viernes, 25 de marzo de 2011

Learn the Basics with Guitar Classes

Every now and then people see things in a complicated way. I know sometimes I do. But to get guitar classes doesn’t need to be complicated. First things first, you have to get a guitar and then you need a jamorama review. That´s how simple this needs to be.

Well, playing guitar can be a very fun moment or your life if you seriously want to play it. At first, it is normal to get frustrated a bit and to believe that the guitar is complicated, but the truth is that it isn’t.

The “tools” you should have to begin learning guitar are: a great guitar, a pick (probably more than one, for some supernatural reason they tend to mysteriously go away) a pc with access to the internet (you already have it if you are reading this), about an hour a day to practice and the desire to learn.

The first thing you need to know is the chords. It will probably be difficult the first couple of days, but normally after a few days practicing for at least one hour a day you will feel the difference. The guitar will begin to feel better and your fingertips will begin to be stronger.

After knowing to play the major and minor chords, the moment has come to start playing songs. You should have one or two in your list; you just have to make sure to pick easy songs. Do not attempt to start with a difficult song that will only lead you to get bored, if you do this, you will probably start to lose desire in mastering the guitar.

After you know how to play a couple of songs, the next step is to practice finger exercises such as a minor pentatonic scale or any other exercise. To get your fingers to move quicker, practice with these exercises and you will feel the how they work in a couple of weeks. Remember, the secret is to play every day.
Now is the moment to become serious.

After you have learned all that you are going to able to play songs and your fingers will feel comfortable on the strings. This will not happen fast, it usually takes about four months to learn the basics.

Now, a great thing you can do is learning how to read tabs. Reading tabs is not difficult at all, in fact, many players, a lot of good musicians never actually get to learn to read music, they don´t think is necessary. Now, I´m not saying that you should not learn how to read music; but at first you could improve your skills a lot just by mastering how to read tabs.

Also, finding a guitar buddy is a very good idea. You can exchange tips and lessons that will make you learn guitar faster.

Excited? You should be. Scared? Not at all, playing guitar is easy. The difference between an average guitarist and a master on the guitar is consistency. To play guitar is not a destination, is a journey (that’s a phrase I like very much), you will always discover something new to learn; there are literally hundreds of lessons out there. The best thing you can do is getting a guitar learning softare to start playing right now. Remember to practice every day and have fun.



Jamorama - Learn Guitar

miércoles, 23 de marzo de 2011

Can I Learn Guitar Fast Online?

The answer to this question is actually very simple… it depends. To learn guitar fast, you have to work hard at first, but beyond that, you need to have fun with your guitar. The fact is that learning guitar is a continuous process, You will find everywere something different that you can learn, truth be told, learning guitar is not a destination, it’s a journey.

Also, to learn with a good learn guitar software, I would say that it may take up to four weeks if you practice every day. After learning the chords, the next step is to begin playing easy songs that do not need much effort from your side.

Let’s create a small time chart to give you a clue of how your learning process will be after you choose to take this path.
1 – 3 Months: in this small amount of time you are going to be able to dominate easy songs such as Knockin’ on Heaven’s Doors by Bob Dylan. Songs like the one mentioned do not require much knowledge; you only need to know the basic chords to practice it. You are off to a good start.

3 – 6 Months: In this stage of the chronogram, you´ll find yourself capable of playing more difficult songs; you will be able to do techniques like hammer-ons and pull-offs. At this point, you already feel very one with your guitar.

6 Months – 1 Year: when you get here you will practice songs that have some tricky riffs and notes. The rhythm guitar of Iron Maiden and Megadeth come to my head, that is because I’m a fan of them, but they do have some good songs to use your new skills.

1 – 2 Years: When you get here, you realize that your fingers are in great shape and it becomes easier to master a new song. Most musicians use similar notes and that helps you to know half a song before you start to play it.

2 – 3 Years: It is the time when you start to learn new techniques; for example, if you haven’t yet, you can start practicing the blues, or you could also begin to learn how to play jazz. In my opinion, I would rather learn Jazz, because you do learn a lot about improvisation. You can find videos about Tomo Fujita to get a better idea of how you could end up playing.

3 – 5 Years: To be practicing for this long… you are able to play just about any song you want. You will find yourself needed by other people to be in their band as the lead guitar. After learning guitar for five years, probably you are going to have over three guitars; an acoustic, an electric and an electro-acoustic. At this point, sky is the limit.

After that, you’llyou will find out that there is still a lot to be learned. As I said before, playing guitar is a never ending process. Of course, you need to practice many hours, you will not be able to play guitar overnight. In my opinion to achieve a nice level of guitar playing it could take about half a year. Then, the world is your Oyster.


Jamorama - Learn Guitar

Eight Powerful Tips to Help You Learn Guitar Fast

As you are probably extremely aware, making that first step is always the hardest step, and once or twice we need a little help. To learn guitar online is the same. You can see it this way, you have gotten on a car on your way to a job appointment, not just any job, the job of your dreams. You know you can do it, but after you get it, you don´t want to let it go, so you ask the people that has worked in this position in the past to find out how to do it.

Now that you have decided to learn guitar, it is time to think what the correct way to go is, and what the best method to follow is in your way of becoming a musician.

Advice number one: It is crucial having an hour a day to practice. Do not forget this, it is the key to learn how to play guitar. Just like learning how to drive, having a moment to practice guitar during the day is important when you are starting.

Advice number two: listen to music. Too hard, right? To be more specific, listen the songs you want to learn on the guitar. When the time comes for you to start playing your favourite songs, you are going to recognize when you make a mistake, plus, having the motivation of learning a song that you actually like playing will make it easier.

Advice number three: exercise your fingers. An example of a great exercise is after you have learned the chords, play them in order: C – D – E – F – G – A – B. Do this a couple of times to get used to the changes.

Advice number four: practice in your head. This sounds silly right? But yet it is true. Every time you imagine something in your head, your brain works as if you were indeed doing it. So, when you imagine yourself playing the chords on your guitar, you are actually practicing almost as much as if you had the guitar with you.

Tip number five: clean your guitar. Well, this is not exactly a tip that will improve your skills as a guitar player, but is more like common sense. A clean guitar is a happy guitar, and a happy guitar will keep you happy too.

Tip number six: work on your fingers strength. Don’t worry; you don’t have to go to a gym to achieve this. You can work on this by doing scales on your guitar or just by playing the chords correctly and holding your fingers still for a few seconds will do. You will feel the difference in a couple of days.

Tip number seven: practice with your eyes shut. This is excellent, as it can be tricky. Try playing changes from chord to chord first, then you can move to another exercise that you know. Your fingers will know what to do and you will play a lot faster.

Tip number eight: Look at other people. Having a role model to learn from is a smart thing to do, as long as it is to get motivation and inspiration only.

After you do that, don’t forget that the smart way to learn guitar is to practice every day. I strongly recommend you to get a guitar course online, or if you are able to join a music school, that’s a great idea too. The important thing is to put some effort into it.

Jamorama - Learn Guitar

sábado, 19 de marzo de 2011

Who is Your Favorite Guitar Player?


History has given us many great guitar players. Since my favourite kinda of music is Heavy Metal, I feel safe to say that one of my all time favourites is Kirk "The Reaper" Hammet. I've only had one chance to see him live, but I gotta tell you, this was a powerful and exciting experience. Guatemala was the place. Hopefully Metallica will come back to Central America soon

Is Slash better than Buckethead? Yes, in my opinion. Is it faster? probably not. I think that bucket head has a great technique, but It would probably sound better in a band like Stratovarious... or Dragonforce. For me, Slash has the perfect style for Guns 'n Roses. I also enjoyed Velvet Revolver... Too bad they broke up too. I just wish that Slash had not done that video with Paulina Rubio... that song sucks.

Then whe have Steve Vai.... I little bit too psychodelic for my taste but I have to recognize that as a guitar player I have never seen anyone like him before. Is prescence on stage leaves you wanting for more.

What about Iron Maiden? Dave Murray is a great guitaritst too... Live his speed goes up about 3 times. The energy this folks transmit to the crowd is excellent. Hopefully I'll be able to see them live before the Year ends...

I wish that in my country (El Salvador) had the same opportunities as many guitarists have in the U.S. I've been trying to google the best guitar players from El Salvador, and haven't been able to find a name.

I know a few, of course, but looks like they are only known here. There are good news for us salvadorean musicians. The drummer that plays for Morbid Angel is salvadorean... There are chances for us... we just have to fight for them

Who is YOUR role model?


Jamorama - Learn Guitar

viernes, 18 de marzo de 2011

Online Guitar Lessons – What To Expect From Them

There are normally two methods to learn the guitar, Online and Offline. Probably 10 or 15 years ago this was not the case. Back then it was necessary to look for a teacher willing to teach guitar or, we could have joined a music school, which is still a very good idea to learn the guitar if time and money are not an issue.

Now, if you choose to learn the guitar online, it is a fact that you are going to wonder what to expect from a video course. Well, in my opinion, this methods are very complete, yes, there is a variety of methods out there, and more than often there is not just one top program, but there are quite a few that can really teach you to play guitar.


You can expect, from these video courses, very specific and pretty good explanations about the technique you are learning. I.E., if you are learning a lesson about Tuning Up your guitar, the video will teach you very slowly how to do it, and it is goint to repeat, within the video, how to do it. And here comes the beauty of it, let’s say that you do not need to watch the explanation again, you simply move ahead and your tutor can’t get upset.

Another great thing that guitar lessons online give, is that you improve more quickly than if you go to a music institute, because your improvement will not depend on the slowest person in the class. The downside of it is that by not having a personal teacher, you won’t be able to ask a question and get an answer right away, however, almost all of these courses offer 24/7 support, to get a professional answer from an expert.


When learning the guitar with video lessons you not only determine what lessons to skip and what lessons to take over and over, based on the results you see. Now, the idea of having a method is to stick to it, but since you have to be self motivated, you are able to decide what lessons to do, this way, you will not get frustrated. That being said, that is in fact a common problem when starting to play guitar. Sometimes people try to move too quickly, that they get frustrated and quit.

Commonly this type of courses are divided in beginners, intermediate and advanced lessons; I do not know if all of them are like that, I have not tried them all yet, but, the ones I have had the opportunity to use are indeed a powerful tool to learn how to play and to improve my techniques.

So, you get very good explanations, friendly support, you get to learn at your own pace, and probably the best part for a lot of people, you do not need to move from your house to get them. I never get tired of saying this, it is really crucial to practice every day, especially when you begin to learn. Good luck and have a nice day.

jueves, 17 de marzo de 2011

Pro and Cons To Play Guitar Online

A good thing to do prior buying something is to ask people out there about it. To get guitar courses is no different. It is good to search online to find reviews about guitar methods, just like you are doing right now.

The guitar methods online have a lot of great qualities that help the amateur guitarist to start from zero, and we are about to see what the pro and cons are of getting video lessons. It is always a good idea to do a little research before taking a decision, that way we get a better idea of what to expect.

Click Here To Get The Best Guitar Lessons Online

Pros:

1. Saves a lot of money. Video Lessons online are a real money saver against hiring a personal tutor or going to a music school to get classes. It is true, the learning process is face to face in an academy or with a tutor, but the price is indeed more expensive.

2. Time saver. When you have the guitar lessons at your disposition in your laptop, it really saves a lot of time. For example, you do not need to wait around for the tutor to come to your house or if you are taking classes at a music institute, you don’t have to go anywhere.

3. You have the chance to practice at your own pace. If you decide to go to an academy of music to learn guitar, you will have classmates, and there is usually one or two persons that feel more comfortable with a guitar than others, it could happen that the teacher moves to the next level of the course when you haven’t mastered it yet. It’s a possibility.

4. You get to decide when and where you get your lessons. This is actually one of the most benefitial characteristics that video lessons have, you only need a computer and an internet connection and you are set to begin learning at the time of the day that is more convenient to you. You do not have to adjust to someone else’s schedule.

Click Here To Get The Best Guitar Lessons Online

What are the cons?

1. You have to be self-motivated and serious. Since you will be the only responsible of your improvement, you need to have motivation to avoid being frustrated or bored, meaning that you will not have someone keeping up with your progress. Now, this could even with a teacher, to lose discipline; because either way you need to make time to play guitar on your own.

2. Move to fast and get frustrated. It could be that you fell overconfident about your improvement and move to a more difficult lesson that will make you get stuck. Or it could be the opposite: move to slow and get bored. A private tutor knows when the best time to move to a harder level is. To avoid this, try to master one lesson at a time.

To learn the guitar online is a very smart choice, you do have to put effort on it, but it’s an effort that leaves you with satisfaction of doing something you really enjoy. Have a happy learning.

martes, 15 de marzo de 2011

Learn The Guitar Online

Learning to play guitar doesn’t have to be frustrating at all. In fact, to learn the guitar online can be very fun and exciting. I got my first guitar about twelve years ago. I had no idea on how to play the guitar, and of course twelve years ago Youtube was not there, in fact, I did not even had access to the internet, I recall that I had a computer with Windows 95 just to play very few games, So, a cousin of mine taught me the basics chords.

But why am I telling you this? Because now it is easier than ever learning to play the guitar; there literally are tons of lessons out there that can give you great tips and techniques. The problem you are going to find is that most videos are about two or three minutes, that means that it is not the best way to learn how to play guitar.

If you are determined about learning to play the guitar, you could A, take classes with a private tutor or you could B, go to a music academy. Sure, you can do either one of them, but option A can be very expensive. Usually a private teacher charges anywhere from $25 to $100 for a one hour class… you tell me.

Option B is usually less expensive than the first option, but who has the time? For me, the good way to go is the third option: Guitar Courses Online. The reason why I consider this is an excellent alternative is because they are less expensive, it is a onetime fee and you get to learn at your own speed.

Now, let me tell you some good advice that will help you once you start playing guitar:

1. Practice every day. You need to reserve at least one hour a day to practice. This alone could be the most important tip to consider. Practice, practice and then practice some more.

2. Love your Guitar. Think of your Guitar as an extension of your body. Treat it right, keep it clean. Now, if you do not have a guitar yet, I normally recommend buying a used instrument, or if you consider in buying a new guitar, try buying something that is not very expensive. Then, you can get a better guitar.

3. Start with an acoustic guitar with nylon strings. Your fingers will love you if you do this, because nylon strings are softer and your fingers need to get used to them. Later on, on your electric guitar you will feel the difference.

4. Find a guitar buddy. If you already have a friend that has a guitar, great!, you will have someone to talk about your improvement and tips. This is not crucial, but it can be helpful, plus, once you learn a song or two you can get together and play for a while.

5. Practice every day. I know I said this already, but it is true, this is the key to success, and not just for guitar playing, but in this case yes. Try to practice for an hour every day.

Try to learn new things. Once you have mastered a song, continue with another one and so on. You are going to have a lot of fun and people will want to hear you play. Good luck!

lunes, 14 de marzo de 2011

Easy Lessons to Learn the Guitar Online

A lot of men have New Year's resolutions, I’m Sure I do. For some of them is to learn the guitar online, or any other musical instrument. For others is to quit smoking or getting into a gym. It is for sure tough, that among the top ten resolutions for 2011, one of them is to learn something new.

Now, to grab a guitar is a lot like anything else, the hardest step is to start. To start playing, all you need at first is spirit and time to practice. Before, it was necessary to have a boring text book or to find an experienced musician, now, due to the facility to access the internet most people have, and the variety of lessons out there it is not difficult at all to start to learn.

So, what is lesson number one? Get your own guitar. Sounds pretty obvious, but some people normally what they do, they have met someone who has a guitar and they ask for it to start. Unless the friend that borrows you the guitar has another guitar, this is not a pretty good idea, because eventually he or she will want his or her guitar again and you are going to interrupt your lessons.

Lesson number two: learn how to keep your guitartuned up. Once you have learned to tune up the guitar, the notes you will make by playing the chords right will be so good that you will love it, besides; nobody likes the sound of an instrument that is not tuned up. Also this is a great way to educate your hearing and later on you will be able to know the notes even if you are not looking them.

Lesson number three: learn the chords. OK, we own a guitar, we have it tuned up, the following step is where the real learning process starts, besides, this is the point where the real fun starts. First it is necessary to know the major chords: C - D - E - F -D -G-A-B, then the minor chords. Once you have learned the chords you can begin to learn easy songs, there are quite a few that you can use to practice, and maybe, you will also discover that you have a singing voice, wouldn't that be awesome?

Lesson number four: Warm up exercises. What are these exercises? With them you will start to feel pretty lose, you'll become faster and your fingertips will get used to the strings.

Lesson number five: Get a good teacher or a great guitar course online. If you know someone that can personally teach you that is good, but if you do not, there are some powerful alternatives online that are a real time and money saver to continue your learning process. Remember, to continue practicing is the only way to learn to play guitar.

Having a course to follow is a smart thing to do because you will own a guide that will take you to the upper level at your own pace. Later on you can specialize into the music type of your preference, whether it is country, blues, jazz, rock, metal, Spanish... Most guitar courses online are very complete that way. Have fun.

lunes, 7 de marzo de 2011

Easy Songs To Learn The Guitar Online

What are some easy songs to learn the guitar online? There are quite a few that I can point out. It appears very obvious that it is needed for you to start learning guitar with easy songs but sometimes we like a song so much that we want to start to play it right away, it is not the common scenario, but it happens.

That being said, the best thing you have to do is to start with easy songs, popular songs. If you analize it, a reason why these songs are popular most of the time is due to the fact they are easy. If you begin with easy songs, you will not feel frustrated and you will be more comfortable with your Guitar.

A song that I like a lot and was one of the first songs I learned is KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR, by Bob Dylan. This song is pretty easy, you only have to know four chords: G, D, C and A minor or Am (most commonly known). What can be hard here is to change from one chord to the next, meaning that at first, you will not be changing from G to D for example very fast, but with a little practice you will dominate this song very likely in less than a week.

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR is a good song to practice the rhythm, the movement of your right hand (if you’re not left handed of course).

Another song that is very easy to master and fun to play is Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver, It actually has the same chords than the other song we were talking about, it only changes one chord. Instead of Am you will have to play Em. The difficulty level is really the same; the only significant difference is that this song is a little bit faster than Bob Dylan’s song.

Now, if you are like me and like punk rock songs, The Ramones have many songs that are very easy to play, like Blitzkrieg Bop, one of my favorites. The truth is for this type of songs, you don’t even have to learn all the chords, you just need to play the Power Chord.

What is the Power Chord? Well, it is a chord that you can play in every fret getting a different note. For example, to get the G note, you place your index finger on the sixth string on the third fret, your ring finger on the fifth string on the fifth fret and your pinky finger in the fourth string on the fifth fret, below your ring finger.

Once you learn the Power Chord, you can learn a lot of punk rock songs from bands such as Green Day, The Ramones, Blink 182, The Offspring… You get the Idea.

To practice the Chords, Here is a small list of songs that you can play:

1. Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
2. Free Falling by Tom Petty
3. Yellow by Coldplay
4. Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson
5. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynard
6. Clocks by Coldplay
7. Teardrops On My Guitar by Taylor Swift
8. Lost by Coldplay.
9. Realize by Colbie Caillat
10. You’re Beautiful by James Blunt

Remember, the secret to learn guitar is practice, so practice, practice and then practice some more. Learn one song first, and then move on to the next one. Good luck and I’ll see you on stage.