|
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Summer's Here - Learn to Play Guitar
Now that the summer's here, you know what you want to do. You want to play guitar - at the beach, around the campfire,
in the backyard. If you've always wanted to play guitar - but may have had difficulty learning, fear not
- you've just found the home of the EASIEST way to learn to play guitar. Thanks for checking out the site
- blog posts may taper off during the hot months, but we're always here to support your guitar endeavours, and to send you
your copy of Guitar-eze!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Happy Long Weekend!
Hope you have had a great long weekend!
If you've been strumming the guitar and having difficulty, or wanting
to improve more than you have, or just looking for a different (better) way to play guitar, you've come to the right place.
Guitar-eze is the different guitar system - more versatile, easier to learn, intuitive, perfect for adults, children, beginners,
vocalists, even teachers looking for a simpler guitar learning method.
Guitar-eze is all of this and more - all
because we dare to move away from the default standard guitar tuning, to the world of open-D.
Guitar-eze is amazing
- for both experienced players and absolute beginners.
Thanks for checking out the site.
Friday, May 15, 2009
What's the Best Standard Tuning Guitar Method?
There's a question I get asked all the time - Guitar-eze is definitely a simpler way to learn guitar. But of all
the guitar methods out there, based on standard guitar tuning, what is the best or easiest one?
The answer: none.
They
are all the same. They have to be.
Don't be fooled by all the advertising, online, and elsewhere, which suggests one
guitar method is easier than another. They're all the same, because they are all based on the same exact starting point -
E A D G B E.
If they wanted to be truthful, all the guitar methods out there (based on standard tuning) would tell
you right up front - guitar is hard - it takes time to learn - it requires much practice - you will likely never get through
a whole song - etc.
Make no mistake - guitar in standard tuning is difficult to learn.
That's why a system like
Guitar-eze is so refreshing. It's easy.
Cheers - have a great weekend!
10:14 am est
Monday, May 4, 2009
Welcome to Guitar-eze, the Easiest Way to Learn to Play Guitar
Hi there;
Hope you had a great weekend...
So, your spring resolution was to finally learn to play guitar, right? But you've had trouble learning guitar in
the past, right? So, you're seeking a simple way to learn guitar, right? And Guitar-eze is the system, right?
RIGHT!
You have found the home of the one, single, truly easier guitar learning system, as detailed in these pages.
Have fun and thanks for checking the site.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Pick or Fingers?
I got an inquiry lately as to whether it is better to use a pick or fingers on acoustic guitar.
Purely, it is a matter
of personal preference. The method of striking your strings will produce a sound a texture of considerable variety, depending
on the way the strings are struck.
Naturally a pick will give a more percussive or "harsh" sound to your
strings. Fingernails tend to sound softer and the fleshy part of your fingers softer still. Fingerpicks come in both plastic
and metal, each with its own distinctive sound.
For a beginner, a simple strum with thumb or index finger may be the
best starting point. Fingerpicking with mulitiple fingers and thumbs is a discipline usually requiring some formal training.
It's largely a matter of personal choice and/or trial and error, until you achieve a comfort level and sound with
which you are comfortable.
By the way, picked or strummed, with plectrum or fingers, Guitar-eze sounds great!
2:41 pm est
Friday, April 17, 2009
Guitar- eze Free Evaluation Offer Continues
As you surf the site, you'll find links to our free evaluation page. Give us your guitar playing hopes and desires, and
we'll send you back an unbiased opinion as to where Guitar-eze might fit in.
Please remember, you must fill in the
field with your return email address or we cannot reply.
Thanks for all your inquiries! Have a great weekend.
11:11 am est
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Amazing Sounding Chords in Guitar-eze - Eb
That's right - Eb chords, in a guitar tuning based on an open-D major chord - sound amazing.
On either electric
or acoustic guitar, Guitar-eze is the simplest guitar learning system around, but that's just one of its benefits. Your sound
is in no way compromised in Guitar-eze - as a matter of fact, it is as legitimate as standard tuning, and in many ways, superior.
Eb chords, and for that matter any chord on the lowest part of the neck sound just fantastic.
Just messing around,
I have been playing progressions which start higher on the neck - G or A for example - and then shift down to a complimentary
chord such as Eb on the very first fret. What a tone that Eb major chord has. Guess what - this is the hardest finger position
there is in Guitar-eze - and it's not very hard at all!
As an example, playing a G to F to Eb progression (all major),
try it in Guitar-eze open-D and then listen especially to the tone you get on that Eb chord, particularly when you hold all
six strings down. Terrific sounding. Also, virtually impossible to duplicate in standard or any other guitar tuning.
So,
even in a tuning well known for its beauty and versatility in all things D chord related, Guitar-eze is phenomenal in all
positions, with all chords, in any key.
Just one more reason to give Guitar-eze a try.
10:18 am est
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Three String Chords In Guitar-eze
Many aspiring guitarists experience difficulty in finding the fingerings for even the most basic chords. Guitar-eze simplifies
this initial hurdle tremendously by virtue of the open major chord (D major to be exact) upon which Guitar-eze is based.
Incredibly,
guitar playing can be made even simpler with Guitar-eze - on as little as three strings.
That's right - with Guitar-eze
you can play fully formed chords - major, minor, and more - on just three strings. Perfect for those just starting out, or
for the very young, or anyone else looking to play guitar.
Play guitar easily - that's Guitar-eze.
10:57 am est
Friday, April 3, 2009
Learning Guitar, the Easiest Way
Often, I refer to Guitar-eze as the easier way to play guitar.
The fact is - I have done the legwork. I have
looked at all guitar learning systems, and I've reached a conclusion - Guitar-eze is not only the easier way to play guitar.
It's quite simply the easiest guitar system out there.
Easiest - by far.
Our FAQ page answers most of the questions
why, but in short, there really is no comparable guitar method out there to Guitar-eze. That's because the guitar playing
world out there is by and large stuck on standard guitar tuning - E A D G B D.
Guitar-eze bypasses this complicated
starting point altogether. Our system will show you how to re-tune your guitar to a far easier starting point, and from there,
we'll show you how to make use of it - miles ahead of the typical guitar learning curve.
As the rest of our pages say,
Guitar-eze is perfect for absolute beginners, who want an easy way to learn to play guitar. But it's also an amazing system
for those aspiring guitar players who have tried to learn guitar but have been frustrated.
If you fit into either of
those categories, you have found it - the easiest way to learn to play guitar - Guitar-eze.
1:14 pm est
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wailin' On the Acoustic Guitar
Of late, I have been playing mostly acoustic guitar, and it never ceases to amaze me how friendly Guitar-eze open-D is
to the ol' flat-top.
I don't even have any picks lying around - it's fingers only, and I have horrible fingernails.
Yet, just strumming an open-D chord on the acoustic is somehow quite satisfying. A far cry from the discordant sound of
standard guitar tuning when open.
I love to just noodle around, with the D major chord as my starting point, and find
new directions from there. Lately I have become fascinated with the sound of the D major seventh chord (or any major seventh
chord for that matter). People will mistake you for a jazz player once you hit a few of these. And in Guitar-eze, they sound
just wonderful.
Keep in mind, this is all coming from a primarily electric guitar player. For years and years, I kept
my acoustics tuned to standard, hesitant to make the final leap into the wonderful world of open-D tuning completely. Now
that I have, I seldom feel like going back to standard tuning, except when I need to reconfirm that for me (and presumably
millions of others), open-D is the right place to be.
In short, whether you are playing electric or acoustic guitar,
or would love to, Guitar-eze is a great place to flip to, or start fresh from.
Cheers.
11:19 am est
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Guitar-eze - An Easy Way to Learn Guitar - with No Misconceptions
Thanks for checking out Guitar-eze. If you haven't yet surfed our pages, this is Guitar-eze in a nutshell - an
easy way to learn to play guitar. In fact, Guitar-eze is the easiest guitar playing system.
It's the easiest way to play guitar because Guitar-eze is based on an alternate guitar tuning - open-D - which is a far
simpler starting point when playing guitar. You will actually be playing guitar right away - and I guarantee it - with
Guitar-eze.
I say this because with Guitar-eze, you have a usable, wonderful sounding major chord right at your fingertips, the minute
you pick up your guitar. From there there are literally hundreds of fantastic sounding, easy to play guitar chords,
you will learn in a fraction of the time it would take any other way.
Guitar-eze presents no misconceptions of guitar playing, or how far you will go - there are no "play like a pro" claims
here. Just the easiest way to play guitar, guaranteed. That's what anyone really wants - to simply be able to
play guitar.
Can you go pro with Guitar-eze? Of course you can - it's really up to the individual. But the vast, vast
majority of us really don't want or need to go pro.
If you want an easy way to play guitar, you have come to the right place. Welcome to Guitar-eze.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Switching from Guitar-eze to Standard Tuning
I sometimes get asked about using Guitar-eze open-D tuning as a "starter" tuning. That is, a simpler guitar tuning
to get accustomed to the instrument, the sounds, the (simpler) finger positions, for the purpose of making the switch to standard
guitar tuning.
I say, why not? Great idea. Guitar-eze open-D is a tremendous door opener to playing guitar. Many of
the obstacles which shut potential guitarists out in standard tuning are simply removed in Guitar-eze. That's why I
can rightfully make the claim that Guitar-eze is the easiest guitar learning system.
If one wanted to get comfortable with guitar by starting in Guitar-eze, and then make the flip over to standard tuning,
there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In my book, Guitar-eze - An Easier Way to Learn to Play Guitar, I even go into some detail explaining how to re-tune.
Starting in Guitar-eze may be particularly useful for younger learners, but that's not to say this is a children's tuning
(just ask Joni Mitchell, Keith Richards, et al). It's perfect way to get going on guitar, even if the intent is to flip away at some point to standard, or even some
other guitar tuning.
One point to remember, however - Guitar-eze open-D is such a terrific, versatile guitar tuning, that once you've got
it (and believe me, it doesn't take long to get it), you might not want to flip to any other tuning!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Easiest Way to Learn to Play Guitar
That's quite a claim - the absolute easiest way to learn to play guitar. Surf around, you'll find lots of guitar
sites and systems that make the claim - "easiest guitar system", "play guitar instantly", "learn to play guitar fast", etc.
But guess what - you have now reached the guitar website which actually is the easiest way to learn to play guitar
- guaranteed.
Guitar-eze is different. Different from all the other guitar systems which claim they are easy. See, I've
done the research. When they say "easy guitar", or "guitar simplified", what they are actually saying is that they water
down the basics to the point that if you learn a G chord and a C chord, you are now playing guitar.
No other guitar system out there can actually say they are easier - because they all use the same basic starting point.
Guitar-eze alone is different. That's what makes Guitar-eze the easiest guitar system to learn.
This system does not water down the content to make guitar easy. Guitar simply becomes easier to play
with Guitar-eze, because the starting point is easier. With Guitar-eze, you play guitar more quickly because of the
jumpstart of the altered tuning. Alternate tunings are widely recognized, and considered 100% legitimate guitar playing
systems.
Guitar-eze alone is the guitar learning system that says there actually is an easy way to learn real guitar, in virtually
any style. The easiest way, by far - Guitar-eze.
Presumably you found Guitar-eze because you are looking for an easy way to learn guitar.
Welcome to Guitar-eze - the easiest guitar learning system by far.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Guitar-eze FREE Evaluation
Thanks for all your guitar-related inquiries. Please, if you are taking time to fill out the Free Guitar-eze Evaluation, you must fill in a valid e-mail address to get a reply.
It breaks my heart when someone takes the time to put down all their guitar dreams and aspirations, and then doesn't
provide a return e-mail address, because then I cannot reply. So please fill in the line asking for an e-mail address
- you will not be spammed - promise.
Cheers and have a great weekend!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
New! Hear Guitar-eze in Original Recordings
For a limited time, while supplies last, we are offering original music CDs recorded in Guitar-eze. Hear what Guitar-eze
can do, with styles ranging from rock and roll, to country, blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, country rock, and straight
ahead rock. Two CDs are available:
The JumpKatz - Twangin', Sangn' & Bangin' (2005) - 18 all-original songs from my second band, and
The Highway Hepcats - (self-titled, 1993) - 10 all-original songs from my first band
These recordings represent both my development as a guitarist (and vocalist), but more importantly, the show that Guitar-eze
is a stage-ready, stage-tested way to play guitar. You will hear that to play in Guitar-eze is to really play guitar.
No faked out simplification - with Guitar-eze you are really playing guitar, as I did, for almost 7 years with the Hepcats,
and for 4 years with the other Katz!
I've also made up special combined offers - you can purchase the CDs separately, or with the Guitar-eze Combo - a terrific
value. You can learn to play guitar with Guitar-eze, and hear examples of what I've done with Guitar-eze. The
new products can be found here.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Diversity of Guitar-eze
I've been a listening to my last band CD, the JumpKatz - Twangin', Sangin' and Bangin' (and did we ever!).
This was a full length CD (18 songs) recorded in 2005. We were a 3-piece band (guitar, bass, drums), playing extensively
(albeit part-time we all had day gigs), from about 2003 to 2007. As always seems to happen with me, once the band got
good and tight, I felt compelled to record. It's always been my opinion that if you are going to record, you may as
well come up with original material (as opposed to cover songs). So, in a flurryof creative activity, I came up with
twelve tunes, and our bass player Dave threw in another six, and into the studio we went.
At the time, I wasn't sure about the quality of the result - the recording studio is definitely not the most comfortable
place in the world for me - but upon re-listening, I am impressed with what we wrought.
We did the CD on a shoestring budget (self financed, of course), so there was little time for mistakes or even fanciness.
But again, I'm proud of what I hear on it, although I hear all the missteps and problems as well.
Most important to me at this point is that this recording stands as a testament to the diversity of Guitar-eze.
With a few small exceptions, every guitar note on this 18-song CD, spanning multiple styles including country rock, jazz,
rockabilly, honky-tonk, rock and roll, surf, acoustic, 70s style rock, 60s style rock, ballad - the influences on the band's
sound were many - was played in Guitar-eze open-D tuning.
The only diversions were a couple of songs recorded in the key of F, where I opted for tuning to open-F (slide type stuff
especially).
Other than those few instances (maybe three out of the eighteen songs), the whole dang thing was a Guitar-eze extravaganza.
All the rhythm parts, all the acoustic parts, all the solos (of which I am particularly proud, as I don't really consider
myself much of a lead guitarist), were done in sparkling Guitar-eze tuning.
And we did cover a lot of stylistic ground in the studio. My twelve compositions were off-takes on covers we played
live - Do You Wanna Dance became the basis for Hi-tech Tin Can (complete with Bowie lyrical references); Wrong Wrong Wrong
evolved out of our Yoakam version of I Want You to Want Me; This Ain't Route Sixty-Six was a re-write and re-interpretation
of the Stones' Loving Cup (I mean completely re-worked); Dave's contributions tended to be more off the path - he was a music
teacher after all - his stuff became the more complex on the recording, from a Steely Dan influenced Rhodes piano base on
Nobody's Fool (Dave our bassist was really a piano player in disguise); to his fast jazz two-step The Way It Goes, which sounded
somewhat like Sir Duke in parts. A more complicated rip on Stary Cat Strut called Tomcat Blues. Dave was all over
the place, and his chords became a challenge I took on with relish. I found them all, in Guitar-eze.
In short, the record is a crazy cross-section of everything the JumpKatz knew and played live. I'm so proud that
I was able to deliver all that guitar in Guitar-eze. Standard tuning was not used once in any of the eighteen songs,
and it was not missed.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Quantity Discounts on Guitar-eze
Learn guitar with a friend...
Give the gift of Guitar-eze...
Use Guitar-eze with your students, guitar teacher...
If you are looking at buying Guitar-eze in quantity, we can pass along special discounts. E-mail for more information.
Cheers.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Guitar-eze Playing By Ear Thing
I often make mention of the fact that Guitar-eze is great for playing guitar by ear. Why is this?
The answer is that when you tune your guitar to Guitar-eze open-D, you've opened the door to guitar experimentation.
There is absolutely no need for formal musical training to play guitar with Guitar-eze. From your opening starting chord,
with no fingers on the frets, you are playing something, as in something listenable - a D major chord. It is so easy
to move from this starting point, in so many directions - in short, it's the simplicity of the Guitar-eze system.
Adding any finger to any fret from that open-D starting point creates a new, lovely sounding chord you can add to your
arsenal. That's why I can state in my FAQ section that you can learn 75 chords in very short order. It's no exaggeration. So, for the ear player, Guitar-eze is dynamite. The book and chord book (thrown in free with your purchase)
will show you everything you need to get playing guitar by ear, without needing to learn a lot of formal music theory (a major
stumbling block for many an aspiring guitarist). It's what so many of you want (and I know because I get the emails telling me) - to be able to play guitar, simply and easily, without a lot of complication.
In short - if you are looking for a way to play guitar by ear, you have come to the right place. Enjoy your
stay, and have a great weekend.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Make the Flip Past Drop-D Tuning to Guitar-eze
Guitarists of all genres know the excellent qualities of drop-D tuning. This is the simplest step of taking the
low E strng of your standard tuned guitar, and lowering it a full tone to D. This gives your guitar the crunch of
D A D G B E
On either electric or acoustic guitar, drop-D tuning gives an added dimension - increased power at the low end, because
of that I-V-I configuration. Definitely a thicker texture, and easily achieved with one finger holding down the three
strings at the same time. You can fake bass lines without a bass guitar, practically!
The limitations I see are that the rest of the strings don't move. So take full advantage of that D-A-D configuration,
by making the flip the rest of the way to Guitar-eze open-D tuning.
With drop-D, you are already half way there. Make the flip and suddenly you can play even fatter sounding chords
with just one finger. You can manipulate those newly tuned high strings, to create powerful suspensions, major fourths,
major seventhts, jazzy sounding sixths, and the list goes on and on.
Conclusion:
Drop-D tuning - good
Guitar-eze - better!!
Have a great day and thanks for checking out Guitar-eze.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Tuning Your Guitar in Guitar-eze – part 3
In the
previous two posts, I’ve talked about the simplicity of tuning your guitar to Guitar-eze open-D – and it truly can be done
simply. Now, even without the aid of a tuner, the flip can also be made, again
quite simply.
Remember
the old standby method of tuning in standard, where you tune each string to the next?
For example, the low E string tunes the A string by putting your finger on the fifth fret of the E and matching the
open A to it, etc., all the way down the strings. The same thing can be done
in Guitar-eze open D. I refer to this method in the end notes of the book, but
I thought it would an idea to reproduce it here.
open A (5th string) should sound the same as 7th fret on
low D (sixth or lowest string)
open D (4th string) should sound the same as 5th fret on
A (fifth string)
open F# (3rd string) should sound the same as 4th fret on D
(fourth string)
open A (2nd string) should sound the same as 3rd fret on
F# (third string)
open D (1st string) should sound the same as 5th fret on
A (second string)
So, in a pinch, with no tuner or keyboard around, there’s still an easy way to get your guitar in tune to Guitar-eze. You can use this method to re-tune from standard tuning, or you can simply get the
guitar in tune with itself this way. A quick check of the duplicating (D and
A strings) can usually indicate where your instrument is at, tuning-wise.
I hope these last three blog entries have dispelled the notion that tuning in Guitar-eze open-D is a somehow arduous
task. On the contrary, I’d say it’s a tad simpler than standard tuning.
|
|
|
2009.06.01 |
2009.05.01 |
2009.04.01 |
2009.03.01 |
2009.02.15 |
2009.02.08 |
2009.02.01 |
2009.01.25 |
2008.11.16 |
2008.04.13 |
2007.12.30 |
2007.06.03 |
2007.04.01 |
2007.03.18 |
2007.03.11 |
2007.03.04 |
2007.02.25 |
2007.02.18 |
2007.02.11 |
2007.02.04 |
2007.01.21 |
2007.01.14 |
2006.12.10 |
2006.11.26 |
2006.07.30 |
2006.07.23 |
2006.07.16 |
2006.07.09 |
2006.07.02 |
2006.06.25 |
2006.06.18 |
2006.06.11 |
2006.06.04 |
2006.05.28 |
2006.05.21 |
2006.05.14 |
2006.05.07 |
2006.04.30 |
2006.04.23 |
2006.04.16 |
2006.04.09 |
2006.04.02 |
2006.03.26 |
2006.03.19 |
2006.03.12 |
2006.03.05 |
2006.02.26 |
2006.02.19 |
2006.02.12 |
2006.02.01
|
If you need the extra help, Guitar-eze with the CD-ROM walks you through the whole
process. For a limited time, the Guitar-eze Chord Book comes with the method and CD-ROM, free!
|
| You'll be satisfied! Guitar-eze comes with a |
|
|
| Return within 30 days of purchase for a full refund! |
|
