Saturday, February 16, 2008

Guitar Tab - Deck The Halls

By Peter Edvinsson

In this guitar lesson you will learn to play the Christmas song Deck The Halls with the help of guitar tablature notation. I will also explain how to read this easy form of guitar notation!

Guitar tablature notation consists of six horizontal lines representing the six strings of the guitar. The top line of the tablature represents the string with the highest pitch.

Let us take a look at a guitar tablature staff:

1. ----------------

2. ----------------

3. ----------------

4. ----------------

5. ----------------

6. ----------------

On these lines you will find numbers representing the frets to press down. Let's start with the first line of the lyrics and corresponding guitar tabs:

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

1. --------------------------------------

2. ---3---1---0---------------0-------

3. ---------------2---0---2-------0---

4. --------------------------------------

5. --------------------------------------

6. --------------------------------------

The number 3 on the second string means that you press down the third fret on the second string and play the note with your right hand.

Let us continue:

Fa la la la la, la la la la

1. -------------------------------------------

2. -------0---1-------0---------------------

3. ---2-----------2-------2---0-------0---

4. -------------------------------4----------

5. -------------------------------------------

6. -------------------------------------------

'Tis the season to be jolly

1. ---------------------------------------

2. ---3---1---0---------------0--------

3. ---------------2---0---2-------0----

4. ---------------------------------------

5. ---------------------------------------

6. ---------------------------------------

Fa la la la la, la la la la

1. -------------------------------------------

2. -------0---1-------0---------------------

3. ---2-----------2-------2---0-------0---

4. -------------------------------4----------

5. -------------------------------------------

6. -------------------------------------------

Don we now our gay apparel

1. ---------------------------------------

2. -------0---1-------0---1---3-------

3. ---2-----------2---------------2-----

4. ---------------------------------------

5. ---------------------------------------

6. ---------------------------------------

Fa la la, la la la, la la la

1. ---------------0---2---3---2---0-------

2. ---0---2---3-----------------------3---

3. ------------------------------------------

4. ------------------------------------------

5. ------------------------------------------

6. ------------------------------------------

Troll the ancient Yule tide carol

1. ---------------------------------------

2. ---3---1---0---------------0--------

3. ---------------2---0---2-------0----

4. ---------------------------------------

5. ---------------------------------------

6. ---------------------------------------

Fa la la la la, la la la la

1. ---0---0---0---0---------------------------

2. ----------------------3---1---0-------------

3. ------------------------------------2---0----

4. ----------------------------------------------

5. ----------------------------------------------

6. ----------------------------------------------

Try to use left hand index finger to play the notes on the first fret, the middle finger for the notes on the second fret and so on. This will help you keep you left hand in the same position as you play!

Peter Edvinsson invites you to download your free sheet music, guitar tabs, ebooks, music lessons and read his music blog at http://www.capotastomusic.com

Friday, February 15, 2008

How to Read Guitar Music Tablatures - A Guide to Improve your Guitar Playing

By Janeth Tuazon

Guitar is a popular stringed and fretted musical instrument that is used to create rhythm or music simply by strumming or plucking its string. Guitar is one of the oldest and most popular musical instruments that are still in use today. The fact that everybody loves music is the main aspect of the popularity of guitar music. People of all ages and various walks of life have their own preferences for guitar music be it for relaxation or entertainment purposes. Listening to guitar music is one of the best way to loosen up after a long and stressful day.

On the other hand, for some, listening to guitar music is not enough. Some would people prefer to play the musical instrument, especially those who know how to play the guitar. Some find it difficult to play the guitar but because of the numerous guitar tutorials (either in electronic form or not) that are available these days, playing the guitar can be quite easy and simple. All you have to do is just follow the guitar music sheets � an illustration that contains lines and chords for you to follow � or more known as guitar music tablatures. This way you will learn how to play the guitar and play along your favorite song.

It is quite easy to read the guitar tablature; the illustrations make it a lot easier to learn the numerous guitar chords. And for those who already know how to play but are not quite good, guitar music tablature will help you improve and enhance your guitar playing skills.

On the other hand, the guitar music tablatures also have some disadvantages. The main disadvantage of guitar music tablature is the absence of rhythmic notation. You must know the song properly in order to properly play the song. For some people, in order to quickly learn how to play their favorite song, they usually play along with the guitar as the song plays on the background while studying the guitar tablature.

This is one of the fastest and most efficient ways of learning how to play the guitar. This way, you will save yourself a significant amount of money because instead of taking up guitar lessons and paying for a tutor, you will just be study on your own pace. And as soon as you memorize the numerous guitar chords, playing along your favorite song will be like a walk in the park.

Janeth Tuazon is musician and a writer.
Read information about guitar music on her articles at Guitar-Music-101.com.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Gibson Vintage Sunburst Guitar - A Collectible

By John Kain

One of the most collectible guitars is the Gibson Vintage Sunburst Guitar. It's worth more than most guitars and is considered a high demand collectible. An early Les Paul Standard with Cherry Sunburst in original condition will usually cost around $200,000. If that's not a collectible guitar, I don't know what is.

The most important factor in considering the collectability of this guitar is the condition of the guitar and it's finish rather than the actual sound.

Another collectible Gibson guitar is the 1985 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plain Top VOS Guitar. This guitar comes with a carved maple top but a mahogany back. The neck is one piece and made of mahogany as well, but has a smooth rosewood fretboard. This is another famous and collectible vintage guitar. All VOS models of this guitar have a solid mahogany back with a long neck tenon. This guitar is probably worth it if you can buy it for less than $5,000.

If you can buy a original vintage Gibson sunburst guitar, it will cost you a pretty penny, but you'll have the satisfaction of buying one of the most collectible and most high demand guitars that have ever been on the market.

In conclusion, the Gibson Vintage Sunburst guitar. and other vintage Gibson guitars are some of the best, some of the most collectible, and, to be honest, some of the most expensive guitars anyone can buy for their money. However, if you're a guitar collector or can afford to spend extra on these vintage guitars, they can be a nice gem for your collection.

The author is the owner of a site where you can buy guitars online. He's a guitar collector and would like a gibson les paul guitar.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

So you Want to Buy A Guitar Amp

By Bill McRea

Yes, you have a great electric guitar but that's not all about it. You need to buy a great guitar amp. Nothing can really replace a guitar amp. Yes, you can plug your guitar into the general PA system and still get acceptable sound but wait until you hear the same guitar plugged into a guitar amp.

Just like guitars, guitar amps come in different sizes and prices. You can get a decent guitar amp for less than $200. At the same time, there are amps that will cost you a few thousand dollars.

So what should you look for in an amp?

It depends on a few factors: It depends on the kind of guitar you are playing. Are you playing an acoustic electric guitar, a semi hollow guitar, an electric guitar or an electric bass?

The type of music genre you intend to use this amp for also matters a whole deal. A small guitar amp will be just fine if you are playing the guitar in a jazz group. However, if you intend to cut it in a rock group, you'll have to get something that can "make their ears bleed."

Are you going to be using this for the show or personal practice? You'll certainly get a few lawsuits if you intend to practice in the garage with the guitar amp that "them" rock guitar stars use in mega jams (That is, unless you leave alone in the wilderness).

Guitar amps have character. This is a huge factor in the selection of guitar amp cabinets. A particular Marshall guitar amp cabinet will produce recognizable sounds. Sounds that no self-respecting guitarist will agree to attempt otherwise.

That said, you can't possibly buy every guitar amp cabinet out there just because you want to take advantage of their various sound colors. Not to worry, some innovative companies have developed tools that can model most of the guitar amp models that we all have come to love so much. So, buy a guitar amp (as good as you can afford) and get such tools to model the other ones that you love but can only wish for.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Visit our site for over 60 Free Guitar Lessons and Information about playing Guitar.

How To Play Jazz Guitar � Become a Smooth Jazz Guitarist

By Max Cane

Jazz is an excellent language of communication for discerning guitarists. Jazz guitar has its own unique style and form of guitar playing. It is also a very popular form of music that you can play. Then if you let your creativity take over you can even create your own jazz licks. You can definitely emulate the likes of Joe Pass, Charlie Christian, George Benson, Wes Montgomery and many other great guitarists if you devote yourself seriously into practicing and learning jazz guitar. You can get paid lessons or you can even learn jazz guitar online. All you need is a guitar and determination!

First Thing First

The first step on the way to learning jazz guitar is that you should have a good jazz guitar. Although if you have opted to take guitar instructions from a music school which may have guitars for their students, learning to play jazz guitar is a demanding discipline and to be proficient, you need to be practicing at home also. One important point in getting a guitar for yourself is that instead of shopping for a cheap jazz guitar, you should buy a guitar, which has good sound characteristics, has excellent aesthetics and is durable. It is always advisable to buy guitars from reputed guitar manufacturers. They may not come cheap, but they are worth the money you pay for them.

Jazz Guitar Lessons

You can explore many avenues if you wish to learn how to play jazz guitar. You can learn jazz guitar online, as there are many websites that have free online jazz guitar lessons. You can opt for an electric guitar or learn acoustic jazz guitar. There are also many people who are willing to give guitar lessons to ardent students free. You can explore your locality to see if you have some guitar enthusiast who can teach you the basics of jazz guitar.

Learn Jazz Guitar Online

The goodness about online jazz guitar lessons is that they are accessible to you 24/7. You can have access to them at all times, night or day. There are many good online jazz guitar instruction sites where you will learn the basics of jazz guitar, basic and advanced chord construction theory, guitar licks and riffs. Although online guitar lessons should not be a substitute for one-to-one guitar instructions, if you can access to a good jazz guitar instructor, they are excellent for people who are short of time and money.

For more information and reviews on Acoustic, Bass and Electric Guitars, Amplifiers, Effect Pedals and other equipment visit GuitarHeadz.com, the complete guide for anything you want to know about guitars and related gear.