Archive for the 'Guitar Primers' Category
Distortion is absolutely necessary if a guitar player is to play any type of rock or metal. Basic distortion seeks to “dirty up” a signal, and to make it sound more dynamic or “crunchy.” Out of the basic distortion family, there is overdriven, fuzz, crunch, high gain types of distortion.
Figure 1 - There are several basic types of distortion that guitar players should explore. Fuzz crunch, overdrive, and high-gain will be the most common.
Read User's CommentsNot everyone has the time or patience to learn how to read and write music with standard notation. Tablature, also called tabulature or tabs, is the world-renown solution that proves to be much faster in terms of learning, writing, or reading a song in standard notation. In fact, it is much more likely that a guitarist seeking to learn a song will find tablature long before standard notation is found.
Figure 1 - The top shows standard notation, while the bottom shows tablature. Notice how there is no rhythm or timing for tablature, as compared to standard notation.
Music theory is vital to any guitar player that is looking forward to a long-term hobby or even profession. The majority of young guitarists decide to skip music theory, and instead start learning tablature of idolized bands. This is often a bad idea for a number of reasons, and is usually better to learn music theory first- however “less fun” it might be, since it will be a phenomenal help in the long run.
Figure 1 - It might not look like a fretboard, but it is! Don’t worry if it looks confusing- it’s actually quite simple. Learning music theory is vital to the avid guitarist!
Alternate tuning might not seem like an easy task, but “Drop D” tuning is both easy and widely used. Modern rock, metal, and even jazz has used this tuning to make an easier playing method that gives a darker tone to music. A large number of songs, such as “Spoonman” by Soundgarden, take full advantage of the Drop D tuning method- allowing all power chords to be played with one finger!
Figure 1 - Drop D tuning is popular among many music types- such as grunge. Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” used Drop D Tuning.
There are many myths floating around in the guitar community about amplifiers. Many myths claim that better tone can be achieved by certain “tricks of the trade”. Surprisingly, there are a great number of these myths that even the experts themselves sometimes believe- so it can often be hard to separate amplifier fact from fiction.
Figure 1 - The wealth of amplifier types, models, and effects have created a great deal of myths as to which particular way to go is best.
Some of the more odd picks in the guitar world come from exotic locations such as Japan or Arabian locations. Instead of the traditional three-sided, plastic, hand-held pick that most of the world is accustomed to, some simpler picks are fashioned out of bone, horn, and other natural materials. Others are more modern- from an Allen wrench to a loose piece of change.
The oud is a musical instrument from the Middle-East. Interestingly, this instrument was played with an eagle feather. Modern times have led oud players to find an alternative plectrum to use, as eagle feathers are becoming increasingly rare. Instead, the risha was invented. The risha is an elongated piece of bone or horn that has soaked in oil to make it softer. Plastic rishas are also available for beginners, and more crude forms of rishas can even be fashioned out of a plastic bottle.
Figure 1 - Imagine playing your guitar with a risha stick!
Tortex is a type of plastic manufactured by the successful company named Dunlop. Jim Dunlop created the plastic known as Tortex to replace tortoiseshell guitar picks- since an international ban on tortoiseshell in the 1970’s restricted the sale of one of the best guitar pick materials used around the world.
Figure 1 - Standard Dunlop Tortex Picks