Music news paper

The two main choices in beginner electric guitars.

There can be a fair amount of disappointment when the wrong choice is made, and all it takes is a look through the guitar user reviews of popular beginner electric guitars to see the truth of it.

There are two main types of electric guitar, and they’re the two most popular electric guitars available. They are the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster. These guitars sound totally different, in fact you could say that they are the two most distinct sounding electric guitars available.

I’m not saying that you should buy a Gibson or Fender to get the right sound for the kind of music you like, although that’s certainly an option.

What I am saying though is that there are some excellent copies of Gibson Les Paul’s and Fender Stratocasters that you might want to take a look at.

Let’s first look at the Stratocaster as a beginners choice.

The Stratocaster is a very comfortable guitar design, with contouring to accommodate your strumming hand as well as your stomach. The main feature that makes a Stratocaster sound the way it does, is its pickup configuration.

The standard pickup configuration on a Strat is 3 single coil pickups, a 5 way pickup selector switch, one volume control and 2 tone controls.

The typical single coil pickup is made from 6 pole magnets, one for each string, around which copper wire is wound. When the guitar string vibrates, the magnetic flux of the magnet is disturbed and a corresponding electrical current is produced in the coil surrounding the magnets. That’s the signal that gets sent out to the amplifier.

Single coil pickups typically sound very bright, and this is the signature sound of the Stratocaster. A good example of this is the guitar sound of Mark Knopfler on Sultans of Swing. Guitarists who’s sound comes mainly from a Strat are Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Hank Marvin of The Shadows, Eric Clapton, and a whole list of other guitarists who’s names would make this article way too long.

A lot of beginner guitarists complain about the Stratocaster, and the main reasons for this are:

1.) The Strat is best suited to clean sounds, and a lot of beginner guitar players become dissapointed when they don’t get a good distortion, or overdriven sound out of the guitar.

It is possible to get a good distorted rock tone out of a Stratocaster, but you need to know how to get a good guitar sound and tailor your sound to suit you. A beginner guitarist won’t know how to do this and a Strat isn’t very forgiving, mostly because of its treble sound.

If you’re into heavy metal then this is not the beginner guitar for you.

2.) The single coil pickups you’ll find on a beginners Strat, or any standard Stratocaster for that matter, will pick up a lot of electromagnetic interference from flourescent lights, TV’s and computer monitors, and any other sources of electromagnetic radiation. There are ways around this, but it’s important to remember that this problem only really shows itself when you put your guitar through a distortion unit.

The guitar was designed in the 1950’s at a time when distorted guitar sounds weren’t that common. Some of the more expensive models of Fender Stratocaster have improved pickup design that eliminates the electrical hum. This won’t be on the beginner Stratocaster models.

Why the Stratocaster is still a good choice for a beginner electric guitar.

Despite the problems mentioned above, the Fender Strat still remains one of the most popular electric guitars available today.

The three single coil pickups that it has are capable of producing some beautiful shimmering clean tones, especially when the five way selector switch is in positions 2 or 4. These positions are also hum cancelling, but unfortunately don’t lend themselves to a great rock guitar tone.

Of the 3 pickups, the one at the neck position is the most capable of producing a classic blues rock tone, and a very desirable one at that. The pickup that normally puts people off when it comes to rock guitar tone, is the bridge position. This is the brightest sounding pickup on the guitar.

I personally don’t mind it too much, seeing as it adds a bit of chalkyness to the sound. A good solution here is to later buy what’s known as a hotrail pickup and replace the one that’s there. This will give you a fatter rock guitar tone without the hum.

Alternatives to the standard Stratocaster.

There is another alternative to the standard Stratocaster called the Fat Strat, which features a humbucking pickup at the bridge. If there’s one saving grace for the beginner metal guitarist who wants to buy a Stratocaster, it’s the Fat Strat.

Humbucking pickups are a special design of electric guitar pickup that eliminates outside electromagnetic interference. They are generally louder than single coil pickups and not as bright sounding.

By having a humbucker in the bridge position and two single coils in the other two, you’ve got a good combination for getting a decent rock tone in the bridge pickup as well as all the other classic Fender Strat tones.

Just one last thing about the standard Stratocaster. It has a tremelo system, but don’t use it. There are a few people who know how to make these things stay in tune when used, but they’re not telling. If you leave it alone, it’ll leave you alone.

The Gison Les Paul as a beginners electric guitar.

This has to be the ultimate symbol of heavy rock tone. Unlike the Strat, the Les Paul has a glued in neck, or set neck as it’s sometimes called.

This neck to body joint has the effect of increasing the sustain of the guitar. Because of its more complex construction, the Les Paul is a bit more expensive to manufacture.

It’s a heavy guitar that can become quite uncomfortable when standing and playing for a long time. It also has a thicker neck, depth wise, than many other guitars, which can also add a bit to the discomfort factor.

What makes the Les Paul a good rock guitar?

The same things that make the Gibson Les Paul uncomfortable to play are what make it sound so great for rock.

First of all, its made out of mahogany wood. Mahogany is an excellent tone wood for electric guitars as it has a lot of bass coupled with a distinctive upper midrange bite. What makes it uncomfortable with this guitar is that there’s a lot of it.

A heavier body and thicker neck all made out of mahogany adds up to tons of sustain and great tone.

Your typical Les Paul guitar has two humbucking pickups - one in the bridge position and one in the neck position. The only real downside to the Gibson Les Paul as far as sound goes, is that to get it to sound like a Stratocaster.

A lot of people would like to know how Timbaland gets his tracks to sound so unique. While he is an amazing producer. One of the major keys to his success is his relentless search for new sounds. Timbaland uses a sound library that makes an amateur producer look like he is using a kids keyboard. To get the sounds that made Justin Timberlakes last two albums slam, you are going to have to look for synths or synthesizers. Two of Timbaland’s favorite are the Vanguard and a synth from Re FX. They were actually made popular by techno producers.

Don’t expect Timbaland to stay their for long though. While you may be able to make tracks like him, He got their first. Labels and publisher are looking for what will be hot in 2 or 3 years not now. If you are an artist, Google chasetrackmusic.com Their is an up and coming producer named Chase McMorrough that has producer some really hot Timbaland style beats, and he is still in the underground so you can get a track, although not for long, for only a couple thousand. We used one for one of our artist. It was the one that got her a deal.

Another great trick to get drums to hit harder is to layer your kick with another 1/32 off time, and change the attack to hard. It really make the beat jump. Hope fully this information was helpful to you. I am going to recommend some materials for you if you are just getting started or even already in the game.

It’s clear that fans were in need of a little “Black Ice” when tickets to the upcoming AC/DC New York concert sold out in just a few minutes. After being away from the concert scene for almost a decade, the band that gave the world Back in Black, Highway to Hell, and High Voltage is back with its latest album - Black Ice.

Driven by the band’s long absence, fans quickly bought up tickets in just a few minutes to the New York concert, which will take place in the world-famous Madison Square Garden. The Ticketmaster site was overwhelmed with fans looking for tickets, but many went home disappointed as the venue sold-out in a matter of minutes.

An AC/DC concert at this point in the band’s history promises to be nothing short of legendary. With a host of classic hits to mix in with the songs from the new Black Ice album, AC/DC is definitely primed to give fans everything they’ve come to expect at their concerts - and a little more.

For those fans that wanted to see the legendary band rock out at Madison Square Garden in New York, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Although Ticketmaster sold-out its AC/DC Madison Square Garden concert tickets, there are still a few sites that have tickets available and want to make sure that AC/DC fans can still experience the New York concert.

There is definitely no “Beating Around the Bush” here - The Black Ice concert promises to be the concert of the year, and it’s one that any true AC/DC fan has to be a part of. Don’t miss out on your chance to be there as these legendary rockers take the stage one more time. Who knows when they’ll do it again.

Most of these sites will sell out in the next week or only have a small inventory nearing the event date. For those fans who were left “Thunderstruck” because Ticketmaster’s AC/DC concert tickets sold-out so quickly, there is a chance at redemption. Make sure you log on and get your tickets to the AC/DC Madison Square Garden concert soon because they are selling fast, so don’t delay - or you just might miss out on the concert of the century.

I have been playing guitar for over 14 years now. During that time I have been involved in numerous bands as both a musician and a writer, so it is fair to say that music is one of my biggest passions in life. Over the last 10 years or so I have had the privilege of helping others learn or improve on their guitar playing.

Interestingly, the same major mistakes are made by people from all backgrounds. Once they are corrected, their guitar playing skills improved dramatically. Here are three of the biggest mistakes I have encountered when teaching new students how to play.

1. Not Warming Up

This may not seem like a big deal but it is. Not warming up can lead to injuries and limit your effectiveness. It is really the same as working out without stretching. I have found that it is best to lightly stretch the fingers and wrists before playing. After a light stretch, do about 10 minutes of warm up exercises. This is a great time to practice some scales at a slow pace, or do some basic string skipping exercises. A quick note: as a northern Michigan boy, I have found that going to the sink and running warm water over the hands is a great way to loosen up cold or tight hands.

2. Spending Too Much Time On Scales And Theory

I’m all for learning scales and how notes relate to each other. The problem is that too often new guitarists spend all their time on this. Think of scales and theory as learning the words of a language. It is obviously important to know, but you have to play songs to make music just as you have to speak or write sentences to communicate. Make sure to start playing songs as soon as possible, and make it a part of every practice. It is crucial for your success as a guitarist. Don’t worry if you are good enough to play the song perfectly or not. You will never succeed until you give it your best shot and improve day by day.

3. Playing By Yourself

Unfortunately, this is the way that a great many people practice. Maybe you are taking lessons from and instructor, but what is your normal practice time like. If you aren’t playing along with music you are severely limiting your progress. Take time to practice scales and chords as you need to, but be sure to practice along with music as often as you can. The benefits are huge.

For one, I know some guitarists who play just fine by themselves, but can’t seem to jam along with others. If you play with accompaniment, you learn to play in a band setting and so much more. It is far easier to learn songs, improve your soloing, perfect your timing, and come up with original riffs when you do this. The great part is that all you have to do is break out your cd’s or ipod and jam your favorite songs. If you have tab of a song that you want to learn, practice it a few times on your own and then put on the music and play along until you sound like part of the band. It is an awesome feeling.

This post shares tips for getting the most out of your band rehearsal time.

If you’re like a lot of amateur musicians your band has to fit into limited spare time. It’s hard enough to find your own practice time and band rehearsal can be even harder. Everybody has a different schedule and finding a common time to play together is rarely easy. That’s why it’s important to organize yourselves to make the most of your limited rehearsal time.

Here are three tips to help you make the most of that short band rehearsal time instead of wasting it.

* Learn Songs Individually First

Make sure everyone learns the songs and their parts on their own time. Trying to practice a song when individuals don’t know their own parts is a sure way to waste rehearsal time. Make sure you learn your songs individually first, then use the band rehearsal to work on your arrangement and group sound.

It goes without saying that if you want to all turn up to the rehearsal with your songs learned you’ll have to decide what those songs are in advance. Do this as formally or informally as you like, but make sure you have a small queue of songs everyone can prepare for the rehearsals to come.

* Balance New And Old Songs

By old songs I don’t mean classical music. I mean the songs you have learned together in the past. It’s all too easy to spend all your time learning new songs. But you need to set aside some of your rehearsal time to revise the old stuff so you don’t forget how to play it, what the structure is, who plays the solo, how you end it and so on.

A good place for revision is either at the start or the end of the rehearsal. Familiar songs make a good warm up at the start, or you can have a blast playing them for all you’re worth as a wind down at the end.

* Rehearse Without Sheet Music Or Lyrics

A lot of bands rehearse with sheet music, chord charts or lyrics in front of them. But how many rock bands do you see using sheet music on stage? If you want to learn to play without the paper you have to practice without it too.

If you use chord charts and lyric sheets during rehearsal you never really get around to memorizing the songs. Even if you’ve played them many times you will find yourself lost without the sheets on concert day. So get into the habit of playing without them even at rehearsals.

Let’s recap these three useful tips for getting the most out of your band rehearsals.

1. Learn songs individually before rehearsing as a band.

2. Balance new and old songs in your rehearsal time.

3. Memorize songs and rehearse without relying on sheet music.

Apply these three tips and your band will progress better on making good music together.

All one needs to learn about Royalty Free Music usage.

The Internet marketers are increasingly opting for using royalty free music as a part of trade promotion. This is more advantageous than using paid sound clips and music. It can be re-used without facing any legal hassle. Obtaining royalty free music is not too difficult either. Students who need unique sound clips for using in their school or college projects can also use these sound clips.

This is alternatively known as buyout music. This can be licensed in return of a single payment. However some companies have put a restriction on the number of times a royalty free music clip can be used. This is subject to license agreement. Still, it is way better than costly copyright protected music.

As a matter of fact, Royalty Free music comes with the assurance of legality. You can use it for business promotions without violating law. Finding royalty free music is not hard as there are a number of search engines. Some sites that sell royalty free music lets users preview clips before download or purchase.

Various types of royalty free sound clips are available in the web. Different companies deal with different kind of products and they need to select sound clips accordingly. One can find everything from animal sounds to nature sounds in the web.

One can also use the royalty free music in his blog sites, social networking profiles and websites other than commercial use. As a purchaser of this music and sound clips, a person enjoys the right to modify and edit the sound clips. This is the opposite of copyrighted audio tracks. Even when a person pays for buying a copyrighted audio clip he is not permitted to make copies and edit it as per his desire in the most of cases.

There are a number of web sites that offer a lot of royalty free soundtracks for people. A person can search using the popular search engines and can compare these sites before zeroing in on a particular one. It would be a nice idea to ask one’s friends and colleagues for finding an ideal royalty free music download site.

If a person is looking for high quality royalty free music and needs a site that offers the widest range, then he can count on the services of the company “NEO Sounds”. It contains music from professional producers and composers around the world. One can use music that he purchases from this site for as many times as he wants. If one has lost his purchased content due to some reason, he is eligible to re-download the same stuff. The music clips sold at this site start from as low as $7.95. The buying cost covers usage and licensing fees. Its content is updated on a regular basis and hence users will get fresh content. In my view, the company offers the buyers best value for their money.

So, there you are. You are thinking about ways to incorporate your passion of music into a way of making a living. And, when you analyze your situation, you find that teaching music lessons is something that you might be interested in. You probably know how to play an instrument better than anyone else in the world or know the history of classical music better that you know your own family’s history. However, you are struggling to enlighten others with your skills because you have no experience in the area of teaching. What do you do? How do you start? Are you even able to teach someone? Well, you are in luck. I am here today to teach you all the necessities you will need to become a music guru!

Do you need certain credentials to teach music to others? Music teachers need a PH.D in music theory, history, and taxidermy! Now to exclude my blatant malarkey, it is not always a must to teach with a very prestigious background in music education. Do not get me wrong, there are advantages of being highly educated in the area of music. It may decide whether you can teach others quality material as opposed to only the basics. However, teaching is like a light switch, it is either on or off with the simple flick of your finger. Basically, teach when you deem yourself fit and feel the most confident.
Do you have the proper teaching environment? The environment you choose is essential to a student’s growth. It will also show the effectiveness of your teaching skills.

Make sure the environment you are teaching in is quiet. If possible, find a place that can cut out all noise from the outside. It is impossible to communicate an idea to a student if there are sounds that are overpowering, for instance, people yelling in another room. When this occurs, it is time to change your environment.

Also, ensure that your teaching environment is not too big or small. If the student cannot hear anything that is being taught because you are a football field away or can feel you breathing in their eyes, find a different environment.

Further, comfort is very important for a student’s development. A comfortable learning environment equals easier lesson comprehension for the student. If you are a musical artist who loves flowers, long hair and teaching students outside, that is excellent. However, making your student sit in the cold on cement or a hard rock for hours will get you nowhere in the progress of his or her musical education. Thus, provide chairs and decent climate for your student at every lesson.

There are many environments to teach a student. You should really consider teaching a student in a studio, classroom, bedroom or basement. These places have not failed in the past for other teacher and should not fail you.

Just remember that distractions from the outside, a setting’s incompatible size, and poor comfort can cloud the mind of any student, and thus, impede on his or her learning. Therefore, choose your teaching environment with diligence.

Do you have the adequate tools to teach? You will need certain tools to help with your teaching process. Without them you will not be able to teach at your full potential.

Instruments will help manufacture your student’s musical intellect. If you have a student wanting to learn guitar lessons and all you have is a piano, you may run into a problem. To prevent this problem, ask your student prior to any lesson what they want to learn. Once he or she tells you, be certain that you have or can acquire the instruments that are needed.

Are you providing a music stand for your student? A music stand should be readily available. You can purchase music stands relatively cheap from your local music store. If you cannot afford a music stand, use a makeshift one, for example, a table. Just remember, you do not want your student struggling to see what you have asked him or her to play on the sheet music you provided. If your student is complaining about not being able to see what you want him or her to play, it will only be due to your lack of equipment and experience. Invest in the music stand!

Do you have pens, sheets of paper or notebooks to give your student? Writing material is important. You may think he or she has an amazing memory, but do not be surprised when they come to you the following week with no recollection of what was tough. Therefore, be sure that you are providing your student with writing material or at least ask him or her to bring a pen and piece of paper to their next lesson!

Remember that it is very unprofessional to sell the idea that you can teach something, but not be able to live up to what you say because of the lack of your tools. Go out and acquire all the tools that you need to progress as a music teacher.

Does the way you teach have any structure? Structure is a must when it comes to teaching your lesson with ease. If you first teach a beginner student an extremely difficult piece of sheet music and then how to play a single note on any instrument, your student may run into some troubles. However, if you teach with logical progression, for instance, easy to difficult, you will see obvious comprehension from your student and better teaching results. Thus, structure what you are going to teach.

Do you have a goal driven agenda for your student? A written out plan for the eventual outcome of your student will determine the success of the lessons. You can teach aimlessly, for instance, a bit of jazz here and a bit of rock there, but you will not get significant results with this method. Therefore, have long term goals that favour your student’s interests. For instance, he or she may say that they eventually want to play guitar like the Beatles. This is a perfect long term goal! Take the long term goals and divide them into short term ones. Since your student wants to play guitar like the Beatles, it would be a good idea to create a short term goal of teaching chords that are in Beatles’ songs. When you have the final goals, arrange them into an agenda that you and your student can follow. For instance, take the chords that you want your student to learn and teach a few for the first lesson and a few more during the next lesson. Basically, spread out all the chords you want to teach amongst several lessons until there are no more. By doing this, you will have reason for what you are teaching and it will actually be the most effective on all your students.

There you have your first lesson! You are now ready to teach your first student and possibly make a few dollars. Congratulations! You have learned to build the confidence in yourself to teach others and ignore the standard of being a musically educated genius. You now know the importance of the learning environment and how it affects your student. You have equipped yourself with the essential tools that will help you in your teaching endeavours. You hopefully have or will go out and invest in instruments, music stands and writing material to help with teaching your lessons. Structure is now sewn into your way of teaching. And, you now have a reason for teaching certain lessons on specific days because of the goals that are associated to an agenda. Keep this article to heart and you will be on your way to make a decent living off of teaching what you love, music!