By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Brad_Finley]Brad Finley
So many players want to record guitar playing on their computer. Digital recording is more popular than ever for pros and amateurs alike. But there are some things to be considered when you connect a guitar to a computer; mostly how you want to connect the instrument, and the quality of the recording you hope to capture. The type of guitar computer interface you choose will greatly affect the sound of the electric guitar through the computer and the overall recording you can expect.
While it is possible to play guitar through a PC just by plugging it in, this basic approach is likely to be fine for most though many players don’t like sacrificing a good sound for the ease of quick setup. Electric players need a ‘high impedance’ input to get their electric guitar to connect to a computer, and though most computer soundcards come with high impedance inputs, these inputs are usually not strong enough to get a good guitar signal or in the long run, for recording guitar effects for PC. This lower ‘impedance’ can cause noise problems too. A player can avoid all this of course by plugging the guitar into a ‘line-in’ jack, instead of the ‘mic-in’, but then the all-important preamp is needed.
Almost any one attempting to connect a guitar through their computer or familiar with recording a guitar into a mixing consol should be familiar with a preamp. The preamp does exactly what its name implies, it “amps” the signal before it goes into the plug-in. Therefore your guitar’s signal will get that extra boost it needs when you record guitar on a pc…or into any other device that is not an amp. There are plenty of external interfaces that combine computer soundcards with a preamp. Or if you like more components to you set-up you can always buy a preamp separate from your sound card. There are a lot of stand-alone vintage preamps out there that will not only boost your signal, but warm your sound before it goes into the ‘cooler’ digital domain of your pc.
It’s not only the pristine quality of digital that makes recording guitar on a pc so much fun, it is also portability. With very little equipment you can put down a riff (or an entire song actually) into a laptop! And added to all this wonderful technology is the fact that there are so many recording guitar effects for pc now on the market, a player can access different amp sounds and settings, effects. Well after you have wrestled with how to connect a guitar to your pc and have recorded a strong signal, you can call record guitar effects with pc during recording or in post-production.
Of course information about how to connect your guitar to a pc and the wonderful wide world of effects is available through an on-line pc guitar tutor and websites devoted to digital recording. You can even purchase a computer guitar tuner (some programs include a free computer guitar tuner) so everything you will ever need is self-contained in your rockin’ pc! Some players are even recording parts, then downloading and sending these pieces of tunes to musician’s half-way across the world.
The possibilities really are unlimited for the guitar player who says: “I want to connect a guitar to my pc”; he or she will be amazed at the varied and easy results they can achieve when they simply start recording guitar on a pc.
Brad Finley is senior editor of MyGuitarWorkshop - [http://www.myguitarworkshop.com]Free Guitar Lessons. Website provides guitar lessons and instructions for all level guitar players. Also click for [http://www.MyGuitarWorkshop.com]Free Music Theory Lessons
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brad_Finley http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Connect-A-Guitar-To-A-Computer&id=117582
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
How To Get Guitar Lessons Online - Online Guitar Lessons
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=David_Frisk]David Frisk
Itching to play the guitar? Learn to play the guitar at your own pace.
The guitar; probably the best instrument ever created, and I had always wanted to play it. Numerous teachers, long nights, sore fingers and little progress drove me to the internet. Searching around, I found some solutions from guitar tablature websites to e-books, I generally had little success at first. Until, I found one method that offered what I now think is, the ultimate in guitar lessons online.
The Facts
Learning the guitar via digital software packages is not only cheaper than an ordinary teacher, but it saves you serious time and money too. From the basics of rhythm guitar, to the technical heights of new metal, thanks to these new methods, I have managed to learn the most advanced guitar techniques I thought ever existed. But surprisingly, I'm still going, now learning guitar techniques of genres of music I never before knew existed, taking my guitar playing prowess to new levels, and all thanks to the these new methods and guitar lessons online.
Having had many guitar teachers and reading many e-books online before, I was astounded how painless learning the guitar could actually be. No need for a guitar teacher, no need for the supposed 'tried and tested' approach. And just to think, if your guitar teachers lives 10 miles from you, you'll be saving on your carbon footprint too!
Learning the guitar simply could not be easier
With complete digital packages ranging from $99, it also could not be cheaper! See what new digital software packages i would recommend and enjoy the convenience of online guitar lessons.
Learn to play the guitar at your own pace.. Electric or Acoustic; my friends, [http://www.squidoo.com/beginner-guitar-in-a-nutshell]the fretboard is at your finger tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Frisk http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Get-Guitar-Lessons-Online---Online-Guitar-Lessons&id=995839
Itching to play the guitar? Learn to play the guitar at your own pace.
The guitar; probably the best instrument ever created, and I had always wanted to play it. Numerous teachers, long nights, sore fingers and little progress drove me to the internet. Searching around, I found some solutions from guitar tablature websites to e-books, I generally had little success at first. Until, I found one method that offered what I now think is, the ultimate in guitar lessons online.
The Facts
Learning the guitar via digital software packages is not only cheaper than an ordinary teacher, but it saves you serious time and money too. From the basics of rhythm guitar, to the technical heights of new metal, thanks to these new methods, I have managed to learn the most advanced guitar techniques I thought ever existed. But surprisingly, I'm still going, now learning guitar techniques of genres of music I never before knew existed, taking my guitar playing prowess to new levels, and all thanks to the these new methods and guitar lessons online.
Having had many guitar teachers and reading many e-books online before, I was astounded how painless learning the guitar could actually be. No need for a guitar teacher, no need for the supposed 'tried and tested' approach. And just to think, if your guitar teachers lives 10 miles from you, you'll be saving on your carbon footprint too!
Learning the guitar simply could not be easier
With complete digital packages ranging from $99, it also could not be cheaper! See what new digital software packages i would recommend and enjoy the convenience of online guitar lessons.
Learn to play the guitar at your own pace.. Electric or Acoustic; my friends, [http://www.squidoo.com/beginner-guitar-in-a-nutshell]the fretboard is at your finger tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Frisk http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Get-Guitar-Lessons-Online---Online-Guitar-Lessons&id=995839
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Tuning a Guitar - The Definitive Guide
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Iain_James]Iain James
Everyone likes to think that they can tune a guitar perfectly by ear every time. Very, very few can. The guitar is never ever 100% in tune anyway. It's to do with Pythagorean tuning and Tempered tuning, and... now's not the time. We can, however, improve our tuning.
I know tons of players who just give the guitar a rudimentary tune, and don't even bother to get it up to pitch. Just as long as the strings are roughly in tune with each oher, they don't seem to mind.
The easiest way is, of course to use a tuner. An electronic tuner is good, or try an online tuner.
So which gives the best results? An electronic tuner, where it's all visual, or an online one, where you can hear the note that you're tuning to? It's hard to say really, and a lot depends on the individual player using it. One thing thats for certain though, is this: when you use a tuner like the one above, you're using your ears!! I can't believe that staring at the flickering gauge on an electronic tuner does anything to benefit your musicality.
But what about stage tuning? At a gig? I don't know, but if you go to hear an orchestra, someone usually gives our a 'C' and everyone else tunes to it. I remember seeing the CBSO orchestra rehearse once. Sir Simon Rattle asked one of the Clarinets for a 'C'. The clarinetist had a really wide vibrato. When he'd finished the note, Sir Simon said 'Gentlemen, take your pick..'
What Not To Do
The most common mistake I see when watching people tune is this: tuning the 'A' string to the 'E', then tuning the 'D' string to the 'A'. This is terrible!! What happens here is that minor mistakes in tuning are passed on and amplified. By the time you get to tune the low 'E', it's so far away from the high 'E' as to be ridiculous.You've heard of 'Chinese Whispers'...
Here's My Method.
First of all, take a look at this 'tab' of the guitar neck. Just to clarify, when we say 'top', we mean the thinest string. farthest away from you s you hold the guitar in the playing position. Ergo 'lowest' is the thickest string, closest to you. Looks like this:
E------- THINNEST STRING -------
B--------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------
E------- THICKEST STRING -------
Find a point of referance. By that, i mean one note that you can tune to. Like what? Well, my doorbell is C sharp. (Telephones used to ring at C sharp too. It's considered an 'annoying' note thats hard to ignore). Maybe you have something on your mobile phone you can tune your high 'E' to. If you can't find anything, just guess. Here's the method:
1. Get the top 'E' to pitch.
2. Fret the 'B' string at the 5th fret, and tune it to the open 'E'.
3. Fret the high 'E' at the third fret, and tune the 'G' string to this.
4. On the 'D' string, play the note at the 2nd fret, and tune to the open 'E'.
5. On the 'A' string, play the note at the 7th fret*, and tune this to the open 'E'.
6. On the low 'E' string, play the harmonic at the 12th fret, and tune this to the high 'E'.
*(Carefull here: don't use the 7th fret harmonic: The harmonic at the 7th is a Pythagorean 5th, whereas the note at the 7th is an equal tempered 5th. Use the harmonic, and you'll be practically guaranteed to put the guitar out of tune.)
So, you can see what's going on here. Each individual string is being tunes to the high 'E', so that any imperfections aren't being passed from string to string. It works!
Iain James. february, 2007
This article may be viewed in it's original form at: [http://www.lickoftheday.com/tech/tuning.html]lickoftheday.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Iain_James http://EzineArticles.com/?Tuning-a-Guitar----The-Definitive-Guide&id=551697
Everyone likes to think that they can tune a guitar perfectly by ear every time. Very, very few can. The guitar is never ever 100% in tune anyway. It's to do with Pythagorean tuning and Tempered tuning, and... now's not the time. We can, however, improve our tuning.
I know tons of players who just give the guitar a rudimentary tune, and don't even bother to get it up to pitch. Just as long as the strings are roughly in tune with each oher, they don't seem to mind.
The easiest way is, of course to use a tuner. An electronic tuner is good, or try an online tuner.
So which gives the best results? An electronic tuner, where it's all visual, or an online one, where you can hear the note that you're tuning to? It's hard to say really, and a lot depends on the individual player using it. One thing thats for certain though, is this: when you use a tuner like the one above, you're using your ears!! I can't believe that staring at the flickering gauge on an electronic tuner does anything to benefit your musicality.
But what about stage tuning? At a gig? I don't know, but if you go to hear an orchestra, someone usually gives our a 'C' and everyone else tunes to it. I remember seeing the CBSO orchestra rehearse once. Sir Simon Rattle asked one of the Clarinets for a 'C'. The clarinetist had a really wide vibrato. When he'd finished the note, Sir Simon said 'Gentlemen, take your pick..'
What Not To Do
The most common mistake I see when watching people tune is this: tuning the 'A' string to the 'E', then tuning the 'D' string to the 'A'. This is terrible!! What happens here is that minor mistakes in tuning are passed on and amplified. By the time you get to tune the low 'E', it's so far away from the high 'E' as to be ridiculous.You've heard of 'Chinese Whispers'...
Here's My Method.
First of all, take a look at this 'tab' of the guitar neck. Just to clarify, when we say 'top', we mean the thinest string. farthest away from you s you hold the guitar in the playing position. Ergo 'lowest' is the thickest string, closest to you. Looks like this:
E------- THINNEST STRING -------
B--------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------
E------- THICKEST STRING -------
Find a point of referance. By that, i mean one note that you can tune to. Like what? Well, my doorbell is C sharp. (Telephones used to ring at C sharp too. It's considered an 'annoying' note thats hard to ignore). Maybe you have something on your mobile phone you can tune your high 'E' to. If you can't find anything, just guess. Here's the method:
1. Get the top 'E' to pitch.
2. Fret the 'B' string at the 5th fret, and tune it to the open 'E'.
3. Fret the high 'E' at the third fret, and tune the 'G' string to this.
4. On the 'D' string, play the note at the 2nd fret, and tune to the open 'E'.
5. On the 'A' string, play the note at the 7th fret*, and tune this to the open 'E'.
6. On the low 'E' string, play the harmonic at the 12th fret, and tune this to the high 'E'.
*(Carefull here: don't use the 7th fret harmonic: The harmonic at the 7th is a Pythagorean 5th, whereas the note at the 7th is an equal tempered 5th. Use the harmonic, and you'll be practically guaranteed to put the guitar out of tune.)
So, you can see what's going on here. Each individual string is being tunes to the high 'E', so that any imperfections aren't being passed from string to string. It works!
Iain James. february, 2007
This article may be viewed in it's original form at: [http://www.lickoftheday.com/tech/tuning.html]lickoftheday.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Iain_James http://EzineArticles.com/?Tuning-a-Guitar----The-Definitive-Guide&id=551697
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
