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Friday, July 3, 2009

Learn To Play Guitar DVD: Take Lessons As Many Time As You Want

By Kyries Hall

It seems strange to me how many incorrect assumptions and teachings there are about becoming a better guitarist. Here is one thing that is NOT true.

You know what everyone says, "Teaching yourself is the best way to be original". This is so obviously false its hard to believe that anyone could actually believe it - yet some people still do. Don't fall into the trap of thinking this is the best way to learn.

Listening and studying the music of great classical composers inspired me to study music composition. I wanted to write great music. Watching the movie Star Wars when I was a kid, reading Lord of the Rings, etc. inspired me as well.

Doing that alone won't work well and even if it does eventually work, it will take 10 times aslong! Besides, how will you know if what you are trying to do is original if you don't learn about what has already been done?

Beethoven was, of course, a master, but did not enjoy the fruits of any natural talents. He constantly edited his works over and over, trying to perfect them. Mozart , by comparison, very rarely ever edited anything he wrote.

Define your purpose. What is your definite purpose? Do you really know what it is? If I were standing in front of you right now and asked you this question, could you give me specific answers and explanations? Can you write it on paper in specific terms?

This is critical to setting goals, planning strategy and monitoring the results, etc. When all the enemies of progress start to creep into your mind, you will need to bring your definite purpose to the forefront of your thinking. I have seen procrastination, fear of failure, self doubt, lack of motivation, temporary setbacks, and other negative things bring people with great potential to a halt. Knowing your definite purpose and reminding yourself of it when a negative thought comes into your mind will help you overcome it.

Begin to do all the Foundation Exercises, because they will start to undo the foundation of all your bad habits. Do them every day for perhaps ten minutes. If you are not using my book, get all you can from my essays, and apply those approaches, experiment with them, and elaborate upon them, and adapt them to new situations. - 18762

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Learn Acoustic Guitar DVD: Don't Slow Down Your Progress With Private Lessons

By David Johnson

In this essay, I am going to apply a number of the Principles of Correct Practice to a technical area that is of major concern to players. For beginners, it poses one of the most challenging difficulties, and an incomplete appreciation of it's difficulties dogs many an advanced player (sometimes without them being aware of it).

Of course you will be working on many guitar skills: various guitar techniques, chords, scales, soloing, etc., but don't neglect other skills that are not guitar specific like, ear training (also called aural skills), songwriting, improvising, creativity, reading, music theory, etc.

The way you view yourself (as an artist and not merely someone who owns a guitar and plays it sometimes) is very important to the way you will think about what you are doing musically. The way you see yourself will also effect the results you will get as you are expressing yourself.

Don't compare yourself to others. There is no need to do this anyway. Music should not be a competitive sport among people, only within yourself. Compare yourself only in relation to where you are in your strategy! Are you on your way to reaching your next short term and medium term goal towards your ultimate goals? Are you on schedule, does your strategy need to be revised?

As I have said, some people become paralyzed, afraid to play, afraid of undoing work done in practice sessions by what they do when they play. And for those who play professionally, it is of course, absolutely necessary that they continue to play, even if they are doing "remedial" work on their technique.

You can undo bad habits you have learned along the way. You can begin the process of undoing bad habits right away, when you begin to acquire the correct understandings, and use the approaches based on them.

This is the most close-minded philosophy I can think of. Musical skills are tools. One should want to obtain and master as many of these tools as will be needed to reach your goals. Doing that alone won't work well and even if it does eventually work, it will take 10 times as long! Besides, how will you know if what you are trying to do is original if you don't learn about what has already been done?

I believe "Self Expression" is the pinnacle of all art. Anything less, "is less" in my opinion. I'm not going to debate that view or try to persuade any of you to also believe it. Instead I am going to assume you already hold that view and discuss ways in which I may be able to offer you both philosophical and practical advice. - 18762

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Learning Acoustic Guitar: The Parts of the Guitar and Proper Posture

By Scott Forrester

Some people may think otherwise, but in truth learning to play the guitar is pretty easy. The only thing that you need to do is learn where to start, and the proper place to start is by learning the different parts of a guitar. By doing this you will learn the way it works, and then you'll understand the importance of aspects such as string and pick selection. There aren't that many parts in an acoustic guitar, so we'll go over them fast:

1. The biggest part is the body. This is where all the sound comes from, and it emits those sounds through a hole that is carved in the center. This is also where the strings run through from the neck of the guitar.

2. Next there is the bridge. What is the bridge? It is right behind the hole, and the strings are attached to it. This part is usually made out of wood, at least on most guitars.

3. Then there is the neck, which is on the other end of the guitar's body. The neck is on the left, and is long and skinny. The guitar strings go from the bridge all the way to the top of the neck to the tuning keys.

4. The frets are an equally important part of the guitar; there are usually twenty four of them and you can cause the guitar to emit different sounds by placing your fingers behind them and in different positions.

5. The next part is the nut; this is a divider that goes between the neck and the head stock. Normally this is grooved and keeps the headstock from sliding about while you play your guitar.

6. The headstock is located at the top of the neck. You may not know it by name but if you have seen a guitar you know exactly what it is. This is where the tuning keys are, and they are used to keep the guitar sounding right.

7. What exactly are tuning keys? Those are the metal table located either on the side or the bottom of the head stock, and they are used for tuning the guitar. If the guitar is in tune then it will actually sound right, as opposed to when it is not in tune.

You have now been filled in on the various parts of an acoustic guitar. The next part of course is to learn the right way to hold this instrument, and if you keep reading you're certain to find out!

For right handed players: Begin in a sitting position, and raise one of your knees just a little bit. Put the guitar body in such a way that you are holding the neck to the left. Take the neck with your left, and then put the pick in your right. This is a decent posture, and one suitable for playing the guitar. If you need to, you can always use a strap.

If you are not right handed, then you are obviously left handed, and there is a specific way to do that as well. You need to make sure that you are comfortable first of all, and because of that you are free to sit in any way you want. All you need to do is reverse the posture of the right hand player and everything will be fine, just try it out a little, try a few different cords, and see what feels right. - 18762

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What Makes the Xbox 360 Run?

By Larry Moon

Video gaming is more popular than ever with kids, teenagers, and also adults getting into the gaming world. This has convinced top video game console manufacturers - Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to improve their consoles in power and affordability to satisfy the gamers' demands. Microsoft came out swinging early by releasing the Xbox 360 - the first of the seventh generation consoles and successor to the Xbox which sold over 20 million units.

All Xbox 360 editions come with a composite cable so you can plug it in to your regular standard definition television which serves as the minimal requirement. But it is better to have an HDTV with 1080p resolution to play the best games that the Xbox 360 offers in great quality.

Setting up your console the way you want it, is key to its performance. If you are looking to set it up on a HDTV, you will need to get a hybrid component/composite cable which is only provided in the pro and elite versions. But setting it up on your T.V. isn't the only thing that makes the Xbox 360 the most advanced gaming console out there.

Once you are done setting it up, this is where you will find some of the most advanced equipment going to work. Before you do anything you need to start your console either on the tower itself or the button provided on the controller. This will bring up the user interface, that you will be able to browse things like pictures, music, video, and other games that you may have downloaded or installed. This will make it so that you are able to do these things without a built in DVD inside the optical drive, or a built in flash memory.

You can also use the interface to check out things are in any USB storage drives attached or Windows computers connected. Once you place a game disc in, you can immediately play it from there.

During gameplay, this is where the Xbox 360 really starts to go to work. The Xbox 360 uses a processor named Xenon which contains three symmetrical cores having a 3.2 GHz clock speed. This ensures that loading times are as quick as possible and frame rates are smooth. These speeds can vary depending on how well the game takes advantage of the processor.

Combined with the graphics processor named Xenos, the Xbox 360 is capable of displaying really high-end graphics providing that the game uses it to its fullest. Some of the graphics capabilities include z-buffering, alpha blending, and 4x GSAA. Unlike older consoles, these capabilities can be executed without any drag in performance.

Heat problems have been something that Microsoft has had to deal with in the fullest extent. However the new generation console has had a Jasper motherboard installed which drastically has reduced the overheating problem which lead to the red ring error. Just keep your console in good shape, and be careful shifting it around so that you don't damage it and reduce your gaming experience. - 18762

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Acoustic Guitar DVD Lessons: Start Playing In a Few Days

By Levi Johnson

All the great guitarist have struggled at some point in learning to play the guitar. As far as guitar lessons for beginners there are different ways to go, such as a private instructor, signing up for classes at your local community center, self-teaching method with books and online lessons which I recommend because they're cheaper and flexible to a persons schedule. Whichever way you choose be sure to keep in mind there are no "play guitar like a pro in one hour" course. It takes lots of practice and dedication to become a good guitarist.

There are tons of great resources on the web for practice, including videos, tutorials, chord finders and much more. A note of caution here though. Learn the whole song. It's pointless just being able to play the beginning, middle or end of a song, and it's also very frustrating in the long run.

The first step to learning your guitar in a snap is the most obvious. Sit down and actually practice. By actually practicing I mean not always playing what you enjoy, or are familiar with.

Look, you need to get yourself a guitar tutor to show you the scales. They won't help your broken heart, they won't BUY you a guitar...but if you got those first two covered, then all you need to do is learn the scales right?

Lots of people can play guitar but what music do you play on your guitar when somebody says, "go on, play something"? Do you play a song, an instrumental, a simple classical piece? Songs are probably best as a general rule because even if you can't sing, somebody in the crowd will be able to help you out. Just in case you get the party started with your guitar, a repertoire of around twenty songs probably should get you into, and out of trouble.

You will also gain speed much quicker if you use a flatpick. Playing fast with right hand finger picking techniques takes alot of intense practice. One question you are going to be confronted with as your flatpicking guitar technique develops is whether to play using your hand and forearm as one unit holding alot of tension in your wrist, or to play with your wrist relaxed.

A growing trend at this juncture in time involves the number of men, women and young people who are taking guitar lessons on line. When all is said and done, the opportunities that are available to a person today when it comes to guitar lessons online really abound. This includes such guitar basics of finger picking.

Here's a few suggestions from a wide range of artists and genres. "Feel" and "Angels" by Robbie Williams, "American Pie" by Don McLean, "From the Beginning" by Emerson Lake and Palmer, "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel, "Feelin' Groovy" by Simon and Garfunkel, "Blowin In The Wind" by Bob Dylan, "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell, "More Than Words" by Extreme, "Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, "Yellow Submarine" by The Beatles, "House Of The Rising Sun" by The Animals, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs and "Runaway" by The Corrs. These are songs that everybody in the world knows the words to, or at least they can fake it. - 18762

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