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1st August 2008 - by Logan N Young
  
How Do Pro Guitar Players Play Live?

Listening to a pro guitar player play live gives the biggest kick to a guitar lover. Do you want to know how these players create this magic? One can take solace in the fact that all pro players were amateurs once upon a time. Yes, almost all guitar players start by learning to play a few guitar strum patterns. You really start enjoying playing the guitar once you have mastered the basic patterns. This sounds easier than it is to achieve. There are a few special guitar strum patterns, once you master these patterns your music really comes alive, and your playing sounds better than it actually is.
  
Upstrokes And Down Strokes

Initially your strum patterns will invariably consist of some upstrokes and some down strokes. A stroke is known as upstroke when a pick is moved towards the player in an upward manner. By the same logic the down stroke is that stroke which starts at the top and goes down. Various variations of these basic strokes form different guitar strum patterns. The playing starts sounding really good when the player starts adding different variations and timing patterns into the play.

A beginner must always start with a simple strum pattern. These consist of even up and down strokes. In these patterns every thing is even. The strum patterns are neither too hard nor too soft. Once a player finds the right balance of strumming, it starts sounding good.

Speed And Tempo

Speed and tempo play a great part in your picking. The feel of your music depends upon the tempo that you play in. Try this simple trick. First play a simple pattern slowly, and listen to the sound carefully. Now play the same pattern but double your speed. Feel the difference in the overall quality of the music. You are playing the same strum patterns, but the speed has made all the difference.

Once you are confident of mastering all the basic patterns, move on to more innovative and better ways of playing. A teacher can help you learn advanced patterns. Books and videos can be of great help. Online search on guitar strum patterns can reveal a lot of information.

A few different strum patterns will make your music come alive. You can choose to play any style or form by mastering the right patterns. But you will need to work hard at it. The next step is to become a pro, but this takes a lot of dedication, talent, and perseverance.

The Right Guitar Strings

Professional guitar players are very particular about the jazz guitar strings that they choose to use. They are very clear about the exact sound that they want to produce. There are many types of guitar strings to choose from. Jazz guitar strings may be flat wound or round wound.

The flat wound ones are like flat ribbons. These have a polished nickel surface. These strings give an increased flexibility to the player to produce the kind of smooth sound that he wants to produce.

The round wound strings are not really favored by traditional jazz players, but some jazz players are using them now. These strings are thin, dense, and play well at high frequencies.

A Final Word

Playing good music takes a lot of practice and a lot of love. Take your time and choose the best way to learn guitar playing. Once you have made your choice, spend time practicing. Before long you will be producing the most beautiful music. Remember, if you really want to play like a pro guitarist, you will need to give it your all.

Source: http://www.megamusicsite.com