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Want to learn to play guitar like B.B. King?

February 17, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Want to learn to play guitar like the King of the Blues, B.B. King?

The B.B. King Player Study will teach you the key aspects of King’s legendary playing style, including his phrasing, use of vibrato, and incredible tone.

Background

Riley B. King grew up singing in the gospel choir in his Mississippi hometown. The minister there played guitar during services, and taught King his first three chords. King bought his first guitar for $15, a month of his salary at that time. He joined a gospel group to play at area churches before following Delta blues musician Bukka White to Memphis for nearly a year. He performed on local radio programs and had regular gigs at a club in West Memphis.

King’s nickname “B.B.” came from his nickname at a radio station, where he was a DJ and singer – “Beale Street Blues Boy”, shortened to “Blues Boy” and later, “B.B.”. He was a fixture of the Beale Street blues scene by the late 1940s and 1950s, playing in a group called The Beale Streeters. He was signed to RPM records, and began touring across the U.S. with his band, The B.B. King Review.

King became one of the biggest names in R&B in the 1950s with hits like “3 O’Clock Blues”, “You Know I Love You”, and “Every Day I Have the Blues”. He started booking major venues like New York’s Apollo Theater, and in 1956 alone, he booked 342 concerts and three recording sessions.

King and other Black American blues artists inspired a crop of young musicians in the United Kingdom, including Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. King opened for the Stones’ 1969 American Tour.

Style

King prioritized quality over quantity in his playing, using his expressive phrasing to give his guitar a voice. “When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille,” King famously said. (Lucille was the name given to all of King’s guitars).

He utilized a style that became known as the “B.B. Box”, using a pentatonic minor shape down the neck of the guitar and focusing on ⅘ notes. He also stepped outside of the traditional minor pentatonic scale and use microtonal bending – bending notes less than a semi-tone for a subtle effect.

Lucille

King famously named all of his guitars – usually Gibson ES-355 or variants – Lucille. King said the name originated in the late 1940s, when he was playing a show in Arkansas. A fight broke out in the venue, causing a fire and forcing King and the crowd to evacuate. King returned to rescue his guitar and found out that the men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. As a reminder not to fight over women or tempt fate by entering any more burning buildings, he named the guitar (and all the subsequent guitars) Lucille.

Legacy

King was inducted into the Blues all of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He won the international Polar Music Prize in 2014. King, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990, was a spokesperson for the fight against the disease. He also supported Little Kid Rock, an organization that provides instruments and instruction for kids in underprivileged areas of the U.S. In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked King #6 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Power chords and barre chords for guitar – how and when to use them

February 16, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Power chords and barre chords will both add power and dimension to your guitar playing, especially when playing with a group. There are a few differences between these two heavy hitters and when you should use them.

Power Chords

Think of the unforgettable riff of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. The distinctively grungy sound is achieved through a series of power chords (and plenty of distortion).

A power chord includes the root note and the fifth of the root note, with the option to add the octave of the root note. On a guitar, this forms a specific shape, which is easy to move up and down the guitar neck to create different chord progressions.

You can find the “fifth” of a root note by counting five notes up the scale from the root. So if you’re playing a “C” power chord, the power chord will contain C (the root note), G (five notes up from C), and C one octave above the root.

Since power chords don’t contain a third note, they’re neither major nor minor. Power chords are usually written with a “5”, i.e. A5, C5, etc.

Power chords aren’t solely the purview of rock music – they can be found in all genres, including pop. They can also be played on piano.

You can master power chords with this Power Chord Workout for Guitar.

Barre Chords

Barre chords are a little more complex than power chords. To play a barre chord, you’ll need to press your index finger along a fret, holding down five or six strings at once. Some chord positions may call for you to barre just two or three strings, which you can do with the tip of your index finger.

“A♯ minor chord on guitar with barre” by Lucian Popescu is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Doing this essentially shortens the guitar’s strings, allowing you to play a chord without being restricted by the tones of the open strings. This helps create chords with different tonalities, like minor, sharp, flat, and 7th chords.

Most barre chords are “moveable”, meaning you can play them up and down the neck to play different chord progressions.

If you’re just starting out playing barre chords and having a hard time, don’t stress! Properly barring a fret is one of the trickiest tasks for a new guitar player, but your fingers will gain strength the more you practice.

Try this course to learn some easy barre chords for guitar!

How to add tabs to Fret Zealot

February 14, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Did you know that you can upload any song tabs to the Fret Zealot app, including your own original tabs?

To upload, go to elb.fretzealot.com and log in using your Fret Zealot username and password.

Then, use the form “upload song” and select a Guitar Pro file you want to upload. You can upload tabs as “public” or “private”. If you upload “public”, anyone will be able to view and use your tabs with the Fret Zealot app. If you select “private”, the tabs will only be available in your Fret Zealot account.

Different types of acoustic guitars

February 13, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Acoustic guitars come in many different shapes and sizes, which can contribute to their sound, playability, and overall feel. Here are some of the most common shapes and types of acoustic guitars.

Dreadnought

This is probably what you picture when you think “acoustic guitar”. The dreadnought body shape is distinguished by its large body and square shoulders and bottom. The neck is typically attached to the guitar at the 14th fret. They’re considered a standard guitar in bluegrass music.

The first dreadnought-style guitar was produced by C.F. Martin & Co. in 1916. The term “dreadnought” referred to a type of large battleship that was used at the time.

Here are some dreadnought guitars available in the Fret Zealot store:

Yamaha FG800 Dreadnought

Yamaha A1M Dreadnought

Dean AXS Dreadnought 12 String

Jumbo

Jumbo acoustic guitars are the largest standard acoustic guitar type. Its extra-large size provides a deeper tone with lots of volume.

The big sound this style produces makes it perfect for strumming music, including pop, folk, and country. This style is popular in Nashville for this reason.

Epiphone PR-4E Player Pack

Parlor

On the other end of the acoustic guitar size spectrum is the parlor guitar. Parlor guitars are small acoustic guitars that are also narrow, making them great for fingerstyle playing. They produce a high-end midrange tone.

They get their name because they were frequently played in parlors in the 19th century.

Auditorium

Auditorium guitars have plenty of similarities to dreadnought styles, but they’re slimmer in the waist – which also results in less depth. They feature a brighter tone and are quieter than dreadnoughts. Auditorium guitars are better suited for fingerpicking than dreadnoughts, but dreadnoughts are better for strumming.

Auditorium guitars come in regular and grand auditorium sizes.

Classical guitars/Nylon string guitars

Classical guitars are traditionally strung with nylon string and are usually used in classical music. Classical guitars have been around longer than modern acoustic and electric guitars. Their origins can be traced back to stringed instruments used in Spain in the 15th and 16th century, which eventually became the baroque guitar.

The proper playing of a classical guitar is slightly different from other acoustic styles. The musician props the guitar up on their left leg to allow their strumming or plucking hand to be closer to the sound hole.

Yamaha SLG200N Silent Guitar

Ten romantic rock songs to learn for Valentine’s Day

February 8, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Valentine’s Day is coming up fast. If you still need a surprise for your person, grab your guitar and start learning one of these romantic rock songs!

With or Without You – U2

One of Irish band U2’s most popular songs ever, “With or Without You” was also used in NBC’s sitcom “Friends” as the theme song for Ross and Rachel’s relationship.

More Than Words – Extreme

Extreme lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt described this song as a warning that the phrase “I love you” was becoming meaningless.

“People use it so easily and so lightly that they think you can say that and fix everything, or you can say that and everything’s OK,” he told the AP in 1991.

“Sometimes you have to do more and you have to show it—there’s other ways to say ‘I love you.’

Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash came up with the guitar riff for “Sweet Child” as a joke, saying it was a “circus melody”.

Within an hour, it was well on its way to being a full song – lead singer Axl Rose finished the lyrics by the next afternoon, basing them on his girlfriend Erin Everly.

Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper

Singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper was inspired by a movie name she saw in TV Guide, “Time After Time”, and was inspired to write this song for her debut solo album. The track has landed on several lists of “The Best Love Songs of All Time”.

505 – Arctic Monkeys

The organ chords used in this 2007 track are the same from the soundtrack for “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly”.

Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

According to Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody, the phrase “chasing cars” came from his father’s advice about a girl Lightbody was infatuated with. Lightbody said his dad said, “”You’re like a dog chasing a car. You’ll never catch it and you just wouldn’t know what to do with it if you did.”

Dreams – Fleetwood Mac Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams” in about ten minutes while the band was recording their celebrated “Rumours” album.

Layla – Eric Clapton

Another Clapton track, “Layla” was inspired both by a 12th century Persian poem and his secret love for Pattie Boyd, who was married to his friend George Harrison at the time.

Iris – The Goo Goo DollsThe Goo Goo Dolls’ signature song, “Iris” was written for the 1998 movie “City of Angels”. Lead singer John Rzeznik wrote the song after watching an early cut of the movie, saying in a 2013 interview, “I was thinking about the situation of the Nicolas Cage character in the movie. This guy is completely willing to give up his own immortality, just to be able to feel something very human. And I think, ‘Wow! What an amazing thing it must be like to love someone so much that you give up everything to be with them.’ That’s a pretty heavy thought.”

What’s the difference between lead guitar and rhythm guitar?

February 6, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

If you listen to most music that features guitars, you’ll hear that there are often two guitars playing simultaneously – one keeping the beat and the other playing a melody. The guitar that keeps a beat is called “rhythm guitar” and the one that plays a separate melody is called “lead guitar”.

Both parts can be crucial to a piece of music. Let’s break down what they do:

Rhythm guitar

The rhythm guitar part usually consists of chord progressions that keep pace with the drum’s tempo. Rhythm guitar can be easier for beginners to learn than lead guitar (a lot of famous songs can be played with only three chords!) However, it’s still a vital part of making a song memorable. Learning rhythm guitar can also be preferable if you’re a singer-songwriter, or just someone who wants to sing along with a song.

In many metal or hard rock songs, the rhythm guitar part utilizes “power chords” to make a maximum impact while supporting the lead guitar part and vocals. Power chords utilize the root note and fifth of a chord. Because there is no third note, the chord is neither minor nor major. Playing these creates a meaty low end sound that’s perfect for heavy music.

The technique you use to strum chords can give a song a specific sound. For example, using only downstrokes can give your playing a punk-rock vibe, while ska music usually utilizes an upstroke. You can also use techniques like arpeggio, palm-muting and fingerpicking to get the sound you want.

Try the Power Chord Workout for Guitar to master all of the power chords!

Lead guitar

Feeling like the star of the show? Lead guitar utilizes riffs (series of notes that make up the main melody of the song) and solos (different melody lines that often stand alone in a song). Lead guitarist can use a variety of techniques to create different sounds, including finger-tapping, hammer-ons, and string bends.

While solos might sound like a group of random notes to the untrained ear, they’re actually made up of notes from scales – usually major or pentatonic scales. Mastering the scales can make you better at soloing, both writing parts, improvising, and playing solos in cover songs.

Interested in being a lead guitarist? Lead Guitar Beginners Level 1 can get you started!

Do you prefer playing lead or rhythm guitar? Let us know in the comments!

Songs with unforgettable basslines

February 1, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

A great bassline can be the difference from a song being good and being iconic. Here are some of the funkiest, most famous, and most unforgettable basslines of all time.

Stand By Me – Ben E. King

Singer-songwriter Ben E. King was inspired to write “Stand By Me” as an update to a 20th-century hymn called “Stand By Me. Producer Mike Stoller came up with the bassline for this modern standard.

Another One Bites the Dust – Queen

Featuring a simple but insanely catchy bassline, “Another One Bites the Dust” was written by Queen bassist John Deacon. Deacon had been hanging out in the studio with disco band Chic, which inspired him.

Under Pressure – Queen

Queen teamed up with David Bowie in 1981 for another song with an iconic bassline, “Under Pressure”. The line was sampled (uncredited) by rapper Vanilla Ice, resulting in a lawsuit.

My Generation – The Who

This 1965 track features one of the most famous bass solos in history. Bassist John Entwistle’s line created a call-and-response effect with the other instruments, influenced by American rhythm and blues music.

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly and the Family Stone

This pioneering 1969 funk track includes a slap bass line – pulling the strings away from the fretboard for a distinct tone.

Come As You Are

The main “bass riff” you hear on this grunge classic is guitarist Kurt Cobain’s guitar in drop tuning, but bassist Krist Novoselic imitates the line for a double dose of low-end.

Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers

RHCP bassist Flea slaps and hits ghost notes through this very memorable bassline.

Learning bass? It’s easier with Fret Zealot for bass guitar, available now! Over 50,000 bass tabs are available in the Fret Zealot app along with three bass guitar courses.

The easiest rock songs to learn on guitar

January 31, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Are you just starting out on your guitar learning journey? Graduating from learning scales and chords is exciting, and will motivate you to keep getting better!

Luckily, some of the best-known rock songs are actually pretty easy to learn on guitar! Here are the simplest ones – and Fret Zealot has step-by-step lessons to help.

Dreams

You only need a couple of chords to master this beloved Fleetwood Mac hit, and the song lesson will walk you through the strumming pattern step-by-step! It also includes the guitar solo if you’re up for a challenge.

Brown Eyed Girl

Simple chords are the foundation of this Van Morrison classic. The song lesson will help you master the song’s rhythm at an easy pace.

Summer of ‘69

Bryan Adams’ 1985 hit can be played with mostly open chords. This lesson will help you learn it on any six-string (even if it’s unlikely you purchased it at the five-and-dime).

Seven Nation Army

This lesson will teach you the iconic riff of this White Stripes song, which is easier to play than it sounds!

Buffalo Soldier

This lesson doubles as a crash course in reggae strumming.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Ready to try out some power chords? This lesson will walk you through Nirvana’s biggest hit with maximum impact, but minimal skills are required.

Back in BlackFret Zealot’s most popular song lesson walks you step-by-step through AC/DC’s smash hit. It will have you rocking out in no time.

Want some additional help learning guitar? The Fret Zealot LED system attaches to any full-size guitar and connects to the Fret Zealot app via Bluetooth, giving you an extra edge. Purchase it here.

Useful guitar tips for beginners

January 27, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Are you just starting out on your guitar journey? Here are a couple of tips that will help level up your playing quickly.

Use a metronome

Metronomes will help you keep the time of a song with a click. They can be adjusted to keep time faster or slower, depending on the song and what you’re comfortable with.

Using a metronome is helpful when learning a new song or guitar riff. Instead of trying to play the riff at full speed, you can practice playing it at a slower pace and adjust the speed as you get comfortable with it, until you’re up to full speed. Metronomes measure BPM, or “beats per minute”.

You can find a metronome tool inside of the Fret Zealot app, or you can buy a physical one.

2. Get chords to sound clear by playing each note individually

As you learn how to play chords – especially barre chords – it can be challenging to have them ring out clearly. To play a chord, you need to press each string in the chord down firmly against the guitar neck, while allowing the open strings to vibrate fully (not touching them). With practice, you’ll build strength in your hands and calluses on your fingertips which will help.

It’s also helpful to play through each note of the chord individually to make sure they’re ringing through clearly. Make sure if you’re playing a barre chord to use even pressure throughout to fully hold the fret down.

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Fret Zealot can help you on your guitar learning journey with thousands of songs, hundreds of lessons, and every chord and scale at your fingertips! Try the 30 Day Beginner Challenge today.

Do you know your guitar scale length?

January 25, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

Do you know your guitar scale length?

When you’re choosing a new (or a first) guitar, scale is something to take into consideration. Guitars come in different scale lengths depending on the manufacturer or style, and the length of a guitar scale can impact its playability and tone.

“Scale length” is the measure of distance between a guitar’s nut and its bridge. The “nut” is at the top of the neck, near the headstock, and the bridge is the device that supports the string below the neck.

How do you measure the scale length of a guitar?

A good rule of thumb is to measure the distance between a guitar’s nut and its 12th fret, and then double it. Guitar scale lengths are generally measured in inches, since most of the world’s largest guitar manufacturers are American.

What are the scale lengths?

Full-size guitar lengths have scales that are longer than 24 inches, whereas a ¾ scale guitar will have scale lengths of 20 to 24 inches. Baritone guitars and guitars with extra strings – (7 string/8 string/9 string) guitars typically have longer scales to make sure the notes on the lower strings can sound clear.

What’s the difference between scale lengths?

Fret spacing is the biggest difference between shorter- and longer-scale guitars. Shorter scale guitars will have frets that are slightly closer together than their longer-scale counterparts. As scale length increases, so does the distance between frets. It’s not a huge difference, but something to consider, especially if you have large or small hands. Closer-together frets also may be easier to get used to for beginners.

The longer the scale of a guitar is, the stronger the tension needs to be to hold the strings in tune. Shorter scale guitar strings require less tension, and might be easier to play.

String gauge also is a factor when it comes to string tension, so if you find longer-scale guitars harder to play, you can compensate by fitting it with a smaller gauge of string.

How does scale length impact tone?

This gives shorter-scale guitars a warmer sound, since their strings have more “wiggle room” to vibrate. Because they require less tension, it’s easier to bend the strings on a shorter-scale guitar.

Since longer-scale guitars have more string tension, they tend to produce a stronger sound with clear low ends.

What about ¾ scale guitars?

A ¾ scale guitar can be purchased for considerably cheaper than a full-size guitar, but often don’t have the capacity to produce the sound a full-size guitar can make. However, the small size makes finger exercises easier, making it a good choice for a first guitar or a practice guitar.

Fret Zealot LED strips come in two sizes – 24.75” and 25.5”. Click here for more.