GuitarGoneMad!

My website goes live....

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:37:00 +0000

Ok..... now this justifies why I have not been so active on this blog lately....
I have just launched my first web development project - Noise OK Please. Had been working on this for past 2 months. In the mean time I also started another blog DigitalBurp!. So all in all, guitaring had taken a back seat.

Noise OK Please is an online community for musicians, and music enthusiasts. There are user profiles and lot many things to do. Please visit and register yourself.
*Band profiles are under construction

This website is primarily developed to publish my work and make it available to recruiters for reviewing so that they can give me a cool job offers or projects [:)]. But sooner or later, I will also be considering the business aspect of it.

Please visit the site and enjoy!

PS: Hopefully now I can work for some guitar related stuff...

PPS: Oh!.. and btw, I also performed with an inhouse band at All India PaGaLgUy meet '09 which took place at 23 & 24th May at Arnala Beach resort near Mumbai. Had great fun there.

A different approach to remembering scales

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Long time no post! Had been busy for a while. Anyways after a gap of two months, here comes an approach that will definitely help you extract more from scales..

Few days back, I decided that I had to sit and work on the concept of circle of fifths. Now circle of fifths is all about keeping in mind that while playing in so and so key, so and so notes are played sharp/flat. This should work fine on the keyboards where sharps and naturals are visually distinguishable. But on a guitar fretboard, comparatively it becomes a difficult task.
This is where this approach struck me..

Here it goes.. to keep it simple I will be talking about just the A major scale.. but it can similarly be applied to any other scale

Point #1: We have to play 7 notes of the scale and the root note again..so total 8 notes
Point #2: As we end on the root note, it also becomes the starting point to play the scale again
Point#3: So by remembering the starting points and end points on different strings we come up with patterns

Start on 6th string & End on 6th string:
This is a single string scale pattern which can easily be arrived at using the scale formula.
And it can be played on all strings alike.

Start on the 6th string & End on 5th string
Take root A on the 5th fret of 6th string. This is our start point. The end point on the 5th string is on the 12th fret. In between notes can be played any how!

A---------------------7---9----11---12----|-----
E---5---7---9---10------------------------|-----

Start on the 6th string & End on 4th string
Again start point as A on 5th fret and the end point on the 4 string is on the 7th fret. In between notes can be played any how!

D-----------------------------6----7--|----
A----------------5----7---9-----------|-----
E---5---7---9-------------------------|-----

Applying the similar concepts through out, following patterns can be developed

G--------------------------------1---2--|----
D-----------------------2----4----------|----
A-------------4---5---------------------|-----
E---5---7-------------------------------|-----

With starting point on the 5th string ie 12th fret

G-------------------------------13--14--|----
D-------------------12--14--16----------|-----
A---12---14---16------------------------|-----

B--------------------------------9--10-|---
G-----------------------9---11---------|----
D-------------11---12------------------|-----
A---12---14----------------------------|-----

With starting point on the 4th string ie 7 fret

B----------------------------7---9---10-|---
G----------------6---7---9--------------|----
D-----7----9-----------------------------|----

E--------------------------------4--5-|---
B-----------------------5---7---------|----
G-------------6---7------------------|-----
D---7---9----------------------------|-----

With starting point on the 3rd string ie 2 fret

E----------------------------2---4---5-|---
B----------------2---3--5--------------|----
G-----2----4---------------------------|----

Starting on the second string and first string is very easy..So I am leaving that part for you to work

One more thing, this is about going up... best part is that while coming down we find ourselves running over notes in other patterns of the same scale. And this is how everything connects on the fretboard!

Similar approach can be applied to other scales to develop patterns.

So this was about scale patterns Hope you found it useful!

Chords Part II

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:50:00 +0000

In this article you will learn, how the diminished chords and the seventh chords are formed.
Lets take an A major scale again-

A -B C# .D -E- F# G# A
1 _2 _3 _4 -5 -6 _7 _.8

Major Seventh - 1 3 5 7 - Amaj7 - A C# E G#

Minor Seventh - 1 3b 5 7b - Am7 - A C E G

Dominant Seventh - 1 3 5 7b - A7 - A C# E G

Diminished chord - 1 3b 5b - Adim - A C D#

e----0----|----0----|----0------|----2----|
B----2----|----1----|----3------|----1----|
G----1----|----0----|----0------|----2----|
D----2----|----2----|----2------|----1----|
A----0----|----0----|----0------|---------|
E----0----|---------|-----------|---------|
__Amaj7___Am7_______A7__ __Adim

Theory behind the commonly used chords

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:56:00 +0000

Chords

Chords are nothing but a group of notes that sound good! You may be thinking that this is probably the worst definition of 'Chords'. But actually speaking, if you can spot 3 or 4 notes that sound good or atleast dont sound terrible, then you would be playing a chord, although,of course, without knowing its name.

Chords are used as the building blocks of what is known as rhythm in various forms of music including rock, blues, jazz, pop etc. Group a few chords together and play them over and over again in a fixed timely pattern and you will get a chord progression. Different (but closely) related chord patterns will make up for the basic framework of a song.

Chords are built from scales. I ll be covering 9 commonly used chords in this article which are :- major, minor, power chords, suspended chords(2), seventh chords(3), diminised chords (1).
All these chords are build from the major scale.

Lets take an A major scale-

A -B C# .D -E- F# G# A
1 _2 _3 _4 -5 -6 _7 _.8

Amaj: 1 3 5 notes of the major scale - A C# E

Amin: 1 3b 5 ie the 3rd note in the major scale is flattened - A C E

A5 (Power Chord): 1 5 - A E

Asus2: 1 2 5 - A B E

Asus4: 1 4 5 - A D E

e----0----|----0----|------------|----0----|----0----|--
B----2----|----1----|------------|----0----|----3----|--
G----2----|----2----|----2-------|----2----|----2----|--
D----2----|----2----|----2---7---|----2----|----2----|--
A----0----|----0----|----0---7---|----0----|----0----|--
E----0----|----0----|--------5---|----0----|----0----|--
____A_____ Am_______ __A5__ _____Asus2___ Asus4

The remaining chords will be covered in the next section.

Tremelo Assault! (Part III)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:21:00 +0000

Ok now comes the best part- that is making your guitar scream, moan, cry, groan,... whatever while you have the last laugh!

I mean executing the whammy tricks..

A Refesher: Imagine you are holding the whammy rod in your picking hand while your hand is in the normal picking position. From here onwards I ll be referring to this side as the front side. We will talk abt the back side later.

Pushing the rod down with your fingers will lower the pitch. This is often called a 'dive' as you can actually feel the sound dropping down as if it has dived.
Now pull it away from the strings.. the pitch will rise

Make sure you practice this first and get a feel of the pitch change before you move to the next section of this lesson.

Ok so you got accustomed to your wang bar!Now try these one by one

1) Play a natural harmonic on any of the frets (5,7,12,19,..{3.2}) Refer to the N.H. lesson for more info regarding this. When you hear the harmonic clearly, Push the rod down suddenly and allow it to come up on its own by reducing the pressure of your hand on it. Mark that you dont have to pull it up.. allow it to come up slowly.

2) Now try exactly the reverse thing.

3) Play an artificial harmonic and use the rod in any direction you wish

4) Play a trill (trill is nothing but hammer-ons and pull-offs played alternately in a rapidly flowing pattern while picking only for the first time. Now use whammy.

5) Push the rod down before playing anything and allow it to come up as in the first case after you play the note. This trick can infact be used to goosebumping effects.

6) Play a chord on a dry signal and use the rod delicately..

7) The Joe Satriani trick: He uses this in almost all of his songs. Play an open string artificial (pinch) harmonic with your picking hand and use the whammy bar with your fretting hand getting it across on the body. I have tried this in my Extremist cover video. Goofed it up :P. Actually I am genuinely at my worst when I am being filmed! ;)

8) The Steve Vai and Dimebag Darrel trick: Get the whammy bar on the back side of the bridge. Good if it stays there.. (mine doesnt stay in place ..unable to figure out why) Now play an harmonic and push it down on this side which is same as pulling it up from the front side. Only thing is that pushing is usually easier than pulling. Now for the Steve Vai trick play some thing like the most common two string bend in the pentatonic scale. Now hit your whammy bar on the back side. A bit difficult to explain in words. Watch 'for the love of god' video to get what I am exactly trying to say.

9) Now this is the thing that I saw one guy doing .. I find it pretty difficult to do.. Play dives while you are at a smoothly flowing legato lick! Believe me its visually so crazy that the audience will start worshiping you from that very moment if you manage pull this out on stage!

Try these 9 tricks, practice them to perfection and use them to add colours and flavours to your own compositions. In the meanwhile i ll add to this list as and when I discover something new.

Lastly some DON'TS
If you ask for my honest opinion do not overdo whammy. Substituting whammy for a vibrato is a big 'NO'. Vibrato is vibrato ....period!

Use your whammy wisely (It can actually save you.. check this video out to know what I am trying to say! watch Vai's solo closely)
Till next time 'Ibanez and Tama drums are the coolest!!!'

Tremelo Assualt! (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:40:00 +0000

Tuning the guitar (with tremelo systems)

Since the bridge is held in position by the string pressure on one side and the spring pressure on the other, if tuning of one of the strings is changed, then the other strings will also go out of tune by themselves inorder to keep the tension in the spring constant. While tuning the guitar, as you tune the strings one by one to their correct frequencies, the tunings of all the strings which were previously tuned will get affected. This can become very very frustrating at times. But by fooling around you can always develop your own little trick! This is what I have come up with..

1) Firstly, loosen all the three nuts or the allen screws on the string locking plate with the help of an allen key (usually provided with the guitar). Care should be taken that the screw doesnt come out completely cos it will make the square to fall out of the slot and things will get messy. 180 degrees turn of the allen key is more than enough.

2) Now, rotate the fine adjustment screws on the brigde so that 1st and 2nd string screws are in the middle position. The extent of unscrewing should increase from 1 & 2 to 5 & 6. That is 5 & 6 screw should be in highest position, then 3 & 4 and then 1 & 2 which should fairly be in the middle position.
Now start tuning using the pegs. At first tune to correct frequencies. As you move from 6th to 1st string it will be observed that when 2nd and 1st strings are tuned correctly, the tuning on 3rd and 4th strings drops slightly whereas for 5 & 6 string it drops more. Now use the screws to adjust these slight changes. When its done, all screws would be at the same level.

3) When tuning is done, tighten the nuts (or the allen screws.) This will also cause a bit of pitch rise in all strings. It can be fixed though the screws.

4) Keep the allen key in a safe place!

So the guitar is tuned and ready to be used. After some amount of playing, the strings will lose the tuning. Slight changes can be adjusted using the screws. When the screw reaches its upper or lower limit, its time to re-tune your guitar by repeating the procedure.

P.S. There was a bit of a doubt in my mind whether I should post this here as I wasnt sure if it will work on other tremelo bridges or other guitars. Yesterday I tried this thing on a ESP. It worked just the same way it works on my axe. THis reconfirms my faith in this method.

The Tremelo assault!! (Part I)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Even before I picked up the guitar, I was much fascinated about whammy bar aspect of it. Last year I got my Ibanez Rg350ex which has a Edge III tremelo bridge on it. After fooling around for a while I can finally say that I have atleast got accustomed to it, if not mastered it completely. This is the first article in the series of articles on Tremelo system on guitars. So get ready for the tremelo assault!!

Before coming to whammy tricks its necessary to understand that there are three types of bridges used on guitar -
1) Fixed bridge which are firmly fitted on the body of the guitar, so no relative movement here.

2) The one way tremelo bridge also comes with a tremelo rod. But it cannot be used for whammy tricks due to many limitations such as no double locking.

3) A floating bridge or a two way tremelo system.

Edge III is of the 3rd type and although many people have negetive reviews regarding it, I like the bite!

The Principle: If you have seen a tremelo system it is quite easy to understand the principle on which its working is based. The bridge is loosely mounted on the body in a rectangular slot (to allow movement) and it has springs on its back sides.The system is setup in such a way that when the guitar is in tune, the spring tension at the back is exactly equal to the string tension. So the bridge is held in place under tension from both sides. The tremelo arm or rod is used just to reduce effort and for the ease of play. When it is pulled, the strings are stretched and the pitch rises. Similarly when it is pushed down, the bridge moves forward and the strings become slack. This causes the pitch to drop.

An essential part of the tremelo system is the string locking piece near the headstock. It has three (usually square shaped) pieces and nuts that lock the 6 strings from this end. In absence of it the strings would lose their tuning after a few dives, which is exactly the case with the 2nd type of bridge mentioned above..

After these nuts are tightened the strings cannot be tuned using the tuning pegs. For this fine adjustment screws are provided at the rear end of the bridge.

There are a few drawbacks of this sytem the first one being that if any of the string breaks then the guitar becomes useless! I mean you cannot continue playing the other 5 strings as they will go out of tune immediately. Second is that if I play a bend on one string, the other strings will go out of tune. So, if I play any of those very common 2 string bend licks in minor pentatonic then it sounds out of pitch.

But having said that, I think these limitations hardly matter when you are producing that cool sound!! In the next article I will be covering some tips for tuning strings on a tremelo system...do visit again to check out..

How to MOSH!!

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 07:52:00 +0000

Ever wondered there would be guidelines for MOSHING!

check this out!!

Lesson 5(c): Harmonics Part 3(Tapped Harmonics)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:04:00 +0000

Tapped harmonics.
As the name suggests these harmonics are executed using two handed tapping technique..if u are not familiar make sure u get acquainted with it before reading this lesson.

Remember the way we played Natural harmonics on 12th fret on the G string by dividing the string into two equal parts (if you haven't read the previous lesson on Natural Harmonics pls read it here ). Imagine that you are actually fretting the zeroth fret on G string ie where the nut holds the string to give an open G and your picking hand (which in this case is the tapping hand) does the same thing on the 12th fret that your fretting hand did earlier then theoretically the note played will be the same. The difference will be in the sound as here tapping is used instead of picking.

Now similarly try to play a C tapped harmonic on the G string by fretting C (5th fret) with ur left hand and tapping on the metallic strip on the C (17th fret) with ur right hand. So again we have divided the string length into two halves to produce an overtone.

If you remember, we had also divided the string into 3 equal parts in lesson 5a by playing harmonic on D (7th fret) on G string. Now if you observe carefully,D is the 5th note in the G Major scale. Then, the open note was G. Now since we are fretting a C we will consider C Major scale and the corresponding 5th note here is G which is 12th fret on 3rd string. So in this case a harmonic can be produced by tapping on the 12th fret. Care should be taken that you tap on the metallic strip and not in between the strips and that no picking is involved here, just tapping.

Thus tapped harmonic is an important tool that enables us to extend the concept of natural harmonics to all notes and doesn't keep it confined to only the open string notes..

Regarding tapping I would say figure out the technique that works for you and feel free to tap with whichever finger you are comfortable with. I tap with my middle finger so that my index finger can continue to hold the pick.

Note: If the note is picked and then the string is slightly touched just above the metallic strip of the respective fret, even then the harmonic will be produced. Of course giving a different sound. The point is feel free to experiment..

So here we have come to the end of this series on Harmonics. I hope u have enjoyed. Feel free to comment. Next week I am planning to post something about cool whammy bar techniques that I have recently learnt... enjoy!

The 'HAPPY 2009 JAM!!!'

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Me and my cousin Aditya jammed on the first day of the new year.
random jam on the song Holiday by Greenday

And THE EXTREMIST by Joe Satriani covered by me

Gear used:
Vineet - Ibanez RG350ex, Zoom 606 guitar effects processor, Marshall MG30DFX
Aditya - (god knows what)strat!, Boss DS-2(i simply love the bite!), kustom 20W amplifier.

Have a great 2009!!!

Week 6:Harmonics Part 2 ( Pinch Harmonics)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:32:00 +0000

Just the way Natural Harmonics can make the strings vibrate at frequencies in the multiples of 1,2,3 of the actual frequency of the notes on frets 12, 7 and 5 respectively, pinch harmonics can make them vibrate at much higher frequencies.

Pinch harmonics(P.H from here on) are often referred to as guitar squels, becauses of the high piched sound.

To master this technique, follow these simpe steps.

1) Make sure you are using considerable gain on your amp/processor.

2) Play an E on the 9th fret, 3rd string. When the note is still ringing,make a contact with the string by brushing a part of your thumb with it just for a moment and then move ur thumb aside. If u hear a sound as if someone just screamed, you have done it!

3) Initially other strings will also ring out which is undesirable. Best way to avoid this is to use a bend or a vibrato to get sustain. This will give you sufficient time to focus on touching the string part.

4)Figure out the best way you can do it. I use the following technique - While picking I move my thumb inside out ie I take it close to the strings and then move it away when the sound is produced.

5) I find the 3rd strin the third strin the most convinient one.Once basic technique is mastered on the 3rd string, try it on other strings. IMO 1st string is the most difficult to play a PH on but if u can get it right believe me, its real goosebumping experience for the listener.

6) Also try to play it across the length of the fretboard. Its not all that easy on the higher frets.

7) Experiment by using PH with bends, slides, whammy bar, whatever sounds cool to you.

8) Donot listen to people who say u need to have a particular way of holding the pick to play P.H. Believe me this works with any damn pick holding style. I have seen some people playing PH while picking with their fingers. One guy I seen, can infact make contact with his palm (just the ways one palm mutes) while picking closer to the fretboard. This way he can play a fast run with PH throughout. So the aim is just getting the sound..

9) Finally donot forget to listen players who use PH extensively like Dimebag Darell (Pantera), Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai... Try covering their songs.

Go feel the pinch!! [:D]

"This is how I developed scales!"........WHAT THE....!

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Now this guy has got the most unconventional style that i have ever seen. But he completely murders the fretboard anyways!
Actually a part of the melodic control lesson by Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth and Cacophony)....I have the full video which i must have watched over 100 times...still can't get enough of it..

Week 5: Harmonics Part 1(Natural Harmonics)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:15:00 +0000

For someone who enjoys exploring all the areas of Rock and Blues guitar playing, its impossible not to stumble upon the concept of harmonics. Harmonics is an effective means of giving the finishing touches to a guitar solo or a fill.
By definition as per acoustics, Harmonic is the multiple of frequency of signal. So when you play harmonics of a particular note on your guitar, you are playing a sound whose frequency corresponds to the multiple of the freq of the note.
But as I have always been saying that such technical info will hardy help you to get the right sound, lets get down to practical knowledge.

Over the next 3 weeks I will post lessons on this important technique in a series of posts each dedicated to one type of harmonics.
There are 3 basic types of Harmonic techniques used on a guitar (preferrably on an electric guitar.)This lesson covers the first and the basic type ie Natural HArmonics

1) Natural Harmonics

Normally when we fret notes, our fingers make contact with the fretboard and the string in the space in between the two metal bars or edges.
Natural Harmonics are played by slighly touching along with the string, the metal edge itself and not fretting it in between. You only need to gently touch your finger.

Second important point is that natural harmonics will occur prominently on only select frets which are 5th, 7th, 12th, 19th.
There are also other places where harmonics can be played but these positions are between the frets and not directly on it. HEnce these are difficult to strike.For example if you can imagine the 3rd fret divided into 10 equal parts, then 3.2 position will give a harmonic.
Although practice can make anything possible,but still the above 4 positions are sufficient to make your guitar ring like a bell!

Third point is that do not forget to use a good amount of gain on your amp and a sustain if you are using any effects. That will make it sound 'bold'.

Further, use the bridge pickup for playing harmonics so that the sound carries more weight.

NExt thing to do is variation.Try with different guitar effects and modulations like distortion, phaser, pitch shif, tremelo (effect), pedal wah wah etc..etc..etc.
Then there is whammy bar to pull if you have one...

There is no use in learning techniques if they are not used while improvising. Try to fit a NH in your composition or while improvising on a piece.

This technique is extensively used by Joe Satriani in his songs. Learn SAtch if you really want to get this working for you. In his 'Summer Song', a harmonic on the 4th fret has been played. Try getting that right.There are many other arists apart from him who use this to colour their solos and rythem patterns.

Practice Hard and donot forget to bookmark this blog! More coming soon.

Week 4: The Major Scale

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:40:00 +0000

Scales

Learning the Scales is an important part of learning music. A scale is where melody comes from and on the basis of which chords are built. Plus, its not all that difficult !

A scale is nothing but a group of notes. As we know there are 12 notes, hence there are 12 major scales just the way there are 12 minor, pentatonic,……’any damn’ scales. The first note of the scale is called the root note and the scale is referred as ‘root note’ + ‘type’ for eg. C major , C# minor etc.

In this lesson I’ll focus on the major scale. But before that a quick refresher…

On guitar, 1 fret = 1/2 step (H)

2 frets = 1 step or whole step (W)

In fact, these intervals are given names like unision, minor 2nd, major 3rd etc. But there is no point in discussing those before knowing the scales. I’ll try to dedicate a lesson to it. For now just make sure the above representation is understood.

The major scale is constructed in the following manner

So in short W W H W W W H

Lets take the G major scale played on 1 string in 1 octave. 6th string 3rd fret is G

Now, to play any root note major scale just start with that note and follow the above sequence. Simple..

This was about playing on a single string. Now we try to compress the pattern by making use of other strings as well. The box is a generic representation of all major scales over 2 octaves. To play any major scale, start with that root note on the 6th string and follow the pattern.

Can you find the other generic major scale pattern? This one is spread over 5 frets and is my personal favourite as an exercise..

Getting back to scales in general, one can create his own scale y just fooling around over the fretboard without having the knowledge of it's name. But there will be already a name given to it for sure.

Which famous guitarist are you?

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Which famous guitarist are you? Your Result: Dimebag Darrell Music to you is just a chance to have fun and just play. After the show you like to party hard and drink withthe guys. You are not afraid to be in the spotlight. Heavy music is where its at. You find that nothing cures a hangover like more alcohol.
Synyster Gates
David Gilmour
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
Adam Jones
Tom Delonge
Which famous guitarist are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

This is my result!.....OfCourse cant be accurate enough but good if you are looking to kill some time!

Week 3: Tips for self-learners (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:29:00 +0000

So you can manage the ‘Paranoid’ or ‘Smells like ….’ solo note perfect and in time, but the problem is that it ends up sounding sloppy. If this is the case then don’t be disheartened. In fact its time to feel good about yourself that your playing is going to improve soon. And I am not saying, this will be because of my lesson. It will be you, who will be totally responsible for that. Yes, I have noticed that whenever I felt I am not satisfied by my playing, I have improved. And I am sure that this is true for everyone of us. So enjoy this week’s lesson with an open mind…and don’t forget to post any of your doubts.

As I said earlier, if you think your solos sound ‘lazy’ then may be you don’t hear them properly and hastily jump at trying them. Try listening to them through your headphones…over and over again concentrating on each note, each bend, each hammer on, each slide etc… just the leads nothing else. Try to visualize it…your fingers moving over the fretboard. And after listening to it for some 5-6 times you would have already come to know what I am talking about.

1) Vibrato: In case you don’t know…. http://www.cyberfret.com/techniques/vibrato/index.php
All the notes that have a sufficient sustain are played with a vibrato. The intensity and ‘speed’ may vary . For all other notes that are just ‘passed by‘, are played without vibrato…in fact here there is no scope and no requirement either.

2) Bends: If you are not familiar…. http://www.cyberfret.com/techniques/bends/index.php
It is important to bend to the right pitch. And at the same time it is important to use a vibrato (at the higher pitch). The ability to do this properly can single handedly give professional feel to your solos.

3) Are you using too much hammer ons?
We tend to do this to escape from shredding. Well to some extent it is fine ;), but just hammer ons and pull offs and no picking at all can make it sound loose…

4) Finally most important point- Move from easy to difficult songs gradually. The aim should be to utilize our favourite songs and solos to better our technique.

I remember long time back I tried to play Summer Song by Joe Satriani and was totally screwing it up. Then I read an interview of Warren Mendonsa (BlackStratBlues and Ex-Zero) in which he had said, ‘ A guitarist can only play as fast as he can think’. I completely dropped that song and tried it again a few yrs later. Now I can pull that out, although,, of course, only decently.

The point is that aim high but when it’s not going well, just sloooow dooown!

Christmas in July!

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:52:00 +0000

Before I post the lesson for this week, here is something I found on an old backup disc and would like to share it here.

This is a tab for a song called Christmas in July, by Zero, one of India's most loved bands ( sadly disbanded after this I-rock). Track # 5 from their album Hook

I had tabbed this around an year and a half ago. You will need Guitar Pro 5 installed on PC to run the file. Guitar Pro can be downloaded from here

and the file Christmas in July

Please excuse the lame drums track and phew! no bass.....
Still drop in your comments about the tab... I try and post more..

PS: Presently I am using Rapidshare for file hosting... any other recommendations are welcome...

Guitar Hero 3 - Raining Blood

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Well, I havent tried this thing out but really interesting stuff...
Check out this video. Not a perfect one but a decent attempt considering the song

Playing Chords..

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:09:00 +0000

Having a hard time playing chords with clarity? Try this exercise

Take a very simple and a basic chord shape say E major

----0-------
----0-------
----1-------index finger
----2-------middle
----2-------third
----0-------

Use the above mentioned finger positions and strum only down strokes at the rate of 4 strokes per measure (4/4 time signature *) Dont miss out on the metronome.

Between two consecutive strokes, lift the fingers slightly and again press your fingers down without dampening any of the strings. Do this for some time at slow tempo and then increase it. Work on different chords and finally work between different chords and you are done....

A point to remember is that while u switch between chords, continue strumming with ur other hand without bothering whether ur fingers are positioned correctly or not. In fact don't double check. What is important is not stopping.
Once u are able to strum clearly, arpeggiate the chord ie play each note separately, including the open notes.. to ensure that ur fingers are not dampening the open string...

* Don't bother if that goes ununderstood, keep playing following a rythmic pattern..
I ll post a theory lesson soon ;)

Keep practicing!

Week 2: Learning the notes on the fretboard.

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:37:00 +0000

It is a frequently asked question whether knowing all the notes on the fretboard is necessary. Difficult to comment whether it is necessary, but it can be a life saver for sure in difficult situations. Say for instance in the middle of a guitar solo, the cord comes off the plug or a string breaks. The flow of the solo is disturbed and if u are accustomed to pulling out note-perfect solos u may find yourself in a soup. The only way out is to improvise ie to follow the chord progression and the selection of notes has to be done runtime! This is where knowledge of the notes helps. Moreover it also makes composing riffs (that don’t sound the same!) a lot easier because u know what u are playing and hence avoid repeating the same pattern.

So this week’s lesson is about learning the notes. But before that it is important to understand the right approach that needs to be followed. Please note that no one is going to ask u the question, ‘What note is 14^th fret on the d string?’, and expect a answer from u in seconds. All that matters is how well ur mind and fingers can recognize notes while playing. So the best way to do this is to learn while playing.

Follow the following exercise regime and see how it works wonders for u in no time..

First take a piece of blank paper and draw a rough sketch of the fretboard and name all the notes on it. This is your reference sheet which will come in handy while starting out.

Once this is done, start with any note on ur guitar ie play the note… say E. Now with the help of the fretboard image that u have drawn, spot (as in play) the note E in all the positions. While playing watch out for how the note E repeats over the fretboard. Do this for all the notes. Soon u will see a pattern developing.

Once this basic exercise is done, try gaining speed. Set a time frame within which u need to spot (play) a particular note in all possible positions on the fretboard.

Start with 20 secs ie give urself 20 secs to play all E notes on the fretboard. Gradually reduce upto 5 secs. Do this for all the notes.

So, in effectively 1 min (12 notes * 5 secs) u should be able to play all the notes on the fretboard. Incorporate this 1 minute exercise in your daily practice and find for yourself the difference in your improvisation skills the next time you goof up on stage!

Exercise 1

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:24:00 +0000

This is a classic exercise for players of all levels. For beginners it’s the best way to get accustomed to the fretboard and get their fingers moving. For intermediate and professionals it makes for a great warm up exercise.

Example 1: Start with 1^st fret on the 6th string and move up the strings playing 4 notes per string. After reaching 4^th fret on 1st string, move down the strings as in example 2. To maintain continuity in playing, after every cycle (ie. ex 1 and 2 ) move up the fretboard by 1/2 step (or 1 fret) and again repeat ex 1 and 2 in that order till you reach the 24^th/22^nd fret on your guitar. Make sure that you use all the four fingers of your fretting hand.

This exercise will help you overcome the problem of stiff fingers and help you play notes clearly particularly on the higher frets which are of smaller width.

Start with a slow tempo (80 beats per min). Once accuracy is attained you may gradually increase the speed. But do not compromise clarity for speed. Remember, accuracy first then speed.

Once this basic pattern is mastered, the scope for variation is paramount.

Week 1: Some tips for self learners (Part I)

noreply@blogger.com (guitargonemad) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:18:00 +0000

And here comes the first post right away!

This is the first lesson. Every week I’ll try to post 1 lesson and 1 exercise. Your comments/ suggestions/ views/ input are welcome!

In this lesson I ll be dealing with a few points that form the basis of building a good technique. If you have already taken up the instrument and trying to learn it by yourself then this lesson is for you…….

First answer the following questions to yourself –

1) Do you try to grip the fret-board tightly between yourpalm and thumb?

2) Do you hold the pick using more than two fingers?

3) Do you encounter pain in the elbow of your strumming hand after playing for some time?

4) Do you prefer to slide your fingers between frets than using all four fingers of your fretting hand?

If the answer to any of the above question is ‘yes’, then may be your technique needs a change…

1) The neck has to be held loosely between the thumb and side of the index finger and should not be tightly gripped using your palm. Ideally while playing separate notes thumb should be placed at the centre of the fret-board width. This gives maximum reach to the four fingers. While playing chords or bending notes the fretboard may be held a bit more tightly to give strength to the fingers. However, care should be taken that at no time entire palm touches the fretboard.

2) The most commonly practiced way of holding the pick is using the thumb and the index finger. But its not a hard and fast rule. If you are more comfortable with any other way than this then you may continue. But if you feel that you are not able to play fast enough then a change in your pick holding style might be worth considering.

3) Elbow/Forearm pain is generally encountered by players who derive motion from their arm while picking. Ideally it should be the wrist that should provide motion and not the arm. However some players like John Petrucci and Steve Morse are able to use their arm more than their wrist without compromising on the speed aspect.

4) If you are not comfortable using all four fingers then you might be holding the fret-board using your palm as explained in point 1 above. Remember that it is important to use all the four fingers to be able to play pull-offs, hammer-ons and many more techniques as well as to develop speed.