Saturday, September 7, 2013
New Guitar Preamp Project NE5532 Based Buffer Booster
Today I would like to show you my new design. It's a guitar preamp (buffer + booster). It's based on the same technology like MXR MicroAmp or CMOY.
The heart of the circuit is an operational amplifier: NE5532. I was testing also popular TL071, TL072, like in MicroAmp, but it was a little bit colder and less full than the NE5532.
The NE5532 has got much higher power consumption than the TL072/071, so it should work with some stomp-box power supply.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Strength and Independence Part 2
Playing guitar well involves building strength and independence in both hands.
The previous post suggested a left hand pattern to work on, now its time to get the right hand moving as well. Once you can do the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fret exercise, you can start to build technique with your right hand as well.
Alternate picking and timing exercises.
Play the left hand exercises as before, but now play two of each note using alternate picking. Pick down on the first note and up on the second. While doing that, count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. You should tap your foot and it should follow the same pattern as your picking hand, down on the number and up on and. Practice slowly, with a metronome, and once youre able to play the exercise flawlessly, add a few beats per minute. Beginning guitar players need to be patient, not rush, and build muscle memory.
A new exercise for the fretting hand.
Still using the position playing concept of one finger per fret, now play 2nd fret, 2nd finger, 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 4th fret, 4th finger and 1st fret, 1st finger. Go slow until your fingers land on the right frets, then add the metronome and the down and up picking.
Commit yourself to doing these exercises when you start your daily practice and youll be surprised at how much easier it gets.
The previous post suggested a left hand pattern to work on, now its time to get the right hand moving as well. Once you can do the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fret exercise, you can start to build technique with your right hand as well.
Alternate picking and timing exercises.
Play the left hand exercises as before, but now play two of each note using alternate picking. Pick down on the first note and up on the second. While doing that, count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. You should tap your foot and it should follow the same pattern as your picking hand, down on the number and up on and. Practice slowly, with a metronome, and once youre able to play the exercise flawlessly, add a few beats per minute. Beginning guitar players need to be patient, not rush, and build muscle memory.
A new exercise for the fretting hand.
Still using the position playing concept of one finger per fret, now play 2nd fret, 2nd finger, 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 4th fret, 4th finger and 1st fret, 1st finger. Go slow until your fingers land on the right frets, then add the metronome and the down and up picking.
Commit yourself to doing these exercises when you start your daily practice and youll be surprised at how much easier it gets.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Why Do Some Guitars Cost Less Than 100 While Others Cost Thousands
A lot of times well get that question and the answer is why does a Hyundai cost less than a Mercedes? In both instances its workmanship, materials and the branding. Martin, Gibson and Fender are all well known brands and while they have cheaper instruments in their lines they can also cost thousands of dollars. If you have an older, more collectible one they can run into 6 figures.
The less expensive the guitar, the more cheaply its made, simple as that. If you buy a guitar at Walmart, Target or Sams Club, you can expect the quality to be in direct proportion to the price. While the lower priced models have gotten better because of competition, theres really no comparison.
In the next blog post Ill describe some of the differences in guitars so you can get the most for your money. Even though I said in the previous paragraph that you get what you pay for there are some good buys out there. Again using the car example, just because the Mercedes is more expensive it doesnt necessarily mean you cant buy a good car for less.
The less expensive the guitar, the more cheaply its made, simple as that. If you buy a guitar at Walmart, Target or Sams Club, you can expect the quality to be in direct proportion to the price. While the lower priced models have gotten better because of competition, theres really no comparison.
In the next blog post Ill describe some of the differences in guitars so you can get the most for your money. Even though I said in the previous paragraph that you get what you pay for there are some good buys out there. Again using the car example, just because the Mercedes is more expensive it doesnt necessarily mean you cant buy a good car for less.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Actually your fretting hand has 4 fingers and a thumb!
Whats so hard about using the pinkie?
Beginning guitar students are way too eager to avoid using the pinkie finger at all costs. It wont stretch that far, its not strong, I cant get it to work right, and who knows what else? Ive watched ______ play and he or she doesnt use it.
Practice stretching exercises and quit avoiding it.
When youre serious about learning and improving your guitar playing, you use all of the tools available to you. Your guitar teacher can give you plenty of stretching and strengthening exercises to get the pinkie moving. Start out on frets 9 through 12, playing them in both directions: 9-10-11-12 and then 12-11-10-9, and be sure to use all 4 fingers. The other secret is to leave the 1st finger down through the whole sequence. When you can do that comfortably on those frets and all 6 strings, move to frets 8 - 11. Youll be pleasantly surprised at your progress.
Should I use my thumb?
While classical purists frown on thumb use, many guitar players use the thumb to fret the 6th string. Youll be in good company joining Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, Mel Bay, and many others in using the thumb. I use it on some difficult chords as well as in songs when its convenient. Angie, by Bert Jansch and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel is an example of using the thumb. I use the thumb to play the barre chord F at the first fret. Guitar students with smaller hands may find it more difficult, but the best thing to do is try it and see what happens.
Beginning guitar students are way too eager to avoid using the pinkie finger at all costs. It wont stretch that far, its not strong, I cant get it to work right, and who knows what else? Ive watched ______ play and he or she doesnt use it.
Practice stretching exercises and quit avoiding it.
When youre serious about learning and improving your guitar playing, you use all of the tools available to you. Your guitar teacher can give you plenty of stretching and strengthening exercises to get the pinkie moving. Start out on frets 9 through 12, playing them in both directions: 9-10-11-12 and then 12-11-10-9, and be sure to use all 4 fingers. The other secret is to leave the 1st finger down through the whole sequence. When you can do that comfortably on those frets and all 6 strings, move to frets 8 - 11. Youll be pleasantly surprised at your progress.
Should I use my thumb?
While classical purists frown on thumb use, many guitar players use the thumb to fret the 6th string. Youll be in good company joining Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, Mel Bay, and many others in using the thumb. I use it on some difficult chords as well as in songs when its convenient. Angie, by Bert Jansch and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel is an example of using the thumb. I use the thumb to play the barre chord F at the first fret. Guitar students with smaller hands may find it more difficult, but the best thing to do is try it and see what happens.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Semi Active Guitar Wiring Simple and Effective
Today I would like to present my guitar wiring project based on an active buffer. The wiring is connecting together: a common, passive tone control, and an active buffer with a volume potentiometer.
The target is to get an quite clean signal transport (more transparent tone), a clean working volume potentiometer (no treble losses), and a passive tone control – so there will always be the way to get some warmer tone, typical for passive guitar wirings.
The project can be done basically in every kind of an electric guitar. No matter what kind of pickups and wood it got.
Diagram:
Read more »
Monday, September 2, 2013
Simple Wiring in the Music Man Axis Style
Sometimes simple is best. This is what you can think when you're looking on the Music Man Axis or some Charvel guitars. The MM Axis is a two pickup guitar with a simple, 3-way toggle pickup switch and one pot – volume. This is completely enough if you want to get just clear, distinct signal – especially if your guitar is made from some high-grade wood and got some nice pickups.
This is the wiring diagram for that kind of axe:
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Frequently Asked Questions and What You Should Ask
The most frequently asked questions:
- How much are lessons? Probably the top question and the one that should be much lower on the list. As with any other purchase, you get what you pay for. Do you really want to take lessons or have your child learn from the cheapest teacher? While price is no guarantee of quality its certainly wise to be leery of someone with ridiculously low prices.
- At what age should my child start guitar lessons? Most guitar teachers will start a beginner at age 7 or 8. There are some programs, Child Bloom and Kindermusic that start them younger. The critical decision here is how you as a parent will react when your new student doesnt practice as much as you think they should. The most important part of learning guitar at this age is for the child to enjoy the lessons. Nagging, reminding, and scolding them does much more harm than good.
- Am I too old to learn guitar? In most cases, no. As long as you have desire and time to practice, youll do fine. Setting realistic goals, being patient and finding time are the biggest obstacles adults face.
- What guitar method do you use? Most teachers will start you off with a book of some sort, get you moving around on the guitar, and then gear the lessons more to the style of music youd like to play. Be wary of the teacher that uses the same approach whether youre 7, 17 or 70.
- What kind of music do you play? Lots of teachers advertise that they can teach you any style of music youd like, but be aware that it doesnt mean theyre equally good at all types of music. This is most important if you have a specific style of music in mind. While there is some overlap, there are different techniques, licks, (small musical phrases), and sounds that define the music.
- Have you worked with children before? Some teachers cant or dont want to teach younger students, so be sure you ask if you have a young child.
- Are you comfortable or qualified teaching my special needs child? There have been many instances where weve had parents register their child and then almost as an afterthought mention that they have ADD, a learning disability of some sort, or an emotional problem that well have to deal with. Its very awkward for the teacher to find this out after the fact.
- What qualifications do you have? While a college degree is nice, it shouldnt be the only consideration. When I hire a teacher I look for a combination of education, teaching, performing experience and a genuine interest in teaching. Our students trust that we know what were doing and we cant let them down.
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