The Differences Between Taking Drumming Lessons Online Versus A Private Instructor

Taking drum lessons on the Internet has become more and more popular among students eager to learn how to play, as the benefits of this method of drum instruction become more accessible. While just a few years ago, learning a musical instrument over the Web seemed inferior to one-on-one private lessons, today's technology and more reliable Internet connections have made learning the drums online a great alternative. There are free lessons as well as paid lessons available, and a large selection of drum instructors for all ages and levels.

What makes traditional private instruction that different from online drum tutorials? Aside from the physical and readily obvious differences, there are some others that require a closer look in order for you to better make a decision regarding which path to take in learning to play this instrument.

Lesson Structure

Generally speaking, one-on-one instrument lessons are reliable when it comes to lesson organization. Most private music instructors also customize the lessons to better fit the student's learning style, skill, age, etc. Also, because there is direct personal contact between instructor and student, any changes can be made immediately. On the other hand, some online resources for drum lessons may not be as reliable in providing the right progression of drum theory and knowledge to beginners, or perhaps have a very general lesson structure that does not really cater to specific needs of some students. This is why careful consideration must be made before signing up for any online drum lessons.

Practice Routines

If you have a private drum instructor, you are personally instructed to practice for a certain amount of time every week in between lessons. Online drum courses let the student decide how much and when to practice, as well as which lessons to focus on. While some people can effectively work on their own and practice what they learned, others need the guidance and monitoring of someone else so they do not get sidetracked or end up developing poor habits.

Accountability

Another thing a beginner has to keep in mind with online music lessons is the importance of responsibility to self. Because there is no private instructor to check the student's progress weekly, there is the temptation to put off practicing or learning new content. Learning the drums online requires additional effort to stay on track and keep up with the course in order to progress further with the material.

Overwhelmed by all the drum lessons choices?

Don't worry, that's understandable because with all these options in drum lessons online comes the responsibility of making the right choice. We have put together reviews, specifications, and comparisons of some of the most widely-used online drum lesson programs on the Web and on DVD today, and you can visit our website, http://www.drumlessondvd.org/, to get more information about that. As music enthusiasts ourselves, we know and understand what you need, so check out the site today!

View the original article here

Guitar Strings - Understanding Their Differences

Deciding which guitar strings to use for your particular guitar can be a bit confusing if you don't know what you're looking for. To begin with, there are many different brands to choose from... Martin, Ernie Ball, LaBella, Augustine, Fender, D'Addario, Elixir, GHS, Guild... and the list goes on.

In addition to this, there are various designs, types, gauges and materials used in the manufacture of guitar strings. So, where do you begin?

The first thing you need to know is what type of guitar you have.

When you walk into a music shop you'll typically see a wide selection of guitar strings displayed along the wall. They are usually divided into two distinct groups, or types...

Types:

1. Nylon Strings - designed for Classical and "Flamenco" guitars.

2. Steel Strings - designed for Acoustic and Electric guitars.

Materials:

The materials used in the making of guitar strings are selected on the basis of their intended use...

Classical and Flamenco guitars are plucked with the fingers and originally used "cat gut" for strings. Now they have 3 treble strings which are made of clear mono-filament nylon, and 3 bass strings which have a nylon multi-filament core. The bass strings are commonly wrapped with a silver-plated copper, bronze, or some similar alloy.

Acoustic and Electric guitar strings have a steel core because they are commonly (but not exclusively) strummed or played with a pick.
Acoustic Guitars - have strings that are commonly wrapped with bronze, or brass.Electric Guitars - have strings that are usually wrapped with a nickel-plated steel, nickel/iron, stainless steel, or other alloy (copper,bronze, zinc).

Bronze and brass strings have a bright, bell like tone. Phosphor bronze are very bright and have a quick response. However, I have noticed that they tend to lose their bright tone rather quickly.

Gauges:

When you pick up a box of steel strings at the music store you'll see that they are identified as either...

Light
Medium
Heavy

This designation refers to how thick the strings are in diameter. The specs for each string are usually provided on the back of the box.

When deciding on the gauge of strings to buy you will want to consider three basic things...

1. Volume
2. Tone
3. Playability
Light - are easy to play, but the tonal quality may suffer, resulting in poor volume and/or string buzz.Heavy - produce more volume, but the string tension makes playability difficult, especially if you are a beginner.Medium - fall somewhere in-between, so you might say they provide a "happy medium" for a lot of people. =)

My suggestion is to steer clear of extra-light gauge strings. They are weird to play and don't produce a good sound- at least, that has been my experience.

Nylon strings have two main designations...
Normal Tension - easy to play, decent volume and tone. Hard Tension - harder to play, better tone and volume overall.

The regular Light-Gauge steel strings and Normal Tension nylon are a good choice for beginners in my opinion, but I recommend sticking with a "name brand" you recognize to insure better quality, sound performance and to guard against breaking, unraveling, etc.

The string brands I am currently using right now are...
Elixir - on my steel string acoustic guitars.D'Addario - on my nylon string classical guitarsFender - on my electric guitars.

When it comes to strings the saying is true that... you generally do get what you pay for.

Design:

There are 3 basic designs for steel strings...

1. Round-wound - these produce a broad tonal response and sustain. They are bright sounding with rich harmonies.

2. Flat-wound - are designed to reduce finger noise. They have a very smooth feel, but have a duller "mid-range" sound and less sustain.

3. Ground-wound - These strings are the "middle of the road" and attempt to incorporate the features of both the Round-wound and Flat-wound designs.

Keep these things in mind the next time you are preparing to get new strings for your guitar and perhaps it will help make your decision a little easier!

Kathy Unruh is the webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar.com. She has over over 20 years experience as a guitar teacher and is currently offering lessons online for students of all ages.

Try a free guitar lesson

View the original article here