If you have any questions or problems to do with guitars, whether it's playing, maintenance or anything else you can think of then email me with the subject heading "Guitar Help" The chances are that other people have the same questions, and would benefit from answers and posts on this page. If your looking for reviews and suggestions for what gear to buy, then check out the Reviews page. Also check out my Gear Gallery.
Barre Chord Trouble
Barre chords can be tricky, and are often considered to be a more advanced technique, but they don’t have to be. While there are plenty of technique and hand position related aspects to be considered there is one often overlooked factor in practising these time consuming chords; the Guitar.
More specifically, the “Fretboard Radius” of the particular guitar you are using. While modern guitar design cater for playing techniques such as string bending and legato, favouring a flatter fingerboard, and acoustic and classical guitars by tradition also sport a flatter radius, when it comes to barre chords, the rounder the better!
So the best guitars for perfecting barre chords are Fender (or cheaper sub-manufacturer Squier) guitars, typically featuring a 9.5 inch fretboard radius (7.25 inch on classic reissues) as opposed to the more modern 12 or even 16 inch radius. Remember; the lower the number, the more curved the fretboard will be. So beg, borrow or try one in a shop, just get your hands on a Fender style guitar, and get working on your barre chords!
Fed Up with Your Basic Open Chords? 
The Interesting Chord Voicings page is the place for you, with an introduction to the endless possibilities and variations available to make your playing more interesting. You can find diagrams for more interesting chord voicings that will help take your rhythm playing from bland and boring to expressive and exciting! Plus tips on how to create your own chord voicings, and find out what makes an “interesting” chord progression...
|
Buying Yourself, or your Child/Teenager their first guitar? DO NOT BUY before reading this!
How much to spend on a first guitar is always a difficult thing to figure out. On one hand the person you buy it for might not be all that passionate about playing it after the first week, so your money has been wasted! On the other hand they could get very good very quickly, and will need to replace that first guitar with something that allows them to develop further, so your money has been wasted again! Read On...
My Experiece with a Budget Guitar... Over the years I have played many different guitars, both beautiful and completely horrendous, and the amount of problems that can slip past someone who knows nothing about guitars never ceases to amaze me. The epic tale that follows sums up perfectly the reason you do your homework before buying your first guitar. Whether you get help from a guitarist friend, trusted internet reviews, this website or the guy in the music shop, I don't mind! Just get help, because this is what you could end up with... Posture Problems
After recently enjoying transcribing and playing along to some Blink 182, I returned very briefly to a bad habit that I escaped long ago. I am ashamed to admit that playing punk guitar just didn’t look or feel right until I adjusted the guitar strap to reflect the stereotypically low slung style of this genre. Looking at my reflection while playing I couldn’t help but enjoy myself, however my joy and amusement were short lived.
What followed this relatively short punk playing session was neck pain, back pain, and worst of all, sloppy playing! Similar problems can often occur after my attempts to mimic Simon Neil (of Biffy Clyro) with his “guitar below the chin” stance and aggressive guitar attack, but instead of back and neck pain I’m met with aching wrists and a ribcage full of guitar...
When setting up your guitar strap, sit down with the guitar on your knee in a comfortable playing position. Set the length of the strap so that your guitar hangs at the same seated level while standing. Yes looking good is important, but health and sounding good are more important!
|
Still going to the shop for a string change?  Being able to look after your instrument is just another part of playing the guitar, and regular string changes are essential for keeping your guitar looking, sounding and playing great! If your strings are sounding a little bit dull, or are producing strange coloured gunk every time you play, then it’s time for a change. Click here for my complete guide to changing guitar strings. How to Keep Your Guitar out of the Repair Shop
1. Buy a guitar stand Good guitars are very well built, and can  take plenty of knocks and scratches that will do nothing but give it a great “worn in” look! But propping your pride and joy up against chairs, tables, desks, doors, bookcases, fish tanks, ovens... that’s just asking for it to hit the floor hard, and when it does your looking at neck alignment issues and maybe severe body cracks!2. Get a good case 3. Look out for the jack plug Guitars with jack sockets on the side of the body (strat players you’re usually safe from this one) are a nightmare for playing plugged in, while sat on a sofa or a bed, or leaving the guitar sat on a guitar stand. The problem being that your jack plug can often be leaning on something without you realising it, and putting tension on the socket. Eventually the guitar starts cutting out when you wiggle the jack plug, and soon it won’t even work at all. Obviously there are plenty more things to look out for, but these 3 simple tips can greatly extend the life of your guitar, and so make sure you have spare cash for effects and amps, and more guitars, and some more effects and amps... |
stuck, you need a new case. Most of the time, you’re just twisting the pegs, and We guitarists can be a fussy bunch when it comes to gear. What works for one of us may 
not work for another, depending on our technique, musical and aesthetic preferences or just what we’re used to. But the thing we are by far the most fussy about is our picks. The amount of heated debates over size, material, colour or even what to call it is ridiculous, and I have decided to take a firm stand on this subject now before it gets out of hand!
My thoughts on this subject are simple; I don’t care! I don’t care if you call it a pick, plectrum or a “plec” and I don’t care which colour sounds best! If you have trouble keeping hold of it then get one with a grip. If you don’t have that problem, then don’t! My advice in general is this; 1mm or thicker for electric guitar, atleast 0.5mm for acoustic. Beyond that do what you want!
I will of course add my own personal preference. The Jim Dunlop JAZZ III pick is great. It’s smaller than most allowing for maximum control over accuracy and dynamics, and makes pinched harmonics effortless. It’s fairly thick and rigid, so provides a well rounded, strong tone, and has embossed text and logos on both sides that give plenty of grip if needed. The red colour makes them easier to see if you drop them, although some players suggest that the black ones don’t bounce quite as far, but are very well camouflaged against most amps, music stands and stage floors...
For information about Guitar Shops local to the Bedworth area, check out the links to their websites on the Links page.