Posts Tagged ‘learn to play’
Play a Diddley Bow Like Seasick Steve
Music should always be fun. It should be easy for anyone with almost any level of aptitude to make some form of music. Unfortunately we are taught that, in order to make music, you need to study music tablature, learn scales and chords, spend money on expensive musical instruments and practice loads. But this is far from the truth.
Have you ever see any African tribes people dancing to drums? These talented drummers will have never been to music college. Obviously they aren’t familiar with scales, chords or paradiddles. But they know how to have a good time. Using simple instruments to make music, maybe a home made drum or rattle, is really great fun and what music should be all about.
There is a one stringed Brasilian instrument called a Berimbau that has African roots. The instrument looks very much like a bow that might be used for hunting. Now this simple instrument is the precursor to pretty much all forms of stringed instrument including guitars, harps and even pianos.
You make have heard of an instrument called a Diddley Bow. This is an African American folk instrument that uses only one string or wire. These might typically be made by stretching a piece of wire along a length of wood. The string is made taught with a bridge of some kind, maybe a can, and then fretted with a slide, often a knife, piece of bone or bottleneck.
Lonnie Pitchford, a well known exponent of the Diddley Bow would make his one stringed instruments by attaching a wire to the vertical support of his front porch. In fact, making Diddley Bows in this manner, by attaching a piece of wire (often fence wire or broom wire) to a house or shack, was common practice amongst the poor workers living in the Mississippi Delta region.
The sound of the Diddley Bow is very much the sound of the blues. Many of the early blues orginators from the 1920s and 1930s got their start by twanging Diddley Bows. One popular modern day Diddly bow player is Seasick Steve. So why not make yourself a simple one string Diddley Bow today and make some music.
Guitar for Beginners – Finding the Best Lessons
Starting guitar lessons for beginners can be a daunting task for some people. The notes, the strings, the chords and the strumming are basics that are difficult enough to master on their own. After that, it all becomes much more complex when you have to factor in the distinct feel and soul of the songs you play.
Having a teacher to guide you through guitar lessons is helpful to avoid confusion as to where or how to get started. Picking up the finer points of how to play a musical instrument by watching a skilled player is essential to be able to become accomplished at the instrument.
There are several choices for beginners to learn to play the guitar:
Private Instruction
This was the most common method of learning to play the guitar for beginners before the availabilty of electronic lessons, affordable video and computers with internet access.
A student will be able to receive lessons custom-made to fit his or her needs under the tutelage of a private teacher. With hands-on help, many beginner guitar players progress rapidly with the help of a professional tutor or teacher.
There is a drawback to this intensive learning method, however. First and foremost is the money involved, as tutoring can run up to a cool hundred dollars or more a month. Depending on the city or town you live in, it can cost quite a bit for lessons with a professional. Scheduling the lessons can be a problem if you can’t be available when the teacher has an opening for a new student.
Subscribe to online lessons
An alternative to getting a private teacher is to subscribe to guitar lessons via the Internet.
The lessons can either be similar to or totally different from getting a private teacher. Live tv-style classes streaming from a webcam are one way lessons are taught online – or there are recorded video tutorials. Jamorama is the name of one of the popular providers of online lessons – they have rock, lead, and acoustic guitar courses. (For a review, see Jamorama Acoustic Guitar.)
If you choose the former, then you can expect rates to be slightly less compared to hiring a private teacher, but the lessons will be a lot less interactive and customized because of the virtual limitations. On the other hand, the online lessons don’t cost as much as private lessons but you can miss out on having a personal relationship with a teacher/mentor. You would need to have an Internet connection and a computer capable of playing the streaming videos (or downloading them).
Buy guitar lesson DVDs
A third choice for lessons are those on digital video (DVDs).
These are similar to video-taped online lessons, but come packaged into DVDs instead. You can bring them around with you wherever you want to go, pop them in a DVD player and begin learning at your own leisure. You can rewind and find the spot you need replay more easily on DVDs than with some online lessons. These are affordable and often come with printed materials, as well as, recorded video tutorials. (See a review of Learn and Master Guitar.)
As far as disadvantages to DVDs, about the only one is the slightly higher cost as compared to online lessons – due to their having to be packaged and shipped. Though DVD courses are a great option for beginner guitar players, they may not be enough – sometimes personal input from a teacher is needed. The better DVD courses have online support and community forums, as well as a more interactive type of recorded music that the student can play along with. And really good courses allow students to upload videos of themselves playing for feedback or advice from the teacher and more advanced students.
So there you have it, the three primary means to learn guitar lessons for beginners. Choose wisely, and select the kind of lessons that you can afford or that will help you achieve your guitar goals – and you’ll be rockin’ out in no time at all!