tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47462994154812923202024-02-07T16:09:00.858-08:00The blog where you rock!Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-48606348640986867392010-12-21T01:52:00.000-08:002010-12-21T01:53:32.355-08:00I'm backI've been away for some time but now I'm back.<br /><br />I'm planning on releasing a new guitar backingtrack so you can practice on it.<br /><br />See you in a few days!Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-30729637979529381662010-04-20T09:22:00.000-07:002010-04-20T09:50:08.563-07:00Warm Up ExercisesIn the past I've given some tips on warming up. Now I am going to give you some exercises that you can play to warm up.<br /><br />Now, before we begin, why should you warm up before you play the guitar?<br /><br />Well, first of all you can injure yourself. If that doesn't determine you to warm up, then think of it as this: If you don't warm up, you won't be at your best when you play. You performance could as well be as 50% without a warm up.<br /><br />Or think of it as this: The best guitarists in the world warm up before a practice session, a concert or a recording session. All of them. They probably have a good reason for it :)<br /><br />Ok enough with the blabber. Let's get to the exercises:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Exercise 1</span>:<br /><br />Some scales. I would advice you use a metronome. I will say it again. Use a metronome. And agai... never mind :)<br /><br />When you want to play any instrument, you need to be able to play to a beat. If you can't keep a bit by tapping your foot, nodding your head or follow the beat of the drum machine, metronome, etc, you won't get very far.<br /><br />Now, back to the point. Do some scales, VERY SLOWLY. If you want to be able to play fast, you have to start slowly. Like do scales, at 60bmp, one note per beat for a min or two. After a minute or two, you can get a little faster. Remember this is only the warm up. Just keep it slow for the first minutes.<br /><br />Here's an example of a scale:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOUU_TnHXqBW28EJZGAJh621y33NaM7F8zmsXgfv-yT2Uc4qbE1oHi_CFyq700d9vMSeSzrw_a7yerFD85BfmOPZYqJpLRa09ny_-Y2Q9NlFPc1vtNCdYSe_EwzyvAHJt2kWa_uHDXdU/s1600/scale+1.bmp"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOUU_TnHXqBW28EJZGAJh621y33NaM7F8zmsXgfv-yT2Uc4qbE1oHi_CFyq700d9vMSeSzrw_a7yerFD85BfmOPZYqJpLRa09ny_-Y2Q9NlFPc1vtNCdYSe_EwzyvAHJt2kWa_uHDXdU/s400/scale+1.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462258891039356994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Of couse this is not the only scale you are limited to. You can even do some chromatic scales (1-2-3-4) but by doing these scales, you practice 3 things at once:<br /><br />1) You warm up<br />2) You practice your scale shapes<br />2) You gain dexterity by moving your finger within certain patterns<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Exercise 2:</span><br /><br />Now, it starts to get more exciting. You can start doing fragments of scales now. Do them alone, connected, your choice. Let me give you some examples.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlEm_LPLYwR_wmOp1MfMmW8E7fsez9Nh9TrtACutgEhumuT3NUKYSUBbAvzUpsWw4MZI_sNpQINPFu3Zv0xpe6fg6-G1kVFbuNpo5Z3zJb56nnXSEwLGxpBn4b3lZkEu9-ftfwEkDHAg/s1600/scale+2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 451px; height: 431px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlEm_LPLYwR_wmOp1MfMmW8E7fsez9Nh9TrtACutgEhumuT3NUKYSUBbAvzUpsWw4MZI_sNpQINPFu3Zv0xpe6fg6-G1kVFbuNpo5Z3zJb56nnXSEwLGxpBn4b3lZkEu9-ftfwEkDHAg/s400/scale+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462262755705147186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I hope this was helpful. Have a nice practice session :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-56330213514555796592010-04-01T00:55:00.001-07:002010-04-01T00:55:50.574-07:00WorkingI'm working on a metal back track now :) It will be done in a day or 2 :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-8737872202411906692010-03-18T06:11:00.000-07:002010-03-18T06:13:02.491-07:00Done :)It's done hehe. I hope you like it. It seems the sound quality dropped a little when I uploaded it to YouTube.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yjzXC8OFfnM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yjzXC8OFfnM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Have fun improvising :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-7749896199615364062010-02-27T09:56:00.000-08:002010-02-27T09:57:37.744-08:00Surprise coming upI've got something for you guys/gals. It's going to be done in a few days (I hope) and I think you're gonna like it.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-33957853878310682832010-02-10T00:32:00.000-08:002010-02-10T00:37:33.202-08:00Warming up - some more tipsI can't stress this enough. Warm up!<br />Why? Here's the logic behind this. By the way, this applies to a lot of instruments.<br /><br />If your fingers/hands are warmed up, blood flow will be better, which enhances your playing. How many times did you pick up your instrument, and just started playing.<br /><br />Did you start feeling some pain in fingers/arms? Did you play really bad? Were your fingers like stuck? That's because you didn't warm up.<br /><br />Here's an older article of mine on stretching and warming up: http://soulfulguitar.blogspot.com/2009/06/stretching.html<br /><br />Play some slow exercises for a few minutes. Play some simple chords. Do some stretching exercises on the guitar. Massage the areas of your body where you feel tense.<br /><br />Cya soon!Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-63981588751804318742010-01-30T00:58:00.000-08:002010-01-30T01:13:49.348-08:00Basic Chord ProgressionsIf you already know some basic chords, it's very possible you've tried to write some basic songs.<br /><br />If that is the case, I'll show you some basic chord progressions.<br />Now, before I start, I'll tell you this: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics don't show you what chords to use, and chords don't tell you what lyrics to use.</span><br /><br />Now, on to the progressions: (you can play with the strumming)<br /><br />Some Basic Progressions:<br />1) C - F - C - F<br />2) G - D - C (famous "Knocking on heaven's door" Progression)<br /><br />Some Folk Progressions:<br />1) C - G7 - C - G7<br />2) C - C - G7 - G7<br /><br />Some Blues Progressions:<br />1) C - F - C - C ( I - IV - I - I)<br />2) F - F - C - C (IV - IV - I - I)<br />3) G - F - C - G (V-IV-I-V)<br />4) C7 - C7 - C7 - C7<br />5) F7 - F7 - C7 - C7<br />6) G7 - F7 - C7 - G7<br /><br />Hope the lesson was useful. Keep on rocking! I'll come with a lesson at some point that explains how to build your own progressions and how to transpose these ones for example into other keys.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-59529336955500744562010-01-17T08:13:00.001-08:002010-01-17T08:13:41.009-08:00I'm backHey guys, I know I was gone for some time :)<br /><br />I've been working with my band and got distracted. Posting should resume in a few days :DGuitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-13887003803016596652009-12-01T10:42:00.000-08:002009-12-01T10:47:34.193-08:00Coming right upA little tutorial on beginner metal guitar will be posted in a few days. Be sure to check the blog daily so you don't miss it.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-4220030405904320592009-11-11T06:38:00.000-08:002009-11-11T07:09:06.589-08:00Improvising tips (requested lesson)Kronos asked <a href="http://soulfulguitar.blogspot.com/2009/10/request-lessons.html">here</a> for a lesson on improvising.<br /><br />Here it is:<br /><br />Improvising - Tips & Tricks<br />---------------------------<br /><br />Improvising is very fun to do, but it takes some time and practice to be able to do it right. When you improvise, you basically play something over a chord progression. You can play licks, single notes, riffs, etc.<br /><br />The first thing you need to know is that, in order to improvise, you need to know scales. There are alot of scales out there, and some are better than others over certain chord progressions, but when you start out you'll wanna learn the Pentatonic Scale. It's very used in rock 'n roll, blues, etc.<br /><br />The Pentatonic Scale has 5 positions, but to get started, you only need to know one of them. It's extremely used, and it does have that rock 'n roll edge to it. Here's a tab:<br /><br />E----------------------5-8--<br />B------------------5-8------<br />G--------------5-7----------<br />D----------5-7--------------<br />A------5-7------------------<br />E--5-8----------------------<br /><br />That is the 1st position of the A minor pentatonic scale. It's in A because it starts on the 5th fret of the E string. There you'll find the note A.<br /><br />It will be very hard for you if you don't memorize the notes on the lower E string. If you know them, you'll know where the scale starts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip: If you want to play A Major pentatonic, just move the entire scale, 3 frets down. So for A minor you start at the 5th fret, for A major you'll start at the 2nd fret.</span><br /><br />In order to practice, search the web for "free guitar backtracks". You'll find some easy. They also have the key of the song included in the name.<br /><br />Example: Slow Blues in Em (E minor)<br /><br /><br />Bonus tips & tricks:<br />-------------------<br /><br />1) Don't try to play for the entire duration of the backtrack. Make some pauses. Like, play a phrase, then pause for a second or two. Listen to the music. When you feel it's right, get back in the song.<br />2) Record yourself. It makes you even better<br />3) Use alot of hammer-ons and pull-offs, slides, bends and sometimes even muting. It makes your improvisation sound richer.<br />4) This one is a little bit tricky. Some people say it's good, some say it's bad. As always, I say it's something in between. Here it is. Have a library of memorised licks. It's good to use licks you already know, but when you play them, just include them in tho song how you see fit. Do a hammer-on there, a slide there, a bonus bend, whatever. Just don't make it sound like canned material. From time to time, I'll post some standard licks you can learn and derive from.<br /><br />Bonus2:<br />--------<br /><br />A standard lick :D<br /><br />E--------------------<br />B--------------------<br />G--------------------<br />D-------5--5-7------<br />A---5h7--7----------<br />E--------------------<br /><br />I hope you enjoyed the lesson :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-37948798991786924052009-11-11T03:53:00.000-08:002009-11-11T03:55:37.801-08:00Cleaning your guitar stringsHonestly, I don't do it. I'm just too lazy. But it is recommender. After you stop playing, just drag a piece of cloth or something up and down your guitar strings a few times. If you don't do that, they get rusty.<br /><br />That happens because when you play, moisture from your fingers gets on the strings.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-57897601082107830942009-10-28T12:53:00.000-07:002009-10-28T12:57:03.257-07:00My newest blogI've made a new blog. It contains videos from youtube with the best songs ever written (in my opinion). If you want to hear some songs, take a look at the blog.<br /><br /><a href="http://onemusiclist.blogspot.com">One Music List (click this)</a>Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-36950396451558852982009-10-28T02:55:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:11:08.003-07:00Request LessonsHey there. I'm interested in the things YOU want to learn. I can post chords or tips or whatever but usually they don't match YOUR needs. So let's do it like this. Do you have a question? You want to see an article written about what you want to learn? Leave a comment and I'll be sure to write a lesson. I'll even include your name and a link to your website or blog ;) Just so people know who requested the article. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-77221032857225516672009-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:11:25.894-07:00Thank youThank you guys and gals. Mostly gals :D<br /><br />This is the 50th post and our website counter has exceeded 21k+ hits. This wouldn't of been possible without you. Thank you :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-70518629141441627252009-10-20T09:56:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:12:50.334-07:00StrummingThe thing when you strum is that you need to have your hand loose. The pick should be also flexible. It gives you a cool sound. Always have your hands relaxed. If you pick, use rigid picks. If you strum, use flexible picks.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-62324077857274193032009-10-16T23:50:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:13:02.141-07:00From rehearsalIt's really interesting. It's one of those momens when you really feel like a band. Alex, the rythm guitar player came in and laid down a riff. We started puttin pieces together, Claudiu came with some cool drum parts, I put the solo, and in 2-3 hours we had the song pretty much done.<br /><br />The next day, I came with a metal riff, we started working on some parts and half of the song was done in like under 30 minutes. I guess it's really that simple when your band mates are good frends of yours. We connect and the creative juices flow.<br /><br />I'll keep you updated on our band and as soon as we have a myspace account with some demos, I'll juice ya' up.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-48542843582196746512009-10-09T02:51:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:13:13.911-07:00Hey.How's it going with you all? I hope It's good.<br /><br />It's been going great for me and the band. We tried to get a gig at a bar in our home town (very little town) but we didn't manage to. Even so, we did meet some people and in 1-2 weeks we are going to meet a bar owner in a bigger city, next to ours. Some gigs there would rock :D<br /><br />I'll be busy for some time now. We're working on our show-list but I'll make time to post on the blog too. Until then, cya.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-15495399580503303432009-09-26T00:11:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:14:03.222-07:00Tip of the day # 8So, you think you sound great? Well, you just might =) But just to be sure, record yourself.<br />I once heard a quote that went like this: "Recording is life's way of telling you that you suck." :P<br /><br />So when you want to improve your playing, record yourself. If you are a beginner, you might have some unpleasant surprises but you'll improve. Strum some chords with some hand patterns. If you are more advanced and you already mastered some chords, try improvising on a backtrack. Then you'll hear how you sound.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-21410813660819991492009-09-16T04:52:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:14:19.704-07:00Tip of the day # 7Take breaks.<br /><br />You're with the band, practicing. You work and work and then you get tired. If you're like me, you think "Dude, we gotta keep practicing! Go Go!". This is ok, but the problem is that after a while, you get tired.<br /><br />If you see the band is getting tired, stop for a few minutes, have a drink, watch a movie or have a drink. What we do is, when he are having a break, we just lie down on the floor of the rehearsal room, between all the cigarette buds and the empty vodka bottles and we watch an episode of "<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000022TSW?ie=UTF8&tag=httpsoulfulgb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000022TSW">South Park</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=httpsoulfulgb-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000022TSW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></span>" or whatever. We start telling jokes 'n stuff. Then after like a half an hour, we get up and continue practicing.<br /><br />That's the spirit!Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-56439151267613124602009-09-08T05:50:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:14:36.321-07:00Tip of the day # 6Experiment with different effects. Go to your local store or visit some online ones and check out some pedals or some multi-effect processors.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-28616775812593820072009-09-03T05:40:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:15:05.685-07:00Tip of the day # 5Practice clean and loud. That's right. At least in the beginning, when you need to learn how each notes sound like (don't worry, you won't actually have to learn em. they'll stick after some time). By practicing with a clean sound (no distortion, wah-wah, etc), you develop your ear. That way you'll become a better musician. Start adding effects later on.<br /><br />If you wanna do a practice jam, of course you can use effects but if you practice scales and chords, use clean.<br /><br />Play it loud. Because if you practice hard enough, odds are you'll be in a band and you're gonna play live. That means loud music. Get your ears accomodated with loud music (if it's not already after all those years of listening to music :P)<br /><br />Hope I'll hear from you guys. Some comments would be nice :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-46826656030509982972009-09-02T11:03:00.001-07:002009-10-28T03:15:27.470-07:00Impressions on the new theme<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>What do you guys think about this new theme? :DGuitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-42082221744575292502009-09-02T09:35:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:15:39.126-07:00The blog will suffer some changesI've changed the blog's look several times today and I'm still not happy. So I'm trying this new one, wich should hit the spot :)Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-79459161432252959832009-09-02T04:18:00.000-07:002009-10-28T03:15:50.645-07:00Tip of the day # 4Clean your strings after you are done playing. Just take a dry napkin or something and run it over the strings. When you play, moisture gets on the string, from your skin. That make the strings go rusty faster and will shorten their life. And usually when a string breaks, you are playing live :) Try to avoid that.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746299415481292320.post-37604909352638348902009-08-26T09:35:00.001-07:002009-10-28T03:16:07.798-07:00Tip of the day # 3Always have your guitar in tune. No matter if you are practicing in your living room, with a band, or whatever, always have a tuner at hand. Especially when you are learning guitar. It's important that you memorise the sounds properly.<br /><br />Keep a tuner with you, when you feel that your guitar is out of tune, check it. You just might be right. Even so, check it every 10 mins or so. Especially if you do alot of bends.Guitar Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980752037213753042noreply@blogger.com11