Guitar Tube Amps - 6L6 Vs EL84
When it comes to guitar amps, there are a million choices. There are combos, practice amps, stacks, half stacks, separate heads, separate cabinets, modeling amps, acoustic amps, low wattage, high output, 1-12, 2-12's, 4-10's, 1-15, 10 watt, 30 watt, 40 watt, 100 watt....and the list goes on!
But beyond all that, the first really important choice to make is whether to go with a solid state amp, or a tube amp.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both - and that discussion is for another day. But if you decide to go with a tube amp, you will want to be aware of the differences between the two predominant tube types that are available.
Playing Guitar and How to Overcome Stage Fright in 6 Easy Steps
So you've been practicing your guitar, learning to play songs, honing your chops, memorizing scales, and working on your solo skills. You've spent countless hours in your music room getting everything just right, and now you're ready to step out on stage and play your guitar in front of real live people!
For many, the thought of going to the next level and playing guitar in front of a live audience is one of the most terrifying things imaginable.
Read more: Playing Guitar and How to Overcome Stage Fright in 6 Easy Steps
I Can Play Guitar, That Means I Can Play Bass Too, Right?
It doesn't take too long for the new guitar player with aspirations of playing in a band to realize that there are generally more gigs available to bass players than there are to guitar players. One reason for that is purely in the numbers. Scientifically speaking, for every one bass player on the planet, there are about a zillion guitar players! Okay, that may not be an official count, but you get the idea. Us guitar players are a dime a dozen. We're everywhere you turn. But good bass players - and I reiterate, "good" bass players - are much fewer in numbers. Why are "good" bass players harder to find? One big reason is that many so called "bass players" are actually nothing more than converted former guitar players.
Read more: I Can Play Guitar, That Means I Can Play Bass Too, Right?
Guitar Arpeggios Lesson - A7 Dominant
In an earlier discussion we talked about the differences between guitar arpeggios and guitar scales.
To quickly summarize - a guitar scale consists of a series of notes that fall within a certain key signature. Conversely, an arpeggio consists of a series of notes that fall within a particular chord.
One of the first arpeggios you will want to learn in your early guitar studies will be the dominant 7 arpeggio.
Today we will break down the A7 dominant arpeggio and how to play it.
Read more: Guitar Arpeggios Lesson - A7 Dominant
Songwriting Tips For the Guitarist - Read a Book
As a guitar player that writes songs, you already know that ideas for new songs are not in an endless supply. There are times when the ideas just dry up like a puddle of dew in the hot desert sun.
But sometimes, just by taking a look at the world around us with a fresh perspective, we can spurn a whole new crop of ideas that we never imagined.
