Taylor Guitars

Posted on February 6, 2011 by UGOL

A Short History of Taylor Guitars

Taylor Guitars Manufacturing Line

Taylor Guitars Manufacturing Line

Taylor Guitars, having specialized in the mid to upper end guitar market, has promptly become one of the leaders in the industry. They have more than 60 special guitar models and sell more than 40,000 instruments each year, ranging in cost for $10,000 down to about $1,200.

Their guitars are known for ease of playing and amazing tone. Some of their guitars are owned by such famous guitarists as Paul McCartney, Neil Young and many others. The company, which is still privately owned, is run by Kurt Listua and Bob Taylor.

Beginnings of Taylor Guitars:

Taylor started producing their first instruments back in the summer of 1973. It was during that summer that Bob Taylor and Kurt Listua began working at the same music shop, the American Dream, which was located in Lemon Grove, CA.


One year after these guys were hired, the owner of the music shop sold the shop to Kurt Listua, Bob Taylor, and a third man, Steve Schemmer. In October of 1974 they took possession of the store and it was renamed the Westland Music Company. The three owners continued to repair instruments as well as constructing a few that they sold from the shop. Since Bob was the chief luthier of the guitar shop, they decided to call the line of guitars, Taylor guitars.

In 1976, Taylor Guitars were outsourced to outside dealers for the first time ever. The market for guitars had hit rock bottom just as the three gentlemen began selling their guitars and the market continued to be very complicated during the remainder of the 1970′s.

Company Struggles:

The company continued to struggle during the early part of the 1980′s, making only about 10 guitars a week. In order to speed up the guitar making process the company took out a loan for the purchase of more efficient equipment. The next year, they had constructed up such a large backlog of instruments, Kurt went on the road to market instruments.

The first breakthrough came in 1984 when music artist Prince needed a new 12-string guitar and he hired Bob Taylor to make one for him. Although Price would not allow Bob Taylor to display his logo on the headpiece of the guitar, word spread quickly amidst the guitar community and soon they were making guitars for many other recording artists.

A New Location For Taylor

Taylor Guitars

Taylor Guitars

In 1987 after outgrowing their current facility due to such speedy growth, Taylor moved to a new 5,000 s.f. manufacturing plant. They reached production rates of approximately 50 guitars per week by 1988 with a staff of 35.

Growth continued during these years and by 1992 they again had to pull up roots – this time to a new 25,000 foot facility in El Cajon, CA. Sales of $5 million was reached in 1993. This was partially due to the increased curiosity in acoustic guitars.

Introduction of the “Baby Taylor”

The Baby Taylor was a scaled-down version of their popular acoustic guitars and sold for under $500. This guitar was rolled out in 1996. This little guitar was a huge success as it sold over 1,000 units the first year of production.

At the same time, the Grand Auditorium model was additionally introduced and was dubbed by Bob Taylor as the “greatest we’ve ever created.” Critics agreed and the company sold more than $20 million that year.

Taylor Guitars – More Recently

Taylor Guitars

Taylor Guitars

The next decade was a stage of development for the business in both their product line and sales. A custom guitar was presented to President Clinton at the Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C. in 1997. In 1998, continueddevelopment forced the company to construct 44,000 square feet next to their current facility.

1999 proved to be a huge year for Taylor Guitars. The business introduced their NT technology neck during this year, which united the neck system of guitar while allowing the string tension to remain the same. The new neck design was a big success with guitar players and was named “Product of the Year” by Music Trades Magazine.

The Signature Line of guitars has also been added by Taylor in which their instruments are signed by such famous musicians as Jewel, Clint Black, Kenny Loggins and many others. More than 40,000 guitars are manufactured by Taylor each year and of that, hundreds of guitars are given to schools each year.

From such humble beginnings more than 25 years ago, Taylor Guitars has grown to become one the most recognized names in guitar making in the country.

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Martin Guitars

Posted on February 2, 2011 by UGOL

A Short History of Martin Guitars

Martin Guitars 1,000,000th Guitar

Martin Guitars 1,000,000th Guitar

C.F. Martin has been continually making world class guitars for well over a century and a half,

The company has adapted successfully to constant distribution, production and product design modifications throughout its colorful history.

C.F. Martin has stayed focused to its initial dedication to quality despite these many changes. In 1833 they constructed their first facility in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Their concern to develop fine instruments is as evident today as it was back then.

Early Innovations

C.F. Martin Headquarters

C.F. Martin Headquarters

There was not much standardization utilized when Martin first started producing guitars. also the guitars were completely hand crafted and built on a one-at-a-time basis.

One of the initial mechanisms that they invented was an adjustable neck. It was adjusted by means of a screw that was mounted in the backside of the heel of the neck and a bolt extended into the neck block.

There were problems with this very complex adjustment setup and it often slipped when the strings were at full tension. As a outcome, this unusual neck adjustment device was phased out.

Martin Guitar Innovations

Martin Guitar Factory

Martin Guitar Factory

A very common and major innovation that Martin designed in the early 1850′s was development of the “X” bracing system for acoustic guitar tops.


This is probably the single-most design innovation that has shaped the tone of acoustic guitars as we know them today. The “X” bracing typically gives the acoustic guitar very brilliant treble tones and full and powerful base notes.

The development of the 14 fret neck in lieu of the standard 12 fret neck is another innovation that Martin developed in late 1929, and that design is employed by nearly every acoustic guitar maker in the world.

Because this innovation was so wildly common, Martin decided to extend this feature to all models in their line of instruments. Ever since this design innovation was introduced, it has become a standard for the industry.

Strangely enough, the iconic guitar shape that was developed by the company was named after the large class of British Battle ships during WWI.

Thus the dreadnough acoustic guitar was born. The dreadnought series of guitars was rolled out by Martin in 1931. Since its introduction, this has been the best performer of the entire Martin guitar line. The dreadnought shape has additionally been adopted by nearly every acoustic guitar maker in the world.

Martin Guitars – The Ecological concerns

Martin Guitars

Martin Guitars

Martin adapted its long standing ecological policy in 1990. This program embraces environmentally responsible usage of traditional guitar building woods, while also encouraging the pursuit of alternate, more sustainable-yield wood species.

The secondary environmental action taken on by the company was to formulate a consumer focus group that studies the use and acceptance of alternative wood products that exhibited cosmetic qualities that were previously unacceptable in the industry, by provide necessary structural sound characteristics conducive to the lutherie trade.

Martin has furthermore taken on the responsibility of educating the public in the use of sustainable yield wood in guitar production, by putting on educational exhibitions.

Martin Guitars Continuing Adherence to Principles

Martins adherence to high standards and excellence in the production of their entire guitar line is attributed to their longevity and dominance in the industry.

Over the years there have been significant changes in C.F. Martins product line and marketing strategies. Even with these changes the company has not wavered from its core belief of the production of quality stringed instruments.

The company mission statement that was authored by Frank Henry Martin approximately 80 years ago reads: “A good guitar cannot be constructed for the price of a poor guitar, but then who regrets the extra cost of a good guitar?”. That expression is still the compony mantra that is adhered to today, and it is what the company has long based its dedication to quality on.

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Taylor Big Baby Acoustic Guitar Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by UGOL

Taylor Big Baby Acoustic Guitar

Taylor Big Baby

My search for a fantastic acoustic guitar for my nieces son started one day after she had called for my guitar buying advice. Since he was rather tall for his age, and he also had long fingers, there should be no problem with him dealing with a full-sized dreadnought or a concert sized guitar.

I have given acoustic guitar lessons for a lot of years and I have seen many people select the wrong guitar for their children. I didn’t want to see that happen with this little guy.

After trying several guitars that matched the price range they were looking to stay within, I landed on the Taylor Big Baby for him. This guitar is a 15/16 size dreadnought, which puts it slightly smaller than the full-sized guitar versions, such as the Martin D-28. A few great features of this guitar is that technically it is a travel guitar, in that the neck comes off very easily. It can then be packed or toted very easily, and he could bring it to college in a few years too.

Guitar Features: 6.5 Stars

Taylor Big Baby Fretboard

Taylor Big Baby Fretboard

This is a very fundamental dreadnought guitar, that is just a bit smaller in stature from full sized Taylor or Martin Acoustic Guitars. The size of this guitar most closely replicates the Martin 000 Concert, although it is dreadnought shaped. That makes it very comfortable to play. Although it does sport a solid Sitka Spruce top, there is no protective binding trim that is typically present to protect the outside edge from damage.

The fretboard is ebony and the neck is a bolt-on variety that easily comes off for compact packing and traveling purposes. You will note that there are a couple of ugly screw heads located in the surface of the fretboard to facilitate the neck removal. I had wished that they could have handled that a bit more discretely. (this is shown on the image to the left. Note that this is a Baby Taylor and not a Big Baby model, but they are handled the same.)

The back and sides are constructed of Sapele High Pressure Laminate, and the tuners are Grover-like, cast chrome plated, and seem to work rather well. Although I spotted some issues with workmanship, there was nothing too alarming that could compromise instrument longevity or performance.

Big Baby Sound Production: 6.0 Stars

I selected similarly priced guitar produced by Martin, Fender, Yamaha and Takamine, and the Taylor was in my estimation, a better deal for the money.

While this can make an excellent flatpicking or fingerstyle guitar, it leans quite a bit toward a more treble tone, typically because of the laminate back and sides, I would imagine. The sustain of this guitar is very good and as I mentioned it is a little heavy on the treble side, but the projection is quite good.

One of my favorite features of this reasonably priced guitar is the solid Sitka Spruce top. The solid Spruce top will just get better and better with time and you will find that the guitar tone will begin to mellow out with some age.

Action: 7.0 Stars

Right out of the box this guitar did need a bit of help with setup, and string height, but this is not uncommon with guitars in this price range. Certainly if you will be getting into some difficult fingerstyle or flatpicking passages, you will want to lower the action to a certain degree. If you want to tackle this yourself, here are a couple of articles that will guide you through the process. How to Lower Your Saddle Guitar Nut Adjustment.

Durability of This Guitar: 8.5

The Big Baby is a very dependable guitar and you will notice that it is rugged and will take a certain amount of abuse. A binding around the top edge of the guitar would have been appreciated as a sharp rap to the fragile end grain of the Spruce top could result in the start of a crack.

You will get greater crack resistance with the high pressure laminate back and sides as contrary to solid wood back and sided guitars.

Customer Service: 10.0 Stars

The original owner of a Taylor Guitar gets a lifetime warranty on the instrument. You will find that warranty issues are taken very seriously with the Taylor technical support division. Each customer and instrument is stated as being unique and thus very crucial to them. They are perfectly willing to work with you on any issue, no matter how minor or silly it may seem. You can conveniently obtain technical support either by phone with their toll-free tech support line, or if you prefer you can contact them on-line.

Taylor Big Baby Overall Score: 7.6 Stars

Although I think this is a outstanding guitar at this level, it is not any more than a great starter guitar, gig guitar, a guitar you can use to tote around to college, the beach or whatever.

I would term this guitar a stepping stone guitar. One that you would start out on and graduate to a much better platform as you progress in your musical capibilities. For a guitar in this price range this is about as good as it gets, and the people at Taylor pulled it off.

I would recommend that you purchase a good case for this guitar as it really deserves one. additionally I would put a warmer sounding set of strings on it once the Elixir strings are worn out.

In this price range, I felt this guitar blew away much of the competition in tone, volume, and action and this is a guitar that deserves by rating of 7.6 stars.

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Gibson J45 Acoustic Guitar

Posted on January 21, 2011 by UGOL

Gibson J45 Acoustic Guitar

In the 1940′s Gibson introduced a round-shouldered big-bodied guitar with a mustache bridge, Adirondack Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, and a great sunburst finish and called it the J45.

This was a really great guitar of the era, and because of the wildly popularity of re-issue vintage guitars, Gibson decided to bring back the J45 as part of their True Vintage line of guitars.

Guitar Features: 8.0 Stars

The Gibson True Vintage J45 is an acoustic guitar reproduction of the original J45′s that Gibson produced back in the first half of the 1940′s. The original guitars produced back then included premium Adirondack Red Spruce tops and back and sides constructed from mahogany. These new Vintage Reproduction models use the same Adirondack Red Spruce tops and Mahogany backs and sides.

Set up with premium Gotoh tuners, you obtain very smooth tuning action for this historically accurate reproduction guitar.

Because of its simplistic beauty, this guitar has been nicknamed “the workhorse”. If you are looking for a big-bodied acoustic guitar, with a big voice, this classic guitar will more than fill that bill.

Guitar Sound Production: 7.5

What you will obtain is that due to the use of the quality Mahogany backs and sides that are used on this model, it will produce very warm and inviting tone. The tone produced is very comparable to the Martin D-18, which is the closest competition. It still puts out a notable classic tone.

With the hand glued bracing for the top that is additionally hand scalloped, these are major factors that contribute to the tone quality of this classic reproduction guitar. Scalloping, is a process whereby the top tone bracing and structural bracing is modified in such a way to enhance the tone and volume characteristics of a guitar.

Guitar Action: 8.5

The moment that I picked up the guitar and played a few passages on it, I could tell that I loved the action. I would however, prefer to put light gage strings on this guitar. Also, to match my personal playing style, I would lower the strings just a touch, because I like a very low action.

Durability: 9.0

The Gibson J45 TV is very solid and well produced. When you first pick it up to play it, you can tell the guitar is very well created. The guitar top is braced well and can easily withstand the tension placed on it by medium gauge strings.

Please do NOT put heavy gage strings on this guitar. I found that the sustain from this guitar was somewhat good and without doubt measured up with solid wood instruments in the same price range.

If you have not owned a solid wood guitar before, be aware that they are very sensitive to humidity changes. The guitar was produced in a very controlled atmosphere and you should keep the guitar in those conditions to minimize stress and maintenance issues. A good humidifier for your room or home and guitar case is vital to minimize repair bills.

To keep the repairman away from your fine solid wood instrument, be sure to visit our page on Guitar Humidity Control, for great tips and recommendations on care of this guitar.

Overall Score: 8.6 Stars

The Gibson J45 True Vintage Special Edition is a fantastic sounding guitar just as it was when first produced back in the 1940′s. This guitar is not only a outstanding rhythm guitar but it can more than stand on its own as a fantastic flatpicking lead guitar as well.

I know, because, I am lucky enough to have one of the original J45′s produced in the 1940′s. It’s quite amazing that the new version of this  guitar has much of that same punch my original J45 – very impressive and it will only get better with age. The balance, tone and volume of this guitar are notable and as expected in a fantastic quality solid wood instrument.

So if you are in search for a fantastic solid wood guitar that will give you rich, warm, and full rhythm and lead tone, the J45 True Vintage may be just the guitar for you. Also, last and without doubt not least, this makes for a great fingerstyle guitar too.

Also, for a complete review, including complete specifications, photographs and purchase information, visit the article Gibson J45 Acoustic Guitar Review.

Are You Ready for This? Interested In Making A J45? Would you be interested in making your very own J45? Yes it is possible, with a fantastic plan you can build your very own J45 True Vintage from our very extensive, noted and dimensioned, full-size J45 acoustic guitar plans. Just visit our Plan Shop.

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Lead Guitar Lessons – Advanced C Runs

Posted on December 23, 2010 by UGOL

Advanced C Runs:

Runs in the key of C Major are certainly licks that you will want to have in your bag of tricks. Here are a few of the most popular with more to come.

The Basic C Run:

The basic C Run (shown in the first 2 measures of the diagram below), basically covers just 2 measures. The first measure consists of the run itself and the second measure is the C Chord ending to the run. Keep in mind that the C Run presented here can be modified in many ways. One very popular modification is to play the run as presented and to leave off the final chord strum at the end.

Lead Guitar Lessons – Advanced C Runs:

Advanced C Runs

Advanced C Runs

Lead Guitar Lessons – More Advanced C Runs:

This second run consists of 3 measures and involves some advanced techniques. This run includes String Pull-Offs and String Hammer-Ons, and you can read more about these techniques by clicking on each link detailed instructions. The hammer-ons and pull-offs aid the left hand with speed and dynamics and will allow you play this run at a faster pace. Pay close attention to the left hand fingering next to the note heads. The timing is rather easy as it is mostly eighth notes, which received 1/2 beat each.

Look at the down and up strokes of the picking hand very carefully. These indications are located beneath the TAB staff. Be very attentive at the areas of the pull-off and hammer-on notes as the second note of the sequence is not picked but sounded by the right hand finger action. Notice that in this run the following note can be either a down stroke of the pick or an up stroke of the pick, depending on where it orginates in the timing sequence.

Tony Rice Style C Run:

The next run is again a 3 measure C run and starts out just like the very first basic C run we looked at. The catch for this run is in the second measure of the run. There is a String Slide and you can learn more about that by clicking on that link. Also a very important aspect of this run is that the slide with the ring finger move you from the first to the third position. You thin transition back to the first position by playing the open first string as the last eighth note in the measure, just in time to play the C chord bass note and strum.

The Last Word:

Follow your left hand fingerings, which I have located directly beside the head of each note. Again – ‘do not substitute and fingers other than the ones that are shown’, or you will not be able to execute these licsk either properly or ‘up-to-speed’.

Let the notes ring through each other as much as possible, to give the guitar more of a ‘harp-like’ sound. This will increase the listening pleasure of the lick and it will also make your playing style sound much smoother.

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Lead Guitar Lessons – The G Run

Posted on December 19, 2010 by UGOL

The G Run:

On of the first licks or runs you should learn for Flatpicking Guitar is the use of the G Run. This run is utilized by almost all musicians and each have their own favorite versions of it ranging from the basic G Run all the way to very elaborate finger gymnasitic type G Runs, which we will explore in later lessons.

The Basic G Run:

The basic G Run (shown in the diagram below), basically covers just 2 measures. The first measure consists of the run itself and the second measure is the G Chord ending to the run. Keep in mind that the G Run presented here can be modified in many ways. One very popular modification is to play the run as presented and to leave off the final chord strum at the end.

Lead Guitar Lessons – The Basic G Run:

The Basic G Run

The Basic G Run

Lead Guitar Lessons – How to Do The Basic G Run:

First, let’s look at the timing of this lick. It consists of 2 measures, with 4 beats for each measure and quarter notes get one beat. We start with a quarter note on the 1st beat, next we progress to a string of (6) eighth notes, which get 1/2 beat each, for a total of 3 beats, rounding out that measure. The second measure consists of (2) half notes with 2 beats each for a total of 4 beats for that measure.

Next let’s look at the up-down picking pattern of the measures. Note that the picking symbols are indicated below each note. The “V” is an upstroke of the pick and the little bridge indicates a downstroke of the pick. Almost always, you will note that down-strokes of the pick are performed “ON” the beat. In other words as you count 1, 2, 3, 4, for each measure these are the beats of the measure and you usually say the number as you count through the measure. When we play eighth notes, naturally all of the eighth notes can’t be “On” the beat, because there are more of them than there are beats in this measure. Therefore for each pair of eighth notes we have here, the first one is played on the beat and the second one is played on what we call the ‘up-beat’. The designation we usually say for this is the word ‘and’ or &.

So the way we would count the first measure would be like this: 1 2 & 3 & 4 &. Where the first quarter note gets the beat of “1″, followed by the (6) eighth notes received 1/2 beat each or 2 & 3 & 4 &.

Lead Guitar Lessons – The Hammer-On:

You will also note that there is a hammer-on to be executed between the 2nd and 3rd eighth notes. If you don’t know how to do a one of these see our article on How To Do String Hammer-Ons.

Follow your left hand fingerings, which I have located directly beside the head of each note. Again – ‘do not substitute and fingers other than the ones that are shown’, or you will not be able to execute this lick either properly or ‘up-to-speed’.

Let the notes ring through each other as much as possible, to give the guitar more of a ‘harp-like’ sound. This will increase the listening pleasure of the lick and it will also make your playing style sound much smoother.

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Vibrato Effect

Posted on December 3, 2010 by UGOL

Vibrato on the Guitar:

This effect is very effective with stringed instruments that do not have frets, like the violin, viola, and the cello, but it is much less compelling on fretted instruments. In executing the vibrato, it utilizes a gentle rocking back and forth of the left hand fingers. The result of this finger motion is a very subtle raising and lowering of the string pitch. This is very compelling for notes of long duration and gives significance to the song.


Even though you can execute this effect on the guitar, it is very complicated to get it to sound effective on the fretted instruments. Most often this effect is much more useful on the electric guitar, which has a distinctive tailpiece with a handle attached. This option for the electric guitar is called the Vibrato Tailpiece and permits the guitarist to gently raise and lower the strings.

Using the Vibrato on the Acoustic Guitar:

If you are willing to work at it, the Vibrato effect is usable to the Acoustic Guitar player. It is usually saved for notes of long duration, like half and whole notes, where there is a long ring time. The development of this proficiency will take loyal work and practice.

Vibrato – How to Do It:

The simplest method for the beginner guitarist is to start out the Vibrato effect with the 3rd finger of the left hand. When your approach is mastered, you will be able to utilize the other left hand fingers for the Vibrato effect.

Here is how you do it: Place your left hand third finger on the third fret of the first string. This would be a G note. Securely plant your third finger on this note. First start out by means of anchoring your third finger on the fretboard. Strike the initial string and instantly begin rocking your hand back and forth in a horizontal movement. Technique is very important in being successful with this ornamental. placement of the left hand thumb at the center of the neck and prevention of the left hand from contact with the neck are very important.

By using this technique, you use the left hand thumb and third fingers as hinge points, which allow free movement of the hand in the rocking motion. If you move the left hand palm back and forth horizontally approximately 1/2″ you will notice the pitch change. While it isn’t a lot, it is noticeable and will fill in the space of the long note.

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String Hammer Ons

Posted on December 2, 2010 by UGOL

String Hammer-ons:

Using Hammer-ons is pretty much the opposite of String Pull-Offs. The difference being you hammer a finger onto the string rather than pulling a finger off the string.

How Hammer-Ons are Implemented:

Start the operation by locating of a finger on the lower note of the Hammer-On you intend to do. Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret of the 1st string. While you are securely holding your 1st finger in place, strike the 1st string. The next step is for you to firmly hammer your 3rd finger of your left hand on the 3rd fret of the first string, sounding a G note.

In order to play the second or hammered note very clearly, you will have to acquire quite a bit of finger force in your left-hand fingers. You will need to work on this proficiency and over time your hammer-on notes will come through loud and distinct.

Here’s a number of helpful tips to get you going on clear and loud sounding hammer-ons.

First: Prepare to play the subsequent note, or the hammered-on note as soon as you play the first note. The basic way is to hover your 3rd finger over the desired fret. For beginners, this is a good way to start, but as you become more well versed and your fingers gain strength, you will no longer need to perform this.

Second: When you hammer on the secondary note, be sure to hammer on immediately behind the next fret above your note. So the best location to hammer on a G note, which would be the 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string, would be directly behind the 4th fret. It may take a bit of location adjustment to discover just the properly spot that works most beneficial for you.

Hammer-Ons – Alternatives:

Here are a number of variations you can test to execute your hammer-ons. There are various patterns you can add to your hammer-on talents to provide additional color to your playing styles.

Multiple Hammer-On:

Although the multiple hammer-on is quite hard for the beginner, it really gives a great deal of versatility and flavor to a passage, by means of using multiple, consecutive fingers. Begin by means of picking the open string and then hammer-on your first finger instantly after that, and finally end with a hammer-on of the 3rd note with the 2nd finger.

Hammer-on Pull-off Combination:

This combination of notes is really very cool sounding. With a single stroke of the pick, you mix both a hammer-on and pull -off combination. For example, let’s begin by means of playing an F note on the 1st fret of the first string. Place your 1st finger in place to start. Hold your first finger in place during the entire 3-note triplet sequence. Next you hammer-on the 3rd fret with the 3rd finger, which would be a G note. Our last note involves a pull-off. Just pull off the 3rd finger that is already in place on the G note. This will play the original F note that we had fingered for the first note.

Hammer-On Combination With Picked Note:

This is an often used technique that is used for triplets in a number of songs. It starts with a hammer-on combination and ends with a picked 3rd note of the triplet combination. The hammer-on is sounded with a downstroke of the pick. The last or third note is sounded with a upstroke of the pick, which is usually on the next higher string.

playing a Double Stop Hammer-ons:

You will discover this variation quite troublesome to perform and therefore it is used rarely. The method begins with a double stop or a double string note. After you pick the double stop you hammer-on one of the strings while the other string continues to ring. One thing you ought to be aware of is that frequently, at least a first, your pinkie finger will not be up to the task of a hammer-on as it lacks the compulsory force to produce a clear, and loud tone. To be able to pick this hammer-on precisely, I have sadjusted the ring or 3rd finger to do the hammer-on.

Hammer-On, Pull-Off Double Stop:

This combination sounds truly quite cool on the guitar. Begin this exercise with a double note or double-stop hammer-on. You then compound a string pull-off on the end. This type of ornamental is normally played as a triplet or three notes with one beat.

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Acoustic Guitar Style

Posted on November 26, 2010 by UGOL


Clarence White

I began my musical carrier playing the electric guitar. It was all the rage back then and remains very popular today. I must say though that the subtle tones of the acoustic guitar can be very haunting and alluring. There are certain coloration’s that the acoustic guitar brings to the table that is beyond reproach of either the classical guitar or the electric guitar.

This was not always the case though. Years back, about the only use for the acoustic guitar was to just bang out chords and it was mainly delegated as a rhythm or back-up roll, with few exceptions.

Probably one of the primary genres that moved the acoustic guitar into the forefront was bluegrass music. Such ground-breaking artist’s as Clarence White, Doc Watson and Norman Blake showcased how much the acoustic guitar had to offer. Each with their own unique styles, developed an incredible following of young guitarists wishing to replicate that unique style and sound. This style was widely known as Flatpick guitar the the guitarists who played it were simply known as flatpickers.

Of course as the acoustic guitar gained in popularity, the rock music and folk artists introduced it as a viable lead instrument too, although for the most part it was still mainly just a rhythm instrument, with an occasional small lead break.

What Makes The Acoustic Guitar Unique?

Most artists are attracted to that deep ‘woody’ tone that they get from a great acoustic guitar. Probably the most recognized and iconic instrument that demonstrates this is the ‘pre-war’ Martin. The term refers to C.F. Martin Guitar Company’s Dreadnought-style guitars that were manufactured in the 1930′s and up to the mid-1940′s. These guitars, mostly the D-18 and D-28 versions are some of the most prized and valuable guitars that exist.

Probably one of the most notable Martins was used by Clarence White. If you have ever watched the old Andy Griffith shows, (the black and white series), you can catch Clarence playing his vintage D-28 while playing with a group of bluegrass musicians in a few of those episodes. This guitar was modified by Clarence by replacing the fretboard with a Gretsch electric guitar fretboard and he also enlarged the soundhole of this guitar. After Clarence was killed in an accident, this guitar was purchased by Tony Rice and in true Clarence White tradition, Tony carried the acoustic guitar lead torch better than anyone else could have dreamed.

Catch a performance by Tony or look at nearly every CD cover of his and you will see his D28 ‘bone’ at his side. (The bone is a nickname for the D28 because of the herringbone purfling used on that model).

The Development of Fingerstyle Guitar:


Merle Travis

The roots of this style were from the late 19th century and into the early 20th century by African-American blues guitarists. The artists of the time were trying to replicate the popular ragtime piano style of that era. They adapted the right hand thumb to replicate the left hand bass played on the piano, and the remaining three fingers functioned as the lead and rhythm. Some of the more notable artist’s of the period were Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie and Mississippi John Hurt. Fingerpicking was soon taken up by country and Western artists such as Sam McGee, Ike Everly (father of The Everly Brothers), Merle Travis and “Thumbs” Carllile. and soon, Chet Atkins further developed the style.

Even though Merle and Chet did not promote the use of acoustic guitars, as most of there performances were on the electric guitar, the style was adapted to the acoustic guitar by a number of artists such as Doc Watson, Marcel Dadi and Tommy Emmanuel.

While each style of guitar playing has it’s own dedicated following, there many cross-over guitarists, or guitarists that play both styles (myself being one of those). Each os these styles of playing has it’s own subtle requirements that they are looking for in their guitars. We will discuss those in another article.

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Lead Guitar Lessons – Pull-Offs

Posted on November 23, 2010 by UGOL

Pull-Offss:

Another little trick in our ornamental note bag of tricks is called the Pull-off. This is a very necessary trick that you will want to learn as part of these lead guitar lessons, for it will save your right hand from getting too tired, give you more versatility in your playing, and give you a chance to show off your skill level.

Reasoning for Ornamental Notes:

Before we get into the actual pull-off process, let’s first discuss the rationale of all ornamental notes. Ornamental notes will give you a breather for your Right Hand as you typically do not have to play the subsequent notes after picking the initial or ‘Parent’ note. The resulting ornamental note quality will depend on the skill level of the guitar player. If done correctly, the subsequent notes should sound nearly as loudly and as clearly as the Parent note.

Also there is nothing you can do on the guitar that quite compares to a well-executed slide, pull-off, hammer-on combination or string bend. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get to it!

Lead Guitar Lessons – The Pull-Off:

String Pull-Off Execution:

The String Pull-off is one of the harder ornamental notes to play, and it allows you to play the most notes, with the greatest speed, equalled only by the hammer-on. You can pull-off from any fretted note to an open string, or you can do what is called a closed position pull-off from one fretted note to a to a lower fretted note.

Here is how it is executed. Fret a note as the Parent Note. For example, refer to the image above. In the first measure, fret the A note on the 5th fret of the 1st string with the 3rd finger. Before you pull this note off, you need to plant the second note finger in place. This would be the 1st finger on the 3rd fret. After you pick the first note with some authority, pull the finger off the A note sideways, in a fashion to ‘flick’ the string sideways to make the next lower note sound. Keep in mind that this does not, or should not be an exaggerated movement with your fingers, and you want to keep this as compact as possible. I prefer to perform the pull-off by pulling the note toward the palm of my hand. You will see many musicians that perform it by flicking the note away from their palm.

Controls you Have Over the String Pull-Off:

As with most ornamental notes, you have a tremendous amount of control over the sound output of the String Pull-off. Try each of these methods so you can add some really incredible diversity to your guitar playing style.

Delay: Just as in the String Slide, you can control the amount of time and the effect between the parent note, and the pull-off note. This can vary from a split second as in the last lick in the above example, to a very long or exaggerated delay. Play around with this and see what effects you like.

Number of Pull-Off Notes: This is a variable that is limited only by the number of fingers that you have available. Realistically though, a 2 or 3 note combination is used about 90% of the time. The 4 note combination looses quite a bit of volume, and thus effectiveness, and is utilized only under special circumstances. I did include an example in the above notation for the 4 note pull-off for you to practice.

Pull-Offs Used in Combination With Hammer-Ons: This is one of the greatest effect you can perform. Usually this technique comprises an eighth note triplet. The first note is the parent note, the second note hammers-on the note and the third note pulls-off back the to original Parent note, which is held in position during the entire sequence of notes. See more on Hammer-Ons to learn how to do them.

Download This Lesson Here

Interested in the original PDF file or the Guitar Pro file of this Lesson? Download it here.

String Pull-Offs
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String Pull-Offs
Guitar Pro File
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