The Tao of Yo

Vernon Reid and DJ Logic's second record has evolved into an assault of sounds and styles that defy genre, combining hip-hop, metal, and salsa influences. It's a musical tour de force, employing guitar and DJ work into a cohesive package of riffs and beats. There's also a political undertone to this release, making it timely and fitting during this supercharged election year. Guests include Latasha Nevada Diggs, Taylor McFerrin, Traz, Boz Omega, and Ricky Quinones, to name a few.

Whether you are looking for a room thumping acoustic bass or a bass you can plug into an amp at a moments notice, I highly suggest you look into a Dean Performer acoustic-electric bass guitar. The Dean Performer is a high quality bass for musicians with a low budget. The action and sound is incredible for such a low priced instrument. The Dean Performer acoustic-electric bass guitar will give you plenty of high volume and great response action from its select spruce top on a mahogany bass body.

Its cutaway body also lets you get to the high notes with great ease. The Performers three band electronic pickups let you plug in and get the sound you want at higher volumes on a moments notice. Since its humble debut in January 1999 the Dean Performer bass models have quickly become the world's most desirable acoustic basses. These models were designed with input from professional bass players from all around the world. The Dean Corporation has a great history of making quality guitars for many, many years. I own an older model of the Dean Performer bass series and all I can say is it is a great value bass for the price. The action of the bass is excellent and it sounds smooth and mellow to the ears. The Dean Performer is also a great bass for the beginner bass player as well. The instrument is very forgiving and very easy for smaller hands to get around as well. Also with the Dean Performer being an acoustic model as well, it will surely be more accommodating to at home practicing.

If you are looking to buy a Dean Performer, I highly suggest starting at your local guitar shop and sitting down and playing one. If your local guitar shop does not carry the Dean Performer, you can always find one for sale at your favorite online guitar store or on the ever popular online auction house, eBay. There are a ton of reputable sellers on eBay who take great care in selling and shipping of new and used Dean Performer bass guitars.

David Bryan is an avid bass player and is always playing his bass guitars for sale. David owns and sales used Fender Jazz basses and also sales bass parts and accessories.

Scene

So, you got your new guitar, and you are ready to start learning to play it. Of course, you are very excited. And, perhaps, a little troubled, too. Now, let us meet your new guitar, to start a long and rich friendship.

Always remember to treat your guitar the same way you treat a person you are fond of. Pick it slowly and with caution. Caress it. Handle it with care. Learn to have a feeling of fondly care, not a feeling of fear.

Now, let us go through the following steps, so you will get acquainted with your new guitar:

• Get your new guitar tuned, or tune it yourself, at least roughly (that will be the topic of a new article coming soon).

  Sit properly, with your left leg standing on something five to six inches high. Feel your body, legs and arms relaxed.

• Place your guitar on your raised left leg. The tuning machine should be at the same level as your head. Place your right arm on the guitar body. About your left hand, as you will not fret any string by now, it does not matter where you place it, as long as it does not interfere with the sound. Try to feel most comfortable.
• As in the next steps we will be talking about strings, you should learn, first, that guitar strings are named, from bottom to top: first (the thinnest), second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth (the thickest) strings.
• Well, let us now get into the action! Make a downward stroke (strumming), playing all six strings with the nail of your right hand middle finger. Make it neither very slow nor quite fast. Make it tenderly. Wow! That was your first sound out of your guitar! Did you like it? Sure you did. Can you do it better? You bet!
• Try again. And again. And again. Not less than twenty or thirty times. Every time you play it, try to find out what you did not like, and focus on doing it better the next time.
• Do the same downward strumming, but now using the fleshy part (not the nail) of your right hand thumb fingertip. Again, make it neither very slow nor quite fast. And make it tenderly. Not less than twenty to thirty times. Focusing on doing it better the every time.
• Now play the sixth, fifth and fourth strings with a downward plucking motion of your right hand thumb finger. It does not matter, by now, whether you pluck them with the nail or with the fleshy fingertip. Then, without interruption, and with an upward plucking motion, play the third string with your index finger, the second string with your middle finger, and the first string with your ring finger. Again, it does not matter, by now, whether you pluck them with the nail or with the fleshy fingertip. Play all strings slowly; you are not strumming.
• Do that not less than twenty to thirty times, focusing, more than ever, on doing it better every time.

Do all exercises several times, taking a break every time you feel tired, or feel a sore back, shoulder, arm or hand. All that is usual at the beginning.

From now on, you will bear in mind that every time you play your guitar your most important second goal (we will discuss the first in a new article coming soon) will be sound quality: a clean musical sound. Do not ever forget it even for a single second: sound quality!

Well, now you surely are much more familiar with your new guitar.

Luis BONVIN has a life of guitar playing and teaching. He wants to help people around the world to learn, step by step, how to play guitar. To further discover how to quickly and easily you can play guitar, please visit his Beginner Guitar Lessons Website and the Project Ever Guitar Lessons. Let him know about your interests or leave your comments at Beguiner Guitar Lessons Squidoo Lens or Beginner Guitar Lessons Blog.

Enharmonic Vision

The remarkable range of electronic possibilities has reached music to incredible levels of melody, tunes and harmony. The devices that make all this possible are versatile and diverse. Devices called Effect Boxes bring about singular effects in guitar sounds.

Octavizer

An input music signal is mixed with a tone that is synthesized. This tone is an octave higher or lower than the input. This is produced what the octavizer does. The octavizer pedals are available as the following models - Green Ringer, Ampeg Scrambler and Tycobrahe Octavia, and many many more.

Phase shifter

This effect created by this device is the sound of a jet flying just above you! It was much sought after in the '70s by piano players and bass guitarists. Electro-Harmonix Small Stone, Dunlop Univibe and BOSS PH-3 are apt examples. These pedals allow you to change the pitch of a musical instrument, usually allowing for a smooth tone.

Pitch Shifter

The pitch shifter enables two musicians to play at different pitches, without altering the tuning of either instrument. Digitech Whammy Pedal and Boss CS-5 are two popular Pitch Shifter Pedal products.

Distortion pedals

This pedal can bring in newer harmonics into a normal electric guitar signal. This will distort the signal and the output is a more varied sound that cannot be accomplished by an electric guitar, just like that. Some of these can produce overdrive. These pedals can either

• Increase amplification greatly
• Reduce amplification to create a harsh sound

Distortion pedals can

• Convert input sound into a very warm output (The Ibanez Tube Screamer )
• Convert the input music into a harsh, abrupt output (The Gibson Maestro Fuzz is an example of such a fuzz box)
• Convert input to an overdriven and harsh output (The BOSS DS-1 of Roland Corporation creates this effect)
• Sound is copied and then transmitted as output, after a delay. The sound can be output as a single or multiple repetitions
• The latter sounds like an echo (BOSS DD-6 of Roland Corporation, Pod2.0 of Line 6, and ToadWorks Redux are some examples of delay pedals)
• Produce a little bit of upper octave harmonics (the Roland Bee Baa of Roland Corporation)

Chorus If the delay time is cycled, very short and varied, the ensuing echo is not clear or distinct. Instead, a swirling sound is heard. . If it sounds like many instruments played simultaneously, then it is called a "chorus" effect. Examples of the chorus effect pedals are Ibanez CF-7 of the Ibanez Company and BOSS CE-1 of Roland Corporation)


Wah-Wah This pedal does not allow all the incoming frequency to pass. By operating the pedal back and forth you can allow only the higher frequency notes or only the lower frequency notes to pass through.

The effect thus created makes you think you can hera a person saying "wow". In the 1960s Wah-Wah effect and fuzz box effect were combined to create a "fuzz-wah" effect! Some of the available brands of Wah-Wah pedals are Dunlop Cry Baby and Vox Wah-Wah.

Compressor

The device is more of an automatic volume control. When input sound increases in volume, the compressor reflexively decreases the output volume . And for the reverse effect, the volume of the output is increased when the music played decreases in loudness.

The uniform volume level maintained gives the impression of a greater sustain effect for the guitar . A compressor can help vary other effects like distortion. Some popular brands of Compressor Pedals are ToadWorks Mr.Squishy, BOSS CS-3, and MXR Dynacomp.

Multi Effect Pedals

These pedals allow you to have a number of effects by using one setting. Some multi effect pedals have a provision for the player creating some effects and and combining them with those available within the pedal.

The pedal may have a provision programming a variety of effects and storing them separately on different pedals. (Just like you can define user keys on the computer keypad). While playing, you can choose from a desired range of effects for creating a the sound effect you want exactly, whenevr you want!

Because of the complexity of handling them, the muti effect pedals are generally used seasoned and professional guitarists rather than the novice player. Available brands of this device are Digitech RP200A, Line 6 POD XT Live and Boss ME-50.

A good number guitarists use effect boxes to create distinctive music. Prominent among them are David Gilmour, Daniel Ash, Brian May, Thurston Moore, and Steve Jones.

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