About Music Blog

The truth is the selection procedure of the best guitar solos ever is a highly individual thing, which of course will be different from person to person. Nonetheless, this is my take on it and all carried out with the maximum admiration for any guitar solos which i have missed, or didn’t consider for my top 5 list. So let’s begin:

5. Although the track was not necessarily my kind of music, this excellent guitar solo gained legendary status. The band was the Carpenters, the power ballad was Goodbye To Love, and the guitarist was Tony Peluso. This specific solo was unbelievably melodic and developed brilliantly. Peluso utilised a Gibson 335 with humbucking pickups and created a superb ‘distorted sound’ during the entire solo.

4. At number 4 we’ve got the astonishing Dave Gilmore’s dazzling solo on the Pink Floyd track Comfortably Numb. This solo was traditional Gilmore in that it was melodic, tuneful and superbly woven together. This solo possessed Gilmore’s hallmark Stratocaster sound with echo and reverb all over it. All in all a brilliant piece of guitar playing.

3. How could I have a best 5 guitar solos list but without the inclusion of Jimi Hendrix somewhere. Not every single Hendrix song was my bag but Little Wing demonstrated Hendrix at his most effective – the solo is a thing of beauty. Hendrix’s guitar playing along with the sound was so much his own that he managed to get a typically Hendrix tone no matter whether he utilised a Gibson guitar with humbucking pickups, or his regular Strat with single coil pickups.

2. Well I guess this solo needed to be somewhere on the list and for me it is number two. The tune is Stairway To Heaven and the guitarist is Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. This was among those great solos that built and built, with exactly the required quantity of improvisation around the original melody. This might be just about the most renowned guitar solo out of them all. It was however, not performed on Page’s famous Gibson Les Paul Standard but on a Fender telecaster. When delivering this track in concert Page always made use of his Gibson SG double neck, making it possible for him to cover the 12 string and the six string portions of this song live on stage.

1. Well it was very difficult to make a decision between Page’s Stairway To Heaven and the Eagles’ Hotel California, nevertheless the solo on Hotel California slightly tips it in my opinion. In truth, this really is slightly unfair as there’s more than one guitarist performing this, but it is nonetheless an absolute lesson in the way to developa guitar solo. Joe Walsh and Don Felder rebound off of each other superbly as this solo builds. It’s virtually as if whatever one can do the other one does better, but the truth is they interact with each other in perfect harmony and their two styles and guitar sounds blend faultlessly. That undeniably vintage Les Paul Sound with just the right quantity of drive is all over that particular guitar solo, complete class.

So there you have my very best five solos. Exactly Where may you ask is Lynryd Skynyrd’s Free Bird, or what about Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton or Brian May? Like I said, this is a personalised thing and if I did the list in 14 days time it may well be very different. All good fun though.

There have been countless great guitarists throughout time that have made the Fender Stratocaster their guitar of choice. A few like Eric Clapton actually defected from a hallowed 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard to play a Strat.

The Stratocaster has been utilised in every kind of music imaginable, from funk to rock. So who are the best guitarists to utilise the single coil pickup tones of the Strat? Well naturally this is an extremely personal thing as precisely what tickles one musicians fancy, may well not another. Nonetheless, for a bit of fun I have put together a list of my personal top 5 Stratocaster users from throughout the years:

5. Coming in at 5 in my list is the excellent Rory Gallagher, the gritty Irish player with the most pummelled Strat you’ve ever witnessed. Rory was loved by many for his straight forward organic, bluesy rock. He was superb as a live performer and was an extremely down to earth kind of guy.

4. At number 4 on my list is Stevie Ray Vaughan. Renowned for his amazing blues playing along with his classic Strat tones, Stevie Ray had a huge group of fans who loved every riff he performed. I was fortunate enough to see him play live at a little London gig in Shepherds Bush and he was fantastic. He put each and every ounce of energy into his performance and blew everyone away with his melodic blues playing. He got the kind of blues sounds from his Strat pickups that could drive a guitarist green with envy.

3. At 3 we’ve got Dave Gilmour of the titanic supergroup Pink Floyd. Those who have witnessed the classy, melodic playing of this man on tracks like ‘Comfortably Numb’ will know why he deserves a top five placing. Not only has his guitar playing inspired an era but he seems to be a remarkably modest and decent person.

2. How can I possibly not include Jimi Hendrix. The innovator and showman who in my opinion made the Strat much more famous compared to any other guitarist. It’s easy for those who don’t know his playing to label him as a wild, crazy, loud player – just allow them to sit and listen to ‘Little Wing’ to grasp that there is a whole lot more to this guy’s guitar playing.

1. Well, my number 1 choice of Stratocaster guitar player may surprise some but it is the amazing Jeff Beck. Beck seems to evolve and improve like no other player. He dares to venture into areas of music that most other players prefer to avoid, deciding on the safer territory of rock or blues. He is melodic beyond belief and plays the Strat like it’s an extension of| his body. His incredible use of the tremolo bar is always for the benefit of the music, by no means for the sake of gimmick or showmanship. Jeff Beck plays notes on the fretboard that other guitarists might not even think about. He pushes the boundaries and uses his Strat to assist him in doing it.

So there you have it. No Clapton, no Hank Marvin and no Mark Knopfler. Well, as I explained, you’ll have to forgive me as it’s a very personalised thing.

In between the clef sign and the time signature is what we call the key signature.  In this area, you may find some flats and sharps.  What’s interesting about this is that the sharps and flats will always appear in the same order.  We refer to this as the order of flats and sharps.

If you have them memorized, then getting started playing will be an absolute breeze. The two main types of keys we play in are the sharp keys and the flat keys. Let’s take a look at each one to discover how we can read these a lot faster and easier.

The Order of Sharps

As we’ve already mentioned, the sharps listed in the key signature will always appear in the same exact order. This is referred to as the order of sharps: F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-E#-B#.

There’s an easy way to remember this by using this quick trick: Fat-Cats-Go-Down-Alleys-Eating-Birds.

Here’s another interesting observation. Along with appearing in the same order, these sharps will also be found in the same exact line or space every time. This is true for both treble clef and bass clef.

For example, the F# will always be listed on the top line in treble clef, the C# appears on the second space in bass clef, the G# is found sitting above the treble clef staff, and the D# is placed on the fourth line of the treble clef staff.

The Order of Flats

This is just as easy to memorize as the order of sharps. The flats will always appear in this order: Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb-Fb. A great way to remember this is by using this saying, “B-E-A-D-Go-Catch-Fish”.

Do you notice something else unique about these letters? The order of flats is the same as the order of sharps, but written backwards! If you have trouble memorizing both of these orders, just pick one to remember and then write it out again backwards to reveal the other order. That’s a nifty little trick!

It’s also true that each flat will appear on the same exact line or space every time, just like the sharps. The Bb will always be on the third line in treble clef, the Eb in the third space for bass clef, and Ab in the second space for treble clef.

So, why do the flats and sharps appear in the same order every time? This is to help you know what to play at a quick glance before you even get started. The order of flats and sharps are standardized across the world. This means no matter where go, you will be able to read them in the same exact way.

Have you ever noticed a little box-kite-looking symbol in your music and wondered what they were? What you are seeing is probably a natural sign. The purpose of this little symbol is to cancel a flat or sharp.

Natural signs are used in two ways:

1. To cancel a previous sharp or flat in the same measure.

2. To cancel a sharp or flat in the key signature.

For example, if you see a Bb written in your music, the very next B with a natural sign in front of it (within the same measure) is played like a regular B.

Now, if you have a Bb in the key signature and a B natural written in the music, you would also play the B as a regular B.

A different way of thinking about this is that it is signaling you to play the note in its natural state. This means you would play it as a regular note found in the musical alphabet: A-B-C-D-E-F-G.

The white keys represent the natural notes on the piano. This will never be found on the black keys, because they are mainly used for sharps and flats.

The natural symbol will always appear on the left side of the note when you read music on the staff. However, when writing about music, it follows after the letter name. We write about it exactly like how we would talk about it saying “F natural”.

Are these symbols also thought of as altered notes? Yes is the answer to that question. If there is an Ab in the key signature and an A natural written in the music, this is thought of as an altered note. That note is being changed temporarily to something else.

To be honest, the best way to think about reading natural notes is to pretend there isn’t any symbol written there at all. Just play the written note as it naturally appears.

Don’t let that little natural sign bother you too much. It really isn’t as difficult to read and play as you might think. Just keep your eyes reading ahead in your music and remember that a natural cancels a sharp or a flat. This will be just as easy to read as any other kind of note in no time at all.

Music makes the people come together, the line of the song goes. That is the reason why most parents want their child learn true music by enrolling them to a music class. Before deciding to to enroll your child in a music lesson or musical training, you must first answer this question “Is my child ready for music lesson? Parents must know if their child is interested in playing instrument, remember not to force your child.

Inorder to know if your child is interested is through observation. Read the signs, watch for typical signals that demonstrate a lack of interest. Remember the general rule, children who truly enjoy playing an instrument will probably practice on their own. No matter what potential your child have, forcing them will help you run the risk of them not only losing interest for any endeavors, but if they perceive the lessons as a chore, rather than a fun activity, it may also make them resentful of you for pushing too hard. Probably, the most important thing to remeber here is ask the child whether he/she likes to learn how to play an instrument. Talking to your child is a wise step to make. If you child is not interested, let them know that it is okay. Another is make sure that it is not a teacher type of music or difficulty of the instrument will cause frustration to them.

Music Lessons?

If you and your child already have decided to enroll in a music lesson, it is necessary to get price estimates. Compare prices for music lessons, consider factors and do not be afraid to call the business listed to check the location and what privileges they can offer for your child.

Regarding the instrument your child will use in his/her lessons, have a canvass first and assess your budget. If you cannot afford to buy a new one, you can check out pawn shops, second hand stores and classified advertisements for quality used instruments. Some other great places to visit are thrift stores, used music shops, garage sales, bulletin boards, antique stores, rent-all shops, bazaars, or even your relatives’ attics. Consider renting especially if your child is young or has a tendency to change his/her mind frequently about current activities. Narrow options down to several instruments in order to allow your child to choose if they are interested on following the idea.

If you want to make sure that you child is in good hands, you can check sites on the internet that offers music lesson. Find those reliable one that would not waste your money. One more thing, continue to encourage your child to express, who knows, you may be cheerign the next Bethoven. Then again, maybe not.

Online violin lessons that really do teach you how to play. If you’ve been thinking “Teach me how to play the violin, ” then the answers you need are here.

By Jim Bruce

If you have a passion for learning to play blues guitar, then doing a search for blues guitar lessons on good old Youtube will give you a ton of free online lessons to start you off learning acoustic blues. For the majority guitar students learning how to play the guitar, watching a video can be almost as good as a live teacher. Some people even prefer following online videos instead of taking a class because blues guitar lessons on YouTube are available twenty four a day, 7 days a week, so you watch a lessons any time that’s convenient.

If you search Google to learn how to play blues guitar, you’ll find that many people have uploaded tuition videos on sites like YouTube. While watching videos will assist in helping you learn basic principles, it’s best not to rely completely on them. This is because following various videos by different guitarists can get confusing, particularly for a beginner wanting to learn techniques used when playing blues guitar. The bonus of taking guitar tuition by watching videos is that it is much cheaper when you compare the cost to a private guitar teacher. As watching videos on YouTube is free, it’s a no-brainer if you’re a beginner to begin by watching videos there.

To make things easier to take on board, look for basic tutorials with a slow pace and instructions. This will make it easier to learn the detailed techniques and observe close ups shots of the correct left and right hand placement on the guitar, and in this way you’ll get a better feel for the tuition. Viewing authentic blues guitar on YouTube will help you learn the real picking techniques used by legendary blues guitarists in a quick and efficient manner. A lot of people have learned tricks and picking patterns through these online lessons.

If you search online to learn how to play blues guitar, you’ll find that many people have uploaded video lessons on sites similar to YouTube. While watching videos will help you take on board techniques, you shouldn’t rely exclusively on this method. This is because watching various videos by different people can be confusing, especially if you are a beginner wanting to learn techniques used when playing blues guitar. A huge bonus of learning to play guitar by watching video lessons is that it is a lot cheaper when comparing the cost to a private music teacher. As watching Youtube videos is free, it’s no contest if you’re a beginner to start learning by watching videos there.

To make learning the blues easier to assimilate, check out for basic tutorials with a slow pace and instructions. This will make it more comfortable to learn important basic techniques and observe close up clips of the correct hand placement on the guitar, and in this way you’ll get a better feel for the tuition. Watching authentic blues guitar on YouTube will help you learn the real tricks used by classic blues guitarists in a quick and efficient manner. A lot of people have learned tricks and techniques through these online lessons, and you can be one of them.

In order for you to get started learning how to play the blues on guitar, you could start off by learning and constantly repeating blues riffs and essential chord progressions. Once you get a hang for those 2 things, and are comfortable with your hand movements, you’ll be better placed to understand the various kinds of blues music together with with the different ways in which it’s played. It’s usually best to being by learning the simple chords and scales, before progress slowly to advanced levels.

When looking for blues guitar videos on YouTube, it’s important to make sure that the videos cover certain topics and be of excellent quality. The most popular video lessons use close ups showing both hands, in order to avoid confusion about what strings and frets are used. The videos also needs to include a verbal explanation, slow-motion demonstrations and full speed demonstrations.

As a student guitarist beginning to learn the acoustic blues, just grab your guitar, head on over to YouTube and look up blues guitar tuition. Let the video lessons show you the basics of learning to play blues guitar. If you combine these lesson videos with your desire to master and practice blues guitar, it’s only a matter of time before you’re playing the music you love.

Jim Bruce is a working blues man making a living playing and teaching in Europe. His acoustic blues guitar lessons are fast becoming the standard to reach for acoustic blues guitar picking.

Main website: http://www.play-blues-guitar.eu/
Youtube Video – blues guitar

Many people recognize the name of Scott Joplin, the African American man born in Texas in eighteen sixty eight. For many people, he is the grand father of the musical style called ‘ragtime’, and more precisely, ragtime piano.

If Joplin were alive today, he would be a rich man indeed, in view of the fact that his tunes are used around the world as film sound tracks and for many other purposes (who can forget the ragtime piano pieces in the wonderful film ‘The Sting’ with Paul Newman and Robert Redford?) Before we talk about the related genre of ragtime blues, perhaps we should understand a little about the origins of original ragtime played on.

Scott Joplin – Genius Pianist And Brothel Musician

Joplin trained to play piano quite early on in his childhood and soon left home to make his living as a pianist. For an African American in those times, this meant performing any where that would offer to pay him. In the early years, he often played in brothels and sleazy bars. Nevertheless, being classically trained, he dreamed of creating his own style and eventually having his creations acknowledged as serious work.

Coupling his training in European classical piano with his natural instinct, and a fiercely proud legacy, he invented a style of music that was complex, but also rhythmic with a complex beat. This rhythmic style of playing was dubbed ‘syncopation’ and became known as ragtime, probably after a dance prevalent amongst the negro communities of that era, the ‘rag’. In this way, ragtime piano was forged by the joining of two different cultures.

Ragtime Blues – From The Piano To The Guitar

Even though the ragtime tempo was complicated, the piano bass line had a distinctive cadence and a basic pattern, moving between two bass notes with an alternating rhythm. At that time, groups of ‘minstrel’ string musicians moved through the land to perform for people in little townships, often featuring banjo and guitar. Although blues guitar music can be extremely diverse, the two extremes could be characterized as the sombre, emotional blues guitar music of the mississippi at one end, and the ragtime ‘Piedmont’ way of picking on the other. Of course, other styles were evident, such as blues guitar Chicago style.

The ragtime way of picking guitar was great for dancing, generally had quite a fast, rhythmic beat and was a direct relation to the ragtime style of piano playing. Guitar players of the time intended to emulate the complicated piano sounds, which was a tricky thing to acheive, because the guitar has only six or twelve! (some years later, when guitars were amplified electrically, the guitar tried to copy the wail of the saxophone.)

Some talented musicians realized that the picking hand thumb could pass between two or more notes, while the fingers may play the melody – ragtime blues guitar, often called the happy blues, came into being.

Ragtime Blues Guitar Come Of Age

Some guitarists expanded this style and it became a commercially successful sound, most notably Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell and many many others. Still other performers incorporated the style in their existing performances in order that their act had a more diverse appeal when they play the blues. It should be noted that not many artists played at the same technical level of skill as Gary Davis, Blind Blake or Willie Walker.

Anyone knowledgable about the classic blues, either guitar or piano, can tell you the names of the ‘ orginal bluesmen ‘. These were the folks who started it all. None of them needed to try and work out what blues was , they were the blues! Performers such as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Robert Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy are some examples .

It’s obvious how Robert Johnson’s legend became embellished as time passed . Only two likenesses survived , and his contemporaries that survived to the 70s told interested enquirers about his mysterious meeting with the devil at the crossroads .

I didn’t meet Big Bill Broonzy, but luckily there are some old film clips left for us to enjoy , which can be found on Youtube. I’ve embedded one of these videos underneath – essential for anyone wanting to play blues.

Some years ago, I was sent an email by a musician who played in a group that was the second act to Broonzy while touring England during the late 1950s . He told me about a big man who drank whisky , seemed to be laughing much of the time and recalled tall stories a lot of the time. His driving blues guitar style was almost impossible to re-create , and even now , almost no-one has managed to duplicate Broonzy’s wonderful feel .

A while ago, around 1998, I found myself living in Indiana and was always on the look out for the sound of old-style blues. An acquaintance related that there was a blues bar named ‘Buck’s Working Man’s Pub’an hour’s drive away in the city of La Porte. After work, I eagerly started my car and set off .

Given directions by some locals , I made my way along main street, turned left at the second corner past the municipal buildings and traversed the train tracks to the more disreputable quarter of town . Maybe now I’ll get to see a slice of the real blues. The bar wasn’t up market , you could say. I got myself a beer and walked to a room round the back, following the music of a loud electric blues guitar .

The music room was about half empty . Chicago blues isn’t really what I was interested in – I was more intrigued by the old acoustic blues guitar players . An elderly chap at my table told me the locals had hired the band as it was the bar owner’s birthday today. He didn’t speak again after that.

The musicians ended the number and the singer addressed the people in the audience . “Happy Birthday, Pinetop”, he shouted , and carried on “Ladies and gentlemen, Pinetop will now play a little something for us.” The old guy next to me stood up and walked off to the stage, where he sat down by a large piano. Pinetop performed a slow boogie which became increasingly complex with every passing bar. I mentally kicked myself as I realised I’d been at the same table as a real master, legendary bluesman.

Pinetop played only a couple pieces and then walked past me into the next room. I didn’t see him again the rest of the evening . With 20-20 hindsight , I thought about the questions I should have asked him , but maybe it’s just as well. It was the guy’s birthday and he could have been put out by a stranger’s question . Legends are just people, you understand .

As the years pass , the bluesmen are fading away , to be replaced with modern legends. I recall one time I drove all the way across Indiana and Michigan so that I could see a more modern blues legend, who must remain nameless , because of his words when we met . Thrilled , I suggested that it was a terrific thing to do, to live the life of the original blues performers – travelling around performing the blues. “Not at all”, he replied “It’s a drag and I’d much rather be at home doing something else !”

We must remember – blues legends are also human .

In past centuries, pianos were a property exclusive for aristocrats and rich families. It was also a social norm that young women with piano-playing skills were more marriageable. Because of the popularity of piano among women, many piano prodigies including Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven were inspired and became popular concert pianists.

From the beginning of 20th century, playing the piano has been accessible among the middle class due to the rise of electronic production and the publication of piano lesson books from well-known virtuosi.

The rise of amateur pianist continues until the 21st century with the popularity of electronic keyboard. Nevertheless, encouraging children to learn piano provides discipline and determination as well as the skills on classical music.

To learn piano, there are a variety of teaching methods; teachers even have their own preferences from the various methods. Each of these methods has its strong and weak points and its main objective is to provide both teacher and parents an overview on what to expect and how to supplement those weaknesses.

Here are some well-established piano teaching methods to help you with your selection.

Popular Kid’s Method

The Alfred Method uses the position playing approach, utilizing picture and illustrations as a teaching aid. The modern version of Alfred includes the use of CDs, cassettes and software. The strength of this method is that the students are taught intervallic relationship of each note.

They also learn chords and progression through the graphics and pictures. However, its disadvantage is that children have a limited ability to read notes and that famous classical music sheets should be studied at an earlier phase compared to other method.

The Clark Method teaches students to play properly from the early stage. Similar to Alfred Method, the Clark Method uses interactive teaching resources but in a more competent approach. At the early stages of training, students are taught about reading intervals and playing music ensembles.

This method provides the basic components of piano including dynamics, phrases, counting and form. After completing this training method, students are more capable in terms of sight reading, music terminologies and knowing forms.

Originated in Japan, the Suzuki method is a popular teaching method among Japanese and American students. This method is great for children as it promotes parental participation, repetition and listening.

Children can begin to learn piano even at a very tender age. The key elements of Suzuki are ear training, repertoire, performance and immersion in music.

The Robyn Method focuses more on intervallic relationship between notes and knowing note names. This method doesn’t rely on position-playing, and it has an entire book teaching students on how to use the damper pedal.

On the other hand, the Pace Method provides a more solid piano training from the novice to the advanced piano students. It is also more challenging compared to the other methods as it teaches students on classical repertoires from the beginning of the training..

Other piano teaching methods includes Bastien, Faber and Faber, Thompson, and Rote among others.

Learning how to read music can be quite a challenge. It’s not something that many people will be able to grasp or understand right off the bat, so if you find that you’re having some difficulty at the beginning, don’t be discouraged. Eventually, you will get better at it and you will be able to wade past your difficulties to become a master when it comes to reading sheet music. A lot of musicians forego learning how to read music because they don’t use it when they play. Instead, they rely mostly on their musical instincts that may be more developed and totally in tune because of their playing experience.

You might just be able to do that as well. However, the more proper means of playing should be to learn more about reading music and chords first. Playing by ear will not be able to develop the basic concepts of reading sheet music at all; so if you have the time, why not give it a whirl? All musicians use sheet music to write out music that can be played on any instruments at all, so once you are able to learn the general concepts with reading it, you can apply to other mediums of playing.

Learning to read chords isn’t easy which is why it’s important to start with just beginner piano sheet music at first. These will contain simple arrangements and basic transitions that will be easy for you to grasp at the outset. It is also recommended that you get a hold of the sheet music for easy and simply songs on the piano which will make for good practice. Begin by knowing how the notes are depicted, what staffs are, and how rhythms are illustrated. Before you begin playing, get a deeper grasp on the basic information like sharps, flats, clefs, and staffs.

As a start, take the easiest beginner piano sheet music you can find and go over it first in your head. Identify the notes and the chords. Take note on how they are presented and arranged. Then try to play the piece on your piano while you prop the beginner piano sheet music on the rest in front of you. It is wise to learn more about the various elements that make up and are found on sheet music too. It would prove to be helpful if you write down and basically compose your own arrangements, no matter how simple they are. Paper that is already pre-lined is readily available at your music stores and book shops.

A lot of beginner piano sheet music is available easily and readily. When you are done with the basic and easy pieces, try to find sheet music that contain more complicated and difficult arrangements.