Many people enjoy listening to music, but if you want to understand music the best way is to learn how to play music. The guitar is a great way to learn to play music and can easily be learned with a bit of perseverance. Most guitar must is derived from the blues, so this is a great place to start.

The blues came from the slaves along the farms of the mighty Mississippi. During the day the workers would sing as they worked on the plantations, and then by night they would spend their time in the Juke Joints in their habitations. From here the blues developed and grew, and from the blues rock and roll was born.

When you learn the guitar you will probably start by learning chords and piecing together songs from these. Once you get a bit more used to working the fret board it is time to learn some lead guitar moves. The best way to start learning is to learn some of the scales.

The most important scale, arguably, is the blues scale. This is the scale that the other scales are derived from and understanding this will help you to learn other styles of music outside of the blues. Start with the blues scale and you will be on the right road.

To be good at the blues you need to make sure that you get the fundamentals right. One of the best ways to do this is to have lessons. Blues guitar lessons can be taught in a lot of different ways.

A tutor or music school in your local area is a great way to start. You can seek out recommendations from your local guitar shop. You can however find other methods of learning the blues from your own home.

With the Internet you have a lot of very useful resources at your fingertips to learn the guitar. You are best seeking out a structured course with video lessons and a clear structure. You can also find great backing tracks to play along with as you progress.

If you want to take your guitar playing to the next level then learning the blues is one of the best ways to do this. Learn the foundations of the blues and then make sure that you play as much as possible to get a real feel for the music. Once you master these you'll be able to take your playing to new heights.

There's nothing better than a blues guitar lesson to improve your playing. Learn more about blues guitar lessons here.

I need help with this guitar!!!?

Is there a guitar like this with the sam combination of pickups put in a strat style,

If you buy a Strat-style guitar, you can always change out the pickups to any configuration you like. There are lots of websites that sell pre-wired pickguards that are ready to install. Here's a link to Guitar Fetish, which sells pickups, as well as pre-wired pickguards:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/wipi.html

Since I usually can't find a pickup configuration that suits my needs in a body style I like (I'm partial to Telecasters), I've taken to modifying my guitars. It's pretty easy to cut a humbucker opening in a pickguard using a Dremel tool or even a utility knife. And if you start with a new pickguard, you can customize it to fit non-standard pickups. For example, I have a semi-hollow Telecaster thinline, but I replaced the stock pickups with GFS (Guitar Fetish's brand of pickups) pickups that are clones of old Rickenbacker ones. It's a good option to have if you're really committed to a certain guitar body style.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES OF SOUND BETWEEN A MAPLE AND ROSEWOOD NECK ON A FENDER STRAT?

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES OF SOUND BETWEEN A MAPLE AND ROSEWOOD NECK ON A FENDER STRAT?

Hi! Please check out http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylv=3?qid=20090913012053AAp3V97 and http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylv=3?qid=20090413141954AAcsIxg for some thoughts on the differences. Best regards, Dana

For any beginner starting to play guitar the question is often raised whether you should start on acoustic guitar or electric guitar. For some, this will be a simple choice as they will be drawn to one or the other based on the type of music they like.

But the question still stands about which provides a foundation in technique that will form a basis for improving guitar skills? If you are going to teach yourself guitar then which guitar type does not hide your faults?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both at different stages of a guitarist learning so any assessment needs to take into account the short and long term benefits of each. Over the years I have taught other guitarists using whatever guitar they had to hand. I noticed that you can nearly tell from a guitarist's technique whether they started on electric or acoustic just by watching them play.

So here are the pros and cons we saw of each approach.

Beginning On Electric Guitar

Pros

* Easier to play using the narrower gauge strings and narrower guitar neck.

* Develop a subtlety of playing. Amplification of what you play highlights various effects and nuances in your play (for hammer ons, vibrato, etc.).

* It is possible to practice using earphones (neighbors will appreciate this).

Cons

* Muscle strength in the fingers does not build up as strongly as when playing acoustic.

* Using effects/distortion hides a multitude of sins.

* Strong tendency for incorrect placement of the left thumb on the guitar neck.

Beginning On Acoustic Guitar

Pros

* Lower startup costs.

* An amp is not required, which allows you to play and practice anywhere.

* Finger muscle strength builds up from day one.

Cons

* Temptation is there to strum through all songs. Beginners should take the time to learn finger picking styles.

* Guitar solos can get 'lost in the mix' if playing in a group which may put off some beginners.

* Using earphones with an acoustic guitar is not an option.

From my perspective, guitarists who start out on electric build up a speed of playing (solos, chord changes, etc.) which is admirable, but it is often at the cost of good playing technique. Playing the electric guitar hides a number of faults such as incorrect placement of the thumb and not holding down strings solidly that results in strings buzzing or being muted during play (this is highly noticeable when recording an electric).

In comparison, the acoustic guitarist builds up the finger strength, learns better hand placement on the frets and fosters clear sounding play.

That said, if you can handle the bill for buying both electric and acoustic guitars then you could split out the beginners training on both instruments and they will benefit from both approaches.

Are you frustrated with the lack of progress from your current guitar tuition/guitar course? Read Ed's review of Jamorama online guitar lessons at teach yourself guitar the modern way.

A Detailed Guide: Learn Bass

If you want to learn to play bass guitar, there are a few things that you are going to want to be aware of, and of course the first thing you will need to do is learn more about the bass guitar itself and what makes it different from your standard guitar.

Bass Guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument that is played primarily with the fingers, either by plucking, slapping, popping or tapping. This is the main different to the standard guitar, which is typically played by strumming.

If you want to learn bass, one of the most important things to know is that in order to avoid the excessive use of ledger lines, bass guitar is notated in bass clef an octave higher than the sound it makes.

How to Play

If you want to learn bass, you should know that it is a fair bit more difficult than the standard guitar. To learn bass therefore requires more patience, and a better sound quality. Although most people do not realize it, a talented bass player is crucial to any good band, and whether it is providing the low end notes that help fill out the band's sound or the rhythmic pulse that propels the music forward, the bass is often the glue that holds the music together.

Frets

One of the first things you will need to learn about when you want to learn bass involves the frets. While the strings divide the guitar from left to right, frets are small metal strips that divide the guitar into sections from top to bottom. If you look at your guitar from above you can see that the strings and frets together form a kind of grid that covers the entire neck of the guitar.

When you place your finger on a string in between two of these frets, this is what enables you to play a note.

Practice Lessons

If you want to learn bass, you are going to want to take practice lessons, whether you work with an expert or just do it on your own. Start by playing and identifying the notes on each individual string. Start off with easier songs to perform and then as you progress and get more skilled at playing bass you can obviously take on more difficult songs.

Once you have a clear understanding of where the notes on the fretboard are located, you will be able to put them into patterns known as scales, and this is when you will really start excelling at playing songs.

About the Author

Bill Protresi is an online providing tips and advice. Visit Bill at if you want to learn play guitar.