GuitarSocial.com Blog

The String Cleaner For Guitar Strings

Shane Hoalst — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Over the years I've purchased a few different type of guitar string cleaners. Sprays, special cloths, even a lubricant that not only cleans your strings but lubes them up for faster playing (lube? Did he just say "lube"? ). Yes...it's pretty slick stuff. :). I found that most of these products did what they claimed - they took the dirt off my strings. Recently, however, I came across a cool invention that doesn't use any type of liquid cleaner to get the dirt off of guitar strings. It's called "The String Cleaner". It's a device that you put around your strings and run it back and forth the neck a few times. The material that cleans the strings is a microfiber pad that digs out the dirt and grease that get caught in the strings. The pad is reusable and cleans up with soap and water.

The benefits of cleaning your guitar strings is that it increases their lifespan which can save you money in the long run because you wont need to change them as often. Now with that said, some people prefer the sound of a fresh pair of strings and don't mind frequently changing them. I try and change my strings every couple months. "The String Cleaner" does come in handy when I get lazy and leave the strings on longer. It doesn't take long for the strings to start getting dirty so I recommend some sort of guitar string cleaner. What kind do you use?

David Gilmour Free Video Clips

Shane Hoalst — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:23:47 GMT

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd has added some fantastic video clips from his latest CD/DVD Live In Gdansk to the David Gilmour Web Site. I am listening to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" as I am writing this and it's making me want to rush home and bust out my guitar. Very inspirational. If you haven't heard this CD yet I highly recommended it. David Gilmour still has all his chops and his voice sounds great. 5 stars from guitarsocial.

Online Guitar Tuner With Alternate Tunings

Shane Hoalst — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:11:00 GMT

It's finally here! Guitar Social's new Online Guitar Tuner. For the last few weeks I have been working on a new guitar tuner that has alternate tunings. While I was working on the tuner I decided to give it a new look to go along with all the new guitar tunings. With Photoshop CS3 and my library of stock images I created the guitar tuners interface. My goal was to create a simple yet stylish interface that would hold multiple guitar tunings. I believe I've accomplished that with this new design but let me know what you think positive or negative. Nothing is ever done, there is always room for improvement and I will be adding more features every now and then.

As of today I have 4 guitar tunings set up. Standard, Drop D, Double Drop D and Open G. I am currently working on perfecting the audio of each guitar note and will get more alternate tunings added to the tuner when I am happy with the sound.

Along with the new tuner, I've created some instructions for specific alternate tunings. I am tracking down the most commonly used chords for these tunings and will have them posted soon. Alternate tuning can be a great way to stretch your practice and get you thinking in a different direction. Email me if you have questions on how to get started with alternate tunings. I'd be happy to give you my advice.

If you anyone is interested in having a guitar tuner on their site I am currently building a free guitar tuner widget that can be added to anyone's website site. I should have it done in the next week or two so check back.

I want to thank Raj Kanaparti over at digitized logic for his Action Script and XML skillz. Thanks for helping me get this wired up I learned a ton.

Happy practcing everyone!

Leaving Your Music Comfort Zone

Shane Hoalst — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Most of us have a certain style of music that we like. These styles might change throughout the years, but at each time in our lives, for the most, part we listen to our favorite genre of music and leave it at that.

When I first started playing the guitar, all I listened to was metal. Some good, some bad, but mainly metal. At the time I thought that all other music was awful - or at least is wasn't nearly as good as to what I liked. I listened to all of the great 80's hard metal bands like Dio, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Metallica and more. I loved this style and was not going to listen to anything else. That was until I heard Randy Rhoads from Ozzy play his classical piece Dee. When I first heard that song I thought "that's different - where's the distortion?" I listened to that song over and over until I new every note by heart. It was different from all the other stuff I listened too. I didn't know that a guitar could sound that good without the distortion. Boy, was I naive. But, the transition had begun. I was leaving my music comfort zone and was finding all sorts of different styles of music. I started by looking at my dad's record collection. Luckily, he had good taste. I was introduced to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, The Doors and many more. There was this whole other world of music out there. My mom listen to Elvis, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash. I absorbed it all. I realized at a fairly young age that you could like different styles of music. You can find good music in every genre. Even country :).

I know people that only listen to country and others that only listen to classic rock. If you find yourself saying that you only like one genre of music, I challenge you to move out of your music comfort zone and see what else is out there. You don't have to like everything but you might be surprised at what you find and how it could inspire you to play or practice differently.

Here is a list of artists that might help you branch out into other areas of music.

311
Home Brew

Chett Akins
Guitar Melody

Bob Marley
No Woman No Cry

Metallica
Fade to Black

Herbie Hancock
Jazz Fusion Cantelope Island

The Beatles
Don't Let Me Down

Derek Truck
Desdemona

Willie Nelson
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

Soundgarden
Pretty Noose

Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here

Ike Quebec
Acquitted

Carlos Santana
Black Magic Woman

Andres Segovia
Asturias

Primus
My Name is Mud

Led Zeppelin
Over the Hills and Far Away

John Denver
Country Road

Sex Pistols
God Save the Queen

Dan Tyminski - Allison Krauss and Union Station
Man of Constatn Sorrow

Korn
Freak On a Leash

Johnny Cash
A Boy Named Sue

Jimi Hendrix
Bold as Love

Social Distortion
Ball and Chain

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Can't Stop

Remembering Bo Diddley

Shane Hoalst — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Rock legend Bo Diddley died today after months of ill health. He died of heart failure at his home in Florida. He was 79.

Bo Diddley was known for his cigar-box shaped guitar and signature chunky rhythm. He had a style all his own and many say he was a major influence in the transition from blues to rock and roll.

Memorial Day and Jimi Hendrix

Shane Hoalst — Mon, 26 May 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Today is a day to remember everyone who has lost their life to support and protect the United States of America. I hope you can find some time today to reflect upon the many lives that have been lost to protect our great nation.

I personally want to send out my support to our troops and wish them a safe journey back home to their friends and family.

On August 18th 1969, Jimi Hendrix played a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock. Jimi's version of the Star-Spangled Banner was a little controversial at the time but is now considered to be one the of the best guitar solo improvisations of all time. I believe that Jimi was not taking anything away from the original song but adding his own emotion and passion to an already beautiful song. Jimi Hendrix was an American soldier and was in the 101st Airborne. Jimi loved America and he was a huge advocate of peace.

Let's remember everyone who has lost their lives for this great country and focus our future energy to peace.

Headphone amp for when the house is quiet.

Shane Hoalst — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Cranking up your amp to eleven is fun, but it's not always feasible to do so. If you have a family, roommate, kids, or if you don't want anyone to hear how bad you suck at playing the guitar, than a headphone amp might be for you.

Recently I purchased the C Tech Pocket Rock-It V1 - I have to say I love it! With a three year old at home who is in bed by 7:30 every night - and a wife who loves a quiet house after a long day of chasing the three year old around - I can crank it up to eleven and not disturb anyone.

There are other headphone amps out there, but I like the C Tech Pocket Rock-It V1 because of the settings it has. The price was good also. It has two clean and two distortion settings. It also comes with separate effects like Chorus, Phase, and a filter control for continuously variable EQ that adjusts high and mid-range frequencies. You can also hook up your CD or mp3 player to the line in and jam with your favorite songs.

The unit runs off a 9volt battery and plugs right into your guitar jack so you can take it around the house and not be tied down by a power chord.

If you are looking for a way to crank it up and not disturb others around then I suggest a headphone amp.

Here are a couple other models C Tech makes.
C Tech Pocket Rockit V2
C Tech Pocket Rock-It S1

Practicing With Other Musicians

Shane Hoalst — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Some people find it hard to practice with other guitarist or musicians. They get so used to playing on their own that when they get together with another musician all they can do is show off what they've learned and never get any quality jamming in.

If you feel like you never get anything accomplished when you practice with other people consider the following and see if it makes a difference in your jamming sessions.

Find someone that plays your style of music. It makes it a lot easier to collaborate.
Agree on a few songs you both want to tackle. Make print outs and do a little practicing before sitting down together. Practice the more challenging parts of the song on your own. This way when you start jamming and learning the songs together it's much easier.
Relax. Take a deep breath and just play. If you mess up while jamming just keep going.
Be open minded and don't take criticism or suggestions to heart. If the person you are practicing with suggest you try to play something differently give it try. No matter how long you've been playing you don't know everything. It's amazing how much you can learn from other people when you don't let your ego get in the way.

Jamming with other people can be a wonderful experience if the right chemistry is there. Don't forget that there has to be a vision of what everyone wants to accomplish while jamming and don't be afraid to take the lead to get some direction of the jam session moving. Let the ego go and just have fun.

Canadian blues guitarist Jeff Healey dies at 41

Shane Hoalst — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:00:00 GMT

We have some sad news to report today. Canadian blues guitarist Jeff Healey died Sunday in a Toronto hospital after a lifelong battle with cancer. He was 41.

Healey had been in the hospital for a week fighting advanced lung cancer.

Healey had undergone numerous operations in recent years to remove tumors from his lungs and leg.

When he was only one year old, Healey lost his eyesight due to retinoblastoma, a rare form of retinal cancer.

He began playing the guitar at the age of 3 and developed a unique style of playing the instrument flat on his lap.

Healey was discovered in a Toronto bar at 15 by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. When he was 17 he formed the band Blue Direction and later found fame with his trio The Jeff Healey Band.

Healey recently completed work on his first studio album in eight years, 'Mess of Blues' which is being released in Europe on March 20, and in Canada and the U.S. on April 22.

Healey leaves behind his wife, Cristie, 13-year-old daughter Rachel and three-year-old son Derek.

How To Accelerate Your Guitar Playing

Shane Hoalst — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Society thinks that more is better. We have bigger homes and we fill them with more stuff. We have bigger cars that hold more stuff. We are constantly being told that more is better. When it comes to guitar playing, a lot of people think "I need to practice more to get better". Practicing does help, and you will get better, but the key to accelerating your guitar playing is to practice consistently. Consistency matters more than "more". Let me explain - I always ask my students how much time they spent practicing the previous week. I always get different answers back, but on average, the amount of time is about 1 to 3 hours. My second question is "how many days did you practice?" Almost every time the response I get is "one - I practiced yesterday but I did it for three hours".

The problem with this type of practicing is that it's inconsistent. To really accelerate your guitar playing you need to practice every day. Practicing for 15 minutes a day is more important than practicing for three hours once a week. The reason you should practice every day is that it's repetitive. You are building new pathways in your brain - training your brain to remind your fingers how to play the guitar. You are most importantly building a habit. A good habit. We humans love habits - we take comfort in our habits. Practicing every day will get you more comfortable with playing your guitar and the more comfortable you are the better you will play.

In reality, you might not be able to practice every day, but you can think about your practice and study about guitars when you don't have your guitar available. The key thing is to keep your practice in your mind consistently. Live and breathe guitar. You will get better faster if you are consistent with your playing.

Knowledge is power - or perhaps I should say - consistency is the key. Happy practicing. . .

GuitarSocial.com Is In Tune!

Shane Hoalst — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone. My name is Shane Hoalst and this is the first Blog post for GuitarSocial.com. I just wanted to welcome you here and to encourage everyone to subscribe to the GuitarSocial.com Blog feed. What are we planning on bringing to this Blog? Well, we are going to post anything and everything we can about guitars. We love guitars and we want to share music news, guitar tips and tricks and most of all guitar lessons with you. So, ask questions, give opinions - let us know what you think - we want to hear from you! Welcome!