Free Guitar Lessons  |  Videos  |  Blog  |  Music

Different Ways to Play the Guitar

FENDER & GIBSON GUITARS

 

Fender guitars and Gibson guitars are the two main fathers of guitar. I like them both for different sounds and versatility. Fender guitars are very good to learn on. They are great quality as long as you buy at least an American Standard. Fender Guitars have a whammy bar also if you want to develop some interesting note bending techniques. It is important to develop your left hand strength vibrato techniques without a whammy bar though and be able to produce note bending with your left hand. Its nice to have both though so they can compliment each other. You can achieve some fun sounds with the whammy bar and can bend notes further also. If I had to choose one guitar to begin to learn on I would choose a fender guitar over a Gibson guitar because of versatility in sounds. If I could have two guitars my second one would be a Gibson guitar. Gibson guitars have a heavier sound. They are both quality though. If you are beginning you don't have to buy the most expensive guitar but I wouldn't buy the cheapest either. You will learn better and not have to upgrade once you get to playing a bit. I recommend buying at least the American Standard Fender guitar and nothing lower. You can play professionally and have a wide variety of sound options from heavy bass blues sounds to high treble sounds. You cant go wrong with the Gibson Les Paul either.
 

 

Different Ways to Play the Guitar

BASS GUITAR

 

Bass Guitar is a lot of fun and most guitar players can play bass guitar to some extent mainly because the bottom or low four strings of the guitar (E,A,D,G) are the same strings that make up the four string bass. Bass guitar is more of the rhythm section and the backbone and structure of a band along with the drums. The bass can be busy at times but usually defers to the guitar for higher melodic notes although some players are very melodic in their playing such as the bass player for Rush. Pure bass players usually play with their right hand fingers and don't use a pick although some do. I play guitar so when I play bass guitar I can play better with a guitar pick because I am more developed with it. I always practice bass guitar though alternating my right hand first and middle fingers. There are some really good players who use their thumb back and forth or a single finger like the index or ring finger and go forward and back with one single finger. A lot of players know all these ways and more perhaps. It is important as a guitarist to understand bass guitar because you are basically playing together. The bass guitar provides the low notes and roots of the song with which chords and melodies are built on higher notes by the guitar player.
The quickest steps to learning bass guitar I think are first to develop your ear by singing what you play and playing along with songs and hearing and playing. Second, develop good techniques and fundamentals and consistently work at creating a desirable sound. Learn from your favorite players and songs and learn solos note for note. Imitate your favorite players to learn and eventually you will create your own sound. Most important is to have a feel for playing. Developing your ear will help you to do this.
 

 

Different Ways to Play the Guitar

ELECTRIC GUITAR

 

Electric guitar is a very fun instrument to play. The energy that can be created from electric guitar is phenomenal. The electric guitar is a sexy instrument. It is also a powerful instrument. There is something about electric guitar that draws people to it. It is a symbol of rebellion and something that brings people together. There are no short cuts to learning to play electric guitar. A lot of sites are misleading when they claim you can play like a pro in an hour. You may be able to learn a simple chord or two and play it quickly but that is it. I have played off and on for twenty years and of course don't know everything but I can share a lot of tips and advice to help you learn for real and quickly as possible. You can learn quickly in a short amount of time if you practice the right way and don't waste time. The key to learning to play guitar is being consistent in your practice. If you don't practice consistently you never build anything. If you want to get in shape you cant expect to do so by just exercising once in a while or when you feel like it. A half hour a day is better than an hour or two every few days. You develop muscle memory and build strength by being consistent with your practice.
In order to play the guitar well there are several factors to consider. First, it's important to develop your ear. You can know all those notes and be lightning fast but if you have no feel then your playing will not be desirable to listen to. Second, it pays to spend time on technique so you can produce a nice sound. Third, play what you enjoy and like so you will want to keep playing. Learn to read notes by taking classical guitar or other forms. By learning classical you develop your right hand fingering which will help you on the electric guitar. You will also create a strong left hand by practicing on an acoustic guitar. When playing electric guitar you can use a guitar pick to play all the notes and strum all the chords, as well as play individual notes within the chords. You can also use your thumb and first three fingers to play chords or you can play with a pick and utilize your middle,  ring and pinky finger. It's important to develop your right hand pinky I feel as well as your left hand pinky finger.

 

Different Ways to Play the Guitar

BASS GUITAR

 

Bass Guitar is a lot of fun and most guitar players can play bass guitar to some extent mainly because the bottom or low four strings of the guitar (E,A,D,G) are the same strings that make up the four string bass. Bass guitar is more of the rhythm section and the backbone and structure of a band along with the drums. The bass can be busy at times but usually defers to the guitar for higher melodic notes although some players are very melodic in their playing such as the bass player for rush. Pure bass players usually play with their right hand fingers and don’t use a pick although some do. I play guitar so when I play bass guitar I can play better with a guitar pick because I am more developed with it. I always practice bass guitar though alternating my right hand first and middle fingers. There are some really good players who use their thumb back and forth or a single finger like the index or ring finger and go forward and back with one single finger. A lot of players know all these ways and more perhaps. It is important as a guitarist to understand bass guitar because you are basically playing together. The bass guitar provides the low notes and roots of the song with which chords and melodies are built on higher notes by the guitar player.
The quickest steps to learning bass guitar I think are first to develop your ear by singing what you play and playing along with songs and hearing and playing. Second develop good techniques and fundamentals and consistently work at creating a desirable sound. Learn from your favorite players and songs and learn solos note for note. Imitate your favorite players to learn and eventually you will create your own sound. Most important is have a feel for playing. Developing your ear will help you do this
 

 

Different Ways to Play the Guitar

ELECTRIC GUITAR

 

Electric guitar is a very fun instrument to play. The energy that can be created from electric guitar is phenomenal. The electric guitar is a sexy instrument. It is also a powerful instrument. There is something about electric guitar that draws people to it. It is a symbol of rebellion and something that brings people together. There are no short cuts to learning to play electric guitar. A lot of sites are misleading when they claim you can play like a pro in an hour. You may be able to learn a simple chord or two and play it quickly but that is it. I have played off and on for twenty years and of course don’t know everything but I can share a lot of tips and advice to help you learn for real and quickly as possible. You can learn quickly in a short amount of time if you practice the right way and don’t waste time. The key to learning electric guitar is being consistant in your practice. If you don’t practice consistently you never build anything. If you want to get in shape you cant expect to do so by just exercising once in a while or when you feel like it. A half hour a day is better than an hour or two every few days. You develop muscle memory and build strength by being consistent with your practice.
In order to play electric guitar well there are several factors to consider. First, it’s important to develop your ear. You can know all those notes and be lightning fast but if you have no feel then your playing will not be desirable to listen to. Second, it pays to spend time on technique so you can produce a nice sound. Third, play what you enjoy and like so you will want to keep playing. Learn to read notes by taking classical guitar or other forms. By learning classical you develop your right hand fingering which will help you on the electric guitar. When playing electric guitar you can use a guitar pick to play all the notes and strum all the chords, as well as play individual notes within the chords. You can also use your thumb and first three fingers to play chords or you can play with a pick and utilize your index, ring and pinky finger. It’s important to develop your right hand pinky I feel as well as your left hand pinky finger.
--