide variety of ‘flavours’. They can be made out of nylon, brass, steel, or a combination. Nylon strings are usually only found on Classical guitars and Student guitars, because they’re easier on the fingertips. They have a rich, warm sound to them.

Strings sets come in different ‘weights’, or sizes. Strings that come from a package marked ‘Heavy’ are usually quite thick in size and sound “beefy”. Strings that are light, or extra light, are very thin and usually have a brighter sound to them, but are also quieter sounding than heavy strings.

String choices are purely personal taste. Light strings are easier to press than heavy strings but also sound quite different. The more often strings are played, the dirtier they get. If a cloth isn’t run over and under them, from time to time, the sound becomes very dull.

No matter where you buy your guitar, if you know what to look for, and spend a little extra effort in your search for that ‘perfect’ guitar, not only will your fingers thank you, but also your ears, and all those who will come to join you around the campfire, or even go to see you in concert. Who knows?

Electric or Acoustic Guitar - Which is Right for You?

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So you've chosen to take up the guitar. Good for you! Now comes the hard part: which guitar is the best to start playing on? Well, the answer to that question depends on many things. It depends on what kind of music you enjoy listening to, what kind of music you are looking to play, and what kind of level you wish to reach--amateur or professional.

Before we go over each topic, let us first discuss the differences between Electric and Acoustic guitars.

The main difference between an Electric and Acoustic guitar is the fact that the Electric must be plugged into an amplifier in order to be heard loudly, while the Acoustic can be played and heard without the use of an amp. This is because Acoustic guitars have sound holes, which produce the sound. Electric guitars, on the other hand, don't have a sound hole and are thus known as Hollow-body's. Electric hollow-body’s can be heard by the people playing them, but are inaudible to others without the use of an amp. Additionally, there are Electric guitars with the ability to be played both acoustically and electrically because they have little sound holes. These are known as semi-hollow bodies and are very versatile because they can sound one way unplugged and another way on an amp. Finally, there are some Acoustic guitars, known as Acoustic-Electric's, that can be played acoustically or on an amp. However, these are very different from semi-hollow bodies, because they sound pretty much the same unplugged or plugged--the only difference being that the Acoustic-Electric when plugged into the amp.

OK, now that we've briefly gone over the different types of Acoustic and Electric guitars, we can now move on to the criteria for choosing a guitar.

The Music You Enjoy Helps You Decide What Guitar to Buy: Let's start off with the first topic. Obviously, those who enjoy listening to a certain kind of music are most likely going to want to play it on guitar. That is why you must take this into consideration when looking for a guitar. Choosing the wrong type of guitar could lead to frustration and giving up the instrument all together. Do you enjoy rock music--metal, modern, alternative and otherwise? Then chances are a hollow-body electric guitar is a wise choice. If that is the case, you will also want to purchase an amp. But what if you like rock music that makes use of both acoustic and electric guitar? Then perhaps a semi-hollow body guitar is the best choice. Or maybe you don't like rock and instead enjoy country or mellow music. Acoustic or Acoustic-Electric guitar is then your best bet.

What Kind of Music Do You Want to Play?: Maybe you're a big rock fan, but would rather learn to play mellow, acoustic-based songs. That's perfectly fine, and if that's the genre you wish to play, you definitely want to pick up an Acoustic or Acoustic-Electric guitar. It's also possible that you're a big fan of acoustic-pop but want to start playing rock & roll. Do yourself a favor and pick up a semi-hollow or hollow body guitar.

What Level Do You Wish to Achieve?: Are you just taking up the guitar for recreational purposes and not looking to form a band or master the instrument? The Electric guitar is probably a good choice. This is because Electric guitars are much easier to start playing on than Acoustics are. Electrics have thinner strings (which are easier to start playing on) and, when plugged into an amp, allow room for error. Beginner mistakes can be easily covered up with Electric guitars. However, you cannot expect to make mistakes and be a pro. Acoustic guitars do not cover up your mistakes at all--if anything, they highlight them. You are forced to play songs correctly and master techniques the right way. The learning curve of an Acoustic is steeper, but you will reap the rewards if you master it. A transition from Acoustic to Electric guitar will be incredibly easy, whereas a transition from Electric to Acoustic guitar will be a bit harder. Thinking about what you want to accomplish on the guitar is a big factor in your decision.

Well, there you have it. After you think deeply about the above topics, you should be able to decide what type of guitar to get. Once you’ve made that decision, you’ll probably want to check out my articles on "Choosing the right Acoustic guitar" and "Choosing the right Electric guitar".

My history

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Here at GutiarWerks.com, I hope to be able to provide some guitar insights to any visitor. Just a brief history of myself....

I have been playing the guitar for about 6 years(since 2001), and I first started off with a Yamaha C70 Classical Guitar. Only about a year later did I progress to a F-510 acoustic folk guitar which is almost a vintage (29 years!..my dad bought it in his younger days). In 2004, I picked up the electric guitar, and played electric guitar for my church.

I decided to make the switch back to acoustic last year, because acoustic is where I am competent at. Therefore, it has always been one of my desires to help aspiring beginners to take their guitar skills to the next level. Please feel free to enjoy the articles here!

Thanks,
John