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Guitar: Absolute Beginners’/Bluffers’ Lesson #1

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

Ok, you want to play guitar. You want to play well - eventually - but for now you just want to be able to play a few songs and maybe jam a bit with other people. No problem!
One word of warning. Your early progress will be limited by how much you practice. Sorry, but […]

More Gigging Tips

Monday, September 3rd, 2007

This article by Chris Officer complements our earlier ‘Gig Check List‘ and ‘Quick Tips for Getting More Gigs‘ articles.
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Right first off this is not going to be a definitive list. I expect to miss things out (it’s been a while since I played a gig after all and the memory […]

Choosing What Instrument to Learn #4: Mandolin

Friday, August 31st, 2007

I have to confess a bias: we are talking about my favourite instrument here!
I’m serious. I played guitar badly for decades and thought I was having fun. Then I took up bass guitar, which I played badly for some years, and thought I was having fun. More recently, I took up tenor banjo, which I […]

Choosing What Instrument to Learn #3: Drums

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

There are probably two instruments most kids aspire to play in a band: guitar and drums. For some reason, the glamour seems, in many minds, to be embodied in these two roles. It is relatively rare to hear someone say, “I want to be a keyboard player” or “I want to be a bass player”.
One […]

First Serious Electric Guitar: Recommendations

Monday, August 27th, 2007

When we start out on an instrument, most of us just don’t have a clue. We know next to nothing about the instrument, and even less about how to play it. To make an important purchase like one’s first real instrument from such a position of ingnorance is madness. Take it from someone whose fingers […]

Choosing What Instrument to Learn #2: Bass Guitar

Friday, August 24th, 2007

The job of a bass guitar is to add some deep, boomy bass notes to the music. Without bass most bands would sound tinny and thin. Along with drums, the bass forms part of the rhythm section. It is often seen as a poor relation to the guitar - a kind of second best or […]

Choosing What Instrument to Learn #1: Guitar

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007

Well, c’mon. Everyone starts somewhere. Some of our readers know they would like to be in a band, but haven’t really started to learn an instrument seriously. It’s a bit like those scenes in the Bill & Ted movies (showing my age here) where the lads have formed their band, Wyld Stallyns, despite not yet […]

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