University of texas essays: 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020

Understanding Chemistry - Simple Examples Of Chemical Reactions

Understanding Chemistry - Simple Examples Of Chemical ReactionsThe nature of chemistry is a set of theories and the application of these theories to determine properties of solids and liquids. At its most basic level, chemistry deals with the behavior of matter under the influence of forces of nature such as heat, light, electricity, magnetism, and gravity. Chemistry is not, however, limited to the interaction of different elements in the form of compounds.In order for a chemical reaction to occur, a substance must be exposed to an initiating agent, or source of energy. The substances that are thought to initiate chemical reactions are referred to as reactants. Once the initiating agent has been introduced, the product is then added to the reactant in an attempt to combine the two and produce a result of equal or greater value. Chemical reactions are usually thought of as coming in different forms, depending on the source of energy being used. Here is a description of some of the mor e common forms of chemical reactions:A simple example of a chemical reaction is melting your rock in a plastic container filled with liquid nitrogen. The temperature of the liquid freezes and results in a release of heat energy which causes the solid to solidify into a liquid. An example of an oxidizing chemical reaction is the oxidation of organic compounds. The basic idea behind oxidizing reactions is that the oxidation of one element produces another element with the same chemical properties. This concept is so important in chemistry that it is often referred to as the oxidation law.An example of a strong bond is a diamond formed between two atoms. The forming of a strong bond between elements is generally measured in the amount of energy required to break a bond. A molecule that is capable of emitting a lot of energy in one type of process can be considered to be very stable. In the process of breaking bonds, energy is released. Because of this, a molecule that has the ability t o break bonds is considered to be very stable.Chemical bonds are commonly seen in organic compounds. Organic compounds, by definition, have a chemical structure consisting of a group of molecules bonded together in some way. A compound that is composed of mostly carbon and hydrogen is referred to as a monomer. Organic compounds are thought to be in a class known as polymers.Chemical bonds are broken when electrons are transferred from one molecule to another. Chemical bonds are classified based on their strength. There are six types of chemical bonds, and they are known as ionic bonds, covalent bonds, amphoteric bonds, aromatic bonds, heteroatom bonds, and ternary bonds.Chemical bonding is also seen in the formation of crystals. Crystals, which are inorganic shapes of solids, are formed when minerals adhere to each other or when solids are mixed with liquids. Crystals are formed by taking advantage of the interplay between forces of nature, such as water, pressure, and temperature.A s you can see, there are many different chemical reactions, and each of them can be broken down into a very simple example. While chemistry is extremely complex, it is also made up of very easy and intuitive concepts. Learning about chemistry can benefit anyone in any career field, as well as making it easier to apply the concepts to everyday life.

Friday, March 6, 2020

The Friday Fun Fact

The Friday Fun Fact The FRIDAY fun fact. Its fun and its a fact! Dont you agree? For those who are struggling with the current curriculum. You might need some extra tuition. Our tutors can make a positive difference to students learning. They can help you achieve the education levels required to ensure that you are able to achieve the highest standards required in this modern society. Why not let our professional tutors help you with your homework, class projects and test preparation. Have a nice Friday everyone!

Montanans Have Always Made an Outstanding Effort to Help Their Students Succeed

Montanans Have Always Made an Outstanding Effort to Help Their Students SucceedThe greatest thing about Montana State Tutoring Services is the fact that they are dedicated to making the best possible use of state funds. The Montana State Tutoring Program was established by a group of dedicated individuals in Montana who understood the need for this program and were willing to put in the effort necessary to help children that would otherwise be forced to find a way to get to and from school on their own. These tutors have a long history of helping children in Montana, but have also expanded to help students in all fifty states of the United States. This makes their service available to anyone.Tutoring services have become so common these days that it is no longer surprising to hear of them. There are tutoring centers located all over the world, but there are also tutoring agencies in almost every major city. The extent of the help that these tutors provide has been measured in ways th at are not much different from those offered by state institutions.The Montana State Tutoring Program is no exception. The tutors at the tutoring center in Missoula will make sure that you are able to complete your homework and do your assignments at the same time as studying. Even though the individual tutors for the Montana State Tutoring Program are paid, the service is not cheap. If you have one or more children enrolled in school, you can even get a set fee and get additional ones to help your overall student assistance plan.After you arrive at the tutoring center in Missoula, you will have to fill out a short form and submit it to them. They will then evaluate your application. If you meet their requirements, you will be assigned to a tutor who will be going to your child's school to help you and your child to complete the coursework that has been given to you.You will probably need to get yourself educated about tutoring in Montana. Most tutors take up this profession with th e expectation that they will be paid for their service. However, you will be provided with detailed instructions from the tutors in case you are ever to opt for any payment plan that might be considered beneficial to you. Some tutors even offer a better rate if you are willing to come along and visit their center.Before you go ahead and decide on a Montana State Tutoring Service for your child, be sure to make a few phone calls. Ask for a variety of opinions about their services and whether you are really getting the best out of the money that you are spending. It is always nice to get a taste of what is being offered before you commit to anything.With so many tutoring agencies offering similar services in Montana, there is no reason for you to be dissatisfied with your choice. Be sure to give these tutors a call to make sure that you are going to be getting the best possible tutoring service out of your funds.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Where to Find an Algebra Tutor in Northern Colorado

Where to Find an Algebra Tutor in Northern ColoradoAn online class is not going to give you the same benefits as taking a class on campus. This is particularly true when it comes to finding a place to take your course online or from home. The most reliable way to find a place to take your classes is to find a program that offers online tutoring and a full complement of college-level courses in one place.Finding a program like this is difficult at best. The best approach is to find a private tutor who has connections in the area and can recommend a place to take your classes.Math is the one subject that most students take for granted. Math is something that should be taught to all children before they enter first grade. Those children are paying the price for it with their failing grades, standardized tests, high school dropout rates, and potential career options that will never even be considered if the child doesn't learn how to do their work properly.Math is a subject that can go l ong ways in building confidence and ability. It can be taught to kids from age two and in elementary school. It can also be taught in schools with lower grade requirements or without even making the grade in an overall course.Even if a student is poor in math, there is no reason why a full complement of math courses cannot be taken at a university level. It will be at least four years before math requirements will be met for most students but by then they will have the education they need to get themselves into college.As mentioned, many students begin their studies in math in middle school, so even though they may not be prepared for their junior year, they can still get the math courses they need for the college admissions office to see them as academically capable. They don't have to take a full freshman calculus course or even their junior's first calculus course.Math should not be viewed as a boring subject. It is the foundation of any subject and any career. It is also the are a of study that will be crucial for many years to come.

Where to Find an Algebra Tutor in Northern Colorado

Learn Maths To Make Life Easier

Learn Maths To Make Life Easier Why Are Maths Lessons Useful For So Many Subjects? ChaptersMaths As A Universal LanguageSubjects That Benefit From Maths SkillsTop Establishments For MathsThe Role Of Maths In Supporting Your Life As A Student And Beyond MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsMaths As A Universal LanguageMaths is a highly useful subject to have, even if your anticipated degree path isnâ€™t directly related to the area of study. Maths lends itself to a range of transferrable skills which could benefit you in your chosen subject, even if only to help you to apply a rational thought process or make logical, well-thought out decisions.It is quite fascinating to think that Maths is the only language that is exactly the same for all humans, regardless of nationality, culture, religion or gender. Just like Pi is always going to be roughly 3.14 no matter who or where you are, the principal Maths tools and functions are exactly the same for everyone.In fact, as a subject that is purely logical and objective, Maths is one of the few subjects whereby you can really measure yourself against the rest.If you know a Maths answer, you know it - there are no two ways around the situation. The only place that students could fall short of getting the same top mark that a fellow pupil got is if they failed to show all of their working out.You won't be able to use a calculator in your Maths exam as the examiner will want to see your working out. Photo by me_chris on Visual hunt / CC BYOn th e other hand, it is quite difficult to guess answers in a Maths exam because you really need to be sure of your response and how you came to arrive at it.Get help for your exams from a reputable maths tutor here.Subjects That Benefit From Maths SkillsMaths and the skills that emerge from understanding its tools and functions are directly linked to a number of other subjects.For instance, Maths and Physics are interrelated while some of the methods applied to solving questions in Maths also apply to Chemistry, Information Technology and the Sciences.Consequently, an A Level in Maths can make your learning journey much easier and smoother if you decide to take one of these scientific or technical courses at university.Maths additionally makes a great joint subject, because it is so neutral and can offer a nice balance in your student life. It is easily combined with courses like History, English, Music as well as languages to provide you with a varied and all-round learning experience .Add to that the fact that you will have the opportunity to meet very different crowds of pupils, and you can benefit from a very rich experience as you embark on your degree-level qualification.Moreover, if you do decide to throw yourself into your Maths studies and take it as a joint or individual degree at university, you could be looking to receive a better financial reward further down the line than some of your peers.The prospects for Maths graduates are pretty high, especially if you study at an establishment that is highly-rated for its Maths department.For those struggling to revise, read our maths tips here.Top Establishments For MathsWhile most universities across the UK offer very good tuition in a range of subjects, it is inevitable that some establishements offer a slightly better level of teaching, usually due to the expertise of their departments.The UK University Times Subject Ranking for 2018 deems the University of Cambridge being the top choice for mathematicians , closely followed by The University of Oxford. This comes as no big surprise due to their outstanding and unrivalled reputation.Cambridge is home to the top ranked university for Maths. Photo by llee_wu on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NDOther universities that take the top five spots include The University of St Andrews, the University of Warwick and Durham University. While these top-ranking establishments are dispersed around the country, you may still find that other educators might be better suited to you.That doesn't mean, however, that you can't set your sights on gaining entry into one of these well-known unis, so take a look at their requirements and see if you've got what it takes to become their next model Maths pupil!The Role Of Maths In Supporting Your Life As A Student And BeyondWorking Out Expenditure And AllowancesMaths is not only a subject that will teach you to count, basic Maths is also relevant to your everyday life as a student, including helping you with budgeting for things like rent and groceries.Although it may sound very straightforward, having only ever had to think about pocket money, your wages and rent paid to parents (if applicable), the burden of having all of these new expenditures to worry about can be a bit overwhelming.For example, as a tenant, you will need to remember to put aside cash for your TV licence, electricity and heating bills, food shopping, toiletries and other expenses.While this seems simple enough to grasp, the concept of budgeting is quite something else. For instance, do you buy that special something that youâ€™ve been waiting to purchase even though it could leave you short on money? It is at times like these when you may need to rack your brains to work out if you can make up for the funds in your next pay packet or if you can afford to put the item in question on your credit card to be repaid at a later date.Admittedly, complicated equations donâ€™t come in to play (unless you are a student who has a lot of ti me on their hands!) however you will often find yourself using mental arithmetic to add, deduct, multiply and even divide during this stage of newfound freedom.Learn what to expect from A-Level Maths at School.Career Prospects For Students With A Maths QualificationBy studying Maths, you can develop a range of skills that are sought after by employers and that will also help you throughout your day to day life. For example, Maths encourages logical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving.Without these properties deep-rooted into your senses and responses, you would not be able to get by in our modern and complex Western society.Whatâ€™s more, with the world very quickly turning towards technical solutions and automation, we are constantly interacting with machines and devices. These interactions and functions require us to have a basic understanding of logic, analytics as well as other technical skills if we are to move forward with our lives with ease, embracing newfound tech nologies.Careers involving Maths are usually permanent, which is promising if you are keen on finding a stable career, not to mention the fact that Maths graduates earn on average a much higher starting salary than other industries.Along with this fantastic introductory pay package, the potential to rise up the salary scale is a huge advantage for the professionals.Maybe you didn't take A level Maths at school but now wish to as an adult. Find out how to resit your A Level Maths later in life here.Balancing The BooksFurthermore, if you are self-employed and need to take charge of your accounts, then having a good grounding in Maths can be extremely useful and could potentially save you money. For even those who pay an accountant or accountancy firm to deal with their tax return need to do their own working out at times!For example, as a professional, you will no doubt spend a lot of time working out costs to see if jobs are worth it in terms of what return they can bring.If you wind up self-employed, Maths could be a very useful asset you when it comes to working out your accounts. Photo by remysharp on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SAA Landscape Gardener, for instance, might draw from their Maths skillset in order to calculate the value of their time quoting for garden transformations, how much they will need to spend on materials for a particular job, how many days of labour will be required to complete the actual work, all before they commit to offering a final price to their customer.Whether the individual keeps track of this subconsciously or they regularly sit down to do their working out, you can now see that there a lot of things at play and which need to be given careful consideration.A person who is not proficient enough to project their costs and expenditure accurately could soon find that their work dwindles because of their lack in consistency when pricing up or because they are simply working at a loss.In addition, money can be saved by opting to prov ide your accountant with your own accounts for them to submit on your behalf, as opposed to paying them to calculate all of your earnings and payouts themselves. This involves a lot of dedication from the sole trader and also a relative amount of skill, including the ability to work with numbers and spreadsheets.Finally, by submitting your own tax return without the help of an accountant, you can also save further administration fees, but you would need to be very confident in your maths ability and that your figures are correct, or else you could be facing a big tax bill â€" now thatâ€™s a number that you wonâ€™t like!Find out where to find A level Maths past papers with our blog, here.

5 Ways to Balance the Cost of Guitar Lessons

5 Ways to Balance the Cost of Guitar Lessons Suzy S. Thinking of learning to play guitar but put off by the price of lessons? Its possible to get great results without dropping tons of cash, just follow this guide from guitar teacher Derrick C. Price is one of the big determinations in peopleâ€™s decision on whether or not to take guitar lessons. It can be a significant expense, but there are ways to lower the costs without sacrificing the quality of lessons. 1. Take guitar lessons on a bi-weekly or monthly basis The standard for private guitar lessons is to come in once a week for a 30 minute or 60 minute lesson. Coming in every other week will cut the price in half, and your teacher can give you enough material to work on for two weeks. Another option Iâ€™ve suggested to students is to take 3 lessons a month, which lowers the price, maintains some consistency, and allows for a week off in case theyâ€™re busy at work or have a lot going on. 2. Buy used guitars and amps One of the biggest expenses of learning a musical instrument is the cost of the gear. You can save some money by buying a used guitar instead of a new one. Typically, used Yamaha acoustic guitars such as the FG700 can be purchased for around $100-150, depending on the condition. There really isnâ€™t much that can go wrong with an acoustic guitar that isnâ€™t going to be immediately visible when you buy, so thereâ€™s nothing to lose by purchasing one from a private seller. Got an electric guitar and need an amp? Get a used Line 6 Pod 2.0 for $50 off of Craigslist instead of an amp. You can plug headphones into it or plug it into any sort of stereo system or powered speakers that have a standard headphone jack. The sound quality of the older model is just as good as the newer ones. 3. Cut expenses elsewhere Do you really need to have a thousand cable channels and pay $150 a month to watch the handful of shows you actually like? Your life will be better if you ditch cable altogether and spend your money on music lessons. Then spend the time when you used to watch TV playing guitar. If you have a show that you really love and donâ€™t want to give up, see if you can buy episodes from Amazon Instant Video or another online source. I do that to watch The Walking Dead instead of paying for standard cable. If you already have a cheap cable plan but are paying a lot for your smartphone plan, shop for a cheaper carrier. 4. Take lessons with a friend and split the cost Iâ€™ve had students do this in the past and they really enjoyed it. You just have to make sure both of your schedules will allow this, and have a plan for an alternate day if one of you canâ€™t make it and you need to reschedule. 5. Fund your lessons with birthday and holiday presents Thatâ€™s right, tell your friends and family to buy you lessons for your birthday. Obviously you only have one birthday a year, but if you get four or five free lessons out of it, youâ€™ve lowered your expenses by 25% for a third of the year. Guitar lessons may be a little pricey at first glance, but they are definitely worth it if you really love music and want to learn to play an instrument. YouTube videos can supplement lessons but will never replace private instruction, regardless of how many people think theyâ€™re learning to play guitar by watching them. Try some of these money saving ideas instead and sign up for lessons with a qualified instructor. Derrick C. teaches acoustic guitar, bass guitar, guitar, and music theory in Dedham, MA. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Wright State University and won Bostons Best Places for Guitar Lessons award in 2013. Derrick has been teaching students since 1991. Learn more about Derrick C. here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by andybullock77

College Dining

College Dining The college dining halls will be one of the biggest differences from your life at home. However, different does not always live up to its awful connotation. Dining halls are not exactly filled with retired chefs and grandmas who love you, and sometimes the food is not good. However, it is part of the college experience, and it is something you will be able to overlook. Allergies can be an issue in the dining halls. Essentially, you will not know what is possibly in whatever they may be making; so tell the workers your allergies because they will know. That is one of the most important aspects to remember about the dining halls. Dining halls also offer many options for food. Dining halls will most likely have a fresh salad and fruit bar and a deli. Your dining hall should offer options for vegetarians. Also, dining halls will likely have hamburger, hot dog and chicken fingers for more options. However, the main course of dining halls will expand your culinary knowledge. Most of the items will cease to exist on menus at normal restaurants, and at times they may even be difficult to pronounce. You might even find yourself asking a dining hall employee yeah, that stuff, can I have some of that. The dishes may be something foreign that you cant quite pronounce, and it might not be the best food in the world. However, its a chance to try new food for no additional cost. Think of your dining hall as a cheap buffet. There are a lot of options and most of them will be bad. However, with that many choices youre bound to like something every night. There will be food that is just too terrible for raccoons to even smell. Yet, there will be something you can eat to fill up on every day. Quantity is a big positive at the dining halls. There is virtually no limit to the amount of food you can eat. Your college may have multiple dining halls with different menus every night, enhancing the options available. Some dining halls even specialize in vegetarian food, healthy food, fast food, fish, etc. However, for the most part, the dining halls are not extremely healthy or nutritious. You can pursue a healthy diet through the dining hall; however, the main courses are not the healthiest. A lot of schools also offer options with meal plans. Some schools allow students to use meal plans in markets to buy groceries, others offer food you can pick up, others allow students to use the meals in affiliated restaurants, etc. Most schools offer different types of meal plans in terms of how many meals a week and extra options. You should research your schools meal plans thoroughly before buying one. Beverages are one of the dining halls strong points. They will have enough juices and sodas available everyday to make your dentist squeal, or keep them all employed during the recession. And you can even grab three or four sodas at once if you want to. Also, the salad and fruit bars are well maintained at dining halls. Deli, fruit and salad bars and cereal are the items that are likely to be available at every meal. So, you and the Capn can make it happen at any meal. Again, this gives students options. If a dining hall is serving German Goulash for a day - and the charcoal from the grill sounds more appetizing then students can all chime in with Rice Krispies, making the dining hall sound like the 4th of July. Exception, the deli is usually closed for breakfast. Most dining halls offer breakfast, lunch and dinner and are open seven days a week. However, some are closed on weekends. The best part about the dining hall is not doing dishes, unless you work there. You simply eat your food, and put your tray into the kitchen; then you can return to your reign as NFL Blitz champion, or whatever else you do. A regular trip to the dining hall takes anywhere from 20-60 minutes, depending on how crowded it is, and how much you want to eat. Essentially, eating at the dining hall is not like a home-cooked meal. The dining hall chefs dont know your favorite ingredients, and how you love cinnamon on everything. And if they did know, they would not care. The dining halls are not as bad as you might think, and they will have a plethora of food to choose from. So, you will surely find something edible. Who knows, your dining halls might actually serve good food. You should ask people currently at the school you will be attending about the food. They will give you an honest answer.

4 Essential Classic Rock Guitar Solos That Will Make You a Better Player

4 Essential Classic Rock Guitar Solos That Will Make You a Better Player Megan L. Learning to play other peoples guitar solos is a great way to begin learning to write your own! Guitar teacher Nils B. shares his tips to learning four classic rock solos so you can develop your technique An essential part of every musicians development is to imitate those who have already mastered their instrument. After settling on a song, give it a couple of close listens (preferably on headphones or a decent stereo), pick up a good transcription, then learn the rhythm parts, while analyzing the chord progressions and any distinctive rhythmical features. Then start learning the solo, phrase by phrase, while determining the relationship of each note with the chord thats being played, as well as the key of the song. Also try listening carefully to the guitar tones, and be conservative with the amount of gain or overdrive when trying to copy these. Among other drawbacks, too much overdrive tends to hide your mistakes. Once you are able to play along with the original (or a backing track if you can find one), try recording yourself, and pay close attention to the details, such as timing, and bending accuracy. And as a final step, once youre fairly comfortable, try to improvise using the same concepts, simply start by making small variations to the original solo. And of course, if you havent already, seek out an experienced instructor who can give you essential feedback about how to play guitar solos like these listed below and keep you from making fundamental mistakes. Four Guitar Solos You Should Study The Eagles Hotel California This is my personal favorite of the four. Since the progression doesnt stay in the same key, you are forced to take a more chord based approach. And although there are still plenty of great B minor blues licks to be found, there is also a healthy dose of major pentatonics, played using fairly tricky compound bending techniques commonly used by country guitarists. On top of this, the F#7 chord adds a darker flavor, which is nicely addressed in the solo with some harmonic minor licks. Last but not least, theres the harmonized arpeggio outro, which is great to expand your fretboard knowledge, so be sure to learn both parts! In terms of guitar tone, its a pretty straight forward approach. Most guitars played into a somewhat overdriven amp will sound great. Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven Jimmy Page was heavily influenced by American blues and rock and roll guitarists, which can be heard in the many great blues licks demonstrated here. Be sure to pay close attention to the dynamic build up, his vibrato, and timing. Page was known for using Gibson Les Pauls, SG doublenecks, and Fender Telecasters into either big Marshall stacks or low wattage combo amplifiers, so any tube overdriven lead sound will do. Try to add some delay to help with the sustain. Guns Roses Sweet Child O Mine First off, it should be noted that this was originally recorded with the guitar tuned down a half step (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb). Even though it is in the key of Eb minor technically, it feels like E because of the tuning. This guitar solo actually consists of two shorter solos and a long outro. The slower, more melodic middle solos in Eb minor are a great opportunity to venture out of the familiar box at the 12th fret, and explore the area around the 7th. The outro solo is a series of well executed pentatonic blues ideas via a tricky harmonic minor lick in the buildup- all while using a wah pedal. On the recording, Slash used a custom built Les Paul copy into a modified 70s Marshall amplifier, but any dual humbucker equipped guitar into a Marshall-esque sounding amp will work. Try using the neck pickup for the melodic parts, and switch to the bridge pickup for the more aggressive sounding climax, together with the wah wah. Pink Floyd Comfortably Numb This solo is a great way to develop your sustain and vibrato because of the slower tempo, which really works well with David Gilmours melodic lead playing. Although his playing is largely pentatonic based there are some tasteful notes from the minor scale thrown in, together with some great bends and tremolo arm tricks. David Gilmour is known for using fairly elaborate setups, but the essentials to get his sound for this song would be a Stratocaster-style guitar with a tremolo into a relatively saturated/compressed fuzz or distortion pedal (he often used an Electro Harmonix Big Muff), into a clean amp via some delay. There are obviously plenty of other solos out there which would make good examples, but it is essential that they consist of memorable and coherent phrases. Some other suggestions would include Ozzy Osbournes No More Tears, Thin Lizzys Dancing in the Moonlight, Jimi Hendrixs All Along the Watchtower, Deep Purples Highway Star, and Lynyrd Skynyrds Free Bird. Learning how to play guitar solos can be tricky, so whichever solo you choose, be sure to learn it inside-out (any capable guitar teacher should be able to assist you), and be open to critique from the people around you. Most importantly, use your ears and dont simply rely on effects to make sure it sounds its best! Good luck! Nils B. teaches guitar, ear training, and music theory in Los Angeles, CA. He attended various schools for his training, including the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Nils has been teaching students since 2002. Learn more about Nils here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Rick McQuinlan

Improving Technique on Guitar Exercises to Try

Improving Technique on Guitar Exercises to Try Suzy S. In a previous post, Guitar Basics: Why is Technique Important?, guitar teacher Blake C. discussed the importance of utilizing proper technique, along with examples and ways to check your guitar playing technique. Here in Part Two, he continues with a helpful guitar exercise to try If you want to improve your technique, there are a few guitar exercises you can try. I call the first exercise â€œ1-2-4 Exerciseâ€ merely because of the fingers used. This exercise is designed to improve multiple aspects of guitar playing technique for beginners or even more advanced guitar players. The first improvement aspect is fret-board balance, which is practiced as you focus your attention on utilizing proper finger position â€" pressing each note with the fingertips of the left hand (for right-handed guitarists or pressing with the right hand for left-handed guitarists) while not collapsing the joints of the fingers. Refer back to the pictures in this post to see the difference. It is critical for guitarists to develop dexterity and nimbleness in order to attain a higher level of mastery of guitar playing. The â€œ1-2-4 Exerciseâ€ addresses these skills as you increase the rate that the exercise is performed, while maintaining proper technique. That in mind, begin this guitar exercise at a relatively slow tempo â€" for example, the 50 bpm setting on your metronome â€" allowing you to center your attention on proper technique. Keep in mind, if you simply play this exercise without concentrating on proper guitar technique, your efforts will not accomplish nearly as much in the long run. Below are the notes and tab for the exercise. Although I began on the â€œAâ€ note located at the 5th fret on the 6th string, the 1-2-4 pattern is obviously a moveable pattern. Beginning the exercise at the 5th fret is a better starting point than the first few frets because of the additional space your fingers must reach, as well as the additional distance your arm must reach. Conversely, beginning beyond the 12th fret creates a different dilemma as you begin the exercise â€" your fingers are crammed together! So letâ€™s begin the exercise at the 5th fret as shown here: Music and Tab written using Guitar Pro 6 Remember, pick each note at a relatively slow rate when you first begin practicing. Focus your attention on pressing with your fingertips and not collapsing any joints of your fingers. As you practice this exercise, play one note for every metronome click. After you are confident in your ability to play the notes fluidly without a pause when you change from one string to the next, increase the tempo in increments of 10 bpm on your metronome. With time and diligent practice, you will be able to play the exercise at a tempo exceeding 320 bpm. After you successfully accomplish the exercise at the 5th fret, practice at other locations on the fretboard. In addition to improving your fretboard balance, dexterity, and overall nimbleness, this is one of the guitar exercises that is an excellent lead into soloing. Blake C. teaches songwriting, singing, and guitar lessons in Lowell, IN. He specializes in classical guitar technique as well as modern rock and blues styles. Blake has been teaching for 20 years and he joined the TakeLessons team in July 2013. Learn more about Blake here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Juan Barahona