Welcome to our archive of How To articles. Here you'll find advice on all sorts of topics ranging from how to change your guitar strings to how to pick a new classical guitar.
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Guitar and Harmonica Lesson (November 2009) A basic harmonica lesson for guitarists who want to add some harp sounds to their songs.With video. |
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How to Prepare for a Recording Session (September 2009) Get your arrangements, technique, and gear ready. |
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How to Choose a Flatpick (August 2009) The shape, thickness, and materials of your pick have a big effect on your tone. |
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Handheld Digital Recorders (July 2009) 13 ways to make the most of your portable digital recorder. |
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Make a New Nut (June 2009) A guitar's nut may occasionally require replacement. Here's how to do the job yourself. |
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Play Out Now! (May 2009) From getting your gear set up to conquering stage fright, here's how to make the leap into performing. |
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Prepared Guitar (May 2009) How to 'prepare' your guitar and use other modern extended techniques to create entirely new sounds. With video. |
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Flying with a Guitar (April 2009) How to ensure that your guitar arrives at your destination safe and sound. |
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Find a Great Guitar Teacher (March 2009) How to find the guitar instructor who will help you reach your goals. |
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How to Fix Noisy Recordings (January 2009) How digital tools can save your best recorded performances by removing unwanted sounds. With audio. |
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How to Create Band Contracts (December 2008) Steer clear of conflicts about money and management by putting band agreements in writing. |
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Computer Recording Basics (December 2008) How to start recording on your computer. |
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Left-Handed Guitar Setup (November 2008) How to convert a right-handed guitar for a left-handed player. |
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Great Amplified Acoustic Guitar Tone (November 2008) Techniques and technical advice for getting the best amplified tone from your acoustic guitar. |
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Do It Yourself Setup (October 2008) Keep your guitar in great playing shape by setting it up yourself. |
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Booking Your First Tour (October 2008) How to make your freshman set of out of town gigs a success. |
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Jeff Linsky Profile (September 2008) How to develop your solo chops and market yourself for gigs around the world. |
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How to Repair Cracks (August 2008) A crack in your guitar is something that should usually be fixed quickly. Here’s how a luthier will tackle the repair. |
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Charging for Recording Sessions (August 2008) How to determine your rate for playing on a session. |
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Teaching at a University (July 2008) What credentials or educational background do I need for a university-level teaching job? |
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How to Buy a Used Guitar (June 2008) How to make sure a used guitar is worthy of a purchase. |
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How to Make Ringtones (June 2008) How can I make my music available as ringtones? |
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All About Capos (May 2008) How to choose and use your capo. With video. |
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Vocal Harmonizer Effects (May 2008) How to enhance your solo act with DigiTech's Vocalist Live 4. |
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Your Friend, the Metronome (April 2008) Helpful tips for using a metronome, your most important practice room tool. |
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How to Gig with Multiple Instruments (April 2008) Three working pros explain how to switch between various styles of guitars during a show and still get great tone from each. |
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Wedding Gigs (March 2008) How do I find and prepare for wedding gigs? |
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Songs a la Carte (February 2008) How to sell your songs on iTunes. |
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Clean Up Your Technique (January 2008) Brush up on those little details that make your playing easier and help you sound better. |
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Bridge Fix (January 2008) Learn how to fix a loose bridge on a flattop guitar. |
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Go Nuts! (December 2007) A guitar's nut is an important element in determining playability. Here's how to make sure it fits and functions correctly. |
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Tips for Playing With a Group (November 2007) Follow these six tips to prepare to easily move from solo to group playing. |
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Strings 101 (April 2007) Looking at a guitar store’s string-rack can be more confusing than trying to figure out the chords to a difficult tune. With myriad options available, many players simply go with what they know—often at the expense of their guitar’s tonal potential. Here we explain what the differences are and how each type of string will sound. |
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Pick a Winner! (February 2007) Finding the perfect guitar—or a great second guitar—can be a challenge, and we hope that you find the Players’ Choice Awards a valuable resource when making a purchase decision. However, even more important than knowing what has worked for others is being able to look at what’s important for your playing style. Here we offer some suggestions on how to decide what’s right for you in each of the guitar-based categories of the awards. |
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Set Up Your MySpace Page (February 2007) Improve your visibility and enhance your musical career, easily and cheaply, by creating a presence on the ever-growing networking site. |
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Copyright Your Songs (December 2006) Protect ownership of your creative work by registering your copyright. |
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Play Well With Others (November 2006) Jam sessions offer great fun and collective creativity, but if you don't know how to approach them, they can be awkward or intimidating. Preparing well and adopting the jam spirit will help you maximize your musical growth—and your fun. |
Multitrack Minds (October 2006)Musicians who want to record at home have more options than ever before. If setting up a complicated computer-based studio doesn't sound like your idea of fun, check out a self-contained digital multi track. Today's units are more capable than ever; here we help you identify the features most important for capturing acoustic guitar. |
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Introduction to Ear Training (September 2006) Learning to recognize the sounds of four basic chord types and three different chord voicings will help you develop as a musician. |
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Electrify Your Ax (September 2006) With more acoustic-amplification products than ever before, determining which signal path will best suit your needs can be a real brain-twister. Here we explain how to understand differences between the various types of pickup systems, as well as the role of other important components—such as preamps, DIs, amplifiers, and digital processors—so you can make an educated choice that helps you sound your best. |
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Fingernails 101 (August 2006) Whether you favor natural or synthetic nails, here are the key points to keep in mind about using and maintaining them. |
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Restring Your Guitar (July 2006) Restringing your guitar doesn't have to be difficult, tedious, or time-consuming. Follow these simple steps to give your instrument back its golden tone. |
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Add an Internal Mic to Your Saddle Pickup (July 2006) AG gear editor Teja Gerken advises a reader on giving his Martin HD-35 dual-source electronics. |
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String Gauges Demystified (July 2006) SLP editorial assistant Jason Garoian explains coated strings and string gauges to a reader. |
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Make the Most Out of Your Practice Session (June 2006) Practice doesn't have to be boring or onerous. Well-organized, efficient practice sessions make a palpable difference in how well you play—and make playing more fun. |
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Learn to Read Standard Notation (May 2006) Break through the limitations of tablature and open up a whole new world of musical communication. Like learning a new language, reading music requires patience and practice—but it's easier than you might think. |
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Get Ready for Camp (April 2006) Music camp can be the most fun you'll have all year—but not if you're getting eaten by mosquitoes or your guitar has stopped working. Take a tip from the Boy Scouts: Be prepared. |
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Help Your Kids Learn to Play (March 2006) Once you've found them a teacher, you can help set realistic goals, minimize frustration, keep instruments handy, and find music that will inspire them. |
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Start Writing Songs (February 2006) If your mind goes blank every time you try to put words to music, try rearranging an old song, set achievable goals, and get feedback from other songwriters. |
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What Kind of Classical Guitar Do You Need? (January 2006) There are many factors to consider when shopping for a classical guitar. |
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Conquer Stage Fright (January 2006) Is your fear of the bright lights keeping you from sharing your music with the world? Remember that people really aren't that scary, you can never be too prepared, and most importantly, it's not about you, it's about the music. |
Got a question for Acoustic Guitar's editors? Please send us an email at editors.ag@StringLetter.com or snail-mail Acoustic Guitar Editorial, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979. We regularly print reader letters in our Mail column and reader questions and tips in Q&A.