-
Submitted By: Sal Bonavita
Do you need a special type of guitar?
The simple answer is No! For a beginner, any (nylon stringed) classical guitar will do the job.
2 points of confusion
1) Any guitar with steel strings on it is NOT suitable. There was a time when certain styles of Country and Western and jazz guitars were advertised as "Spanish guitars" for some unknown reason. (I think because they have roughly the same shape as a classical / flamenco guitar). If you look hard enough you may even find a few books of th ...
In Category: Shopping
Viewed: 61 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Sal Bonavita
The fuzzy boundaries of tradition
No sensible person would try to define where traditional ends and modern begins. Sabicas played traditional music but he also played some pretty unusual stuff that could hardly be defined as flamenco. However, I think it would be fair to say that before Paco de Lucia introduced his sextet to the world, complete with flutes, bongos and fretless electric bass, the average person on the street had a rough idea of what flamenco was about. Not any more.
Althoug ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 61 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Sal Bonavita
What is Compas?
This is the metered out rhythm, or beat cycle of a dance or song form. It is the basic element of flamenco rhythm. Specifically, compas is a recurring cycle of beats analogous to a bar of music. The beat cycle may be 2, 4, 6, 8 or 12 beats, depending on the rhythmic form.
Although there are typical accents within the cycle that a beginner would learn, these accents may vary to accommodate the syncopated variations that artists introduce into the music. Rhythmic syncopation ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 78 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Victor Epand
Many bass instruments are played upright, as a direct result of the fact that the bass strings are usually the longest, and therefore the instrument is naturally much longer than standard ones. However, electric bass guitars are played in exactly the same way as a standard guitar, and the length of the instrument is roughly the same. This is of course an advantage achieved through the fact that the actual sound heard is produced electronically, and the overall tone, pitch and frequency of the no ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 102 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Jim Brown
Every musical instrument in a symphonic orchestra will emit a distinct tone that will contribute to the sound of music that will be heard by an audience during a concert performance. The woodwind section of the symphonic orchestra is comprised of musical instruments such as the flute, oboe, the clarinet, and the bassoon. A symphonic orchestra is comprised of brass instruments, stringed instruments, percussion instruments, and woodwind instruments.
The musical instruments that are considered w ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 103 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Kevin Sinclair
A great part of learning the guitar is focused on using the left hand. Presuming that you are right-handed, the left hand will be used to fret the strings in order to achieve your notes. However, after saying that, learning to use the right hand is just as important. It is your right hand that achieves the string vibration, therefore making music, so this action is vitally important. In order to undertake the picking, you can strum, use a plectrum, otherwise known as a pick, you can even use ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 104 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Kevin Sinclair
Although there are several kinds of guitars the two main ones are the electric and the acoustic and even within these two categories there are many variations.
The acoustic guitar is made of wood and the sound it produces depends upon the shape of the guitar and the strings. The body is usually hollow and nylon strings are used. It does not need to be connected to a power supply unless, of course, it is an acoustic electric guitar. There are no effects boxes of any kind required as with th ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 105 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Kevin Sinclair
You may find it frustrating when attempting to play chords and notes for the first time. When you are not accustomed to using your hands and fingers in this way, it will of course, take a while to adjust, and to build up the correct muscles and increase the suppleness in your hands and fingers. It is possible for your hands and fingers to feel a little stiff after your first practice session, especially if your first session was rather lengthy. However, it is imperative that you do not allow ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 106 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Douglas Taylor
Whether you are fifteen or fifty and whether you are a complete beginner or have some experience then you have probably taken a quick look to see what is available online in respect of learning to play the guitar. However, is it really that easy to learn how to play the guitar online or not? I suppose the answer depends on the type of person that you are? But when looking for online guitar lessons there are some things that you need to take into consideration.
1. Is the product that you a ...
In Category: Consumer Reviews
Viewed: 107 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Victor Epand
One of the many different ways in which the sound produced by an electric guitar can be influenced is through the use of various time based effects. Typically a player will use a pedal, operated by foot, which will affect the sound of the guitar once pressed or rocked. These time based effect pedals work by producing a copy of the sound made by the guitar, and then plays back this copy either once, a fraction of a second after the original has been played, or by playing back the copy several tim ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 107 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Jamie Lyons
All rock stars have to start somewhere and generally the very first step is learning to play an instrument. Mastering an instrument is no mean feat and although some people are more predisposed to exceptional talent or blessed with impeccable rhythm: practice is the key to truly getting the most out of the experience. If you've decided you like to learn how to play the guitar and emulate such heroes as Slash, Hendrix and Clapton then you have a hard slog ahead of you. To try and make it as stra ...
In Category: Shopping
Viewed: 107 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Kevin Sinclair
A chord is when several notes are played at the same time. If you think of playing chords on a piano, you will realize that several keys are pressed at the simultaneously so that they produce a harmonious sound. Chords are played by many musicians, especially guitarists. When you are learning to play the guitar you will start with open chords also known as folk. This is not just because they are the easiest to learn but also because they are the most popular chords. When you play a chord on th ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 108 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Anna Stenning
As a Steve Vai fan, I can only dream of playing like him one day but as it happens I only manage a few short chords at quick-time speed. His guitar playing is nothing short of astounding and is still revered for being one of the most original musicians and inspiring creative artists.
It comes as no surprise then that there are a massive amount of resources available for Steve Vai guitar lessons, as well as other lessons from famous rock musicians, offering people the chance to learn some comp ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 108 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Jim Brown
When visitors enter a concert hall to hear a symphonic orchestra, they will see a orchestrated seating arrangement stretched out across the stage before them. Many might wonder about the musical instruments that will be used during the performance because there are no signs posted to identify the types of musical instruments and the specific placement of them. Some instruments will be on the stage, such as the piano, and kettle drums and others will be brought to the stage by the musician that i ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 109 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Jim Brown
The expense of musical instruments used in school bands is worthwhile if the student follows through and learns to play beautiful music. During those classes, the students will be taught to read musical notes for the instrument they have chosen and how to care for the musical instrument throughout the school year. Some of the accessories for school musical instruments will help a student to keep the instrument clean and other accessories will help with the operation of the instrument.
Drums a ...
In Category: Shopping
Viewed: 109 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Kevin Sinclair
It is always advised to visit a professional guitar repairman when you have any kind of repairs to undertake on your guitar. A majority of guitar repairs are simply beyond the capability of an amateur, and if you attempt to repair your guitar yourself, you may well end up causing more damage. Of course, the best thing to do is to ensure that your guitar is well cared for so that you don't need to have it repaired in any way. One way in which you can take care of your guitar is by not leaving ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 109 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Anna Stenning
If you are considering learning to play an instrument, are an absolute beginner, have no prior knowledge of anything remotely musical except for perhaps playing the triangle in a school performance, then perhaps video tuition is the way forward.
For example learning to play the guitar, there are now so many resources which offer guitar videos for the purpose of learning or improving your skills, these videos are often available to download and include hours of instruction.
There are pro's ...
In Category: Product Reviews
Viewed: 109 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Victor Epand
Among the many divisions in the guitar family is that of flattop vs. archtop. Both terms are really quite self explanatory. A flattop guitar is one with a flat top, the part of the instrument usually referred to as the soundboard. The sound hole of a flattop guitar is found and placed under the instrument's strings. The archtop guitar, on the other hand, has an arched top and a sound hole or holes carved in the (approximate) shape of an "f." The latter instrument was invented at the end of the 1 ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 110 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Anna Stenning
Learning to play the guitar is something that requires plenty of patients, as it would for playing any musical instrument. The first thing one would notice is how much playing a guitar it will hurt the tips of their fingers, some would be put off by this notion, most likely because of the state of which their fingers will end up in after only an hour of practising. There is no trick to overcome this dilemma but to practise, practise and practise some more.
Some may think that taking guitar le ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 110 Times. Read More ...
-
Submitted By: Victor Epand
The image of a lead electric guitarist rocking out on a solo is probably one of the most ubiquitous images associated with the rock and roll industry. Whether you associate rock guitar solos with the afros, fringe and political turmoil of Jimi Hendrix's age or the spandex, makeup and general debauchery of the 1980s, these musical masterpieces are undeniably part of the American rock and roll heritage. Of course, guitar solos can be and are used in any kind of music, and genres like jazz, swing a ...
In Category: Music
Viewed: 111 Times. Read More ...
|
