Guitarist

If you’ve played on stages before, you’re probably well aware of the sonic nuisance that is feedback. In this blog, we explain how you can counter feedback and keep the ears of your audience members from bleeding.

Guitarists will already be aware of the unmistakable effect the humble valve can have on their sound. While there are at least 25 different kinds of valves found inside various different guitar amplifiers, there are four that you’re most likely to come across. Here, we cover each of them so you can get to know exactly what’s shaping your tone.

Accompanying a vocalist on the guitar is a skill that is sometimes overlooked by guitarists, especially when the attention is usually on playing the fastest shred licks possible or how many effects pedals one can fit on their pedalboard. One skill that’s very important as a performing guitarist, and is something that will lead to many more gigs, is the ability to make a vocalist feel comfortable and supported, especially in the context of an acoustic duo which will be much more stripped back than a full band setting, and be more exposing for all parties. In this article, guest blogger and professional guitarist Cameron Hayes tells you all about how to achieve the skill of accompanying a vocalist.

A long time ago, on a day that started just like any other, I was flipping through TV channels seeking some passable entertainment when I stumbled on footage of Woodstock ‘99. Metallica had just taken to the stage, and while my young mind had yet to be introduced to the world of heavy metal, I was immediately mesmerised by the energy and wall of sound this band was able to build. By the end of Kirk Hammett’s minute-long guitar intro to King Nothing, I was sold.

In this blog, guest-blogger Marc offers a step-by-step guide to swapping out the passive pickups of an electric guitar. Here, you’ll find out what tools you’ll need, why you would want to change the pickups in the first place, and discover that the whole process is actually much easier than you might think. In fact, anyone with the right tools and a little patience will be able to do this. So why not replace those knackered old pickups or treat your guitar to a sweet upgrade?

You’ll come across the ‘fretboard radius’ listed in the specifications and mentioned in the description of any guitar or bass included on the Bax Music website, but what is this mysterious measurement and why is it important? In this blog, we offer the humble novice a crash course in the concept of the fretboard radius and hopefully make picking out the right guitar or bass just a little bit easier.

So, you’ve just picked up your first guitar and are itching to play a little something. You may already be able to pick out a simple melody, but what you really want is to play that rich sound shaped by multiple notes at once – also referred to as chords. In this blog, I’d like to help beginners on their way to learning, reading and playing their first guitar chords.

Guestblogger Marc shares his step-by-step instructions for replacing the machine heads (also known as tuners) of your guitar. He’ll not only explain how to do a clean job and freshen up your guitar, but explain why you might need to swap out the tuners at all as well as providing a helpful list of all the tools you’ll need. According to Marc, the process is much more simple and much less scary that you might think.

Most guitarists only ever learn to play open chords and two types of barre chords. The latter can be used all along the fretboard by sliding your fret hand up and down, which gives you two, maybe three different options to play the same chord. But what many players don’t know is that with only three extra chords, you can actually play each chord in five different ways. This is called the CAGED system.

The difference in price between one electric guitar and another can be insane. While one will set you back a couple of hundred quid, another one costs a few thousand. Sometimes this comes down to the brand, but even then there must be something that makes one guitar worth more than another, and for the complete beginner, this can be pretty unclear. In this blog, we explain why there can be such a big price difference between different electric guitars and basses, so that you can get a clearer picture of exactly what you’re paying for.

If you’ve read our guitar and bass guitar buyer’s guides, you might be wondering how important the wood used for the fretboard is. Since it actually helps shape the sound, look and feel of almost every guitar and bass, maybe the question should be: which type best suits you? Dip into this blog and you’ll learn the most important differences, making picking out your new guitar that bit easier!

If you want to be able to pluck solos out of thin air or even compose a ripping solo, then one thing is certain: you absolutely have to be able to improvise. The honing of this skill demands hours upon hours or practice and an experimental spirit. Only then do you have to power and intuitive flow to weave a stunning solo, even if you’re composing it bit by bit. This is not only about playing along with a recorded track perfectly, but is more about spending days on end inventing little lines of melody on the fly.