Using an Electric Guitar Effects Pedal to Make Practice Fun

Sometimes when learning the guitar, practicing gets a little boring. You sit down and feel like you are doing the same exercises over and over and playing the same songs. Worst off is that you feel you aren't getting any better. The problem is that the joy of playing the guitar isn't currently there. One of the best guitar practice aids is using an electric
Whether you play electric guitar or acoustic, assuming it has the electronics, effects pedals make practicing quite a bit more fun. The reason is because now you have new sounds that you can mix and match making everything you do sound completely different. I guarantee that once you start playing with effects you will spend hours having fun coming up with new sounds.

Alchemy Modulation Pedal are sold and packaged in different ways.
Individual Pedals - Individual effects pedals can be purchased but normally it's just one sound although that sound is crisp and clear. You are going to find pedals that do things like chorus, echo, distortion, overdrive, and tons more sounds. If you start buying a fair amount of these, a guitar effects pedal board is a good investment as it keeps them all in line.
Build in effects on amplifiers - The mid range and high range amplifiers sometimes come with effects. They might even come with a pedal that can turn on and off the effect. This is good because when playing it's hard to flip a switch or knob in the back of the amp.
Guitar Multi Effects Pedals - For beginners this is the best option. You can be pedals with hundreds of effects that can give you a wide variety of sounds. Most of these are cheaper than $80 and quite a good investment to have that many different effects. You can program the pedal to have the same guitar sounds that you hear in songs making your playing seem to almost match what the song has. You can come up with your own sounds which helps build creativity.

While this might not be your normal practice aid like lessons, videos, or other material, it will keep you practicing a lot more because effects make the guitar much more interesting.

Choosing A Guitar or Bass Tuner

If you've got a guitar then there's no ifs or buts, it's got to be in tune - and it needs to be tuned regularly. The choices are few. You either tune it by ear using a pitch pipe or some other pitch reference, or you buy an electronic guitar tuner. These can be pretty inexpensive devices so affordability isn't usually an issue. Deciding which one on the other hand, is. The truth is, most of the cheap ones do a good job. All you really need to know are some of the limitations and differences between them. Let's start with the most common, the typical tuner.
The Typical Guitar Tuner
These are the most common tuners of all. Portable / compact is a term often used to describe them but they don't have a specific name type. What I refer to as a typical guitar tuner is the little stand alone ones with a needle or digital display, including a built in mic and a line in jack. Something like the Korg GA-30 would be a good example. The main thing about these tuners is the option of using the built in mic or plugging the guitar straight into it.
They are simple to use but many of them do have a common problem. When using the built in mic they aren't always as accurate or reliable as plugging the guitar in directly. This is actually the most common complaint with guitar tuners. They work fine on the high strings but on the Low E and sometimes the low A string, they can have trouble detecting the pitch properly. If you look at the reviews you will find this same complaint with many makes and model of guitar tuner. Unfortunately it's a matter of you get what you pay for, although even some expensive ones can have this problem. So what do you do?

The experienced guitarist has been aware of this glitch for many years and in all honesty it isn't much of a problem. A lot of tuners with this problem work just fine when you plug the guitar in directly to the tuner. This issue happens mostly with the built in mic and one way around it is to try experimenting with the placement, bring the tuner closer to the sound hole or trying it further along the neck sometimes works. The easiest and most reliable way around it is to simply tune the guitar using a fretted note or a harmonic. So in other words, tune the open E string at the fifth fret and tune the string to an A instead. If that doesn't work then try tuning to an E at the twelfth fret or use the harmonic. Problem solved!
Clip On Tuners
Clip on tuners are a bit more than just cool looking gadgets. You see these little things clipped on to the headstock of an acoustic guitar. There's actually a reason you might want one of these over the compact tuner. They work by picking up vibration in the guitar neck. Why would that matter? Because it means you can tune an acoustic guitar in a noisy environment. If you've ever been in a band then you already know it's impossible to shut up the drummer and bass player! This is what makes the clip on so useful. Plus let's face it, they look cool!
Stage Tuners
The stage tuner is pretty much what it says, it's for using on stage. The main difference with these is they are built tougher and should have a bright fairly large display so that you can still use it on a dimly lit stage. Also because most guitar / bass players play standing, with the tuner sitting on the floor you need to be able to see the display easily without bending down. The stage tuner has one other very important difference. They can be muted. The foot pedal isn't just an on off switch. When pedal is pressed and the tuner turned on, it mutes the output so that you can tune your guitar without driving the audience or other band members mad. Most of them have the option to work in mute or bypass mode, often with a choice of two output jacks. Just choose your favourite mode, silence or annoy all!
Bass Tuners
Most guitar tuners will claim to tune both bass and guitar. The truth is, you can tune pretty much any instrument with any tuner. The drawback only lies in it's ability to detect lower pitches, obviously making this a bigger problem for bass players than guitarists. Just like mentioned above, this can always be gotten around by tuning the harmonic, fifth or twelfth fret. This might be a bit more annoying for a bass guitar because slight discrepancies in intonation are more noticeable on a bass. If you are fairly experienced then this isn't likely to be much of a problem but it does make more sense to buy a more expensive tuner with a good reputation for tuning a bass.

Use Tremolo Pedals or Tremolo Picking to Spice Up Your Guitar Playing

The tremolo pedal has its uses, but it's not the only way to get a tremolo sound on your guitar. In fact, the word 'tremolo' (sometimes called 'tremolando') can refer to two distinct but related sounds*. The 'tremolo' that's perhaps more well-known amongst electric guitarists refers to a rapid variation in volume. On low settings this creates a shimmering, vibrating sound that's commonly associated with surf rock, whereas when its cranked up to the max this effect creates a jarring, disconcerting shudder. Check out Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones for a great example of the former or How Soon Is Now by The Smiths for an example of the latter. This tremolo effect is completely dependent on modern electronics, the tremolo effect in another form has been around since at least the 16th century.
Tremolo in its original form refers to a rapid repetition of a single note. This kind of tremolo is thought to have been invented by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567, 1643). He used it in orchestral composition, but that doesn't mean you as a guitarist can't add it to your bag of tricks. Just hold your plectrum loosely, fret whichever note you feel appropriate, and pick that note over and over as fast as possible, being sure to hit the string with both the upstroke and the downstroke to maximise speed. This is called 'tremolo picking'. It's a picking technique that you might not hear so often compared to other tricks like sweep picking or legato playing, but it has its uses.

One word of warning - use it sparingly! Tremolo picking can really add 'oomph' to a song or solo, but no-one wants to hear it on every song. You can have too much of a good thing.
(Incidentally, one of my favourite examples of tremolo picking can be heard throughout the song Don't Forget Me by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Check it out.)
Outside of songwriting and performance, tremolo picking is also a really beneficial practice exercise. Speed and stamina in your picking hand are two vital skills if you want anyone to take you seriously as a guitarist, and tremolo picking will build up those muscles fast. Try combining it with a fretting-hand exercise such as scales or arpeggios to get more bang for your buck.
So if you can't afford a tremolo pedal, or even if you're playing an acoustic guitar, rest assured there's plenty of non-electronic ways to use the tremolo effect to enhance your playing. I'll see you on stage!

Digitech Multi Effect Pedals: A Guitarists Review of the Digitech RP Guitar Effect Pedal Series

I suppose I could give you all the usual talk about the professional sound and user friendly interface that the manufactures love to ramble about in their "reviews", but I know you can get that from them. What I can tell you about is how these pedals sound to me, and how easy (or hard) they are to use, and how well they are constructed, from a guitarists viewpoint.
The RP series starts with the RP55, and continues to the RP355 with more or less the same layout and functionality throughout, with the addition of integral foot controllers on the RP255 and RP355. Where things really start to get interesting, especially for someone who plays live, is with the RP500 and RP1000.
Construction
The RP500 and RP1000 are basically built like a tank. Believe me when I tell you, this helps when your playing live. Nothing like a broken switch when your about to launch into your favourite solo. I've also noticed that all the connection points at the rear of the unit are very robust (XLR, guitar input/output/USB/CD). This is probably because they are mounted into a steel casing, which helps resist movement, and cracking. I've had this happen with a few pedals. The best part however, is the footswitches. They are, again, made of steel. Pretty hard to wreck with your size 12 cowboy boots, no matter how hard you stomp. The only weak point I could see would be the rotating knobs used for effect tweaking. They are made of plastic, and located near the footswitches, so potential for breakage there.
Features
The RP500 and RP1000 are basically the same unit, with a few key features. They both have a row of effects footswitches for controlling compressor, distortion, chorus/fx, delay, and reverb. These effects can all be modified on the unit itself using the knobs, or by using the X-Edit software that comes bundled with the units. Many classic, and modern sounds can be replicated with this setup including distortions like the Ibanez TS-9, TS-808 Tube Screamer, Arbiter Fuzz Face, Big Muff, Boss DS-1 and more. This can be found in quite a few multi effects pedals, but some cool additions are the Digitech Whammy if your'e into Jack White, or Tom Morello, or the Univibe and Octavia if your'e into Jimi Hendrix or Doyle Bramhall II.
They also both come with a 20 second looper. If you have never used a looper before, its more fun than a barrel of drunk monkeys. This feature is actually what persuaded me to buy the RP500 as I was looking at buying a dedicated looper (Line 6 JM4), but realized I would get much more bang for the buck with this unit. I also tried the JM4 in a guitar shop and thought the sound was very poor.
If you have 2 amps, or even better a PA with a couple of powered monitors, you can run a stereo signal (via XLR or 1/4" outputs) and create some amazing sounds. I do this with my Fender Twin Reverb tube amp, and a cheap practice amp, and WOW! Try some effects like the Tremolo Panner, or the Rotary Speaker and you get some very interesting panning sounds across the speakers. I can only imagine what two great amps would sound like.

Ease of use
To rearrange my title here, its easy to use! I think it took me a grand total of 10 minutes from opening the box to start getting good sounds out of this unit, and to begin tweaking the presets. The presets are actually not bad. I say this because I normally don't expect any presets to be worth keeping, but in this case, I have kept them all. They make a good starting point if you are creating new sounds. Being as there is room for 100 factory presets and 100 user presets, there is no need to delete anything. The X-Edit software is also fairly user friendly. The tweakability of the effects is greater with the software than it is on the unit itself, so if you are really into this, then you will want to get the unit hooked up to your computer.
Amp/Cabinet Bypass
Speaking of amps, what turns most people off buying these types of effects pedals is how they sound through an amp. I have to admit that I have tried some multi effect pedals through my tube amp and they sounded very bad (so do some single pedals). This probably had a lot to do with the fact that you could not turn off the amp modeling, which was designed to be heard through reference speakers, or headphones, and not colored by the amplifier circuitry. One of the biggest advantages of the RP500 and 1000 is the amp/cabinet bypass switch. This simple little switch (at least the switch looks simple!), allows you to apply the effects of the unit directly to the tone of the amp/cabinet you are using (in my case a Fender Twin Reverb). You really notice the difference when you hit the switch on a tube amp, and the sound becomes much warmer and organic. When you activate the internal amps and cabinets by pressing the switch again, through headphones, or computer speakers the sound is fantastic, with quite realistic sounds. I'm not really into this feature of the pedal (amp modelling), but I'm sure some would have hours of fun with it.
RP500/RP1000 differences
Well, the first difference is price. The RP500 normally comes in at around $300 while the RP1000 costs approx. $500. This price difference is due mainly to the second row of switches on the RP1000 that allow you to control external stompboxes. This was added with the pedal freak in mind who wants the advantages of the new breed of multi effect pedal, but just can't part with their old pedals that they have built their sound around. The side benefit of this is that it will allow you to experiment with new hybrid sounds, combining your old pedals, and the new library of effects, tones and amps that comes built into the RP1000 (160 to be exact).
With a combination of solid construction, ease of use and great sound, the RP500 and RP1000 would make a worthy addition to any guitarists arsenal of pedals. After awhile, I bet you will find its the only pedal you need.

Continue your search for these great multi effect pedals and more at [http://multieffectpedal.com] A great resource for all guitarists who are looking for their own sound.

Sales Techniques - Time Distortion - A Powerful Technique Close More Sales

Here's one of a number of sales techniques that will amaze you because it simply works great in every situation.
Think about something you know is going to happen next week. It can be something you would prefer not to do, like cleaning out the garage.
Now as you think about it you realize it is absolutely going to happen next week. As you become totally sure you will clean the garage next week you may notice you are willing to agree to it today.
For example, after I am done writing this article I will need to wash the dishes, and it is not exactly to my liking, but I do need to wash them.
I am constantly telling myself that it needs to be done and I'll eventually get used to the idea and proceed to washing the dishes. I know what you're thinking what's this have to do with sales techniques? Your answer is in the next paragraph.
This is one of my favorite sales techniquesto use time distortion to close more sales. You get someone to imagine that something is going to happen at some point in the future.
Once you know something is going to happen in the future you will be much less resistant to agreeing to it now. You'll close the sale in next to no time using time distortion.
What you have to say is something like this: next week you will be able to simply take the X product and use it effectively on the Y problem.
You have already sent your client to the future and he is imagining it already. If he creates a positive image in his head you have made your sale with these sales techniques.

You can also use time distortion into the past as part of your sales techniques arsenal. Using the example above let's imagine that we've already cleaned out the garage.
It's already done and looks great. You may feel incredibly satisfied that you completed this task and you feel fantastic that you did it.
The rule is to create a positive image and a great feeling about that image which will simply drive your customer towards purchasing that product just to make sure that they'll get the chance to actually experience those feelings physically and not just in their minds.
Fact of the matter is that this how shopping works, which is why these sales techniques are so powerful. Even when you buy some cheese, you buy it because you can already taste it and you can already feel the pleasure of tasting it.
It is simple, it is efficient and it is free. The time distortion sales techniques is great in every way.
The same basic rule applies. Since you have already done it, you may be fine with doing it again. Sales techniques like time distortion are an incredibly powerful way to get people to do whatever you want them to do.
You will be amazed at how easy it is to use these fantastic sales techniques in your sales process to ensure you close each sale you attempt.

Guitar Effects Understood

There are so many guitar effects pedals on the market and it is hard to know what the difference is between them. It has been difficult to find agreement on how to classify effects pedals.
There are six common classifications: Dynamics, time based, tone, filter, pitch/frequency, and feedback/sustain. This article will focus on the time based and filter Classifications.
Time Based Classification
Time Based includes: Delay/Echo, Looper Pedal, and Reverb.
"Delay/Echo units produce an echo effect by adding a duplicate electrical signal to the original signal with a time-delay." (1) There are 2 types of echos with this effect. One is a single echo or multiple echos. If you've ever listened to music in a large cathedral or sang in a large cave, this is what delay/echo effects sound like.
Examples of Delay/Echo pedals: Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy, BOSS DM-2 Delay, BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay, Electro-Harmonix Memory Man., BOSS Space Echo Twin Pedal.
Looper Pedal or "phrase pedal" allows a performer to record and later replay a phrase or passage from a song. Loops can be created to use right at the time of your performance or recorded to play later. Some types allow you to layer multiple loops. Digital loop effects use an electronic memory.
Examples of Looper Effects: BOSS RC20XL Loop Station Pedal, Radial Engineering's Loopbone FX Loop Controller
Reverb units create a large number of echoes that gradually fade.
Reverb Effect Examples: Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, BOSS Digital Reverb
Filter Classification
Filter includes De-Esser, Equalizer, Noise Gate, Talk Box, and Wah-Wah

A de-esser filters out the higher-frequency sounds such as "s", "z", and "sh".
An equalizer is a set of filters that strengthen or weaken specific frequencies. Stereos often have an equalizer that adjust bass and treble.
Examples of an equalizer: Dunlop MXR 10-band Graphic EQ, Dunlop Kerry King 10-band Equalizer
Noise Gate's reduce "hum", "hiss", and " static". Phil Collins used this with reverb in his song "In the Air Tonight"
A Talk Box takes the guitar sound into the mouth of a performer.. This sound is then picked up by a microphone. The guitar is then able to "talk". Bon Jovi used this in his song "Living on a Prayer".
Example of a Talk Box includes: Dunlop Heil Talk Box
A Wah-Wah pedal makes vowel sounds. Remember learning the sounds of the vowels in your early years of school. This is what a wah-wah pedal sounds similar to. A foot treadle is used to open and close a potentiometer.
Wah Effects include: Dunlop Cry Baby, Eddie Van Halen Signature Wah Wah, Slash Signature Crybaby Wah Pedal
Filtering has been responsible for many of the great music sounds that we have come to love so dearly over the last few decades. Some of the gifted musicians who have exhibited this so well are Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Slash, and Zakk Wylde.

The Ups & Downs of Multi-Effects Guitar Pedals

Have you ever seen those guys on stage with a million or so effects pedals laid out at their feet? Patch cables slithering like a bed of snakes through a maze of distortions, delays, choruses, flanges, wah's, envelope filters, octave dividers, EQ's, tuners, and the list goes on.

How do they make sense of all those stomp boxes? How long does it take just to plug them in before a gig? Can you really use all of them in the course of a night? Heck, they even make large, football field size, pedal boards so you can attach a cornucopia of pedals with Velcro, and power them all from one source. Do you really need all those sounds?

Okay, I have to confess, there was a time, years ago, that I was a "stomp box" junkie and bought every new fangled pedal that came out. Yes, I had a pedal board. And yes, the rest of the band was set up and ready for sound check before I had all those pedals hooked up and tweaked!

Then came the digital age and everything changed. Legions of engineers designed pedals with a plethora of effects built into a compact package. Suddenly the need to acquire a multitude of various stomp boxes was eliminated.

Even so, many guitarists still prefer the use of analog stomp boxes over their digital counterpart. Talk to ten different guitar players and you'll get ten different answers as to the merits of one over the other.

Here are some of the ups and downs of multi-effects guitar processors.

Ups

1. Variety - Multi-effects processors have a ton of cool effects built into one unit. The tonal possibilities are almost limitless. In fact, most will have more sounds available than most of us will ever use!

2. Portability - Gone are the days of needing to carry a slew of stomp boxes. Just take one unit out, plug it in, and start playing.

3. Affordability - Although some multi-effects pedals can get pricey, when compared to the cost of purchasing an equal number of stomp boxes to produce the same sounds, they are usually a bargain.

Downs

1. Sound Quality - Many purists would argue that you just can't get the sound out of a digital pedal that you can a stand alone analog stomp box. The truth is though, that great strides have been made in the quality of digital pedals, and some players say they can't hear the difference.

2. Complexity - With many multi-effects processors there is a bit of a learning curve - with some it can pretty steep. The flip side is that most will come with factory pre-sets that will get you up and running quickly, and sometimes those are all you'll ever need.

3. Reliability - Many multi-effects processors will hold up over the long haul, but some can be a little flimsy. Also, if the unit breaks, you are completely shut down. With stomp boxes, if one pedal breaks, just pull it out and keep using the others.

Over the years, I have spent a small fortune on stomp boxes, but now most of them are in a closet. This is not a product endorsement, but when I discovered the Boss ME-50 multi-effects pedal, I thought I died and went to heaven. It's an extremely user friendly pedal with just the main few effects that you really "need" to pull off a gig. They sound great and are durable for stage use. Perfect for an old "road dog" like me.

Regardless of which direction you go, take the time to consider the differences between analog stomp boxes and digital multi-effects units before making the investment. Visit your local music store and try some out in advance - your tone, and your wallet, will thank you!

Keep on Picking!

A Comparison on the Best Bluetooth Headsets for Listening to Music on the iPad

What is a Looping Pedal? When Robert Fripp and Brian Eno starting playing with tape loops back in 1973, they probably had no idea what it would become. In the 80?s, tape loops gave way to digital loops, which began the key cross-over to allowing the average guitarist access to this amazing tool for songwriting, practicing and performing.
Looping Pedals (as they are now known) are able to store hours of loops with SD cards, produce stereo output with CD quality sound, and are built for live performance, or home use. Once you learn to use it, you can add melodies, textures, and beats to create the sound of a full band with one instrument.
A looping pedal is basically a multi-track recording unit that you can control with your foot. You can start by recording a track of yourself playing rhythm (with a guitar, your voice, your hands, etc...), then overdub this track with another of yourself playing accompanying rhythm, lead, vocals, etc.. and so on, and so on.
A common practice with acoustic guitars is to tap the tempo first on the body of the guitar as a loop, then play one, or two loops of rhythm over it. This provides a good backing track to sing to, or solo over. Some solo artists will even use the pedal to record a loop of themselves playing a drum track, followed by a bass track, then guitar and vocals. This can create a complete band sound, with one player.

Current pedal manufacturers that produce the most popular looping pedals are Digitech, Boss, and Line 6. The latest Looping pedal from Digitech, the JamMan Stereo can store hours of loops, has XLR outputs, and is produced in a straightforward, two pedal layout. Other pedals like the Line 6 JM-4 include a host of effects and drum tracks along with the looping function to increase the versatility of the pedal.
Practice, Practice! With practice, eventually you can layer your sounds into an orchestra worth of instruments and sounds, or simply give yourself a little backing track to practice with.
Speaking of practice, looping pedals are the ultimate practice tool. Not only can you give yourself a rhythm partner to play along with, it also forces you to improve your timing, phrasing, and overall playing. When you hear yourself play (recorded), it is the true test of your sound. If you sound bad, it's very obvious. To get better, you need to be honest with your own abilities, and this will ultimately make you improve.