The Electric Guitar

When it comes to music, the guitar is synonymous with much of it. From classical to pop, rock to metal, it has been used in all forms and manners of music and culture. But the one form of guitar that has continued to hold the world entranced since its creation has been the electric guitar.

Talk about the electric guitar and the many famous players in history will be mentioned. Jimi Hendrix, Les Paul, Joe Satriani, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and many many more, are all well known not only for their timeless music, but also their electrifying fretwork on the guitar.

The electric guitar is used in many forms of music. Even some of the older and more traditional forms such as classical and folk have embraced it as part of their musical arsenal. As music evolves, old and new must come together and create new strains of sonic imagery that will continue to introduce freshness into our consciousness.

For beginners, the electric guitar is actually a really good place to start. Many will be advised to go instead with an acoustic guitar at least, as many purists claim that the electric guitar is easier to handle technically and produces a ton of soft guitarists. But that is far from the truth and it is better to play what you fell in love first, and if that is the electric sound, then go with the axe that excites both men and women alike.

The electric guitar is slightly more expensive than an acoustic though. However, this is not always true. There are many cheap electric guitars available in a wide range of brands, from ones made in the US to Korean or even Japanese brands. The ones from Asia could be enough for beginner guitarists as they try to stick to a tight budget. They are playable and will last long enough before one saves enough for a higher end Fender Stratocaster, Les Paul, PMS or more.

How do you play the guitar? First of all, you need one. That should be easy to get out of the way. Next, purchase sets of the essential accessories. These include guitar picks, strings, a decent amplifier, and you are more or less set. Extras like effects pedals should remain that until skill levels can be raised.

Familiarise yourself with the guitar neck and its fretboard. Learn the keys the six strings (or seven for the more ambitious) on the guitar and start gathering guitar chord books, tablature and theoretical stuff. Practise all the major chords till they become familiar, and then progress to more chords. Try to learn as many songs as you can, starting from the rhythm parts. Easy to strum along tunes are the best starts for any beginner on electric guitar. Once 10 or more songs are under the belt, perhaps the next step would be more complex rhythmic structures.

Eventually, the next progression for any electric guitarists will be to learn lead guitar. This simply means that the guitarist will play lead, or guitar solos and melody lines over rhythm guitar. This is much tougher as there are a variety of skills and music scales that one has to master. There is also more to it than just learning guitar solos note for note. Instead, the key for any aspiring electric guitarist should be to be able to improvise at will and solo from the heart, and not by rote.

Along the way, do not miss out on learning more about the guitar. There are vital aspects such as taking care and maintaining the condition of the guitar and its various parts. The parts like the pickups, neck and even strings must be understood, especially the interlocking relationships between them. If the pickups are not aligned properly, and the guitar neck is warped, everything sounds bad and it could be a major repair job for your axe.

Do not restrict musical progress by sticking to one form of electric guitar music. Learn the blues, metal, rock, and even classical. You will find that any style can be applied to the electric form of the guitar, and not just some loud raucuous music that most conservative would associate it with. It will allow the guitarist to grow as a musician and that can be best done with this instrument for all ages and musical styles.