The (Concise) Story of Eric Clapton, The Legendary Blues Guitarist

The Story of Eric Clapton, The Legendary Blues Guitarist

On his thirteenth birthday, an English boy - an illegitimate son of a soldier - picked up his first acoustic guitar from his grandparents.

Despite his love for blues music, he found learning to play so challenging he almost gave up.

He practised for many long hours, hanging on to learn chords and trying to imitate and mimic the sounds and tone of his blues guitar idols like Big Bill Broonzy by listening to them on his tape machine.

Soon after finding that the study of stained glass design at England's Kingston College of Art wasn't right for him, he busked around Kingston, Richmond and London's West End before bringing together his first band at age 17 - the Roosters - an R&B outfit, in 1963. From that point onward Eric Clapton went on to become a sensation with a musical career and as an incredibly talented guitar player, singer and songwriter.

His versatility is remarkable, with hits in genres from:

• Delta blues with 'Me & Mr Johnson'
• pop with 'Change the world'
• reggae  with 'I shot the sheriff'

He earned the nickname 'Slowhand' for his string-bending blues licks and riffs, Eric Clapton is known as one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century.

Do you know that Eric was 'christened' Slowhand by the manager of The Yardbirds because when he broke a string [only had 1 telecaster] he took his time replacing it on stage ...and let everyone wait...including the audience.

With his love of the instrument demonstrated in his amazing collection of about 750 guitars, Eric Clapton is hailed as one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time.

How is your musical journey progressing?

Check out some of the videos on this site which can help you learn to play the guitar.

Although, practise and patience will be the telling point for your guitar career...

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Thre Are Many Resources For You To Learn to Play Guitar

If your aim is to play the guitar then here are some of the more common ways to learn to play guitar.

There are various ways described here so try each method to see what works best for you. You don't have to devote your life to learning to play the guitar but you will do and progress very well if you practice 4-5 days a week and for a duration of between 30 minutes to an hour per session.

Group Lessons :

Learning to Play the Guitar in a group setting can be a lot less intimidating for the beginning musician. You not only get the benefit of having a teacher to help you along you can often judge your progress by where the other students are in the class. The worst part about taking guitar lessons in a group setting is the teachers time is divided so you may not get as much attention as you might need.

Private Lessons:

This is the best way to learn to play the guitar but in order to Learn to Play Guitar you must find the right teacher. Listen to friends, word of mouth etc to find ou about an instructor.

The instructor can gauge your progress each week and custom design your lessons for you. You have your teachers’ undivided attention and you can ask anything you feel is not clear.

Music Books:

Music books are a time-honored way to learn how to play the guitar. You can find more books on more different styles than most any other way to learn. You need to be proficient in reading music if you do not know the song you are learning. Most folks have a hard time getting the song right if they do not know the song they are learning.

CD Lessons:

There are many instruction CDs available in nearly any style you can think of. The advantage of this style of learning is you can listen to the CD as many times as you want. Any part that is not clear can be replayed as many times as needed. The disadvantages include the songs may not be the ones you desire to learn and the instruction is more general without any way of knowing where you are in your musical journey.

DVD Lessons:

Instruction on DVD includes all the good and bad points of the CD instruction. The number one advantage to learning guitar by watching DVD video is you can see what the instructor is doing. Visual learning goes a long way toward answering the questions burning in your mind.

Internet:

In these modern times the Internet is a wonderful resource in learning to play the guitar. There are many websites that will show you how to play the exact notes your guitar hero plays. Membership sites are plentiful where for a small monthly fee you can learn most any style you choose.

Friends:

Do not overlook your guitar playing buddies. Most guitar pickers are a friendly bunch who will be more than happy to help you along.

Slowing Down Recordings:

You can purchase software that slows down your favorite recordings. This allows you to hear each phrase at a speed where you can pick out the different notes. This is a great way to learn to play.

Playing Guitar With Other People:

The very best way to learn to play the guitar is to get together with other people, friends, school/college buddies and just Jam! This is the fastest way to learn. You will learn more by getting out and playing with other people than you ever will sitting at home playing the guitar by yourself.

The method you decide to use to learn to play guitar is up to you. Try to practice four or five times a week for 30 minutes at a time and you will be playing guitar before you know it.

Learning how to play the guitar is quite easybut you have to choose the right medium of learning for you. It just takes a combination of interest, determination, and grit to advance to the next level. Where you take your Hobby of guitar is up to you.

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Learning to Play Guitar for BeginnersGuitar Playing Tips

The Secrets of Learning to play the guitar can easily be achieved by almost anyone who wants to try it.

Most newbies, no disrespect, tend to quit excessively early. This is because most of them are not trying hard enough to learn the instrument and give up the instant they encounter difficulties.

Many of these newbies insist that they no longer have time to practice the guitar or that their fingers hurt. What they do not realize is that practice makes perfect, and the reason they find it difficult to learn to play the guitar is that they do not practice as much as necessary. They simply do not know what it takes to endure the lessons that have to be learned.

Although there are free resources everywhere, which is great in its own way, a how to play guitar course written by the pro's are a great investment of not only money but essentially your time. Which nicely leads me on to my next point.

For those who do want to learn to play the guitar, here is a list of tips that you need to bear in mind:

1. Invest a little Time and Money In The Buying of Your Guitar

Learning to play a guitar is almost equal to using the best instrument possible. Naturally, people learn faster and easier if they have the right equipment for the activity.

For this reason, it is important to invest your time and money to buy a good, not necessarily the best, guitar. This is because good guitars have better strings that will trigger quality play and better sound. Good guitars provide comfort to those who have not yet experienced playing the guitar.

2. Practice makes perfect, Practice makes perfect, Practice makes perfect etc...

It is important to practice every single day. It is the ONLY way for you to learn how to play the guitar and learn to play the guitar well.

3. Self-learning

For beginners learning to play the guitar, it may be better for you to learn to play the guitar by yourself. In this way you will not be pressured and you will acquaint yourself with your guitar in as little time possible.

This does not necessarily mean that you do not need an instructor. What is being pointed out here is that it would be better to teach yourself the basics of playing the guitar before you seek the help of an instructor. Using online resources, courses, home town guitar tutors etc...

The bottom line when learning to play the guitar is to get started. Once you are familiar with the guitar, then, it would be easier for you to listen to and understand the instructor.

Indeed, learning how to play the guitar is as easy as 1-2-3. It just takes a combination of interest, determination, and grit to advance to the next level.

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Learning the Guitar Lingo part 2 - Continue On the Path to Become the Next Guitar Hero

Listed below are some of the different words that you might encounter in learning how to play the guitar.

-Riff

Guitar riffs pertain to musical pieces which are parts of a song.

-Reverb

It is added to the sound of the guitar through an effects box or through amplifiers to make the sounds more natural.

-Tablature

Guitar tablatures or more commonly known as guitar tabs are written music for guitars. It is similar to musical pieces (with notes and other musical symbols) but the notes are translated into guitar frets. It’s a useful tool in learning how to play the guitar.

-Vibrato

It refers to a guitar technique where the string is slightly bent at a fast rate to Produce a longer resonating sound.

-Arpeggio

This refers to a technique where you remove notes from a specific chord. You can then use these to create an adlib lead technique or add to the rhythm of the song.

-Pick

This is the small device which guitar players use to strike the guitar strings and is usually made of plastic.

-Whammy bar

This is an attachment to the bridge of electric guitars that can be used to bend the pitch of the notes. You can pull the whammy bar to be able to make your guitar “cry.”

-Plucking

It’s a picking technique where a player does not strum the strings all at once but hits the strings one by one to attain a softer and more defined tone.

-Palm mute

This is a technique where a player uses his picking hand (usually the right hand) to mute the strings while strumming to be able to attain a distinct tone. It is very popular in the punk rock world.

The world of guitars is composed of many other new words and you must be able to master to these or at least have an idea of what they are to be able do to appreciate the wonderful instrument that is the guitar. Become the Next Guitar Hero

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Learning the Guitar Lingo part 1 - Start On the Path to Become the Next Guitar Hero

Are You Wanting to Learn How To
Play the Guitar

Then You Need the Speak the
Guitar Lingo!

The guitar is one of the most sought-after musical instruments today. Its popularity is manifested through-out the radio stations and the music videos on MTV. Almost all types of music in modern pop culture have been influenced by the guitar in one way or another.

For people who would like to get their hands on a guitar, they must first learn the guitar lingo.

The guitar lingo is made up of weird-sounding words that are unique to the guitar world.

The guitar lingo also applies to the guitar parts. You must be able to know the parts of a guitar to be able to know how to play it. Here are some of the guitar parts:

-Body

This is also referred to as the sound box. This is the largest guitar part and it comes in different shapes and sizes. The acoustic guitars usually have a hollow body, while electric guitars have solid or semi-solid bodies. Acoustic guitars have hollow bodies because they rely on the body structure for sound resonation and electric guitars use electronic pick-ups to amplify the sound.

-Headstock

The headstock is the part at the end of the guitar which holds the tuning keys. It is connected to the neck of the guitar.

-Nut

The nut is the piece between the guitar neck and the head. It is a small rod with indentations to hold the guitar strings in place.

-Neck

The neck is the long section which holds the fret board.

-Fret board

The fret board is divided into different notes by small metal rods. The number of frets in a fret board varies depending on the type of guitar and the brand. Modern electric guitars usually have 20-22 frets in the fret board.

-Bridge

It is a part of the guitar’s body and it is important for sound resonance. It gives elevation to the guitar strings so they can produce vibrations.

-Pick-up

The pick-up is an electronic device which acts like a microphone: it picks up the vibrations from the strings and converts the vibrations into electrical impulses. They are usually found in electric guitars

-Amp

The amplifier a speaker box from which the sounds of the electric guitar are magnified.

-Capo

This is a device which is attached to the guitar fret board which allows a player to play the same chord structures but in a different key.

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