How to Play Funk Guitar

Playing funk guitar is seen as an advanced and a harder style to play properly, although if you work through the basic levels of guitarist lessons this style will be possible. One problem though is that you will need to play some of the notes and chords in a different way in order to get the recognised funk sound. The difference is achieved with your fretting hand this will become apparent when you learn how to play the funk guitar.

One major difference is that the notes and chords are played and cut ,this is too make the sound follow a more rhythmic pattern then you normally play in other styles. This is the first thing that need to be mastered and is where you should start.

Another thing to remember is that the funk guitarist tends to be one who plays repeated sequences and keeps to a songs rhythm. They don’t tend to play stage stealing solos so bear this in mind when you start to learn.

To this end the person you need to follow in the band is the drummer,you will mainly be playing the same rhythm that the drummer is .Being able to follow and match the drummer will mean you have learnt the skill well. Most funk guitarists play simple chord sequences,ones that sound more like a percussion style form then a traditional guitar sound.

To get the sound you will learn and isolate the chords that you want to learn, and then you will learn how to combine these chords in order to play songs you want to learn. How you move from chord to chord is also important as you need to be quick and accurate to get the sound right and to tie into the songs rhythm. It is possible by using only a few chords to get a decent tune by combining them correctly, in fact the standard 7th,9th.11th and 13th chords are staples that cover most of the ones needed.

Learn to Play Guitar DVD

There are numerous ways to learn to play guitar; one fairly modern way that is effective is to be able to learn to play guitar DVD. These range from total beginner level up to far more advanced levels. They will explain everything you will need to learn in easy to follow basic steps with the added advantage of actually showing you what to do and how to do it.

The DVDs are often separated out over different things to learn, first will be basics, next will be chord and note playing, then it will probably move on to playing songs and more specific lesson on different styles of guitar playing.

Some DVDs feature well known players while many are good players who have turned to teaching, its worth reviewing how to learn to play guitar DVD write ups before investing to ensure the lessons and styles are suitable for you.

One of the obvious advantages of this teaching method is that you can stop and rewind the lesson to make sure you understand the piece discussed, of course you can also go back to review any lesson or part lesson at any time in the future. You could also test yourself by going through a lesson and coming back to it later to see if you have learnt from it.

Some of the DVD teaching series will give you songs and tunes to play along with to give you some experience of playing with other musicians. You can have a similar effect by playing along to standard music DVDs and other music formats. This is a chance to start on the dream to play in a band, also it may give you the chance to be standing and moving around while playing the songs which adds its own level of difficulty.

Somehow learn to play guitar DVD packages can be quite expensive but contain many lesson, obviously some courses are cheaper but therefore probably contain fewer lessons, so check up what you are getting well before hand. The right package could have you on stage in no time.

How to Play Bass Guitar

The standard bass guitar varies from a normal guitar in certain obvious ways, one being they normally have 4 strings. The strings read g,d,a ,e and are strung across frets like a conventional guitar. Ever wondered how to play the bass guitar?

Beyond the lack of strings the way the guitar works is the same as a basic guitar, the sounds come from the vibration of the strings being vibrated by strumming and some other methods, the chords are also formed on a bass guitar by pressing down the strings to the frets.

As with a conventional guitar you learn how to play bass guitar by working out to how hold the instrument in the most comfortable way, a way that allows you to reach the strings comfortably. Work out if you are better sitting or standing, and at what angle you are able to hold the bass.

It may be worth playing random sequences before learning them properly in order to get your fingers moving and to get the feeling of the strings. You will need strength in the fingers and will find you may get blisters at first until the skin gets harder, which it will with repeated use.

It’s more common to play the bass with plucked strings rather than using a plectrum, if you use this style you will need to build up strong skin on both hands. This is not a rule to determine how to play the bass guitar though as some do use plectrums.

There are some notes played purely by playing one string without using the frets at all, for example the top string is an e, played as an open note. Play each string separately to make their individual note, then place your other hand so that all strings are depressed at the extreme top end, now play the strings one by one, after each group move your fretting finger down to fret at a time. This will start you on the basics before you start on the more complicated stuff, that folks is how to play the bass guitar!