Guitar Backing Tracks

I have created a search engine to find free guitar backing tracks, check it out below and let me know what you think.

It takes whatever you’re searching for and tries to bring back pages that contain backing tracks for guitar songs. Ones you can actually listen to, or download as mp3.

I was spending a bunch of time going to each website to see if they had the track I was after, and you’re probably like me… when you’ve got some time to be playing your guitar you don’t want to be spending time playing your computer.

How to Read Guitar Tabs

Almost everyone uses Tab notation to share music on the Guitar. It’s incredibly easy to learn how to read guitar tabs and it allows you to tap into the thousands of tabs people put online.

Once you know how to read guitar tabs you’ll be able to learn new songs, licks and practice routines.

There are still some purists who will write in proper music notation (sheet music) and there are still very good reasons for doing so, but for where you’re at, learning tab notation is the best possible thing you could do.

Hey There Delilah Guitar Tabs

Have fun playing this beautiful ballad, you’ll find its one of the easier songs to play, and if you learn the lyrics people will pick up what you’re playing straight away. Instant Guitarist Indeed!

The tabs will open up in a new window so you can play along to the song.

Bob Dylan 013 © by badosa

Guitar Songs for Beginners

When people see a guitar lying around what’s the first thing they’re going to say?

Exactly. What songs can you play?

That’s why I created this list of guitar songs for beginners, so you can have a reply ready.

Whether you have an acoustic or electric you’ll find the chords easy to change between and they’re forgiving enough that people will actually know what you’re trying to play.

Find Tab or Sheet Music for your Favorite Guitar Songs

You might have noticed that the Internet is saturated with tabs for guitar songs, it’s almost like a guitarist’s paradise…

almost…

The problem is that 99% of tabs online are people’s own interpretations of the songs, and it’s usually a “close enough” type approach to learning a song. Read on to find the best source of guitar tabs online.

Learn Guitar Songs

Learning the technical side of guitar is all well and good, but the reason most of us pick up a guitar in the first place is to learn songs. We hear a song on the radio, download an album from our favourite band, and deep down we’re really thinking, “how can I sound like that?”

Well, the truth is that it’s not all that hard to learn many of the songs your favourite bands play. Sure there’s may be some technical marvels out there that are just about unplayable, but even if it’s just strumming the chords, with a little practice most of us can come up with a reasonably sounding facsimile of a song that we like.

Tricks of the Trade

There are a few tricks of the trade that you’ll need to learn, though. First of all, it certainly helps to be able to read tab. Tab is a form of music notation that’s specifically designed for guitar and bass. It’s a lot more intuitive than traditional music notation and you can learn to read tab fairly quickly.

If you’re looking for a few easy songs to get you started, I’ve got a list here and will post more songs as part of the weekly blog entries.

Learning Songs by Ear

Another way to pick up new songs is to learn them by ear. There are some people who seem to be able to just listen to a song and play it, but most of us, me included have had to work at it. It does take some practice but there are a few tricks of the trade that can help get you started and make it easier.

One of these tricks is using software to slow down guitar tracks and make it easier to hear and transcribe. There are a few programs out there that are great for this and you can find more information on them here.

How to Practice

Finally, the biggest key to continuously improving as a guitar player, rather than just learning a few licks and playing them over and over, is the quality of your practice. Many guitarists never improve because they have poor practice habits and don’t really challenge themselves to get better. On this site you’ll find tips for improving your practice habits and learn the difference between practicing to get better and simply noodling around.

Learning songs is the most enjoyable parts of playing guitar. I think learning to play actual songs on the guitar is a lot more valuable than just learning various exercises in a guitar book. After all, playing songs and developing your musicianship is the whole point of picking up the guitar in the first place.