by Dom Artosa
Have you ever paused to listen for a moment to a musician gently strumming an acoustic guitar or performing a blazing, soul-stirring flamenco number? The sounds of an acoustic guitar invoke mystery and a feeling of romance for many people. Most people never stop to consider how versatile and wide-ranging acoustic guitars are, but virtually all of them can enjoy the beautiful music they make.
Do you ever wish you knew how to play the acoustic guitar? Does walking past one in the store window make you long to walk inside, pick it up, put one hand lovingly around the neck and caress the strings gently with the other, and begin playing a tune? Have you ever thought about how expensive it would be to take lessons? Or how difficult it would be to learn?
You think about how fun it would be to play the guitar at family get-togethers or for your friends at parties. But then, you think about how difficult it would be to learn, or how much lessons might cost. Also, you wouldnt know where to find the time to learn how to play properly.
You may think that acoustic guitars are magical, but not by themselves. The magic is in the music, not the guitar. It can be compared to the time when you were a child learning how to use a pencil to write words. As you grew up, you developed the ability to write well and started to write all kinds of material such as book reports and essays. The pencil was simply a medium to create your writing. The same principle applies to acoustic guitars. The guitar is just an instrument you use to make music. The learning process of writing is similar to how one learns to play acoustic guitars. Initially, before you learned how to play the guitar, you just tinkered with one at a store, much like scribbling with a pencil. You observed what would happen if you moved your hands a certain way or another. At first, you started to learn how to be comfortable with the guitar then eventually, your fingers learned to move the right way on their own. Very soon, your guitar becomes an extension of your hands, a vehicle through which you express your thoughts.
To one who has never played the acoustic guitar it can be very intimidating even though it is a very compelling instrument. The music produced on a guitar can almost seem larger than life. It seems incredible that anyone could produce such amazing sounds from such a simple instrument.
The acoustic guitar’s impressiveness can often lead to an attitude that causes people to approach it too delicately. They forget that guitars were meant to be used and that the power behind the music comes from the power the person gives to it.
The investment of time and energy it takes to learn to play acoustic guitars will not be wasted, so dig out the one in the attic or purchase one at your local music store but either way you wont be disappointed.
June 18th, 2008
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Dom Artosa |
Music |
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by Dom Artosa
A chord played on the acoustic guitar is defined as a few notes played at the same time. There are many different acoustic guitar chords, but by learning just the elementary ones, it is possible to play a whole lot of songs. Major chords have a bright, melodious sound and minor chords sound melancholy or sad.
Acoustic guitar chord diagrams notate guitar chords. Rather than side to side (horizontal) the way guitar tabs run, the lines that represent an acoustic chord diagram will run up and down, or vertically. You will see a grid when looking at a chord diagram. The strings are represented by the vertical lines, while the frets are represented by the horizontal lines. The areas where you need to hold the string down is where the dots appear.
Numbers will be at the top or bottom of the acoustic guitar chord diagram. This diagram represents the finger that holds down each strong - 1 means the index finger, 2 means the middle finger, 3 the ring finger, and 4 the pinky. If you see a 0, that means to leave the string open when you play. On the other hand, an X means an string open that is not played. And occasionally you’ll see T used. This means to use your thumb to play, but this does not occur too often.
G-major is the first chord were going to learn on the acoustic guitar. Place your fingers as follows: middle finger on sixth string at third fret, index finger on fifth string at second fret, ring finger on first string at third fret. Play each note one at a time, including the open strings. Each note should be heard clearly, with no odd buzzing or rattling sounds. If anything sounds off, you can push down firmer on the string or move your fingers so they are closer to the fret. Your fingers should not be in contact with one another and only on one string at a time. When each individual note sounds good, strum them all together. You have just accomplished a G-major chord on your acoustic guitar.
The E-minor acoustic guitar chord is easier on the left hand. The E-minor chord uses only two left-hand fingers: the index and middle fingers, both on the second fret, of the fifth and fourth strings respectively. Make sure that both strings are held firmly without the two fingers touching each other. You may want to play those two strings several times by themselves before attempting the chord, so you can adjust the fingering if needed. Then strum all strings to play an E minor chord. Since this is a minor chord, the sound will be darker.
Acoustic guitar chords that comprise the basic ones to practice include C-major, D-major, A-minor, and A-major. Practice moving your fingers from one chord to another until it feels comfortable and familiar.
At first you will need to position your fingers one at a time to get the acoustic guitar chords to sound right, but with practice, the fingering will become natural and you will be able to position your fingers in the correct places quickly without having to think about it.
About the Author:
Dom Artosa wrote this article showing you how to learn how to play
acoustic guitars chords. More on acoustic guitars resources can also be found on his web site:
acoustic guitars shops, a one stop for every acoustic guitar enthusiast.
June 17th, 2008
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Dom Artosa |
Music |
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by Dom Artosa
Before purchasing a new acoustic guitar, you should take the time to read some acoustic guitar reviews. This will give you an idea of what experiences people have had with a variety of acoustic guitars. There are consumer and expert reviews available. If you prefer a detailed review regarding what someone well-versed in acoustic guitars thinks about a particular brand, the expert reviews will prove helpful. Or, if you just want to know what the average person thinks about a guitar they have used, the consumer reviews will enlighten you.
An expert acoustic guitar review should be one that is written by someone who has had several years of guitar-related experience. The reviewer should also have several different models from several different manufacturers. The reviewer should be able to put aside personal preference and objectively point out a guitar’s pros and cons. Should a bias be present, it should be admitted and explained. A degree in music is not necessary for evaluating acoustic guitars. Applicants should really know their stuff, and should be able to explain why their opinion is valid and should be taken into consideration when buying a new guitar.
If you want acoustic guitar reviews, you should look for a site that has multiple reviews of each guitar by many different musicians. Many music stores also have websites with user reviews. Each guitarist plays in different types of venues, different kinds of bands and has a unique style of music. A guitarist from a band that plays at wedding receptions has much different instrument preferences from a guitarist who plays in a rock band. Look for reviews for people who play in the same area that you do, or someday hope to.
If youre using an internet search engine to locate acoustic guitar reviews, you should know some useful shortcuts. For instance, try putting your key search phrase in quotation marks (like acoustic guitar reviews). On Yahoo alone, that will reduce your hits from 17,000,000 to a more manageable 6000 or so.
When searching for specific individual acoustic guitar reviews, this trick will also work. Let’s say you want to find reviews about the Martin DX1. Typle in that phrase in Yahoo search and you’ll end up with about 38,000 results. But if you type in the same phrase using quotes like this “martin dx1″ you’ll get only about 10,000.
You can also use another little trick the next time you perform a search. If you put the plus sign (+) right next to a word you want in every hit, youll be able to narrow your search even more. Martin dx1 review will bring you about 9 hits and that is due to the fact that youre only seeing the sites that contain that exact phrase.
If you try something new by entering this- “martin dx1″ into your search bar, you’ll get upwards of 500 hits. To find something more specific, like the action on a particular guitar, you can add that to the query as long as you add a plus sign to it. Acoustic guitar reviews will be easier to find, which will make your decision easier if you take advantage of these two small search tips.
June 17th, 2008
Posted by
Dom Artosa |
Product Reviews |
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