Learn to Play Classical Guitar

The Classical Guitar is a relatively easy instrument to begin with as long as you
get some private tuition and don’t expect to be playing Cavatina within a fortnight.

Start with easy pieces and develop a good technique then progress will probably be quick. There are many pieces of music that sound very good and can be played within a few weeks or months of starting to learn the classical guitar.

Because developing a good technique is essential, a private teacher is highly recommended. If you can’t afford private lessons on a regular basis, just have a few to get you started … picking-up bad habits at the early stage will cause a lot of frustration later.

The plucking hand (usually the right) has fingers lettered as follows:

P = Thumb, i = Index, m = middle, a = ring finger

The left hand fingers are numbered 1 through 4.

Many students of the classical guitar decide to take examination grades to give themselves something to work towards and a goal to achieve. If this is for you, it is definately advisable to get a teacher as music needs to be interpreted correctly and this can only be done with experience.

The Classical Guitar for Children
This is an ideal instrument for children, not least because classical guitars come in different sizes. 1/2 size, 3/4 size and full size are the most popular – the first two being suitable for children. There is also a 1/4 size for children around the age of 5 years. however, this is more of a toy than a musical instrument.

Children who are sensible can learn from the age of six or seven years with a 1/2 or 3/4 size instrument.

Learn To Play Jazz Guitar
Tips and suggestions to get you started – learning the right way and making the most progress with the time that is available for practice.

If you really want a challenge then learning to play Jazz guitar is for you!

Not only will you need a good technique, you’ll also need to be musically creative, have a sound musical knowledge, know lots of advanced chords and have lots of time to practise!

The “C A G E D” chord system is often used as a memory aid and system to learn where chords and the scales and arpeggios based on these chords may be found.

Each scale has five positions based on the above chord shapes along with the corresponding chord and arpeggio. This means that you can cover the entire neck and improvise in five different positions (if you wish) on each chord.

Confused …? it takes a while to grasp but if you play the chord of C in the open position, then as an A shape in the third position, as a G shape (or part of) in the fifth position, as an E shape in position eight and lastly as a D shape in the tenth position.

That gives you five different places to play a C chord, C scale and C arpeggio.

Joe Pass taught this method of integrating the five scales, chords and arpeggios, which he called “forms” and the idea that by keep the approach as simple as possible, the easier it will be to improvise.

That doesn’t mean that improvising is simple, it means that the less you have to think about technical details in your head, the more creative you can be.

Jazz guitar styles overlap (see also: learn to play blues guitar) into other styles such as blues and a good understanding of major, dominant seventh and minor chord sounds will help the inspirational flow.

Jazz Guitar Tutors

Remember, if you can’t play what you hear in your head, it isn’t true improvisation. Also, If you don’t put any sounds in your head by listening to great players, there will be nothing to draw from. Listening to your favourite players is essential to becoming a good player yourself and you will learn to play the jazz guitar more quickly.

There are lots of different styles of blues guitar playing from acoustic to rock and also slide blues guitar. B B King uses a Gibson 345 and Robert Johnson used an old beaten-up acoustic that you could probably buy for next to nothing.

It’s true to say that it’s not the instrument you play, it’s how you play that matters. I guess we would all prefer the Gibson 345 but it really won’t make us into better guitarists, it will just make our tone better … probably, and our pockets a lot lighter!

On the basis that what goes in comes out, if you listen to the riffs that you want to play then you’ll have something inside to draw on when it’s your turn to improvise.

Blues playing is usually improvisational and it has to say something in a musical fashion to be truly meaningful. If it doesn’t mean anything to you when you play it, it won’t mean anything to anyone else either!

As an introduction to blues guitar, the most popular scale is of course the blues scale … I guess that’s obvious! However, there is also the pentatonic minor, which is very similar to the blues scale, and also the mixolydian mode.

The last of these is a major scale with a minor 7th and when you combine the blues and mixolydian mode there isn’t much you can’t play in the blues guitar style.

Blues guitar playing also overlaps into jazz – see also: learn to play jazz guitar

Perhaps the most important place to begin to learn to play rock guitar, is with the style of guitar music that you like most and the other decisions should then be easier to make.

If you like heavy rock, power chords could be a good starting point. If your tastes are a little less heavy, learning to play the blues for example would be a good place to start.

See also: learn to play electric guitar

Learning to read TAB is an essential skill for rock guitar players and listening and copying your favorite riffs from your favorite guitarists is a good idea.

Once you get used to playing and listening to the blues and pentatonic scales, it will open up the possibility of playing most riffs as almost all playing in this style is based on those scales.

Electric Rock Guitars

If you are a beginner, it’s important to be realistic about what you can achieve. learning to play like Jimmy Page in a couple of weeks is being slightly optimistic! but you could learn some chords and the blues scale – very useful for improvising.

Although it is very cool to be self-taught it is usually quicker to get few lessons from a teacher who can give you some realistic goals to achieve and lots of good advice about technique – the way you position your hands and the guitar etc. and that’s something that only someone who can see the way YOU play can help you with.

If you get frustrated practising – just get out the air guitar!

Learning to play the Church Organ from a pianist’s background.

The church organ is an instrument that most people come to already having some experience on the piano. To begin to learn to play church organ without any keyboard experience or knowledge would be a very difficult and long task indeed.

However, many people struggle, especially with learning to play the bass pedals – it’s almost as if you are playing two instruments at the same time instead of one.

It is not that bass pedals are difficult to play on their own, it’s just that when the manuals have to be played too, it becomes really very difficult.

It is my opinion that too much attention is placed on technique and not enough thought given to what is going on in the students mind and how he or she can make natural connections between hands and feet, in a more harmonic and useful way.

There is a sense of “the organ is a piano with bass pedals” approach – the pedals being the extra part that makes playing the organ so difficult.

This, of course, is not true, the organ is very different from the piano, and serves only to make it more difficult to play manuals and pedals together – am I a pianist playing the pedals or an organist?

The main function of a church organist is to play hymns so that the congregation can sing along. This is where, I suggest, someone new to learning the church organ should spend their time, and put Bach to one side for a later day. If you can’t play hymns with pedals, the organ music of Bach will be far too difficult anyway.

The first step is making connections between hands and feet – I am not talking syncronisation or technical know-how, I am talking harmony.

Harmony and chord knowledge put into practice (and practise) immediately as it is learnt, will make connections in the mind between the hand and feet that will, in turn, make the independence required secondary.

Do you consider the independence between your fingers when you play a hymn? probably not often. The fingers do it together because that’s the way they’ve been trained. The feet should also be trained in a similar way to respond to a chord as the fingers do … they should be an extension of the fingers.

There is of course a good pedal technique to be learned, but it is my viewpoint that just playing chords on the manuals and using the pedals at the same time will enable the student to get something connected in their minds … you have to learn to walk before you can walk in a straight line.

As soon as the feet and pedals become part of the same mental thought, playing hymns becomes much easier.

There are several types of banjo, perhaps the most popular of which is the Bluegrass or G banjo. Here’s a good video to give you the flavour of the bluegrass banjo style

Banjo Tutor Books & Instruments

Lots of puff is needed to play this instrument and it takes time to develop a good tone. Of course you only have to play one note at a time.

Getting Started – Your First Note

The flute is made up of three parts; the head joint (with the hole), the body (the part with the most keys) and the foot joint.  To create some actually musical notes would involve assembling the whole flute together, but the hardest part for beginners is to get a good sound before you play any musical notes with the whole flute.

It’s best to just start with the head joint only.  Have the open tube part facing towards your right side. Place your lower lip against the edge of the sound hole and start to blow. Try to use a “tu” sound using your tongue. Try blowing short and long notes while listening with a critical ear.

If you slowly tilt the sound hole of head joint towards you or away from you whilst blowing across the hole, you’ll hear the sound getting fluffy or clearer.  It’s usually best to be facing a mirror to help you to place the inner edge of the sound hole just against your lower pink lip.

Flutes and Tutor Books………….

Depending if you have thin or thick lips will eventually decide where the best place is to place the edge of the inner sound hole to you as the flute has to be tailored to your individual needs to get the best sound for you. Some of the air will blow through the hole and into the tube and some will blow across the sound hole to the outer edge of the sound hole which creates the best sound.

When you feel you have achieved the best sound and you try to memorise where to place your flute to your lips, you can then try to keep the flute still and move your lips to emphasis the sound even more.  When moving your lips into certain shapes is called an embouchure.

The shapes to try are “kissing” shapes as it’s this shape that gives you the high notes for later, and “smiling” shapes which gives you the low notes for later. During “smiling” shapes it helps to think either top lip over and aim the air slightly downwards or lower jaw back while aiming the air slightly downwards. When using “kissing” shapes try to aim the air directly across to the outer edge of the sound hole.

If you try and persevere for a few days on this then you can move on to assemble your flute fully before trying your first few musical notes, by then you shouldn’t have too many problems with your sound.

Learn to Play the Ukulele

An easy instrument to learn is the Ukulele. Great fun to play and inexpensive to buy .
Well, if it was good enough for George Harrison!

So what are you waiting for – choose an instrument and begin the exciting
journey into the world of the ukulele and its many different styles!

The Ukulele is tuned: G C E A (Good Cooks Eat A-lot)

Here’s an excellent video tutorial in the Hawaiian style of playing.
It shows tuning, chords and the strumming pattern required to play “white sandy beach” The ukulele can also be played fingerstyle for a more demanding approach.

The place to start is with a simple strumming pattern, a few chords and here’s a good one to begin with …. the chord of C. Learn a new chord each day and you will be able to play hundreds of songs in no time.

For more chords and a ukulele chord chart go here.

The Mandolin is an amazing little instrument and there are two types.
Flat back which is the folk instrument, and bowl back, which is more of an Italian style.

Not too expensive to buy and easy to transport the mandolin is a lot of fun. It can be as easy or as difficult to play as you wish.

The neck is quite slim so if you have large thick fingers this instrument may not be for you. However, with the sound of Maggie May by Rod Stewart going through your head, it is hard to resist its charm.

If you already play guitar this instrument should be straightforward to learn, howvwer the strings are tuned like a violin (see below).

Low sound to high: string 4=G, 3=D, 2=A, 1=E in pairs.

Play Amazing Grace on the Bagpipes … that would bring a tear to anyone’s eye!

The best way to start is with a practice chanter which is the part that you blow into (above). After you have learnt where the notes are and can play some tunes, it’s time to get the air pumping … you’ll need a lot of puff!

Bagpipe Chanters

If you imagine that the chanter is similar to a recorder and easy to play … you are wrong! It uses a reed (inside) to produce the sound but to play traditional Scottish tunes requires some serious study and to include the extra ornaments with the main notes.

Great for New Year’s Eve and other special occasions.

Bagpipe Resources

Bagpipes Wiki

Bagpiper Directory

Wedding Pipers

Bagpipe Tunes

Practice Chanter

“I would like to be part of a rock band, or any other band for that matter, but not have to practise for years before I can join”.

The Bass Guitar is probably the most accessable instrument in the guitar category. However, playing the bass without other instruments to play along with can be a bit boring. That’s why playing with a CD of your favourite band or puting a chord sequence into Band in a Box will help greatly.

Although the cost of a guitar and amplifier will set you back a little, depending on the quality, a good set-up will last for years.

Knowing where all the notes are (sounds obvious but you’d be surprised!) and understanding chords and inversions are all part of being a good bass player.

The bass isn’t just a melodic instrument but often plays a role in helping to keep a steady rhythm together with the bass drum. If you have a tendency to get faster your drummer (if you play with one) will not be very happy!

Learning to play the electric guitar is an exciting prospect but where to start can confuse anyone. It really depends on the styles of music that interest you.
You can learn strumming, fingerstyle, chords or lead, learn to read TAB or standard notation. These are just a few of the decisions that need to be made in order to get off to the right start.

See also: learn to play rock guitar

A good place to start is to learn a few chords and a strumming rhythm. There are hundreds of songs that can be accompanied with just three chords – A, D and E  for example – and if you like to sing even better! By combining your voice with the guitar chords will help make sense of what you are playing – especially to anyone who is listening in the background.

A simple blues or rock rhythm on two strings or power chords played on two strings can enable the beginner to play and sound like a good guitarist in a very short period of time.

There are hundreds of guitar lessons on youtube and many online courses that offer good value for money.

However, be aware of developing a good technique and hold your hands and the guitar in the correct position. There are many exceptions to the rule, but a good technique and a lesson or two from a private teacher will produce the best results in the shortest period of time.

The electric guitar can be played with a plectrum or fingerstyle. If you want to play like Jimmy Hendrix you’ll need to use a plectrum or end up with very sore fingers!

If you enjoy Chet Atkins or Mark Knopfler a fingerstyle approach would be best. Some players such as Eric Clapton use both their fingers and a plectrum – a very versatile way to play be needs a lot of practice!

Electric Guitar Resources

Guitar Parts

Electric Guitar Wiki

Les Paul

Guitar Chords

Electric Guitar Set-Up

Electric Guitar Tone

Electric Guitar Amps

“I’d love to learn to play the piano but it is probably too late for me at my age …  maybe?”

The Piano is the key (pardon the pun) that can open the door to almost all styles of music and can be learnt at any age.

Rachmaninov’s piano concerto may be a little too ambitious for some, but the piano’s huge repertoire has something for everyone at any standard and any age.

If you decide to follow the classical music route then a private teacher is really important – or at least a few lessons to get you pointing in the right direction.

However, if you are interested in learning to play lots of different styles of music you will be able to get a lot from the tutorials found on youtube and other internet video sites.

See also: learn to play the keyboard

An option for those who don’t have the space for a large piano is an electronic piano with a weighted action. Electric pianos feel the same to play as an acoustic piano but of course take up less room.

A good private teacher is highly recommended if you want to learn to play well.
An alternative is an online course and there are many tutorials available which for a small investment can provide a student with hours of good tuition.

One disadvantage with learn a musical instrument without a teacher is that you
can be doing things that you shouldn’t be … that is picking-up bad habits that only someone watching you will spot.

However, the advantage of learning online is that you can study or practise whenever you want and not have to travel to your teacher.

Remember to keep those wrists up and learn to read music … you’ll make better progress if you do!

The Piano for Vocal Accompaniment

In recent years the singer/songwriter pianist has been a central part of the pop scene. From Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Lennon and McCartney, they’ve all contributed hugely to the modern song repertoire with some of the best songs of the modern pop era.

If you want to play in their style, learn as many chords and their inversions as you can because most piano accompaniment is chord based.

Piano Resources

Piano Technique

Piano Teaching

Techniques for a Beginner

Piano Chords

Piano Scales

Piano Improvisation

“I’ve always wanted to learn to play the drums but they are too loud for my circumstances.”

If you don’t want a conventional drum kit, you can buy a practice or electronic drum kit that is almost silent. You hear the sounds through headphones or you could play through an amplifier with a band. These kits are also a lot easier to transport too!

The drum kit is an instrument that can be learnt reasonably quickly but to play really well takes years to develop an advanced technique and a good “feel”.

Perhaps the most common fault for the beginning drummer is learning to keep the tempo at the same speed throughout a piece, that is, not speeding-up. It is surprisingly difficult to keep a rhythm at exactly the same speed but if you become too aware of the tempo it can affect the “feel” and make your rhythm sound boring and mechanical.

Like most other instruments, a good teacher can help to get you off to a flying start and bad habits picked-up at the beginning by practising without a few playing tips can hinder future progress.

Drum Links

The Drum Kit

History of Drums

Reading Drum Music

Drum Techniques

The keyboard can be as difficult or as easy as you want to make it.

I know people who are in a band playing keyboards and they can only play a few chords. It is also possible to use an automatic accompaniment by holding down one note with the left hand and playing a simple tune with the right hand.

See also: learn to play the piano

This is the quickest way to play the keyboard but I think many people will want more of a challenge and a greater feeling of acheivement by learning to play properly with both hands.

Getting Started

Perhaps the most important tip anyone can give about keyboard playing is to
learn to read music. Of course this takes some time and is a gradual learning process over a long period.

Start with simple tunes that have step or scale-like motion – Spanish Eyes is a good example. Use sounds that sustain such as strings so that long notes won’t decay and left hand chords will remain sounding.

Most keyboards will also have acompaniment rhythms that play both drums and instrumental sounds by holding down one left hand note.

It is also great for composing your own music and you can produce backing
tracks for vocals on the computer.

Learning to accompany songs and vocals, rather than only playing melodies, will add a new dimension to your keyboard playing.

Being able to play lots of chords and understanding harmony will help greatly in becoming good at accompanying singers which, if you sing yourself, would be a great ability to have.

Another aspect of keyboard playing is that you can simulate the sound of other intruments. You can be a brass section or string section as well as a piano player.

All of these have their own playing style and that makes the keyboard a very demanding instrument when played at this higher level.

Keyboard Links

Learn Keyboard

Chord Finder

Jazz Keyboard

Methods – Tutors

Midi PC Connection

“I would like to play an instrument that doesn’t take too long to learn and doesn’t cost a fortune to buy.”

The Blues Harmonic (harp) is a good choice. It is cheap to buy, relatively quick to learn and a lot easier to take on the bus than a double bass!

If you learn to play the blues harp which is also called blues harmonica, it won’t take
a long time to get started. It has been suggested that the only difference between a blues harp player who has been playing for 10 hours and one who has been playing for 10 years is the amount of songs they know!

Of course this is an unfair statement as, like most instruments, it takes a long time to become an expert and play an instrument to its full potential.

However, once you get over the initial challenge of learning where the notes are and whether you should suck or blow, you’ve made a great step forward.

Single Notes

Perhaps the most difficult part to master when you first start, is to be able to play one note at a time. This is more difficult than is often thought when you discover that the holes are small and mouths are a bit too big!

You can learn to blow notes separately by blocking unwanted holes with your tongue or puckering-up to make a small hole and then blow into the harmonica.

Here is an example of notes made when the corresponding holes are blown into a harp in C.

note: C    D      E     F      G     A      B     C
————————————————–
hole: 4    4      5     5      6     6      7     7
——B    D      B     D      B     D      D     B

B=blow D=draw

When you have mastered the scale and the ability to blow one note at a time, you are well on the way to becoming proficient on the blues harp.

Bending Notes

One technique which is an essential part of blues harp playing is the ability to bend notes.
This is achieved by drawing or sucking the notes flat to get that blues sound that is so distinctive of the blues harp style. Bending notes by drawing holes 4 and 5 is a good place to start.

Other techniques include trills learning riffs and chords, and improvising on the blues scale.

Crossharp or Second Position Playing

It should be mentioned that a C blues harp is usually played in the key of G. This is because the C harmonica has F in its scale (rather than the F# in the key of G) and therefore gives a blues sound. When the B natural note is drawn down to a Bb, you get all the notes you need for the blues scale in G. Crossharp chart.

The blues harp can also be used to play other styles of music by using both the major and pentatonic scales.

Blues Harp & Harmonica Links

History of Blues Harmonica

Harmonica Techniques

Harp Tutorial

Harp Tabs

Harmonica Lessons

If you are a complete beginner and have no previous instrumental experience, you will find it quite difficult just getting a simple tune out of your instrument! Furthermore, it will probably sound out of tune until you’ve achieved a good standard of intonation – placing your fingers in the right places – because unlike the guitar, there are no frets.

There is a great series of videos lessons at http://www.chamberhymns.com aimed at helping the complete beginner get started and plenty of instruction for the intermediate and advanced too.

Once over the initial hurdles, the violin is a very rewarding instrument and is great for playing country, folk and jazz music too!

However, it is best to have some lessons from a good teacher or second best, online tuition combined with a lot of practice to achieve a good standard.

If you are looking for an online course for learning to play the violin from your computer, this is excellent: ViolinMasterPro.

Violin Tutors Books & Instruments

Learn how to play Violin from beginning to professional right on your computer from the comfort of your own home. You are going to be playing violin by the end of the day as the ViolinMasterPro system comes with 11 Video lessons, Exclusive Jam tracks, exercises, scales, chords, and step by step instructions for all stages.

In addition to the exclusive system, you will be given 1000+ scales and arpeggios, exclusive resources and our library jam tracks to play along with. Everything you need to learn from start to finish is here. You will be given the tools to develop an incredible skill with a violin.

Visit Violin Master Pro and see what you could achieve.

Violin Links

Violin Resources

Free Sheet Music

Electric Violin

Violin Teachers

Playing the Violin

Elementary Technique

Alexander Technique

Developing a good voice means:

Learning to sing in tune – you would be surprised just how difficult it can be to sing in tune, especially when singing fast, quick notes or long high notes.

Vocal range – whatever your vocal range may be, strengthening the low and high notes is essential to get a good quality sound throughout.

Breathing – breathing from the diaphram makes all the difference when it comes to voice control, also correct air flow through the throat and nose makes a quality sound that projects.

Breathing from the diaphragm is key to singing and it is very important to do it correctly. From the moment we are born we breathe by raising our shoulders and chest so our lings fill with air. Our stomachs compress in as we inhale. When we exhale the reverse happens, the shoulders lower and our stomachs expand. We have a natural ability to do this but unfortunately this is quite opposite when we sing from the diaphragm!

Breathing from the diaphragm does not always come so easy to us and is taught to those who learn singing, woodwind or brass instruments and is used as a relaxation technique.

When you take a deep breath in, try making your stomach expand, this can be tricky at first but in doing so, your shoulders will remain steady without rising. Physically your diaphragm pinpointed just below your rib cage will expand during the inhale instead of your lungs within your chest, if you achieve this it will eventually enable you to sing notes over a longer period of time and with a better quality tone. The more practice you do the better you will get.

To help you with this exercise, it is better to stand with your feet slightly apart just wider than your shoulder width, this will steady you in case you feel a bit light headed. Place your hands on your waist with the middle fingers of each hand touching fingertips just underneath the rib cage while the thumbs face towards your back, doing this enables you to feel your stomach expand which in turn should push your middle fingertips apart so you can feel which parts of your body need to move.

Try to keep your shoulders down, stand in front of a mirror to help you. You will probably notice and feel that the diaphragm pushes out first during the inhale then the shoulders rise during the final part of the exhale. This can be eliminated with more practice. As you become more experienced, you will feel your thumbs start to be pushed out from your side waist until eventually your back actually expands too during the inhale.

It helps to paint a mental picture of a doughnut or car tyre being squashed round your waist so you have to push your stomach out and let your waist expand to break free from the doughnut or car tyre!

As you become more advanced you will find it is one thing to take long breaths as a diaphragm exercise and another to sing many notes, let alone one! This is because using many notes of different pitch, low and high uses a lot more air, consequently the air escapes quicker.

During your diaphragm breathing exercises breath in through the nose or mouth filling the diaphragm so your waist is fully expanded then hold for a count of two seconds before SLOWLY exhaling. Doing this will allow you to really feel the diaphragm full and to try and control it as you exhale as it is quite natural to just let the air escape very quickly but doing this will defeat the object of the exercise.

Breathing in from the nose or the mouth?
Different singing teachers have differences of opinion on this. The main thing to remember is if you breath from the nose the air is purer and the mouth stays moist allowing you to get the correct mouth shape for the next set of words. This works well if you are working through a slow song but when a song is very fast it is extremely difficult to breath through your nose.

When you are singing a very fast song it is better to breathe through your mouth as you inhale from the diaphragm because you can draw air in quicker that way than through the nose. The air is less pure through the mouth and the air will make the mouth dryer but you would hardly notice as the breath would be so quick.

When you are nervous your mouth becomes dryer but if you are breathing correctly through the diaphragm, this will encourage you to keep your shoulders down which in turn will help the body to relax. So if you know which parts of the body need to be moving and working in the right order, you will be able to sing the song better whether it be slow or fast.

Diction – there are of course some styles of music that require no diction at all! However, to be able to hear sung words clearly is an essential part of communicating with an audience … if they don’t know what you are singing about they may decide not to listen.

Probably the easiest instrument to get started. The voice is full of character and is the most recognisable instrument. However, it is often the most under-rated because anyone can sing … right … NO … it really is difficult and takes time to learn to sing well – just as much time as if you learn to play a musical instrument like the violin or guitar etc.

Getting a singing teacher and having a few lessons can make a huge difference. Of course like any other instrument it takes time to learn, but learning the basics of singing can avoid strain and damage to the vocal chords – you can change your guitar strings but you can’t change your throat!

Singing Vowels and Useful Tips

When we speak our vowels we say A E I O U
When we sing our vowels we need to shape our mouths and sing making them pronounced in a different way:

A=Ahh    E=ehh    I=I    O=oh    U=yoou

Pure vowels (one at a time) are sung to emphasize the vowel, for example, more rounded oh and oo sounds and longer shaped ah sounds. All the vowels except for the letter E, are all made by stretching the lower jaw towards the chest, keeping the front part of the tongue flat against the lower part of the mouth and opening up the throat as much as possible.

Opening up the throat
If you look into a mirror and try yawning, you will see the roof at the back of the mouth rising, this is opening up your throat to sing and needs to be used in conjunction with diaphragm breathing and focusing on placing notes to obtain an overall better quality of vocal singing sound.

The vowel of E is the hardest one to sing as naturally the mouth wants to stretch into a horizontal shape, in doing this the sound will come out thin. To create a thicker sound for the vowel of E, try lowering the jaw towards the chest as you would for the other vowel sounds, at the same time lower the front of the tongue behind the lower front teeth and say eh. Now compare these words by singing them in your usual way to the new vowel shaped way:

Me=Meh    See= Sey

If sung correctly, you should hear a definite thicker sound.

Diphthongs (composite vowels) need to be analysed first. It is best as a general rule to sing as long as possible on the first vowel sound then change to the second vowel just before the next syllable.

Check the lyrics on any song you like to sing and analyse how you would sing them. Checking the song lyrics like this can be quite revealing how you would create a better sound for yourself.

Useful Tips
Try and warm up first by doing breathing exercises from the diaphragm and long warm up notes or scales. It is always better to stand up and sing then to sit down. If you do have to sit down, keep your back straight and legs uncrossed, let your diaphragm use it’s full capacity without any obstructions.

Do not use a full voice during rehearsals prior to a concert or service. Always breathe properly but only use half the vocal power, you need to retain your full effort for the main event, not for the rehearsal!

Practice singing in front of a mirror, check your shoulders remain down, head up and pronouncing your sung words properly.

Lastly, enjoy singing! If you sing the song and understand the meaning of the song, you will express yourself better and give your audience a more pleasing performance.

Reasonably inexpensive, the guitar acoustic is great for vocal/guitar has got to be number one.

Just a few chords and you’ll be able to play hundreds of songs. You’ll probably want to avoid ”home on the range”!

Fingerstyle or strumming, there is a huge range of musical styles that are playable on the acoustic guitar and you can buy one for a very reasonable price.

Getting Started

Being able to change from one chord to another, without stopping, is among the most important things to practise when beginning to learn the acoustic guitar.

Start with the easiest chords such as A major and E major then practise changing back and forth, trying to narrow the time gap.

Play songs such as Yellow Submarine and He’s Got The Whole World slowly, both of these can be played with just two chords.

For strummers, a simple up and down rhythm is all you need to begin with. Down strums on the beat and up strums in between.

Fingerstyle is more complicated but can be learnt from a classical or folk approach.  The Folk style may be found at folk guitar fingerstyle.

Step-By-Step method of how to play acoustic guitar like the Eagles, Jack Johnson, Joni Mitchell, Ben Harper, James Taylor …. and more. For one of the best online tuition packages here’s a good one.

Acoustic Guitar Links

Acoustic Guitar Forum

Guitar History

Acoustic Pickup Review

Guitar Accessories

Changing Strings

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High Note Music

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High Note Music