I was thinking about the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon the other day. Wherein the protagonist of the movie states “Real speed.. comes without effort”. This is true of many things in life, but it struck me as an extremely appropriate quote on which to form the basis of this article. If you want to play fast you need to learn to relax. I’m serious. To be specific, this means ...

There Guitarosphere (I know genius) progresses in a predictable fashion. Players strive for perfection, to harness the greatest technique humanly possible. Occasionally someone breaks new ground, but very rarely does it amount to anything more than a gimmick. Few players actually reach the level of proficiency that warrants an end to their personal race. Unfortunately for some, this achievement co...

Americans usually call these picks, but we British people tend to call them plectrums. Shaped pieces of plastic (or similar material) for plucking the strings with. Believe it or not, the type of plectrum you use for your playing can have a big effect on the tone. The shape, thickness, and material all play a part in the attack, the dynamics, and the sound of your guitar. I remember collecting ...

This little debate is one many people either don’t even think about, or simply do not want to be bothered with. So what is the difference between 22 and 24 frets? Range Well obviously, the extra 2 frets you will get from a 24 fret might be crucial to your playing (if for example, you play lead). Saying that, depending on your style, you might not even use many of the higher frets at all, ...

I’m sure you’ve all heard the sound of a vibrato unit in action. No? How about if I said Hank Marvin, or Jimi Hendrix? Right, now we’re on the same page, lets continue… Most commonly known as a tremolo unit (why this is I don’t know, as tremolo refers to alternating volume, and not pitch), these famous devices enable guitarists to change the pitch of a string (or s...

Harmoniiics!!! In this section I will show you how to get artificial harmonics. There are also open harmonics, which apply to open strings, but these are simply made by placing your finger over the top of a fret, playing the string, and letting the note ring. Artificial harmonics however, can be a little harder to master. Now before we start, I would like to say that depending on your sound, yo...

Vibrato is one technique that is often overlooked in playing. It can add depth and sustain to both chords and single notes, and make lead runs sound much more impressive. In this section, I will attempt to give you a good idea of what good vibrato sounds like, and how you can learn or improve it. First of all, here are some examples of vibrato: vibratoclip1 vibratoclip2 vibratoclip3 The more ex...

Okay, so you’ve got your axe, learnt a few chords, and want to sound like your favourite artist or band (either that or you just want to annoy the neighbours). The first thing you will need is an amplifier to amplify the sound (no fun playing unplugged huh?). There are many practice amps available, in different wattages, and with different built-in features. The most basic set-up to get y...