When you walk into a guitar store, you might hear a customer ask, “I’d like a set of ’10’s’ for electric guitar“. The customer is referring to the gauge of the first string. .010″ (Ten thousandths of an inch).

String gauge refers to the thickness or specifically the diameter of a guitar string. String diameters are defined in thousandths of an inch (0.001 in = 0.0254 mm)…for example: .010 would be ten thousandths of an inch. As you probably know, the high E string is the thinnest string on the guitar, and the low E string is the thickest. Therefore, the high E will have the smallest diameter and the low E will have the largest diameter. Typical gauges run from .008 to .0012

The larger the diameter, the heavier the string is. Heavier strings require more tension for the same pitch and are, as a consequence, harder to press down to the fingerboard. If a fretted instrument is restrung with different string gauges, it may be necessary to adjust the height of the string above the frets, called the “action,” in order to make the instrument easier to play or to avoid the strings buzzing against the frets. The action height of fretless instruments, on the other hand, may also be adjusted to suit the string gauge or material, as well as the intended playing style.

The best all-round beginner gauges are either 09s or 10s. but it’s not that simple, however, as there are many variables in guitar strings not just the thickness of the first string. Most major string brands have a range that allows you to match the top and bottom strings to suit your style… so if you like to easily bend your high strings when playing lead but pound the bottom strings when playing rhythm then you can chose a suitable combination.

As a rule, heavier strings give a fuller guitar sound, but are harder on the fingers for beginners and are more difficult to bend when playing lead. Lighter guitar strings are easier to fret, better for expressive bends, slides and vibrato effects.. but give a slightly thinner sound and break more easily! In my experience, beginners who use ‘eights’ often break their E string!

The effects that string gauge have on your instrument are tone, playability and its adjustments. A larger gauge of strings applies more tension to the guitar. This has the effect of giving you more volume and a more focused sound. Because of the greater tension, it will require more pressure to depress the strings. However, higher tension strings vibrate in a smaller arc allowing the strings to be adjusted closer to the fingerboard with less potential of buzzing. Lighter gauge strings cause the opposite changes. Most guitars come from the factory with “Lite” gauge strings .012-.054 for acoustic guitars and .009-.042 for electric guitars. If you change string gauge you may need to have your instrument adjusted to keep the action (distance that the strings are from the fret tops) the same. Less tension may cause the strings to lower and cause buzzing while higher tension may cause the strings to rise making it difficult to play. Electric guitars that have a tremolo system may also need it adjusted.

Many lead guitarists and jazz musicians tend to prefer thinner (lighter) gauge strings that are faster and easier to bend, while bluegrass guitarists tend towards medium gauge strings for more volume and greater tone for picking/strumming. Rhythm guitarists might prefer medium or heavy gauge strings for the “wow factor” they provide in sheer volume and full sound.

Different strings are made for electric guitar and acoustic guitar. The most popular electric guitar gauge is .009. Most acoustic guitar players use .010. Novice and intermediate level guitarists will want to stick with these common gauges.

More experienced guitarists may want to experiment with higher gauges (.011 or .012 and up) because they offer better sustain and tone. Higher gauged strings are harder to play. They feel “heavy” under your fingers and take some getting used to. They’ll also make your fingertips quite tender if you’re not used to them.

When a beginner first chooses guitar strings (for electric guitar), he/she should choose either 9’s (extra light) or 10’s (regular light). This is the most common size string gauge for playing rock, blues, pop, country. 9’s will be easier to bend. However, because beginners sometimes bend strings when they shouldn’t, they might want to avoid 9’s. I would recommend 10’s for every level of player. Intermediate to Advanced guitar players should experiment with both 9’s and 10’s.

The feeling you’ll get with 9’s or 10’s will also differ depending on what kind of guitar you use. You can bend strings much easier on guitars with a longer scale length, such as Gibson. So, you might want to choose a heavier string gauge (10’s or even 11’s). This way you obtain a fatter guitar tone (heavier strings will get you more mid and low frequencies than thinner strings). Fender guitars have shorter scale length, so you should start by choosing thinner strings.

Guitar Players and String Gauge :

Stevie Ray Vaughan used 13’s! Now, keep in mind that he tuned all of his strings down a 1/2 step (which reduces string tension and makes the strings feel more like 11’s or 12’s).

Jeff Beck uses 9’s

Buddy Guy uses 10’s

B.B. King uses 10’s or 11’s.

Albert Collins used 9’s

]]> http://guitar-lover.com/guitar-strings-sizegauges/feed http://guitar-lover.com/keith-richards-hated-his-name http://guitar-lover.com/keith-richards-hated-his-name#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 07:41:29 +0000 admin http://guitar-lover.com/?p=477 KEITH RICHARDS has revealed that he used to hate his name as it wasn’t cool enough.

The Rolling Stone’s guitarist said it was an embarrassment for him among his peers.

Speaking on a BBC4 documentary ‘Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Sing The Whites?, which will air tonight 9pm, he said: “It made me sick – my name’s Keith Richards.

“It hardly makes it against Howlin’ Wolf or Muddy Waters, does it?

“On my first guitar I had Boy Blue written – just pathetic. But that was as good as I got at the time.” (by: newsdesk)

I hope you are enjoying learning about all the chords in the world — and we’re going to cover them ALL before we’re done — you’ll know more about chords than 99% of the people in the world – believe it or not, it’s true.

Here is a chart that shows how chords are members of families, just like you and I. Most all of us have a family of some kind, and we have cousins, and we have neighbors, and we have visitors. If we’re like most people, we see our family a good deal more than we see our cousins. It’s like that in music, too. The “fam” chords — I, IV, and V — are used much more frequently in a song than a “cousin” chord — the ii, iii, and vi chords. But they are more common than the “neighbors”, and the neighbors in turn are more common than the “visitors.”

And here’s all the “fam” and the “cousins” in all 12 keys:

Do yourself a huge favor and memorize the “fam” chords and the “cousin” chords in whatever keys you like to play in. For example, if you play lots of songs in the Key of D, then learn what the primary (fam chords) and secondary (cousin chords) are in that key. You’ll make life a whole lot easier for yourself.

When you want to play a solo, you have to know which notes you can play. This set of notes is called a scale. It must fit to the song and the chords, not all notes on your fretboard would give a nice sound if played in one song. Looking into a music book you’ll find dozens of different scales and modes, major and natural/melodic/harmonic minor, dorian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian or phrygian mode and even more. If you want to learn more about these, look at the lessons.

The classical music theory is not well suited to describe the Blues, but we don’t have a choice. From that point of view Blues is crazy and wrong - playing dominant major 7th chords all over minor pentatonic scales, using chromatic scale pieces for intros and turnarounds, using a 5 tone scale instead of the accustomed 7 tone scales, adding notes that don’t belong to any scale - and these stupid chord progressions… so it’s only an attempt to describe what we call the Blues. Why is it so weird? It’s because the black people in the USA back in the beginning of the 20th century tried to play their African music styles on western instruments - i.e. the guitar, the harp and the piano. Take the guitar: the frets are made for equal intonation, to play classical (western) music. To get the notes “between” you need special techniques like a string bend or a slide. The best way to describe the Blues scale with standard music theory is using a pentatonic scale and add some extras.

Blues Scale In E :

This is the complete position of blues scale in E. Start at fret 3 or G chord position :

Invest your time for this scale, because practice make perfect. when practice, listen carefully to the sound of the note until you can play it effortlessly on every area of the fretboard. Enjoy

A typical 12 Bar Blues progression would look like the pattern/progression below. Notice all the chords are 7th chords, also known as dominant 7th chords. 7th chords could be referred to as “Blues Chords” as they have that bluesy sound and are the most commonly used chord in blues music.

12 Bar Blues in the Key of A

A7/D7/A7/A7

D7/D7/A7/A7

E7/D7/A7/E7

Understanding 7th Chords: Dominant 7th chords are  major chords with an added note. The added note being the flattened 7th note of the scale of the chords root note. So if you want to play a A7 chord, you take an A chord and add G - G being the flattened 7th note of the A major scale.

Understanding 12 Blues progressions: The key is this “1-4-5″ formula”. The numbers represent chords based on notes of the Major scale. If we take the key of  A, the A major scale, then our notes would be the root A, the 4th tone or degree D and the 5th tone E.

A Major: A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A

Thus, A, D and E are our 1-4-5 chords for 12 bar Blues in A . It’s Easy Right?

Enjoy

]]> http://guitar-lover.com/blues-the-basics/feed http://guitar-lover.com/hendrix-chord http://guitar-lover.com/hendrix-chord#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:03:13 +0000 admin http://guitar-lover.com/?p=443

Hendrix chord, C7(#9), as it may be played on a guitar

Hendrix chord E7#9, as it may be played on a guitar in an open position

In this lesson I will teach you the Hendrix chord. This is a great sounding chord - really powerful, harsh and bluesy. Jimi used this chord in songs like “Purple Haze”, “Foxy Lady” and “Vodoo Child”. The chord is an augmented 9th chord.  It is generally referred to as “7#9″ - seven sharp nine.

The chord fingering:

To play an E7#9 chord

• Place your 2nd finger at the 7th fret of the A string
• Then, your 1st finger at the 6th fret of the D string
• Then, your 3rd finger at the 7th fret of the G string
• Then your 4th finger at the 8th fret of the B string
• You can also play the E open strings because this is an E7#9

This chord shape is a movable shape. So you can move it up and down the fretboard. Just remember the root note is played on the 5th string with your 2nd finger. This chord works well in blues rock music. In 12 bar blues it is often used to replace IV7 and V7 chords.

Jimi Hendrix died September 18 , 1970. His music was way before it’s time, and his influence on the instrument is unparalleled. Almost every rock/blues guitarist knows a little Hendrix.  I have always felt his playing was never about technique or style, but just pure emotional expression. Long live the music!

By Jason C Diggs

Over the years many guitar brands have come and gone, but there are some that certainly stand out over the rest. These are the brands that big named guitarists seek out because they enjoy the most and they are the ones that beginners look for because they know that they are reliable and offer the best performance in guitars. From Fender to Gibson and more, depending on what you are looking for in a guitar you can easily find it in many of the most popular and famous guitar brands.

Take Yamaha for instance. They are well known for their high quality and the fact that they such a wide variety of styles of both electric and acoustic guitars. They have a few original designs and they also have some copies of popular models that people really love. With a variety of classical style guitars they are one of the highest selling retailers of Spanish model guitars. Many of the most famous guitarists in the world will play nothing but Yamaha models and they are also one of the most common brands for beginners.

When it comes to popularity, not many can hold a candle to Gibson and Fender. Gibson dates back to the late 1890’s and is one of the longest lasting of the guitar brands. Gibson makes guitars for any different style of player such as acoustic, jazz model guitars, folk guitars and of course the famous Les Paul electric guitar is made from Gibson. Gibson has always been a name that is synonymous with quality and they continue to reinvent themselves as a famous guitar brand. Fender also has a long history. Although it was only founded in the early 1950’s by Leo Fender, this company has a famed history with guitars such as the Stratocaster and Telecaster. If you are the lucky owner of one of the early Stratocaster’s then you know you have a guitar worth huge amounts of money.

Ibanez may not be as popular with its name, but it is a guitar company that many people love because of their reasonably priced copies of popular electric guitars. With models inspired by the Les Paul and Stratocaster initially their main goal was to just make guitars that were affordable and looked great. Now however they are becoming more innovative and incorporating more unique elements into their designs. This includes radical new body shapes, flatter fingerboards, slimmer necks and bright colorful finishes, making this company very popular once again.

Finally you have the Jackson guitar brand. Although considerably newer than the rest, Jackson which was started in 1978 has become extremely popular with metal and hard rock music guitar players. The guitars that they build are decidedly more angled and have pointy headstocks along with very unique body designs. Initially Grover Jackson, the founder of Jackson guitars was also part owner in Charvel guitars but later merged the two companies, making quite a business for him self. With a more aggressive looking guitar they were an instant hit with the hard rock guitar scene. ]]> http://guitar-lover.com/whats-the-most-famous-brand-of-guitar/feed http://guitar-lover.com/learning-guitar-seven-crucial-steps-to-learning-and-improving-your-guitar-playing http://guitar-lover.com/learning-guitar-seven-crucial-steps-to-learning-and-improving-your-guitar-playing#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:10:33 +0000 admin http://guitar-lover.com/?p=439 By Aaron Matthies

I have written this article because I have seen similar articles all over the internet and with every one I read, I felt like the writer completely missed the point. While other people may disagree with the points I make, I feel that these steps are absolutely crucial to developing as a guitarist and ultimately as a musician. You should write down the step headings and stick them up somewhere for you to see every day. Highlight steps 4, 5 and 6 because those steps will always apply to you no matter what stage you are in. Steps 1, 2 and 3 are a starting point for you to understand what you should focus on at the start. Once you have followed the first three steps you can tick them off.

1. Find a good source to learn from
This is the most important step because it will directly impact the rate you will learn. Learning from a good source is like setting a strong foundation for a house. If you learn from somebody who doesn’t know how to play or how to properly teach, you won’t get far. If you learn from somebody who can play and knows how to teach, you will have a strong foundation for your learning. There are many sources you can learn guitar from. The main ones are: teacher, online, books.

Teacher: I have written a detailed article at my guitar blog on choosing between private tutors and music school teachers. Have a read of it and consider the many issues between them.

Online: There is an abundance of resources on the internet to learn guitar. I have one tip if you choose this option: Don’t pay for anything! There are many people (like me) who are happy to provide free lessons because it is what we enjoy doing. Free sources can have just as high quality lessons as sources that charge you (such as the famous Jamorama). There is no need to pay for something that you can find for free elsewhere. If you are going to pay for anything, pay a real life teacher.

Books: Before the internet, there were books. New books are continuously being published on learning guitar but these books are the same as the online sources that charge you - their number one aim is to make money. Again my advice is to go with free sources. Borrow books from your local library if you want but I assure you that you will find the same material on the internet. In fact, the internet resources are superior to books because they may contain video lessons - something a book cannot do.

You can choose more than one source to learn from and it may help you out. Having two different sources teaching you the same thing is a great way to see something from a different view point.

2. Finding the right guitar for you
I have written a very detailed article about this step, so I will just explain why it is important. Playing the wrong guitar will frustrate you and restrain your development. If your goal is to learn to play heavy metal, buying a nylon string acoustic would be a bad choice because you cannot achieve your goal with it.
Finding the right guitar on the other hand will make sure you stay motivated and focused. If you cherish your guitar you will learn at a greater pace.

3. Learn to read music
There are two options for guitarists when it comes to written music: Tablature and Standard Notation. I recommend over time that you learn to read both. You can start off on tablature (also called tabs) because it is simple. Later on have a look at Standard Notation because it will show you things tablature cannot. Many people will choose not to learn standard notation and I can understand why. But if down the track you are constantly getting frustrated with tabs not sounding right, standard notation may be able to help you out. You don’t have to become a pro at it, but having a general understanding will speed up the learning process.

4. Set goals and practice everyday
If you only remember one step here it should be this one. No matter what stage you are in your development, setting goals and practicing everyday will make you a better player. A goal can be a simple ones like ‘learn the song ……’ or ‘be able to play … without making a single mistake’ or they can be long term goals such as ‘be able to improvise in any key’ or ‘perfect the technique of …’. Not setting goals will slow you down and many people without goals don’t improve at all. Take out a piece of paper now and write a list of what you want to be able to play. Then have a think of how you can reach those goals. Work out which items you need to do first and get started on it.

Practicing everyday is a must, even if you only play for a few minutes. Aim to improve your playing every day. Many people practice only a couple of days a week and wonder why they have trouble remembering anything. If you don’t play guitar in one day, you won’t improve in that day - it’s as simple as that. To practice efficiently you should have short sessions regularly rather than long sessions once in a while. Don’t practice for more than 40 minutes at once. After 40 minutes, get up and have a short break then come back to guitar later if you want to keep going.

5. Aim to perfect what you are doing now before moving on to something new
Many people are so excited about the thought of playing their favorite songs that they rush the first stages so they can try and learn what they want to play. Often these same people give up the guitar because it is too hard or they take ages to improve. Perfect the basics before you move on to anything harder. If you don’t perfect what you are doing now, it won’t be possible to perfect harder techniques and songs. You must learn to crawl before you learn to walk. My guitar lessons on my blog start off at the absolute basics for this reason. The first song I have listed to learn is ‘Mary had a little lamb’. Many people will skip those lessons on my site to get to more interesting songs but those who perfect those nursery rhymes are at a great advantage.

6. Keeping a balance between theory and creativity
If you know nothing about music theory, your creativity will suffer. If you know absolutely everything about music theory, your creativity will suffer again. These two extremes should be avoided and a balance between theory and creativity can be achieved. Many people with advanced theory understanding will say theory enhances creativity and for many people it does. Many people who know absolutely nothing about theory will say theory limits your creativity, and again that is true for many people. But for most of us, having at least a basic understanding of music theory will enhance our creativity. As you learn and progress in your playing always consider whether learning more theory will enhance your playing. I have met two people with certificates all over their walls (literally) for their outstanding music theory understanding who had no idea what to do when I asked them to improvise. As the saying goes ‘you can have too much of a good thing’. My advice in this step is to learn music theory, but don’t think of it as a set of rules that your playing must follow. Try to think ‘outside the box’.

7. Always remember step four
I am repeating this step because people may not understand how important setting goals and practicing every day is for your improvement. If you haven’t already done so, grab a piece of paper and put two headings on it - GOALS and PRACTICE SCHEDULE. List goals you think will improve your playing and under ‘Practice schedule’ set out how you will achieve those goals while practicing. I will write up an article on my blog soon on how to get the most out of your practice sessions so check back soon.

SUMMARY
If you follow my advice, I honestly believe you will learn guitar so much easier and faster. Not only that, you will become a better player. If you have a teacher, ask them what goals you should work towards and how to do it. If you are learning on your own with online lessons, send messages to the writers asking for advice

If you want to learn guitar from the very beginning for free, check out my guitar lesson blog at http://aaronmatthies.wordpress.com

By Jerome Tan

Ok, I guess you are here to find out some secrets to help you learn to play the lead guitar and I hope these secrets will go a long way to assist you in your development as a lead guitarist.

First, I’m going to shed some light on playing lead guitar. A lead guitarist always shows off his style in his solos, riffs and licks. Be it a wicked-sick solo, a heart-melting lick or a toned down riff, it all affects the music which the band plays. A good lead can sometimes change the mood of the crowd instantly.

Enough said, now let’s dive into some of the world’s most kept secrets in playing lead guitar!

Secret 1: Learn pentatonic scales!
Yes! Pentatonic scales are essential in getting your fingers in shape of quickly switching from string to string, without mistakes. It is the MOST important scale to master as it is the most commonly improvised scale to create solos in most styles of music.

Secret 2: Don’t rush into playing the guitar
What I mean is that playing lead guitar is a slow and progressive process. If you start by learning fast solos, you will never get far as you would be demoralized and frustrated. Take it slow, start with soloing slowing and pay attention to your picking and finger movements. FOCUS is the key.

Secret 3: Get a METRONOME!
A METRONOME! I can’t emphasize the importance of this enough. The metronome will help prevent you from going too fast or slow when you are playing your scales. BUT, its most important role is to get you up to speed. How to do that?

1. Set a speed which you are comfortable playing your scales
2. After playing a few times without making any mistakes, up the tempo by a little and continue playing.
3. Keep doing this and you will be able to play scales at a lightning pace.

Secret 4: PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!
Enough said, practice makes perfect.

By Jason S. Parker

Looking to buy your first guitar or an upgrade? This guide will give you some solid tips for purchasing the most valuable guitars for the lowest prices possible.

Buy Guitars Online

If you want to save up to sometimes 75% or more off MSRP price, you should buy your guitar online. There are a wealth of online music stores to choose from. You may want to consider going to your local music store, finding the guitar you want, then buying it from your computer.

What’s definite is that you’ll almost always find the same guitar cheaper online than in your local music store.

Avoid Buying Unknown Name Brand Guitars

Both online and believe-it-or-not in your local music stores, retailers will try to pull a fast one on you. You’ll see no-name brand guitars with prices jacked up to the same price or even past better guitars. Obviously, this is so the music stores will make more money. Buy low, sell high, right?

Personally, I trust only Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Dean, Jasmine, Epiphone, Squire, Taylor, Norman, Martin, B.C. Rich, and Jackson guitars. There are other big brands that are probably being left out in this article, but if you don’t have a clue about buying a guitar, consider choosing from those top names only.

Guitars are Crafted for Different Styles of Music

It can be tough deciphering which guitar is made for what type of music, because the same top brands normally craft all kinds of guitars for all styles. If you’ve never bought a guitar before, you’ll want to call up an online music store’s 1-800 number (or your local music store’s) and inquire about guitar models related to your favorite music, then buy the guitar online.

You can often get good advice about purchasing a guitar from guitar website owners and articles, so that’s another source. Search for the Contact link to contact a website owner. Most would be more than happy to talk to you about what guitar will fit you best and in your price range, and they’d be willing to e-mail you links to guitars suited for you.

However, here’s a little insight. Fender has the Stratocaster for Rock and Classic Rock, the Gibson Les Paul and Les Paul Epiphone are versatile for many types of Rock and Blues, Ibanez RG Series guitars are great for Metal, and Martin makes a heck of an acoustic guitar.

Generally speaking, for Jazz, Blues, or Rockabilly try to buy a hollow body guitar. For Rock-and-Roll you can get away with buying a solid body electric with only one pickup or 3 single coil pickups. For heavier styles like New Rock, Alternative, Metal, and Punk, you’ll want two double-humbucker pickups for a screaming crunch.

Conclusion to the Ultimate Guitar Buying Guide

Good luck with buying your first guitar. Just remember, buy online and save up to 75%+ off MSRP price, avoid no-name brands to get the best value, and buy the guitar that suits your favorite style of music.