Buying your first guitar is an emotional experience – it’s common to get it home and marvel over it! It doesn’t matter whether it’s a brand spanking new model from the store, or even a rescued orphan from the pawnshop – it comes with a feeling of glamour and dignity that is undeniable!

You will more than likely take out all of the various accompaniments that come with it – the spare strings, the plectrums, the exciting guidebook that promises to make you an expert within a week. You will probably take your new guitar home and then admire it. Then, you will probably pick up the guitar and begin to realize that you really don’t have a clue where to start!

Learning to play the guitar properly and well takes time, effort and determination – the glamorous image of the guitar making you into a rock and roll hero overnight is a common one, but it’s not quite as easy as that. The wonderful fantasy of playing on stage at Madison Square Garden in front of an audience of thousands of fans chanting your name will evaporate quickly! Believe me, you are not alone!

If you are in the position of owning a new guitar, but are not sure where you should start along the road to becoming a famous star, then the following are all points that you should be thinking about.

Get to know your guitar
You need to understand your instrument before you even begin to play a note. Get familiar with all the parts and their various names. Examine the strings closely – learn about their names and their capabilities. You also need to understand what type of guitar you have and what it is designed to play.

Know yourself
Are you aiming to just be able to play simple songs and enjoy yourself, or are you looking to take it a little more seriously and considering playing in a band or professionally? All of these factors will affect the way that you learn and where you should start. Think about the type of music that you like to listen to, and also the type of music that you wish to play. What standard are you ideally looking to reach?

The frustration that accompanies a flip through the instruction manual that comes with a new guitar is a common experience also. Often, it will appear written in a completely different language! There is a reason for this: just as we all play differently, we all learn in different ways too. A brilliant way of learning for one person may be completely hopeless for another.

The book that comes with most guitar purchases is generic – it is written to attempt to please as many people as possible. Unfortunately, this often means that it is pretty ineffective for most people! If you are one of these people, then maybe you should start thinking about taking proper lessons.

If you bought your guitar from the local store, it may well be worth asking there about lessons – many stores these days have someone who will actually operate through the store and give lessons, if not, they are more likely to know someone in the area who can help you. There are thousands of guitar schools all over the country, and it shouldn’t take long to find one near to your home. There are also countless programs available online, many of which are very good for all levels of student.

Remember the way you felt when you bought the guitar – remember that sense of elation at just having formed a relationship with a new instrument – get it right and that relationship can only go from strength to strength. Whatever happens, don’t get downhearted!

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson (Stage Guitarist)

Blink 182 has always had a great signature guitar sound thanks to Tom Delonge. His tastes in a guitar sound are really quite simple and don’t require much tampering to achieve it either.

Finding a good sound for yourself can really make the difference between how well you can control your own instrument. Follow these 7 tips to get a distorted guitar sound similar to Blink 182’s Tom Delonge.

1. Play a Fender or other similar mid-tone-dominant guitar.

Tom Delonge is known for playing fender guitars throughout his career. They’re cheap, easy to learn, and provide lots of mid-tone. If you don’t want a fender, other mid-tone dominant guitars can provide a similar punk rock sound.

2. Stay away from high-distortion amplifiers.

Marshall amplifiers have been the masters of distortion for years and almost everyone uses them. However, they provide a little too much distortion for something that Blink 182 would use. Use a mid-level distortion or country-style amplifier like Fender or Mesa Boogie.

3. Don’t use metal-zone or other types of distortion pedals.

Again, too much distortion can ruin a good guitar tone. Metal-zone pedals provide lots of white noise and aren’t suitable for those clean tones that Tom Delonge creates in each Blink 182 song.

4. Keep your guitar effects to a minimum.

Blink 182 doesn’t use a lot of effects on their guitars, yet. If you want to play by the book, turn down your reverbs and put away your delays. All you’ll need is your simple tone of a guitar and amplifier.

5. Don’t “scoop the levels” on the amplifier.

“Scooping the levels” on your amplifier means you’re boosting the high and low ends while pulling the mid-range way down. This is never a good thing to do. With experience, you’ll begin to realize how important it is to keep everything relatively close.

6. Use an adequate amount of mid-range on your amplifier.

Tom Delonge’s guitar tone is very mid-range based. His amplifier doesn’t have much high-end and his guitar isn’t a metal axe of any kind either. Use that mid-range knob to boost your tone into a more punk feel.

7. Use a high-compression pedal.

Have you noticed how much awesome attack that Delonge gets on his strumming when Blink 182 plays live? That’s probably due to a compression pedal. A nice compression pedal can really kick the power of your guitar up a couple notches.

Finding a well-rounded guitar tone is difficult to do. Blink 182 has a very nice balance between a clean and distorted tone to give just enough edge to their songs. Put these tips into effect and make sure to use your own personal touch on the mix.

First of all we are going to learn the benefits of learning to play guitar

• It enhances your brain How is that possible you ask? Is because playing guitar requires a lot of memorization.
• It will make more outgoing, getting in front of a crowd no matter how shy you are is going to help become more outgoing
• You gain more dexterity, because playing the different chords required a lot dexterity.

How can you accomplish this?

Many people want to play the guitar well, but they are missing the knowledge or the skills on how to do this, but know you can accomplish this, because you can take the benefit of 14 years of experience and apply it to your guitar learning to speed the rate of your learning and increase your guitar playing skills much faster than ever before and be on the way of playing like a pro. You are probably thinking that this is impossible to accomplish, but think about this everybody that is a pro guitar player today, began with no experience.

With Jamorama you will:

You will discover how to quickly build the strength and agility you need advance beyond the beginner stage. Using the special techniques you’ll eliminate sore and clumsy fingers and gain dexterity to start becoming a Pro Guitar Player.

You’ll have easy-to-follow access to video tutorials that will show you how to play the guitar like a pro one step at a time.

One of most amazing things is that is feel confused or you’re stuck in some you can send and email with your question and you’ll get quick response

These videos take you from being an absolute beginner to turning a all Pro Guitar Player.  So no matter what level of experience you have, you’ll improving your guitar playing skills with Jamorama, because is the course for you.

Plus you’ll get the following bonuses:

* GuitEarIt (An ear training game) * Jayde Musica Pro (teach you how to read music) * Guitar Tuner Pro (learn how to tune your Guitar) * Jamorama Metronome (helps you learn to keep in tempo) * And the best thing of all is the 100% Risk Free Guarantee (try out for 8 weeks if you don’t like see result, return with no question ask).

Tom Delonge has always contributed a great guitar sound to Blink 182 that has become his signature. Lucky for you, creating a tone for your guitar Blink 182-style, is fairly simple.

By taking some of Tom Delonge’s secrets and implementing your own tweaks, you can create a solid punk rock sound. Here are a few of Blink 182’s signature guitar secrets.

1. Use compression on your tone from a pedal or a rack piece.

When Blink 182 plays live, Delonge gets a good amount of attack on his guitar. A nice compression pedal will even your strumming and also boost your attack power a couple notches.

2. Shop for guitars with extra mid tone like Fenders.

Tom Delonge started his Blink 182 career playing Fender guitars because of their versatility of genres. For a similar sound, play either a Fender or another guitar that has a natural boost in its mid range.

3. Give the mid range on your amplifier a little boost.

Sometimes when guitarists are configuring the knobs on their amps or guitars they tend to cut out the mid range. Mid range is essential to a round guitar sound like Blink 182’s so give that knob a few clicks.

4. You don’t need amplifiers with too much distortion.

Even though amplifiers like Marshalls supply a huge amount of distortion, it’s not really what you should aim for with a Blink 182 guitar sound. Average distortion amplifiers like Fender, Mesa Boogie, and Orange supply smooth tones.

5. Keep your bass and high tone levels on the guitar amplifier around 50%.

A common mistake for beginning guitarists is to pull up the high and low ranges of the guitar amp while lowering the mid range substantially. To keep your tone meaty, you’ll find that you need a nearly even spectrum from all ranges.

6. Distortion pedals or rack pieces are not necessary.

Too much distortion can create ugly white noise that covers up your melodies and causes fans to not like you. Keep you tones pure like Blink 182.

7. Use a pure guitar sound without many effects or processors.

Tom Delonge has his moments when he’ll use a delay or reverb pedal for a certain section of a tune, but it’s tasteful and rare. Follow his practice and keep your effects to a minimum.

The goal to reach with getting a Blink 182 guitar sound is to find that balance between distortion and clean to give just enough bite without compromising the tone quality. Put your own personal touch on the mix after you execute these tips.

Unlike its electric brethren, the acoustic guitar has been around for over 200 years. It is, by far, the most traditional form of the stringed instrument, and it is often the first choice for beginning guitarists.

Acoustic Guitar For Beginners

The most common type of guitar used is the acoustic guitar. Musicians have used acoustic guitars in unplugged sessions for decades. Since it is not amplified, the sound of an acoustic guitar is softer. When played correctly, the acoustic guitar can be a very powerful and emotional instrument.

It does not have to be difficult to learn how to play acoustic guitar. First, you must choose the right guitar for you. When you are learning, it is very important to have a guitar that is the right size and weight. For this reason, you should never borrow another person’s guitar for lessons, unless you are sure that it fits you. Most likely, you will need to buy your own.

Acoustic guitars are very easy to find. You can buy one brand new at any music store, or they can be found second hand, if funds are limited. Again, just be sure that it is the right size for you.

Once you have your instrument, you need to find beginner acoustic guitar lessons. There are many ways for you to learn to play acoustic guitar. All you need to do is find the right method for you.

The most traditional acoustic guitar learning method is to take lessons. Basically, you hire someone that is qualified to teach you to play, and you travel to your lessons. The advantage to this is that you have an instructor that can work with you face to face, giving you immediate feedback. They can keep you motivated, and assist you with your technique. These lessons are often tailored to your needs.

This method, however, does have disadvantages as well. Guitar instruction can become very expensive. Each half-hour lesson costs you money, sometimes upwards of $75-100. If you are taking weekly lessons, this can add up fast. Also, you must schedule these lessons around your schedule, and this may be difficult if it does not coincide with your instructor’s schedule. Finally, packing up your guitar and traveling to a lesson is very inconvenient.

Thanks to modern technology, there is a relatively new way to learn almost anything, including how to play the acoustic guitar. Online acoustic guitar lessons can be either free or fee-based. You can waste a great deal of practice time looking for free lessons, and they are often inadequate or poorly produced. It is usually better to pay for the lessons, and get quality instruction, all in one place.

It is easy to see the advantages of this method. You pay a one time fee, rather than paying for each lesson, and you receive all the instruction that you will need, right from home. Best of all, you will have the convenience of taking your lessons on your own time. The only disadvantage to this method is the lack of immediate interaction with your instructor, but with the lessons being so thorough, it will seem like your lessons are fit to you perfectly.

Learning to play the acoustic guitar is a matter of finding the right source to learn from, and you will find that learning to play will be much easier if you follow the right steps.