Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘guitar tutorials’

The internet has given us a whole new media when it comes to learning to play the guitar, whether you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro. Lots of people today are making use of the high availability of online sites that promise to help you learn to play the guitar.

Online guitar tutorials are now a huge industry – there are a massive amount of sites, and a lot of them will teach you how to play the guitar to very high standard. Streaming videos now allow people to learn in the comfort o their own living room, at any time, whenever they like. Here, we have explored some of the advantages of these sites for you, and taken a closer look at what they can offer you.

1)    The convenience
More and more everyday activities are becoming more and more convenient (like shopping, for example). As we stated earlier, by learning to play the guitar online you can learn wherever and whenever you want. We are lucky to live in a time when convenience and easy availability of goods and services is part of our social make-up, and when it comes to learning to play the guitar, this is no different.

Nowadays, you can learn at your pace – a few minutes here and there if you so desire. You can even fit learning to play the guitar around other activities. In the past, guitar students would have to travel to the instructor’s studio for a lesson. This involved often inconvenient travel times, and more often than not involved setting aside a whole afternoon or evening for a lesson.

2) You get to choose your instructor
Instead of just taking lessons from someone who is closest to your home or more convenient for you to get to, this way you can take a look at their biographies, sample lessons and other relevant details. This is a huge advantage, as you will be learning from someone who best fits your particular needs. With the majority of online tutorial sites, you can select from a variety of instructors.

Taking lessons from two or three instructors will give you a good sense of balance and you may even learn better doing it this way – don’t have to stick to just one instructor. Some of them are more hands on, whilst others favor a more visual approach, it’s worth trying out different instructors to find one that best suits your learning style.

3) Its flexible
When you choose an online program, you are in the driving seat, and you get to learn what you want to learn! The courses are completely flexible in that you can choose what you want – in a more one-on-one situation you will often fin that you are learning only what the instructor wants (or is able to) teach you.

4)    Affordability
The math is relatively simple: if 100 members of a particular site pay $10 each, then the site generates $1000. This revenue can then be used to film and produce even more lessons. The whole business premise of the online tutorial is that they can provide more lessons for less money. In order to learn to play the guitar, a lot of people don’t want to spend a whole lot of money.

The value of the online training is clear. A lot of the websites offer membership for around $40, which represents great value for money when you consider how many lessons are open to you when you join up. With a one-on-one instructor you will be looking to pay something between $30 and $60 per half hour lesson.

The only real downside of the online tutorial is that there is no-one there is you get stuck. However, this seems like a very small disadvantage when you consider all the benefits of learning to play the guitar online. Sometimes, you need to ask a specific question about the things you are learning, and it can be quite frustrating that you cannot ask that question.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson of ReviewsMetro.com

Care and maintenance can sometimes seem secondary to playing, but if you want to continue playing for a long time, then it’s absolutely vital. We have assembled some of the best tips to keep your guitar in tip-top condition. By following these steps, you will find that the guitar will last as long as you want it to! Keeping your guitar in the best possible condition is paramount to enjoying the full life and playability of your instrument.

·    After Practicing
The deterioration of the strings is a common problem amongst guitarists. If the strings start to rust, then they become very rough and have a higher propensity of cutting into your fingers. To prevent this, make sure that as soon as you have finished practicing take a soft cloth and clean the strings. A guitarist with cut fingers is not going to play as well, so it is important to make sure that the strings of your guitar do not get to this stage.

This is a very simple action, but it will get rid of all the oil, dirt and sweat that can accumulate on the strings. You might want to think about applying a thin layer of string conditioner before you re-case your guitar. These solutions are relatively inexpensive (a good one will cost less than ten US dollars) and they do a great job of preventing the oxidization of the strings that causes them to rust.

·    The fretboard
When you next change your strings, simply clean the fretboards with a damp cloth. There can often be an accumulation of dirt and grease around the fretboards, just as there is on the strings. If this is left unclean, it can lead to serious damage for your guitar, compromising the integrity of the instrument.

·    Polishing
The body of the guitar can often be neglected, as people tend to focus on the strings and the fretboard. However, by paying attention to the body of your guitar, you are more likely to sustain the overall life of the instrument. Polish it regularly with a lint-free cloth, using only guitar-specific polishes. Some more widely available household polishes arte too abrasive, and can cause damage.

·    Storage
Your guitar is a very sensitive instrument, and is extremely sensitive to the environment in which it is stored. Wood is a porous substance, which means it can absorb moisture. Whilst most guitars are tolerant to a range of temperatures, excessive moisture will cause swelling which in turn causes the wood to warp and affects the overall sound. For ideal conditions, you should be looking at storing your guitar at around 50% humidity and a temperature of around 25 degrees C.

·    Scratches
It seems an obvious thing to say, but I have seen so many people make this mistake! Before you begin to play, make sure you remove all jewellery and other accoutrements that might scratch your instrument. Obviously, rings and bracelets could do this, but I have seen many people scratch or damage their instruments through simple things like belt buckles or the buttons on their jeans!

It’s not really rocket science – and if you treat your guitar with the respect that it deserves then you will find the rewards are much higher. You can prolong the lifespan of your guitar by applying simple common sense in the majority of cases.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson