That being said, I’ve never been completely happy with one pickup or another. After doing some research, and being pretty sure I wanted Seymours, I decided to go with the Jazz in the neck and the Custom 5 in the bridge (also ssl-6 in the middle but I’ll mainly focus on the other two).

I had listened to enough sound clips to think this would be a good fit for me, which I think it was. I’ve always really liked Seymour Duncan pickups for rock and metal but they’ve always lacked that more organic “woody” tone that I like. However, as far as being versatile I think they do a pretty good job.

Jazz Pickup

The jazz pickup is warm but slightly thinner which gives it some single coil characteristics which I like for more high gain stuff, but am not sold on it when it comes to the jazz and blues side of things (ironic).

Custom 5 Pickup

As for the Custom 5, it is a little brighter than I expected but sounds great for high gain riffs. I used this guitar for the entire rhythm track of “Inhale” from the new Ideology record and I was pleased with the tone I was getting.

To to sum everything up and be brutally honest, I personally think these are good and reliable pickups, but… nothing extraordinary.

The post Quick Review: Seymour Duncan Pickups appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Dealing with loss is never easy. Mourning and grieving are very difficult things to get through, but I know from experience that it needs to be dealt with in order to move on and continue your life. Fortunately, as a musician, I have the opportunity to express my sadness, anger, grief and any other emotions through music. I decided that the best way to honor the memory of those I had lost was through writing and recording a piece of music to let all those feelings flow out of my heart, through my fingers and into my guitar. I played sad chords, wrote minor melodies and kept everything low tempo and soft to reflect the somber mood I was feeling, but I still felt as though it wasn’t right. Then it occurred to me, I felt this terrible loss because she (and my dog) were so important to me. My mind was filled with all the happy memories I had built with them over the years. I knew that they would want me to be happy because I had a chance to know them and love them.

So I reflected on all the memories. The times she had spent with me on mission trips in my youth, teaching me to love others as though they were my family, whether I knew them or not. The way my dog wanted nothing more than to be my friend, to sleep next to me in the bed and sit in my lap while I played a video game. As I felt this surge of happiness creep up through me, I cried some more and then began to write happy, peaceful melodies and my sense of closure finally kicked in. I never intend on showing this music to anyone, it was just for me to express my feelings and it did wonders to help me accept that life is short and the only thing you take with you when you leave this place is the love and memories you build with the people (and pets of course) that you spend your time with.

So embrace the time that you have, the place that you’re in and remember its okay to feel sad. Just let that sadness show you that you loved and were loved so that you can continue to make happy memories with others so that one day they will feel that love from you too. Play the sad melodies and let them lead you to new happy ones!

In honor of Shasta and Myles

– LF

The post Dealing With Loss Through Music appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

This turned out to be more of a dilemma than I originally thought. I had invested much of my gear money into electric guitars, amps, and pedals, and almost nothing into my acoustic rig. This being the case (and me being too stubborn to sell any of my stuff) I realized I didn’t want to spend too much money on a new acoustic, but enough to where I had a nice, reliable, quality guitar to bring to gigs.

So I did what any self-respecting guitarist does…I went to Guitar Center! lol. I went in knowing I wanted to spend somewhere between $500 and $1000. After some searching I came across a Taylor 114ce. By far the best playing and nicest sounding guitar in its price range. No other guitar I looked at even compared.

I was very surprised that this guitar was only $800 due to its playability and tone, not only acoustically but also through an amp. In both settings, this guitar comes across as very warm and full sounding even despite its size. It also maintains an extremely nice clarity that doesn’t have that “plastic” sound that a lot of other guitars in that range have. I’m assuming this is partly due to the matte finish rather than the gloss. Even though the electronics are fairly simple this guitar sounded great when plugged in.

The only negative I noticed on this guitar was the lack of a battery power light. So it’s best to always carry an extra 9v.

Have you played a Taylor guitar? What were your thoughts and experiences?

The post Taylor Acoustic Guitar Review – Model 114CE appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Recently I was experimenting with the pickup height on one of my guitars, and I was reminded just how big an impact a half-turn of the pickup screw can have.

I’m a big fan of Andy Timmon’s tone and he has historically used Dimarzio Cruisers in his guitar for many years now. Cruisers are single coil sized humbuckers that have a single coil-ish tone with no hum and a better string to string balance from their blade design. I installed a pair in the neck and middle position of my PRS SE EG guitar with 3 single coil spots and was having trouble getting that chimey, bell-like quality he gets, particularly in the 2 and 4 positions.

I didn’t want to turn up treble on the amp because I had a great sound from my bridge pickup that I didn’t want to sacrifice. After playing around with gain, compressors, EQ and the like, I went and watched a few videos of Andy talking about his guitar and realized that he had his pickups near flush with the pickguard.

Naturally, I tried lowering them way down in my guitar and behold, there it was! For the sake of testing this theory, I started lowering pickups in a couple other guitars and started to find that generally, lower pickups equal less output and compression, but didn’t necessarily make them darker. In the case of the Cruisers, it actually made them significantly brighter.

It seems to me that the best way to go about setting pickup height is by ear, not eyes. I would recommend lowering the pickups as low as they will go (not so low that they come off the screw!) and then bring them up by one turn or one half turn of the screw at a time, playing a little with the guitar between each adjustment. To get the maximum quack from 2 single coils together in parallel, you’ll want to make sure that the pickups are pretty similar in height, since the phase cancellation effect is what generates that nice clucky sound we all love about the 2 and 4 positions on a Strat. Try it out, you might be surprised at what you find you like and even find a new voice for a guitar you’ve had for a long time!

What’s your experience with pickup height?

The post Pickup Height and Why You Should Experiment appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

In the bridge of this guitar is the Nailbomb (ceramic version) and in the neck is the Cold Sweat.

Neck Pickup – Cold Sweat

I really do like these pickups, especially the Cold Sweat. The neck version is alnico but Bare Knuckle does have a bridge version, which is ceramic.

The first thing I noticed with this pickup was the clarity and punchyness in my lead tones. It’s not too thin or too thick, and sits somewhere in the middle and is quite balanced. I wouldn’t say it has the “woody” tones that a lot of guitarists like (including myself) but it is close and has a very pleasant tone when clean. It definitely doesn’t feel as compressed and squishy as some Seymour Duncan’s I have used. It has the clarity of a single coil with the body of a regular humbucker and has a punchy/focused quality that I’ve not found in other neck humbuckers.

Bridge Pickup – Nailbomb

Onto the Nailbomb, which in my opinion is a nice pairing in some ways and odd (interesting) in other ways. The Nailbomb retains the same punchy clarity that I heard with the Cold Sweat, which is great, but there is a little too much in the highs and high mids that I usually don’t go for in bridge pickup. I prefer a little rolled off the highs and some more low mids for a slightly warmer sound that I can brighten up if needed. That being said I would say that it fits this guitar well and gives it a very unique sound that’s very suited for metal and hard rock, especially with dropped tunings.

Summing It Up

I will say that I’m rarely pleased with any pickups. And after using these, I’ll definitely look into more Bare Knuckle Pickups!

The post Bare Knuckle Pickups Review appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Left-hand guitar lessons are hard to come by. In fact, we just finished exhaustive research and discovered that there is literally only one left-hand guitar lesson in the entire world. One. We searched for days and finally found it in the bowels of the deep interwebz.

Here’s a picture of it…

…That is horrifying.

Okay not really, but suffice it to say there aren’t many left-handed guitar lessons out there.

With 10% of the world’s population being left-handed, there are of course a good amount of guitarists who prefer to play left-handed. But let’s face it, if you’re left-handed it’s not always easy learning from videos that don’t match your hand orientation.

Here at Infinite Guitar, we decided to do something about this. We’ve implemented a new feature that flips all our videos and thumbnails horizontally so left-handed guitarists can learn in the way that’s most comfortable for them. So as of today, all our lessons are both right-handed and left-handed.

Want to try it out? First, log in, then go to Settings…

Then at the bottom of the Settings page you’ll see a new option where you can choose your hand orientation…

Once you select “Left-Handed”, you’ll then see all videos and thumbnails throughout the site completely flipped. Pretty cool.

One thing worth noting…if the videos contain software tutorials or a heavy amount of text, you may want to temporarily change it back to the default orientation. (Unless you’re really good at reading backwards)

We know this won’t affect the majority of our members who are right-handed, but for those that are left-handed we hope this will be a welcomed change for you!

– IG

The post New Feature: Left-Hand Guitar Lessons appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

I found myself in need of a piece of equipment that could handle my effects processing, preset management and rig control. I had previously owned an Axe FX Ultra and while that unit sounded great, I found it a bit difficult to work with. After much deliberating, I settled on the Line 6 Helix, based on hours of research and recommendations from several trusted friends who also play.

I’m going to break it down into five categories: Sound, Build Quality, Ease Of Use, Flexibilty and Price. These are the 5 most important factors for me when looking for a high tech piece of gear like this.

Sound

The short answer is that the Helix sounds great. Even more, it feels great. Part of the magic of tube amplifiers is the way they react to the pick attack, your volume control and the complex dynamic content. The Helix captures that in spades. While you might argue something like the Kemper is more “accurate” to a specific amp, all of the Helix models do an excellent job of capturing the unique spirit of the amplifiers they are based on. My favorite part is that all of the amp models in the Helix feature “Preamp” versions, meant to run into the power amp of your choice. Its a great middle ground to capture the personality of amps that you like, while still keeping a consistent base for your tonal pallet. My favorite models are of a Fender Twin, Marshall JCM800 and PRS Archon. Its worth mentioning as well how great the effects sound. The Helix features stellar reproductions of a plethora of guitar(and studio) effects that are all extremely easy to work with.

Build

This floor unit is built like a tank. The solid metal case is both sturdy and heavy, making it feel like the worlds most beautifully integrated pedal board. The expression control has a very durable grip surface and is solid as a rock. It also uses a standard amp style power cable, eliminating the worry of a specialty power adapter going out on you at a gig leaving you without your rig’s “brain”. I’m not particularly rough on my gear, but I also don’t baby it. I play mostly in rock and metal bands and I feel extremely confident in the unit’s durability during live performances.

Ease Of Use

This is without a doubt my favorite part of the Helix. I come from a background of analog amps and effects so I find most digital units a real pain to deal with and uninspiring for that reason alone. The Helix solves that problem entirely by making everything extremely easy to navigate. The large, backlit LED screen is easy to read from several feet away and the row of physical knobs underneath the screen correspond to parameters directly above them. Anyone that can turn the knobs on an amp or an old school effect pedal can handle this unit with no problem and no prior instructions. Even better, the Helix can be edited on your PC with a free piece of software from Line 6’s website using the unit’s USB connection. This allows you to fine tune presets easily without having to get down on the floor and opens up a world of options with presets, snapshots, impulse responses and more. To paraphrase Todd Howard from Bethesda Game Studios, “It just works”. You can certainly delve deep into the Helix’s massive feature set with further study, but it is a breeze to dial in a great sound with the most basic controls.

Flexibility

This is without a doubt the Helix’s strongest feature. With 4 discreet FX send/return pairs, stereo 1/4” and XLR outs, mic input and several more options, the Helix allows you to route your signal in nearly anyway

you can imagine. Its very easy to run your own effect pedals in conjunction with the unit, run it with your amp in the “four cable” setup taking advantage of the FX loop on your amp, or running very convincing tones direct to the front of house or recording interface. The Helix even has relay switching capability for your amp’s channels, midi functionality and additional inputs for more expression pedals should you desire them. Combine all those features with the impressive DSP horsepower inside and you get one hell of a swiss army knife.

Price

I won’t call this unit inexpensive, because that isn’t the case. However, $1500 new is extremely affordable for both the quality of sound and all the options it includes. To build a pedal board or rack system that would do half of what this unit does would cost significantly more and would be a cabling nightmare. Even the Axe FX II, Helix’s main competitor is nearly double the price new. I would argue that many seasoned players have spent much more in their pursuit of tone with amps, cabs and pedals and often still aren’t satisfied. I purchased my Helix gently used off Reverb for $1100 shipped to my doorstep.

To wrap it all up, I give the Helix five stars, 10 out of 10 or two thumbs way up. I honestly can’t think of anything else I’d want the unit to be capable of. The only limit to what I’m able to do is my imagination.

The post Line 6 Helix Floorboard appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

You know what else I love besides those two? GUITARS.

Here are 8 tips on how to acquire more instruments without tipping off your significant other…

Tip #1

Keep more cases and gig bags than necessary for your instrument collection. That way if you decide you need to add one more, you can simply insert it into an empty space in your case collection!

Tip #2

Learn to love guitar parts. You can literally buy them one piece at a time until you have slowly constructed yourself a new one! It’s much easier to smuggle in a small piece at a time for a month or two than sneak in a full size telecaster.

Tip #3

Fabricate a membership card to a secret guitar library that lets you “check out” pieces. Works like a charm.

Tip #4

Buy a light dimmer for your guitar room. Then if she spots a new one, just say it’s one you’ve had that looks different with the lights dimmed.

Tip #5

Maintain that all your opaque finished guitars feature a chameleon paint job that changes depending on the particular angle and lighting.

Tip #6

Buy guitars in colors that match her outfits. Or shoes. Or her eyes, you lady killer!

Tip #7

Create a support group with several of your guitar player friends. Then just “lend” some to one friend and “borrow” some from another.

Tip #8

Learn to do guitar tech work and take the occasional job fixing up a guitar. Then you can hang “repair tags” on guitars. “It’s not mine babe, it’s just for work!”

Obviously this is sarcasm. Don’t say I didn’t warn you….you lady killer.

The post How to Hide Guitars from your Girlfriend/Wife appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Do you ever pick up your guitar, then suddenly realize you have absolutely no idea what to play?

You may wonder…Should I strum some gentle chords? Perhaps play a peaceful song? Or maybe practice the pentatonic scale for the billionth time? (not that there’s anything wrong with that)

Well my friend, the answer is…

No. You shouldn’t do any of those things. Here’s what you should do…

Just SHRED IT BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the instructional video above is unclear and you need further instructions, here are some bullet points for you to study rigorously:

• SHRED IT BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• AWWWW HAWWWWWWW HAWWW SHRED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• AHAWWWWWWWWWWWW SHRED IT BRO haha HAOO HOOo!!!!! SHRED iT YEAHHH!!!!!
• AAWWW SHRED IT!
• Shred IT BRO YEAAAAAhaha!!
• OOOOOOOHHH AAAAAAAGGAHAHAGAAHAHHHHH
• SHReD IT!!!!!
• ShReD IT BRROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The post How-to “SHRED IT BRO!” appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Some people are more traditional in that they favor Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Pauls, and SGs. The others favor the more progressive guitars like the “pointy” Ibanez RGs, Jackson USAs, and PRSs. But in all actuality, all options have their strengths and weaknesses.

Strats and Teles

We all know Strats and Teles have that authentic twang that has helped shape western music for over 60 years. You’ll hear that sound in a lot of our blues, rock, and country music today. Artists like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn are just a few examples of guitar legends who made it work with these types of instruments. But, they can sound too thin for modern music and not to mention the electronics are very noisy. Although that can be compensated for, it can be a bit of a hassle trying to get that clean cut sound for music as it’s developed into today.

Gibson Les Paul and SG

Then you have the late 60s to late 80s folks rocking the Gibson Les Paul or SG guitars. These guitars offer more of a bold punchy-like texture when played. Bands like ACDC, ZZ Top, and Guns N Roses wield these axes as part of their authentic sound. However, these guitars have been known to be a bit unwieldy, heavy, and just hard to play when trying to achieve a more technical style of playing.

Ibanez and Jackson

Moving on to the late 80s early 90s, we’ve got players like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and bands like Pantera emerging with the more high performance guitars like the Ibanez RG and S Series and Jackson USA guitars. These guitars feature a more thin and ultra access contour that allows for maximum note playing or shredding. With these guitars, so many more great musicians have come out of the woodwork, pioneering the craft of guitar playing even to this very day. However, in order to make such a high performance instrument, a lot of the characteristics that make a guitar sing like the Les Paul or Strat have to unfortunately be shaved away from the design.

Traditional vs Modern

So what’s all the fuss? Well the fact is people have different preferences right? Some actually argue that the more traditional guitars like the Strat and Les Paul are better because they laid the foundation for the music we know and love today. The “younger” kids of “pointy” high performance guitars argue that these guitars are laying the framework to an upper echelon of guitar playing and musicality. The truth is that it depends on what your immediate needs are. In a sense, both sides are right. Ultimately, what is the end goal…to have a “perfect guitar” or to make awesome music with whatever guitar works best for that music? I’d say the latter!

The truth is you’ll never able to put all the optimal specs into one instrument. We just briefly went through over 6 decades of guitar evolution and concluded that guitars are getting thinner. Is that better? Is it worse? The answer is neither. It just depends on the sound you’re looking for and what your needs are as a player. All these guitars were made for the music of their time at the very best they could be made. It wasn’t about making the perfect guitar then and it isn’t now. I consider my work in the music store industry an honor because I have experienced so many different types of instruments that I just simply appreciate the evolution. I love guitars, I love playing guitar, I love music, and I love playing music.

Find yourself a guitar that’s just right for you and continue enjoying music my friends!

The post Does a Perfect Guitar Exist? appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Now don’t get me wrong, talent is always a factor in a great musician, but we seem to forget that these guys (and gals) have spent years of their life sitting in their bedrooms practicing. Often the word practice is enough to make budding players cringe because practice isn’t fun right? I disagree. Practice can certainly be frustrating if you are working on something particularly difficult, but the reward is always worth the struggle. But I digress; let’s look at some ways to make practice more productive and more importantly, fun!

1. Get in the right headspace

Practice only seems like a chore if you treat it like one. Remember that first time you played “Smoke on the Water” and felt like a rock star? Keep those kinds of accomplishments in mind when you practice something new. I find the best way to keep track of your accomplishments and stay encouraged is by setting goals for yourself. Not in terms of time spent, but in knowledge gained.

For instance, instead of saying “I’m going to practice 1 hour every day this week”, say “I’m going to learn to play the rhythm part to this song this week.” As you check off goals on your list, keep up with the list of things you accomplish. Keep a notebook or a word document on your computer that reminds you what you have done. Keeping up with the list of songs you know is a great idea for the future, should you ever decide to join a group that does cover tunes. You can immediately say with confidence: “I know all the songs on this list.” It makes that first rehearsal a lot more manageable.

2. Use a metronome

Metronomes don’t seem hugely exciting, but it is absolutely THE most important tool for a guitar player who wants to play with other musicians. Rhythm is paramount to a great sounding band and it’s very easy to train! Go buy a metronome from your local music store for $20.00. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just something that can keep a steady beat. When you practice a scale, pick a note group (let’s say quarter notes) and play that scale in quarter notes up and down 3 times. Then do the same thing with eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc. As you practice the scale, you are training your ears to recognize beats at the same time.

The metronome works like a strength trainer by letting you start slow and then gradually work your way up. It’s a good idea to keep track of your progress in tempos as well. Even if you only manage to go up one beat per minute a week, eventually you will be considerably more fluid than you were before. The real trick here is that as you are training your ears and your chops, you are becoming more in tune with the musicality of rhythm. Nothing can really teach you “feel”, but immersing yourself in rhythm will go a long way to helping you lose yourself in the song, which in my opinion is the ultimate achievement as a musician.

3. Keep the guitar in your hands and under your fingers

To be a great player, your guitar needs to be an extension of your body. Playing notes, chords and rhythms has to feel like second nature. The easiest way to do that, in my experience, is to simply keep the guitar in your hands. If you have a favorite T.V. show that you watch every week, just pick up your guitar and strum some chords while you watch. No amps, nothing fancy, just keep the neck in your hands. If you have free time, pick up the guitar for five minutes and play anything you want. If you walk by your guitar and think it looks cool on the stand, pick it up and play one scale up and down, then put it back.

Essentially, you want to familiarize yourself with the instrument. Picking it up and playing should feel just like putting on a pair of shoes: you just do it and don’t think twice about it.

4. Make your practice musical

Remember that metronome I had you buy? Turn it on to 4/4 time signature at 120 bpm and let it click for a minute. No guitar, just listen to the click. Then after you have let it sink it, pick up the guitar and try improvising something. I don’t necessarily mean a lead lick or anything in particular, so long as you keep it in tempo with the click. Noodle until you find something you think sounds cool, and then do that for a minute or two. Then try to make a slight variation on that, just change one note or add one rest somewhere. Then think to yourself “where does this want to go next?” Change keys, or play an entirely different part, so long as you stay on tempo. The idea is that you want to exercise the creative parts of your brain. The most memorable guitarists are always the ones who do something unique, so allow your mind to wander and discover something new. Half the fun of playing a musical instrument is that there is no wrong answer.

5. Don’t let it stress you

No matter what, do not let playing your instrument stress you out. Even if you have been working on learning something for a year and you haven’t figured it out, don’t let it bother you. If you are having trouble with something in your life, let guitar be a relaxing activity to take your mind off of it. If you are having difficulty learning something on the guitar, just leave it and come back to it later. In fact, if it ever feels like your instrument is unpleasant to play, then just put it down and don’t even look at it for a few days. Your brain needs time to process things you learn and commit them to long term memory, so it is ok to take a break!

I hope these five tips help you on your journey of musical discovery. Remember to be patient with yourself and above all, have fun!

The post Practice Makes Perfect: 5 Tips for Improving your Practice appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

In winning this contest I received John Browne’s signature guitar, the Mayones Duvell Qatsi.

Yeah, she’s gorgeous. Now that you’ve seen it, let’s hear it!

Finishes

This guitar comes in two finishes, Purple burst quilt top and a Juice burst quilt top (which incorporates different shades of green, highlighted in neon green on the border). I’m usually not a fan of neon colors but this guitar is absolutely stunning in person. I was extremely surprised and pleased by the look of the top and have fallen in love with it. In conjunction with the natural wood on the neck and back of the body it’s just beautiful. As if that really matters though, right!?

Playability

Besides looking great it is one of the nicest (if not THE nicest) playing guitars I’ve ever touched. Playability is basically flawless. The neck has a nice thin profile with a 16-inch radius on the fretboard. It feels great and has a very nice tung oil finish on the back, which allows your thumb to move freely without sticking. The Shaller Hannes bridge in combination with the Hipshot tuners are just amazing. This guitar stays in tunes for days and the intonation is killer, not to mention the bridge is one of the most comfortable bridges I’ve rested my right hand on.

Conclusion

These guitars run at about $4500 – $5000 USD and it is obvious why when you pick it up and play it. The craftsmanship is incredible! Also, when playing this particular axe, it’s obvious that it’s a metal machine. Besides looking that way, the Bare Knuckle pickups also cater to the modern metal sounds that John would use in Monuments. I wouldn’t necessarily bring this particular guitar to a non-metal/non-hard rock gig, but that’s okay because Mayones has plenty of other models that can hang in those situations. This guitar was made for metal and it does the job very, very well.

Do you own a Mayones guitar? Or do you have a particular model on your wish list? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Mayones Guitar: The Duvell Qatsi appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

With millions of guitar fans stemming all the way back from the 70s and 80s it’s also been a challenge to prove novelty of digital recoding and convolution to the purists of true tube amplifiers. If you’re a true guitar fan you’ll have to admit that no matter how great a digital unit sounds, it always eventually lacks that certain character only a true tube amplifier can give.

So the question is, who’s next in line? Who will create such a product that rids gigging musicians and roadies of the back breaking tasks of transporting ultra heavy 4×12 speaker cabinets and amp heads whilst maintaining that true authentic sound only a tube amp can provide?

Well, look no further! It seems the geniuses at Positive Grid have finally provided us with an answer. While other companies like Fractal Audio and Kemper have come the closest, it seems that they come as close as one could get really. Alas, Positive Grid has come to the rescue with their brand new “BIAS HEAD” that provides over 60 true amp tones, 600 watts of power, and is perfect for both studio and virtually any sized gig one can imagine.

Not only does this bad boy sound amazing, it also features cutting edge convolution technology that allows the head to record impulse responses from other live amps in real time to match their tone. That’s right, any amp!

Imagine walking into any music store with your 7lb BIAS head and literally capturing all your favorite amp tones you know and love, in an instant. As if already having over 60 precise amp factory presets wasn’t enough! Amazing.

The Bias Head is the future of recording and live gigs for all guitar players. A chance for the progressive minded and avid purist to come together in true tonal bliss! For more info, visit www.positivegrid.com.

Let’s check out a demo by Tosin Abasi.

Sounds killer! Have you tried the BIAS head? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments. What other products have you used to amp match?

The post BIAS Head Review appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Remember…

1. Analyze the accuracy of both hands. The idea is to find a way to make them work together smoothly. Take your time and DON’T force it.
2. Practice using subdivisions. Set the metronome low and increase by subdivision. This way you’re covering not only increments of speed, but also musical situations seeing as each subdivision will “feel” different against the tempo. This is a great way to add to your musical vocabulary.
3. Use a stopwatch. As you practice using subdivisions try cycling them by 20 seconds or so. Kind of like a long distance sprinter. 20 seconds on (fast) 20 seconds off (slower). This is a good way to develop muscle memory fast!

The post Shred Lick Lesson from “AJ’s Licks of The Month” appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Back to Basics

If you live in the UK and cast your mind back to 1993, you may remember the campaign fronted by Tory leader John Major labelled ‘Back to Basics’ with which the prime minister wanted(apparently) to address core governmental issues which had been allowed to erode over previous years. I want to point out at this juncture that my ‘Back to Basics’ will actually work. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Alrighty then!

Very much as it is essential to do revision during academic study, it is essential that we, as musicians, ‘revise’ our progress and make an informed decision as to what plan of attack we take next to ensure the best possible progress in the shortest time frame. During this assessment, which I’m sure all of you out there do at some point (for the word ‘sure’ read ‘hope’!), it is imperative that we identify any possible bad habits that we may have subconciously picked up along the way so that they can be eradicated.

I first began to play the classical guitar during the mid 90’s and didn’t actually have a teacher for 2 years. When I began to study with Professor Brightmore, a superb teacher and player, it became apparent that I had picked up a variety of bad habits which were actually hindering my progress. We spent some time going ‘back to basics’ which enabled us to isolate particular problem areas and deal with them accordingly. Although at the time it was not easy dealing with it, I am so glad that we did. Hopefully, you will be too.

A Few Words on Problem Solving

I always follow a very simple rule when problem solving which can be used in any situation and not just to improve your guitar skills. This rule is extremely important and should be memorized and recalled at every possible opportunity. The rule is broken down into 3 distinct points which must be understood:

1. Realize that there is a problem

2. Realize what the problem is

3. Find a solution to the problem

Once you have addressed all three points you will no longer have that particular problem. This rule is very much based on common sense, however, it is surprising how common sense can break down when there is no element of structure.

Remember, if you have any questions you can find me in the forums along with all of the other instructors.

Fret-Hand Efficiency

During the past 10 years as a guitar teacher, I have experienced a wide ranging degree of capability amongst students. Some were naturally gifted players while others had to work much harder to achieve their goals. Despite this, I would say that 100% of my students did not exercise maximum left hand efficiency whilst playing and consequently he/she would exert far too much energy on fairly simply chord shapes and scales and as a result make mistakes and/or run out of steam far too early. I feel that this basic function should be understood and implemented fairly early on so that common problems such as dead or inaccurate notes or tension in the left hand can be eradicated.

Measure Your Fret-Hand Efficiency

I first came across this neat way of gauging left hand efficiency while I was immersed in studying the classical guitar. In fact, there are some extremely useful principles which I initially discovered during my classical studies which, when applied to the study of electric guitar, adapt exceptionally well. I will be including some of these throughout my series of columns.

Start by fingering the g note on the 3rd fret of the 6th string and play the note as you would normally. Take a mental note of how much pressure you are applying to the string to produce the note. Now release your finger from the fretboard all while making a mental note of how much pressure you applied to make the note sound cleanly. Now place your finger back on the same note but do not apply any pressure to the string yet (the finger should be touching the string but not applying any pressure). Now SLOWLY and steadily begin to apply pressure to the string in small increments. Keep doing this until you reach the EXACT point that you are able to produce a good clean note. I’d wager a bet that you are probably applying half the amount of pressure that you initially applied to get the note. Well, it doesn’t take Einstein to work out that there is some serious wasted energy here! The general premise of this exercise is to be as efficient as we possibly can be so that we only use the EXACT amount of exertion needed at any given time. If this method is applied correctly, with practice, you will begin to develop a completely new command over your instrument.

The first step forward is to apply this energy saving principal to our daily practice regime.

Maximizing Fret-Hand Efficiency

Remember that each fret has it’s own ‘sweet’ spot where we can apply the minimum amount of energy to produce a resonant, clear note which is completely free from buzzes and other unwanted sounds. You will, more often than not, find this spot directly behind the fretwire that seperates the frets. Poor left hand positioning is a very common problem amongst guitarists yet it is a problem which is very easily rectified. Once you find the sweet spots you will be amazed how little energy you need to exert to get great sounding results.

Remember less = more. I cannot emphasize that enough.

This article was originally published on Infinite Guitar in 2007 for the Economy of Motion tutorial.

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After I had been playing guitar for about 7 years, I developed a severe case of finger tendonitis (also known as flexor tendonitis) in my left hand. The scary thing was, it came to me much more suddenly than gradually. It came out of nowhere. The same fingers that use to be fast and nimble, were all of the sudden cursed with sharp pains every time I pressed on the fretboard.

Needless to say, it was a depressing phase of life. My passion for music was soon replaced with frustration. When I finally had to acknowledge that the pain wasn’t going away, I began researching what I could do to fix it. I even saw multiple doctors. However, every single source was telling me that there was only one way to cure it…

I had to stop playing, completely.

Stop playing for how long? Well, at the time, that was undetermined. Tendons are one of the slowest healing parts of the body, and each doctor recommended I take at least a year off from playing. The only way to cure tendonitis is to stop doing whatever is causing it. So as hard as it was, if I ever wanted to play the guitar again, I knew I had to quit playing for at least a year.

After that, save for the select few times I couldn’t resist, I didn’t touch the guitar for a whole year. Since then, I have healed for the most part and gradually gotten my “chops” back, but it has not been easy. I definitely learned the hard way, but I’m writing this because I want to make sure you don’t go through the same thing.

First, let’s analyze the things I did wrong:

1. I had bad posture. Having bad posture once in a while is bad enough, but playing for hours and hours everyday with bad posture is infinitely worse. I would slouch in my chair, lean my left arm on my left thigh, all while being oblivious to the fact that I’m setting myself up for a downfall.

2. I never warmed up. When I practiced, I would pick up the guitar and immediately start playing difficult and strenuous passages, without giving my fingers a chance to warm up properly. Bloodflow matters.

3. I never stretched my arms or fingers. Talk about setting myself up to get hurt!

What characteristic do all 3 of these faults have?

Ultimately, it’s laziness.

Yup, I was a lazy bum. I was foolish when it came to these mandatory aspects of guitar playing. I never had formal teaching, so maybe that’s why I didn’t pay too much attention to this stuff, but my ignorance made me pay a big price.

So how can you be pro-active in making sure you don’t get tendonitis?

Keep Good Posture

Don’t slouch your back at all. Why do most elderly people hunch their backs as they get older? Because their backs are literally breaking down. You don’t want to speed up that process on your own back by slouching. Sit up straight when you play.

Don’t lean your left elbow (assuming you are play the fretboard with your left hand) on your left thigh. Unfortunately, so many people do this. Doing so puts an excessive amount of pressure on your elbow and it can lead to different problems in the elbow, forearm, wrist, or even fingers. Angle the guitar neck upwards to where you aren’t tempted to lean on your thigh.

Warm Up

Don’t play fast or hard until your hands are warmed up. Proper blood circulation is key to preventing injury. Imagine a sprinter that fails to jog or get the blood flowing before a race. That sprinter is bound to injure himself. The same can happen to a guitar player. So whether it be with scales, chords, arpeggios, etc., play something slowly and gently until your hands are warmed.

Stretch

Stretch before you play. There are plenty of stretches to help loosen and relax your arms.

These two tutorials will help give you stretching ideas:
Health and Safety for Guitarists
Stretching & Warm-Up

Keep a Healthy Diet and Exercise

At the risk of sounding like your mom, eat your fruits and veggies. I’m no health expert, but I know that supplying your body with proper vitamins and nutrients will help keep your joints and tendons strong while helping prevent nutrition deficiencies. Also do your best to exercise and get some decent cardio in your routine.

Be sure to start these good habits if you haven’t already. I hope this scared you a little, because tendonitis is, well…scary. No one is immune to it, but you can definitely take solid steps to avoiding it if you implement healthy, sound habits. The bottomline is this: if you aren’t pro-active in protecting yourself, then you are pro-active in damaging yourself. Be wise, learn from my mistakes, and have a long and healthy guitar-playing life!

The post Guitarist Tendonitis – How to Avoid It appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Lick 1

This one (as are all three of today’s licks) is in Em. It starts out with some spread interval hybrid picking, leads into some more “confined” Em shapes, and then extends into a Michael Romeo-esque string-skipped pentatonic tapping line.

The rhythm values are rather sporadic and random as this lick is meant to “float”, as opposed to be locked into any specific 16th note rhythm. Don’t pay too much heed to these values (5’s, 6’s, 7’s, etc.) as they are only written this way to keep the transcribed measures nice and even.

This article was originally published on Infinite Guitar in 2012 for the Feen’s Trick Bag! tutorial.

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I am a composer and have been composing ever since I picked up the guitar. At first, I was actually more interested in writing music than merely learning the guitar. From the beginning, I had this perspective that music was something I wanted to share with others. There is much satisfaction when you witness other people enjoying and relating to your own music. And I’m guessing you are reading this because you have a slight to strong interest in the subject of songwriting. So please allow me to take you on a little informational tour, reaching deep into the core of music. We’ll discuss various elements of songwriting and delve into how you can improve as a songwriter.

Inspiration

Inspiration. Without it, music (and most things in this world) wouldn’t exist. Every existing piece of music has been developed because a human being was inspired to write it. A high achievement, the death of a loved one, blossoming love, deteriorating love, a religious experience, difficult seasons, a new adventure…these are only a few of life’s circumstances that can inspire song. So whether it be inspiration from a significant circumstance, or inspiration from the sole desire to write and enjoy music in general, it is inspiration nonetheless. And it is the key ingredient to songwriting.

You need to find what really inspires you. You might not think much of it, but it needs to be taken seriously if you want to write effective and influential music. I’m assuming you want to write music that impacts people. Nobody cares much about the songs that go in one ear and out the other.

I am always surrounded by music. I hear plenty of songs within the span of a day. And I can tell a huge difference from songs whose artists have found their true inspiration, from songs whose artists’ only seemingly inspiration was to write radio-friendly tunes that we’ve already heard from fifty other artists. In other words, originality, and the ability to impact listeners are the ultimate signs that a musician has truly figured out how to channel their inspiration into music.

The main thing that I want you to remember is this…you will only find fulfillment in your music if you follow your heart. As cheesy as it sounds, that is what will make you happy, that is what will make your music original, and most importantly, that is what will make your music memorable to someone else. It may be memorable to just one person, or maybe millions of people, but that shouldn’t matter, as long as you’re writing music that truly stems from what inspires you.

How Do You Start?

Everyone has their own unique methods and styles to their songwriting. If you’re just starting to compose your own music, you may have to experiment a little before you really find your preferred and most effective method. If you’re a seasoned composer, keep reading, you may find some new ideas that you can apply to your routine.

As mentioned before, once you have your inspiration, you’re ready to start creating your own music. It is now time to literally speak your inspiration through your musical instrument.

Composing a song is indeed a “block-building” process. You build one part, and feed off of it to build another part, and so on until it’s finished.

Initially, try writing the song from the intro to the outro, in sequential order. However, that may fail and you might try starting with the chorus. I sometimes like writing choruses first as it gives me a good sense of the overall context and theme that I should strive for with the rest of the song.

Also, don’t rush the process. Take your sweet time. Not doing so will jeopardize the quality of your song.

Find a quiet writing environment. All musicians have the common requirement of silence around them while they are composing music. If you find yourself not thinking clearly because of distractions, try isolating yourself from those distractions.

Song Structure

The structure of a song has to do with how you put certain parts in a certain order. A very typical song structure usually goes something like this:

Intro, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Outro.

The structure of a song is very important. Just as with books or movies, songs need to be put in a certain order for them to flow properly and make sense. That said, I of course don’t believe there is a certain structure that should be applied to every song out there. Every song is different.

The bottom-line is that you need to find the right structure that fits in with the feel or message of your song. Is it a song with which you want to hook the listener right away? Try having your chorus at the beginning. Do you need there to be more “tension” raised before you go to the chorus? Try adding a pre-chorus that appropriately sets a nice “launching platform” for the chorus. Is it a song with which you feel you have to reinforce the chorus’ message one more time? Try adding a double chorus.

The list can go on and on as far as how songs can be ordered in a way that presents a well-paced and effective musical story. However, in the beginning of your writing process, don’t get too caught up in determining the song structure. Doing that would be like naming the chapters of a novel before it’s been written. Let it form organically. Your main focus should be to tell your musical story how you want it to be told, and in the order that you think best. Don’t have a strict “radio-friendly” structure that you stick to religiously. There’s nothing wrong with a set structure, but it can limit your song’s uniqueness, as well as your own creativity, if you obsess too much about it.

My best advice about how to put your song in order is this: Make sure that your song determines the structure, rather than a structure determining your song.

Song Style

As it is with song structure, the style needs to reinforce the message of the song. For example, romantic songs usually sound soft and delicate, because that style is designed to produce tender and heartfelt emotions. On the other hand, a song about a controversial political issue might be better represented by a heavy rock style instead of a soothing ballad. Music, even without lyrics, is a form of communication. Certain styles of music produce certain emotions inside an individual. This mysterious fact epitomizes the sheer power that music possesses. So make sure that the style of music you choose lines up with the emotions that you want to invoke within the listener.

Whatever style you choose, make sure you incorporate effective dynamics. What are dynamics? In the musical sense, dynamics have to do with the variation of volume in music. Tempo (speed) can also tie in with dynamics. It is critical in effective songwriting to implement a healthy dose of change within the song. If a band plays at the same volume through an entire song, odds are that the listener will lose interest and get bored, or even worse…annoyed. Think about it in terms of a movie. If the whole hour and a half is full of non-stop action sequences without having at least one quieter scene with dialogue, then that is going to guarantee most viewers a 90-minute headache. Granted, some people wouldn’t mind this type of movie, just as some people might not mind a song with monotony, but most people would be turned off. Most songs have some sort of breakdown, where there is a temporary detour from the overall volume and tempo of the rest of the song. So if you want to keep listeners interested, give them a balanced dosage of change in your song.

Composing/Recording Software

If you’re like most of us songwriters, you don’t always have a band at your disposal every time you get inspired to write a song. You need composing software with virtual instruments.

There are a ton of options out there, and before you commit to buying, it’s important that you research and try out demos to see what works best for your computer and your workflow.

I personally use and love Cubase. Of all the DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) I’ve tried, Cubase is what makes the most sense to my workflow. Very simple composing tools, slick interface, decent customizability, and good performance with my PC. That’s just me though, there are many options and I’d recommend spending a good few weeks trying different ones out before purchasing. Believe it or not, the DAW you chose will absolutely impact your songs! Make sure the one you purchase provides the most relaxing environment possible for you.

Conclusion

Here’s the best advice to be given regarding songwriting…never stop writing music. If you compose consistently, you will keep improving.

Songwriting is a beautiful art. However, it is also a learned art. The more you write, the more you’ll get a feel for your own original style. I think it’s safe to say that nobody wants to be unoriginal. So keep writing until you find out who you are musically and where you want to go musically. Once you get to that point, writing songs will become ever more fulfilling for you.

Good luck with your songwriting endeavors! Lock in your inspirations, then go write the best songs in the world.

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The goal of the ”Pentatonic Finder” tutorial is for you to be able to improvise freely across any key changes, anywhere on the neck, and learn how to conceptually visualize scales and keys, and using scale superimposition.

Before launching head on into this tutorial, I must advice you to first backtrack and review my other improvisational tutorials in the right order (for the best results). The order in which they are supposed to be followed are:

Unlocking the Fretboard

Pentatonic Finder

Note Targeting

Timing and Note Value Alteration

With that said and done, you also need to know your boxes and sometimes think “inside the box”. Sounds contradictory? Read on, and all shall be revealed young Jedi!

What the Pentatonic Finder in essence is about, is to learn how to not only see one scale all over the neck, and how the boxes in that key is interlinked and “all over”, but to learn to see and have immediate access to ALL keys at the same time, regardless of where on the neck you might be. Sounds pretty useful right? Imagine now that you are in the key of A, improvising in the Amin pentatonic, and say you are currently in the 1st position. Then the progression changes key to E. What would most inexperienced players do then? They would jump up to the 12th fret, Emin pentatonic 1st position right? Well, as useful as this might be, this tutorial will enable you to switch keys without leaving your current position of the neck, thereby further expanding your improvisational freedom and flexibility.

Before turning the page to the actual tutorial however, I would like you to find a deck of cards that you are comfortable writing on with a marker (or cut some squares of paper, approx. 2×2”). Another neat thing about the Pentatonic Finder exercises is that you can do this together with a fellow guitarist and really put each other through the paces and push each other to new heights! So get a friend, sign him up to Infinite Guitar as well, and start pushing your boundaries!

Ready? Let’s go!

Part 1, A to D

So, to start off with, we need a chord progression to play over that changes keys. For arguments sake let’s say the progression is A7, D9, C9, G7. Remember, we want to treat this chord change as 4 separate keys, not all part of the same key of A and just play the Amin blues scale on top of it (which could work as well, but that’s not the topic of this tutorial). I will also play a simple improvisational example over each of the changes, staying strictly within the minor blues scale. A tip here is to sing along with your playing, to help your ear grow accustomed to the changes, but also to force your fingers to play more melodically and not just scalar passages up and down (which no one finds very interesting for very long).

Next, we will choose a area of the neck within which you must stay. Choose an area spanning 6-7 frets, no more than that. I have chosen frets 4-9 for this tutorial.

So, the object is to stay within the confines of this area when the key changes, and superimposing the pentatonics on top of one another, being able to see any key and the corresponding box simultaneously.

Now, record yourself, or have your friend play 4 bars each of these chords round and round (more on the friend or deck of cards approach later on). Then let’s start improvising!

For the first 4 bars of A7, we will need to find the correct box in A within frets 4-9, and which one would that be? You guessed it, box 1, as depicted below.

An explanation of the colors here. I will use different colors to pinpoint different scale degrees throughout the following tutorials (much as I did in the Unlocking the Fretboard tutorial, only several other degrees, hence the different look of the fretboard diagrams this time. The color mapping is as follows:

*The Diamond-shaped dots represents the root, regardless of color.

*The Blue dots (when several colors are used) represents the root as well.

*The Green dots represents the b5 (“blue” note) added to the Minor Pentatonic that turns it into the Blues Scale.

*The Orange dots represents the third degree (minor thirds in this case).

*The Red dots represents the b7 degree (dominant seventh).

We won’t be using all of these in this tutorial, (only the root and b5) but we will in the following ”Note Targeting” tutorial, so familiarize yourself with the color mapping straight away, so you’re not too confused later on.

Then, when we come to the next chord in the progression, D7, what box must we utilize? Correct again, (darn you’re good!) the 4th box in D.

So, in the moment when the change is imminent (in bar 4), try to visualize that 4th box of D, while still playing in A. This is tricky at first, since it often throws you off in your playing to play in one key, whilst thinking of another. If in trouble, I recommend you go through my ”Timing and Note Value Alteration” tutorial, since timing is an invaluable life-saver in this situation! Also, if you’re going to be able to pull off my advanced tapping tutorials, where you need to be able to think not only in these two boxes when changing keys, but in 2-3 positions of each key, in two hands simultaneously all over the neck, you must have this down or you will crash and burn. So you see, even this simple exercise will pay off even in very advanced two-handed improvisation flowing all over the neck later on. This is what I mean by thinking conceptually about technique and theory, to be able to use the concept of the Pentatonic Finder exercise in ANY style or playing situation!

Here is what you should be visualizing when the change comes, the first box of A, superimposed by the 4th box of D. I have omitted the color mapping here for obvious reasons. Look at what notes the two scales have in common and chose a note to target for the change. Initially, the root is a good place to start, since that will really make your key change obvious. Later on, in the ”Note Targeting” tutorial, we will look at other target notes to use, and after that also tension notes.

Part 2, D to C

Next, we will look at the next change in the progression, which will be from D9 to C9. We were in the 4th box of the Dmin Blues Scale, so which box must we utilize to keep ourselves within the 4-9 fret area? Right you are, the 5th box in C it is!

And here is what you should visualize over the change, D 4th position, superimposed by C 5th position

Part 3, C to G

Well, you know the drill by now. Time for the change between C and G. Here’s the correct box in G, which will be the 2nd.

And here’s C superimposed by G.

Part 4, G to A

And finally, here’s the change between G7 and A7. You already know that the 1st box of A is what goes, so without further ado, here’s G superimposed by A

Now What?

Now that you have that down, it’s time to take it to the next level. You should now start practicing this method, choosing new areas of the neck to cover. Say you choose to cover the area of 10-15th fret. If we are in the same progression, A, D, C, G, then what would the corresponding boxes be? Answer is A=4th, D=1st (you could also use the second, your choice, they both fall within the area), C=2nd and G=4th.

Here is where the deck of cards comes into play. You take out all the non-clad cards and write all the 12 chromatic notes on them, they mix them up, and “deal” yourself a progression, record it and get going!

The friend-approach is different. Here you will agree to a starting point, and an area, let’s say A and the 4th-9th fret as we have worked with. Then your friend will play 4 bars of each, but when he has played 2 bars for you, he calls out the name of the key to which he will change after 4 bars, so you have time to think and prepare. This approach is much more random and much harder of course, but a truly great exercise!

If you have some sort of computer or synth-program that can generate random chords, you could possibly work something similar out there, but nothing ever replaces playing with someone else, since while it is your time to play the chords, you can listen and learn by observing what you friend does.

The next step is to take this all over the neck! You will improvise freely across the whole neck, using everything you learned in the Unlocking the Fretboard tutorial. But when the change comes, you must stay in the area of the neck where you currently are, and make that superimposed change then and there, before continuing ripping up the neck.

I wish you good luck with all of this, and I hope to see you again in the next part of my improvisational series, the Timing and Note Value Alteration tutorial.

Keep your groove on!

This article was originally published on Infinite Guitar in 2008 for the Pentatonic Finder tutorial.

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Note: In the diagrams below, standard notation appears directly above the tablature for reference.

The Guitar Strings

First thing we should know is how the guitar strings relate to tab. Take a look at the image below. You’ll see six horizontal lines. Those lines represent the guitar strings. At the bottom, you’ll see the Low E(6th string), then the A(5th string), then the D(4th string), then the G(3rd string), then the B(2nd string), then at the top you’ll see the High E(1st string). Be sure to memorize which lines represent which strings.

Playing Notes

Next, let’s look at how notes will be indicated in tablature. Check out the image below. See those numbers on the Low E and A strings? Those numbers represent what frets to play on the strings. So, as we go in order from left to right, we’ll see that the first note we play is “0” on the Low E string. Then we’ll play another “0”. Anytime you see a “0”, that simply means you play the string open without pressing on any frets. When we get to the third note in the tab, we see a “2” on the A string. That means that you’ll play the 2nd fret of the A string. Then for the fourth note, you’ll play the same thing.

If you look under the tab, you’ll see the indicated pickstrokes. The first note will be picked with a downstroke, the second note will be picked with an upstroke, and so on.

Legato

So we have the basics now, but how do we recognize legato (hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides) in tab? In the image below, we have three measures displayed. In each of those three measures, there is a different form of legato being used.

1. The 1st measure is indicating that hammer-ons be used. See how there is a tie symbol connecting the 5th and 7th fret notes? That means that we’ll be using legato to play those notes. First you’ll play the 5th fret note with a downstroke, then you’ll hammer-on the 7th fret note.

2. The 2nd measure is indicating that slides be used. Again, you’ll see the tie symbols connecting the notes, in addition to forward and backward slashes. A forward slash indicates an upward slide. A backward slash indicates a downward slide. With the first two notes, you’ll slide up from the 5th fret to the 7th fret. Then with the next two notes, you’ll slide down from the 7th fret to the 5th fret.

3. The 3rd measure is indicating that pull-offs be used. Again, you’ll notice those ties. First you’ll play the 7th fret note with a downstroke, then you’ll pull-off to the 5th fret note.

Chords

We can also read chords in tablature. With all the above examples, there was only one note being played at a time. However, when you’re playing chords, the notes will be stacked on top of each other vertically. Observe the image below and you’ll see how chords can be written in tab. So any time you have notes vertically lined up in tab, that means you need to play those notes at the same time.

Alrighty! That sums up the working fundamentals of tablature. It’s pretty basic, which is exactly how it’s meant to be. If you’d like to go beyond basic tab and start learning how to read standard notation, click here to check out the “Music Reading for Guitar” tutorial.

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