Mokless Girgis Understand Music

Author: ian Williamson

Tired of getting tips on how to learn to play the guitar only to find out it is not free in the end? Some online lessons that come with a fee tend to be very boring and the student will end up dropping the course. Discouragement leads future artists to lose interest and just never want to try again. Well, here are more ways to learn how to play - just follow these ten easy steps.

1. Have jamming sessions with someone who can really play the guitar. It really does not matter what the other musician is playing - it can be drums, saxophone, piano, etc. as long as they are willing to play and learn as well.

2. Listen to other types of music. Don’t just concentrate on one particular type; there is no harm in listening and trying out metal music if the main interest is jazz, etc. This develops your sense of discovery and talent.

3. Take lessons online. There are hundreds of online sites dedicated to developing young artists who provide free guitar instructions. New ideas and tips will help an achiever grow.

4. Use different chords and scales when playing. Experiment by playing the same song in a different key, tempo, etc.

5. When listeners start noticing that the same key and type of music is being played over and over, start learning new styles. A classic piece or a country song is a nice change from the conventional songs.

6. Aside from the guitar, listen to other kinds of musical instruments. It does not necessarily mean listening to them live. Try some pop and listen to a few CDs like Miles Davis’. How about a new classic artist like MAXINE?

7. Record the Music that you listen to. Listen to it again and be a critic of that music before trying to play it. Never concentrate on the mistakes by fretting, use them as guides and try to perfect the piece the next time.

8. Be open to self-challenge. Pick out your most hated music material then study it and try to play it. There is nothing that makes you feel better than being able to play what you thought to be impossible.

9. It is not bad to give yourself a break once in a while. Do not listen to music for a day or two. Try a going to a movie or find a good book to read…

10. Practice, practice, and practice by heart. Practicing new strokes for only about 30 minutes a day will not be sufficient.

• Read More »

Author: Peter Edvinsson

Fur Elise is a famous piano solo by Beethoven. In this guitar lesson you will learn to play Fur Elise on your guitar. You don’t have to read sheet music notation so let’s start!

As I told you we will not use sheet music. Instead we will use guitar tablature.

Tablature is a form of musical notation, often with numbers and letters, which tells the player where to place their fingers on the guitar fretboard rather than which pitches to play.

I will use my own type of guitar tab notation today to make sure that the guitar tab is correctly displayed on article sites. The more common guitar tab staff notation you will find on my site.

The six strings on your guitar is numbered from the one with the highest pitch. This string is called the first string.

Let’s start with the first part of the melody with guitar tab:

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

Now we will take a look at this guitar tab and how to interpret it. You have probably noticed that the numbers are organized in pairs.

The first number in the pair tells you what fret to press down and the second number what string to play.

01 tells you to play the open first string. This means that you play the string without pressing down a left hand finger.

42 indicates that you press down a left hand finger on the fourth fret of the second string. Well, now it’s time for you to play the melody. Did you recognize the melody? Good!

This type of guitar tab doesn’t indicate the length of the notes. If you sing the lyrics you will probably feel how to play the notes.

What finger should you use when you play with your right hand? In this guitar lesson we will not concentrate on your right hand. I suggest that you play the notes with your thumb or in another way you choose.

Let’s play the next guitar tab:

35 24 23 02 24 13 02 12

What about your left hand? You can play the notes with your index finger but I suggest that you assign the notes on the first fret to your index finger, the notes on the second fret to your middle finger and so on.

It means that the 42 note in the beginning of the melody will be played with your little finger. Is it difficult? Yes, it will be difficult but not for long! You will get used to these fingerings if you are persistent!

In the long run you will probably even find it easier to play melodies this way if you get used to this more sophisticated fingering!

Let’s continue! The next guitar tab is identical with the first line:

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

and the next guitar tab nearly the same as the second line:

35 24 23 02 24 12 02 23

A new melodi is introduced:

02 12 32 01 03 11 01 32

and ends this way:

34 01 32 12 24 32 12 02

By now you know how to play this guitar tab notation so let’s play on!

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

35 24 23 02 24 13 02 12

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

35 24 23 02 24 12 02 23

Now you can play Fur Elise by Beethoven with guitar tab. Congratulations!

• Read More »