Strumming
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Technique | Leave a Comment
Do you have to have a special right hand technique? In strumming the guitar, I mean. I’m using a book as a starting point for learning guitar and it teaches you how to strum the guitar when you are playing a chord and then go to just plucking (well, not plucking, but I don’t know the correct word to explain) one string, like you have to in a song. I can’t seem to get it right and I don’t know whether I’m thinking about it too much or not. Also, can you explain to me how you use a pick for this? Because I don’t know how I would strum different things smoothly and stop the vibrations right… I hope you can understand what I’m trying to ask you because it’s a major problem for me though it’s probably a pretty silly problem.
- Jessica
Jessica,
Thanks for your question. I think I understand what you are asking. Basically: “What the heck am I supposed to do with a pick?”
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How to Read Music
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Tabs - Understanding | 1 Comment
How do you read music? - Jeff
Jeff,
Explaining how to read music via e-mail would be rather difficult. Basically it’s like learning a language where the letters (notes) indicate time and pitch - how long to sustain a note and how high or low the note sounds.
I’ve attached a page from my book Foundations for Great Guitar Playing, that will help you understand some of the basic concepts. There are a number of “Learn How to Read Music” books that you can buy or get from the library.
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Questions about Tab
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Tabs - Understanding | Leave a Comment
OK…I saw on the main page “When tabs show 7 and a 0 at the same time, what are you supposed to do?” but I can’t find the answer to that question! ok what if it says 1 and 5 how do you play that I would really like to be able to understand it better I can play it easily when there are not 2 notes at a time but i get really confused after. Are you suposed to strum with tabs or are you suposed to just pick one string? this guitar thing has turned out to be more confusing than I thought! Your site is great help though!
- Zoe
Zoe,
I’ll try to answer your question then I’ll give you some general info on tabs:
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What is nato wood?
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Guitar Wood | 2 Comments
WHAT IS A NATO NECK AND FINGERBOARD?
- DARRELL
Darrell,
Good question. After doing a little research I found out that Nato is one of the softer hardwoods like mahogany, walnut, koa and maple. For guitar makers these woods make good, less expensive alternatives to rosewood.
John
How do you play guitar?
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Beginning Guitar | 1 Comment
“How do you play guitar?”
-Denise
Denise,
Your question: “How do you play guitar?” is pretty general but let me give you a quick starting point.
A good place to begin learning to play the guitar is by learning a couple of basic chords: G, C, and D for example. Once you can change from one chord to another with your left hand begin thinking about strumming with your right hand (think of your strumming hand as your own personal drummer).
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How numbers are used in music
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Simple Music Theory | Leave a Comment
(This response was given to a question regarding how numbers are used in communicating musical concepts. - JDM)
Dave,
There are a couple of things you could be referring to.
If you are referring to the numbers that are shown on tabs, these numbers tell you what fret to play the note in. The thing to keep in mind is that your hand can fairly easily cover a four fret section of the neck. If you are playing chords up the neck, position your hand so that you can fret the notes without having to stretch your fingers too far apart.
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How do I play this?
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Tabs - Understanding | Leave a Comment
this is a good song from DMB, my favorite band, could u give advice on how to play it i dont get how to do it.
E————————–
B-x–x—-x–x–x–x-x-x—
G-x–x—-x–x–x–7-x-x—
D-x–x—-x–x–11—9-x—
A-x–9—-x–9———10–
E-7——-7—————-
For a detailed explanation of how to read tab check the “Understanding Tab” post on this site. The big problem with most of the tab you find on the Internet is that it doesn’t give you a sense of time (i.e. how long you should hold each note). Since the example you posted is of a song you know that makes things easier. Just play the notes by pressing down the frets of the strings indicated in the tab. Use your 1st finger to play the notes on the 7th fret. Use your 3rd finger to play the notes on the 9th fret. Use your little finger to play the notes on the 10th and 11th fret.
Dave comes up with some wonderful and amazing riffs. The key to playing them smoothly is to think in terms of position playing. Position playing is the concepts of assigning one finger per fret. In this case you are playing in 7th position (your index finger is camping out on the 7th fret) Once you establish that, your other fingers will fall into place. On the riff you sent, as with a number of Dave riffs, your little finger is going to get a work out.
What Dave often does is arpeggiate chords. Instead of playing the notes of the chord all at once (strumming) he plays the notes individually so that you feel the movement of each note. As you play the riff you will find you hand forming some familiar chord shapes. Of course with Dave you’ll be forming some unfamiliar shapes too.
All the best,
John
Guitar Strap
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Basic Maintenance | Leave a Comment
I just purchased a Takamine elec./acoustic guitar online. When I opened it I was shocked to find that there was no second strap pin. I refuse to “tie off” to the head stock, so I have a problem. My question is: can I install a second pin at the base of the neck, and if I do, what effect will this have on the sound? FYI, the instrument is b-stock and therefore is not warranteed by Tak. Also, is it possible that this was an oversight? I cannot imagine a manufacturer not including the second pin on anything other than a classical guitar!
Yes, you would expect that there would be a second strap pin. But many, if not most, acoustics arrive from the manufacturer that way. I’m not exactly sure why.
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Using a Pick
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Beginning Guitar | 1 Comment
yes i would like to know what is the guitar pick for? I’ve been trying to learn how to play the guitar and i can’t get the hang of using the pick. For some reason my hand feels weird when holding it! Is there any right way to hold it? Please help me,
THANKS. Katie
Katie,
Here is an excerpt from my book, “Foundations for Great Guitar Playing.” I hope you find it helpful:
____________
Playing with a Pick
If you want to impress your friends refer to your guitar pick as a plectrum. It comes from a Greek word, which means, “to strike.” Early plectrums were made of tortoise shell or bone. Today picks are made of everything from metal to polished stone, but the vast majority is made of plastic. They come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and thicknesses, all designed to do the same thing - set the strings in motion. Buy several different kinds of picks and see what works best for you.
Think of a pick as an extension of your fingernails (thumb and index finger). Don’t hold it so that a lot of the surface area is exposed, this can be unwieldy and difficult to control. Don’t hold it too tightly. Hanging on with a “death grip,” will fatigue the muscles in your forearm and you will be too tense to play smoothly. When holding a pick with the correct amount of pressure a person could pull it away from you fairly easily. But don’t hold it too loosely or, you’ll need to develop an effective method for removing the pick from inside your guitar!
______________
Here’s a little more info not in the book: The pointed end of the pick is the part that is used to put the strings in motion.
Using the pick to rhythmically put all the string in motion at once is called strumming. Strumming can be broken into two motions: a downstroke and an upstroke.
The part of the pick that strikes the string can be thought of as a “trailing edge.” That’s a fancy way of saying when your hand is going down, the small end of the pick should be angled up. When your hand is going up, the small end of the pick should be angled down. It’s a pretty natural motion.
Happy pickin’
John
Getting Started on Guitar - Two Responses
Posted on August 2, 2007
Filed Under Beginning Guitar | Leave a Comment
Rebecca, I’m glad to hear your son got a guitar for Christmas. I hope it will bring both of you many hours (and years!) of enjoyment.
Getting off to a good start is important. And yes, lessons can be expensive. Here are a couple of ideas. Many libraries have instructional videos or DVDs. If they don’t, you can suggest that they purchase some for their collection.
There are some good beginner book/CD sets that can be purchased for $10 to $15. The one I have used most often for young students is Hal Leonard Guitar Method Books 1. The book with CD costs $9.95. I don’t know where you live but judging by your e-mail address it could be somewhere in central Ohio. If so, you can buy this book at University Music on High Street just South of Worthington or at Stanton’s Music downtown. Most any music store that carries guitars should have it in stock or be able to order it. There are tons of guitar instruction resources on-line. Just do a google search for “learn to play the guitar” and you should have plenty of sites to check out.
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