Guitar Archives - Fret Zealot

Electric guitars vs. acoustic guitars – which is right for you?

September 12, 2024/by Kaley Lynch

If you’re a beginner guitar player, you’re probably wondering whether an electric or acoustic guitar is right for you.

Guitarists’ instrument preferences are as unique to them as their playing styles. What’s right for one person might not be the best pick for another.

Here are some things to consider when you’re choosing your first instrument:

Building hand strength

Acoustic guitars are harder to get sound out of than electric guitars. They have thicker strings which require more pressure to hold down, especially while playing barre chords. They also rely purely on acoustics to produce sound, so it’s not tempting to simply crank the volume up as you could on an electric guitar. However, this makes acoustic guitars a good pick for first time learners, as you will build up strength (and calluses) in your fingers faster than on an electric guitar. They’re also good for learning strumming and picking patterns, since you have to get a feel for the strings’ vibrations when strummed.

Equipment

An acoustic guitar needs no amplification for regular playing – although you can purchase an electric/acoustic version if you want the ability to easily plug in. If you plan on performing with it live, consider that you’ll need to mic it separately.

An electric guitar requires an amplifier and a cable at minimum. If you want to play it in spaces that don’t allow loud noise, you can get a set of headphones to go into the amplifier.

Size/weight

Electric guitars usually have flatter bodies and thinner necks than their acoustic counterparts, making them easier to hold close to your body and move your hand around the fretboard. However, they weigh more than acoustic guitars (since acoustics have hollow bodies).

The average acoustic guitar weighs about 2.5 to 5 lbs, while the average electric guitar weighs about 8 lbs.

Genre

Another factor to consider in your first guitar purchase is what genre you’re most interested in playing. Electric guitars are versatile for a range of genres including rock, metal, punk, funk, and more.

Acoustic guitars are a good pick if you’re primarily interested in being a singer-songwriter and performing solo, as well as if you’re interested in playing country, bluegrass, or folk music.

Sound customization

With pedals, you can get a large range of sounds and tones out of an electric guitar, whereas an acoustic guitar might not have the same range of expression. However, an electric-acoustic guitar can still be used with pedals.

Guitar techniques that look harder than they are

August 14, 2024/by Kaley Lynch

If you’re starting out on guitar, watching seasoned guitar players shred away can be a little intimidating. However, some guitar techniques that look and sound cool aren’t that difficult to play.

Here are some guitar skills that look more difficult to master than they actually are.

Power chords

If you’re memorizing the basic open chords like C, D, and E, something like a G5 might look funny to you.

Power chords are the building blocks for many punk, grunge, and alternative songs. Power chords are made up of just the root note and the fifth note, sometimes with the octave of the root note included. They’re different from major and minor scales because they’re neither major nor minor, and don’t include any other notes.

The tough part about mastering power chords is to strum only the strings inside the chord. Once you master that, you’ll be able to play many songs – like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with ease.

Check out this Power Chord Workout for Guitar course to get started.

Fingerpicking

Fingerpicking gives songs like “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas and “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers their distinct textures. When you fingerpick a song, you use your fingers to pluck the strings rather than strumming with your hand or a pick. It can take a little bit of time to get used to the different movement, but often you’ll be playing simple chord progressions, so it takes less brain power than it seems to.

Check out our Acoustic Fingerstyle – Level 1 course to get started!

Bending notes

“Bending” is when you play a guitar note and then push the string horizontally across the fretboard, changing the pitch. Eric Clapton uses this often in his playing, and it can be heard prominently in “Sunshine of My Love” by Cream.

Bending sounds high-level, but it’s fairly simple to learn. Check out Ultimate Lead Guitar Techniques to learn bending, and other impressive-sounding solo techniques.

Pinch harmonics

Pinch harmonics, aka pick or pitch harmonics, or “squealies”, creates a high pitched tone by silencing the main frequency of a note, allowing the overtones to come through. ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons uses this technique frequently to make his solos more memorable – you can hear it used in “La Grange”.

It may take some work to learn how to incorporate pinch harmonics into your work, but to actually learn how to make that sound is not difficult. Check out Metal Essentials Level 1 to learn how to make this technique work.

Songs you can play on one guitar string

March 20, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

If you’re starting out on your guitar journey, a great way to build up your dexterity and technique is by playing songs on just one string. It’s a lot more fun than playing scales and will keep you motivated to learn.

Just because you’re sticking to one string doesn’t mean you have to be confined to playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Happy Birthday” – many riffs and melodies of popular songs can be played on one string!

Once you’re comfortable playing these songs on one string, most of them can be beefed up with chords or more advanced techniques!

Another One Bites the Dust – Queen

The iconic bass riff for this 1980 hit can also be played on one guitar string.

Thunderstruck – AC/DC

Angus Young’s guitar riff for this 1990 classic is one of the most memorable guitar lines of all time, but it can be played on just one string!

My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion

No pennywhistle needed. The theme song for 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” can be played on just the high “E” string.

Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple

Possibly one of the best-known one string songs of all time, you can learn this whole riff on the low E string and double it when you’re ready.

Running Down a Dream – Tom Petty

The riff of this 1989 hit can be played on one string, making it perfect for beginners. The chords are also fairly simple.

Seven Nation Army – White Stripes

The bass riff of “Seven Nation Army” is one of the best-known basslines of all time, but it can also be played on the “A” string.

Satisfaction – Rolling Stones

This 1965 hit will be “satisfying” to learn – the riff can be played on one string and the rhythm part consists of three simple chords!

Misirlou – Dick Dale

This surf rock classic can be played on just one string, as long as you can pick fast enough!

Sunshine of Your Love – Cream

This memorable riff can be played on just the D string.

Bass vs. guitar – which is right for you?

February 28, 2023/by Kaley Lynch

If you’re starting out as a new musician, choosing the instrument that’s right for you is crucial! Bass and guitar are similar-looking instruments, and either will be a lot of fun to play – but which one is right for you?

The basics:

Bass guitars have four strings, while regular guitars (usually) have six. The strings on a bass guitar are thicker, allowing them to hit lower notes. On both instruments, you can play scales, chords, and apply the same music theory you’d use for other instruments.

Guitar

Guitar players can choose between playing rhythm or lead – playing the chords of a song, or playing a solo above the main melody. Because a guitar has a higher pitch than a bass, it often cuts through the sound better.

If you’re a singer looking to accompany yourself with an instrument, guitar may be the better choice, since it’s closer in timbre to a human voice and easier to play chords that ring out clearly.

Acoustic guitars are also a good, portable option for musicians who want to play outside or bring an instrument to parties, etc. Acoustic basses exist, but because they have a lower pitch, they can be harder to hear without amplification.

Bass

Are you a rhythm enthusiast? Bass guitar works with drums or percussion to fill out the rhythm section of a band. Bassists help control the rhythm and pace of a song, building the sound’s foundation.

The bass adds a lower harmony that works with the guitar to give a song depth and intensity. It can also drive a song, like these songs with unforgettable bass lines.

Which is easier to learn?

There’s no simple answer to which instrument is easier to learn. Both instruments involve the same notes and scales, so you can choose to learn bass after learning guitar and vice versa.

Guitar involves slightly more memorization of chords than bass does, since it has six strings instead of four and relies more heavily on barre chords to get a variety of sounds.

Since bass guitars are longer, heavier, and have thicker strings, they might be harder to physically get used to playing, although with some practice it should get easier.

You can learn how to play both guitar and bass with Fret Zealot. Paired with the Fret Zealot app, the paper-thin LED strip lights up in coordination with lessons and tabs, making the learning process faster and easier.

Check out guitars and bass guitars with Fret Zealot pre-installed here!

These are the three most popular guitars in the Fret Zealot store in 2022

December 20, 2022/by Kaley Lynch

You can find a guitar for anyone in the Fret Zealot store. Here are our three top-selling guitars for 2022!

Yamaha FG800 Dreadnought

A great guitar for beginners – the Yamaha FG800 acoustic guitar has a comfortable dreadnought body shape and a slim neck with rounded edges to make playing a breeze.

Check out our review here.

Les Paul Player Pack

This all-in-one pack has everything you need to get rocking – including a quality Epiphone electric guitar with a classic Les Paul design, a ten-watt amplifier, gig bag, a tuner, a strap, and picks.

Check out our review here:

Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II Performance Pack

Got an “appetite for destruction”? This Les Paul Special II was designed by Slash himself and features an AAA flame maple top, dark cherry mahogany body and neck, ivory binding, and a silk print of Slash’s Snakepit logo on the headstock. The pack comes with an amplifier, gig bag, and more!

Check out all of the features and hear how it sounds in this review.

All of these guitars are available in our store with Fret Zealot LEDs pre-installed!

"Hands and Fingers on a Piano Keyboard" by Image Catalog is marked with CC0 1.0.

How playing piano can be key to learning or improving at guitar

September 22, 2022/by Kaley Lynch

September is National Piano Month! Knowing how to play the piano or keyboard can be advantageous toward your guitar learning experience, whether you’re just starting out on guitar or a seasoned pro looking to polish your skills. If you have a couple of years of childhood piano lessons under your belt, you might be well on your way to better understanding the guitar!

“Piano keyboard” by freestocks.org is marked with CC0 1.0.

Here’s why:

Playing the piano helps with music theory

Every note on the piano is laid out horizontally, and there’s only one key per note, so it’s easy to know exactly where to put your fingers. This can be very helpful with reading music. It can also be helpful for better understanding how chords are structured, rather than memorizing patterns on a guitar.

Piano helps you develop strength and motor skills in both hands

This 2006 study from Cardiff University found that piano players actually showed development in the mapping of their motor cortices to increase speed and dexterity of their fingers. Playing piano with both hands can help make your strumming hand stronger and faster.

Playing piano can be useful for songwriting

Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Johnson said in a 2016 interview that every guitarist should learn piano, saying that learning the instrument can give you a new perspective on music that you can apply to any instrument.

“When you look at a piano, you can see every note,” Johnson told Total Guitar. “All 88 keys—the whole spectrum. It’s like laying out a long piece of paper that has all the architectural plans for a building. It’s a great center-point and home base to look at and study music.” You can apply that perspective to help you figure out chord and key changes, vocal arrangements, and more.

Piano is a “universal instrument”

Both of the Van Halen brothers, Eddie and Alex, learned to play piano at an early age. Eddie eventually became one of the most celebrated guitarists of all time, and he acknowledged how learning piano first helped him on his musical journey. In a 1981 Guitar World interview, Eddie said “the piano is a universal instrument. If you start there, learn your theory and how to read, you can go on to any other instrument”.

Here are some other famous guitarists who also play piano or keyboard:

Sir Paul McCartney

McCartney grew up with an upright piano in the front room of his family’s Liverpool home and learned how to play it by ear. He also composed what would become the melody to “When I’m Sixty-Four” on that piano.

Joni Mitchell

The prolific singer-songwriter took piano lessons for eighteen months starting at age seven before deciding she liked writing her own music more than doing piano exercises. Piano, along with guitar and Applachain dulcimer, is one of her primary instruments.

Pete Townshend

The guitarist/co-founder/songwriter of The Who is also an accomplished piano and keyboard player.

Keith Richards

The legendary Rolling Stones guitarist also knows how to play piano, and you can hear it on his solo recording A Stone Alone: Solo Sessions.

Steve Lukather

The sole continuous founding member of Toto started playing keyboards and drums before he taught himself guitar at age seven.

Check out the Steve Lukather player study to learn how to play like him!

Great guitarists who learned later in life

August 15, 2022/by Kaley Lynch

You’re never too old to pick up a guitar and start learning! Although most guitar greats started playing their instruments as children, there are some musicians who started playing in college or later and still found great success in music.

Here are some guitarists who learned later in life:

Tom Morello

Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello started playing guitar at age 17 – not an advanced age, but later than many famous guitarists. Morello told Q on CBC that he had only heard of one guitarist who had made albums who started playing that late – Robert Johnson, the blues master rumored to have sold his soul to the devil for musical prowess.

“Given my Catholic upbringing, that was not an option on the menu,” Morello joked. Instead, he devoted himself to practicing six to eight hours a day as an undergraduate at Harvard University.

Glen Tipton

Judas Priest guitarist Glen Tipton learned piano from his mother at an early age, but didn’t start playing guitar until he was 19. Tipton’s brother played guitar, and Tipton said he would sneak into his brother’s room to play the guitar when he was gone. His unique guitar technique includes classically-influenced solos inspired by his piano background. Tipton has never had formal guitar lessons.

Chuck Berry

The Father of Rock and Roll had an early interest in music and performed at his high school, but his musical career was interrupted when he was arrested for armed robbery and sent to a reformatory until his 21st birthday. After being released, Berry married and had children, worked various jobs and bought a home in St. Louis. He was in his mid-twenties by the time he picked up a guitar again and started playing nightclubs with bands. His song, “Maybellene”, helped him land his first record deal. It’s considered the first rock ‘n’ roll song by many music historians.

You can learn Chuck Berry’s signature style with the The Guitar of Chuck Berry course! It features 100 lessons covering the most important aspects of the Chuck Berry guitar style.

Tom Scholz

Boston’s remaining original member, Tom Scholz, is a classically trained pianist and an MIT-trained engineer who built out his own recording studio. He was 21 when he started learning guitar, a skill he originally thought would just be a hobby. But while working as an engineer at Polaroid, Scholz worked on original music that eventually resulted in a record deal.

Wes Montgomery

As a child, jazz guitarist John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery learned on a four-string tenor guitar, but had to start over on a six-string years later. Montgomery was married and working as a welder when he heard a Charles Christian record for the first time – inspiring him to buy a six-string guitar the next day. By age 20, he was playing in clubs with a day job at a milk company. A self-taught guitarist, Montgomery’s string-plucking with the side of his thumb and extensive use of octaves gave him a one-of-a-kind sound.

Want to get started on your guitar journey? The Fret Zealot apps are the best way to learn guitar with thousands of video lessons, 80,000 song tracks, every chord and scale, 60 alternate tunings, and so much more.

The optional Fret Zealot LED system fits just next to your frets and shows you color coded finger positions to play anything you want.

How to find time to practice guitar each day

July 28, 2022/by Kaley Lynch

Picture this – you get home from work, plan to practice guitar for a good amount of time – but then, the laundry needs to be flipped over, the dishes need washing, you have to walk the dog – and by the time you’re finished, it’s time for bed. How often does this happen to you?

Finding time to practice during busy days is tough, but with a few easy strategies, you can work in more time to play – and improve your skills!

Here’s what you can do:

Set reminders for yourself.

Leave a sticky note on the fridge or bathroom mirror to remind you to make some time for guitar! Having a visible reminder will help you think about practicing, even when it’s a little chaotic at home. You can even set an alarm on your phone to alert you when it’s time to step away for a guitar break.

Practice for a shorter time.

You don’t need to devote hours every day to your instrument to get better. Just like physical exercise, any amount of time spent practicing in a day is better than none! If you can find 20 minutes a day to practice, that’s 121 hours per year!

Consistency is key. Try waking up 20 minutes earlier if you’re productive in the mornings, or go to bed 20 minutes later if you’re a night owl. (Don’t forget to use headphones if you live with other people!)

Inspire yourself

Which bands or artists inspire you to play guitar? Listen to a playlist of their songs on your way home or during work to remind yourself why you wanted to pick up a guitar in the first place. And don’t forget – everyone starts somewhere! The best guitarists in the world once had to practice the basics too.

Utilize commercial breaks!

If you watch TV, you can use the commercial breaks as practice opportunities! Run through some scales or a new riff while you’re waiting for your show to return. It’s easier to stay focused for a few minutes at a time than a longer chunk of time.

Try a Fret Zealot course!

Fret Zealot has a huge library of guitar courses, from a Beginner’s Guitar Gym to a Rock and Blues Lead Guitar course. You can study the techniques of greats like Angus Young and Jimi Hendrix or take it easy with a Musical Meditations Course. All of our courses can be taken at your own pace! Check out the full list of available courses here.

Make it fun!

Don’t forget – playing guitar should be fun! You can keep practicing from feeling like a chore by learning songs you want to play – new songs on the radio, favorites from years past, or even songs that you’ve never heard before for a new challenge!

You can find over 3,000 courses and song lessons in the Fret Zealot app, as well as over 80,000 song tracks, every chord and scale, 60 alternative tunings, and so much more!

Want to play guitar like Angus Young of AC/DC?

June 23, 2022/by Kaley Lynch

Want to play guitar like Angus Young of AC/DC?

You’ll be “thunderstruck” at how you pick up the groove of Young’s signature playing style with our Angus Young player study course, including his vibrato style, bending, and rhythms.

Background

Angus Young was born in Scotland in 1955, the youngest of eight siblings. Music ran in the family, with most of the children playing at least one instrument. Angus picked up the guitar at five or six, with one lesson from his brother Alexander, and then taught himself. The family immigrated to Australia in 1963, and Angus practiced playing “guitar” on a banjo restrung with six strings. He was eighteen when he, along with his brother, Malcolm, and Colin Burgess, Larry Van Kriedt and Dave Evans formed AC/DC in 1973. Young tried a variety of stage costumes, including Zorro and Spiderman, before settling on his signature schoolboy outfit, which his sister suggested. His playing and stage antics helped make AC/DC one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world. He is the sole constant original member of the group.

Guitars

Young bought his first Gibson SG second-hand around 1970, and he’s been playing them in various forms throughout his career. He has used a modified version of the SG called the Jaydee SG, made specifically for him by Jaydee Guitars. At least two of his SGs featured on-board wireless going into the amplifier, with the circuitry in a hole in the back of the guitar body. This practice was stopped due to the possibility of electrical shorts (from sweat). Young designed an Angus Young SG with Gibson, featuring a pickup designed by Young and lightning bolt inlays on the neck.

Style

Angus Young has said that his musical influences include his brother Malcolm, Chuck Berry, Freddie King, and Muddy Waters. His style is influenced by the blues – major and minor 12-bar blues progressions. AC/DC is often criticized for having songs that are simple, but Young told the Atlanta Gazette in 1979, “It’s just rock and roll. A lot of times we get criticized for it. A lot of music papers come out with: ‘When are they going to stop playing these three chords?’ If you believe you shouldn’t play just three chords it’s pretty silly on their part. To us, the simpler a song is, the better, ’cause it’s more in line with what the person on the street is.”

When you start to channel Young’s signature style with the player study course, there are lots of high-voltage AC/DC song lessons on the Fret Zealot app to learn.

Back in Black

With an unmistakable opening riff, “Back in Black” was written in honor of AC/DC’s former singer Bon Scott who died in 1980.

Hells Bells

This song begins with the tolling of a bell – an actual, 2,000 lb. bronze bell made by John Taylor & Co. Bellfounders in England. The bell sound was recorded in a mobile studio inside of the bell foundry after the tracking sessions for “Back in Black” were complete.

Thunderstuck

One of AC/DC’s most recognizable songs gets its name from a childhood toy of the Young brothers. In the liner notes of The Razor’s Edge 2003 re-release, Young said that they were searching for a name for the song when they came up with the “thunder” motif, based on their childhood toy Thunderstreak. “It seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea,” he wrote.

Highway to Hell

“Highway to Hell” is about the exhausting nature of constant touring, which Angus Young referred to as the “Highway to Hell”. Australia’s Canning Highway also was part of the song’s namesake.

Read more:

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How to change your guitar strings (string-through body)

May 24, 2022/by Kaley Lynch

If your strings aren’t staying in tune or your tone is sounding dull, it might be time for some new strings. Another indication is if your strings look or feel dirty, discolored, or stiff.

Luckily, it’s fairly easy to change your guitar strings yourself!

If your guitar has a string-through body (strings go in through the back of the guitar), follow these steps and get back to rocking in no time!

What you’ll need:

clippers
new strings
winder (optional)

1.) Loosen and clip the first old string

2.) Remove old string and discard it

3.) Bring new string around the back of the guitar

4.) Pull it through the hole in the back to the front of the guitar. Pull on it lightly to make sure it’s secure.

5.) Lay string in place along the neck of the guitar to the headstock.

6.) Adjust the corresponding tuning peg so that the hole is facing the string.

7.) Pull the string through the tuning peg

8.) Bend the string straight up (90 degree angle)

9.) Tuck the string underneath itself

10.) Repeat steps 8 + 9

11.) Place finger lightly on string to hold it in place an use the winder to tighten the string.

12.) Snip the excess string.

13.) Repeat for the rest of the strings!

Tag Archive for: Guitar

Guitar

Guitar players can choose between playing rhythm or lead – playing the chords of a song, or playing a solo above the main melody. Because a guitar has a higher pitch than a bass, it often cuts through the sound better.

Bass

Are you a rhythm enthusiast? Bass guitar works with drums or percussion to fill out the rhythm section of a band. Bassists help control the rhythm and pace of a song, building the sound’s foundation.

Which is easier to learn?