Nicktar

Yeah, the title pretty much explains it all.  I found Sam Hart aka blinktwice4y, another great youtube musician, singing pretty much every song you could think of using the theme from Mario Kart Love Song.  It’s ridiculously cool.  Okay, I admit, it’s not EVERY song, but the guy can conduct a 10 minute song without losing my attention, that’s pretty impressive.

Anyway, if you haven’t already, you can check out the video that started the whole sensation below.

I just wanted to make a quick post to apologize in the lack of articles recently.  I just got my guitar in via ebay and am busy making a youtube video about it.  It should be out in the next couple days.  Thanks for your patience!

So… just to warn you, this post has nothing to do with the picture, but I didn’t want to leave you without something to look at… Now that that’s out of the way, are you stuck in a rut?  In my experience, I’ve found that the number one problem that makes most potential guitarists unable to become really good guitarists is not a lack of skill, but a lack of motivation (which leads to a lack of skill).

So how do I combat this lack of motivation?

1. Listen to different songs

So you’ve played all the songs you thought you wanted to learn, right?  Well, that’s fine, so why don’t you start looking for some new material?  Find that song that you can’t stop listening to, find tabs for it, or watch a youtube video of someone playing it and try to copy it.  It’s not what you’re playing that’s probably all that important, but the amount of time you’re spending playing the guitar.  It’s really hard to keep playing the same songs over and over again (case in point, the whole reason why I don’t play piano).

2. Listen to friends play (and REALLY listen, even if it’s a song you don’t think you’ll like)

I was in a rut a couple of months ago, but I met up with some friends who also play guitar and we held a (very weak) jam session.  Meeting up with other peers can open your eyes to parts of songs you just couldn’t get or let you listen and see someone play a song you might want to try your hand at.

3. Focus on playing the part of the song that you think you can play or that you can hear

So you really love a song, but you can’t play oh…. 94% of it.  But you’ve heard it a billion times before and you know how it’s suppose to go.  Keep at the part that you get and try to make yourself sound like it.  If you can, play along with the song and see if you can make sense of the notes you have to play and what you hear.  Don’t worry about the rest of the song.  If you get frustrated with the part you can’t play then you’ll just give up, so focus on your strongest parts.

4. Try more difficult material

Are you sick of playing songs with the same three chords you’ve known for a year now?  Try some songs that you like that have a solo in it or a lot of picking.  Sometimes you’ll get bored kicking but on easy difficultly… so why not move to the next level?  That said, if you find the songs you are playing are TOO hard, then of course, move down a notch… nobody’s watching anyway.

5. Try your hand at writing your own stuff

Now, when I say “write”, that term is used liberally.  You can “write” simply by putting a bunch of chords you already know and making a really simple song out of it.  You could also, “make” a new song using the same strumming/chord progression to a song you already know and writing new words for it.  Whatever you do, challenge yourself just enough without feeling like you want to tear your hair out.

Other people have mentioned to me that buying a really solid guitar is also a good idea to staying motivated.  I don’t have any experience in this area, so you may have to try to see if it’s true yourself.

Yeah, so the logo I have been using was pretty uninspired, right?  Well, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.  I’m still getting used to some software a friend recommended for me called, GIMP.  There are some great tutorials for the uninitiated on youtube in case you’re like me and wondering how to use GIMP.  Anyways, I’ll be messing around with it for a while.

In honor of father’s day, I wanted to mention that last year I bought my dad a ION USB TTUSB turntable converter, basically allowing him to change all his old tapes and vinyl records into iTunes files.  While converting some of his old favorites, he pulled out an old cassette with a recording of him and a neighbor both singing and playing the guitar together.  I think the cassette itself was around 30 years old and comes complete with random background noises while they’re singing.  It’s definitely not professional, but it wasn’t hard for me to get a little bit inspired.  It’s cool to look back and hear my dad back when he was 23 jamming out on a guitar he still has after all this time.  Sorry for the personal post, but if you’d like, you can check out some of his attempt in a youtube video I made.

Happy Father’s Day!

Okay, so I’ve been going through some songs and for the first time, the chords aren’t a problem (true, they’re pretty easy chords).  Everything’s going well.  I start by just playing a single down strum while singing the song all the way through.  But then when I pick up the speed, the song sounds empty or a little off.  Has this ever happened to you?  Well, it’s pretty obvious that the reason the song is off is because my strum is off.  So to solve this, I’ve been going around to various sites around the internet and finding those “simple strum pattern” lessons.  I gotta say, they’re pretty good and all, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot on how to strum with the songs I actually want to play.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few tutorials on youtube that do and then there are always those ODD tabs that go waayyyyyy into detail; but, for some reason guitarists, although they don’t mind giving you the chords, just never include the strum.  I think what this must mean is that you strum what you “feel” or what you “hear” in a song and that’s different for everybody.  So, maybe I should just loosen up a bit and not be so concerned with making a song soung EXACTLY like the original artist’s?  Probably.

Hey all,
So I’ve been a fan of David Choi’s music for some time now.  As a friend of mine said recently, “he’s legit.”

If you haven’t caught the craze, it’s never too late to start.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Also, make sure to check out his single!

Anyway, in many of his videos, he uses a Big Baby Taylor (choice #2) and he completely endorses it.  And, if you can read the picture below, he told me to stay away from a guitar that’s $350 or less.  Probably a good idea.

Hey, you don’t have to take my word for it.  Check out his site at davidchoimusic.com or just find the #18 most subscribed musician on youtube!

Hey all,

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything… sorry about that.  Wanted to let you know that I’ve been shopping for a new guitar.  Technically this will be the first guitar I ever own.  Like everyone who ever played guitar, your first guitar is always some hand-me-down (in my case, my dad’s classical guitar, which I still like very much by the way).  Naturally, I’m in the market for something completely different.  These are my choices so far…

CHOICE #1 25th Anniversary CW Flame Maple EQ (the favorite)

So what’s so nice about this guitar?  Well, it’s a modern guitar for starters, so we’re already doing a lot better.  It’s also a cutaway guitar (I think that’s what CW) stands for.  And like most acoustic guitars nowadays, it’s got the on-board tuner and electronics so I can hook it up to my amp.  I’ve heard lots of good things about Seagull from my friends so that’s a plus.  I also played a dreadnought version of this guitar and it sounded pretty good.

CHOICE #2 Big Baby Taylor (a close second)

If it’s good enough for David Choi, it’s good enough for me.  Although it’s a dreadnought/full body, it’s 15/16 scale and the tone of a Taylor guitar… well, let’s say it’s pretty good (and it better be for what I’ll be paying for it).  I played one of these at a local guitar store and really liked the feel.  On a side note, I’m taking a trip down to El Cajon in a couple of days to see the Taylor factory in all it’s automated glory.  I know there are a lot of Martin fans out there, don’t worry I’m not picking sides, this one’s just a guitar I can actually afford.

Any input?  Which one’s better or are there better choices out there I should consider?

Ok, so you’ve got the guitar… naturally, I guess you’ll need strings next.  So to start, the TYPES of strings.  You’ve got a lot of options but only two, main types…

1. Nylon

2. Steel

So which one will it be?  Well, the choice is pretty easy, it all depends on the type of guitar you have.  The simple equation is if you have a classical guitar, then you (should) use NYLON, modern guitars use steel.  Thus, we have…

CLASSICAL GUITAR = NYLON

MODERN ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC = STEEL

Now you want to know what gauge?  Oh man, we’ll get to that in another lesson.

Well, you can’t play unless you have a guitar, right?  But what kind is the best kind?  In my experience, any kind is the best kind.  But, I don’t think most starting guitarists get a choice.  It’s almost always the same, mom or dad opens up a nearby closet and dusts off a large, black, case as they begin to tell you about their days as a kid with a dream to become the next so and so… rocking the crowds, thanking Cleveland, blah, blah, blah.  In about 98% of those experiences, you’re always going to get an acoustic guitar.

So first thing is you need to know there are two MAIN types of guitars (but this is super-simplifying it)

1. Acoustic

2. Electric

Acoustics come in two flavors…

1a. Modern

1b. Classical

What’s the difference between these two?  Well, more on that later, but the thing you’ll notice off the top is that classical guitars have wider necks than modern guitars.

But if you walk into any local Guitar Center, you’ll notice someone’s also invented hybrids between electric and acoustic and that acoustic guitars come with electrical inputs, so on and so on.  Let’s just say for now, if you’re starting out, focus on either acoustic or electric.

So, now that you know what kinds of guitars are out there, which one is the right one for you?  Like I said, either one is good, but you might want to think about three things…

-Kind of music you’ll be playing

-Cost

-Playability (spell check please)

First, consider the KIND OF MUSIC you’ll want to play in the future.  Wannabe rock god?  Acoustic’s probably not the way to go.  Second, think about COST.  An electric is nice, but without an amp, you won’t be doing any shows anytime soon.  Third, PLAYABILITY is an issue because it might be harder to hold those chords the first time with those wide-necked classical guitars rather than on those electric guitars where the strings are nice and close.

In any case, whatever you do, get something that won’t stop you from playing.  Believe me, the difference between a good guitar and a bad guitar will determine whether that guitar will be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or your next ebay listing.