Guitar Structure

Guitar  Structure-by David Barker -www.guitartime.com.au

The top of the guitar consists of a slim neck and the “headstock”.    The headstock’s main function is to hold the guitar strings.  The headstock is placed at the end of the guitar and is furthest from your body.  
The headstock consists of tuners that allow you to change the pitch of your guitar strings.  At the bottom of the headstock is the “nut”.  A nut is a piece of material where there are grooves carved out.  These grooves guide the strings to the tuners.
The nut is usually made of plastic, bone, brass, stainless steel, graphite or other material.  The nut is found where the fret board meets the headstock.   A fret board or fingerboard is wood that is embedded with the metal “frets” that make up the top of the neck.
The guitar neck will be the focal point as you begin to learn how to play the instrument.  The neck joint or “heel” is where the neck is glued or bolted to the guitar body.  The majority of acoustic guitars have necks that are glued while the majority of electric guitars have glued and bolted necks.  Your fingers will be placed on different parts of the neck and this will create various notes.  Solid body electric guitars have a neck through body construction.  These types of necks are built so the head down through the bridge is on the same piece of wood.

Next there is the body of the guitar.  The body of a guitar will be different depending on what type of guitar you use.  In an acoustic guitar the body of the instrument determines the quality of the sound.  The vibration of the strings is passed through the bridge and saddle through a sound board.  A sound board is usually made of spruce or cedar and is about 3mm thick.
There is a sound hole in the body of the acoustic guitar.  The sound hole is designed to project the sound of the instrument.  The sound hole is typically a round hole on the front of the guitar, under the strings. The sound of the guitar is projected through the sound hole.  The air inside the body of the guitar vibrates as the guitar body and top is vibrated by the instrument’s strings.

The bodies of most electric guitars are typically made of wood.   It is rare to find a piece of hardwood that is wide enough to create the entire guitar so it is hard to find a guitar made of one piece of wood.  Most guitars are created with two pieces of wood and have a seam going down the center of the body.  Maple, ash, mahogany, basswood, alder, and poplar wood are commonly used to create the body of an electric guitar.  Many guitar bodies consist of cheap wood such as ash glued on top of a wood such as maple.  Guitars that are made in this way are called “flame tops”.  Some electric guitars are made of such materials as carbon composites, aluminum alloys, or a plastic material such as poly carbonate.
The majority of electric guitars have bodies that are solid and do not have a sound hole.  Electric guitars instead have “pickups”.  Pick-ups are basically small microphones that capture the sound of the strings and then the sound is amplified.  
David Barker -www.guitartime.com.au

Guitar Basics

Guitar Basics-By David Barker-www.guitartime.com.au


The guitar is an instrument with ancient roots and is used in several different musical genres.  Guitars usually have six strings but you can find guitars with seven, ten or even twelve strings.
Guitars are typically the main instrument in music such as rock, blues, country, and forms of pop.  Guitars may also be used as a solo instrument.   Traditional guitars are made of wood and steel or nylon strings.

Guitars may be played either acoustically or may need to rely on an amplifier.  There are various types of guitars.  First there is the acoustic guitar. In an acoustic guitar, the sound is created by vibrating strings that are echoed in the hollow body of the guitar.  It does not depend on anything external to produce its sound.   It depends on a wooden piece that is mounted on the front of the guitar.  The acoustic guitar is typically quieter than the instruments you would find in an orchestra or band so it is usually externally amplified.  There are a lot of acoustic guitars that have different pickups so the player can modify and amplify the sound of the instrument.

There are different types of acoustic guitars.  They are steel string guitars, twelve string guitars, arch top guitars, flamenco, and classical guitars.  There is also the acoustic bass guitar.

The invention of the electric guitar has influenced much of the music of the twentieth century and popular culture.  An electric guitar relies on an amplifier that helps to manipulate the tone of the instrument electronically.  An electric guitar uses what you call pickups to change the vibration of the strings into an electrical current, which is then amplified.  The electrical signal that emits from the guitar may be altered electronically before it passes into the amplifier.  This makes the final sound.  Some electric guitars have the ability to sound like an acoustic guitar with the flip of a switch.

Unlike the acoustic guitar, an electric guitar usually does not have a hollow body and the guitar makes very little sound when you pluck the strings.  When the strings are plucked an electric current is generated.  This current is then sent through a wire to an amplifier.  The current produced varies depending on how dense the string is and how much movement occurs (how you are strumming the guitar).
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Teaching Guitar 1

 If you would like to make a living from teaching/tutoring guitar and music it is important to gain a good understanding of the best methods to teach or tutors others. Of course it is important to know how to play your instrument and have at least a basic understanding of music. If you cannot impart your knowledge and skills to others you can forget developing a business as your students just won't stay.

It is also important to give your student a plan. Have your student set goals.

 

Write yourself clear and concise outcomes so that you can pass these onto your student. In other words give them something to aim for.

Don't " wing it" Over the many years I have taught teachers and trainers, this was one of the biggest issues . Too many teachers and trainers don't plan and usually end up "winging it " through each lesson. This is not fair on your student.

Also, consider using checklists and assessment sheets. You don’t need to tell the student you are using these. I find using a consultative, encouraging non threatening environment is the best way to go.

David Barker www.guitartime.com.au

Teaching Guitar

Coaching and learning 2

Coaching is a vehicle on a platform for learning and involves a relatively persistent change in an individual's behaviour due to the experiences that you will hopefully be able to give them. Coaching on hands your students ability to learn and take responsibility for their actions.

This encouragement in learning will present both opportunities and challenges. Be careful not to create and encourage fear and anxiety about learning their new instrument. Coaching will promote learning in a way that can alleviate any potential barriers. Unlike traditional standard educational methods coaching is personalised and self-directed. This means that you need to be consultative in your approach with each student without over controlling.

Certainly there needs to be planning in what is to be learned in respect of content but remember each student is different on how they learn.

David Barker   www.guitartime.com.au

Guitarist Stanley Clark

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Stanley Clarke

Clark was born in Philadelphia in 1951. Clarke's mother was his first musical influence as she was a professional operatic singer and as a child he often heard as singing around the house.

Violin lessons start around the age of 12 but because of his height and having long fingers is causing problems trying to play violin. He tried the shallow and had the same difficulties with a double bass one day convinced him that this is the right sized instrument for him.

By a tiny 16 he had started playing the bass guitar and his interests read music such as Wagner, Bach, James Brown, Hendrix, Beatles, and Sly.

Luckily continued his classical studies it was also playing in popular music groups in his local area. After high school he went to the Philadelphia musical Academy took a course covering symphonic  double bass playing. After the Academy he moved to New York and successfully auditioned for the jazz pianist in Horace Silver's group staying over a year.

At the beginning of the 70s he met Chick Corea and led the first line up of Return to you For Ever and recorded an album with the same name.

At this time Rick Turner showed Clarke his early two octave ALEMBIC bass guitars. This instrument with its long sky or active electronics and long sustain gave a rich sound and convince Clarke to make him a custom instrument thus initiating a combination that resulted in this distinctive sound. Return to forEver enjoy considerable success and by 1976 Clarke had become something of a legion. His Stanley Clarke solo album is accepted as an all time masterpiece he went on to perform his own group as well is work with Jeff Beck, George Duke and the Barbarians and with each Keith Richards.

Frank Zappa

Zappa has said himself that what makes him different from other guitar “hero types” is that he sees himself as a composer “ who can operate an instrument called a guitar”

He also said “ from the very beginning when I used to hear those solos on those old records I used to say ........now here is an instrument that is capable of spewing forth true obscentity, you know? If  ever there’s an obscene noise to be made on an instrument, it’s going to come out of a guitar”

Is Zappa out of touch with the world or are we out of touch with him?

He brings together influences from American dark music to Europen classical composers. Born Francis Vincent Zappa 21  December 1940 in Baltimore he started making music playing drums in 1956. He changed to guitar in Senior High.

What is a guitar  solo in his opinion?

“Three Hours Past Midnight “ by “ Johnny Guitar Watson

 Listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdqOpDOe5Tc

Cheers David www.guitartime.com.au