Sunday, July 26, 2009

Blues Guitar Course - Check This Out!

So which blues guitar course is the best? Well, I'll be totally up front and honest with you there isn't really a lot of stuff available. Most of the blues guitar courses I found were aimed at complete beginners. So I looked a little further afield and found a site that was better than most of the guitar sites I've come across over the last few years. It's called www.UltimateBluesBackingTracks.com. On first inspection it looks like it just has a bunch of blues backing tracks on it but if you read into it you realise it's so much more. Ok, it does have a whole bunch of blues backing tracks on there but it's what comes WITH the backing tracks that makes this better than any blues guitar course I've found online.









CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!

Not only do you get awesome quality backing tracks you get a bunch of blues licks with every download. So in effect each track acts as a mini guitar lesson, you get a cool track to practice with AND you get new blues licks to learn to go with it! What's absolutely crazy though is that if you download the whole catalogue you get these super cool bonus gifts, The Pentatonic Mastery Guide and a Ten Week Blues Guitar Course. The Pentatonic Guide covers all the shapes for both the pentatonic scale and the blues scale, plus has a bunch of licks in there too, so you learn how to play the shapes AND how to USE them. There's some cool Clapton style licks in there which I really love!
The Ten Week Course has a really well structured group of lessons that covers everything from Scales and Chords, to Speed Exercises and Theory. These two guides alone would be worth good money, so the fact that they're just tossing these in for free is CRAZY!

BLUES GUITAR COURSE

Take my advice guys, if you've been looking for a great blues guitar course check out www.UltimateBluesBackingTracks.com and go sign up for their "Ultimate Package" (Click the banner at the top) and you'll get every backing track on the site, a ridiculous amount of blues licks to learn and those two bonus courses too. If I'm feeling brave you may even see me riffing out on their bluestube channel, you should check it out, there's some guys on there playing some really cool solos!

Until next time...

Big Jim

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Using your ears to play the blues!

Learning to play blues guitar by ear is one of the hardest things to learn. However require natural talent and knowledge of music and sound. If you want learn to play blues guitar by ear you will need to be patient and have a quiet place to practice.

Basic music knowledge

If you want to learn to play blues guitar by ear it is always best to have a basic knowledge of music. This does not mean you need to be able to read sheet music or be a professional. It just means you need to have had some basic experience with another instrument or general music knowledge.

Patience

Patience is definitely the key when you learn to play blues guitar by ear. You need to be able to repeat the same chords and riffs many times in order to perfect the sound. His will be very repetitive and you need to be prepared.

The use of CD’s

The main key when you begin to learn to play blues guitar by ear is to sort through your CD collection and find CD’s with an extensive blues guitar section. A fantastic example is Carlos Santana or Mark Knopfler (lead blues guitarist for Dire Straits). This will allow you to hear some of the best blues guitarists in the world and help you try to replicate their sound.

No need for sheet music

When you learn to play blues guitar by ear there is no need for sheet music or for long lessons of chords and riffs. Listening to a blues guitar set and replicating it is a way of developing your natural talent and will also help you in the future if you decide to join a band. If you learn to play blues guitar by ear, you will be able to cover any mistakes made by other blues guitarists and it will also help you improvise on stage.

A rewarding experience

When you learn to play blues guitar by ear you will find your accomplishments more rewarding as you are completely self taught with no help from teachers or books. In the entertainment industry, blues guitarists who learn to play blues guitar by ear are well respected and often called upon for their expertise and experience.

Surroundings

Ensuring your surroundings are quiet is an important factor when you learn to play blues guitar by ear. Silence is needed so you can hear every chord and riff on the CD’s and so you do not skip a note. A quiet atmosphere will also ensure you remain calm and patient and can absorb everything you need to when you learn to play blues guitar by ear.

Don’t forget practice is what makes the difference between a good blues guitarist and a great blues guitarist! So keep practicing and you will be rewarded with a fantastic talent!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Learning the Blues Online?

You can learn to play blues guitar online - and it's never been easier.

Whether you wish to become a jazzy crooner, a country strummer or a jamming rock star, the blues guitar is one of the easiest instruments to learn. There are a variety of lessons, tools and help out there in cyberspace. And, you can learn enough to strum along with your first song after only one lesson!

To learn how to play blues guitar online, you need several tools in addition to your blues guitar. Some blues guitar lessons and tools designed to assist you in learning how to play blues guitar online, include:

- Step-by-step blues guitar lessons.
- Chord lessons and chord charts.
- blues guitar tab lessons.
- Song lyrics with chords.
- blues guitar lesson ebooks and software programs.
- Sheet music
- Sound files and blues guitar jam tracks.
- Online blues guitar site forums.

If you are a beginner, look for online blues guitar lessons directed toward the new blues guitar player. These lessons should include the basics, such as; how to hold a blues guitar, choose a blues guitar, basic chord instruction, learning frets and how to choose blues guitar accessories.

Of course, the beginning blues guitar player will need charts for learning the various chords, so, at the very least, look for these visual aids. With practice, it won't be long before you'll be ready for intermediate blues guitar lessons.

The intermediate blues guitar player can also benefit from quality online blues guitar lessons and resources which illustrate the many chords. Furthermore, intermediate blues guitar players will be interested in learning to read blues guitar tablature.

There are many websites that offer free blues guitar lessons, but you may choose instead to get help with an online blues guitar lesson program. Although there's nothing wrong with teaching yourself blues guitar for free, many beginners find that it's easier, and faster, to learn to play blues guitar from a pro.

With professional blues guitar instruction, you'll learn how to play blues guitar the correct way, while learning which mistakes and bad habits you must avoid. It's truely a highly effective way to learn to play blues guitar. You'll learn valuable tips and techniques designed to reduce the confusion and frustrations that many people experience when learning to play a new instrument.

By choosing a blues guitar lesson program, developed by a professional blues guitarist, you'll get all levels of training needed. Most professional online blues guitar lesson programs are very affordable, and come with all the "bells and whistles" of proper blues guitar learning.

In Closing:

It's never been easier to learn to play blues guitar online. Of course it takes practice, but many of the greatest blues guitarists taught themselves most of what they know about blues guitar playing. Because of the Internet, you can play along with blues guitar jam tracks, learn unusual chords, find chords and lyrics for songs you want to learn, and even learn to read blues guitar tablature.

You can even join an online blues guitar players forum to get one-on-one help, support and to ask questions. And because of the high demand of learning blues guitar online, if you choose to invest in an online blues guitar course, the prices have never been lower than they are today.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Beginning Blues Guitar?

Find a Good Teacher - There is no substitution for a good guitar teacher. You can buy all the books and videos you want, but in order to really become a good guitar player, you need to learn from a pro. A professional guitar teacher has the experience and wisdom necessary to teach you how to become a proper guitar player. Books, videos, and the Internet for that matter, lack in their ability to provide you with feedback and advice. A good guitar teacher will correct you if you are doing something wrong so that you don't form bad habits or techniques. A good guitar teacher will also encourage you when you are doing something right.

Do Not Get Discouraged - When first learning the guitar, or any instrument for that matter, you may find yourself getting discouraged, or perhaps saying to yourself "this is just too difficult". You may find yourself practicing the same song or chords over and over again, and never getting any better at it. Do not let this discourage you. Sometimes are brains just need a little rest, or need to be occupied with something else. Take a break and come back to your practice with a fresh mind.

Practice - The more often that you practice your guitar the more familiar you will become with the instrument. Your playing will become easier over time. Try and free up at least 20 minutes of time every day to practice your guitar. Find a time and location where you know you will not be interrupted. Interruption can really kill your concentration and snap you out of a good rhythm. Warm your hands and stretch your fingers before you play. Talk with your guitar teacher to develop the best practice exercises that are right for your style of playing.

Create an effective practice schedule - The length of your practice is not necessarily the most important thing. Usually it is the quality of your practice that is most important. Make sure your guitar teacher is giving you a well-rounded approach to guitar playing and helping you make the most of your practice sessions.

Slow Down - One great bit of advice with your practicing; don't play too quickly! Many new guitar players will rush through a lick or a song in the beginning, trying to play it exactly as they hear it and only wind up butchering it. Before you can play anything correctly, you must learn to slow down and play it right at a much slower speed. You can then slowly increase your speed as you improve.

Watch your posture - Guitar playing should not be extremely painful and uncomfortable. If you find yourself with various aches and pains in your shoulders, your neck, your back, etc., chances are you are not in a correct playing posture. Ask your guitar teacher to demonstrate a proper playing posture, then do your best to stick to it. Tell your teacher to observe you during practice and correct you whenever you fall out of the correct posture.

Get a metronome - A very important part of guitar playing is the ability to keep good timing. An instrument, which will help you become better at timing, is called a metronome. You can purchase this at any guitar center. When working with a metronome, in the beginning, you should start off at a slow speed. This will help you build your muscles and develop better control and good playing habits.

Change your strings - Your guitar strings are very important to the quality of sound your guitar produces. How often you change your guitar strings really depends on how often you play. Professional guitar players may change their strings before every gig. Others who don't play as often, may change their strings every 2 months or so. Again it really depends on how often you play, and how well you take care of your guitar strings. Don't wait until your strings break before you change them and you should change all of your strings at the same time.

Try new things/experiment - If you feel uninspired in your guitar playing why not try something fresh and different? If you have mastered a particular song on your electric guitar, why not try the same song on an acoustic guitar? If you only play your guitar using a pick, put down the pick and just use your fingers. Perhaps you only enjoy playing blues guitar. Why not try some jazz or classical?

I hope these guitar tips were helpful. The most important thing is to never get discouraged and never give up. Persistence is key when it comes to playing the guitar. If you really have a sincere desire to learn, and you continue to practice, you will become a better guitar player.