Easy Traditional Irish Songs to Play on Guitar for St Patty's Day! ➡️ CLICK HERE ⬅️
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Thursday Tip

Thursday Tip

No Tricks, Just the Treat of Steel String Facts!

Steel strings* are designed with material and gauge variations to enhance playing styles and sounds. For example, phosphor bronze strings have a mellow sound, while 80/20 strings have a brighter sound. Lighter gauge strings are great for fingerstyle and lead players, while heavier gauges are best suited for hard strumming. It's a good idea to play around with different brands, materials and sizes to find your steel string sweet spot!
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn more about steel acoustic guitar strings, listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

BTW…Here's a cool video that shows how steel strings are made!

Exciting News!

      

 

 

 

2021-10-28T07:43:30-07:00October 28th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , |

3 Spooktacular Halloween Songs to Play!

Get musically prepared for October 31st with these spooktacular Halloween songs*:
1. Monster Mash (fairly easy to play)
2. Witchy Woman (a little more challenging)
3. Thriller (pretty darn challenging, but really cool to play!)

Play on…
Marlene

*To learn about the history of these songs and playing suggestions/tips, listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

Exciting News!

      

 

 

 

2021-10-20T15:43:15-07:00October 21st, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

The Best Woods for Acoustic Guitars

Dark wood

Not just any wood will do when it comes to acoustic guitar sound and durability. Only a few species  ‘make the grade’ such as some of these more commonly used tonewoods*: Spruce, Cedar, Mahogany, Rosewood, Maple, Koa and Ebony.  It’s good, to learn about the wood!
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn more about tonewoods and why they’re used in acoustic guitar construction, listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

To hear how various tonewood combinations sound watch this video demonstration. 

      

 

 

 

2021-10-12T08:26:03-07:00October 14th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Acoustic Guitar vs Electric Guitar

It’s good to understand various types of guitars, for example acoustic and electric guitars*. They have similarities and differences, here are a few:
Similarities                                 
Made of wood                            
Head, neck & body                    
6 strings                                      
Differences
Sound
Size/weight
Body shape

Play on…
Marlene

*To learn more about the similarities, differences and comparisons, listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

      

 

 

 

2021-10-05T11:21:20-07:00October 7th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Learn How to Play the D Scale

The D scale* is one of the next scales you should learn, after the C scale & G scales. The notes are, D, E, F#, G, A, B, C# & D, which is the major scale interval pattern W, W, H, W, W, W, H. Scaling the guitar neck will do you good! 
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn how to play the D scale on your guitar, listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

      

 

 

 

2021-09-29T10:20:55-07:00September 30th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Learn Single Notes on Your Guitar

Learning single notes*, specifically where they are and what they’re called, can be very helpful in advancing your skills and knowledge. Today, I’ll focus on string 1, E. When you press on fret 1 and play only that string, you’re playing an F, fret 2 is F#, and so forth (see the chart below). 
Learning the notes, is a noteworthy!
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn more about the notes on your guitar neck & tips for remembering their locations, listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

Fret     Note   
Open    E                 
1st        F                
2nd       F#        
3rd        G               
4th        G#           
5th        A   
6th        A#
7th         B
8th         C   
9th         C#
10th       D
11th        D#       

 

 

 

2021-09-15T09:48:35-07:00September 16th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Top 7 Funniest Reasons Not to Practice!

Here are the Top 7 Funniest Reasons Not to Practice*. Enjoy them ~ and then try to focus on reasons TO practice instead! 
1. My dog (cat, hamster) ate my music
2. I had to go to school (work) every day
3. I couldn’t remember what to practice
4. We got a new TV (puppy, computer) this week
5. My strings broke
6. I was out of tune
7. I couldn’t find my guitar
Play on…
Marlene

*To enjoy the top 7 and to learn tips, ideas & inspirations TO practice listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

 

 

2021-09-09T08:04:52-07:00September 9th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Learn to Play By Ear

Playing by ear* is a great way to play music, no written music is required! And good news, it’s a skill that can be developed. Here’s 4 ideas to help you learn to play guitar by ear.
1. Listen to chords for the tone and pitch
2. Strum a chord and then hum it
3. Compare chords
4. Learn chord progressions
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn about how to develop your playing by ear skills listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

 

 

2021-09-01T18:37:16-07:00September 2nd, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Be Your Own Drummer, String Slapping 101!

There are some fun ways to slap, mute, or basically drum your strings while strumming, and it’s a fun way to add an interesting element to your songs. Here’s 3* to help you get started:
1. Drum/slap with the tops of your fingers
2. Drum/slap with a flat palm
3. Drum/slap with the side of your palm
The slap should be done on the 2nd & 4th counts of a basic strum
 1             2          3            4
Strum   Slap    Strum   Slap

You’ll have some slap happy music!
Play on…
Marlene

*To hear a detailed description and demonstration of these 3 techniques listen to my newest podcast episode by clicking here!

 

 

2021-08-25T08:58:46-07:00August 26th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |
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