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Sus2 chords have no 3rd in them (the sus stands for suspended), theyre neither major nor minor though Jimi usually used them in place of major chords. Because theyre neither major or minor they can often be played instead of either.

Sus2 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 2, 5

G sus2 uses the notes: G, A, D

Our inversion uses the notes in this order: G, G, D, A

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Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is the next chord in our series of major triads, moving our G Major triad to the A, D and G strings of the guitar.


This triad is a 2nd inversion, as it has the 5th as its lowest note: 5, 1, 3
In a G Major triad these notes are : D, G and B.

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How to start making progress again.

It happens to the best of us. Were learning songs, working on technique, feel like were getting somewhere, and then we hit the proverbial brick wall! We seem to be getting worse instead of better, our motivations taken a serious hit, and were starting to wonder if this is as good as well ever be able to play. I see and hear this from my students all the time, and experience it myself too.

First things first, take a break.

It sounds wrong, but sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away.  Take a few days or even a week or so and just do something else. My feeling is that we still practice in our subconscious mind, and taking a break is the same as going on vacation and not thinking about work. Ive quit playing and working on a song and actually been able to play it better after leaving it alone for a while.

Make a to do list.

Record yourself, listen to how you sound, and make a to do list of things to work on. Were all our own worst critics, so be critical and write out exactly what was good and what needed improvement.

Set some goals for yourself.

After youve listened and critiqued yourself, set a deadline. Decide youll master what youre working on, and hold yourself accountable. Be realistic and reasonable, but be hard on yourself as well. With a specific time frame in mind, your motivation will definitely improve.

Focus.

Now that you have the to do list and goals in place, work on being in focus. Its way too easy to get distracted, let your mind wander, and play things that are easier and more comfortable. Set a timer and use that as a way to give the song your undivided attention. Work on difficult passages, smooth out the rough parts, and again, record yourself. Its hard to hear progress from day to day, so a recording is a good way to judge where you are and where you still need to be.

Why multitasking is overrated.

The more Ive become involved in teaching, the more I try to simplify practice. I see many students trying to do too many things at once. Theyll be working on new songs when the old ones still need work, theyll try to play faster when they cant play slowly, or theyll try to keep a beat before they know where the notes are. While each aspect of practice is important, the ability to focus on one area at a time is the key. If youre tired of a song, put it away for a while instead of adding another new one. If you want to play faster you have to be able to play slowly, without any mistakes. If you want to keep a good, solid rhythm, you have to be able to concentrate on that. Dont forget the 3 elements of playing music well: Timing, Tone and Touch. The more you work on those, the more tools you have to be able to express yourself through the music.

Hello again,

Talking about the pick for me by choosing the right guitar picks will make not only the comfortablity, though it will give u a good sound and tone.

YOu should have ur favourable guitar picks. THere are a lot of shape and thickness. Also they made from some different material and color. Spend some time to get a different types of picks and do some experiment so will know the different of each and then choose your best one for you. Get use to it, appreciate it and love it. Those pick in the picture is in my collection.

For your information there is no pick can last forever. One day somehow it will torn up and overused. U need to change it, is good to have stocks of picks. DOnt be so stingy by having just one pick. Put ur pick stock in your guitar case so u can get it easily when u need it next time. ALso good if you have pick holder attached to your guitar.

Have fun

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In such way vibrato, is giving a better sound of our guitar solo. Making our playing so charecteristic and dynamic. It sounds so alive and being since the classical era to rock and heavy metal. Its critical to do the correct technic of doing it, sometimes, by overdoing it will make you playing sound offpitch.

Generally for me I use 3 kinds of vibrato. Depends on which situation is the best. I call it:
1. Conventional vibrato
2. Classical Vibrato
3. Tremolo Vibrato.

The conventional vibrato is widely use by the electric guitarist, no matter what are the genres their playing, in rock, metal, pop, fusion, jazz, even blues and alternatives. The technic it to press on tight over the note and make the bends movement repeatedly. ANd make sure everytimes you bend the string it will return back to its normal position or else it will be offpitch. The keyword her is bending it up and down. Of course continously

The classical vibrato, normally played on the classical guitar. But I saw BB King is always does it. Meaning to say it can be done using the electric guitar. It sounds nice and totally awesome. For me it give more attitude. The technics is to hold the note tight and make the movement back and forward repeatedly. The keyword is back and forward movement.

While the Tremolo vibrato is COOL!!! But to do this your guitar must have tremolo on the bridge. Make sure it is properly attached. The technics is just slightly wham the tremolo up and down continously. If you are the rock guitar player you will be looking and sound like PRO. Just be careful, make sure the tremolo back to its original tension before doing another wham. Even, you can explore and do some experiment to make a nice vibrato with your tremolo. I ll tell you later on this.

My advise is listen to what you play. Make it a good sound. Because listening the good sound is what the music is all about.

UPDATE: Discover a brand new way to learn
the electric / acoustic guitar online without
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Does your chord playing need work?

One of the most frustrating parts of beginning guitar lessons is getting your chords to sound good. These tips will help you make your chords sound like they should.

Stop the strings from buzzing. One of the things you need to work on when you play guitar chords is eliminating string buzz. The causes are: not playing close enough to the fret, not pushing hard enough and not keeping the pressure on. The frets are the metal bars, not the spaces in between. You want to get your fingers close to the frets, but not touching them. If youre close to the fret and theyre still buzzing, push harder. In the beginning stages your fingers arent tough yet so you need to push harder. If you get a buzz after a second or two, youve let the pressure off.

Making the strings ring clear. A muffled or deadened sound is usually caused by something being in the way. It can be a sleeve, a fingernail, or another finger. Arch your hand so that each finger is bent at both joints and the fingers come down as straight as possible. This will get the fingers out of each others way. Be sure your sleeve isnt blocking the string and keep your left hand fingernails trimmed. The last cause is having your finger right on the fret instead of behind it.

Checking your progress.  If youre not sure how the chord sounds, play each string individually while holding the chord so you can find the source of the trouble. Work to position your hand and fingers so that all of the strings are making a clear sound. You also need to be sure that youre not playing strings that dont go in the chord. At the top of the chord grid there are Xs and Os. An X means the string isnt played, so be sure you dont strum that one. Os are played open, you have no finger on there but it is part of the chord.

Give Yourself a Jump Start With These Accessories

1. Music Stand.  Ive had many students tell me when they practice they put the music on the floor, the coffee table, the side of the bed, or propped up somehow. These ways all promote poor posture and playing position. A wire, folding music stand only costs about $15-25 and is a worthwhile investment. The "industrial strength" ones you see professional musicians use can run from $60 up, but the sturdiness and ability to adjust it make it worth the extra money. Either way, this should be on the top of your list.

2. Electronic Tuner.  Like every electronic device, tuners are dropped in price to the point where no one should be without one. Even if you know how to tune its a great tool. They range in price from under $10 to $100+, but most people can get by without one thats priced high. Even the low to mid priced ones have many features that were only available on expensive models a few years ago.

3. Metronome or Drum Machine.  A metronome or drum machine will help you develop a solid sense of rhythm. Either one is fine, but a drum machine is a little more fun to practice with.

4. Digital Recorder.  While not an absolute necessity, the ability to record your playing is a great tool to see how youre progressing. Most people are surprised at how different they sound and at how many mistakes they dont hear. Just remember, recordings dont lie!

5. A Good Teacher.  Its possible to learn on your own, but finding a good teacher can accelerate the process. Beginning guitar lessons are the most crucial, since they can help you get started using the right techniques.

6. Software to Slow Songs Down. One of the most useful tools we use at the studio is a program to slow songs down. A good choice is RiffPro. Click Here!(Affiliate link)

Todays guitar chord is D minor7b5. It is a moveable chord with its root note on the A string. Dm7b5 is also known as D half diminished.

Four Chords For The Price of One
m7b5 chords can also be considered as different inversions of other chords, Dm7b5 can also be considered as Bb9, F minor 6, E7#5b9. Heres why:

Dm7b5    = D F, Ab, C
Bb9         = Bb, D, F, Ab, C
F minor 6 = F, Ab, C, D
E7#5b9 = E, G# (Ab), B# (C), D, F

As you can see these chords contain the notes of the Dm7b5 chord, so you can also play this inversion in place of these chords too.

Minor7b5 chords use these scale degrees: 1, b3, b5, b7

Our inversion uses the notes in this order:     D, Ab, C, F

Tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day.

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Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is C7#9. 7#9 chords are commonly known by guitarists as The Hendrix Chord, though jazzers prefer to call them altered chords. Weve featured a few other Hendrix chords and altered jazz guitar chords in previous posts.

This guitar chord is fairly simple to play but is less well known than the regular Hendrix chord inversion. This inversion has its root on the top E string of the guitar.

7#9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, b7, #9
C7#9 uses the notes: C, E, G,Bb, D#
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: E, Bb, Eb, C

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This little tea tin box can be a great housing for a guitar effect unit. Its too thin for a stomp-box, but will work OK as some control-by-hand unit.

rosette on top - good place for potentiometer

nice drawing

Whats keeping you from playing the song perfectly?

Beginning guitar students often hit a plateau where they wonder if theyll ever get any better. This usually happens after a couple months, when they realize what theyve gotten themselves into. A mental block forms, and pretty soon theyve convinced themselves that "that part doesnt sound right." Sometimes thats true, but a lot of times its their perception of what its supposed to sound like.

How to get over it and get on with it.

• Listen to a recording of the song. By listening to a correct version of the piece, you start to understand exactly what it should sound like. The best time to do that is when youre not trying to play the song. I had a banjo song that I learned wrong, and the way I corrected it was to listen to the recording over and over until I knew what it was supposed to sound like.

•  Slow down. I know, it sounds better fast. I also know if you cant play it slow you cant play it fast. Slow, deliberate practice is how you get over the hump and polish up the song.

• Have your guitar teacher play it with you. Learn the phrasing, the correct fingering and the correct dynamics. Practice the trouble part, then the parts before and after it, then build up speed.

• Be patient. Too many beginners try to do too much too soon, and then cant understand why theyre not making enough progress. Take the advice above and youll find that your progress will be slow but steady.

If you have any questions, comments or subjects youd like to have me address, leave a comment and Ill be happy to help.

Bob Lucas
www.blguitars.net 

Why should you take guitar lessons when there are so many other more affordable ways to learn? Lets find out.

1. The teacher can answer your questions. You cant ask a DVD a book or a CD a question. There are many good, helpful resources available, but being able to ask a question of a live teacher is a huge advantage. Theres a lot to be said for getting an instant answer explained in terms you understand.

2. A teacher will catch bad habits. Playing in front of your teacher, he or she will immediately be able to see if youre forming a habit that will catch up with you later. Getting feedback right away will help you learn correctly from the beginning.

3. Your teacher can motivate you. Ive found that teaching yourself is very difficult because you need motivation. If you have no one to play for or to be accountable to, its very easy to get in a rut and just play the songs youre comfortable with.

4. An instructor will make sure you progress. Sometimes a new student will attempt a piece thats just not possible yet. Many of my students will hear a song theyd like to play and then be surprised at how hard it is. "But it sounds easy" is something I hear a lot. A good teacher will make sure that you move forward and not become discouraged by trying to play something youre not capable of at the moment.

5. The teacher will help you set goals. Having goals is an important part of learning to play guitar. The most difficult students we have are the ones that have no idea of what theyre trying to do. Too often someone will say "I just want to play the guitar." The nice thing about guitar is that its extremely versatile. You can play any kind of music on it and you can decide how good you want to be. Ive had students who were happy playing a half dozen chords and singing around the campfire while others studied for years to reach the level they desired.

Pat Metheny:
Dont Know Why
Song For The Boys

Robert Fripp
Frippertronics demo

Barney Kessel
Heres That Rainy Day

Joe Pass
Satin Doll

Bill Frisell
Shenongoah
Keep Your Eyes Open

Edward Van Halen
Eruption


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Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers:
Refugee  (live)
Dont Come Around Here No More
You Got Lucky
Runnin Down A Dream


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Lets start with #1, Timing.

The key to sounding good is the ability to keep a rock solid, steady beat. Nothing is more frustrating than to play with or listen to a musician without good rhythm. How do you develop this sense of timing? In a word,  METRONOME! Its amazing how many people balk at using a simple tool and continue to struggle with timing. You can purchase a metronome for as little as $20 or even find one for free on the internet.

How does it work?

You set a tempo, (speed), and practice slowly so you develop a sense of timing. Think of this as the pulse of your music. Like your heartbeat it should be steady and rhythmic. A beginning guitar student can start with a simple timing pattern using open strings. The important thing at first is to play something easy so that note reading isnt the problem. Play whole notes, half notes and quarter notes, then build speed. Your guitar teacher can give you more details.

Todays guitar chord of the day, is another guitar chord for beginners. After mastering the open chords, the next tricky chord to learn is Fmajor. This is a really useful chord because its used lots in very common keys.

The F Major guitar takes a little bit of practice and is often the first chord that beginners learn to play using a barre. This is where one finger is laid flat to hold down more than one string. In this case the first finger is laid flat over the top E and B strings at the first fret. Using the edge of your finger rather than placing your finger flat helps the notes to sound clearly.

Once you have your first finger holding down the E and B strings at the 1st fret, place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, and your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the D string. The A and bottom E strings are not played in this chord inversion. Heres the fingering for this guitar chord shape:

If youve got the hang of this, you can also play the F major chord as a barre chord. Here the first finger is lying across all of the strings on the 1st fret. It takes a little more practice to play, but it does mean you can play all 6 strings.
And heres the fingering for F Barre Chord, its still written as F major (or just plain F) but were using a barre with our finger to play it:


Practice changing between the Fmajor chord and the C major chord and try working through all of the beginner guitar chords listed here.

Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is the famous chord used at the end of the Dr No James Bond theme. You can hear it on youtube here, its the very last guitar chord you hear and has an unresolved dissonant quality - most of all it sounds pretty cool!
This James Bond Chord is also know as the Spy Chord, but really its an E minor Major 9. The first part of the description refers to the 3rd of the chord, the second part to the 7th of the chord: so it has a minor 3rd and Major 7th in.
Heres the fingering for this guitar chord:

Minor major9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, 7, 9
The E minor major 9 guitar chord uses: E, G, B, D# and F#
Our inversion uses them in this order: E, G, B, D# and F# (you can also optionally let the top E string ring if you want)

Tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord of the Day.

Does everyone experience the same thing when they start guitar?


If youve gotten off of the total beginner stage and youre starting to be able to play along with recordings, there are a few points to remember about your progress.

• Some chords are more difficult than others. Many times my students will agonize over their inability to play C, F, Bminor, B7 or some other chord that has awkward fingering. It can be discouraging when you can play all but that one chord and it makes you feel like youre not getting anywhere. The advice I give everyone is to just keep going and force your chord hand to catch up.
• "It doesnt sound like the song." The art of rhythm guitar is something that comes from practicing, listening and trying to make it sound like the song. The problem is you only have one guitar, you most likely dont have thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and youre still in the early stages of learning guitar. Again, dont agonize over the fact that you cant make it sound exactly like the recording. You may be listening to someone whos been playing for years and you cant expect to duplicate that sound at this point.
• Multi-tasking is overrated. Trying to do too much is a sure way to slow your progress. The more I teach, the slower I try to get my students to play. When we learn a new song, my first goal is to get the guitar student to simply strum a chord once when it changes. This develops your ear and helps you anticipate when the chords will change. The next step is to strum a couple of times, but give yourself ample time to get ready for the next chord. 
• Keeping your strumming hand moving will make the chord hand go faster. Whenever you practice chords, try to keep strumming so that you dont lose time. You dont want to get in the habit of stopping between chords.

• Invest in something to slow songs down. At our teaching studio I use RiffMaster Pro (affiliate link), which is an excellent program to slow songs down without changing the pitch. This way you can practice at a slower speed but youre still learning the correct rhythm.

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Guy who dont know that time is running :)

Brian Setzer - Rock This Town - This is a reeealy cool performance! Great show in awesome old-school style.


Links:
briansetzer.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Setzer (something about Brians equipment here)
gretschguitars.com/whatshot/brian_setzer.html (about Brians guitars)

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