Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Best Ways to Learn Easy Guitar Tabs
Many have claimed that learning guitar tabs is a frustrating and time-consuming process. However, it is a necessary process for beginning guitarists. Also known as tablature, guitar tabs are types of sheet music which indicate which notes the guitarist needs to play and how to play them. Though there are literally hundreds of different guitar tabs, beginners should not fret (no pun intended) over how to learn them all. Focus on the easy guitar tabs first. Those will be the most important in the learning process, and they will help the new musician get a feel for how tablature works in general. So get your hands on some easy guitar tabs, and then we can get right into learning how they work.
First and foremost, it needs to be stated that the absolute best way to learn easy guitar tabs is by practicing them. But before you can do that, you need to first figure out what you are practicing. Any normal piece of guitar tablature will have six lines on it, one for each string on your guitar. And sometimes certain tabs correspond to a particular chord. A chord gives a fuller sound than do any of the individual strings. The notes, from lowest to highest are EADBGE. Learn the sound to expect from each note by hitting each string on your guitar individually. Once you know what these notes are supposed to sound like, you will be able to tell when they sound a little bit off.
Easy guitar tabs tend to require fewer fingers. And the tablature will show you which fingers you use and where to place them. The number on the left side of the tab indicates which fret to place the finger on. For a 1, you place the finger on the first fret with whichever string the tab calls for. The same goes for 2, 3, etc. A 0 means that you play that note openly, or without touching the string. If there are five strings all on top of each other, or clustered together that means that you are supposed to strum.
Now, to learn the easier guitar tabs, you will first need to get your hands on some music. If you have a music teacher, ask for some tablature that you can work with. However, it can be just as easy to get online and search around for some websites that provide a good number of easy guitar tabs. Once you have some good examples, practice placing your fingers on the right frets and strings. You can do this without strumming if you want. The point is to get yourself acquainted with hand and finger positioning. But at some point you will want to play the chord in full so you know what it sounds like. Go through this process for all of the easier tabs you have.
This is the most basic way to begin learning guitar tabs. In no time, you will see yourself playing songs that require you use the very tabs and chords that you are practicing right now.
Anyone Can Learn with Easy Guitar Tabs
Many people think that learning to play an instrument is a difficult process. For some instruments this may be true, but the difficulty may also depend on how you go about learning. If you only want to learn the basics of an instrument then it may be fairly easy and not take you too much time but if you want to become a professional or stage musician you may need to add some extra time and dedication to the learning process. The guitar is a very popular instrument and anyone can learn to play it, regardless of whether you simply want to learn the basics so you can play around or if you want to make it to the professional level. With a little bit of dedication and some help, it is possible to learn to play the guitar and learning to play guitar songs is made simple with easy guitar tabs.
Guitar tablatures, also called guitar tabs, may seem very confusing and complicated to the beginning guitarist. If you do not know how they are set up then this is often true, but with a little bit of instruction it is possible for anyone to learn to read easy guitar tabs. If you are learning to play the guitar, you can greatly enhance your skills by practicing some easy acoustic guitar tabs or easy guitar tabs for electric guitar. In order to decipher guitar tabs there are a few things you need to know. The guitar tab is only meant to show guitarists which notes and chords to play and in which order to play them. Guitar tabs, in most cases, do not make any effort to show rhythm so in order to learn to play a song using guitar tabs you should listen to a recording so you can figure out how the rhythm works.
Guitar tabs are set up in the form of a staff of six horizontal lines. Each line represents one string of the guitar starting with the bottom line representing the lowest E string and the top line representing the higher E string. To show what notes to play, guitar tabs utilize numbers printed on various lines. The number indicates which fret to press and the line on which the number is printed shows which string to use. A “0” represents an open string and multiple numbers printed in a column suggest a chord – all of the notes should be played at once. Once you understand these basic ideas, it should be very easy for you to read easy acoustic guitar tabs and electric guitar tabs.
Playing Guitar Made Simple with Easy Guitar Tabs
Many musicians spend years learning to read music and to play their instruments. Without the wonders of standard notation, musicians all over the world would not be able to share their music with each other and learning to play an instrument would be even more difficult. There is one instrument, however, which does not face these same challenges – in fact, individuals can teach themselves to play this instrument without any formal lessons or training whatsoever. This instrument is the guitar and self-teaching is made possible through the availability and convenience of easy guitar tabs.
Easy guitar tabs may seem complex to new guitarists, but they are designed to make it easy for any guitarist to learn how to play a song. The visual layout of easy guitar tabs is very practical – a tab includes a staff composed of 6 horizontal lines. Each line represents one of the 6 strings of the guitar beginning with the lowest note (E) on the bottom line and the highest E on the top line. The four lines in between represent the strings A, D, G, and B – in that order.
Easy guitar tabs tell guitarists exactly which strings to use and which frets to press by placing numbers on the lines of the staff. For example, a number 6 placed on the second line from the top indicates that the guitarist should press down on the 6th fret of the second, or B string. A “0” printed on any line means that an open string should be played. A single number indicates a single note just as multiple numbers arranged vertically in a column suggest that multiple notes should be played at the same time. This is known as a chord and many easy guitar tabs print the name of the chord above the staff so that guitarists can learn to recognize chords.
Guitar tablature makes it possible for any guitarist to learn which notes to play, but it does not typically include any rhythmic notation indicating when and for how long the notes should be played. Some guitar tabs use stems to indicate quarter notes and eighth notes, but many guitarists find these notations to be distracting and cumbersome. The only way to truly learn the rhythmic side of a song is by listening to it. For many guitarists this is not a big problem because it generally only takes listening to the song a few times to become familiar enough with the rhythms to be able to duplicate them.
Thanks to easy guitar tabs, anyone can teach themselves how to play the guitar and have access to the means to learn how to play almost any song they want. Just as standard notation allows musicians all over the world to share their music, guitar tablature makes it possible for any guitarist to learn to play a song. While some consider it to be a flaw that guitar tabs do not include any rhythmic notation in addition to the fact that they cannot be read by anyone but a guitarist, the reality is that without guitar tabs some of the world’s best guitarists would not have reached their current standings. Guitar tabs are a great innovation for amateurs and professionals alike and they make it possible for anyone to learn to play the guitar.
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The Most Important Skill That Most Guitar Players Don’t Have
So what is the most important skill that most guitar players do not have? Some would claim that it is thorough knowledge of music theory. Others would say that the most important skill is creativity. Of course there are whole legions of guitar players that believe having impeccable technique is the holy grail of guitar playing. Maybe you agree with one of the statements above, or maybe you think it is something else like songwriting, playing with others in a band or having perseverance.
All of the skills mentioned above are crucial to the development of any guitar player who really wants to become an excellent guitarist and musician. But the single most important skill that most guitar players don't have, and don't know how to practice, is Ear Training! (also known as aural skills). We are dealing with music here right?! How do most of us enjoy making music? By listening to it! So why is it that most guitarists have poor aural skills (an unskilled ear). Non classical guitarists have traditionally played by ear, but surprisingly most of these players' ears are still not as good as they could be and should be.
I'll use myself as a classic example of a guitar player that used to severely lack good aural skills. Before I began my formal music training in college, I thought my ear was pretty good. I could usually learn songs by ear quickly and my improvising skills were ok for the time. But whenever I wanted to compose a guitar solo for a song or write my own songs I ran into problems. I always felt as if I couldn't get the music that I heard in my head to come out in the music I was playing. I usually had very good technique and my knowledge of basic music theory was not bad but my creativity was suffering greatly. Everything I improvised or wrote came from my hands and my knowledge of chords, scales, etc. I wanted to do more. I wanted to be more unique, more creative and most importantly, more self expressive. I was aware that a problem existed, but I did not know the specific root of the problem. I assumed that I was just not a very creative person and that my (assumed) lack of creativity was permanent and beyond my control. I believed that I was just not naturally gifted with creativity.
In the fall of 1994, I enrolled at Harper college as a music major. In addition to many other requirements, all music students are required to complete 2 years of Aural Skills classes. It was not long after I went to my first aural skills class that I realized how much my ear needed more training. Fortunately I had a very encouraging teacher who knew that guitarists often had problems with aural skills. After the first semester (1/2 year) I realized that my problems related to creativity (improvising, songwriting / composing, etc.) were improving and more importantly, I realized that my problems were not due to a lack of creativity. They were due to the fact that my ear had not been developed enough to release all of my creative potential! This realization was one of the most single greatest moments in my musical life. I felt liberated in knowing that I really do have creative talents. Then all I needed to do was train my ear further so that my creative ideas could then manifest themselves into my music.
There are lots of ways in which you can improve your aural skills. I've listed many of them below. The idea here is not to pick just one of these ideas from the list and expect miracles. Do as many of these things as you can, as often as you can.
All of the skills mentioned above are crucial to the development of any guitar player who really wants to become an excellent guitarist and musician. But the single most important skill that most guitar players don't have, and don't know how to practice, is Ear Training! (also known as aural skills). We are dealing with music here right?! How do most of us enjoy making music? By listening to it! So why is it that most guitarists have poor aural skills (an unskilled ear). Non classical guitarists have traditionally played by ear, but surprisingly most of these players' ears are still not as good as they could be and should be.
I'll use myself as a classic example of a guitar player that used to severely lack good aural skills. Before I began my formal music training in college, I thought my ear was pretty good. I could usually learn songs by ear quickly and my improvising skills were ok for the time. But whenever I wanted to compose a guitar solo for a song or write my own songs I ran into problems. I always felt as if I couldn't get the music that I heard in my head to come out in the music I was playing. I usually had very good technique and my knowledge of basic music theory was not bad but my creativity was suffering greatly. Everything I improvised or wrote came from my hands and my knowledge of chords, scales, etc. I wanted to do more. I wanted to be more unique, more creative and most importantly, more self expressive. I was aware that a problem existed, but I did not know the specific root of the problem. I assumed that I was just not a very creative person and that my (assumed) lack of creativity was permanent and beyond my control. I believed that I was just not naturally gifted with creativity.
In the fall of 1994, I enrolled at Harper college as a music major. In addition to many other requirements, all music students are required to complete 2 years of Aural Skills classes. It was not long after I went to my first aural skills class that I realized how much my ear needed more training. Fortunately I had a very encouraging teacher who knew that guitarists often had problems with aural skills. After the first semester (1/2 year) I realized that my problems related to creativity (improvising, songwriting / composing, etc.) were improving and more importantly, I realized that my problems were not due to a lack of creativity. They were due to the fact that my ear had not been developed enough to release all of my creative potential! This realization was one of the most single greatest moments in my musical life. I felt liberated in knowing that I really do have creative talents. Then all I needed to do was train my ear further so that my creative ideas could then manifest themselves into my music.
There are lots of ways in which you can improve your aural skills. I've listed many of them below. The idea here is not to pick just one of these ideas from the list and expect miracles. Do as many of these things as you can, as often as you can.
Activities to practice:
1. Transcribing (figuring out by ear) songs, chords, melodies, solos, etc. using your guitar.
2. Transcribing without using your instrument (write the music down on paper and then when you think you have it as close to accurate as you can get it check your work with your guitar. Notice what errors you made and look to see if a pattern forms in your errors. For example, if you realize that you always think that minor chords sound major chords then you can see that this is something you will need to focus your practice time on.
3. Sing (yes sing out loud) scales. Start with singing the major scale, later add the natural minor scale, harmonic minor scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, etc.
4. Sing intervals (two notes at varying distances)
5. Sing arpeggios (chords - one note at a time) start with major triads and then move on to minor triads.
6. Sight singing (you will need to have a basic understanding of reading music to do this) You can use any piece of sheet music for this. There are sight singing books that you can buy if you want.
7. Transcribe rhythms. This is just like transcribing a melody, but the focus here is on writing down on paper the rhythm only.
8. Improvising melodies, solos, etc. over chords. This is great thing to do anyway.
9. Imagine a 3 or 4 note melody in your mind and then try to play it on your guitar.
10. Record yourself playing lots of different chords (just major and minor triads for now). Try not to repeat the same chord very often. Play back your recording and then try to identify whether the chords you hear are major or minor.
11. For those of you living in the United States, your local community college or university that has a music department typically offers basic aural skills classes that may be open to the general public. Community colleges often charge a very low fee for this class. I am not familiar with how this works in other parts of the world, so non US citizens should check this out with your local colleges.
12. There are ear training software programs available that can be found on the internet. The one I used in college was called Practica Musica by Ars Nova. (Note: This is not an endorsement for Practica Musica or Ars Nova, I'm just letting you know that this and other aural skills software do exist and can be a valuable resource.)
13. For those of you who may not be able to enroll in an aural skills class, I strongly recommend to seek out a private music teacher. The good thing about seeking a private teacher is that the teacher does not need to be a guitar teacher. Any competent music teacher (no matter what instrument the teacher plays) can teach you aural skills. The key is to find a competent teacher though, there are a lot of incompetent teachers out there. For help on finding a good one and avoiding the bad ones, download my FREE guide about How To Choose The Best Guitar Teacher.
Ear training is critical to any musician's development as musician. Remember to persevere and be patient with yourself as your ear develops. Expect progress to be like your physical guitar playing, slow but steadily moving forward each day. Your ear needs constant practicing just like your hands do, so don't neglect the most crucial tool that you have - your ears!2. Transcribing without using your instrument (write the music down on paper and then when you think you have it as close to accurate as you can get it check your work with your guitar. Notice what errors you made and look to see if a pattern forms in your errors. For example, if you realize that you always think that minor chords sound major chords then you can see that this is something you will need to focus your practice time on.
3. Sing (yes sing out loud) scales. Start with singing the major scale, later add the natural minor scale, harmonic minor scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, etc.
4. Sing intervals (two notes at varying distances)
5. Sing arpeggios (chords - one note at a time) start with major triads and then move on to minor triads.
6. Sight singing (you will need to have a basic understanding of reading music to do this) You can use any piece of sheet music for this. There are sight singing books that you can buy if you want.
7. Transcribe rhythms. This is just like transcribing a melody, but the focus here is on writing down on paper the rhythm only.
8. Improvising melodies, solos, etc. over chords. This is great thing to do anyway.
9. Imagine a 3 or 4 note melody in your mind and then try to play it on your guitar.
10. Record yourself playing lots of different chords (just major and minor triads for now). Try not to repeat the same chord very often. Play back your recording and then try to identify whether the chords you hear are major or minor.
11. For those of you living in the United States, your local community college or university that has a music department typically offers basic aural skills classes that may be open to the general public. Community colleges often charge a very low fee for this class. I am not familiar with how this works in other parts of the world, so non US citizens should check this out with your local colleges.
12. There are ear training software programs available that can be found on the internet. The one I used in college was called Practica Musica by Ars Nova. (Note: This is not an endorsement for Practica Musica or Ars Nova, I'm just letting you know that this and other aural skills software do exist and can be a valuable resource.)
13. For those of you who may not be able to enroll in an aural skills class, I strongly recommend to seek out a private music teacher. The good thing about seeking a private teacher is that the teacher does not need to be a guitar teacher. Any competent music teacher (no matter what instrument the teacher plays) can teach you aural skills. The key is to find a competent teacher though, there are a lot of incompetent teachers out there. For help on finding a good one and avoiding the bad ones, download my FREE guide about How To Choose The Best Guitar Teacher.
Learning Guitar - Acoustic or Electric?
Let's forget about electric vs. acoustic for a moment. One of the most valuable investments a new guitarist can make is in a guitar stand. Keeping your guitar out of it's case, in plain view at all times, is tremendously important - you'll find yourself playing MUCH more. If you decide on an electric guitar, you might even consider leaving the cord in the guitar, plugged into the amplifier. That way, you can simply pick up the guitar, flick the amp on, and begin playing.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. I hesitate somewhat in recommending specific guitars, because even guitars that are the same make and model vary greatly from instrument to instrument. Having said that, here are a few specific models of guitars that I've found to be almost uniformly well constructed, while still having an excellent dollar-value. Although there are hundreds of guitars which would make fine beginner instruments, the following are a few I've had some experience in playing. Acoustic Guitar Recommendations
Seagull S6)
These Canadian-made instruments are very highly regarded, and although they're not ultra-common, with a few phone calls to local music stores, you should be able to find one. Price generally runs in the area of $350 USD. Perhaps a little more than you'd like to spend, but the resale value for this guitar will be quite high. Trust me, if you can afford it, this is a great guitar to start on.
More acoustic guitar recommendations...
Electric Guitar Recommendations
Squier Standard Stratocaster
These aren't WONDERFUL guitars, but considering the beginner-friendly price, they're fine. They tend to have sub-par electronics, but these can be upgraded over time. And, if you ever want to sell, these guitars should have a good re-sale value. You can often find these guitars new for around $200 USD. Word on the street is, if you can find a used, American-made model, grab it up.
Probably the most important consideration, when choosing what type of guitar to learn on, is what type of music will be played on the instrument. If you're a fan of rock music, and want to learn to play rock guitar, starting on electric guitar is a logical choice. If, however, you're a fan of acoustic music, and want to learn to strum your favorite songs, an acoustic guitar is probably best for you. The importance of the above philosophy can't be stressed enough. If you get stuck with the wrong type of guitar, you're going to have much less motivation to pick it up and play it regularly.
Note to parents: this same principle applies when picking out a guitar for your child. Try to realistically assess what they'dlike best, as opposed to what you'dlike them to play. Their progress will be noticably better when playing a guitar they like. Ease of Learning
Depending on your personality type, this might either play a major factor in deciding which guitar to start on, or might be irrelevant. Some people find if they don't see results quickly, they get discouraged, and lose interest in playing guitar altogether. If you think you (or the person you're buying for) are one of those people, an electric guitar is probably the instrument to start on. Electric guitars have smaller bodies, smaller necks, and it's much easier to press down the strings. Essentially, you can start playing the *basics* of guitar much more quickly and easily on an electric guitar, than you can on an acoustic. Having said that, there are a few knobs and buttons on an electric guitar that can complicate using it somewhat.
Budget Considerations
Understandably, paying a whole lot for a first guitar isn't very desirable, especially if you're not even sure if playing guitar is something you (or whomever you're buying for) will stick with. For this reason, acoustic guitars are more often the choice for a first instrument, since they tend to be slightly less expensive. Electric guitars require the purchase of an amplifier, and a guitar cable, so they can end up costing a little more. If you want to learn on an electric guitar, but budget is a serious issue, many guitar stores offer starter electric guitar/amp packages at very reasonable prices.
Making the Decision
Now I've given you some things to consider, it's time for you to decide which type of guitar is best suited for you, or for whomever you're buying for. Let's summarize - if the person in question frustrates easily, or listens to and wants to play "hard rock" music, definitely think electric guitar. If, however, the person in question wants to learn songs to sing along to, and can handle a slightly steeper learning curve, then an acoustic guitar might be in order.
Once you've made a decision, take a look at the following page for a few recommendations on specific guitars to buy.
Credits To: http://guitar.about.com/od/commonbeginnerquestions/a/which_is_right.htm
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. I hesitate somewhat in recommending specific guitars, because even guitars that are the same make and model vary greatly from instrument to instrument. Having said that, here are a few specific models of guitars that I've found to be almost uniformly well constructed, while still having an excellent dollar-value. Although there are hundreds of guitars which would make fine beginner instruments, the following are a few I've had some experience in playing. Acoustic Guitar Recommendations
Seagull S6)
These Canadian-made instruments are very highly regarded, and although they're not ultra-common, with a few phone calls to local music stores, you should be able to find one. Price generally runs in the area of $350 USD. Perhaps a little more than you'd like to spend, but the resale value for this guitar will be quite high. Trust me, if you can afford it, this is a great guitar to start on.
More acoustic guitar recommendations...
Electric Guitar Recommendations
Squier Standard Stratocaster
These aren't WONDERFUL guitars, but considering the beginner-friendly price, they're fine. They tend to have sub-par electronics, but these can be upgraded over time. And, if you ever want to sell, these guitars should have a good re-sale value. You can often find these guitars new for around $200 USD. Word on the street is, if you can find a used, American-made model, grab it up.
Note to parents: this same principle applies when picking out a guitar for your child. Try to realistically assess what they'dlike best, as opposed to what you'dlike them to play. Their progress will be noticably better when playing a guitar they like. Ease of Learning
Depending on your personality type, this might either play a major factor in deciding which guitar to start on, or might be irrelevant. Some people find if they don't see results quickly, they get discouraged, and lose interest in playing guitar altogether. If you think you (or the person you're buying for) are one of those people, an electric guitar is probably the instrument to start on. Electric guitars have smaller bodies, smaller necks, and it's much easier to press down the strings. Essentially, you can start playing the *basics* of guitar much more quickly and easily on an electric guitar, than you can on an acoustic. Having said that, there are a few knobs and buttons on an electric guitar that can complicate using it somewhat.
Budget Considerations
Understandably, paying a whole lot for a first guitar isn't very desirable, especially if you're not even sure if playing guitar is something you (or whomever you're buying for) will stick with. For this reason, acoustic guitars are more often the choice for a first instrument, since they tend to be slightly less expensive. Electric guitars require the purchase of an amplifier, and a guitar cable, so they can end up costing a little more. If you want to learn on an electric guitar, but budget is a serious issue, many guitar stores offer starter electric guitar/amp packages at very reasonable prices.
Making the Decision
Now I've given you some things to consider, it's time for you to decide which type of guitar is best suited for you, or for whomever you're buying for. Let's summarize - if the person in question frustrates easily, or listens to and wants to play "hard rock" music, definitely think electric guitar. If, however, the person in question wants to learn songs to sing along to, and can handle a slightly steeper learning curve, then an acoustic guitar might be in order.
Once you've made a decision, take a look at the following page for a few recommendations on specific guitars to buy.
Credits To: http://guitar.about.com/od/commonbeginnerquestions/a/which_is_right.htm
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