| |
| |
|
Music Information |
|
|
|
Buying A Guitar
There are many things to consider when buying a new classical guitar. For instance, whether or not you are a beginner or seasoned professional will determine just what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. If you're a beginner to intermediate player there are many excellent online dealers that carry a good range of brands at reasonable prices. I've recently added a Guitar Store page on my website which carries merchandise from Musiciansfriend.com which I'm very happy with. These online stores "live and die" by their reputation and so can't afford to have mediocre instruments or service. As we all know, news travels very fast on the web and they'd soon be out of business if they tried to "pull a swifty" on anyone. You can pretty much trust that their instruments will be good and you can view pictures of them online so don't be afraid of buying a guitar online if you're looking for that sort of convenience. If your heart is set on going to a "bricks & mortar" store to seek out an instrument, actually getting it in your hands to get the feel, then there are a few things you should know before you go. The most important thing is of course the sound of the instrument. Is it a sound that you are happy with and feel comfortable about. The different types of wood that classical guitars are made from will give each instrument its own peculiar sound but in general, guitars with cedar tops produce a more "warm' tone whereas spruce tops are likely to be more "focused" or 'concentrated". I've been asked in the past to accompany parents of some of my students to help in the purchase of a guitar. If the instrument is new then these things aren't so important but I still check them anyway. So, one of the first things I always do is check along the neck of the instrument by looking down from the nut to the end of the instrument. That is, I physically pick up the guitar and hold it out from my body so that the headstock is pointing towards me. Then I look along the length of the neck to see if it is straight. There should be NO bowing of the neck at all. I also look behind the bridge of the instrument to see if any area of the top is buckled or bowed. I would strongly advise anyone NOT to buy an instrument that was showing any signs of these defects. It's just not worth it in the end. The third thing I do is to hold down the strings from the second fret to the twelfth fret and see if the string length touches all the intervening frets. There will be a problem with craftsmanship if you have any significant variation here. I then check the sound of the instrument to see if it has the qualities that I'm after. They are: projection; quality of tone and; comfort i.e. is it the right size for me or whoever we're buying the instrument for. Children, especially younger ones, will obviously need a smaller guitar than adults and it depends on the size of the student. Classical guitars usually come in half, three-quarter, five-eighth and full size. If you've covered all these areas you'll usually come away with a decent guitar that will last you many years of happy playing. If you're a more advanced player or have the money and inclination to buy something a little better, you know, that DREAM guitar, then you'll have to invest a little more time, money and testing to achieve it. Sharon Isbin, writing in the Classical Guitar Answer Book , suggests these areas when purchasing that "dream guitar": Beauty of Tone; Dynamic & Timbral Contrasts; Clarity & Speed of Response; Sustain; Balance; Resonance; Intonation; Projection; Condition. Phew! Talk about attention to detail! But if you're after an instrument of quality and it's worth the money then it's worth the time and effort to research. I hope this has been of help in purchasing an instrument. Trevor Maurice is an Australian, living in beautiful seaside Maroubra, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. He's been involved in playing guitar (mainly classical) for longer than he cares to remember and has also taught the instrument for many years. He is teacher trained, having a Diploma of Education (Majoring in music) He has also taught Primary (Elementary) school for many years and had a long-held dream to build a quality website for the classical guitar that is of use to anyone even slightly interested in this beautiful instrument. He has now made that dream a reality with the highly rated... http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/index.html
MORE RESOURCES:
Music - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Top 10 Reasons Why You Suck At Playing Guitar You don't 'need' to play guitar enough.If you desire to become a great guitarist, you have to want it badly enough to sacrifice other parts of your life to devote to practice. An Interview with Jon Bon Jovi - 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Cant Be Wrong The idea originated with singer Jon Bon Jovi. Jon kept upping the ante with his label and ultimately they consented to a four-CD set of essentially new material. Breathing Space in Music While most students want to know when to play certain notes and chords, it's equally important to know when not to play. For example, I had a student who knew how to improvise and play in the New Age style. How the Internet Helps Musicians Everyone talks about the negative impact of the Internet on the music business. Illegal file sharing and copyright violations have decimated the profits in the industry. The Joy of Spontaneous Expression Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to you and put it on paper. Play Too Loud And Well Cut The Power! "Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in your musical lifetime? It's a plain fact that old people just don't like loud music. They should all be taken to soundproofed old people's homes where they can live out the remainder of their lives complaining about each other, and let us get on with some fun. Bono: From Music To Fashion To Helping The Poor U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of a top band. Fashion and Music - well I'm sure they can mix! Bono was born Paul David Hewson in 1960 in Dublin Ireland. Bagpipe Lessons In Your Own Home ! Bringing Bagpipe Tuition to Everyone, Everywhere.I have been teaching music for many years and always thought that there must be a better way of reaching more people who have a desire to learn a musical instrument but who have no idea of how to go about it. 10 Top Reasons You Should Learn to Play Chord Piano There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to "chord a song" at the piano. By "chord a song", I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. Growing and Keeping Loyal Fan Support Fan support for musicians is a two way street. You make the music, release the CDs, and play the shows. Musical Improvisation Basics - Four Strategies For Playing Wrong Notes While it probably doesn't seem like this would help - let's face it - if you are unwilling to play a lot of wrong notes, you're never going to learn how to do anything hard. And improvising is hard! It isn't something that you can do safely, with the assurance that you will look good while trying to get good at it. Prepare for the Master (CD Mastering) Many artists are still confused as to what goes on during a mastering session. This article will try to shed some light on the last step before fame and riches (well, at least the last step before duplication), and help you with preparing your music before sending to a mastering studio. 10 Music Download Legal Points Everybody's doing it: downloading music and sharing files. People who share music files on the Internet argue that downloading is legal; today they can be sued by the record industry. Can You Really Learn To Play a Musical Instrument From an Online Course? Out of the 250 million people in the United States, about 25 million of them play an instrument of some kind, or used to when they were in school and would like to pick up where they left off. Another 30 million or so sing in a church choir, a barbershop quartet, or at the very least, in the shower. Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical composers eventually venture into exploring poly-harmony within their respective art form. Poly harmony is the simultaneous sounding of more than one harmonic concept. Music Industry Insider: Tess Taylor of NARIP and LAMN Members of LAMN (founded in 1988) and NARIP (founded in 1998), are able to more quickly gain the insight, knowledge, and contact information they need for career development and career enhancement.The success of both organizations extends well beyond their names - both LAMN and NARIP have members across the country and around the globe. Defining The True Artist - Do You Have What It Takes? "The real communicating artists seek unique expression. They are not interested anymore in sounding like their heroes, they are searching constantly, developing and refining their own unique voice. Review: The Bled - Pass the Flask Released in 2003, Pass the Flask turned this little quintet from Tucson, into a mainstream success overnight. Classifying this band as 'metalcore' or 'indie' or 'hardcore' is quite futile, because for every genre you pick, someone is going to disagree, and have a solid backing for their view. Music as Therapy? Frustrated in a gridlocked?Job got you stressed out?The children have you going crazy?You pop in your favorite tune and you take a deep breathand as if by magic for a few minutes nothing matters anymore!No it's no magic! It's music and it's power!Truly amazing isn't it?Even plants responds to music as was proven by some researcherat a well known university in the USA.Why? Many reasons, I am sure some scientist would quote somethingabout physiological responses to stimuli within the progressions of notes. The Music Industry and Its Lack of Talent So it has come to this..
|
|
Articles Home Page | Site Map | Main Site Home Page GETsonic | TrafficFish | Games | YaZoW | Freebies | WildThingsDesigns | Mp3mama
|
|
| © 2008 |
