If you're just starting out with guitar, the best thing you can do is grab some
early success to put wind in your sails. Knowing a some notes and their names
useful, but early on, what you need most is courage and motivation to keep
going.
So my suggestion? Learn some easy guitar songs. It's a win-win situation
because you get some gratification and those who will listen to you will
appreciate listening to music rather than just your practice scales (important,
but not fulfilling while you're learning them). So easy songs are the ticket
for any new guitar player.
The good news is, there are lots of songs that only use a few easy, open
chords. Open chords are chords that don't require you to move your hands way up
the neck. Many of the strings in open chords are played without having to fret
them (called "open strings").
Here are some easy songs for guitars you can play with only a few open chords:
EASY SONGS FOR GUITARS WITH OPEN CHORDS
"Time of Your Life" by Green Day
"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals
"Heart of Gold" by Neil Young
"Hey Jude" by The Beatles
"Take It Easy" by The Eagles
"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
"Atlantic City" by Bruce Springsteen
"Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
"Horse With No Name" by America
"Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam
"Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet
"Patience" by Guns & Roses
"American Pie" by Don McLean
"Knocking on Heavens Door" by Bob Dylan
"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
"If It Makes You Happy" by Sheryl Crow
"Who Will Save Your Soul" by Jewell
"The Scientist" by Coldplay
"Nutshell" by Alice in Chains
"Let it Be" by The Beatles (they played it in C, but
you can easily change it to G, to avoid the F)
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by The Beatles
"Zombie" by The Cranberries
"Wonderwall" by Oasis
"You're Beautiful" by James Blunt
"Wild Thing" by The Trogs
This is a fairly short list of the hundreds upon hundreds of easy songs for guitars that can be played with nothing but open chords.
You'll eventually need to learn some barre chords and when you do, try the Learn & Master Guitar course. It's good for what ails you.
I recently found a couple videos on Youtube that claimed to list the "Top 10" and "Top 25" Guitar solos in order of "topness".
The trouble was... I could never agree to them. MY LIST is different! My age (52), my experience as a songwriter, and of course my personal tastes demand of me that I engage in a "throw down" with these list makers, and present my own list.
Yes, I admit right now that when I think "great guitar solos", I don't think "most acrobatic solos" or "most famous guitar players' solos" or "fastest solos". Instead, I think "tastiest solos". By tastiest, I mean solos that scoop you up and take you someplace, with or without your cooperation. So...introducing...
MY OWN TOP-10 TASTIEST GUITAR SOLO LIST:
10. Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd, played by David Gilmour)
9. Satch Boogie (Joe Satriani)
8. Sweet Home Alabama (Skynard)
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
6. Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas--all 3 solos)
5. Reeling in the Years (Steely Dan)
4. China Girl (David Bowie, played by Stevie Ray Vaughan)
3. Walk This Way (Aerosmith)
2. Renegade (Styx)
1. Hotel California (Eagles, played by Joe Walsh)
OK, I have to admit that I was tempted to even put some guitar riffs (non-solos) in there because of their effect on me when they crank up (Things like "Back in Black" or "Baracuda"), but they had to be real solos to make this list. Let me hear what would have to be on your list. I showed you mine, now you show me yours.
Music and Math are attached at the hip it seems. Pitch frequencies are certainly expressed in the purest of math terms. And the shorthand system for pitches and their relationships is also expressed by the very simple math of what we call "intervals".
There is an entire system called the "Nashville Numbers" that assign the numbers 1 thru 7 to the notes of a major scale. The chords based on those notes are then refered to by those numbers.
So if you change keys, nothing about the notation changes when you're using the Nashville Number system.
The same principles can be applied to single notes. It just requires a change of thinking... or better yet it requires a simpler way of thinking.
You go from memorizing notes to memorizing intervals (the simple mathematical relationship of the notes) in any particular scale or chord.
For instance, if I first played the Pentatonic scale trying to always know what note I'm playing, it would be a torturous path to me when I started trying to solo. I would have to know all the notes in the scales, and where those notes are located on the fretboard. I would also need to know what relationship they have to the root. It would take too long for me to calculate this all out in my head.
So I might find myself sticking to patterns that are boxy.
But what if I started just "thinking the intervals" as I play scales and patterns? For instance, with a pentatonic scale I say to myself "Root, Fifth, Fourth, etc." This becomes much easier than memorizing all note names. Because I know that chords are built off of intervals, it's going to make everything much easier.
If I know that I am soloing against an A, D, and E chord sequence - and I know where a root note for A, D, and E is located - I can quickly find a fret pattern that works with that root note - and then the intervals I need are automatic. No need to find note names or do any mental translation or anything - I just play intervals.
For example, I know that in a Dominant Seventh chord you should solo using primarily the root, third, fifth, and minor seventh - and I know where all those are located in all the fret patterns now. I might have to slow down significantly to tell you every note I am playing, but I can play them more intuitively when thinking in intervals.
Even on songs that I learn from sheet music - I quickly convert them into intervals after I get to the point of having them memorized. This allows me to play them in any key starting from nearly any position on the guitar.
And a side benefit is that once I'm thinking intervals and numbers (instead of chord and note letter names), I can change keys instantly, painlessly... because the intervals are all the same relationships, regardless of the key I'm in.
Ultimate-guitar.com, the largest archive of tabs on the web and one of the primer sites for musicians has reviewed the Learn & Master Guitar course. Ultimate's Shekhar Dhupelia had some very nice things to say about the course:
"The instructor has a friendly, straightforward approach and the on-screen lessons and diagrams are clear and concise. Further, course offers access to an Online support and networking forum, where you can post questions to Steve Krenz and other buyers of the course, which in essence gives you access to a “virtual classroom”.
"A nice touch with the DVD lessons is that instead of showing a dry classroom setting, or an office or empty room, the lessons take place in a recording studio with a colorful ambience and lighting, which makes it more fun to watch the lessons.
"Have you taught yourself a few things, but never got around to formal lessons? Do you have limited free time, and can only learn during odd hours? Would you rather learn at your own pace, tackling one lesson every few weeks or taking a bunch of lessons really quickly? If any of these sound like you, then Learn & Master Guitar is just what you need."
Nashville, TN…March 2, 2010…Gibson Guitar, the world’s premiere musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology, is proud to announce the highly anticipated launch of the Gibson Guitar App. This free-to-download App will be available exclusively for all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users directly from the Apple App Store February 25, 2010. This is one App every guitarist and fan of Gibson Guitar must own. Over the past two years over 3 Billion Apps have been downloaded around the world, the Gibson Guitar App cements Gibson’s reputation as the industry’s leader in innovation and music technology.
Sammy Hagar, Latin superstar Luis Fonsi, and Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger show us their App-itude
The Gibson Guitar App includes a number of special features, such as a traditional chromatic tuner which starts in “All Notes” mode that tracks whatever is played. Owners of the App can choose a tuning on the “Mode” page so the tuner will only track notes for that particular tuning. Also included is a standard chromatic tuner, a simple tuner which allows less advanced users to tune to Standard tuning Open G, Open D, etc., by touching the key. For iPhone users, the Gibson headstock inlay will automatically change color indicating if the string is sharp, flat or in tune. For iPod Touch users they can turn the “Play Notes” option on so they can hear the appropriate tuning since they do not have a microphone facility.
The Gibson app also features a standard metronome that allows users to choose a specific BPM or tap the screen three times to automatically set the tempo. Other key features of the app include over 30 chord charts with finger markings to help the user with mastering the chord. For those who prefer to learn new guitar riffs, licks or chord sequences via video tuition can now have that option from their Gibson App. The app will be updated frequently with new video content so users of all guitar ability can improve their technique from the comfort of their home.
For those who want to keep up with everything Gibson Guitar related including the announcement of new products, artist activity, news stories, interesting and factual features, exclusive contests and special events to name a few can now do this via the Gibson.com option. By popular demand, the Gibson Guitar App is a multi-purpose and fully interactive guitar application which can be used at home, on the road or in the Studio. It’s a must have for guitarists and music enthusiasts of all ability and style, and best of all, its free. Get yours today. Hi-res images of app graphics available for media upon request.
About Gibson Guitar
Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is the best selling guitar of all time and bears the name of the late, great Les Paul. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar, the Gibson Robot Guitar, Gibson's Dark Fire and the new Gibson Dusk Tiger represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. The Gibson Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Gibson Guitar Corp., and dedicates its time and services to making the place a better world for children through its support of music, education, health and human services. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazo, Michigan , and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at www.gibson.com
About Learn & Master Guitar
Learn & Master Guitar is produced by Legacy Learning Systems, Inc., the world leader in video instruction for music and the arts. Its renowned Learn & Master series provides the most comprehensive multi-media courses available anywhere for learning guitar, drums, piano, ballroom dance and painting, each containing between 17 and 25 instructional DVDs and CDs for up to two year's worth of instructional content per course. For additional information on the innovative company that has made truly comprehensive music and arts training available in the home for the first time.
Legacy Learning Systems has partnered with Gibson Guitars, producers of the world's finiest musical instruments, to provide you with a must-have application for any guitar player. This free to download App is available exclusively for all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users directly from the Apple App Store. This is one App every guitarist and fan of Gibson Guitar must own. Over the past two years over 3 Billion Apps have been downloaded around the world, the Gibson Guitar App cements Gibson’s reputation as the industry’s leader in innovation and music technology.
The Gibson Guitar App includes a number of special features, such as a traditional chromatic tuner which starts in “All Notes” mode that tracks whatever is played. Owners of the App can choose a tuning on the “Mode” page so the tuner will only track notes for that particular tuning. Also included is a traditional chromatic tuner, a simple tuner which allows less advanced users to tune to Standard tuning Open G, Open D etc by touching the key. For iPhone users, the Gibson headstock inlay will automatically change colour indicating if the string is sharp, flat or in tune. For iTouch users they can turn the “Play Notes” option on so they can hear the appropriate since they do not have a microphone facility.
The Gibson app also features a standard metronome that allows users to choose a specific BPM or tap the screen three times to automatically set the tempo. Other key features of the app include over 30 chord charts with finger markings to help the user with mastering the chord. For those who prefer to learn new guitar riffs, licks or chord sequences via video tuition can now have that option from their Gibson App. The app will be updated frequently with new video content so users of all guitar ability can improve their technique from the comfort of their home.
For those who want to keep up with everything Gibson Guitar related including the announcement of new products, artist activity, news stories, interesting and factual features, exclusive contests and special events to name a few can now do this via the Gibson.com option. By popular demand the Gibson Guitar App is multi-purpose and fully interactive which can be used at home, on the road or in the Studio. It’s a must have free download for guitarists of all ability and style, get yours today.
This is the “Big Event” for Learn & Master Guitar users! Meet us in Nashville, TN, June 16 - 20, 2010 (Wednesday – Sunday)
Guitar players from all over the world will gather in Nashville,TN, June 16-20 to do what we love to do...play guitar! If you're looking for a chance to get "hands-on" with your technique, style, and performance then this event is for you. If you want to meet and connect with other guitarists who are on the same study program you're on, then this event is definitely for you.
Musical experiences are gained, guitar abilities are stretched, and lifelong friendships are formed in this one incredible event! Here's what the event offers:
Group Lessons and Masterclasses with Steve Krenz
Learn & Master Guitar's author, Steve Krenz, will give group lessons in both acoustic and electric guitar technique and style—beginner and intermediate levels. Group lessons will be organized differently from past years. The group lessons will not be open to everyone. These will be intimate times of personal instruction and feedback with Steve. Each person will be allowed a time to play and receive instruction. The cost will be $20 per attendee and will be payable to Steve at the lesson. Each 90 minute group lesson will have Steve and 8 participants. Come prepared to play something. Slots will be filled on a first come/first served basis.
Master Classes with Guest Artists Phil Keaggy, Brent Mason, Russ Barenberg & Jack Pearson
Fingerstyle guitar legend Phil Keaggy is going to be doing a rare Fingerstyle guitar masterclass and private concert. Master session guitarist and Grammy winner Brent Mason will be conducting a special guitar techniques masterclass. Grammy nominated Bluegrass guitarist Russ Barenberg will be conducting a Flatpicking Masterclass.
Private Concert with Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy will give a private concert on Thursday evening. His concerts are filled with jaw-dropping guitar playing, humor, and passionate musicianship—he is a true craftsman on the guitar.
Blues Monster Jam
Attendees will be encouraged to participate in the Friday afternoon Blues Monster Jam session with a full live blues band.
Guitar Setup Workshop with Greg Voros
Learn from the best. Greg Voros, master guitar tech at Nashville's famous Gruhn Guitars and instructor for the Learn & Master Spotlight Series course - Guitar Setup & Maintenance, will give a workshop on how to set up your guitar. You'll know how to adjust the neck, the action, and other performance aspects of your instrument after this informative and entertaining workshop.
Personal Guitar Setups by Greg Voros
Have your guitar personally setup by Greg Voros. This is a rare opportunity for you to have your guitar worked on by one of the best guitar techs in the nation. (Additional charges of $50/Acoustic $55/Electric paid to Greg at the event.)
Student Showcase
Students will have the chance to get on stage and perform solo or with a group. The student showcase is always one of the highlights of the Guitar Gathering.
All Star Guitar Night at the Ryman Auditorium
We'll top off the weekend at one of the nation's premier guitar events...Muriel Anderson's All Star Guitar Night at the historic Ryman Auditorium.
Sunday Cookout
Relax and eat some great barbecue. This will be the 3rd Annual Learn & Master Guitar Cookout—held on Sunday.
Registration (Early Registration Discount ends, May 16!)
Registration for Legacy Days is $199 and must be completed and paid by midnight May 16, 2010. (Late registration--after May 16--will be $275.)
Children (age 17 or under) and spouses are welcome to attend at no additional charge! A survey will be emailed to you in the days after you register where you will be able to sign up for group lessons, personal guitar setups with Greg Voros, and other individual events.
Speakers for Event:
Steve Krenz
Author of Learn & Master Guitar, Steve draws from a vast experience in both performing and teaching. He's done everything from play with a symphony orchestra, to jazz bands, to perform with Grammy winning artists, like Donna Summer, The Fifth Dimension, Bryan White, and Israel Houghton. Not only is Steve an active guitarist playing and recording professionally in Music City USA, Nashville, Tennessee, but he also holds a deep personal commitment and passion for teaching and training other guitarists to excel in their talents. His teaching style is patient and positive.
Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is perhaps one of the most admired guitarists in music today. He is a seven-time recipient of the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. He was twice nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album and has frequently been listed as one of the world's top-3 "fingerstyle" as well as "fingerpicking" guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls. Phil’s solo career has spanned more than 30 years, and has included over 50 solo albums, both vocal and instrumental, as well as 8 releases with his band, Glass Harp. One of the most sought after studio guitarists, Phil also continues to sell out concerts all over the United States, with his ever-changing style, ranging from rock-and-roll to fully orchestrated instrumental compositions.
Brent is one of the most recorded guitarists in history - he is a Grammy Award winning artist who is also a multiple winner of the Academy of Country Music and the CMA (sixteen awards), being nominated every year since 1991. In addition to playing on the majority of hit country music for over two decades, his diverse work ranging from jazz, rock and blues to R&B, classical and funk can be heard almost daily on movie soundtracks, television scores, and commercials. His technique and theory is studied in colleges and universities around the world, including the prestigious Berklee College of Music.
Articles about and interviews with Brent have appeared with regularity in every major guitar magazine in the US and internationally for more than two decades, and he was named in Guitar Player Magazine as one of the world's top ten "Masters of the Telecaster/Titans of the Tele."
Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night is one of the nation's premier guitar events. Held in the historic Ryman Auditorium, the night will feature an eclectic line up of the world’s top acoustic and electric guitar players performing in one magical night. This is a fitting closing event to the conference. This years event will be televised.
Instructor for the Learn & Master Spotlight Series course - Guitar Setup & Maintenance. A Master Guitar Tech at world famous Gruhn Guitars—Greg began work at Gruhn Guitars in 2005. He came to Nashville from New York with a lengthy background in repair and setup of a broad range of electric and acoustic instruments. He also has extensive experience in customer service and fine-tuning instruments to personal taste. He does guitar tech work for some of Nashville's most famous guitarists. His workshop at last year's event was one of the most well-received of all. We look forward to having him back this year!
In a series of beautifully crafted albums, acoustic guitarist, composer and GRAMMY nominee Russ Barenberg has created an "exquisitely original" and enduring body of work that joyously integrates bluegrass, jazz, and American/Celtic fiddle and dance traditions. His latest release, When at Last, which also features Russ's sparkling mandolin playing, was nominated for a GRAMMY for "Best Country Instrumental Performance" and for he International Bluegrass Music Association "Instrumental Album of the Year" award. Along with millions of other viewers, you were likely moved by Russ's emotional rendering of "Ashokan Farewell," the main soundtrack theme in Ken Burns' masterpiece, The Civil War. And viewers in the UK and Europe have gotten to know Russ over the last 15 years as both a member of he house band and a featured artist on the acclaimed BBC Television music programs, The Transatlantic Sessions. Russ will be conducting a Bluegrass flatpicking masterclass for the Guitar Gathering.
Jack Pearson was the guitar player for the Allman Brothers Band for many years. He has played with everyone from Jimmy Buffett to Faith Hill, from Delbert McClinton to Ronnie Milsap. According to the Nashville Scene, he has “quietly earned a national reputation as the guitarist of choice when someone needs a mature, tasteful picker with a broad knowledge of blues, jazz, and soulful rock.” Blues Revue calls him a “world-class guitarist...Nashville’s most unassuming musician.” Rolling Stone Magazine brags on his “light touch and fluid, jazzy style...and dynamic slide playing.” And Real Blues Magazine hails him as “one of the best blues/rock guitarists on the scene today."
You are free to book rooms through the hotel's website or through another website. We have contracted a rate of $99/night with the hotel when you mention that you are with LEGACY DAYS.
It is helpful to us if you please make all reservations no later than May 15, 2010.
Hotel offers shuttle service from the airport starting at $28. Rental Car Stations and Cab transportation are also offered at the airport.
Children (age 17 or under) and spouses are welcome to attend at no additional charge! A survey will be emailed to you in the days after you register where you will be able to sign up for group lessons, personal guitar setups with Greg Voros, and other individual events.
Enter Now For A Chance To Win 2 NEW Learn & Master Spotlight Series Courses - Blues Guitar and Guitar Setup & Maintenance from the makers of Learn & Master Guitar!
We are giving away a set every week for the duration of the contest, so enter often!!
Gibson.com and LearnandMaster.com are once again teaming up to bring you the latest instructional videos from Legacy Learning Systems. From the creators of the award winning Learn & Master Guitar course comes the new Spotlight Series - the first two editions focus on Blues Guitar and Guitar Setup & Maintenance.
Learn & Master Spotlight Series: Blues Guitar
Our Spotlight Series on Blues Guitar is an in-depth, step-by-step course in blues guitar playing-the real nuts and bolts, not just a couple of blues licks. You"ll get what you need... the musical understanding, the concepts, chords, techniques, and riffs that allow you to enter the world of great blues guitar playing.
With this course, you'll learn the notes, chords, and form that make up the blues. You'll also build a strong repertoire of ready-to-use riffs (shown in both music and TAB) that can immediately be incorporated into your playing.
Learn to play fast shuffles, slow 12/8 blues, as well as "blues-in-every-key." Learn all the standard blues guitar techniques such as bends, pull-offs, palm muting, and slide playing. Get your head in the game by understanding blues notes, blues scales, pentatonic scales, and blues chord progressions.
The course includes 6 DVDs with over 8 hours of practical instruction, Jam Along DVD & CD with over 20 songs in various styles for practice, in-depth interviews with legendary blues guitarists Jack Pearson & Johnny Hiland, downloadable book & access to our online support community, easy to follow on-screen music and key ideas, and essential blues guitar techniques explained thoroughly and simply.
The skills you will build in this course will allow you to lay down the blues with complete confidence!
This Spotlight course on Guitar Setup & Maintenance will show you step-by-step how to set up your guitar in your own home using a few easy-to-use tools. You'll make basic adjustments to your guitar so you end up with a better playing and sounding instrument.
You'll learn how to properly restring your guitar and how to adjust the action from the bridge to the saddles. You'll discover how to adjust the neck and check the relief. Does your guitar play out of tune? You'll learn the fundamentals of intonation. You'll also learn how to care for and clean your guitar with complete confidence.
Greg Voros, master luthier, has spent years working on guitars for the legendary George Gruhn of Gruhn's Guitars. He's been entrusted with the repair, restoration, and setup of guitars ranging in value from $100 to $250,000. He'll share the skills and knowledge he's picked up through his years of working on some of the most valuable instruments in the world.
The course includes 3 full-length DVDs of instruction, instruction on tuning and adjusting intonation, how to adjust the action, bridge, and pickup height, how to adjust the neck for precise relief, full cleaning/maintenance of your instrument.
If you're guitar is not one of these, don't worry. The concepts and steps to these setups will apply to your guitar as well. You can have a better playing and sounding instrument in a matter of hours!
If you're just starting out with guitar, the best thing you can do is grab some
early success to put wind in your sails. Knowing a some notes and their names
useful, but early on, what you need most is courage and motivation to keep
going. 
