Learn Guitar Online, Carlos Santana - 5 Tips For Electric Latin Guitar Soloing

Anyone who has tried to play lead guitar in the style of Carlos Santana will know how difficult it is to duplicate. I am not referring to copying a Santana solo from a TAB sheet, we're talking about understanding how Carlos creates his powerful solos.

Santana's powerful solos are a blend of interesting harmonic textures mixed with traditional earthy scales. Of course, there's a lot more to Carlos Santana's music than scales and chords, Carlos is a very definite guitarist, every note he plays is packed with energy and emotion.

ELECTRIC

Guitarist's trying to learn Santana's guitar solos often encounter notes and chords outside the standard guitar resource material of minor pentatonic scale plus power chord combination.

Here's 5 tips to help guitarist's grasp the concepts behind Santana's music.

1. Learn the Harmonic Minor scale .

Guitarist's who already know the natural minor scale can easily create the Harmonic minor scale by sharpening the seventh note of the natural minor scale.

Let's use the "A" natural minor scale as an example.

The notes in the "A" natural minor are as follows: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.

By sharpening the G we create the "A" harmonic minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A.

The natural minor scale is also known as the Aeolian mode.

2. Study chords produced from the Harmonic minor scale.

As the name implies the Harmonic minor scale produces as interesting family of rich sounding chords.

The following chords are created from the "A" harmonic minor scale.

chord 1 = A minor (#7), chord 2 = B minor 7th flat 5, chord 3 = C major 7th sharp 5, chord 4 = D minor 7th, chord 5 = E dominant 7th, chord 6 = F major 7th, chord 7 = G sharp diminished 7th.

The "A" minor (#7) chord is also known as a minor/major seventh chord e.g., Am (MAJ7).

The B minor 7th flat 5 chord is also known as a B half diminished chord.

3. Play the standard Harmonic minor chord progressions.

The most common chord progressions are the 2-5-1, 1-4-5, 1-6-2-5, 1-6-4-5 and 1-6-5 progressions.

The following examples are given in the key of A harmonic minor, notice how the preference is for a straight minor chord for chord one instead of a minor sharpened seventh.

2-5-1 = B minor seventh flat 5, E dominant seventh, A minor./ 1-4-5 = A minor, D minor seventh, E dominant seventh. /1-6-2-5 = A minor, F major seventh, B minor seventh flat 5, E dominant
seventh. / 1-6-4-5 = A minor, F major seventh, D minor seventh,E dominant seventh. / 1-6-5 = A minor, F major seventh, E dominant seventh.

4. Blues scale played over Harmonic minor chord progressions:

Obviously the harmonic minor scale will work well over the chord progressions created from that scale. Santana often plays the blues scale over the harmonic minor chord progressions.

Here is an example, the "A" blues scale consisting of the notes A,C,D,Eb,E,G can be played over a B minor seventh flat 5, E dominant seventh and A minor chords progression.

5. Let to play the Dorian Mode:

A number of popular Santana tunes are based on the Dorian mode. The song "Evil Ways" is in "G" Dorian the notes for G Dorian are: G,A,Bb,C,D,E,F,G. Whilst the tune "Black Magic Woman" is derived
from the "D" Dorian mode: D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D.

Learning new scales and chords can be very interesting, it is vitally important to be able to "hear" these new sounds, record the chord progressions and pay close attention to how each chord sounds so you can recognize them when you hear them new time.

The Santana style of playing can add a new dimension to your guitar playing and improve your ability to play guitar by ear, take your time and enjoy these interesting sounds.

Learn Guitar Online, Carlos Santana - 5 Tips For Electric Latin Guitar Soloing

ELECTRIC

Guitar Guide: How to Play Electric Guitar for Beginners

For many guitarists, they prefer the electric guitar because it offers lots of versatility over a conventional acoustic guitar, giving it the ability to be played across all types of genres. The versatility of guitar is owed to its electronic way of reproducing sound that which allows it to give off thick distorted sounds often heard in most rock and metal music, and crisp but sweet-sounding effects often hear in many blues tunes. That's why when learning how to play blues guitar, the electric guitar is almost always the instrument of choice by many.

There are certain ways to play the electric guitar. For some, the surest way to learn how to play the guitar is by first choosing the genre to begin with, choosing between video or an actual tutor and by modeling the guitar playing style after a famous guitar player.

ELECTRIC

Choosing the genre to begin with

In many cases, famous guitar players learned the art of playing the guitar because they were influenced by their favorite artist or band. Many of today's metal guitarists, for example, decided they wanted to play the guitar because they were influenced by Black Sabbath or by Metallica's Kirk Hammet. Other chose to learn how to play blues guitar because they were deeply influenced by B.B. King or by Eric Clapton. It's almost always easy to learn the guitar by first determining which genre you are most influenced by.

Choosing between an actual tutor or a video tutorial

Not all beginners can afford the costs of an actual tutor. Fortunately, there are lots of affordable video tutorials on learning how to play the electric guitar, available either on DVD or via the internet. The beauty of learning from videos is the flexibility it offers so you can learn at your own pace. On the other hand, the great thing about learning with a tutor is the personalized way that the tutor is presenting the lessons so that no matter what learning style you need, the tutor can instantly adapt.

Modeling

Perhaps one of the best and surest ways to learn electric guitar playing is by picking an electric guitarist to model your playing after. If you wish to play neo classical guitar, you can choose to learn from Yngwie Malmsteen's style. If you wish to play grunge, you can choose to model your playing after Kurt Cobain or Noel Gallagher's styles.

Learning how to play electric guitar for beginners is easy if you just follow these steps and commit to learning in consistent way. By following these tips you will find that learning to play the guitar is not only enjoyable, but also easy.

Guitar Guide: How to Play Electric Guitar for Beginners

ELECTRIC

Beginner Electric Guitar Lessons - The Basics of the Fretboard and Scales

It has always been hard to locate a good guitar teacher, which is why finding good beginner electric guitar lessons is a task. Thanks to the internet it has become a lot easier to find quality lessons at a reasonable price.

This article will introduce you to some basics that you need to start playing the electric guitar correctly. If you're serious about learning how to play you need learn and practice scales.

ELECTRIC

You can identify scales as a group of notes that are used to generate different chords, songs, and melodies. This group of notes normally has 7 notes and the first note in the group is known as the root note. The first note called the "Root" note is known as the C major scale. The C Major scale has a much different sound than it's Minor scale counterpart. In order to create this scale you must go 2frets, 2frets, 1fret, 2frets, 2frets, 2frets, 1fret. For most people it's a lot easier to memorize the fretboard than it is to memorize just a scale. Once you begin understanding notes you will not limit yourself to just scales and you will have a lot more freedom when it comes to soloing. Here is a quick example of the C Major:

e-------------------------5-7-8---------------------
B-------------------5-6-8---------------------------
G-----------2-4-5-7---------------------------------
D-----2-3-5-----------------------------------------
A-3-5-----------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------

As soon as you begin to understand the fretboard you'll have the ability to play any kind of scale, note, or song. The electric guitar has 6 strings and 20 frets for every string. The standard tuning for these strings are E, B, G, D, A, E. Every guitar fretboard usually has metal discs or strips inside them at specific frets to help you finding the right fret. You can find these fret markers on the third, fifth, seventh, ninth, twelfth, fourteenth frets, and sometimes higher.

The most important scales you should memorize on the guitar fretboard include the pentatonic major, pentatonic minor, harmonic minor, natural minor, and the major. You should place your hand on the fretboard so your index finger rests on the fret corresponding to the root note of your scale. The finger pattern for the natural minor scale is 1,3, 4, 1, 3, 4, 1, 3.

The harmonic minor scale is similar except the 7th interval is a half step higher. You should utilize the fingering position 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 3, 2, 4, 2 when you want to play a pentatonic major scale over two octaves. To play the pentatonic minor scale play 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 4, 1.

Lastly I want to discuss playing power chords. Simply begin with your index finger on the root note to play a power chord. Now put your third finger on the following highest string, two frets down.

When it comes to playing the electric guitar the right way you need to learn your scales and the fretboard. There are many other beginner guitar lessons online that will teach you a lot more, but these fundamentals will start you off in the right direction.

Beginner Electric Guitar Lessons - The Basics of the Fretboard and Scales

ELECTRIC

Tips on How to Restring Your Electric Guitar: A Guide

Restringing your guitar is really easy, but many guitarists still don't know the proper technique for restringing a guitar. Here's my guide on how to restring a guitar properly. After you read my guide, I'll give you a few tips that I learned through experience that you'll never hear from anyone else.

electric scooter

Here's what we'll need to begin the restringing process:
New Strings - I prefer nickel plated steel strings, as they last longer and stay brighter than other string types. Wire Cutters - You'll need these to cut off the extra length of string. Tuner - You'll need this to tune your new strings up.

ELECTRIC

Now that you have those, let's get ready to restring your electric guitar.

Step #1 - Take off your old strings.

For now, only remove the low E string, if you have a string winder, this is where it will come in handy. You need to turn the tuning peg enough that the string can be unwound off of the tuning mechanism. Once you have removed the string from the tuning peg, you'll need to feed the string back out of the bridge and pull it out of the guitar.

Step #2 - Insert the new string into the bridge of your electric guitar.

Once you've opened the new pack of strings, take the low E string and insert it through the bridge and feed it back up. Make sure that you have pulled the string as far through as it can go.

Step #3 - Set the string inside of the nut and wrap it around the tuner.

Set the string in the nut, and rotate the tuning peg so that the hole is parallel with the nut. Wrap the string around the peg 2-3 times below the hole, and insert the string through the hole.

(Note, if your guitar has tuning trees like the Fender Standard Stratocaster, you'll need to run the string underneath of the tree before you wrap the string around the peg.)

Step #4 - Tighten up your new string.

While pulling the extra length to keep the strings wrapped tightly, turn the tuning peg as many times as it needs for the string to be tight enough to make a sound.

Step #5 - Tune up your string.

Tune your string up to the desired note. When you first install new strings, the guitar will not stay in tune for very long, so just keep tuning the guitar up to the note and eventually the strings will be stretched enough to stay in tune properly.

Step #6 - Change the rest of your strings

Now that you have done the low E string, you need to alternate across the fretboard so the tension of the guitar neck doesn't get screwed up. Here's the correct order in which to change them.

1. low E

2. High E

3. A

4. B

5. D

6. G

I've taught you all the basics, here's a few tips that I learned over time through experience that will help you out greatly:

Tip #1 - Make sure that you are wrapping the string around the peg a few times. I really mean it, this will make sure your string doesn't slip when you tune or bend the string.

Tip #2 - Stretch your strings out every time that you put new ones on. Pull the string away from the neck and bend it left to right. This will make the guitar stay in tune better.

Tip #3 - Always alternate which one you change. If you don't you could risk damaging your neck and throwing off the tension of it. This will cause you to have buzzing, or it could cause you to go out of tune a lot.

If you've installed new strings and did all of the things that I told you to do properly, then it could be time to replace your guitar. I had this problem last year and I decided on getting a new one. You can see the guitar that I chose below in the review box.

Tips on How to Restring Your Electric Guitar: A Guide

ELECTRIC

The Early Design of the Electric Guitar

Originally guitars were all acoustic, and the volume achievable by such guitars was quite enough for the environments in which they were played. However, as music developed and the locations in which it performed grew larger, and with the introduction of accompanying instruments, it became necessary to increase the volume and sound of the guitar. Especially with jazz gaining in popularity, the brass instruments would simply drown out the guitar, and so solutions had to be found.

electric bicycle

It was Les Paul, a major innovator in the world of guitars, experimented with attaching microphones to guitars, and this led to some of the earliest electric guitars, although these were generally simply hollow acoustic guitars with tungsten pickups. In 1931 these were being manufactured by the Electro String Instrument Corporation, and the design of an acoustic guitar with a hollow body and a tungsten pickup was devised by Harry Watson, and this model was called the Rickenbacker. This was officially the very first electric guitar, although still a very long way off the ones we see today. Although they were used, and popular, straight away, the first documented record of an early electric guitar being used in a public performance was in Kansas in 1932, when Gage Brewer helped to publicise this new type of guitar in a special Halloween performance.

ELECTRIC

The first recording of an electric guitar is often attributed to Eddie Durham, but in fact this is incorrect, and fifteen days earlier George Barnes, a jazz guitarist, recorded Sweetheart Land and It's a Low-Down Dirty Shame in Chicago in 1938. It was Durham, however, who introduced the early electric guitar to Charlie Christian, who became one of the most significant influences for many decades on electric guitars in jazz music.

The electric guitar we know and recognise today usually has a solid body, although not always. The solid body electric guitar is made of wood - often a single piece where possible. The earliest solid body electric guitar was not made of wood however, and was in fact made of cast aluminium, with steel strings. This was officially named the Rickenbacker, but was more commonly referred to as the Frying Pan or Pancake Guitar for obvious reasons. The sound of this guitar was quite aggressive, with a very modern feel to its voice.

In the 1940s Les Paul was still developing ideas for the electric guitar, and in his own time he created the log guitar, which derived its name from the fact that it was constructed from a simple 4x4 wooden post, with a neck attached to one end. The pickups were home made, and there were two halves of the body attached purely for appearance sake. This guitar was patented, and was the first of its kind, although the Gibson Electric Guitar designed later by Les Paul shares no characteristics at all, and it seems to have been a one off.

The next major development in the world of the electric guitar was in the mid 1940s when Richard D Bourgerie, who was employed making electrical equipment during the second World War for the US military at the Howard Radio Company, created an electric guitar pickup and amplifier combination for George Barnes. Barnes in turn showed this new design to Les Paul who requested another be constructed for himself.

Today there seem to be as many different makes and models of electric guitar as there are players, and if you are entering the world of the electric guitar yourself for the first time, you may be slightly taken aback by the sheer range of options, features and designs available. Essentially, however, they all share more or less the same basic features, with a body that is either solid or hollow, usually six steel strings, and perhaps the biggest and most significant choice, the pickup. Depending upon the type of pickup, the guitar may well sound quite different, and this is perhaps the one place to look most carefully.

The Early Design of the Electric Guitar

ELECTRIC

The Difference Between Acoustic And Electric Guitar

Choosing the right guitar for you can be quite an ordeal. You want it to look cool hanging from around your neck, but you also want it to be comfortable and unique. You see the many different types on television and that makes it even more difficult to decide. The first decision that you have to make is between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. Knowing a few things about both might help you to make and informed and educated decision.

electric fireplace

The difference between an acoustic and an electric guitar is simply amplification. An electric one needs an amplifier, but they are much easier to play. The electric instrument will cost more because you will have to purchase a good amp, and they both cost quite a bit of money. The acoustic instrument is more limited in shape and size because both shape and size make a difference on the sound that comes from the guitar.

ELECTRIC

Therefore, you do get more of a selection when you choose an electric one. Although the electric guitar is easier to learn on, there are obviously limited types of music that you can play with it. So, if you learn with an acoustic one, you might find yourself a better musician in the long run.

An acoustic guitar does have choices as well. You can get a steel string or a nylon string guitar. A nylon string guitar is good for playing music styles such as classical, flamenco, and folk. The reason for the particular styles is that the nylon string produces a more tranquil sound.

The steel string guitars are louder and you find that they gravitate more towards rock, country, and any other style that requires a louder, more crisp sound. The steel string is played with a pick while the nylon is almost always played with fingers.

Deciding between an electric and an acoustic instrument can be a moot point due to the option of buying a blended guitar. This type of guitar combines the ease of learning generally associated with an electric instrument and the rich sound of an acoustic guitar.

The design and style of the blended guitars are also a combination of both kinds of guitars in that the body is similar to an acoustic instrument while the neck generally resembles the electric instrument style. Unfortunately, though, the blended guitar sounds much better when used with an amplifier rather than by itself.

One thing that is never a good idea is to bite off more than you can chew. You should master whatever you feel the most comfortable with first. For example, many people fall in love with the sound of a twelve-string guitar. This instrument is known for a rich sound that resembles two guitars playing at once. However, the twelve-string guitar would be frustrating and infinitely harder to learn before mastering a simpler six string guitar.

You should also pay close attention to your own person preferences. If you want to be a rock star, and you love Aerosmith, looking for a huge acoustic guitar would not be the wisest decision because you will hate learning to play. The same rule applies for the next James Taylor; don't invest in an expensive amplifier if it is just not your style.

The Difference Between Acoustic And Electric Guitar

ELECTRIC

Popular Electric Guitar Brands and Their History

If you have any interest in playing rock and roll at all, the one thing that has become absolutely required for the position of rock and roll star is the electric guitar. These are the instruments that drive the sound, the look, and most of the attitude that define rock music. As a result, there are many popular electric guitar brands to consider.

electric guitar

While the electric guitar certainly existed in the early days of jazz, it remained merely an instrument in the rhythm section for the most part. A few artists stepped out with their stylings, Scotty Moore being a good example, but not too many. Amplification was an attempt to compete with the blaring horn sections, and the instrument remained rather low key.

ELECTRIC

Then along came the serious application of electricity to strings, and rock and roll began its crawl to dominance in the worlds of popular music. As far as popularity goes, there are two brands that still stand "necks and frets" above all the rest, and are what the rest aspire to be like. These are Gibson and Fender, respectively.

It was the great Les Paul who pioneered the solid body electric guitar that we all know and love today. The problem was that the amplification of a hollow bodied version led to unwanted feedback and poor tone problems. Paul reasoned that by eliminating the hollow body design that he could create a wholly electric sound. He was proven absolutely correct, and the Gibson Les Paul that bears his name is the highest in rock guitar royalty.

Running a close second are Fender guitars. Following up on the solid body designs, Leo Fender began his own line of guitars with great success. They differ considerably from Gibsons due to their unique, and somewhat thinner, tone, but many players have elevated them into the upper echelons of the rock hierarchy. Two of the most notable Fender players are Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.

After the rock revolution was accomplished it was a good time for others to enter the competition. Some brands have had tremendous success in their own right, largely due to their unique tones and construction styles. Rickenbacker made some great jangly guitars and were employed by such great bands as the Beatles and the Byrds. Gretsch makes fine instruments that have always found favor with the country music set.

As things progressed guitars became a bit more aggressive, with some good sounds being produced by some truly outlandish designs. BC Rich was a pioneer in flashy axes, and remains popular as a result. ESP is a market favorite, as are Kramer and Charvel. These later guitars are also valued for being affordable, while the Gibsons and Fenders can be prohibitively expensive.

Popular electric guitar brands have become so for very good reasons. One, they had a unique sound that was all their own, and that sound is still very good to the average listener. Second, they looked great, and all of rock and roll is about image as much as anything else. And the newer models can provide these same traits without costing nearly as dearly. For anyone who wants to rock, you will never go wrong with a good guitar.

Popular Electric Guitar Brands and Their History

ELECTRIC

Electric Guitar Technology 101

It is a curious paradox of the music industry: guitarists, particularly rock guitarists, are often thought of as trendsetters when it comes to fashion and culture; but when it comes to their instruments, they are notoriously conservative. Innovations such as active electronics, guitar synthesizers and Steinberger's intrepid steps into the field of headless instruments in the 80's have failed to make much of a dent in the market. Gibson and Fender continue to dominate the electric guitar market much as they did in the 1950's and 60's. Even with the entry of new competitors into the market over the years such as Ibanez, Paul Reed Smith and Charvel/Jackson, the electric guitar has remained essentially unchanged with one to three magnetic pickups and a mess of wires connecting them to the controls. But things may be about to change!

electric scooter

In the last couple of years a few innovations have come along that have totally turned conventional wisdom - or at least conventional guitar electronics on its head. The first is the nylon string solid body electric guitar. I first saw one of these in the hands of metal ace Yngwie Malmsteen and was blown away by the sound. For any artist who is trying to incorporate elements of classical guitar in his or her repertoire, this instrument provides the mellow classical tone of a nylon stringed guitar with the comfortable feel and action of a traditional solid body axe. This has been made possible through the tremendous advances made in recent years in the field of Piezo pickup technology. Without going into too much technical detail, the Piezo differs from a traditional magnetic pickup in that the Piezo element vibrates with the string, sending an electrical signal of that vibration to a preamp within the guitar for processing, rather than capturing an electromagnetic representation of that vibration which can then be sent directly to an amplifier, or to an onboard preamp if further shaping of the signal is desired. The Piezo eliminates the need for steel strings, which would otherwise interact with the magnetic pickup, and also produces more satisfactory results for players with a lighter fingerstyle technique. Lest you think this is just another passing fancy, Parker has produced a nylon string version of their famous "Fly" model and another up-and-comer, Sadowski Guitars, is producing a Telecaster style model employing the same technology.

ELECTRIC

Another intriguing development is in the area of computer-guitar interface. This has been long time coming, and if you consider the explosion in the popularity of digital recording with Pro Tools and similar software, it's surprising it took as long as it did. Far and away, the leader in this field is Line 6's Variax model. Now, I will be the first person to admit that I know just enough about computer technology to be dangerous, but I'll try to tell you what I know from what I've read and from friends and acquaintances who have played the Variax. I should also state that I am in no way affiliated with Line 6 or any of their subsidiaries or partners. The Variax is, according to the Line 6 brochure a "digital modeling" guitar that allows the musician to switch between a huge array of potential sounds on one instrument. The sounds of a 12-string acoustic, Fender Stratocaster style single coils, Les Paul humbuckers, banjo, chimes and dozens of others are all available at the flick of a switch. The best part about it is that all of these tonal variations are available completely hum free. For the working musician, this means not having to lug around five to seven separate guitars to provide him with the all of the sounds he requires. The true test, however, is hearing one of these fine instruments in action, so if you'd like to check one out, a list of authorized dealers is available from the Line 6 website. At an MSRP of around 00 for the mid-line Variax 600 - it's also available in the 300 and 700 - it's not cheap, but for the professional or amateur with money to burn, it may be a worthwhile investment.

There is so much more to be developed in the near future with the improvements in computer technology and miniaturization. Whole racks of effects can now be had in a box the size of a cigarette packet. This is certainly a boon for the musician in terms of both price and the effort necessary to move the equipment. I foresee a day when an entire guitarist rig, with the exception of the instrument itself will be contained within the body of the guitar itself. And while that may not be a comfort to the guitarist who finds himself at home amongst his racks of effects processors, time waits for no man, and he will eventually find himself at a crossroads in musical instrument development, much as those men did back in 1930's and 40's when the acoustic guitar was forced to make way for the first electric guitars.

Electric Guitar Technology 101

ELECTRIC

Children's Electric Guitars - Choosing an Electric Guitar For Your Child

Invented to louden and liven up the jazz music scene in the early 1930's, electric guitars have since been making music across most genres including blues, rock and roll, rockabilly, country and even some contemporary classical music! While traditionally electric guitars are built with six strings, guitars with seven strings and even twelve strings are used within various musical genres to increase the artists' options for creative contribution to the music being written and performed.

electric grill

Since electric guitars are not dependent upon the sound resonance of a hollow body like their acoustic counterparts, most are engineered with solid bodies using pickups to electromagnetically amplify the sound. The vibration of the steel-cored strings on the electric guitar are converted by the pickups into an electrical current, which is then amplified, producing much greater and much more controllable volume. The sound that comes from an electric guitar can also be altered in a variety of creative ways using electrical effects such as reverb, phlange, and other types of distortion - and now we're getting closer to the heart of why jammers of all ages can enjoy learning to play the electric guitar...even kids!

ELECTRIC

Seriously, don't you remember those wonderful days of being young and naïve? Turning up the radio real loud and playing that rockstar "air guitar" in front of the mirror to those great songs that still take you back today? We all had bands and musicians we idolized and dreamed about being like. Well, buying your child an electric guitar early can get them started on that road trip to a whole lot of fun...and maybe even a little fame and fortune along the way, too!

Though there are a few practical points to consider, buying an electric guitar need not be a complicated or burdensome transaction. In fact, with just a few helpful hints, purchasing your son or daughter's first six-string can be one of those memory-making special events that your entire family can enjoy!

The most important concern when buying a guitar for your child is size. On one hand, if the guitar is too big your little performer, then he won't be comfortable performing. On the other hand, if the guitar is too small than they may run the risk of outgrowing the guitar too quickly. That's why a quick jaunt through a few guitar guidelines should save you a whole lot of headache and hassle in the long run.

It is advised to avoid buying a full-sized guitar for any children under the age of 10, but rather it is best to buy a smaller-sized guitar which is usually referred to by vendors as a ½ size or ¾ size electric guitar. These undersized guitars are built with a shorter scale and thinner neck that's much more are customized to be held by smaller hands. This size electric guitar will also be very helpful for enabling your child to develop the necessary picking, strumming, and chording skills much more quickly without compromising on quality.

Children's Electric Guitars - Choosing an Electric Guitar For Your Child

ELECTRIC

Electric Guitar Chords - Secrets to Playing Rhythm Guitar Revealed

Playing chords on your electric guitar is quite different from an acoustic, especially when using distortion. To get the best sound out of your distorted guitar it is best to substitute standard open electric guitar chords with bar chords, power chords and simple triads. The aim of this article is to discuss the different electric guitar chords that sound really cool with distortion.

electric bike

The first electric guitar chords you should use with distortion are bar chords. A bar chord gets it name due to the fact that the first finger will lay across the fret board covering all of the strings. To make a simple bar chord first look at how you would play an open E major chord. Now move that same fingering for an E major chord up the neck one fret and use your index finger to bar all the strings on the first fret. The advantage of using bar chords is that you can easily move this same pattern up and down the neck. Bar chords sound great on an electric guitar because you can easily keep any unwanted strings from ringing and causing feedback.

ELECTRIC

Some more electric guitar chords you may find useful are power chords. Power chords are made up of just two notes. Usually the a root note and a fifth. If you are a fan of Metallica then you will love power chords. Almost all of their earlier songs are played using these electric guitar chords. An example of a power chord would be to play the 6th string 5th fret and the 5th string 7th fret together at the same time. These two notes make up an A5 power chord. This same pattern can be moved anywhere on the neck. Try it you'll see what I mean.

Lastly, you can play triads, or three note electric guitar chords. Triads can be made up of the root, third and fifth, however many guitar players like to omit the fifth and use the seventh chord tone because it generally gives a more unique sound. A good example of a band who utilizes a lot of triads in their electric guitar chords is Opeth.

All three of the electric guitar chords above sound great with heavy or light amounts of distortion. Bar chords help stifle unwanted feed back and noise while power chords and triads are simple chords shapes that have a clean crisp presence. The electric guitar can be a completely different monster than the acoustic so take advantage of the electric guitar chords mentioned above to make up your own brutal riffs.

Electric Guitar Chords - Secrets to Playing Rhythm Guitar Revealed

ELECTRIC

The Best Electric Guitar Strings Period!

Changing electric guitar strings is not a hard thing to do, but deciding which kinds of strings to buy can be more confusing than you might think. Over the years I have been asked by several students "what are the best electric guitar strings?" That can be a difficult question to answer because obviously different players have different preferences. Some just stick with what they have been playing with from the beginning and some might experiment until they find a string they like. Below I will tell you what I believe to be the best electric guitar strings and the reasons why I feel that way.

electric toothbrushes

The best electric guitar strings in my opinion are GHS boomers. There is three major reasons that I have settled on them as my favorite. First of all they seem to stay in tune a lot longer than other strings I have tried. This is very important to me because many of my guitars have floating bridges. Many of the strings I have used in the past have gone out of tune on me when the whammy bar was being used heavily. No matter whether I drop tune, bend, stretch or dive the strings they rarely ever lose their pitch.

ELECTRIC

The second important factor that led me to name GHS the best electric guitar strings is their durability. Before I started using boomers I had primarily been using either Ernie Ball super slinky's and DR's. The problem was that I was breaking them all the time. Even the heavier strings would break occasionally. Maybe I was playing a little rough, but nevertheless I needed a string that could handle the abuse. The first time I used GHS I couldn't believe that I hadn't broken a string yet.

I usually change strings on a weekly or biweekly schedule depending on how much I have been playing. So I decided to leave them on for a full month to see if they would break. When they didn't break I knew they were going to be my new secret weapon.

The last thing I love about GHS boomers is they don't loose their bright new sound. If you have ever just changed one string and left the other old ones on you almost always notice how the new string just seems to sound a lot brighter then the others. All new strings have this quality no matter what brand, but some just keep their tone and sustain longer that others. The boomers definitely live up to this challenge. There's nothing like the sound of a new set of strings that you put on two weeks ago. : - )

So there you have it. The best electric guitar strings in my opinion and why I think they're so great. I encourage you to try them for yourself, but don't just settle on them because I like them. Experiment with other brands so then you'll know why they really are the best electric guitar strings.

The Best Electric Guitar Strings Period!

ELECTRIC

A Brief History Of The Electric Guitar

The Electric guitar hasn't been around nearly as long as the Acoustic and Classical guitars. In fact, the Electric guitar was created just 70 years ago (the 1930s) by Adolph Rickenbacker. Since that time, the Electric guitar has greatly evolved to the where it is today. In this article, we'll go over the history of the Electric guitar.

electric bicycle

The History

ELECTRIC

Guitars, or similar instruments, have been around for thousands of years. The Electric guitar was first manufactured in the 1930s by Rickenbacker. Original Electric guitars used tungsten pickups. Pickups basically convert the vibration of the strings into electrical current, which is then fed into the amplifier to produce the sound.

The very earliest Electric guitars featured smaller soundholes in the body. These guitars are known as semi-hollow body Electric guitars and still are somewhat popular today, mainly due to the fact that they are flexible guitars.

However, with the use of pickups, it was possible to create guitars without soundholes (like the Acoustic and Classical guitars have) that still had the ability to be heard, if plugged into amplifiers. These guitars are called solid body Electric guitars.

The Electric guitar's popularity began to increase during the Big Band era of the '30s and 40s. Due to the loudness of the brass sections in jazz orchestras, it was necessary to have guitars that could be heard above the sections. Electric guitars, with the ability to be plugged into amplifiers, filled this void.

The Electric guitar that is most prevalent today is the solid body Electric guitar. The solid body guitar was created by musician and inventor Les Paul in 1941. It is a guitar made of solid wood with no soundholes. The original solid body guitar created by Paul was very plain--it was a simple rectangular block of wood connected to a neck with six steel strings. Les Paul's original solid body guitar shape has, of course, changed from the original rectangular shape to the more rounded shape Les Paul guitars have today.

During the 1950s, Gibson introduced Les Paul's invention to the world. The Gibson Les Paul, as it was and still is called, quickly became a very popular Electric guitar. It has remained the most popular guitar for 50 years.

Around the same period of time, another inventor named Leo Fender came up with a solid body Electric guitar of his own. In the late 1940s, Fender introduced the Fender Broadcaster Electric guitar. The Broadcaster, which was renamed the Stratocaster, was officially introduced to the public in 1954. The Strat, as it is now known, was a very different guitar in comparison to the Les Paul. It had a different shape, different hardware and was significantly lighter. Fender's Stratocaster Electric guitar is the second most popular guitar in the world, second to only the Les Paul.

Over the years, other companies, such as Ibanez, Jackson, Paul Reed Smith, ESP and Yamaha have all produced solid body Electric guitars of their own. However, most Electric guitars still feature the familiar shape of a Les Paul or Strat guitar.

A Brief History Of The Electric Guitar

ELECTRIC