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A Good Guitar Teacher
A good guitar teacher is another whole learning experience that you simply cannot beat. This is how our new pupils feel after they have been accepted into our very limited program with one of our teachers at Guitar Excellence. -
Guitarist Jokes
The silly season is upon us and what better way than to celebrate with a few laughs. Here is a compilation of a few good guitarist jokes we found. Enjoy! A Long Guitarist Joke A fingerstyle guitarist is walking on the beach when he accidentally kicks a bottle. The cork falls off and out pops a genie. “Thank you, Oh Master, for releasing me from my prison of the last... -
Replacement Pickups: Humbuckers
As discussed in the last instalment of the investigation of replacement pickups, humbuckers are a sure-fire way to hot-rod your guitar, injecting your tone with a new lease on life. This time ‘round, we look at replacing humbucker pickups, so let’s begin by clarifying exactly what humbuckers are. According to the oracle of all absolute knowledge, Wikipedia, “A humbucker (or humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup,... -
Evaluating The Right Guitar Teacher
Let’s face it there are allot of guitar teachers out there – some good some bad and some not worth mentioning. We get a lot of enquiries here at Guitar Excellence about our pricing of our lessons and where the lessons are held. Here I will share some insights to finding and evaluating the right guitar teacher. There will be a few factors influencing your decision like location, pricing,... -
Replacement Pickups Single Coils
The replacement pickup industry is booming. Especially for single coils. Aside from the ‘big’ names that have been around for a while, like DiMarzio (http://www.dimarzio.com/site/) and Seymour Duncan (http://www.seymourduncan.com/), there are a slew of ‘boutique’ companies, like Lindy Fralin (http://www.fralinpickups.com/) and Jason Lollar (http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc), making a name for themselves in the pickup market. For the uninitiated, who might question the validity of replacing pickups rather than being happy with... -
How Often Should A Guitarist Change Strings
How Often Should A Guitarist Change Strings? Like Joe Cocker’s voice, guitar strings wear out with use. The real question is how often should a guitarist change strings? The answer is as often as you can. But a recreational player should change it every quarter or seasonal change. Old guitar strings often go out of tune quicker than new ones and may also give you problems with intonation. The... -
9 Songs Every Beginner Should Know
Here is a list of 9 songs every beginner should know. These are easy to learn and will leave you feeling good after a run through. By learning these 9 songs every beginner should know you will have covered some essential basics e.g. strumming patterns, string skipping with the plectrum, barre chords, single string riffs and leads. These techniques will lay the foundation for your guitar playing so the... -
Finger Style Bass
There are many different styles of playing the bass guitar; most prominent among rock bassists is the use of a pick, or plectrum, to get a more clearly defined sound out of each note. Jazz, Blues and funk styles favour the use of plucking the four (or five) strings of the bass guitar with one’s fingers to create the sound of each note known as finger style bass. All... -
Common Beginner Mistakes On Guitar
Most beginners guitarist’s, more often than not come face to face with many common beginner mistakes on guitar. Along with a seemingly unclimbable wall of obstacles and aspirations. Some people at this point attempt to climb this wall, some succeed and some don’t, and other people merely turn around and go home. Alas, Guitar Excellence is here to your rescue. Don’t worry we are here to help you get... -
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitar Lesson
Being prepared for your guitar lesson will ensure that you get the most out of your time spent with your teacher. Following the few steps listed below will help facilitate a better understanding of the material covered in the lesson. No Distractions Keep all distractions at bay for the duration of your guitar lesson. It may be hard to explain to your curious younger brother or your new puppy...