Beginner Ukulele Players - Ten Tips on Getting Started

!±8± Beginner Ukulele Players - Ten Tips on Getting Started

The ukulele is a great instrument to learn. The basics are really easy to pick up. It's particularly suited to young children, with its diminutive size, and will teach a number of skills that translate to other instruments, particularly the guitar. To get you started on your journey, here are ten tips that will kick start your ukulele playing.

1. Record your own playing as often as you can. It's difficult to play and listen at the same time. Quite often just noticing what you're doing wrong is enough to fix the problem.

2. Use your ears. Listen to everything. Work out what you're hearing. Steal anything you like the sound of.

3. Practice so slowly you can't possibly make a mistake. Once you've got a phrase under your fingers, it's easy to speed up. Once you've got a mistake under your fingers, it's nearly impossible to get rid of it.

4. Learn to read ukulele tab. Tablature is a method of showing how to play melodies on the ukulele as well as chords. It's easy to understand - much easier than standard music notation. There is plenty of ukulele tab available on the net and it's a lot of fun to play. Search for 'how to read ukulele tab' on Google and you'll find some helpful articles.

5. Once you've decided you enjoy the ukulele, get a nice one. Almost everyone starts of playing on a very cheap ukulele. These ukes are fine for deciding if playing the ukulele is for you. But once you're into it, get yourself a decent quality ukulele. It'll be easier to play, sound better (so you'll be more pleased with the way you sound), and will give you more impetus to practice.

6. The type of strings you use can make a big different to the sound of your ukulele. The strings you get with your ukulele are likely to be cheap and nasty. It's worth replacing them with higher quality strings such as Worth, Aquila or D'Addario.

7. Don't hold your ukulele too tightly. The ukulele is small and it's very easy to smother the sound out of it. Don't hold it too tightly or you'll lose a lot of volume and tone. Watch how masters like Jake Shimabukuro and hold the uke.

8. Listen to lots of ukulele players. The more you listen, the more you'll get a feel for the ukulele and the way it sounds. It will influence how you play subconsciously.

9. Take the time to tune up properly. Because it's short, it can be quite hard to get the ukulele in tune. But it has to be done. If your ukulele is out of tune, you WILL sound terrible. There are plenty of tools online to help you to do this. My particular favourite is the AP Tuner.

10. Enjoy yourself. The big appeal of the ukulele is that it is the most fun instrument around. People try to denigrate the ukulele as a toy. I think that's a huge compliment. Toys are fun to play with and so is the ukulele.

Beginner Ukulele Players - Ten Tips on Getting Started

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Takamine EG416S-VS - G Series FXC - Sunburst New York body - Acoustic Guitar includes: Planet Waves 16-pack pick sampler, Guitar Strap, D'Addario EJ16 strings, Cable & Takamine Padded Gigbag

!±8±Takamine EG416S-VS - G Series FXC - Sunburst New York body - Acoustic Guitar includes: Planet Waves 16-pack pick sampler, Guitar Strap, D'Addario EJ16 strings, Cable & Takamine Padded Gigbag

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Price : $549.00
Post Date : Dec 25, 2011 22:00:12
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The smallest profile Takamine, the New Yorker is a traditional old-time guitar shape that produces an immediate, clear, full-bodied tone that evokes the old 78-rpm records of the 1940s. The Takamine New Yorker guitar's strumming voice is sharp and airy. When played finger-style the New Yorker sings with sweetness and character that makes you want to dig a little deeper into the roots of American music.-- This handsome 6-string acoustic comes with the new D'Addario ® guitar start-up kit, which includes a flite sampler 16-pack of guitar picks (with informational sheet ), a Planet Waves ® Nylon acoustic guitar strap, and a pack of D'Addario ® EJ16 Phosphor bronze guitar strings. IINCLUDED AT NO ADDITIONAL COST: TKL Gigbag & Cable.

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How to Deal With Unidentified Violin Strings

!±8± How to Deal With Unidentified Violin Strings

Many of us have quite a large collection of unidentified violin strings. Stored loose and outside of their packaging, these collections often include used, new, and perhaps even damaged strings -- saved, of course, for that special emergency when one "pops" and we don't have anything else with which to replace it. But once it becomes "unidentified," figuring out whether a string is an A, D, E, or G --let alone the brand or set it came from-- can become very difficult.

Every manufacturer individually labels its strings using a system of "color codes" for the windings at both the peg and tail ends. Usually, within any given set, the same color or color combination is used at one end (identifying the set) and a different color is used for each of the E, A, D, and G at the other end. Sometimes, there is an extra band of a different color, usually at the peg end, that further classifies the gauge as either light, medium, or heavy. For instance, a Pirastro Oliv light gauge D has a white and green striped pattern at the tail end, a red winding at the peg end, and an added pink band at the peg end to indicate the light gauge. As you can imagine, given the large number of different sets and gauges, there are many possible color combinations.

Although there are color code identification tables available on the internet, these are often difficult to use and are sometimes even misleading. But because they can be useful when you know at least the brand and set of your unidentified string -- for instance you are certain that it is from a set of Pirastro Obligatos but you are unsure whether it is an E, A, D, or G -- you may occasionally be able to use an identification chart to save yourself a trip to a violin shop.

Why can relying on identification charts be dangerous? These charts depend on our ability to judge color, which is an inherently subjective process. To make matters worse, many manufacturers use similar colors and similar color combinations, yielding a variety of strings that look similar to each other. Suppose that you have concluded that your unidentified string has a blue peg end and a yellow ball end. But are you sure that those colors aren't actually blue and gold, or light blue and yellow, or light blue and gold? Which do you choose when you need to determine whether that peg end color is red, dark red, light red, rose, dark orange, or fire-engine red?

What about differentiating the A from the E from the D from the G based on thickness? Certainly, it is usually the case that thinner strings are higher in pitch and thicker ones are lower in pitch. However -- and this is a big however -- since manufacturers use several different metals as windings (not only between sets but also within them), it is sometimes the case that a higher string may actually be thicker than a lower one. In particular, depending on the metals used as windings, a D may be thicker than a G -- both within and across sets. Similarly, a "wound" E might appear thicker than an A. Or, a high tension A from one set might appear thicker than a light tension D from another set.

Thus, (and especially if you mix and match sets), you cannot always determine whether you have an A, D, G, or E, based solely on thickness.

So why does all of this matter? What is wrong with putting on the wrong string? Suppose you put a G on the D peg. Since it appeared to be thicker (due to the type of metal used in the winding), you were convinced that the D must in fact be the G. But a G string is not built to be tuned all the way up to the D a fifth above. The resulting extra tension could cause the bridge to collapse and possibly break. Worse, the force of the bridge striking the top of the violin could cause a crack in the top of the instrument, most likely over the sound post. This crack, called a sound post crack, is bad both for the sound of your violin and also for its value.

Therefore, I highly recommend against putting any unidentified strings on your violin. And, even if you think you are able to identify them using a chart or internet tool, there are, in my opinion, too many different color combinations that look very similar for you to ever be certain you have made a correct identification.

In sum, prevention is probably the best cure. Consider keeping each new string securely in its labeled packet prior to installation. If you keep the packaging, you can put used strings back inside their labeled packets for storage. If you no longer have the packaging, you can use tied-on labels.

Or, take your collection to a violin shop, where they should be able to help identify the entire batch.

A few other remarks on installing strings: It is best to install them one at a time. If you are replacing an entire set, it is a good idea to examine the bridge before and after installing each string to make sure it is still straight. It is probably not a good idea to tune strings above their proper pitch in order to stretch them. Because strings go through a breaking-in period where they will need to be re-tuned frequently, attempting to stretch them puts added tension on your instrument that could potentially damage it.

How to Deal With Unidentified Violin Strings

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Takamine G340SC - Natural Cut-away Dreadnought Body- Acoustic Guitar Start-up Pack Includes: Planet Waves 16-Pick Sampler, Acoustic Guitar Strap, D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Strings & TKL 4615 Padded Nylon Gig Bag

!±8± Takamine G340SC - Natural Cut-away Dreadnought Body- Acoustic Guitar Start-up Pack Includes: Planet Waves 16-Pick Sampler, Acoustic Guitar Strap, D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Strings & TKL 4615 Padded Nylon Gig Bag

Brand : Takamine | Rate : | Price : $299.00
Post Date : Dec 05, 2011 17:16:06 | Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Takamine G340SC - Natural Cut-away Dreadnought Body- Acoustic Guitar Start-up Pack Includes: Planet Waves 16-Pick Sampler, Acoustic Guitar Strap, D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Strings & TKL 4615 Padded Nylon Gig Bag

Takamine's G340SC body design exhibits maximum acoustic performance and playability with quality tone woods. This model is a cutaway and upgraded solid spruce top version of the popular G340 for the more advanced player.This handsome 6-string acoustic comes with the new D'Addario ® guitar start-up kit, which includes a flite sampler 16-pack of guitar picks (with informational sheet ), a Planet Waves ® Nylon acoustic guitar strap, and a pack of D'Addario ® EJ16 Phosphor bronze guitar strings. INCLUDED AT NO ADDITIONAL COST: TKL 4615 Padded Nylon Gig-Bag (For easy travel and maximum protection.)

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Sweet Baby James awning (James Taylor) acoustic awning on a Taylor GS8 with D'Addario strings

!±8± Sweet Baby James awning (James Taylor) acoustic awning on a Taylor GS8 with D'Addario strings

Hello Youtube! One of many incredible songs by my favorite singer/songwriter and so very difficult to make justice... Greetings from Sweden! /Bjorn

Sweet Baby James awning (James Taylor) acoustic awning on a Taylor GS8 with D'Addario strings

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Ovation Celebrity CC24S-TTB Acoustic-Electric Guitar with DPS/Planet Waves 16 Pick Sampler DAddario EJ16 Strings Planet Waves DP0002 String Winder Ultra Stand PWS100 Strap Planet Waves Care Kit MBTAGCW1 Hard Case

!±8±Ovation Celebrity CC24S-TTB Acoustic-Electric Guitar with DPS/Planet Waves 16 Pick Sampler DAddario EJ16 Strings Planet Waves DP0002 String Winder Ultra Stand PWS100 Strap Planet Waves Care Kit MBTAGCW1 Hard Case

Brand : Ovation
Rate :
Price : $409.00
Post Date : Nov 29, 2011 23:02:50
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Ovations classic Mid-Depth composite body delivers balanced acoustic tone and is comfortable to hold and play. The guitars center sound hole offers a traditional look, and its slim neck has an electric-style profile, 20 hand-finished nickel-silver frets, and low factory-set action.With its 3-band equalizer and onboard tuner, the instruments OP-4BT preamp provides players with flexible tone control in any performance setting.Acoustically, the Mid-Depth bowl delivers impressive projection and rich tone, yet even smaller guitarists find it comfortable to hold and play. Includes: DPS/Planet Waves 16 Pick Sampler DAddario EJ16 Strings Planet Waves DP0002 String Winder Ultra Stand PWS100 Strap Planet Waves Care Kit MBTAGCW1 Hard Case

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Martin DX1 Guitar Review

!±8± Martin DX1 Guitar Review

The Martin DX1 range consists of the Martin DX1-AE, DX1-E, DX1-KAE and DX1-RAE model guitars. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these soundly crafted guitars. They are really high quality dreadnought acoustic-electric guitars that are designed for a low price.

These Martin dreadnaught guitars have no cutaways and their body dimensions make them feel comfortable to sit and play with. These precision instruments come with a Fishman type Pickups and utilize Solid Sitka 5/16 Spruce for their top braces in A-Frame "X-1" patterns.

This design gives them a fuller, bassy sound when played. Not only do these guitars look beautiful, they sound amazing with their projection of clear bright tones and excellent sustain.

The Body Of The Martin DX1-AE, DX1-E, DX1-KAE and DX1-RAE Guitars

The body design of the Martin DX1 range is known as D-14 Fret and is based on their butterfly shaped designed tops. The neck is connected to the body of the guitar by a mortise and tenon neck joint. This type of joining is what makes these guitars strong and durable. The simplicity of these Martin dreadnaught guitars makes them a beautiful guitar to play.

The tops of these Martin dreadnaught guitars are made of solid Sitka Spruce. The top has a hand rubbed urethane light satin finish. The rosette around the sound hole is of multiple black and white Boltaron rings with red fibre in middle. Next to the rosette is the tortoise coloured pick guard. These two features make the Sitka Spruce top very distinctive and appealing.

These guitars have a belly style bridge, which is made of Morado on the DX1-E model guitar and black Richlite on the other models. The bridge string spacing is 2-1/8'' and the bridge endpins are white with black dots. The saddle is of a compensated 16'' radius and is of white Micarta on the DX1-E model guitar and of white TUSQ on the models.

The side panelling on the DX1-AE and DX1-E Martin guitars are of a Java Mahogany pattern HPL textured finish. The DX1-KAE Martin guitar has a Koa pattern HPL textured finish and the DX1-RAE Martin guitar has an Indian Rosewood pattern HPL textured finish.

The backboard of the DX1-AE and DX1-E Martin guitars is of a Java Mahogany pattern HPL textured finish. Whilst the DX1-KAE Martin guitar has a Koa pattern HPL textured finish and the DX1-RAE Martin guitar has an Indian Rosewood pattern HPL textured finish.

These Martin dreadnought guitars use Fishman type Pickups. The DX1-E Martin guitar has a Fishman Classic 4 Sonicore Pickup. The other models use Fishman Sonitone Pickups.

The Neck Of The Martin DX1-AE, DX1-E, DX1-KAE and DX1-RAE Guitars

The Martin DX1 range of dreadnought acoustic-electric guitars use a Stratabond type neck. The neck material of DX1-AE and DX1-E Martin guitars is a Rust Stratabond, whist the other two models have a natural Stratabond. The Stratabond neck shape is referred to as a modified low oval. The neck width is 1 11/16" at the nut and the scale length is the typical 25.4".

The fingerboard material used on the DX1-E Martin guitar is called Morado. The other models use black Richlite. The fingerboard width at the nut is 1-11/16'' and width at the 12th fret is 2-1/8''. The fingerboard has 20 frets and 14 are clear. There are 6 fret dots at the top of the fingerboard.

The fingerboard and head is separated by a white Corian synthetic nut.

The headstocks are designed for 6 strings. The headstock of the DX1-E Martin guitar has a square tapper and the other models have a solid standard taper.

The headplates of the DX1-AE and DX1-E Martin guitars are made from a Mahogany pattern HPL. The headplate of the DX1-KAE Martin guitar is made from a Koa pattern HPL. The Martin DX1-RAE guitar has a headplate made from an Indian Rosewood pattern HPL.

All of these Martin dreadnought acoustic-electric guitars use Martin type tuners, which are chrome enclosed with small buttons. They seem to work very well and are quite responsive. Martin Studio Performance Light Phosphor Bronze (msp4100) strings are recommended to used with these guitars. However, other players find that D'addario EXP 11-52 strings sound better.

The Sound Of The Martin DX1-AE, DX1-E, DX1-KAE and DX1-RAE Guitars

The fairly deep butterfly shape body and the tonal woods used within the sound box and on the back and sides of these guitars create such unique acoustics. These Martin dreadnaught guitars seem to make every note sound beautiful. These Martin dreadnaught acoustic-electric guitars will produce rich and crisp tones, with a great bass response and cutting treble. You'll be blown away by the sound quality.

The Martin DX1 range of dreadnaught acoustic-electric guitars may be the cheaper model styles of the Martin guitar range, but they sound like a professional's guitar. You can gig with them and play almost any style of music on them, such as blues, pop, folk, country, rock and jazz. You could play acoustic hippie, chord strum or just pick a little solo.

For the quality and cost you can't beat these Martin DX1-AE, DX1-E, DX1-KAE and DX1-RAE model guitars. You can get them to suite both Right and Left handed players. They are beautifully crafted and incredible sounding guitars.

Martin DX1 Guitar Review

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D'ADDARIO EPS170-6 XL PROSTEELS LONG SCALE LIGHT .030-.130 BASS GUITAR STRINGS

!±8± D'ADDARIO EPS170-6 XL PROSTEELS LONG SCALE LIGHT .030-.130 BASS GUITAR STRINGS

BUY NOW: guitarstrings.sncstores.com D'Addario EPS170-6 XL Prosteels 6 String Long Scale Light .030-.130 Bass Guitar Strings are D'Addarios answer to the desire of players to achieve that "piano-like" tone. These bass strings are extremely bright and produce rich harmonics balanced with deep, tight, low end tones. These D'Addario Stainless Steel Strings are their most magnetic strings offering uncompromising sound. This is a set of long scale bass strings, 6 String Bass Guitar Strings, and Light Bass Guitar Strings .030-.130. Desired by the worlds greatest players, these D'Addario Prosteels 6 String Bass Guitar Strings produce the quality that is expected from one of the top companies in the industry. Shop for your Bass Guitar Strings and D'Addario Strings at www.GuitarStrings44.com!

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Clapton's "River of Tears" abandoned accelerate guitar

!±8± Clapton's "River of Tears" abandoned accelerate guitar

My improvised solo slide guitar rendition of Eric Clapton's song "River of Tears." For those interested, the guitar is a pile of parts I put together. The body is from a Squier Affinity Tele, the neck is from a Squier '51, and it's wired like a Les Paul Junior (vol. + tone) with a GFS Lil Puncher pickup. I made the steel pickguard from an old computer. It's strung with D'Addario Chromes flatwound strings (.015-.056) in open D tuning. I am playing it through a Boss TR-2 tremolo and OD-3 overdrive as well as a Line 6 Verbzilla for the reverb. The amp is a solid state Fender Frontman 212R.

Clapton's "River of Tears" abandoned accelerate guitar

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Taylor Guitars GS Mini Reduced Scale Grand Symphony Acoustic Guitar with Planet Waves/GO-DPS 16 Pick Sampler (#PW-SAMPLER), D'Addario Strings & Ultra Stand

!±8± Taylor Guitars GS Mini Reduced Scale Grand Symphony Acoustic Guitar with Planet Waves/GO-DPS 16 Pick Sampler (#PW-SAMPLER), D'Addario Strings & Ultra Stand

Rate : | Price : | Post Date : Nov 01, 2011 15:00:08
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Perfect for life on the go, or on the couch. The GS Mini was designed to be the ultimate musical companion, wherever you go - or stay. Inspired by the big, bold sound of Taylor's award-winning GS body shape, the GS Mini scales things down without skimping on sound, packing a lot of tone into a comfortable, portable size and giving you a guitar that's incredibly fun to play. With Taylor's patented NT neck, you'll always enjoy signature Taylor intonation and playability. So, wherever you end up, whether you're on tour or on the porch, the GS Mini is always ready to play. Comes Standard with Elixir Medium Gauge Strings with NANOWEB® Coating & Taylor GS Mini Padded Gig-Bag. Includes: Planet Waves/GO-DPS 16 Pick Sampler (#PW-SAMPLER), EJ16 D'Addario Strings and Ultra Stand.

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Jazz Guitar Strings - The Right Ones For That Perfect Sound

!±8± Jazz Guitar Strings - The Right Ones For That Perfect Sound

Serious jazz musicians are very special for jazz-guitar-strings of their choice and use. They expect that the exact sound they want. There are different types of jazz guitar with famous producers like Thomastik-Infeld, D'Addario, Elixir, etc. This is equivalent to the choice of guitar strings jazz sounds right for you.

Jazz Guitar Strings Types

Flatwound - probably the most popular of the swing. These are usually flat cable woundStrings with polished nickel surface to give the player the flexibility and the smooth type of sound you'd expect.

Roundwound - for bebop. While some jazz musicians do not really go for round wound strings, Thomastik-Infeld Jazz producers, like the players and their way of producing them courted. These strings are tight, although the small diameter and play wonderfully at high frequencies, so that the sound has the purity of piano sounds.

Most high quality jazzguitar strings are crafted with a core of carbon steel rather than the usual hex cores. This makes them play better and also vibrates well without the 'preferred motion axis'. These string ends are wrapped in silk to keep the winding intact and to also increase their life.

For those who play blues jazz - and practically everyone who plays jazz does play the blues - the flatwound chrome strings they use are the most preferred. This is because these strings do not create the finger noise associated with other strings, resulting in easy play and better style. But the half round wounds are also popularly used, as they seem smoother and there is more clarity of sound with them compared to flatwounds, making them sound great when playing the blues.

Making The Choice For Jazz Guitar Strings

It is vital, as any jazz guitar player knows, to choose the strings that work best for you, and also make sure you replace them properly when necessary to avoid your guitar detuning. The main things to remember in making your choice are: the brand you select, the composition of the strings, string gauge, and the type of winding.

As far as brand is concerned, you can try a few and choose the ones you feel most comfortable with. As mentioned earlier, the most reputed are Thomastik-Infeld, D'Addario, Elixir, and others.

Guitar strings are usually composed of a core high carbon steel wire with a wrap wire wound around them, which influences the sound of the guitar strings. This material could be nickel, considered the best, or stainless steel for brighter tones, or phosphor bronze for a warmer sound mostly used in acoustic guitar strings. Most classical guitars have nylon strings.

String Gauge refers to the diameter of the first and last guitar string since most guitar strings are sold as sets. Jazz guitar string sets are usually available as .012 - 0.054-inch diameter, which is heavier than those used for other music styles, so that they result in a thicker tone with increased sustain. Most jazz guitarists just starting out to play use lighter sets to first get used to them and then move on to the heavier type. It should be borne in mind that as you progress to an advanced playing level, and switch to a string set of heavier gauge, you must also adjust your guitar neck and the intonation.
The roundwound type of strings have a louder and brighter sound while the flatwound type has a flat ribbon wire with duller, smoother sound. Most jazz guitar strings are of the flatwound type.

Some Jazz Guitar String Maintenance Tips

To get your jazz guitar strings to last longer, remember to wipe them down using a dry cloth after each playing session. It is better to replace your strings just as they begin to wear out. Preferably change the entire set since changing just that one broken string can lose the sync of your sound.

Jazz Guitar Strings - The Right Ones For That Perfect Sound

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