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Hot Electric Guitar How-Tos

How To: Restring & Tune an Electric Guitar

Hello again, faithful readers. For today's lesson, we will be learning the correct way to restring and tune an electric guitar. I almost wasn't going to post this because it is so basic. But, as with many basic tasks, there are a lot of people who know how to do it, but can't really do it right. If you are a new guitarist, this is an essential piece of maintenance work, because guitar shops usually charge way too much for this task. Of course, I'm kinda cheap, so even 5 bucks is too much for ...

How To: Play A major, A minor and A7th chords on the guitar

In this guitar lesson, learn how to play A major, A minor and A7th guitar chords on a guitar in standard tuning (EADGBE). With the guitar, as with any other instrument, if you want to improve, you'll need to practice. Fortunately, the Internet is awash with free, high-quality guitar lessons like this one. For more information, and to get started playing A chords on your own guitar, watch this video tutorial.

How To: Play "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses on the guitar

Want to master "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses on the guitar? See how it's done with this free video guitar lesson, which presents a complete breakdown of the song and its chords. While this tutorial is geared toward those who already have some knowledge of the guitar, players of all skill level should be able to follow along given adequate time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing "Paradise City" on your own guitar, watch this video tab!

How To: Play "Sweater Song" by Weezer on electric guitar

Marty Schwartz leads you through the basic chords for Weezer's Sweater Song. If you are looking to learn how to play the electric guitar, he gives a simple, easy, effective lesson that anyone can follow. The tips are shown visually, making the lesson easy to comprehend. He goes on to play the chords taught during the lesson, giving an audio reference to how your playing should sound, something I found to be very helpful.

How To: Play "Enter Sandman" by Metallica on an electric guitar

Want to play Metallica's "Enter Sandman" on guitar? See how it's done with this free video guitar lesson, which presents a complete breakdown of the song and its chords. While this tutorial is geared toward those who already have some knowledge of the guitar, players of all skill level should be able to follow along given adequate time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing this Metallica song on your own guitar, watch this video tutorial.

How To: Play "Flake" by Jack Johnson on electric guitar

In this video, we learn how to play "Flake" by Jack Johnson on electric guitar. If you are just starting out on the electric guitar, this is a great song to learn as a beginner. After you learn all the chords on the guitar, you will start out with the intro to the song. From here, you will move onto the different verses of the songs. Start to sing in the lyrics as you are playing throughout the song. Make sure you are stopping, pausing, going higher, and going lower as you continue to play. W...

How To: Train your ear and tune your guitar better

In this tutorial, we learn how to train your ear and tune your guitar better with David Yeager. Before you begin, you want to be able to hear what you are tuning to and listen to what you are playing. This is the key in order to train your ear and enhance your ability. Even if you are using a tuner you will need to train your ear. A great exercise is to play a pitch on your guitar and listen to how they sound and if they are in tune with your voice. If the pitch in the guitar isn't the same a...

How To: Adjust the truss rod on your guitar

The truss rod is a big metal bar that goes through the whole neck on your guitar and is used to control the amount of arch that the neck of your instrument gets. You will want the neck to be essentially straight, with a tiny bit of curve. Lots of things can cause your wood to arc..weather, storage, age.. and the truss rod is used to fix this and keep the neck straight allowing you to play your piece properly. All guitars come with a truss rod and they are easy to adjust if need be. This tutor...

How To: Play E major, E minor & E7th chords on the guitar

Learn how to play E major, E minor and E7th chords on a standard tuning guitar (EADGBE). With the guitar, as with any other instrument, if you want to improve, you'll need to practice. Fortunately, the Internet is awash with free, high-quality guitar lessons like this one. For more information, and to get started playing E chords on your own guitar, watch this video tutorial.

How To: Play a melodic style of rhythm guitar with Paul Jackson Jr.

Paul Jackson Jr. is one of the tastiest session musicians alive and has played with hundreds of artists over the span of his career including most of the guitar work on Michael Jackson's Thriller album! In this video he explains the secret to his style and how to pick apart chords and play the very basic components of each chord to create a more sonically sound rhythm guitar part that doesn't step on anybodies toes but is catchy enough to be noticed in the mix.

How To: Set intonation on a "Gibson Style" fixed bridge

How To Set Intonation on a "Gibson Style" Fixed Bridge. A step by step video tutorial that will teach you how to change the strings on a fixed bridge guitar and also set the intonation. Andrew Wasson walks you through a series of instructions that include cutting the strings off your guitar, tightening the bolts on your tuners, polishing frets and fret board and more. He then goes on to show you how to put strings on your guitar, tune the guitar with a tuner, set the bridge saddle, and settin...

How To: Play "Bad" by U2 on the electric guitar (with and without delay)

Want to be good—even great—at playing "Bad" by U2? See how it's done with this free video guitar lesson, which presents a complete (and we mean complete) breakdown of the song and its constituent parts. While this tutorial is geared toward those who already have some knowledge of the guitar, players of all skill level should be able to follow along given adequate time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing "Bad" on your own guitar, just take a look!

How To: Change the actives pickups battery on a guitar

The guy in the video starts out explaining that, over time, his guitar has started to sound a little funny. He thought maybe it was a cord or wire shorting out, but it turned out to be the battery. He shows us how to change that battery. You are going to need a Philips head screwdriver and a new nine volt battery. Take off the tremolo plate on the back of the guitar. You'll be able to see the old battery in the body. Gently remove the old battery and replace it with the new. Slide the new bat...

How To: Play banjo-style rolls on the guitar like Albert Lee

If you're a musician in need of some lessons, there's no better way to learn than with MusicRadar's so-called "Tuition" instructions. Although the title tuition is misleading, this video class is anything but costly, because it's free, right here. Whether you're looking for help with your voice, bass, electric guitar, drums, guitar effects, piano, Logic Pro or production techniques, Music Radar is here to show you the way.

How To: Use legato picking patterns on the guitar

In this guitar lesson, learn how to play legato riffs on a standard electric guitar. With the guitar, as with any other instrument, if you want to improve, you'll need to practice. Fortunately, the Internet is awash with free, high-quality guitar lessons like this one. For more information, and to get started using legato picking patterns on your own guitar, watch this video tutorial.

How To: Mic your guitar amp and get a great sound in a live setting

When playing live, having the BEST sound possible is probably the most important part of the show! (well you know, besides rehearsing and stage performance, but that's a completely different subject!) When you're playing out, you need to be prepared to have a sound man who has absolutely no idea what he's doing or how to mic anything, including your amp. In this video you will get a full walkthrough of the different mics that you can use including dynamic mics and condenser mics, and differen...

How To: Play Carlos Santana-style Dorian progressions

To play a guitar riff is to do more than simply to memorize a short musical phrase. Guitar riffs are like any other musical exercise; practicing them can be a terrific means of building manual dexterity and improving your overall playing technique. We can say of riffs, then, that they are not so much about rote repetition as making available to the guitarist new and different ways of playing. Every new riff you learn will make you a more able and versatile guitarist and better equip you to st...

How To: Do hybrid shredding on the guitar with Greg Harrison

In the world of shred, blues, jazz, rock, heck, in any world where you play guitar, one of the toughest, and interesting methods for picking is called hybrid picking, a combination of using both your pick and fingers to get more notes and more inventive and interesting licks and rhythm guitar phrases. In this video, Greg Harrison, a teacher at Musician's Institute, gives you an in-depth lesson on using hybrid picking with shred guitar to really increase speed and also add a new flavor to your...

How To: Do chord voicing and comping while playing jazz guitar

In this video, we learn how to play jazz guitar: Chord voicing and comping. Guitar comping is more pianistic in approach than it used to be. You can play different chords, moving them up a notch to get a different noise out of them. You will have to learn the finger placements and how to spell the chords, but they will sound great when you play them. You will get the same chord voicing with the different chords, it will just be moving upwards or downwards in the noise. As you continue to lear...

How To: Play "Sweet Home Alabama" on the electric guitar

This video is part 1 of the lessons of FamousRiffs that teach you how to play the basic, easy riffs of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" on electric guitar. The video starts with a clean demonstration of how to play the intro and bridge of the song. After that, the guitarist shows and explains the 3 chords of the song: D power chord, a modified C and a modified G (all of them are very easy, even for beginners). He then explicitly explains and demonstrates the picking pattern used with the...

How To: Play "Amazing Grace" on slide guitar in the key of E

Want to know how to play the "Amazing Grace" hymn on slide guitar? Learn how with this free video guitar lesson. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate players, rock guitarists of all skill levels can play along given a little sticktoitiveness. For more information, and to get started playing "Amazing Grace" on your own guitar, watch this how-to!

How To: Play "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC on electric guitar

This is a great instructional video on how to play thunderstruck by AC/DC on electric guitar. Thunderstruck is played mainly on B string. It is the second string as you may be aware of. First you should start with 12th fret and hit that note. Then move to 10th fret and 9th fret. Then go back to 10fret and back to 9th fret. Then you have to go 7 and then again 9 and then 5. Now go to 7th fret and then to 4 and 5. Then to 4 and 5 and again 4 and 5 and finally to 4. You can write down on these n...

How To: Play "Voodoo Chile" by Jimi Hendrix on the guitar

Want to master "Voodoo Chile" by Jimi Hendrix? See how it's done with this free video guitar lesson, which presents a complete breakdown of the song and its chords. While this tutorial is geared toward those who already have some knowledge of the guitar, players of all skill level should be able to follow along given adequate time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing "Voodoo Chile" on your own guitar, watch this video tab!

How To: Play the main riff from "Sweet Home Alabama" on guitar

Want to know how to play the main riff from "Sweet Home Alabama" on the guitar? Learn how with this free video guitar lesson. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate players, rock guitarists of all skill levels can play along given a little sticktoitiveness. For more information, and to get started playing this southern rock anthem on your own guitar, watch this how-to!

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