I enjoy learning how to play from videos of other great guitar players. I also, am detail oriented as well as super visual. So, working with chords in a book step by step usually works very well with me also. I guess I get the motivation from watching and the application to do from being systematic.

As a very focused baby boomer I try very hard not to multi-task. Yet, sometimes while sitting in front of the TV I sure enjoy just plucking those keys.

Now, when I get good, I am really going to learn even more from jammin with others.

How about you? How do you like to learn?

I have decided to post more articles on midlife and aging on this guitar site. Why? Because for me playing the guitar not only helps my brain but keeps me feeling young. So here is a great article from Baby Boomers and Aging on Aging and the Brain.

My wife turned me on to this site and hope you go there to glean more tidbits for yourself or your mom, dad, grandma, grandad, boss, mentor, ok the list goes on and on.

It is a common misbelief that to be able to play the guitar by ear you need to possess some kind of super talent, but this really is not the case. If you can play the instrument, even a little, you can learn how to play by ear. Of course, if you have never even picked up a guitar before, it will be a bit more difficult as you will be unaware as to which chords produce which sounds. The experts are quite right when they advise you to learn how to play before you try playing by ear.

You may be asking why you should even bother to learn to play by ear when so many tunes are available, and sometimes for free, on tablature. Well, to start with a good reason to play by ear is for the fun involved. When you have mastered playing by ear you will not need to rely on sheet music, and as long as you are not using an electric guitar, you will still be able to play in the event of a power cut. You will have no need to buy the music when you want to play the latest tunes as you will simply copy what you hear.

Now this may surprise you, but the best way to learn how to play the guitar by ear is to practice on the piano or a simulated keyboard if you have no access to a full size piano. Listen to a simple tune in the key of C major, then sing the song a few times. The next step is to pick out each note using the white keys of the keyboard and every time you hear a note check to see if it is higher or lower than you note you just found. When you have carried out this procedure a few times, you will be ready to take on playing the guitar by ear.

It is important that you know at least one major scale pattern on the guitar prior to learning to play by ear. When you are familiar with where you have to place your fingers in order to play the note you require it will become much simpler. Really listen to the music, sing the note a few times and playing by ear will fall into place.

At the beginning of your training to get your ear to identify the musical note, it really does help to practice with tunes in the key of C major as there are no sharps or flats to contend with. Then try transposing them to the key of E major, again educating your ear to select the notes instead of depending on your muscle memory to remember which particular fingers you used for certain notes. When you have become familiar with how to play by ear in these keys, you will then be able to tackle some more challenging tunes.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

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Look at an amazing use of the guitar. Look his use of the complete melody of “Chariots of Fire.”

Here is a really cool video tutorial on slide guitar. Some good ideas!

By: Kevin Sinclair

Depending on the kind of music you like to play would determine as to what kind of guitar you would choose to purchase from the many different varieties that are available on the market today. It is essential, however, that the guitar that you select feels comfortable to you. If you are a person of a small build, then you will require a guitar that fits your build, whilst if you are a person with very long arms, then a small guitar simply would not be suitable. The weight of the guitar that you select is another important factor. This is because, if you will be playing the guitar a great deal, then you will not wish to feel weighed down by an instrument which is far too heavy for your strength.

Other factors which need to be taken into consideration when selecting a guitar is the sheer look of it, as well as the sound that it gives off. Guitars are available in a wide range of different shapes, colors and finishes. Every single guitar will have a slightly different sound and the quality of sound very often depends upon the quality of the guitar.

If classic music is what you enjoy playing, then you will require a guitar with nylon strings. The back and sides of the guitar will usually be made of rosewood, with spruce or cedar for the top. The guitar that is used for playing flamenco is similar, only with the wood being thinner and the body of the guitar shallower and made of cypress with a cedar top.

The classic guitar which has a hollow body and nylon strings, and the electric steel guitar with its solid wood body, bottled neck and steel strings, such as the very popular Fender Stratocaster are the two most popular types of guitar. Of course, there are many variations within each type. The semi-acoustic and the semi-solid are just two of them. Then of course there are the bass guitars. However, when purchasing a guitar for the first time, the main selection will be between electric and acoustic.

It is worth considering purchasing an acoustic guitar if you have never played before. This guitar is much simpler to play and nothing else is required to accompany it, apart from a case, strap, some picks, and sheet music, all of which are available at an inexpensive price. If you choose to purchase an electric guitar, then you will also need to purchase an amplifier and at least one effects box. This can of course increase the overall cost dramatically and make the selection more difficult.

Even though it is not necessary to spend huge amounts of money on your first guitar, it is never recommended to buy the cheapest available simply because you are not sure if you will continue to play. For this reason, it is worth taking every opportunity to have a play with friends’ guitars or with those in shops before you make a purchase decision. It is not necessary to purchase one of the top brand names; there are plenty of guitars available with no brand name attached to them.

Always ensure that the guitar you select is well made. This can be done by running your fingers around the seams. If you can feel as though any part is coming apart or if it feels rough, then do not buy it. Ensure that the frets are even and the top is not made of plywood. It is never wise to rush out and buy the first guitar that you see. Select a guitar carefully from the many different ones that are available on the market today.

Article Source: http://articlesforboomers.com

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

My wife asked me what guitar would I want If I was stranded on a desert island. After a quick thought, I said a Gibson just like the one BB King has. I don’t know the model number off the top of my head but that is the one I would want to play each night I was stranded.

What guitar would you want?

Are you too old  to be creative. Too old to produce something new on the guitar? To old to learn the guitar? Some would say that you just cannot learn those complicated movements past age 30. But others would say that is insane? What do you say?

Check out this really great article written in the New Yorker about creativity and late bloomers by Malcolm Gladwell. Although he is talking about poetry isn’t playing the guitar like poetry?

Read the special news report about the sale of Jimi Hendriks first guitar!

Of course you do not want to be dead for that to happen. But here’s hoping you see fame in your lifetime. Guitars can hold, I am finding out, a good resale value.

Are you keeping a journal of your guitar lessons? Are you recording when you practice, insights, new music you have listened to, new goals for your playing?