Music Basics

Tuning a guitar is one of the most important skills to develop if you want to become a serious musician. It can be learned in minutes, days, weeks, or months depending on your ability to...

Musical instruments, especially string instruments like the guitar, require tuning to keep all of the strings at the right pitch. A tuned electric or acoustic guitar is necessary for a good,...

I have been playing bass for several years now primarily sticking to rock and alternative genres but sometimes I like to get into a little funk or jazz. Many bassists, and I am guilty of this as...

If you're learning how to play the guitar, but don't know how to read sheet music, tabs can be a great resource to you. They provide a way to learn how to play your favorite songs even if you have...

One of the most fundamental chords in guitar-playing is the E Minor Chord. Also referred to as one of the "open" chords, it is used in everything from rock music to blues guitar. The...

Guitar tablature is a system that uses numbers and synbols placed on lines to teach you how to play guitar, as well as to play songs. I will show what those numbers mean and explain some of the...

Guitar tabs are a great way to learn to play the guitar. They're not as good as sheet music, because they can't show rhythm. As long as you've heard the song you're trying to learn, you should be...

With enough practice, anyone can get good at anything. But before you can become a pro, you have to learn how your instrument works, how to use it, and what to expect. Knowing these things will...

Some of the greatest guitarists of all time have played left-handed, including Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Paul McCartney. And they all began the same way that right-handed players do: by...

You can count to 12 and say the ABCs at least through G, right? Well, then my friend, you've got what it takes to comprehend the universe of the 12 note western scale! Everything in all western...

Individuals who first pick up the guitar often struggle the most at first with the left hand and its association with the fret board. The frets on the guitar will really stretch and push your...

Learning to read music isn't that hard to understand. There are 7 notes to learn and basically it's the notes that build upon each other to form chords. The notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, and G....

There are many different basic chord shapes for guitar. These are usually called "open chords" because you leave 1 or more strings open when playing. Today I will teach you how to play...

A bassist's job is never done. Bass players have to consciously think about notes (the melody) and keeping in sync with the drummer's actions (the rhythm) to keep the music moving. If you're a...

When you tune your guitar to D flat standard, you are three half steps lower than standard E tuning. Many guitar players use standard D flat to achieve a deeper, lower tone than can be produced...

So you wanna learn to play guitar but you're horrified of sheet music? You're not alone. But luckily there's an easier way to learn your favorite guitar songs. In this article on how to read...

Tuning the guitar is vital to making the guitar sound good. Here are some simple instructions that explain guitar tuning basics.

Knowing how to tune your guitar goes hand in hand with playing it. If you have to have someone else tune your guitar try this method. In this easy method you will compare each string to the next...

A minor scale can be played in several places on a guitar fret board by simply playing a major scale but lowering the third, the sixth and seventh notes by a half step. Form a minor scale in any...

A minor scale can be played in several places on a guitar fret board by simply playing a major scale but lowering the third note by a half step. Form a minor scale in any key anywhere on a guitar...

A major scale can be played in several places on a guitar fret board by simply playing the intervals in the order of whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Form a major scale in any key...

A minor scale can be played in several places on a guitar fret board by simply playing a major scale but lowering the third and sixth notes by a half step. Form a minor scale in any key anywhere...

A major scale can be played in several places on a guitar fret board by simply playing the intervals in the order of whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Form a major scale in any key...

"Wildwood Flower" was a folk standard long before it was made famous by the Carter Family. It requires only two chords, E and B, to play, and anyone can learn to play it on guitar with a bit of...

At first, playing guitar seems like an intimidating exercise---what to do with those six strings? However, learning the meat-and-potatoes basics is easier than you might think. The approach need...

The biggest problem when starting guitar is learning control your fingering hand. If you want to prepare before you venture out to your first lesson, give these exercises a try, if you stick to...

This article contains everything you need to know to begin playing bass guitar. Whether you are a beginner, have played for a while, this article is just what you're looking for.

Reading a bass guitar "tab" is different than reading standard sheet music, and easier. This is the key difference between tablature and standard notation, as standard notation is more complex....

Learning to play a musical instrument is a tough and challenging task, but learning to read tabs is not. Understanding the layout of the lines of a tab as well as a number of special symbols...

Here is simple way to learn how to play octaves on the Electric Bass which will add verity and interest to your studies. At the end of the article I have written a "Things to Try"...

If you play guitar or are in the process of learning to play, chances are that you have heard of something called "guitar tabs." As a guitar teacher I can tell you that nothing has...

Tuning a six-string guitar is a skill that all guitarists must master. Though it is a skill that requires some work to get right, it's made easier, especially at first, by referring to an outside...

A guitar has six strings and twenty to twenty-four frets. The frets are divided by vertical bars. The guitarist generally plays the frets by pressing on the appropriate strings at the desired fret...

You can tune your guitar by ear with a little bit of practice and training of your ear.

Tuning a bass guitar is easiest if you have an electronic tuner, but there never seems to be one handy just when you need it. The ability to tune without the aid of an electronic gizmo is one of...

The scale is the basis for almost all music. Fortunately, learning how to play a scale can be easy and fun. It also makes learning songs that more exciting. Read on to learn how to play a C minor...

Learn how to play F major bass guitar scales on the fretboard in this free online video music lesson.

When you're shredding your ax and you need that perfect note modification--that squealing harmonic--why not a tap harmonic? Artificial harmonics and natural harmonics are techniques stored away in...

Learn how to do the 4 finger, 4 fret warmup exercise for left handed guitar players in this free video clip on guitar lessons and musical instruments.

Guitar players use fret markers to help them navigate the strings on the guitar. Learn more about fret markers and how they can help you from a professional musician in this free video.

Octaves can be created in a variety of different shapes on the guitar fret board. Learn more about music theory and octaves from a professional musician in this free video.

Octaves can be learned on guitar by using different shapes when navigating the fret board. Learn more about music theory and octaves from a professional musician in this free video.

It's important to know the names of strings when learning to move up and down the fret board on guitar. Learn more about music theory and string names from a professional musician in this free video.

The E note is located in several positions up and down the guitar fretboard. Learn more about navigating the fret board and music theory from a professional musician in this free video.

Learn some techniques like vibrato and string bending that will help improve your playing style.

The purpose of bending a note on the guitar is to achieve a higher pitch. In a pre-bend, you bend the string before you pluck it. Each fret on the guitar is ½ step. If the tab shows a 1 ½-step...

Fret hand muting on the guitar is used to achieve a slightly muted sound. You perform a fret hand mute by using the tips of your fretting fingers to gently press on a string. Once you have your...

You can perform a legato slide on the guitar to achieve a smooth transition between notes without a noticeable break. In a legato slide, you only pluck the string once to achieve the entire slide....

When we think of bass, we don't often think of chords. Bass playing is usually reserved to only playing melody lines, but when used in the right setting bass chords can sound great. We will learn...

"Comping" is providing rhythm and chord structure on the bass guitar or double bass by playing entire chords at a time instead of single notes. It is a bass technique that, if done right, can...