Sunday, July 7, 2013
Guitar Pickup Choice Good and Bad Factors passive
Most of guitar pickup descriptions, that you can read on manufacturers websites, eBay auctions, e-stores, are usually made from marketing tricks. Yes, they are :o
You can read about how „vintage” is the pickup, how „deep” is its tone, how „the middle” is improved. All these things are based on myths. The tone character described as vintage, deep, with reach middle, etc, just can't be made only by a pickup. These things depends on the whole guitar construction (amps and effects also).
Read more »Saturday, July 6, 2013
George Harrison The Guitar Tone Legend
George Harrison (yeah, that guy from The Beatles) was also an great guitarist. When Im writing this, Im not thinking only about The Beatles, but also about Harrison in his solo carrier and with Traveling Wilburys. If You dont know him from this side, I really recommend to search online for some music from this part of his life.
I recommend also, to find music video: Traveling Wilburys – Handle With Care, than see George Harrisons guitar and hear his solo. He had really cool peace of wood with really cool tone!
I recommend also, to find music video: Traveling Wilburys – Handle With Care, than see George Harrisons guitar and hear his solo. He had really cool peace of wood with really cool tone!
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Links:
georgeharrison.com
travelingwilburys.com
youtube.com/TravelingWilburys – here you can find the music video that I wrote about.
Friday, July 5, 2013
How a Guitar Tone Potentiometer Works
A common guitar tone control is a low-pass filter. Its made from pickup resistance and tone capacitor capacitance. Its called also a RC filter.
A tone pot in a guitar is used as a variable resistor (only two lugs are used). Its placed after or before the tone cap. The more resistance is on this path, the smaller amount of treble will bleed out to the ground. The diagram shows how it works in three different knob positions:

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Thursday, July 4, 2013
Guitar Harmonics Chords D Major
Playing the natural harmonics on the guitar creates a beautiful chime like sound. Usually guitar harmonics are played as part of solos but we can also play a number of chords just from the natural harmonics of the guitar.
To play natural harmonics, rest your finger lightly above the fret. Todays guitar chord of the day is a D Major chord played only with harmonics. This can work well when substituted for an ordinary D Major chord at the end of song or in a break.
Rest your finger lightly above the 7th fret of the guitar and play the D, G and B strings with your right hand.
Harmonics only occur on certain locations on the fretboard, in this case the notes of the harmonics (A, F# and D) are the same for the harmonics at the 7th fret and the fretted notes but this is not always the case.
Playing some chords with harmonics can add an interesting twist to your rhythm playing. In some future posts well look at further guitar harmonic chords and chords that mix harmonics and ordinary fretted notes. Subscribe to the RSS feed and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day
To play natural harmonics, rest your finger lightly above the fret. Todays guitar chord of the day is a D Major chord played only with harmonics. This can work well when substituted for an ordinary D Major chord at the end of song or in a break.
Rest your finger lightly above the 7th fret of the guitar and play the D, G and B strings with your right hand.
Playing some chords with harmonics can add an interesting twist to your rhythm playing. In some future posts well look at further guitar harmonic chords and chords that mix harmonics and ordinary fretted notes. Subscribe to the RSS feed and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Negative Expectations
Are you sabotaging your chances for success?
"Im going to give it another month, and if things dont get better Im selling the guitar." This is another classic example of not making the time, but making plenty of excuses. What is going to change in the next month when thats the attitude youre carrying around with you?
How to make it work.
Dont try to convince yourself that you have no time. If you want to something badly enough you make time for it. Yes work, family life, political campaigns, vacations and everything else you mention does hinder your ability to make time. The problem is, you need to have an iron clad schedule that nothing can change. Start off with a few minutes a day, get into the habit of making it work, and pretty soon youll find that you feel awful when you miss a day of practice. I always use exercise as an analogy, its great when you commit yourself, but blow it off for a few sessions and pretty soon youre your old couch potato self.
Choose your environment.
A comfortable, padded chair with no arms, a sturdy music stand, a metronome and a kitchen timer are all you need to get started. Turn off the cell phone, close the door and issue a do not disturb mandate to the rest of the occupants in your home. Convince yourself that this is your private time and that phone calls, emails and text messages can certainly wait for you to finish practicing. Set the timer for whatever amount of practice you feel you can get in and dont let anything stop you.
Have a reason for practicing.
Practicing an instrument is not "running through each piece a few times." Pick a song, a technique, a trouble spot, or something else that needs work and get busy on that. Record you practice session and listen to it at the end so you can hear some progress. If you dont have a teacher, get one! It sounds self serving, but theres a lot more motivation if youre accountable to someone.
So dont give up easily, set aside a specific time to practice, make sure youre in a quiet place that makes it easy to practice, and work on something. Again, get yourself a teacher so you have to show that youve worked on playing on a weekly basis. The more you practice, the easier it becomes, the easier it becomes the more youll want to practice.
"Im going to give it another month, and if things dont get better Im selling the guitar." This is another classic example of not making the time, but making plenty of excuses. What is going to change in the next month when thats the attitude youre carrying around with you?
How to make it work.
Dont try to convince yourself that you have no time. If you want to something badly enough you make time for it. Yes work, family life, political campaigns, vacations and everything else you mention does hinder your ability to make time. The problem is, you need to have an iron clad schedule that nothing can change. Start off with a few minutes a day, get into the habit of making it work, and pretty soon youll find that you feel awful when you miss a day of practice. I always use exercise as an analogy, its great when you commit yourself, but blow it off for a few sessions and pretty soon youre your old couch potato self.
Choose your environment.
A comfortable, padded chair with no arms, a sturdy music stand, a metronome and a kitchen timer are all you need to get started. Turn off the cell phone, close the door and issue a do not disturb mandate to the rest of the occupants in your home. Convince yourself that this is your private time and that phone calls, emails and text messages can certainly wait for you to finish practicing. Set the timer for whatever amount of practice you feel you can get in and dont let anything stop you.
Have a reason for practicing.
Practicing an instrument is not "running through each piece a few times." Pick a song, a technique, a trouble spot, or something else that needs work and get busy on that. Record you practice session and listen to it at the end so you can hear some progress. If you dont have a teacher, get one! It sounds self serving, but theres a lot more motivation if youre accountable to someone.
So dont give up easily, set aside a specific time to practice, make sure youre in a quiet place that makes it easy to practice, and work on something. Again, get yourself a teacher so you have to show that youve worked on playing on a weekly basis. The more you practice, the easier it becomes, the easier it becomes the more youll want to practice.
Labels:
expectations,
negative
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Take care of your AXE and FX
Hello guys....
Gosh!!! I didnt go for jamming for almost 2 month already, that because of the fasting month and the month of Eid. I have to respect it and also busy visiting friends and relative or they visiting me.
So, yesterday I spent the whole morning by playing my guitar in my room. I have 3 electric guitar now in my room... When i took one of it, the fender stratocaster-mexican 1996. i found that the strings are rusty. hmmm..... Well. Thats because i forget one thing! I didnt take care of it since my friend used it in a function last september.
May be on that moment his hands was sweating or wet when played my strat. A bit frustated coz i dint take care of it. So, I believe thats the lesson I learn and want to share with you guys. Take a good care of your AXE and FX. coz that the thing that u will be frustated enuff when they are not in good condition.
Not just for the string, but may be on the paint, the fret wires, the bridge, the pickups, the humidity, maybe the temperature.
Most guitarists agree that we need to wipe the strings and body with clean and dry towel. Then put it in the case. And the best case that protect your AXE is the hard case, or some people use the term Coffin case. It is quite expensive compare to the gigbag or soft case. But to tell u, it really protect your guitar.
But if u can only afford the softcase or gigbag, its okay. it protect ur axe anyway, from scratch and direct heat. But remember dont lean your guitar neck to the wall... it may make ur neck bowing.
And for your FX, try not to let it just like down after playing, its good to cover it. If it has some case put it in the case. Take off the battery if not being used or else the battery will be running out. some FX just need to plug off the cable to safe the battery. Put the FX away from possibility of something fall on it or people walk on it. Dont ever spill water on it or put it on the wet floor.
There are some other ways to take care of your axe. I will tell about it some other times later...
See you!!!!
Gosh!!! I didnt go for jamming for almost 2 month already, that because of the fasting month and the month of Eid. I have to respect it and also busy visiting friends and relative or they visiting me.
So, yesterday I spent the whole morning by playing my guitar in my room. I have 3 electric guitar now in my room... When i took one of it, the fender stratocaster-mexican 1996. i found that the strings are rusty. hmmm..... Well. Thats because i forget one thing! I didnt take care of it since my friend used it in a function last september.
May be on that moment his hands was sweating or wet when played my strat. A bit frustated coz i dint take care of it. So, I believe thats the lesson I learn and want to share with you guys. Take a good care of your AXE and FX. coz that the thing that u will be frustated enuff when they are not in good condition.
Not just for the string, but may be on the paint, the fret wires, the bridge, the pickups, the humidity, maybe the temperature.
Most guitarists agree that we need to wipe the strings and body with clean and dry towel. Then put it in the case. And the best case that protect your AXE is the hard case, or some people use the term Coffin case. It is quite expensive compare to the gigbag or soft case. But to tell u, it really protect your guitar.
But if u can only afford the softcase or gigbag, its okay. it protect ur axe anyway, from scratch and direct heat. But remember dont lean your guitar neck to the wall... it may make ur neck bowing.
And for your FX, try not to let it just like down after playing, its good to cover it. If it has some case put it in the case. Take off the battery if not being used or else the battery will be running out. some FX just need to plug off the cable to safe the battery. Put the FX away from possibility of something fall on it or people walk on it. Dont ever spill water on it or put it on the wet floor.
There are some other ways to take care of your axe. I will tell about it some other times later...
See you!!!!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Guitar Peamp Buffer Booster easy to read schematic
This is the schematic that I wrote about in the post: New guitar preamp project
It shows a construction of a guitar preamp with some untypical switching system and clear, warm tone.
I made it for those of you, who want some more clear and easy plan.

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