Fretboard or neck radius refers to the arc of your guitar’s fretboard. With the exception of classical guitars, all acoustic and electric guitars have a slight curve going across the fretboard.

The middle of the neck being slightly higher helps out the weak spot in the middle of your finger when you barre.

Looking at the specs sheet for a guitar you might see Fretboard radius – 7.5″ or Neck radius – 12″

So how can a fretboard have a 7 1/2 or 12 inch radius when it’s clearly no more than 2 inches wide? Take any size circle and cut the width of your guitar neck out of the circumference. This gives you the slightly rounded fretboard. The larger the radius the less severe the arc.

Guitar radii range from 7 1/4 inch (vintage Fenders) to 16 inch (steel string acoustics). New Fenders have a 9 1/2 inch radius and Gibsons have 10 and 12 inch radii.

Some newer guitars have compound radii. This means it has a small radius at the nut and becomes flatter as it goes up the neck. One of the new strats has a 9 1/2 inch radius at the nut, 12 inch at the 12th fret and a 14 inch radius at the 15th fret.

I think it’s safe to say you get used to whatever neck radius you end up with.
A smaller radius makes it easier to make chords but tougher to bend strings without them choking out. That can be compensated for by setting the action slightly higher. So a guitar with a bigger radius allows you to keep the string action lower making string bending much easier.
Personally I’m a fan of the 10 inch radius on electrics and 16 inch on acoustics.

It’s 21 days until Christmas and holiday tunes are being requested. This week a student asked for a finger
style version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This is not the easiest version but not too difficult for anyone willing to take the time and sit with it.
It is basically just the melody against a bass line that is mostly half notes. Enjoy!
Here ya go – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Ok. It’s Thanksgiving weekend and the holidays are here. So, I’m posting a fingerstyle version of Silent Night.
The arrangement is considered easy and is meant for beginning fingerstyle players.
There is actually two versions. The first one is just single melody notes against open string bass notes.
The second version includes a simple harmony line.
Have fun, take your time, and make it pretty!
Click here – Silent Night

You can never say enough about the importance of playing in time or keeping good solid rhythm. Using a metronome is one of the best ways to help master this ability. Metronomes click at a set pace based on beats per minute (bpm). They generally range from 40 bpm to 250 bpm. They can also be set for different time signatures. This puts the accented beats in the right spot for the appropriate feel.

Using a metronome at first can be very frustrating as they are very unforgiving. When playing and practicing by yourself you don’t realize how much you speed up and slow down. This tool will remind you of even the slightest inconsistency.

The trick is to start slow and simple. In the beginning you may want to set your metronome at fairly slow pace and just listen first. Once your mind is locked into the beat you can clap, tap your foot, play just a single note or anything simple in time with the beat. Match each click and you’ll be clapping, tapping, or playing perfect quarter notes. Once you get the hang of this try 2 notes per click. Now you’ll be paying perfect eighth notes.

When you first start playing actual music with the metronome start with something you know very well. This way you can focus on the timing without having to think so much about the notes. Like so many things, the more you work with it the easier and more natural it becomes.

Aside from training you to have impeccable timing this will also help you to mark your own personal progress. Play scales, arpeggios, riffs or any musical passage with your metronome. This lets you see at what tempo you can play these clean and evenly. Start slow and as you get more comfortable increase the bpm to push you to the next level.

Play Happy Birthday

There are several ways to play any one chord. Each chord has a specific set of notes. The different ways to play the same notes are called “voicings”. For this example we are using “A major”. The A major chord consists of an A, a C#, and an E. Any combination of these 3 notes will make an A major. Learning as many “voicings” for each chord adds more diversity to your playing. Shown below are 5 different ways to play A major just using the top 4 strings.

For some more A chord voicings click here.

Another guitar effect gadget you might want to buy is a compressor. Compressors are very useful tools that help even out your sound.

What they do is boost softer notes while taming louder ones. It’s like having someone constantly fine tuning your volume, only electronically and in milliseconds. The adjustment is made before the note even hits the speaker. So if you happen to hit a note too soft or hit another one too hard the adjustment is made before the note even hits the speaker.

Now don’t think you have no control over your own dynamics. The compressor can be adjusted to kick in at certain points. You can control how much control the compressor has over your playing.

By the nature of how it operates it also has the ability to act as a sustainer. As a note’s sound begins to fade the compressor takes the diminishing volume and keeps it up at a constant level. This is very useful in all kinds of rock, blues and modern country.

Like so many other effects pedals there is no shortage to choose from. Boss, MXR, Joe Meek, and Johnson are some popular ones. Just search Guitar Center or Musician’s Friend website to see how many there are. Compressor pedals start at around 100$ and can be as much as 300$. Rackmount compressors can be a whole lot more.

Introducing 60 Second Lessons! Timely tips from master guitarist John laGreca make learning the guitar a breeze. John laGreca’s 60 Second lessons podcast will be available on iTunes later this fall. Stay tuned and keep strummin’!

Learning to play a musical instrument can have a great impact on your child’s development, including both social and intellectual benefits. If your teen loves to play Guitar Hero or Rock Band, they will certainly love how exciting and achievable learning to play a real guitar can be!

John LaGreca has years of experience teaching beginning guitarists. His students learn the fundamentals of guitar as they actually play along to some of their favorite rock songs starting with their first few lessons.

The LaGreca teaching method employs the student’s own tastes and musical interests to fine-tune lessons tailored to the unique interests and capabilities of your child. Instead of forcing kids to learn tedious, uninteresting exercises, John motivates and excites his younger students by teaching them the basics of picking, chords, strumming, and reading tabulature in the context of tunes chosen by the student!

John is not only a patient, enthusiastic and highly qualified teacher, he is also a working musician; for a young person interested in music there’s absolutely no better teacher than a practicing professional.

Schedule your child’s weekly half-hour lesson for your convenience. Afternoon classes, evenings and weekends are available. Call 908 755 4383