Question:

Mike, here’s a question that has bugged me for years.

When I started I used to play the first position G chord using fingers 1,2 and 3,but very soon after changed to fingers 2,3 and 4,as it was easier to play a G7 or a Gsus4 for example.

I still see many experienced players using the first three fingers and so my question is, ‘Which one is correct,and does it really matter’?

Answer:

It does not matter which fingers you use, it’s really a matter of what fingering works best for you in a particular progression.

Bookmark to:

D.I Box Question: Boss DI -1 Guitar Direct injection pedal

Question I’m just wondering what DI pedal you use when recording? I remember you telling me that you split your guitar signal - so one goes to the miked up amp and the other directly into the recording - and mix both sounds.

Answer: I’ve always used the Boss D1-1.

I usually carry 3 or 4 of them with me when I doing sessions, in case the studio does not have these type of DI’s as part of their equipment.

The Boss D1-1 has a single input | para out |unbalance out …on the front panel ( the para out goes to the amp - which is mixed up).

On the back panel there’s a balanced out / cannon jack for the mixer… also NOR| INV and NOR|LIFT for any earth/ground hum issues.

Bookmark to:

Your Groove

Remember, your groove allows the listener to get into your music and bypass the intellectual critical faculties. When you tap your foot and focus on the “ground beat” you lock into the groove, this helps other musicians play with you and your audience can relax and enjoy your music as they tap their feet in agreement with the “groove” you have set-up.

The best test I’ve found of whether or not your groove or feel is working is watching as other people listen to your song.

Music is an integral part of the ritual of the spirit that unites people, and the groove is the element that connects the body and the spirit. The groove has been the heartbeat of music since the first pre- historic man started pounding out rhythms on hollow
logs for people to dance to for religious ceremony or fun.

It’s hard to image now, but a lot of the uproar over Rock and Roll music in the fifties was the beat: that infectious R&B influenced groove that inspired an entire group of poets, writers, artists, and performers to be called the Beat Generation, and led a teenaged John Lennon to call his new band the Beat-les.

Be sure to record yourself and listen back with a critical ear to see if your groove is as accurate as you want it to be.

Bookmark to:

Left Handed guitar player questions:

Q. I am going to buy your course, but since I don’t even own a guitar yet I have to buy one first. I love the different sounds of an electric guitar, and ultimately this is what I want to play.

Is it possible to learn to play on an electric right from the start, or do you recommend mastering the basics on an acoustic first?

A. You can start on electric guitar, all chords, notes etc., are identical on both acoustic or electric. There’s different techniques for playing certain musical phrases that differ, however both instruments are essentially the same.

Q. I also will have to learn to play left handed?

A. Actually if you have never played before, I’d recommend learning to play *right-handed* … that’s entirely up to you, my experience with students has been that “left-handed” players that learn right-handed have a distinct advantage asmost of the finger work is done with the left hand.

Also you will find there’s a greater range of instruments available (right handed instruments). if a person has already learnt to play left-handed we never change the way they play …however since you’re starting out, I’d go for the right-hand style.

If however, you prefer to play left-handed our course is available in a left-handed version.

Q. Will I encounter any unique problems learning left handed?

A. If however, you prefer to play left-handed our course is available in a left-handed version.

Some general thoughts:

If looking at acoustic guitars, I like the following brands:

Yamaha
Washburn
Fender

Electric guitars:

Fender
Peavey
Yamaha
Ibanez

You may like to check out http://www.GuitarCoaching.com/instruments.htm as a starting point.

Bookmark to:

Ever wanted to know what types of guitar strings are the best for your style of guitar and guitar playing?
Read more

Bookmark to:

Learning guitar is a highly rewarding and enjoyable musical
experience. For some people who are overworked during the
day, their guitar lesson is a rare opportunity to relax. But
…let’s face it, Read more

Bookmark to:

Learn guitar Lesson - The Minor Pentatonic scale

Pentatonic scales
 
The Basics:
Pentatonic scales are the staple of rock guitar. They are also widely used in jazz, blues, country and bluegrass music. This fact makes pentatonic scales a very important part of learning to play.

So, what are pentatonic scales?

Technically speaking, any scale composed of five notes can be called a pentatonic scale (penta = five and tonic = notes).

In the real world, however, by learning only two specific pentatonic scales together with the BLUES SCALE you will cover 70% of the playing situations that most guitarists encounter.

The two PENTATONIC scales are referred to as the …
MAJOR PENTATONIC and the MINOR PENTATONIC.

Bookmark to: