Electric Guitar Lessons
Why Play the Electric Guitar?
- Cool instrument
- Fun
- Sociable
- Easy to learn
- Sounds amazing
The electric guitar is probably the coolest instrument in the world ever! It's very enjoyable to play and with just a few basic chords and scales it possible to play many songs.
Unplugged is a great way to practice quietly in the privacy of your own home, or if you are feeling sociable, plug it into an amplifier and turn the volume up as loud as you like.
If you want to play in a band it's a great way to meet people and jam with other musicians. This can be a great experience and you can literally have a great time.
With the combination of guitar and amplifier, each guitarist can achieve their own individual personal sound. Something to aim for! There are many different combinations, by changing either the guitar, the pick ups, moving the pick up swith, effects pedals and/or amplifier, each one will have a direct effect on the sound.
It’s a great hobby or way of life depending on how great your obsession is!
Anatomy of the Electric Acoustic Guitar
Machine Heads (Tuning Heads) - these are located at the head of the guitar and are the tuning devices. Turning them one way tightens the string (making the pitch higher) and the other way loosens them (making the pitch lower).
Fretboard (Finger Board) - this is where the left hand goes to press down on the strings, so that notes can be strummed or plucked with the right hand. (This, of course, would be the opposite way around if you are left-handed and your strings have been strung the opposite way around.) The fretboard spans from the nut to the soundhole and is divided up into sections.
Marker Dots (Fret Markers) - these are the dots on the fretboard that make it easier for you to find the right position to play a note, or a chord.
Nut - this is located at the top of the guitar (just below the machine heads). Its job is to hold the strings.
Bridge - this is located below the soundhole and is there to secure the strings.
Pick ups - this is where the sound is picked up! and is equivalent to the acoustic guitars sound hole. Each pick up will have a different tone and sound.
Pick up Selector - this is used to choose which sound or tone you want.
Volume Control - this is normally a knob, which is used to make the guitar louder or quieter.
Tone Controls - this is either a knob or switch that the guitarist manually turns to adjust the tone.
Back to the topChoosing Your Electric Guitar
The basic setup requires an electric guitar, an amplifier and a guitar lead, although an amplifier is not essential at the beginning, it does make it more fun!
You're spoilt for choice with the option to visit music shops and the internet. It can be a daunting task, unless you know exactly which guitar and model you want. Even then, there are so many variations from one guitar to the next. There is no genuine short cut, other than to try out as many as possible! The first consideration is normally price. You may find that the guitars are cheaper on the internet, but there is an element of risk buying a guitar you have never played, heard or touched. Sometimes it is worth paying a little more to buy from a shop, but that is entirely your choice. Sometimes it comes down to who offers the best deal.
How do you decide what sort of guitar you want? Fender and Gibson are two of the biggest names in the electric guitar world. Here are some examples of electric guitar players and the guitars they play.
Fender Stratocaster guitar players:-
Jimi Hendrix – the Experience
Eric Clapton – the Cream
Buddy Guy – Muddy Waters
Stevie ray Vaughn - Double trouble
Ritchie Blackmore – Deep purple
Ritchie Sambora – Bon Jovi
Ron wood – the Rolling stones
Fender Telecaster guitar players:-
Keith Richards – the Rolling stones
Carl Perkins – Elvis Presley/Johnny Cash
Gibson les Paul guitar players:-
Jimmy page – led zeppelin
Slash –Guns n roses
Duane Allman – Allman brothers
Gary Moore – Thin Lizzy
Zakk Wylde – Ozzy Osborne
Mick Jones – the clash
Gibson SG guitar players:-
Angus young – Ac dc
Robby Krieger – the Doors
Both Fender and Gibson have distinctive sounds - try them both out. There is a budget range available for the Fender called the Fender Squire and the budget range for the Gibson is the Epiphone.
The largest difference between the original and the copies would be the quality of wood used for the body of the guitar and the quality of the pickups in the guitar.
Fender guitars generally use single coil pickups. Gibson guitars use twin coil or humbucker pick ups. The difference between single coil and humbuckers pick ups is large and drastically changes the characteristics of the overall sound. The other consideration is the quality of the pick up in the guitar.
There are many types of electric guitar models and makes other than just Fender or Gibson, but they give you a bench mark of what you should maybe expect for your money.
You can of course save a lot of money buying second hand guitars. If you are unfamiliar with buying guitars and you need some advice it is worth taking someone knowledgeable along.
Here are a few tips for buying second hand guitars:-
- Avoid cheap guitars - get the best you can afford
- Do your research and rely on brand names if you're unsure
- Ensure that you are happy with how the guitar feels when you hold it. Is it comfortable, can you grip it easily, are there rough edges or frets?
- Are there any buzzes from the guitar?
- Play up and down neck of the guitar (finger exercise checking all the notes on all the frets sound clear)
- Is the neck warped? (You can check this by looking down the neck for any twists in the neck - it should be straight!)
- The Action on the guitar is the distance between the strings and fretboard. Are the strings too low or too high? Both will have a direct effect on the sound, tone and playability of the guitar. This can be adjusted.
- Intonation – does the guitar sound in tune when playing the open strings, but sound out of tune at the twelfth fret when you play harmonics? If so, the intonation could be out.
- Check the guitar through an amplifier to ensure that the electrics work.
- Check for loose connections and check the pick up selector, making sure it all works properly.
Most of these problems can be solved, but may cost you later if you want to get the problems fixed, so it is best to tick as many boxes as possible at the beginning, before purchasing.
You could also attend jam nights to see what other guitarists use. Most guitarists are only too happy to talk about their guitars! If you still need further advice, you could ask you guitar teacher. I have helped many of my students to find guitars that they feel comfortable with.
