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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Online Bass Guitar Lessons: Put Your Learning In Order

By Kyle Chatman

Whether you have a musical bone in your body or not, being your own teacher on how to play the bass guitar is not impossible since a lot of musicians are self-trained. It is a challenge that requires patience and determination. To help out, here are the reminders before learning to produce music with this stringed instrument.

Getting a guitar strap can help your hands focus on playing instead of carrying the instrument. It is advisable to keep your fingernails trimmed so that they do not interfere with the sound. Blisters signify the first signs of learning. They hurt a lot, but eventually you will get used to them and eventually calluses will develop to protect you from the sting.

Even if you don't end up going anywhere major with your new found skills, you will still feel great and be proud of yourself for learning something new. The bass guitar is fun, and adding these skills to your repertoire will help you to begin developing your own unique playing style.

With your thumb in position as described under the Hand Positioning section strike the low E string with the middle knuckle of your thumb and hit it pretty hard to get that classic "thump' sound and then immediately release.

Save the beer for in between setlists. Drink water if you're thirsty. If someone offers you a beer just before a setlist, just set it to the side and save it for the next break. Water drinking musicians onstage just look more professional than beer-drinking ones.

NEVER SING if you feel uncomfortable about it. NEVER HARMONIZE if you're not sure what notes to hit with the lead singer. Avoid "falsetto vocals" if at all possible. Falsetto only belongs when you are driving in the car, ALONE, and with your favorite CD playing

Unfortunately, it turns out to be harder than it looks. Here's why: The muscles that move your hands and fingers across the neck and strings are rarely used for other tasks. The fine motor skills needed to play a stringed instrument require that the small muscles of the hands be strengthened. So when you take up the bass, you're like a baby learning to walk: Not only do you have no idea of what you're doing, you don't even have the muscles to do it.

Feel the beat, playing the bass guitar differs primarily from playing a regular guitar because it entails an emphasis on the beat of the music. One can compare the bass guitar into a drum or percussion set that is made into a guitar. Beats are very important in playing bass guitar because this type of guitar gives depth and timing to any song. - 18758

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Can I Get Her Back?

By Sara Summers

Your girlfriend just broke up with and now you find yourself often wondering how you can get back with her. You must understand that getting her back is a very delicate situation. Her feelings are still hurt such as yours too. That's why it is very important that you are careful about what you are actually doing, or else it will be worse for both of you. Consider some of the following tips in how to get back with your ex girlfriend.

1 - First and foremost, what was it that you did in order to cause the break up? Girls do not break up with guys completely out of the blue, so there is probably a really good reason behind the action even if you are not immediately aware of what it is. The first step in this process has to be to figure out what went wrong, whether or not it could have been prevented, and how can you can fix it now that you know what it is.

2 - Did your ex girlfriend break up because it was completely your fault? If it is your own fault, then you should let your ex girlfriend know that you realize your mistakes and what has happened,and that you know it was all your fault. You apologize to her and express that you are genuinely sorry for your actions that made her very upset and get mad at you that she broke up with you.

3 - Even if you are now doing your best to court your ex girlfriend again, you still need to socialize and go out. Just because your ex girlfriend just broke up with you does not mean that you also need to isolate yourself from everyone else. You can date another girl, or at least go out and have some fun with your friends. A bit of jealousy can work to your own advantage and help you get her back.

4 - You can show your ex girlfriend that you do still care about her, even if you might have already moved on. It is essential for her to know if you really want her back. Let her know that you still have feelings for her. You will be more desirable and more mature in her eyes, and that will make her want you back.

5 - Finally, it is important that you work hard to become friends with your ex again. This will build trust, and will help to make you closer to one another. Afterwards, you should ask her why you broke up in the first place, but be casual about it rather than appearing desperate. She will either admit that it was a mistake that the two of you broke up, or she will let you know that the break up was for the better. Once you have an answer, you can proceed from there. - 18758

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311 Shows Promise With the Release of Music

By Steve Stevenson

311 has had their fair share of ups and downs. Before they entered the music scene, the band has already been through some tough experiences like being on the verge of poverty and switching band members. But despite all that, they were able to keep their focus on their music.

All of their eight albums ranged from alternative to rap to funk to reggae to heavy metal. The success of their albums can be highly attributed to their extensive touring all over the US and other countries to promote their songs.

Music, their first album was released in 1993. Despite being released more than ten years ago, the album still attracts attention from music fans. The single Do You Right received good airplay. It reached the number 27 spot on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts. But despite this, the album failed to sell as much as it should be.

This is where one can be confused with identifying a successful song or album. Most of the times we only consider a song or record successful it does well in the charts or sells like pancakes. We also base an album's success of its gold or platinum status or the number of nominations and awards it receive from award-giving bodies.

Success of a song or record is relative. It doesn't have to always be at the top of the charts to be truly considered successful. Personally, it doesn't matter if a record rules the airwaves or not, it's the quality of the songs. A perfect example is 311's Music.

This album is a compilation of all their earlier LPs. Songs in this album such as Do You Right, Feels So Good, and Fat Chance have been widely popular. These songs are amazing, and so is the album as a whole. These songs are played widely in the band's shows and almost always bring the house down.

When you listen to the album, you will notice a mix of relaxing tunes and upbeat, loud songs, the kind that will make you want to get up and groove to the music. The album's songs clearly don't disappoint. The band was able to successfully mix different tunes that will appeal even to non-rock fans. Nick Hexum, Tim Mahoney, Chad Sexton, and SA Martinez were great in their respective roles. Their combined efforts gave way to the birth of a very great-sounding record that will surely appeal to all fans and music lovers.

In summary, a record doesn't have to rule the airwaves or sell millions of copies to be considered successful. As long as your songs have great quality and people love hearing it, you can call it a success. Just like 311's Music, such things don't matter. It is a great record, something you can play for months in your CD player. There is nothing else to say. - 18758

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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 body of the guitar is the big part that you need to worry about. This is where the strings are, and it is the largest part. It has a hole in the center which creates the so und that you hear when you actually play the instrument.

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. The next part to concern yourself with is the neck. Where is the neck? It is way on the other end of the guitar. It's very hard to miss because it's the only part on the guitar that's long and skinny. The strings of the guitar travel up the neck and attach themselves to the tuning keys.

4. In order to make different notes and sounds with your guitar, you need to place your fingers behind the frets. The frets are the golden bars running across the neck, and there are normally twenty four of them.

5. The nut is a rather important part, and it is a divider that is placed in between the neck and head. It is grooved and keeps the headstock from moving during play.

6. Next there is the headstock, which is the topmost section on the neck. This is where the tuning keys are situated.

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.

So those are the basic parts of the guitar. After you have learned that you will need to learn to keep good posture while playing, that way your instrument will sound great when you play! Next we will tell you exactly how to accomplish that.

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. - 18758

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Online Bass Lessons: Don't Slow Down Your Progress With Private Lessons

By Quinn Stone

Maybe you're a fan of Flea of the Chili Peppers, or Sting, or Paul McCartney. Bass can be almost as prestigious as drums, the bass is more important to a bands sound than the drums are. Drums set the tempo, but bass truly sets the groove of the song. It's both rhythmic and melodic.

The standard tuning of a four string bass guitar from highest (thinnest string) to lowest (fattest string) is G-D-A-E. On a five string bass the tunings are similar with the addition of a low B string. On a six string bass guitar, a thinner (higher pitched) string is added, and is tuned to C, In other words on a 6 string bass guitar the settings are B-E-A-D-G-C, where B is the fattest string or lowest note and C the highest and thinnest.

A bass guitar is heavy and cumbersome to carry around, because of all the supporting gadgets that come with it, not to mention the long cables that accompany all of the gadgets. Bass guitars are expensive to purchase, and also tough to learn. But these are indispensable in any pop or rock band. A bass guitar can indeed be the most prized possession of a devoted bassist.

A simpler setup would be to connect your bass guitar to the input of a direct injection box, which offers a different, rounder character compared to the crisp sound that you get from micing up a bass amplifier. There are a multitude of active and passive DI boxes to choose from, so try them out at the local guitar shop to see which one appeals to you the most.

Learning how to play slap bass and incorporating slap techniques into your bass playing will not only make you a better bass player, but also a more versatile one. To learn slap bass is not as hard as some people may think. You just have to keep with it and you will get it.

In struggling simply to get out the notes, though, it's easy to neglect developing these small muscles. The result can be a great deal of wasted energy and motion, limiting one's technique. So here are some of the do's and don't's of hand position (the advice here is for righties; if you're left-handed, adjust accordingly):

Also, crucial to slap bass is the "snapping" sound produced by pulling the strings up and letting them snap back onto the fretboard - this is called "popping". Of course, all the other more usual techniques of bass playing are still used, such as hammer-ons and crosshammers, lift-offs, slides, string bends and harmonics - but rather than plucking the string with the finger or pick, it might be slapped with the thumb or popped.

A bass guitarist/bassist is like the anchor of a band. He/she outlines the harmony of the music being performed, while simultaneously indicating the rhythmic pulse of it. The bass guitarist is like the lifeblood of any band, and the bass guitar is his/her tool of choice, used to mesmerize audiences. A bass guitar is a bass stringed instrument that is played with the fingers. - 18758

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