How Notes Move on a Guitar

When starting out on a guitar, it can be really difficult to understand what notes are and how they can be played. It may sound foreign when your instructors and friends say “play a G note then move to a C,” but it is actually a fairly simple concept to grasp with the right explanation.

First, a note is a specific sound or tone in music. In western music, there are seven main notes and five extra notes (called accidentals for the advanced). This makes a total of only twelve notes that can be played on a guitar, but anyone that has picked up a guitar can see that there seems to be many more than twelve notes that can be played. This is because we can play the same note in different places on a guitar’s neck. For instance, a “C” note can be played up high on the neck or down low, and a few places in between, but in reality it is still a “C.” It is important to remember this when you get into music; no matter how complex something seems, just remember that it is always the same 12 notes that make up the music. So know that you understand this, let’s look at how these notes appear and move on a guitar neck.

Notes in music move in alphabetical order (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) but unlike the alphabet which goes from A-Z, when we get to the letter G in our musical alphabet, we just start back over at the letter A. Each note is two frets (the space between the metal bars) from the note before it except for two cases: When we are on the note “B” and move up to the note “C” we only move up one fret. It is the same with the note “E.” When we are on “E” and want to move up to the note “F” we only have to move one fret up. “But what about the frets in between the two notes?” you may be asking yourself. Well, as I mentioned earlier, there are 8 main notes (A-B-C-D-E-F-G), but there are also 5 extra notes (A#-C#-D#-F#-G#). These weird “#” symbols are what we call a “Sharp” in music. So let’s look at this on a guitar. The second-thickest string on a guitar is the A string, so let’s begin there:

So if we play the second thickest string without holding anything down, then we are playing the note “A.” As we move up the guitar neck, the notes move through the alphabet, and every note has a “Sharp” (#) except between B-C and E-F.

This pattern remains the same regardless of what string or note we decide to start on. Here’s a full listing of note names on a guitar neck:So take your time, read over this article a few times and make sure you really understand this concept. This is the foundation on which all music is based, so you must get this before you can effectively move forward in your music education. Just remember that there are only twelve notes in music, and your Guitar Lessons should be far less intimidating!

Top 3 Resources For New Musicians

In today’s world of technology, there are more resources than ever for new music students to advance their abilities; however, sifting through the countless amounts of sights and tutorials can be really overwhelming, especially for someone just starting out in music. We decided to make this search a little simpler by providing new musicians with three amazing (and free) resources to get them started or to complement their lessons. If students take the time to actually utilize these resources, they will see their abilities grow at a rapid pace. Here are the top three resources that new musicians MUST know about:

1. Songsterr - Songsterr is by far my favorite tablature sight on the Internet (note - if you do not know what tablature is, then type it into Google and find out. It is vital that new musicians understand how to read tablature. At least in the beginning, it will be your main form of communication with other musicians). I find that many tablature sites on the Internet contain versions of songs that are just incorrect. I find that because it is harder to upload songs to Songsterr, the songs that do get uploaded tend to be right (unlike sites like Ultimate Guitar where anyone can upload whatever they want).

On Songsterr, you can read and play along with songs in real time. This site utilizes a scrolling marker that points out the notes that are supposed to be played as they arise in the song. This is similar to Guitar Hero’s platform, but for real instruments. Songsterr also includes tab for every instrument that plays on a particular song, and you can listen to them all together or you can mute out the parts that you do not want to hear. This site is free to use, but if you wish to add more features (tempo changing, tuner, etc.) then there is a pay feature as well. If you want to learn a new song, start by typing the song’s name with songsterr after it into Google (e.g. Seven Nation Army Songsterr). There is not a songsterr page for every song out there, but they do have a pretty extensive catalogue.

2. Sightreading Factory - Sightreading (reading music notes off a sheet and then being able to play them without first hearing the music) is a prerequisite to get accepted into many higher-level music programs, and the sooner young musicians begin this, the easier it will be for them. Music is a language, and as most people know, the earlier you learn a language, the more fluent you can become. It is because of this that I love Sightreading Factory. This program is simple and intuitive and fits most every level of sightreader. In the program, students can set their instrument, the key they would like to practice, the level of difficulty, and the time signature, and then sightreading factory will provide them with a short piece of music to read. Once a student thinks that they know how the piece is supposed to go, they can play along with the song in realtime. The basic program is free and you get around five reading pieces a day, or for a fee, you can upgrade to unlimited pieces per day.

3. Backing Tracks on Youtube - This is a great feature that many young musicians overlook on Youtube. Many starting players in music would love to have a band that they can practice soloing with, but many young players either don’t know how to put together a band, or are too nervous about their abilities to do so. That is where backing tracks come in: on Youtube, a musician can type in whatever key they want to solo in followed by the words “backing track” (e.g. A minor backing track) and they will be presented with numerous musical arrangements. These arrangements will have every instrument from a band, except the main lead instrument. Students can use these backing tracks to practice their scales and soloing in different keys, and then when they are ready, they can put together a band of their own and do it for real. There are thousands of different backing tracks for any key imaginable (even more advanced keys like Phrygian Dominant), and there are even band specific backing tracks (e.g. Pink Floyd backing tracks). I have personally spent hours soloing over these backing tracks, and I find that once students start using them, their soloing becomes more fluid in their Music Lessons rapidly.

Music Education A lot like learning a foreign language

 Music is a universal language, anyone can learn how to read and play music no matter what language you speak. In schools these days, music education is being cut left and right. There are many problems because of this, children are losing creativity, memory, and learning skills because they are not able to learn music. Learning music is completely comparable to learning a foreign language in many ways. So why is music education being cut lately? And why is music education so important?

Memorization is a huge part of leaning any foreign language. Anyone who has taken a foreign language class will remember the many hundreds of flash cards that were required to learn words and phrases and colors. Learning music requires the same type of memorization. You will be doing the same thing over and over again until you are able to do it and remember it without any problems. The fact is, children who do practice music education have better memorization skills than those who don’t, which is what can help learning and progressing with a foreign language.

Music is an exercise of the mind. Learning music is comparable to learning a foreign language in so many ways. Because the purpose of learning music is to remember it for the rest of your life, much like learning a second language. With music it starts out slow, learning the basics and understanding the fundamentals of music, then you eventually start to learn the harder parts and structure of music. Eventually you begin to become fluent and learn small bits of songs and start to be able to play them faster and with more accuracy. 

The Ideal age to Start taking Music Lesson

Music is something that connects people in many ways. Music is a universal language that everyone seems to speak and know a lot about. Which is why it is understandable that you would want your child to learn how to play music throughout their life. But when is a good age to start your child with music lessons? You don’t want to seem like one of those pushy parents trying to have your children become a world famous pianist at the age of 13. You just want your child to experience the joys and creativity of learning music and the satisfaction that can be felt while playing music.

The truth is, an introduction to music can be started at a young age. You can get your child a toy instrument and see how well the express interest in it. You next step is to have someone start teaching them Piano, because piano is the foundation of almost all instruments and one of the best to have your child learn at a younger age. As you child starts to grow older though, you will want to introduce them to other instruments. Ask them what instrument interests them and they will want to play. You will also want to ask them what genre or style of music they are interested in, give them musical freedom in what they want to play. Once you figure that out, you will want to look around for your local music instructors. They will be able to provide the best music lessons for your growing child’s unique style of music. As your child grows up, they will develop more skills and start to play more fluently.

In conclusion, there is no specific age to start learning music. Children will grow up with music their whole entire life. If they are expressing interest in learning and playing, then let them learn and play. 

How to Approach learning an instrument

If you have a desire to learn music, you probably have bought yourself and instrument and learned how to play a few chords. You will keep progressing and learning new things, but eventually you may end up stuck at a certain level of playing and not know how to progress. One of the best things you can do is find a music teacher who will help you learn how to play better, faster, and more accurate.

The approach most music teachers take is like teaching a new language. First they will teach you how to talk, then read and write. Your music teacher will first teach you how to play some of your favorite songs, then they will teach you the musical theory behind the songs and why they are written that way and the significance of it.

This is the approach most teachers will take while giving you music lessons. Some other parts may vary, but just know that your music teacher will provide the best experience while learning music that they have to offer.  v

The Benefits of Learning Guitar

Many people in the world play guitar. Everyone at least once in their life has to pick up a guitar and strum along from time to time. But did you know that learning guitar can provide exponential benefits to you and your way of life.

The first thing that guitar is good for is brain activity. Playing guitar has been proven from time to time to improve brain function and make you have a better memory. Guitar increases your memory too, makes your brain sharper. It gives you the ability to memorize things easier. Learning guitar can also provide better perseverance, it will make you be more persistent in your day to day life to get things done because you will be trying your hardest to pluck the right string or strum the right rhythm.

One of the biggest mental factors that learning guitar does is relieve stress and bring personal fulfillment. Music has been proven over and over again to relieve stress just by listening to it, so playing it will relieve stress and also make you feel accomplished with your life. This accomplishment will come from learning how to play your favorite song, or finally being able to play that challenging lead. Playing guitar promotes calming and fulfillment with oneself.

Now, if you have decided to start playing guitar after reading only a handful of the benefits of it, how will you go about doing it? One of the best things you can do is take guitar lessons. Guitar lessons are great because your guitar instructor will be able to help you learn in a timely manner and be able to play how and what you want throughout your guitar playing career. Many guitar instructors will assign personal goals for you to accomplish, which will make you want to strive towards them and will bring you great fulfillment when you do. Learning to play a guitar can provide you with amazing health benefits. 

Learning music can help you connect with people

Learning music can help you connect with people Music is something that is universal. Everyone in the world seems to speak the language of music. Learning an instrument will help you connect with people more easily. There have been studies done on musicians and how calm and at peace they are with the world. It is true, as a musician myself I don't feel angry as easily and I owe that all too learning music! I took some music lessons and eventually got good at playing my guitar, every since then I can connect to almost any musician who plays music. Music has been proven to connect everyone in the world and if everyone played a musical instrument the world would be a better place.