Learning Guitar – Should You Learn Rhythm Or Lead First?

Learning Guitar – Should You Learn Rhythm Or Lead First?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=N._R._Edser]N. R. Edser

What should you learn first … lead guitar or rhythm?

If you aren’t sure of the difference, here it is in a nut-shell …

Lead is single notes.  Think of the instrumental bit in most rock songs, it is usually a guitar that fills this break. (You know … the bit in the song that you used to play air-guitar so well to in the mirror!) Rhythm is constant throughout the song … the guitarist plays full chords (hitting all six strings) to create the “background” to the song.

70% of the people I meet want to learn lead first.  After all, it sounds the most exciting!

But this is definitely (in my opinion) the wrong way to learn.  Absolutely learn to play good rhythm first.  Rhythm is extremely important.  Most newcomers to music don’t realize just how important as the rhythm guitar kind of “blends” into the background … but if it stops … you REALLY notice it.  It’s like something just … “died” in the music.

If you hear a band playing and the rhythm guitarist for some reason stops, it’s like the music becomes very “empty”.  The middle has gone out of it and all you are left with is drums and bass.

Don’t for a minute doubt the importance of rhythm guitar players.  In fact, a band could not exist without a rhythm guitarist (or at least some instrument to take this role).

And if you are thinking of being a solo performer, playing just lead would sound pointless.

Think of some of Jack Johnson’s songs.  He plays rhythm almost all of the time.  (And does a good job of it too!).

SO remember .. Rhythm 1st … Lead Later!

N.R. Edser is a professional Guitar Teacher living on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia.
He publishes a FREE newsletter for the absolute beginning guitarist.

Join for free at – http://www.heapsofinfo.com/guitar/guitar.html and get a FREE Beginning Guitar e-book

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Learn Practical Guitar Playing Tips With Learn and Master Guitar

Learn Practical Guitar Playing Tips With Learn and Master Guitar
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jason_C_Diggs]Jason C Diggs

Guitar playing is an art and not everyone is a gifted guitarist. This article is devoted to all those guitar lovers who have at some point of their life or the other, experienced a deep desire to learn playing guitar. Well, guitar learning is not as difficult as people say it is. At least with the DVD series of the Learn and Master Guitar program, the challenging task of learning to play the guitar becomes much more easy and uncomplicated.

This program has such a wide range of guitar concepts, techniques and styles to teach, that any person who follows this program is sure to learn the guitar quite fluently, confidently, flawlessly and with a reasonably high degree of versatility within a few months of starting with this program. This best part about this program is that apart from the rich knowledge that it provides through the video guitar lessons, it also provides an unlimited amount of practical tips, which add a lot of life to your guitar playing skills, in addition to making guitar playing very effortless and simple for you.

The instructor, Steve Krenz is a very experienced guitarist, an accomplished musician and a widely acclaimed guitar teacher. He seems to know what piece of advice or what tip to provide at the exact moment when it is needed. It is as if he can read you mind and can understand your requirement completely. Here are a few tips and suggestions from Steve, that are very simple and yet without them, you would be missing out on a lot of perfection and pleasure of playing the guitar.

Guitar Tips and Guitar Tricks

Very often, beginners complain that playing the guitar hurts their fingers. Steve suggests exercises for improving finger agility and strength in the initial part of this instructional program itself, so that nobody quits learning because of this problem. He clarifies that the problem can be solved through regular practice, which encourages callus building, when the finger tips press down hard on the strings. He also points out that barring a chord is very helpful for callus building and also improves finger strength and dexterity.

In addition to introducing you to the world of chords, chord families, chord progressions, chord formulas, smooth chord transitions, chord substitution, advanced chords and altered chords, Steve also equips you with several tips pertaining to chords. He tells you to teach yourself as many different ways of playing a chord as possible, because it adds greater flexibility during cord changing and is also going to be useful when you try to compose your own music. According to him, you should carry the guitar with you and practice playing chords as frequently as possible, while watching TV or talking to a friend, as this will refrain you from looking at the guitar and playing each not. As you continue with this practice, your fingers will get used to playing fluently and with greater confidence, even if you do not look constantly look at the fretboard each time you strike a note.

This program provides many such useful tips, which we can very well do without, but whose implementation can add an element of grace and perfection to your guitar playing skills. This program provides you with such a large variety of free guitar licks and songs that you can practice as often as you like. It helps polish your guitar playing skills and takes your guitar learning process to an entirely different level, wherein you know how to apply what you have learnt. Therefore, irrespective of whether you are a born guitarist or not, you can soon start playing the guitar like any of the professional guitarists.

Guitar enthusiast, Jason C Diggs, writes quality, non-biased reviews on the net’s top instructional guitar programs. His highest rating goes to [http://madguitarlicks.com/learn-and-master-guitar.html]Learn and Master Guitar, a highly recognized, extensive DVD guitar course. He also offers over 35 FREE video [http://www.madguitarlicks.com]guitar licks at his site.

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Myth Busted – Play and Learn Guitar Truth Exposed!

Myth Busted – Play and Learn Guitar Truth Exposed!
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Samuel_Malama]Samuel Malama

Play and learn the guitar is what you hear all the so called gurus of guitar telling you. They make it sound as though it is a walk in the park, wouldn’t it have been wonderful if it was. You can make it exactly that way if you like; you just have to commit to it.

If you are one of the countless numbers of people that are always wondering why they have not progressed at playing the guitar; don’t worry you are not alone and it is not your fault. So you can relax and open your mind up to the unknown.

You see, all the interviews that you have read in articles etc tell you the same thing like, “go out and practice and then after that more practice.” That is not wrong or bad in any way; it is just that the information is incomplete. Here are a few things that will help complete the circle.

Teach yourself, self-belief, use your failure as motivation and get yourself a mentor. Let us look at these in a little more detail.

Teach Yourself

Before you even start murmuring because you are wondering what this means, just wait a second it will all come clear. Fair enough you are saying to yourself that it is impossible to teach yourself; on the contrary it isn’t.

What this means is that before you even go out and spend money on dvds, online courses, instructors etc familiarize yourself with your instrument.

Know all the little things about it, mess around with and do all that you can do to it. This will help you get a lot more comfortable it in readiness for the complicated stuff you will encounter. Then you can go and get an instructor or course

Self-Belief

Ask yourself this question, do you think you have what it takes to be a guitarist? If your answer to that question was no, then stop reading this, guitar playing is not for you. But if your answer was yes then you are on the right track.

The only pre-requisite to becoming a guitarist is self-belief, take that away and you have nothing. People underestimate themselves way too much. You would be surprised at what you can do when you put your mind to it.

Failure as Motivation

Please, know this, during your course of learning to play the guitar, there will be times that you will feel like throwing away your guitar. You will be trying to play a song and it won’t just sound the way you want it. At times like this, don’t quit. Instead use that as your motivation and driving force.

Getting a Mentor

Nothing much can be said here, except you need to connect yourself with a better guitarist. That person is someone you refer to in times of need. They should be someone willing enough to see you through all the way to success.

It can be your mother, aunt, uncle, brother, anyone, as long as they have your interest at heart. Playing the guitar is not difficult, it is just assumed so.

Samuel Malama is well renowned in the guitar playing world for the motivation, encoragement and support that he gives to guitarists of all levels. The support that he gives guitarists improves their playing skill a great deal. For a limited time, grab his exclusive and revolutionary report on the 3 secrets to succeed as a guitarist. To gain immediate access click the link [http://zoblazo.com/learn-to-guitar-the-truth-exposed/]learn to guitar or visit http://www.zoblazo.com/learn-to-play-the-guitar/

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