Getting The Sounds: Classic Guitar Effects

Learn To Play Guitar Fast? Yes, It Is Possible

First of all, we must forget everything we've ever thought about how complicated playing music is. I compare it to 'math anxiety'. Many people fear music and think that it takes a genius to be a good musician. To be a master it might take a genius, but to play songs on the guitar, sound good and have a great time is only a lesson or two away...

The Tab Method to learn to play guitar fast will be fully discussed in our next article. But, if you're in a hurry to learn the rest, you can check the resource box at the end of this article.

Now place your left hand around the guitar neck and place your right arm around the body so that your hand is lying by the strings. Adjust your body positioning so that you are completely comfortable.

If you're right handed, you will use your left hand to construct chords.The left hand fingers are bent and pressing down on the strings on the fret board. The back of the neck is curved, so that your hand molds into the shape of the neck. Your thumb is arching over the top of the neck. This is a common thumb position for constructing chords.

I have been playing and teaching music professionally for many years and I was a child piano prodigy myself. I play and teach: piano, guitar, bass, flute and drums. I have taught many friends and family members how to get started playing songs on the guitar practically overnight. When you are dedicated enough and passionate about learning the guitar, it comes a lot easier than you may think.

Let's start!

Hand Positioning

As for the method we use to learn to play guitar fast

Right Hand Arm

Playing guitar for hours can strain your back if you do not maintain an upright posture. Pick up your guitar and place the back of the guitar against your stomach. If you are right handed, the guitar neck should be pointing towards your left. Rest the guitar body on your right upper thigh.

Different from the traditional way of learning and teaching how to play a guitar, what we have here that traditional method don't have is......Guitar Tablature or 'Tab' for short. This system allows you to get propelled into playing songs and 'riffs' on the guitar almost immediately! Guitar Tab is a universal language among musicians and even professionals use it as a reference. After this a couple of lessons, you will be able to Google the Guitar Tab for pretty much any song that you want and be playing the melody line or main riff within minutes!

It is also fine to press your thumb into the back of the guitar neck when constructing chords, although this is more common when playing scales. Try out both thumb positions and use the one that is most comfortable for you.

Grab your guitar! I am assuming that prior to reading this you have a pretty good idea of how to hold a guitar and pluck the strings either with your finger(s) or with a guitar 'pick'.

If you're left handed, don't worry. You have two options here. The first option is to buy a right-handed guitar and re-string it, so that the order of the strings in figure above is reversed. The second option you have is to buy a left-handed guitar.

Using a Pick

You should grasp the pick between your thumb and forefinger of your right hand. You should hold the pick firmly and the pointed portion of the pick should be pointing away from your fist and should be sticking out about inch. The hand you are strumming with should be over the sound hole of your acoustic guitar. Your strumming hand should be placed above the strings.

The Tao of Yo

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The first Dean guitars that were released had some interesting design and engineering features. "V-shaped" headstocks and pointy bodies made the Dean guitar easy to identify on stage as well as produce an amazing tone and sustain. These new models were called "V", "Z" and "ML". The "V" and "Z" guitars were shaped like the letters of the alphabet while the "ML" was named after a friend of Dean's who passed away, Matt Lynn. Dean also came up with a new type of neck that was also "V" shaped. This made it easier and faster to play up and down the neck.

By the age of 18, Dean opened up the Dean Custom Guitars repair shop in Northbrook, Illinois. He came up with an idea for an academically accredited work-study program that he set up with his school. He would go to school everyday until noon and then worked until 9 or 10 at night in the shop.

History Of The Dean Guitar

The Dean Guitar Company is still to this day creating great quality guitars at a reasonable price. One of the reasons for their success is because of the great guitarists that love playing them. The most popular of the bunch would have to be Dimebag Darrell (Pantera and Damageplan) and the "Razorback" guitar that he helped to design. Other guitar players who have used Dean guitars are Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Ozbourne and Quiet Riot), Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill (ZZ Top), Eric Peterson (Testament), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Michael Angelo Batio (Nitro), Michael Schenker (UFO and MSG), Rik Emmett (Triumph), Rik Ocasek (The Cars), Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) and CC Deville (Poison).

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Being a fan of Gibson's and with the popularity of the Gibson V's and Explorer's at the time, he decided to make guitars similar in style to theirs. There were a lot of other companies making copies of these styles already but most of them were of very poor quality. Dean was determined to make his guitars stand out from the rest with good quality parts and a huge sound. The Rock music that was gaining popularity at the time was in his mind missing a certain look and sound, so Dean came up with a line of guitars that would solve this problem.

Dean guitars went through another ownership change in the late 90's when Armadillo Enterprises bought it. Armadillo Enterprises also brought original owner Dean Zelinsky back into the company as an executive and creative consultant.

The Dean Guitar Company was established in 1976 by luthier Dean Zelinsky, who was only 18 years old at the time. Dean Began playing guitar when he was 9 years old and was restoring old beat up guitars by the time he was 16. He would buy an old Gibson SG with a broken neck, fix it, play it for a few weeks and then sell it. Dean Zelinsky also employed his karate teacher, who was a corporate pilot, to look for antique guitars in the cities that he stopped over at. He put together a chart for his teacher of every valuable guitar that was available at the time, with everything to look out for in these guitars.

Dean decided that he wanted to get out of the guitar making business and sold his company to Oscar Medeiros in 1986. Medeiros continued to make great quality guitars and even improved the Dean guitars by introducing the "neck-through-body" construction.

When Dean reached 19 years of age, he decided to make his own instruments. He enjoyed repairing guitars but it didn't reward him enough financially. He realized that to make the kind of money that he wanted to make, he would have to start manufacturing his own guitars.