Exploring new styles of playing will make you a better musician. They best way to do this is to play with people who have different styles than yourself. As I have told you before, in my first band, I played with a guitarist who played exactly like the Goo Goo Dolls with little variation from that style. I learned how to play lead guitar over anything he wrote. This helped reinforce my skills as a lead guitarist. My next band was formed around my cousin who raps. Wildly different style than before. Now I was the only guitarist, so I had to arrange and play the rhythm tracks in addition to playing any solos. This was a big step in developing because I wrote the songs except for the lyrics. Technically, that's being an arranger, but I was still a huge part of me growing as a musician. Now, that band is on a hiatus because nobody seems to have time for it. So, I've come to that point where I've started writing my own songs and singing my own words. It has been a long time coming and the different bands along the way have gotten me to this point. While I am writing my own material, I am also still playing with my cousin who raps, a friend from high school who plays folk rock and a friend from college who plays pop-like blues. Doing all these at the same time keeps my energy and music ideas flowing. This forces me to think differently about playing constantly and thus making me learn more along the way.
What I suggest is to keep exploring new musicians to play with, even if you just jam for fun every once in a while. It will help you develop as it did me.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Promoting your band.
Promotion is one of my areas of expertise. Over the 3 or so years in my first band, I developed into a pretty decent salesman promoting our shows. It seemed like every month we had another show coming up that was bigger than the last. Now, I am blessed to have a very large group of friends who loved to drink and come watch us play, but nevertheless, I learned many important things about promoting a show.
First, your friends are your lifeline. Get them on board with your music. Try to get some of them to promote for you. When you have shows, offer friends free tickets if they can bring 2 or 3 other people that you don't know. This way you help them help you and you start getting your name out there.
Second, play anywhere and everywhere. BUT, if your friends are the only ones coming and they have to pay every time, then limit those shows to about one a month because nobody ever has any money. In the mean time, play open mics and smaller freebees to keep you playing chops up.
Third, use the internet. This is the best thing for any new band. Now, every band has a myspace. But does every band have a Myspace, Facebook, Tweeter, Reverbnation, Sonic Bids, Pure Volume and Youtube accounts all linked together on your own website? If you don't, then get on it.
Fourth, DON'T abuse the internet. Every day people get a bunch of spam email and messages that they don't even bother looking at because they see so many of them. Set up all your internet accounts and update people on what your doing about every two weeks. Also, send out those updates in the middle of the week, Tuesday through Thursday, because people are more likely to read them.
Fifth, have something to promote. Always be working on new material. Have demos ready for sale at shows. Mention anything interesting that you have been working on lately or any big shows coming up. And don't let people forget about you.
Finally, love your friends. Love your friends and your audience. If people like what your playing and are giving you compliments on the way out. Come back and hang out with them for a little. Get to know them. These are your fans. You want to love them, so they will love you.
First, your friends are your lifeline. Get them on board with your music. Try to get some of them to promote for you. When you have shows, offer friends free tickets if they can bring 2 or 3 other people that you don't know. This way you help them help you and you start getting your name out there.
Second, play anywhere and everywhere. BUT, if your friends are the only ones coming and they have to pay every time, then limit those shows to about one a month because nobody ever has any money. In the mean time, play open mics and smaller freebees to keep you playing chops up.
Third, use the internet. This is the best thing for any new band. Now, every band has a myspace. But does every band have a Myspace, Facebook, Tweeter, Reverbnation, Sonic Bids, Pure Volume and Youtube accounts all linked together on your own website? If you don't, then get on it.
Fourth, DON'T abuse the internet. Every day people get a bunch of spam email and messages that they don't even bother looking at because they see so many of them. Set up all your internet accounts and update people on what your doing about every two weeks. Also, send out those updates in the middle of the week, Tuesday through Thursday, because people are more likely to read them.
Fifth, have something to promote. Always be working on new material. Have demos ready for sale at shows. Mention anything interesting that you have been working on lately or any big shows coming up. And don't let people forget about you.
Finally, love your friends. Love your friends and your audience. If people like what your playing and are giving you compliments on the way out. Come back and hang out with them for a little. Get to know them. These are your fans. You want to love them, so they will love you.
Alternate Tunings.
So far we have only dealt with standard tuning, E - A - D - G - B - E.
There are many other tunings that are fairly common.
Drop D - You drop the low E to a D.
D - A - D - G - B - E
Drop C - You drop the low E to a C
C - A - D - G - B - E
These drop tunings are more for metal guitarists. For example, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine uses drop D almost all the time.
Open G Tuning
D - G - D - G - B - D
This is the tuning Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones uses. It is what gives him is signature style and sound.
Open C Tuning
C - G - C - G - C - E
Another common open guitar tuning.
The only problem with playing these alternate tunings is that you have to look up how to play the chords again. But it is fun to switch up the sound and see what you make be able to create in these new tunings.
There are many other tunings that are fairly common.
Drop D - You drop the low E to a D.
D - A - D - G - B - E
Drop C - You drop the low E to a C
C - A - D - G - B - E
These drop tunings are more for metal guitarists. For example, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine uses drop D almost all the time.
Open G Tuning
D - G - D - G - B - D
This is the tuning Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones uses. It is what gives him is signature style and sound.
Open C Tuning
C - G - C - G - C - E
Another common open guitar tuning.
The only problem with playing these alternate tunings is that you have to look up how to play the chords again. But it is fun to switch up the sound and see what you make be able to create in these new tunings.
Songwriting - Chord Progressions
More on songwriting. This time we're talking about chord progressions. There are literally an infinite amount of ways to play chords when you factor in the rhythm, pausing and accent of your playing style. Knowing the common chord progression will help you give structure and familiarity to your songs.
First you must know that every chord when we are talking about progression patterns is given a roman numeral. Reference this chart.
So here the most common chord progressions.
The three chord change. I - IV - V.
Check the chart. If you want to write a 3 chord change in the key of A, the chords are A-I, D-IV, E-V.
Now these three chords could be played many different ways.
Such as I - I - IV - V, I - IV - V - IV, I - IV - I - V...ect.
Twelve Bar Blues Pattern
This uses I , IV and V, but it goes;
I - I - I - I
IV - IV - I - I
V - V - I - I
Ways to extend the I - IV - V
Two other ways to extend the I - IV - V are as follows:
I - vi - IV - V
OR
I - vi - ii - V
The lower case roman numerals are minor chords.
- These are the basic progressions. Listen to some of your favorite songs and see if you can figure out their progression and how they tweaked it to make it their own. Use that chart to your advantage. Try to make up your own progressions.
First you must know that every chord when we are talking about progression patterns is given a roman numeral. Reference this chart.
So here the most common chord progressions.
The three chord change. I - IV - V.
Check the chart. If you want to write a 3 chord change in the key of A, the chords are A-I, D-IV, E-V.
Now these three chords could be played many different ways.
Such as I - I - IV - V, I - IV - V - IV, I - IV - I - V...ect.
Twelve Bar Blues Pattern
This uses I , IV and V, but it goes;
I - I - I - I
IV - IV - I - I
V - V - I - I
Ways to extend the I - IV - V
Two other ways to extend the I - IV - V are as follows:
I - vi - IV - V
OR
I - vi - ii - V
The lower case roman numerals are minor chords.
- These are the basic progressions. Listen to some of your favorite songs and see if you can figure out their progression and how they tweaked it to make it their own. Use that chart to your advantage. Try to make up your own progressions.
Songwriting - Tips
Writing songs.
There are countless ways to go about writing songs and everyone needs to find their own way of working. I will offer some tips on how to get the ball rolling and the tunes coming.
1) Get a book. Try to keep it on you at all times. You never know when inspiration for a song idea or a lyric will hit you and you want to write it down so you can use it later.
2) Write something everyday. Anything. Work on an old idea. Rhyme the same line a million times. Write down something that happened to you that day, a dream you had, a conversation with somebody. Anything at all because this will get you into the habit of writing and rhyming.
3) Know your style. Figure out your style of playing and listen to singers that you want to imitate. Dissect their melodies and what make them so catchy to listen to.
4) If you haven't already, start humming or singing along to riffs you wrote. This is the main reason I suggested trying singing when you started playing because if you want to write songs, you will have to sing your own material. If not in front of an audience, than at least to a band member who would sing it for you.
5) There are many parts to a song. Intro,Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Coda and most importantly the Hook. The hook can be anywhere and there can be multiple hooks in a song, but the most prominent hook is in the chorus of a song.
6) If you know somebody with recording equipment, than go to their house and record your ideas. This is not your final product. Listen to them and see what you can make better. Figure out what transitions or lines aren't working. This allows you to devote your undivided attention as a listener rather than listening to yourself while your playing.
7) Simplicity. It is easy to get carried away with songs especially when you are starting off. Not every song can have a 5 minute guitar solo and 3 minute drum solo. Most of the time, keeping some ideas simple and restrained will make them work better. So try it out, if you don't like it, you can change it because it your song.
8) Don't under-rate the importance of your song's title for it's the soul of your song, telling your audience what your composition is about. Make it catchy, appealing, and easy to remember.
9) Avoid overuse of cliches. Instead, what I usually do is take well-known phrases and change them around to use them for my own meaning.
10) Put yourself into the songs. Use your own life experiences as inspiration for your songs. It's always better to write about something you personally know about because the feelings will be more real.
And last but not least.....
.....Steal ideas from your favorite artists and change them into your own. One of my favorite quotes is, "good artist imitate, great artists steal."
Hope these can help you get your ideas flowing. Check out some songwriting books from the library or go buy some. Also, remember to use the internet to its fullest and search for more songwriting tips.
There are countless ways to go about writing songs and everyone needs to find their own way of working. I will offer some tips on how to get the ball rolling and the tunes coming.
1) Get a book. Try to keep it on you at all times. You never know when inspiration for a song idea or a lyric will hit you and you want to write it down so you can use it later.
2) Write something everyday. Anything. Work on an old idea. Rhyme the same line a million times. Write down something that happened to you that day, a dream you had, a conversation with somebody. Anything at all because this will get you into the habit of writing and rhyming.
3) Know your style. Figure out your style of playing and listen to singers that you want to imitate. Dissect their melodies and what make them so catchy to listen to.
4) If you haven't already, start humming or singing along to riffs you wrote. This is the main reason I suggested trying singing when you started playing because if you want to write songs, you will have to sing your own material. If not in front of an audience, than at least to a band member who would sing it for you.
5) There are many parts to a song. Intro,Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Coda and most importantly the Hook. The hook can be anywhere and there can be multiple hooks in a song, but the most prominent hook is in the chorus of a song.
6) If you know somebody with recording equipment, than go to their house and record your ideas. This is not your final product. Listen to them and see what you can make better. Figure out what transitions or lines aren't working. This allows you to devote your undivided attention as a listener rather than listening to yourself while your playing.
7) Simplicity. It is easy to get carried away with songs especially when you are starting off. Not every song can have a 5 minute guitar solo and 3 minute drum solo. Most of the time, keeping some ideas simple and restrained will make them work better. So try it out, if you don't like it, you can change it because it your song.
8) Don't under-rate the importance of your song's title for it's the soul of your song, telling your audience what your composition is about. Make it catchy, appealing, and easy to remember.
9) Avoid overuse of cliches. Instead, what I usually do is take well-known phrases and change them around to use them for my own meaning.
10) Put yourself into the songs. Use your own life experiences as inspiration for your songs. It's always better to write about something you personally know about because the feelings will be more real.
And last but not least.....
.....Steal ideas from your favorite artists and change them into your own. One of my favorite quotes is, "good artist imitate, great artists steal."
Hope these can help you get your ideas flowing. Check out some songwriting books from the library or go buy some. Also, remember to use the internet to its fullest and search for more songwriting tips.
More advice about playing gigs.
Here are some other things I forgot to tell you about playing gigs.
If you haven't been to the place already, go there and check it out before you play the show. Check out the stage or space you'll be playing at and get a feel for it.
Also, talk to whoever is running the show and find out what equipment you need to bring. Usually, there will be a house PA system and a house drum kit, leaving you to bring the amps and extra cymbals. Bring extra cables, batteries, strings and guitars if you have them because you never know when something might break on you. There have been a few times where my guitar's battery has died in the middle of a solo and making it look like I was air guitaring.
Make sure you label everything with you or your band's name, EVERYTHING(cables, amps, bags, cases, drums, ect). Some people are scum bags and will try to steal some of your stuff because it is untraceable. One time we played a show down on 4th and Girard in Philly at this bar called the Fire. The place was a hole in ground in a pretty bad part of the city. And what do you know, somebody stole one of Ryan's drums. You would figure that would be kind of hard because drums are pretty big, but no. After our set, as we are fumbling back to the car with our stuff, some made off with one his drums.
That leads me to my next point, always have someone watching your stuff when unloading and loading the cars. Rotate band members on every trip. Have a friend watch. Pay a friend to watch. Do anything you can think of because your stuff is too valuable to loose for such a stupid reason.
The sound check is everything. Without a good sound check, you wont be able to hear yourself properly and the audience won't hear you guys as clearly. Find out when your sound check is going to be and be there at least an hour early. I think there was only 4 or 5 shows where we made it to the sound check early and had a legit check. That's 4 or 5 times out of about 40 shows. Not a very good average.
Find out what time you're playing at and tell everyone your inviting that its at least an hour earlier. Even more frustrating that being late myself, was having people show up as we were finishing playing, especially if they had to pay 10 or 15 dollars for a ticket.
If you haven't been to the place already, go there and check it out before you play the show. Check out the stage or space you'll be playing at and get a feel for it.
Also, talk to whoever is running the show and find out what equipment you need to bring. Usually, there will be a house PA system and a house drum kit, leaving you to bring the amps and extra cymbals. Bring extra cables, batteries, strings and guitars if you have them because you never know when something might break on you. There have been a few times where my guitar's battery has died in the middle of a solo and making it look like I was air guitaring.
Make sure you label everything with you or your band's name, EVERYTHING(cables, amps, bags, cases, drums, ect). Some people are scum bags and will try to steal some of your stuff because it is untraceable. One time we played a show down on 4th and Girard in Philly at this bar called the Fire. The place was a hole in ground in a pretty bad part of the city. And what do you know, somebody stole one of Ryan's drums. You would figure that would be kind of hard because drums are pretty big, but no. After our set, as we are fumbling back to the car with our stuff, some made off with one his drums.
That leads me to my next point, always have someone watching your stuff when unloading and loading the cars. Rotate band members on every trip. Have a friend watch. Pay a friend to watch. Do anything you can think of because your stuff is too valuable to loose for such a stupid reason.
The sound check is everything. Without a good sound check, you wont be able to hear yourself properly and the audience won't hear you guys as clearly. Find out when your sound check is going to be and be there at least an hour early. I think there was only 4 or 5 shows where we made it to the sound check early and had a legit check. That's 4 or 5 times out of about 40 shows. Not a very good average.
Find out what time you're playing at and tell everyone your inviting that its at least an hour earlier. Even more frustrating that being late myself, was having people show up as we were finishing playing, especially if they had to pay 10 or 15 dollars for a ticket.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
You're band is ready to play some gigs.
Now, you think you're ready to start playing some gigs around the neighborhood and start getting your name out there. Remember, play anywhere and everywhere you can even if your not getting paid. However, negotiate terms with the owner, manager, or whoever is running the show and try to get some money out it because you are performing a service and you are entitled to some kind of money for your service. The times it is acceptable to play for free is if it is a big name place or if it is guaranteed a lot of people will be there to hear you play.
Performing in front of people is stressful and accelerating experience. Your first time playing in front of an audience is the most nerve racking because you don't know what it is like. I really can't put it into words what it feels like whether you play good or bad, but I will give you some tips on how to perform. First off, have at least two extra songs ready to play in your set list in the event that you get an encore or you have to fill time. Second, know your set list, but have a piece of paper taped to your amp as a reference because when you play your adrenaline will be flowing and you might forget. Third, practice transitions between songs. Playing smoothly between songs and preparing for break for audience interaction will make you like a more legit band. Fourth, practice playing the set list all the way through in real time as if you were playing the show for real. Finally, even if you mess up, DONT EVER STOP PLAYING. I can not emphasize this enough. You and your band will look like complete jokes if you stop playing halfway through a song. If you mess up and keep playing like nothing happened, than people listening will probably not notice. One horror story from my first band is when my drummer stopped playing in the middle of the song because he forgot what song we were playing. That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my music career, but I've learned from it and I've moved on.
Performing in front of people is stressful and accelerating experience. Your first time playing in front of an audience is the most nerve racking because you don't know what it is like. I really can't put it into words what it feels like whether you play good or bad, but I will give you some tips on how to perform. First off, have at least two extra songs ready to play in your set list in the event that you get an encore or you have to fill time. Second, know your set list, but have a piece of paper taped to your amp as a reference because when you play your adrenaline will be flowing and you might forget. Third, practice transitions between songs. Playing smoothly between songs and preparing for break for audience interaction will make you like a more legit band. Fourth, practice playing the set list all the way through in real time as if you were playing the show for real. Finally, even if you mess up, DONT EVER STOP PLAYING. I can not emphasize this enough. You and your band will look like complete jokes if you stop playing halfway through a song. If you mess up and keep playing like nothing happened, than people listening will probably not notice. One horror story from my first band is when my drummer stopped playing in the middle of the song because he forgot what song we were playing. That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my music career, but I've learned from it and I've moved on.
Forming a band.
Finally, you are ready to form your own band and start playing shows, but there is a lot you must do before you start playing shows and hopefully making money. Here's the dilemma, do you play with your friend because they are your friends, or go find people who love the same music as you? It might seem like an idiotic question, but you'll be lucky to have close friends who are musicians with the same musical outlook as you with the same goals and motivation as you to play for living. If you have friends who have all that in common with you, then start your band with them and find others to fill out the band to your liking.
Let me take you through my first band experience and what I have learned from it. It was high school and my first band was surprisingly enough was a band consisting of 3 friends and myself. The lead singer/songwriter/rhythm guitarist was my friend Mike who starting taking lessons with me during junior high. The drummer was my oldest friend Ryan. The bass guitarist was my friend Brian who joined us because we needed a bass guitarist and he said yes. I played lead guitar. At first I did not contribute to the writing or arranging, all I did was come up with a lead riff and take the guitar solo. Ryan played whatever he wanted on the drums and Brian basically followed Mike with the bassline. The major thing that would be the root of all of our problems as a band was the fact that we all had different influences musically. Mike was in love with the Goo Goo Doll, Ryan loved grunge, Brian liked punk, and I pretended like I was Eric Clapton. That being so, we were still fairly successful. We played some big name places, such as the North Star Bar and the Trocadero in Philly and the Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA. We all had some talent, but Brian lacked the drive to go for it all. Later down the road Ryan would reveal to me that he didn't like any of the music Mike wrote, but he played it anyway. We had our ups and downs. I find it sad that I really only remember the bad times than the good times we had as a band, but after 3 years of constant struggling and little direction I called the band to an end because I felt as if I was doing all the outside work without any help.
What I learned is that you have to find people that have the same goals, influences and motivation as you. If you want to just play in a bar band with your friends for fun, than that's fine because playing music is supposed to be fun. However, if music is not a hobby, but your LIFE, than make sure you find the right people to play with and don't be afraid to leave a band of your friends if you think it is not working as it should. I did that and I am still friends with everyone in the band. Not only that, I still play lead guitar in Mike's new band sometimes and Ryan and I are working on forming our own band. In addition to those bands, I've started playing with several other people in search of direction for my own band.
Figure out what you are in it for, then find people who will be in for it with you.
Let me take you through my first band experience and what I have learned from it. It was high school and my first band was surprisingly enough was a band consisting of 3 friends and myself. The lead singer/songwriter/rhythm guitarist was my friend Mike who starting taking lessons with me during junior high. The drummer was my oldest friend Ryan. The bass guitarist was my friend Brian who joined us because we needed a bass guitarist and he said yes. I played lead guitar. At first I did not contribute to the writing or arranging, all I did was come up with a lead riff and take the guitar solo. Ryan played whatever he wanted on the drums and Brian basically followed Mike with the bassline. The major thing that would be the root of all of our problems as a band was the fact that we all had different influences musically. Mike was in love with the Goo Goo Doll, Ryan loved grunge, Brian liked punk, and I pretended like I was Eric Clapton. That being so, we were still fairly successful. We played some big name places, such as the North Star Bar and the Trocadero in Philly and the Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA. We all had some talent, but Brian lacked the drive to go for it all. Later down the road Ryan would reveal to me that he didn't like any of the music Mike wrote, but he played it anyway. We had our ups and downs. I find it sad that I really only remember the bad times than the good times we had as a band, but after 3 years of constant struggling and little direction I called the band to an end because I felt as if I was doing all the outside work without any help.
What I learned is that you have to find people that have the same goals, influences and motivation as you. If you want to just play in a bar band with your friends for fun, than that's fine because playing music is supposed to be fun. However, if music is not a hobby, but your LIFE, than make sure you find the right people to play with and don't be afraid to leave a band of your friends if you think it is not working as it should. I did that and I am still friends with everyone in the band. Not only that, I still play lead guitar in Mike's new band sometimes and Ryan and I are working on forming our own band. In addition to those bands, I've started playing with several other people in search of direction for my own band.
Figure out what you are in it for, then find people who will be in for it with you.
Exploring other instruments.
So you can play guitar, but so can everyone else. I encourage you to explore playing other instruments, even if it lasts for only a month or two. You may not know this, but if you can play guitar that means you basically know how to play the bass guitar as well. A regular 4 string bass guitar has the same low 4 strings of a guitar, E-A-D-G. The bass strings are much thicker which makes the more difficult to play, but they are the same notes as a guitar. Playing the bass is much different than guitar though. The bass is the foundation and the drive of a song. The bass keeps the song together amongst the drums, guitars and whatever other instruments there are.
Along with the bass guitar, I suggest learning some piano/keyboard. Once you learn the notes on a piano/keyboard you can transcribe the chords from guitar to learn the chords on the piano/keyboard. In my opinion, the piano is one of the most difficult instruments to learn because it contains all the notes in the musical scale while most other instrument only contains a fraction of all the notes.
The most important instrument to explore is your voice. I highly regret not learning how to sing at an earlier age, but it is better late than never. Even if you think your voice is terrible, swallow your pride and try singing out. John Lennon thought he had a horrible voice and look how memorable his melodies are. Imagine John Lennon being to afraid to sing in front of people? Thank god he wasn't to afraid because I honestly don't want to know what the would be like with his music. That said, I recently starting to sing and I still think I am pretty bad, but the important thing is that I'm still trying and I encourage you to do that same.
Remember, it is better to have tried and failed than to have never have tried.
Along with the bass guitar, I suggest learning some piano/keyboard. Once you learn the notes on a piano/keyboard you can transcribe the chords from guitar to learn the chords on the piano/keyboard. In my opinion, the piano is one of the most difficult instruments to learn because it contains all the notes in the musical scale while most other instrument only contains a fraction of all the notes.
The most important instrument to explore is your voice. I highly regret not learning how to sing at an earlier age, but it is better late than never. Even if you think your voice is terrible, swallow your pride and try singing out. John Lennon thought he had a horrible voice and look how memorable his melodies are. Imagine John Lennon being to afraid to sing in front of people? Thank god he wasn't to afraid because I honestly don't want to know what the would be like with his music. That said, I recently starting to sing and I still think I am pretty bad, but the important thing is that I'm still trying and I encourage you to do that same.
Remember, it is better to have tried and failed than to have never have tried.
More Tabs.
Tabs are great, but sometimes difficult to read.
A few things to know when reading tabs are some of the symbols. A 'b' on a note means that you bend the string up or down, and there will be an 'r' for when to release the note. A slash, ' / ', means you must slide up or down the note. An 'h' may be used to hammer-on from one note to another, a 'p' may be used pull-off from one note to another, or a '^' could be used to signify and hammer-on or a pull-off.
There are a bunch of great sites that have archives of tabs of almost any artist you can think of.
Check out these sites and look up songs by the artists you wrote down as your influences.
http://www.rockmagic.net/
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/
http://www.guitaretab.com/
http://www.guitartabs.net/
http://www.guitartabs.cc/
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/
A few things to know when reading tabs are some of the symbols. A 'b' on a note means that you bend the string up or down, and there will be an 'r' for when to release the note. A slash, ' / ', means you must slide up or down the note. An 'h' may be used to hammer-on from one note to another, a 'p' may be used pull-off from one note to another, or a '^' could be used to signify and hammer-on or a pull-off.
There are a bunch of great sites that have archives of tabs of almost any artist you can think of.
Check out these sites and look up songs by the artists you wrote down as your influences.
http://www.rockmagic.net/
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/
http://www.guitaretab.com/
http://www.guitartabs.net/
http://www.guitartabs.cc/
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/
Influences and Style
Why did you want to start playing music? What band or artist was it that inspired you so much that you wanted to play like them? Are you a punk? Metalhead? Jazz enthusiast? Blues rocker? Establishing what your musical influences are and what style you want to play is a critical step in progressing toward writing your own music and forming a band. Figuring out which style is your motivation will give you direction along with the passion to play and create that style whatever that may be. To each is own right?
My influence have grown and developed as I have. This is a natural evolution and it will happen with you as well. Early on, I loved playing hard rock and metal like Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. So, I started learning a bunch of their songs and started trying to play heavier and faster. As I learned more, I began idolizing lead guitar heros such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and my personal favorite Eric Clapton. Now, as I have matured and started writing my own music, I have been looking back and learning from Blues legends like Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Quite a difference from where I started, the pure blues of B.B. King couldn't be any further away from the heavy distortion of Metallica.
Here's what I recommend. Make a list of your favorite bands and artists. Listen to as much of their music as you can. Go out and buy all their albums. If you are broke or lazy, look up their songs on youtube.com, grooveshark.com or pandora.com. If you still can not find all of their music, then steal it using the many illegal downloading sites there are out there. You can pay them back later. Anyway, after you have a collection of their music and you've listened to them start learning their songs. Be sure to pay close attention to the songs that were not singles or extremely popular because those songs are more true to the artist's true style. After that, look up all the bands and artist who influenced your favorite bands and repeat the same thing. This will give you a well rounded knowledge of your particular style of music.
My influence have grown and developed as I have. This is a natural evolution and it will happen with you as well. Early on, I loved playing hard rock and metal like Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. So, I started learning a bunch of their songs and started trying to play heavier and faster. As I learned more, I began idolizing lead guitar heros such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and my personal favorite Eric Clapton. Now, as I have matured and started writing my own music, I have been looking back and learning from Blues legends like Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Quite a difference from where I started, the pure blues of B.B. King couldn't be any further away from the heavy distortion of Metallica.
Here's what I recommend. Make a list of your favorite bands and artists. Listen to as much of their music as you can. Go out and buy all their albums. If you are broke or lazy, look up their songs on youtube.com, grooveshark.com or pandora.com. If you still can not find all of their music, then steal it using the many illegal downloading sites there are out there. You can pay them back later. Anyway, after you have a collection of their music and you've listened to them start learning their songs. Be sure to pay close attention to the songs that were not singles or extremely popular because those songs are more true to the artist's true style. After that, look up all the bands and artist who influenced your favorite bands and repeat the same thing. This will give you a well rounded knowledge of your particular style of music.
Learning from others.
Some of the best advice I can give is to find other musicians to play with and learn from those that are better than you. Do not be intimidated. They were learning the basics at one point too. Find friends to play with, not only is it fun, you will learn things as you play. They might show you a song that you did not know or how to play a chord that you have never heard of. Not to sound preachy, but trust me because I've been through this experience.
I started taking lessons around 6th grade when I found out a friend in my class played guitar too. I thought he was a million times better than because he knew all these songs and how to play things that seemed impossible. So, I began taking lessons from his teacher El. El taught me the basics that I have showed you. About a year later, El started giving me lessons with my friend. My goal at the time was to get better than my friend and it was a real confidence boost when started having lessons together. That was one of the points where I really felt I was getting better. So, go out and find people to play with because eventually you are going to know enough and want to start a band of your own.
A few simple songs you are already able to play.
Now that you have learned Major Chords, Minor Chords, Power Chords and you are comfortable with playing individual notes, you are able to play a wide array of many songs.
For example: Heart of Gold by Neil Young
The chords used in this song are Em, C, D and G.
Take a listen to the song.
The intro is an Em strum with a brief D:
Repeat twice:(each / represents a beat)
Em Em Em Em Em D D Em
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /
E --------0---0---0---0---0---0-|-2-------2-----0--------------------|
B --------0---0---0---0---0---0-|-3-------3----0---------------------|
G --------0---0---0---0---0---0-|-2-------2----0---------------------|
D --------2---2---2---2---2---2-|-0-------0----2--------------0-----|
A --------2---2---2---2---2---2-|----------------2------0---2----2--|
E --------0---0---0---0---0---0-|----------------0--------------------|
[Harmonica intro]
----You play the chord above the words as he sings---- Em C D G I want to live, I want to give Em C D G I've been a miner for a heart of gold Em C D G It's these expressions I never give Em G D That keep me searching for a heart of gold C G And I'm getting old Em G D Keep me searching for a heart of gold C (riff) G And I'm getting old Riff -----------3------------------ -----------0------------------ -----------0------------------ -----------0------------------ 3--2--0--2------------------ -----------3------------------ [Harmonica solo] Repeat Intro Em C D G I've been to Hollywood, I've been to Redwood Em C D G I've crossed the ocean for a heart of gold Em C D G I've been in my mind, it's such a fine line Em G D That keeps me searching for a heart of gold C riff G And I'm getting old [Harmonica solo] Em D Em Keep me searching for a heart of gold Em D Em You keep me searching and I'm getting old Em D Em Keep me searching for a heart of gold Em G D I've been a miner for a heart of gold
C G
Another example: The classic riff from Iron Man by Black Sabbath
The riff in this song is playing using power chords.
You use Root 6 B, Root 5 D, E, F# and G. | B | D | D | E | E | G | F#| G | F#| G| F#| D | D | E | E | - Then repeat
- The hard part about this riff is you must slide back and forth between the G and F# Watch it played on youtube to get the rhythm right
Other examples:Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, Turn the Page by Bob Seger, Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty.
Power Chords.
Power chords are the hard rock chords. Classic guitar riffs such as Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man', Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water', and Cream's 'Sunshine of Your Love' are played using power chords. These chords have a distinct sound and are what made classic rock, hard rock and metal what they are. These chords are used in other styles of music, but when they are played on an electric guitar with distortion through a marshall double stack amplifier it literally screams rock 'n' roll.
Power chords played on only 2 strings at a time. Root 6 power chords are played on the E and A strings, Root 5 are played on the A and D strings and Root 4 are played on the D and G strings.
They all have the same form or shape.
Take a look at some in tab form.
Power Chords
'F' Root 6 'G' Root 6 'A' Root 6
Power chords played on only 2 strings at a time. Root 6 power chords are played on the E and A strings, Root 5 are played on the A and D strings and Root 4 are played on the D and G strings.
They all have the same form or shape.
Take a look at some in tab form.
Power Chords
'F' Root 6 'G' Root 6 'A' Root 6
E-----------------------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A------3-----------------------5-----------------7--------
E------1-----------------------3-----------------5--------
- NOTE: You play the lower note on the lower fret with your 1st finger
and the higher note with your 3rd finger.
Notice the pattern. The shape is always the same. In all power chords your 1st finger lower and your 3rd finger is always 2 frets higher up than your 1st finger.
So here are all the power chords tabbed out:
Root 6
A---2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10---11---12----13----14-----------------------------------------------
E---0----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9----10----11----12------------------------------------------------
E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E
Root 5
D---2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10---11---12----13----14-----------------------------------------------
A---0----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9----10----11----12------------------------------------------------
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A
Root 4
G---2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10---11---12----13----14-----------------------------------------------
D---0----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9----10----11----12------------------------------------------------
D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D
For these, make sure you are only playing those two strings. Practice playing each of these chords, strum them 4 times each, then slide up to the next chord. Go up and back down for all Root 6, Root 5 and Root 4 power chords. Then, as we did for the major chords in open position, practice moving around from chord to chord. Go from A to B, A to C, A to D, ect. Make sure you go through all the chords like we did with the major and minor chords. This will get you familiar with not only playing the power chords, but their sound as well.
Remember to practice everyday. Go through the major and minor chord exercises, along with the note exercises and these new power chord exercises. Soon enough you will know enough to play a lot of songs very easily because you will know how to play the chords from those songs.
Minor Chords
Now that you know all the major chords, it is time to learn some minor chords. Minor chords are the sad sounding chords. The saddest chord of all being D minor. I will show you D minor (Dm), A minor(Am), and E minor(Em). These minor chords are the most common and are played in open position. The other minor chords have to be played as what are called 'Bar Chords' which is for another lesson.
Here are the tabs for the Am, Em, and Dm.
- For Am, do not strum the low E string.
- For Dm, do not strum the low E string or A string
- For Em, strum all string.
Here are the tabs for the Am, Em, and Dm.
- For Am, do not strum the low E string.
- For Dm, do not strum the low E string or A string
- For Em, strum all string.
Incorporate these minor chords into the exercises with the major chords. Switch the major chord for these minor chord versions and practice these exercises.
Strum the chords down 4 times each, then switch to the next chord like we did with the major chord exercise.
Am) Am to B, Am to C, Am to Dm, Am to Em, Am to F, Am to G
B) B to C, B to Dm, B to Em, B to F, B to G, B to Am
C) C to Dm, C to Em, C to F, C to G, C to Am, C to B
Dm) Dm to Em, Dm to F, Dm to G, Dm to Am, Dm to B, Dm to C
Em) Em to F, Em to G, Em to Am, Em to B, Em to C, Em to Dm
F) F to G, F to Am, F to B, F to C, F to Dm, F to Em
G) G to Am, G to B, G to C, G to Dm, G to Em, G to F
Also, practice changing back and forth from the minor chord to the major chord.
1) A to Am, Am to A
2) D to Dm, Dm to A
3) E to Em, Em to E
Practice these exercises, the major exercises and the notes exercises from before. Remember to keep a steady rhythm when strumming.
Major Chords and Strumming Patterns
Now that you know how to read tabs, I will tab out all the major chord in open position(meaning some of the strings played will be open strings). An "X" on the string means the string is not strummed. The number at the top of the string is telling you which finger to use on that string.
There are all the major chords. Print out a copy so you can have it in your notes.
Now, you want to go through all of them individually and strum them cleanly, so you can hear every string clearly. Remember to keep on your finger tips and press down on the frets firmly. Once can play all the chords clearly, practice changing from chord to chord. This will take some time to do this smoothly, but be patient.
We are getting to basic strumming patterns. The simplest would be strumming the chord down 4 times, then switch to the next chord. Remember that speed is not important now, but switching cleanly and strumming in a constant rhythm is important.
The ones you should try switching between first are:
1) C to G; G to C
2) G to D; G to D
3) A to E; E to A
Then, try every other variation. A to B, A to C, A to D, ect. Go through all the chords alphabetically. Start with A and switch until you get to G. Then, start with B until you get to A.
Here are the exercises you can see them.
A) A to B, A to C, A to D, A to E, A to F, A to G
B) B to C, B to D, B to E, B to F, B to G, B to A
C) C to D, C to E, C to F, C to G, C to A, C to B
D) D to E, D to F, D to G, D to A, D to B, D to C
E) E to F, E to G, E to A, E to B, E to C, E to D
F) F to G, F to A, F to B, F to C, F to D, F to E
G) G to A, G to B, G to C, G to D, G to E, G to F
Practice these strumming exercises in addition to the note exercises from last week. Start memorizing the chords and practice the exercises until you can play them without having to reference the tabs.
Tablature vs. Sheet Music
Tablature vs. Sheet Music.
This a pretty big debate on which you should use when teaching music. Simply put, sheet music is the proper way to write and read music. It is what classical musicians use, but not everyone wants to play classical music. Tablature(tabs) is the way everyone else reads and reads music. Of course, I'm generalizing, but the point is I feel learning from tabs is the easier way to learn and understand playing. So, I will teach you how to read tabs. However, down the road I recommend learning how to read sheet music also.
Tabs are simple to read and understand. Tabs are written out on 6 lines, either horizontal or vertical, and they represent the 6 strings on the guitar. Vertical tabs are used mainly to show you chords, while horizontal tabs are used to show a riff or solo. For vertical tabs, the lines are strings E-A-D-G-B-E from left to right. For horizontal tabs, the lines are strings E-A-D-G-B-E from bottom to top. The number on the string is telling you what fret to play on that string. The number 0 means the string is played open.
There are many symbols used in tabs to telling you how to play a note a certain way, like bending or sliding, but that's ahead of where we are at. Right now, we just need to be able to read basic tabs.
Here is the tab of the exercise I had you do last blog.
E -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4------
B ------------------------------------------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4-----------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4 ----------------------------------------
D --------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4---------------------------------------------------------
A --------------------0--1--2--3--4---------------------------------------------------------------------------
E ---0--1--2--3--4--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week add playing this exercise backwards into your practicing.
E---4--3--2--1--0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------4--3--2--1--0----------------------------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----
This a pretty big debate on which you should use when teaching music. Simply put, sheet music is the proper way to write and read music. It is what classical musicians use, but not everyone wants to play classical music. Tablature(tabs) is the way everyone else reads and reads music. Of course, I'm generalizing, but the point is I feel learning from tabs is the easier way to learn and understand playing. So, I will teach you how to read tabs. However, down the road I recommend learning how to read sheet music also.
Tabs are simple to read and understand. Tabs are written out on 6 lines, either horizontal or vertical, and they represent the 6 strings on the guitar. Vertical tabs are used mainly to show you chords, while horizontal tabs are used to show a riff or solo. For vertical tabs, the lines are strings E-A-D-G-B-E from left to right. For horizontal tabs, the lines are strings E-A-D-G-B-E from bottom to top. The number on the string is telling you what fret to play on that string. The number 0 means the string is played open.
There are many symbols used in tabs to telling you how to play a note a certain way, like bending or sliding, but that's ahead of where we are at. Right now, we just need to be able to read basic tabs.
Here is the tab of the exercise I had you do last blog.
E -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4------
B ------------------------------------------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4-----------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4 ----------------------------------------
D --------------------------------------0--1--2--3--4---------------------------------------------------------
A --------------------0--1--2--3--4---------------------------------------------------------------------------
E ---0--1--2--3--4--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week add playing this exercise backwards into your practicing.
E---4--3--2--1--0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------4--3--2--1--0----------------------------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--0-----
The Basics
So lets start from the beginning.
The names of the strings on a guitar, from thickest to thinnest, are; E-A-D-G-B-E. This is called standard tuning. The music alphabet goes from A to G and when you get to G it repeats from A to G again. Another important thing to know is that we name the fingers on your fretting hand after numbers; index finger - 1st, middle finger - 2nd, ring finger - 3rd, pinkie finger - 4th. For now, it is important to start building the strength in your fingering hand and practice you coordination between playing notes.
So, for this lesson, practice playing the low E string open, then pressing your 1st finger down on the 1st fret and playing that note. Then, play the 2nd fret with your 2nd finger, 3rd fret with your 3rd and 4th fret with your 4th. Do this for every string.
Remember: Do not try to go through this fast, but try to keep a steady rhythm. Speed is not important now, learning how to keep a consistent rhythm is. After you can go through every note on every string without stopping, then start picking up the speed of your playing. Also, when you are fretting the notes, press down hard on your finger tips and push down near the edge of the fret you want to play, but not on the fret.
This might seem trivial now, but fingering and rhythm are the building blocks of playing. If you practice this consistently every day, then in a matter of weeks you will be playing full chords and some of your favorite songs.
The names of the strings on a guitar, from thickest to thinnest, are; E-A-D-G-B-E. This is called standard tuning. The music alphabet goes from A to G and when you get to G it repeats from A to G again. Another important thing to know is that we name the fingers on your fretting hand after numbers; index finger - 1st, middle finger - 2nd, ring finger - 3rd, pinkie finger - 4th. For now, it is important to start building the strength in your fingering hand and practice you coordination between playing notes.
So, for this lesson, practice playing the low E string open, then pressing your 1st finger down on the 1st fret and playing that note. Then, play the 2nd fret with your 2nd finger, 3rd fret with your 3rd and 4th fret with your 4th. Do this for every string.
Remember: Do not try to go through this fast, but try to keep a steady rhythm. Speed is not important now, learning how to keep a consistent rhythm is. After you can go through every note on every string without stopping, then start picking up the speed of your playing. Also, when you are fretting the notes, press down hard on your finger tips and push down near the edge of the fret you want to play, but not on the fret.
This might seem trivial now, but fingering and rhythm are the building blocks of playing. If you practice this consistently every day, then in a matter of weeks you will be playing full chords and some of your favorite songs.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Buying your first instrument
For those of you who have never played any instrument and want to learn the first thing you have to do is go out and buy one. Now, there are many starter packages that are very cheap and are usually what people buy when they start, but I'm telling you not to fall into that trap. It is a complete waste of money. Starter guitar kits that include amps usually run for about 100-200 dollars, but the instrument and equipment are pieces of junk. They are the knock off brands of quality instruments. Think of this purchase as an investment in the future because it is.
I still have and play my first electric guitar, an Epiphone Les Paul, and it still sounds as good as when I got it over 10 years ago. It cost $550. Now, don't spend thousands of dollars on the top of the line equipment, but spend a good amount to where it will retain its value over the years. This way later if you want to trade anything you will actually get something for it.
I still have and play my first electric guitar, an Epiphone Les Paul, and it still sounds as good as when I got it over 10 years ago. It cost $550. Now, don't spend thousands of dollars on the top of the line equipment, but spend a good amount to where it will retain its value over the years. This way later if you want to trade anything you will actually get something for it.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Guitar/Music lessons and advice
My name is Steve Walz. I am a student at Temple University. Like many others, music is my passion. I have been playing guitar since I was 6 years old, learning some bass and piano over the years. I started this blog to give lessons for musicians of any level of experience and offer advice to those of you who want to be performing musicians.
My first piece of advice in learning any instrument is to practice every day. That's the only way to get better. If you don't practice every day, then after 3 months of trying you probably wouldn't have gotten much better and you might start doubting yourself. For those of you with no experience, it's good to remember that every great musician started off knowing nothing. You have to take it one step at a time and I am going to try to explain the steps in the best order I know.
My first piece of advice in learning any instrument is to practice every day. That's the only way to get better. If you don't practice every day, then after 3 months of trying you probably wouldn't have gotten much better and you might start doubting yourself. For those of you with no experience, it's good to remember that every great musician started off knowing nothing. You have to take it one step at a time and I am going to try to explain the steps in the best order I know.
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