Archive for July, 2010

Do You Need Help Finding the Perfect Guitar For YOU? There are several questions to ask yourself when buying-a-guitar:

Who am I buying It For?

Are you buying-a-guitar for a beginner, for ourself, for a moderately experienced play or for an expert?

If you are buying for a beginner, one thing you might do is to include that beginner in your decision. If the guitarist-to-be envisions him/her self a future rock star, then that beautifully made classical guitar is probably not the ticket! There are relatively inexpensive models of almost every guitar played by the stars, so have a chat–find out which guitarist has captured your beginner’s fancy. Besides it is a good opportunity to spend some quality time together!

If you are buying-a-guitar for yourself, ask yourself what you want to do with the guitar. Do you want to eventually join a band? Are you already in a band and want to upgrade? Do you want to play fun songs for your children or your students? The possibilities are endless, but your answers will in large part determine the type of guitar that you should buy.

Are you buying-a-guitar for an expert? This is very tricky, as most experts, and even most intermediate players tend to be EXTREMELY opinionated about their choice of a guitar. The best thing to do is to let the expert pick the guitar. A happy expert is much more satisfying than the joy of an “embarrassing” surprise!

Acoustic or Electric?

Again, this depends on what you want to do with the guitar. If you want to play soft music with little or no amplification, you want acoustic. If you want a more powerful amplified sound, electric is the way to go.

As to whether a beginner should start first on acoustic, my opinion is–NOT NECESSARILY. For one thing, an electric guitar is what most young beginners have in mind. For another,electric guitars tend to be easier to play in the beginning. Since playing the guitar is a CHOICE, you want the experience to be pleasant. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with starting on an acoustic guitar if that is what the person wants.

How Much Can I Afford To Spend?

My general advice here is buy the best quality guitar that you can afford. In other words, it is best not to buy a cheap low quality guitar even for a beginner. A very poor quality guitar does not sound good and is harder to play. It is important for a beginning guitarist to like the way they sound. I tell parents that if I cannot make a particular guitar sound good, then what chance does the student have? Besides, you can get more trade-in or resale value with a good quality guitar.

There are, however, two sides to every question. The other side of this one is that it is probably not wise to go all out by buying-a-guitar for $3000 in the beginning. For one thing, few beginners will understand the importance of caring for such a high quality instrument. For another, as a players progress, they develop very specific ideas about what they want. Also, you don’t want to make your guitar teacher jealous! (just kidding–well…)

If you are in the market for a piano or you have found a great deal on one that needs some work, it is likely that your local piano dealer can help you out. Not only do they sell a variety of styles, but most of them also deal in restoration and repair of instruments.

Not all pianos are created equal and not all of them warrant the time and cost to have a complete restoration. Why is that you ask? The answer is because many newer brands and models have fallen prey to assembly-line mass production. Less attention is paid to sound quality and superior materials and more is paid to getting a nice-looking piece of furniture into the market. Sound quality and materials tend to fall by the wayside in this case. Now, not all new pianos are victim to this practice and your piano dealer can help you choose the right model for you.

When it comes to restoring a piece, anything that is less than 40 or so years old is not really a great investment. The best quality pieces will be at least 100 years or more and well worth the time and cost to return to its original state. That being said, if the instrument has been in your family for years and parents, children and grandchildren have learnt to play on it then restoration for sentimental reasons is definitely worth it. But, for a truly fine piano built back in the early 1900′s, experienced restoration can bring back the original sound and look that it had on the day it was built.

What does the restoration process involve? This is where it is extremely important that you research and find a reputable piano dealer who is familiar with your make and model. You may also want to research your instrument on your own so you have a little background on its history and craftsmanship. Piano restoration is tedious and time consuming and you want a technician who is very knowledgeable about your instrument. Basically, the process is like building the piano in reverse. Every component is removed, inspected and repaired or replaced. The hammers, the soundboard, the keys, the pedals, the strings, everything is suspect to intense scrutiny during the process. The outside is also refinished in its original color and given a sheen that will make you think it just came from the factory.

Make sure that the piano dealer and the technician (if it is a different person) understand that you want the parts that are replaced to be of the same quality as the original. There are no standards when it comes to restoration, but a reputable dealer will have his own standards. Unfortunately, some will try to cut costs by using cheaper materials that will lessen the expected sound quality. The Piano Technicians Guild recognizes those who meet their criteria and pass their exams, but that should not be your only reason for choosing someone. Shop around, get estimates, seek out referrals and interview the dealer before deciding on who you want to handle your precious piece of history or family heirloom. Quality usually costs more, but you will be much happier with the results and you will also have made a great investment.

If you have ever thought about learning performance level bass guitar, then you might want to take a serious look at this review of the popular Bass Guitar Secrets instructional program by Alex Sampson.

The Goal of Bass Guitar Secrets: to play performance-level bass in the fastest time possible.

Who Will Benefit Most From This Program?: This bass guitar instructional program is designed for rank beginners to advanced players

What Kind Of Bass Guitar Is Taught?: 4,5 and 6 string electric bass.

The Contents of Blues Guitar Secrets:

2 Illustrated Instructional Manuals – 250 pages total, Over 350 Audio Examples, JamBox: 101 audio full band Jam Tracks, Fretboard Genius Training Software, Groove Station: 107 audio drum tracks, Insiders Guide To Chord Mastery, Bass Guitar Tuning Software, Free Membership to the BGS 1-on-1 personal coaching program, Free Lifetime Lesson Updates.

The Negatives:

Bass Guitar Secrets does not utilize video as a teaching tool. This does not necessarily mean that the content or quality of the lessons suffer but I do believe that some people, based on their learning style, may have to work a little harder to understand some of the lessons.

The Positives:

All Inclusive: This is a turnkey bass guitar lesson program. Everything needed to go from rank beginner to creating interesting bass lines for many different styles of music is included.

Beyond The Basics: This course is jam packed with tons of small but essential tips from learning to buy a bass to tuning it. You are not just told what to do but also given lots of detailed tips for learning to execute each lesson well.

Excellent After Purchase Support: Nothing is as frustrating as stalling out in the course because there is no way ask questions or request clarification. Bass Guitar Secrets has 5 avenues of support, (see the support section below for details).

Fun: Playing along side the very real (though recorded), Jambox band is the most fun and satisfying part of this course. The quality of the production and selection of the music both combine to give as much realism as possible while still remaining in the safe atmosphere of your own bedroom.

Computer Compatibility: Both Macintosh and Window PCs are supported.

The Price:

Option 1: $97 USD (as of this writing ), This version of Bass Guitar Secrets includes a convenient printed version of all the manuals. The software and audio files are provided on CD. The printed manuals come in handy if you wish to have quick access to some of the lessons with out having to boot up your computer. This version is a plus if you do not especially like to read from a computer screen.

Option 2: $59.95 USD This version saves you over $37 by not giving you a printed version of the eBook instruction manuals. All of the items mentioned above ,including the manuals, arrive at your house on CD.

Option 3: $49.95 USD This is the instantly downloadable version. All of the files for the written manuals, software and audio are sent instantly via the internet upon receipt of payment by most major credit cards, eCheck or PayPal. The surprising part about this low cost option is that nothing is left out. Absolutely all of the manuals, the audio files, jam tracks, bass tuner, etc. that are part of the $97 version are included.

The Cost Analysis:

Bass Guitar Secrets vs. a Local Instructor Bass Guitar Secrets by Alex Sampson contains the equivalent of 6 months to one years worth of guitar lessons if you were to space them out as if you were taking lessons from a local guitar instructor. A local instructor typically will charge anywhere from $20 to $50 per weekly lesson. Your minimum cost, (not including materials), at only $20 per lesson for 6 months would be at least $520.

The choice comes down to: Bass Guitar Secrets at $49.95 to $97 or a local instructor at $520 to $1040.

Guarantee: One full year.

Support: A free dedicated internet Support Site, A blog that allows you to interact with experienced bassists, Free Membership to the BGS 1-on-1 personal coaching program, Free Lifetime Updates for the two main instructional manuals, Two Free Video Tutorials for downloading and setting up Bass Guitar Secrets program.

The Bottom Line:

At first I was not expecting to like Bass Guitar Secrets because it does not include video in the lessons but, slowly I was won over. The lesson content and quality are definitely on the mark. Alex Sampson is a serious bassist that also has a flair for teaching and it shows in the details of his course.

The quality of the 400 plus audio examples and play along jam tracks are top notch which lends an essential degree of realism to the learning experience, (not to mention a great deal of fun as well).

I am pleased with the overall reasonable price but, I am especially impressed that even the lowest cost, instant download version ($49.95) of Bass Guitar Secrets includes everything and I mean everything that the more expensive printed version offers.

The bottom line is that Bass Guitar Secrets gets the job done at an excellent price. It has clearly earned my recommendation. The rest is now up to you.

Building up your own singing ability for karaoke is not hard, the key is to practice. And the best way to practice is of course have the same song at home so you can learn and sing each and every day. That is why choosing to purchase your own karaoke CDs is the perfect option for any singing enthusiasts, but where should you start? What is the best way to start up your own karaoke CD library?

Build a list of your favourite songs

The best way to start is to make a list of your favourite songs that you hope to learn to sing. By making a list a pattern or theme should appear making it easier to pick the right karaoke CD or DVD that suits your particular genre or style. The list is of course not what you should limit your karaoke CD choices to, but rather be the perfect stepping stone to see where you should start.

Suit Your Library to your own tastes

Unless you are considering becoming a karaoke host for other people there is no need to have a wide range in your own personal library, just the ones that will suit you. Think about purchasing karaoke CDs like you would any other CD, if you do not like that particular artist or genre you wouldn’t spend money on it, so why would you do the same on the tracks that you sing along to?

Know the type and quality of CDs you want

While many systems are compatible in handling karaoke CDs and DVDs, it is best to double-check what your set-up can handle before purchasing.
By going the extra mile, you can make sure that your system will be able to handle your new purchases, and that the new CDs that you have just bought will not have been all in vain.

Discover the magic of shopping online

It’s true that you can find almost everything you need at your average department store when it comes to building your karaoke CD library, but it is easier, and definitely cheaper, to start building online. Doing a quick search online will give you an unbelievable range of karaoke CD’s available, and while your local store might have a good selection, there is no arguing about the competitive prices that you can find literally everywhere on the net.

Shop around for the best bargains

Online shopping is also perfect for purchasing karaoke CDs because it is easier to find the bargain that suits your needs. By looking through the wide selection of sites selling karaoke CDs, you can find the tracks that you want at the best possible price, and all from the comfort of your own home.

As a musical genre traditional Jazz requires a fairly specific Guitar sound – generally this has involved a very clean dry tone – with little to no effects (perhaps only a hint of reverb) – usually the neck pickup is used with the resultant sound required to be clear enough to pickup the subtle nuances and articulation of the playing.

Jazz Guitarists therefore need to carefully consider their Guitar when setting out – luckily Jazz has been around for many years and there is a wide selection of instruments available. Traditionally Jazz Guitars are hollow body semi acoustics (though not always) and these have tended to favor P90 or Humbucker style pickups to produce the required sound – as stated there are many guitars on the market today – but here we list 5 classic Jazz guitars that helped shape the scene.

1 Gibson ES150

Made famous to the jazz community by Charlie Christian the ES 150 became his guitar. The ES150 became one of the world’s first commercially available electric guitars. With its single coil pickup fitted at the neck and its acoustic shaped body with f holes – the 150 has that sweet warm jazz tone that became a world favorite.

2 Gibson L5

Another of Gibson’s Jazz power trio (the others are the ES150 and the ES175) – the L5 features a large resonant body. With a history that goes back nearly 90 years the L5 has changed a little over this time and has featured different pickups (from P90′s to Humbuckers). As the prestige rhythm guitar it has been played by a variety of greats including Wes Montgomery.

3 Gibson ES-175

With it’s stylish Florentine single cutaway – the ES175 represented a departure for Gibson from their usual design – Debuting in 1949 – the 175 has been associated with a variety of Jazz greats from Herb Ellis to Pat Metheny.

4 Gretsch Country Gentleman/Nashville

While Gretsch are not considered jazz guitars per se – both the Country Gent and the Nashville are able to produce both versatile and authentic jazz tones. Both guitars offer a range of controls for adapting the tone of the guitar and can produce some versatile jazzy results – whilst the FiterTron pickups produce something that’s unlike it’s Gibson counterparts.

5 Fender Telecaster

With it’s sweet and mellow neck pickup tone the telecaster offers something a little different that the usual Jazz fare – Traditionally a country guitar the telecaster has been featured with Jazz artists including Ed Bickert and Mike Stern.

This is a brief note on how to sort through free country guitar tablature and use it to start yourself off as a guitar player. Some of the biggest solo artists in history have been country artists. Garth Brooks springs to mind immediately. But country music is not unique to the USA. Australia has country legends like Slim Dusty and James Blundell. Canada boasts Hank Snow, Shania Twain and Anne Murray. There are also country artists in Russia, The Middle East, England and Germany.

If you are a country music fan and want to learn how to play country songs on your guitar, you could start with this list of country standards as a beginning for your repertoire:

Achey Breaky Heart
Am I That Easy To Forget?
Deep In The Heart Of Texas
Bonaparte’s Retreat
Folsom Prison Blues
Coward Of The County
Jambalaya
King Of The Road
Green, Green Grass Of Home
You Are My Sunshine
Wabash Cannonball

As the internet is constantly changing I will be giving you the names only for these free country tab sites. If you type the names into Google or the address bar of your browser you will get to the site and you should be able to navigate to the appropriate page. It works, I have tried it.

Cowboy Lyrics is a site that has lyrics for country songs, guitar tablature for popular country songs, chord and sheet music. You can search through the genres of western swing, traditional country, progressive and outlaw songs, folk music, bluegrass, country gospel and, of course, cowboy songs.

The free country guitar tabs section at Love To Know.com has all the material you need to become a country guitar player. Their free country guitar tablature will have you playing your favorite songs in no time.

About.com is a huge repository of information and tutorials on any subject under the internet sun. In the country music archive you will find a range of guitar tabs, chords and lyrics sorted according to the artist’s name. There is also a list of the top five hundred country songs and the top two hundred most influential albums.

There is a large archive of guitar and bass tablature at Fretplay.com. There is also a comprehensive guide telling you how to read tabs. Visitors can also submit tabs that are not included in the collection.

Country Tabs.net boasts that it is the best music resource for tabs, lyrics and chords for your favorite country artist.

Tab Country.com is another site with a collection of free country guitar tablature. This site offers you the latest and hottest country guitar tabs without moving from your seat. You can read the tabs online or download them to keep. The tabs are filed under the name of the artist and by the titles of songs. Another feature is the lists available that show top rated country guitar tablature and the latest tabs added to the site. If all this is not enough, Tab Country is an online community where you can meet other country guitar players, share your knowledge and ask for advice.