Guitar

If you know someone with a passion for playing the guitar and a gift-giving occasion on the horizon, then you might be wondering how to shop for the perfect present. If you’re not a fellow musician and have found yourself in dire need of ideas, then look no further. Even if you play guitar yourself, you might find a few gems that you hadn’t thought of yet in this list of the top 50 gifts for guitar players!

Top 50 Best Gifts for Guitar Players in 2019 and Beyond

1. Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

If there is one word to describe the new Apple AirPods is “awesome”. Not having to deal with the cord tangling is a big relief. Whether you get the AirPods 2nd Gen or the AirPods Pro with noise cancellation – this gift would be a treat and the guitar player will be sure to appreciate it!

These now come with a wireless case which makes for easy and quick wireless charging which is convenient for grab and go. I use the AirPods everyday and can never see myself going back to wired headphones for daily use.

2. Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Sometimes a musician just wants to block out all noise and focus on learning the songs for their next gig. Other times they want to isolate tracks in the studio. These headphones are outstanding because of their ability to cut out all noise and distractions leaving only the listener and their music.

This is a great tool to have and use in the studio or on commute. I love using it at home when the kids are making too much noise 🙂

3. Personalized Guitar Picks

No matter what style of music a guitarist prefers, they’re sure to appreciate a custom-made guitar pick. A custom pick makes a practical gift that they’ll get plenty of use out of while giving the opportunity for a personal touch as well.

If you’re at a loss for how best to personalize the new pick, try a line from one of the recipient’s favorite bands or use a photo of some great times you’ve shared together.

Read moreTop 50 Gifts for Guitar Players in 2020

One of the the things I wrestled with when I first started learning guitar was chords. If a piece of music had a Gmaj7; for example, I only knew the standard fingering on the 3rd fret.

The notes for Gmaj7 are: G(root) on the 6th string, 3rd fret. F#(7th) on the 4th string, 4th fret. B(3rd) on the 3rd string, 4th fret. D(5th) on the 2nd String, 3rd fret.

In the late 70’s, I studied with 2 brilliant jazz guitarists named Mike Gari and Rodney Jones.

Mike taught me how to invert chords I already knew so that I could discover new voicings.

This expanded my knowledge of the neck and gave me more options for comping and solo guitar playing as well. I applied the inversions I learned to jazz standards I was already familiar with such as: satin doll, all the things you are, autumn leaves, etc. The kind of standards you can find in the Real Book.

Read moreChord Inversions 101: Expanding Your Chordal Knowledge

If you are looking to get some ideas on which easy guitar songs to learn, then look no further. In this list you will find songs that are perfect to get under your fingers since these are popular and quite catchy on the guitar. Let’s get started!

25 Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners

1. Wonderwall – Oasis

Supposedly written for Meg Matthews, Noel Gallagher’s then-girlfriend, “Wonderwall” was the fourth single off the album What’s The Story?. However in 2001, (after the couple’s divorce) Matthews retracted his earlier statements and said the lyrics were not about Meg after all: “[the song was] about an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself.”

Read more25 Easy Guitar Songs That Are Beginner-Friendly

It’s not often, in fact it’s only happened a handful of times in my experience, where someone asks you a question, which suddenly throws you into a maze of options.

This was the case with a new guitar student I have. One day, we had just been learning a few basic chords on guitar and she turned to me and said, “How many chords are there? Like I mean, how many chords in total are there that I have to learn?”

She was so excited to hear the answer and already I could see her brain was formulating a plan. I could almost hear her thoughts saying, “If there were 300 chords and I learnt 10 a week, then it would take me 30 weeks to learn all the chords.”

I wanted to give her an answer there and then, but I couldn’t. After all these years, I’ve never thought to actually count all the chords, but just accepted that there are so many that I never seem to run out of options. But how could I say that? This definitely didn’t seem to be the best answer to give.

So I began the journey of crafting out a different way to look at chords, a way that is quite exciting and perhaps really great to work with if you’re just beginning, love guitar and looking ahead to see how much you can learn. This is a start to that journey, as I will talk about the 12 Most Basic Guitar Chords for Beginners.

Read more12 Basic Guitar Chords for Beginners

The ukulele is the guitar’s younger brother and like all siblings, they are similar in some ways and different in others. There are several things to take note of if you’re wondering about buying a new instrument or switching to one from the other.

What is the difference between ukulele and guitar? Compared to the guitar, the ukulele is smaller, has fewer strings and produces a lighter, brighter sound. But in other ways such as tuning and right hand technique, the guitar and the ukulele can actually be quite similar.

Let’s compare the two instruments and see what the results really mean for you.

Read moreWhat Is the Difference Between Ukulele and Guitar?

Guitar players often limit themselves to their instrument, thinking that playing guitar cannot translate into playing other instruments.

This is simply not true. Besides the piano, the guitar might be the most transferable instrument to play. This is largely due to the fact that so many instruments share a similar fretboard and chord arrangement with the guitar. If you can play the guitar in any capacity, don’t sell yourself short.

You likely have a ukulele that has been sitting around for years, waiting to make it out to the bonfire. Use this guide to translate your guitar knowledge into ukulele in no time.

How to Match the Uke and Guitar?

Using this guide to translate your guitar knowledge into ukulele knowledge will require a very basic understanding of music theory, but even that may not be necessary if you’re willing to fiddle around and know how to count.

Read moreHow to Match Ukulele and Guitar