What’s your guitar learning style – and which famous guitarist does it match with?
Everyone learns guitar differently! Take this quiz to find out your guitar learning style – and which famous guitarist shares your learning style.
The seven deadly sins of playing guitar
Every guitar player makes mistakes. But some of those mistakes can become a hazard to your guitar-learning journey if you don’t correct them!
Here are the “Seven Deadly Sins” of playing guitar:
Not playing in tune
One of the simplest fixes for making your guitar sound better to learn on is to play in tune! A guitar that’s out of tune will never sound good – no matter who’s playing it.
Get your guitar into the correct tuning with a tuning pedal, pitch pipe, or the built-in tuner in your Fret Zealot app.
Playing with bad posture
If you’re slouching over your guitar, not only will it affect the way you strum – it can lead to back pain! Save your future self the trouble and make good guitar posture part of your practice routine.
Not using a metronome
Playing along with a metronome is a huge hack to make your guitar learning experience faster! Using a metronome makes it easier to keep a consistent rhythm in your playing, so that you’re playing accurately. You can use the metronome inside of the Fret Zealot app.
Not playing with other people
Even if your goal is to be a solo player, playing with other people will help you develop your skills and allow you to get into the groove. A great place to find people to jam with is an open mic night!
Not listening back to yourself
Listening to yourself play can be cringe-inducing for even experienced players – but it’s a great way to determine where your strengths and weaknesses are! If you’re working on a riff or progression, record yourself on your phone and then listen back. You might find that it sounds better than you thought!
Giving up
According to Fender, 90% of beginner guitar players quit within a year! Don’t let this be you. Quitting could close the door on a fun, exciting hobby that could bring you a lot of personal satisfaction and new opportunities! Fret Zealot has hundreds of easy-to-follow lessons that you can take anywhere, anytime, so you don’t need to adhere to a teacher’s schedule. Get started today!
Five surprising facts about Nirvana
Nirvana, one of the best-selling bands of all time, was instrumental in bringing the grunge movement to mainstream music. With songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are”, they pioneered a genre that welded pop with noise, featuring lyrics that contained themes of nihilism and alienation. Nirvana disbanded after Cobain’s death in 1994. Drummer Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters and bassist Krist Novoselic devoted himself to activism.
Here are five surprising facts you might not know about Nirvana:
Kurt Cobain worked as a janitor at the high school he dropped out of
“‘Twilight’ meets Nirvana” by quinn.anya is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain dropped out of Aberdeen High School a few weeks before graduation, but briefly worked there as a janitor to help finance Nirvana’s first demo. The dancing janitor in the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a nod to that job.
Dave Grohl was not the original drummer.
“Dave Grohl 1989” by Tobby Holzinger / Agentur Spirit is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Even though pre-Foo Fighters Grohl is an iconic member of the grunge band, he wasn’t the group’s original drummer. Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic were in the band since its inception, but the band had at least five drummers, including fellow grunge pioneers The Melvins’ Dale Crover. Melvins frontman Buzz Osbourne introduced Grohl to Cobain and Novoselic in time for the band’s 1991 album, Nevermind.
The band went through some interesting names before deciding on “Nirvana”…
…including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, Bliss, and Ted Ed Fred.
Their first single was a cover
Nirvana’s first official release was a cover of “Love Buzz” by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, who are best known for their 1969 song “Venus”.
The title for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came from a joke Cobain didn’t get
“With the lights out, its less dangerous, here we are now, entertain us” by dullhunk is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The title for Nirvana’s 1991 grunge anthem came from a graffiti scrawl that Kurt Cobain’s friend and Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna put on his wall, “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit”. Hanna meant to make fun of Cobain for wearing his girlfriend’s Teen Spirit deodorant, but Cobain didn’t know what “Teen Spirit” meant and took it as a compliment.
READ MORE:
Little known facts about Jimi Hendrix
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music. He was one of the pioneers of utilizing guitar amplifier feedback artistically, and helped to popularize tone-altering pedals like fuzz distortion, wah-wah, and Uni-Vibe.
“Jimi Hendrix 1967-cropped waist” by A. Vente is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Here are some facts you might not know about the “Purple Haze” artist.
His name was changed as a child.
Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in 1942, Hendrix’s name was changed to James Marshall Hendrix in 1946 in honor of his father, James Allen Hendrix (“Al”), and Al’s late brother, Leon Marshall.
He started playing on a ukulele with one string.
Hendrix first got his hands on a string instrument while helping his dad with a side job. The client allowed Jimi to keep an old, one-stringed ukulele that was among the items being removed from her home – and he taught himself by ear to play Elvis Presley songs.
He was left handed.
“Jimi Hendrix Experience-‘You Got Me Floatin”-1967″ by scottallenonline is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
One of the most famous left-handed guitar players of all time, Hendrix adapted by playing his guitar upside down.
He played backup guitar for some huge stars.
Hendrix started his professional career by playing guitar for some big names, including Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner, and The Isley Brothers. At that time, he was playing under the name “Jimmy James”.
He jumped out of planes while serving in the U.S. Army.
Hendrix served in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper, enlisting in 1961. He was even awarded the Screaming Eagles patch in 1962 – however, he disliked being in the military, and later that year was granted a general discharge under honorable conditions.
How to jumpstart your creativity
Do you sometimes struggle with creativity when it comes to writing music?
If you’ve hit a creative block and aren’t sure what to do, here are some useful tips to get your creative juices flowing once more.
Go for a walk
Put your guitar down for a bit, lace up your sneakers, and get walking! A 2014 Stanford study found that creative thinking improves while a person is walking and shortly thereafter – either indoors or outdoors.
Listen to something new
Your Spotify playlist might have all your favorite songs, but it can be helpful to listen to something completely different to get your creative energy going. If you mostly listen to metal, try listening to some country. If you listen to mostly indie music, try some K-pop. Branching out into a different genre will help you get a new musical perspective – even if you don’t love the music.
Spend some time in nature
A Danish study from 2015 found that spending time in nature can help boost creativity by recharging directed-attention. Directed-attention is maintaining focus on a specific task, which can sometimes lead to mental fatigue. Bonus points if you take a walk in nature!
Let loose
Writing music can sometimes feel daunting because of the pressure to write better and better – so why not write worse? Let yourself write something that’s silly or cliche – just for the pleasure of writing it. You might not add a song about dinosaurs to your next album – but it might help you unlock some really good ideas.
Go see some live music
Watching another band or artist play original music is a great way to find new inspiration. Check out a local band in your city – or go to an open mic night!
Five random facts about Guns ‘n Roses
Known for their massive hits like “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle”, Guns ‘n Roses made a huge impact on rock music as we know it and inspired countless other musicians.
Here are some random facts you might not know about them:
- Guns ‘n Roses was formed in 1985 when two Los Angeles bands – Hollywood Rose, which had Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose as members, and L.A. Guns founding members Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Rob Gardner (drums), and Ole Beich (bass) decided to combine into one band.
- Rejected names for the combined band included “Heads of Amazon” and “AIDS”.
- Appetite for Destruction, the band’s debut album and the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S., was one of the last albums to be “handmade” – meaning it was mastered for vinyl, edited with a razor blade on two-inch tape, and was mixed on a non-automated mixing board.
- Growing up, GNR guitarist Slash was a champion BMX rider.
- Slash’s signature top hat is almost as iconic as his playing style. He said in 2010 that the hat helps with his natural shyness. “You can pull it down, pull your hair down over your face and just sort of hide behind that,” he said. “I’ve always been a little nervous in front of crowds,” he added, “and that made it – made me – feel a lot more comfortable.”
“Slash en Vivo!” by Edvill is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Review: Maestro guitar effects pedals
Which Maestro guitar pedal (or combinations of pedals) do you need to create the sound you want?
We reviewed them.
Maestro created the world’s first fuzz pedal – the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1. Introduced in 1962, the Fuzz-Tone became the sound of rock and roll and a must-have accessory for guitarists everywhere after the success of 1965’s (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones, which prominently featured its cutting edge sound. Now Maestro is bringing the fun and sonic fury of those early Fuzz-Tones back with the new Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M.
Maestro Invader Distortion Pedal
The Maestro Invader Distortion is a high-gain, all-analog modern distortion pedal with a heavy, aggressive, dominant sonic character and loads of rich harmonics. With the Maestro Invader Distortion, users can generate a wide range of distorted sounds.
The Maestro Comet Chorus pedal uses iconic analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver warm, classic chorus tones. This all-analog pedal boasts a Mode toggle switch for increased sonic versatility.
Maestro Discoverer Delay Pedal
The Maestro Discoverer Delay is a modern analog delay pedal that proudly utilizes legendary analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver classic, warm, and inviting delay sounds.
Maestro Ranger Overdrive Pedal
Inspired by the overdriven tones of some of the world’s most cherished vintage tube amps, the Ranger is a modern, all-analog overdrive pedal featuring a Mode toggle switch that provides two different tonalities; a warm, expressive, amp-like overdrive and a second tonality that’s slightly cleaner and exceptionally touch-sensitive; it blends in some of the clean signal and is a great choice for use as an “always on” effect that can be controlled with your pick attack and your guitar’s volume control.
How to recycle guitar strings and other guitar equipment
Playing guitar – like any hobby – can produce a decent amount of waste. From disposing of old strings, to getting rid of instruments once they’re past their prime – here’s how to recycle your guitar parts in an environmentally-friendly way.
Strings
You should be changing your guitar strings regularly – but what do you do with the old ones?
Guitar strings, with the exception of nylon strings, are made from metal, and can be recycled. You can take old strings to your local scrapyard to be recycled, and you might even make some money off of it, since many scrap yards offer compensation for metal junk. Your best bet is to save up a collection of old strings and recycle them all at the same time.
D’addario also offers a string buyback program, which lets you take your old and unwanted to strings to one of their partner locations for recycling. Click here to learn more.
Amps/gear
Every guitarist has gone through some destroyed amps, fried pedals, and other broken gear. Instead of tossing it, consider putting it for sale on sites like Reverb or Craigslist. Even broken gear has a market – Reverb has a special category for non-functioning gear. Enterprising tinkerers might be able to repair the gear for sale, or else use parts for projects.
If you don’t get any bites, you can also take the gear to a scrap yard.
Unwanted/broken guitars
Unfortunately, guitars don’t last forever. If you find yourself with old, unwanted guitars, here are a few things to do with them:
Donate them: Many programs, including Guitars Not Guns, Music is Art, and Guitars 4 Vets collect used instruments and put them in the hands of those who need them. Most organizations accept only functional used guitars, so if yours is damaged or broken, check with the organization’s guidelines.
Sell them: There’s likely someone out there who wants the challenge of fixing up an old guitar – or who needs parts!
Trade them in: Several retailers offer buyback programs for used gear. Check out these options (but make sure to read all of the details):
- Apple GiveBack Program
- Microsoft End-of-life Management Program
- Walmart Electronics Trade-in Program
- Amazon Trade-in Program
Get crafty: There are plenty of cool ways to repurpose an old guitar – as a planter, birdhouse, and more! Check out this guide to guitar crafts.
Recycle them: Electric guitars are e-waste. Check your local government’s guide to recycling e-waste in your area.
Introducing – Fret Zealot 2
Your guitar goals are at your fingertips with Fret Zealot 2!
The LEDs of Fret Zealot 2’s LED strip are 200x brighter than the original version, making it that much easier to see chords, arpeggios, riffs, and more!
Here’s what else is new with the Fret Zealot 2:
LED System
Magnetic Detachable Connector
Thin and Smooth “spine”
Improved Protective Coating
Music Responsive Light Shows
Smooth LED transitions (fading)
Customizable Light Shows
- Controller / Battery
Onboard Piezo / MEMS Microphone
Gesture Control via Accelerometer
Smart press-button on/off switch
Pre-built light shows (no app needed)
Bluetooth 5 (LE)
USB-C charging
Smaller Size
Jam With 250,000 Song Tracks!
The Fret Zealot song library has pretty much any song you’re looking for. If it doesn’t, you can upload your own Guitar Pro files.
Once you’ve chosen your song, you can slow it down (fully adjustable BPM), loop sections, select different tracks (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, etc.), or use AI Mode to have the tab wait for you to play the correct note or chord before moving on.
The Fret Zealot 2 fits on almost any full-size guitar, and comes in 24.75” and 25.5” lengths. It partners with the Fret Zealot app on iOS or Android, where you can find 4,000 video lessons, 250,000 song tracks, and every chord, note, and scale.
Installation is simple and takes 10 – 15 minutes. Just follow our video guide!
The tape adhesive is not permanent. Reach out to our team at [email protected] any time if you have questions. Responses guaranteed within 1 business day.