A selection of Acoustic Guitars

You have to be excited when you purchase a guitar!

Lovely Blues-ee Acoustic Guitar Compilation

Came across a post from a friend of mine in Canada - an awesome compilation of the old hit "Stand by me" introduced by an elderly man with a great blues sound and his acoustic guitar on the side of the street in California. As i kept watching, the video changed to different parts of the world including: Italy, South Africa and France. Someone had recorded this song from various street artists from around the world - awesome compilation worth 5 minutes of your time!!

 

Jamming at the Farmer's Market with the Acoustic Guitar

Every Saturday morning in Dunedin the Farmer's come to town to sell their goods. Often, several buskers will set up and play their acoustic guitars for the crowds; this morning was no different. The little guy I saw about a month ago was back and this time he had company; and they were pretty good!

Typical crowd on a Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market

 

The Little Master doing his thing

Watching on was his mother and his tutor

A bunch of young guys doing their thing; the guy on the right sang - he was good!

Another student trying to make ends meet - his finger picking style was crisp - he had some skill!

 

Another great start to the weekend in Dunedin - 25 degrees, slight breeze, good food and great music provided by 3 different buskers; some with their acoustic guitars impressing the crowd!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Acoustic Blues Guitar Lessons

E7 and A7 Blues Guitar Chords

The E7 and A7 blues guitar chords are formed easily with two fingers. The following diagrams depict both chords using guitar tab and appropriate images showing the placement of the fingers.

E7 Blues Guitar Chord

Guitar TAB for E7 and A7 Blues Guitar Chords

A7 Blues Chord

Muting Technique

The Muting technique which gives the blues its' distinctive sound is accomplished by muting the strings with the edge of the palm of the strumming hand. This technique is displayed in the following diagrams.

The Muting Technique applied near the bridge

The edge of the palm is used

Extend your Learning

These two simple blues chords (E7 & A7) and muting technique will give any beginner a good head start in learning how to Play Acoustic Blues Guitar. As a beginner you should not be paying for basic guitar lessons; when you want to increase your skill level you need to find yourself a tutor (or online-tutor). For the price of a dozen (12) or so flat whites or for the cost of a nice meal at a good restaurant, you can get an entire year of tuition delivered to your lap top or PC. These lessons will help you to master the basics and will teach you techniques in rock, country and Acoustic Blues Guitar.

BLUES Guitar Lesson

A simple blues guitar lesson

Without a doubt, Blues Guitar music is in a unique world of its own. Its  distinctive sound is recognised widely around the world; and it is a sound that sets it apart from other guitar music. The good thing for beginners is that there are some blues guitar techniques that are easy to duplicate once you unravel the mystery. This post provides a couple of  essential techniques that any beginner can easily master with patience and practice - actually patience and practice are the keys to good guitar playing

Blues Guitar Technique

The best way to learn any guitar techniques is to actually see it being done and playing along; the internet has a whole range of lessons available to anyone to learn acoustic blues guitar. Check out Your Easy Blues Guitar Lesson below that shows you how to play the 12 bar blues. Now although this guy uses the A chord as his root you can substitute the E root - so your chord progression will use E,  A and B. The E and A have been explained in the EZINE article (Acoustic Blues Guitar Easy Lesson) and the B chord needs to be explained

E power chord

A power chord

The B power chord is formed by placing the first finger on the second fret of the second string (the A string) and the third finger on the fourth fret of the third string (the D string); both the second and third strings are plucked simultaneously!

Following the video below to get an idea of the strumming technique used in 12 bar blues - in addition you need to drop the fourth finger (the pinky) down onto the sixth fret of the third string (the D string) when playing the B power chord.




If you are just beginning to learn how to play the acoustic guitar the key is to find a series of easy guitar lessons that you can manage by yourself first, without any cost before you jump into paying for lessons to extend your skill level and accelerate your learning. Once you get some playing time under your belt you may want to consider learning how to Play Acoustic Blues Guitar or extending your Acoustic Guitar Skills. Whatever you do, do it well and you will reap the rewards.

Your Simple Blues Guitar Lesson 

Never too Young to Learn or to Start Playing Guitar

Kid Blues Guitarist

I was down at the Farmer's Market (Dunedin, NZ) on Saturday and came across this young man - 6 years old busking! Absolutely inspiring to watch the young guy with his mother sitting behind him supporting her son. I had a quick yarn to his mother and found out that he is studying guitar at one of the local music schools.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Easy Guitar Lessons

A beginner shouldn't be paying for basic easy guitar lessons - there are enough lessons on youtube for any beginner to kick off their guitar career. When you want to increase you skill level and guitar music knowledge it may pay for you to get tutoring - then you will be able to Play Acoustic Blues Guitar and any other genre of guitar music good enough to play in a band.

Basic Acoustic Guitar Maintenance

Basic Guitar Maintenance

It is important to keep your acoustic guitar in pristine condition to preserve the instrument and to prevent it from aging prematurely. Basic Guitar Maintenance is one of the essential lesson every beginner must learn and adhere to and is the domain of every serious guitarists; especially if you make a living with your instrument.

A well maintained guitar should look good

Basic Tools to carry in your case

• Cloth x2 - soft, clean and lint free for wiping your guitar down after every session
• Super-fine grade steel wool - for cleaning the frets
• New strings - for when you need to re-string
• Polishing oil - for polishing the neck and body before you re-string
• Wire Cutters - for cutting the ends off the new strings once they are re-strung
• Art Brush - for cleaning those hard-to-reach places like near the bridge
• Adjustable Wrench - for tightening up the nut on the tuners
• String-Winder - for winding on new strings

For the electric guitar

All the above plus:

• A deep socket (half inch/12 or 13mm) for tightening up the jack
• Allen Keys
• An assortment of screwdrivers

Cleaning the Fretboard

Cleaning the Frets

Use a super-fine grade steel wool to clean the frets of your guitar down to make them shiny and smooth. You will need to protect the fretboard with a home-made cardboard template. The template will expose the frets whilst protecting the fretboard from scratching. 

Wipe the fretboard with a clean cloth whenever you re-string your guitar; follow that with a rub down with oil (woodwind bore oil can be used). You should clean the guitar after every play session; slip the cloth under the strings and wipe the fretboard and body down.

Re-string when the strings are worn

Re-Stringing the Guitar

Always put new string on your guitar when the strings are worn out. Often you will 'hear' the dull sound the strings make, you will see dull spots and fraying in the strings - especially the steel strings. If you have forgotten the last time you have re-strung, then you probably need to put new strings on. New strings will make your guitar sound crystal clear and beautiful.

Basic Tools for Guitar Maintenance

A well tuned guitar is a pleasure to play - especially if it is well-maintained. These basic
Acoustic Guitar maintenance tips are imperative to keep your guitar in primo condition for playing and longevity of the instrument!