Question:
Hi, I am planning on buying a acoustic electric guitar. This guitar has an onboard active preamp with 4 band EQ, and uses a 9v battery. I was just wondering if i don't use a 9v battery will the pickup or guitar work if i plug it into an amp. Or will the guitar actualy work plugged in and the pre amp won't? Thank you
Chris , from Markham, On
Answer:
Thank you for your question! A guitar with pre-amp has to have a battery to work. The signal from the pickup in the guitar goes through the pre-amp circuitry before going to the output jack of the guitar, so if the pre-amp does not have a battery installed, or if the battery has run down, you will not get a signal out of the guitar.
Also, the pre-amp circuit is switched on when you plug a cord into the output jack, so be sure and unplug the guitar when you are not using it or the battery will run down in just a few days. Under normal use, a 9 volt battery will last at least a year in your guitar. To be sure your guitar will be ready to go every time, be sure and change the battery once a year. Use a good quality alkaline battery to insure the getting the best sound out of your guitar.
Question:
I put new strings on my electric guitar now I can not get it to tune. By the time i get the E string right and go to A string it pulls up the bridge and causes the E string to go really flat. What am I doing wrong?
Chris Tow , from adairsville, Ga
Answer:
From what you are describing, it sounds like your guitar is equipped with a tremolo system. Most tremolos use a set of springs to offset the pull of the strings on the bridge, so as you tune your new strings up to standard you are changing the tension on the tremolo springs causing the bridge to raise up. This is normal and what you have to do is to keep going through the strings and re-tune until you get all the strings to tension.
Also, if you have not noticed, when you break a string, it will cause the rest of the strings to go out of tune as well. So you are not doing anything wrong, it just takes some time to get your new strings up to tension and to balance out the pull of the bridge so it will stay in tune.
Question:
What do you mean by short- and long-waisted? I apologize if this seems like a dumb question, but I have never heard such terminology before.
Also, great job teaching your younger son music; I have been immensely blessed and have been able to bless others with it, and praise God for how He has used you both.
May He continue to richly bless you!
Joshua Black , from Saint Louis, MO
Answer:
Short or long waisted refers to the length of a person's torso.
Someone who has a short upper body may not be able to sit and play a dreadnaught-size guitar comfortably, that is why we talk about a smaller size guitar for some people, such as a 'folk' or 'concert' style guitar.
Question:
Hi Mr. Chapman:
I'm a lefty.
Will the video work for me?
Daniel Flynn , from Garwood, NJ
Answer:
Yes, The Chapman Technique will work for someone who is left-handed. We have many students who are left-handed here at the store and they learn to play right-handed, in fact, they many times pick up things faster since your left hand is doing most of the work anyway.
If you want to learn left-handed and have a left-handed guitar, you would have to take a minute to look at the chords and change them to play left-handed. If you have any problems, we could e-mail you some chord diagrams made especially for left-handed players.
Question:
Can you use an effects pedal on an acoustic- electric guitar? If you can answer this question I would appreciate it.
Thanks
, from camden, sc
Answer:
Yes, effects pedals can be used with acoustic/electric guitars. Choruses, delays, flangers/phasers are commonly used with acoustic instruments. When I was at the summer NAMM show in Nashville last year, Lee Oskar used a bank of effects on his harmonicas! The only limit to using an effects pedal is your own imagination. Sometimes you will get a totally different sound than what you would get with a standard electric guitar.
Be Creative!
Question:
Hello Mr. Chapman! I am a pastor in Indiana and I have several people in our church who play guitar. After watching them play for a couple years I have been thinking about buying a guitar and trying to learn to play it. I tried to learn to play the piano when I was in college, but I was not motivated enough. I really have a desire now to learn to play an instrument and thought the guitar would be a good one to try. I want to be able to play well and wonder if I am too old to start now. I am almost 30 years old. Thanks!
Art Good , from LaPorte, IN
Answer:
You are NEVER to old to learn something new. We have students here at the store from 6-years old to 70+. In fact we have a lot of people who have just retired and now have the time to learn to play that instrument they always wanted to learn.
In my video, the lessons are set up for beginners of all ages. With just a few hours practice watching my video you can be playing your very first song on the guitar!
There is no age limit to enjoying music. If you have the desire to learn, that is all you need to get started.
Question:
Dear Mr. Chapman,
I just read about "The Chapman Technique" video on your son Steven's Website. I have a 3-year-old son who has really taken to a new child's guitar he got for his birthday. My wife and I had asked his aunt and uncle to purchase a toy guitar as a gift. Instead, they purchased a real, kid-sized acoustic guitar that he has been using all day, everyday for the past two months. We really, really want to encourage this love of music. It is such a joy to see him strum the guitar and sing to all of Steven's videos. But what can we do with a 3-year-old? Isn't he too young to start taking lessons? What do you suggest we do?
Thank you and God bless,
Brian Connor
VA Beach, VA
Brian Connor , from Virginia Beach, VA
Answer:
Mr. Conner,
First of all, thank you for taking the time to visit our website!
As for your son, the first instrument I started playing was a baratone ukulele. It is a lot smaller than a regular guitar and since it only has 4 strings it is easier for small fingers to chord and play. Also a baratone uke is tuned like the top four strings of a guitar so it is very easy to move up to a six-string guitar when he gets old enough. Right now, just let him strum on the instrument and maybe get a beginner book and show him a chord every once in a while, since he will not have a very long attention span right now.
The main thing is to just encourage his love for music and instruments and let him learn at his own pace.
Thank you for you question and may God bless!
Herb
Question:
Aloha! I have two questions for you today. I hope you don't mind. First, I am what you would call a pre-school guitar player. I don't even have one yet, but I have always had the desire to be able to play so that I could have my own little praise and worship sessions. What type of guitar would you suggest that I get? Also, since you are his dad, would you happen to know if Steven is coming back to Hawaii anytime within the next year? I saw Steven when he was here Feb 2001, and I was wanting to know if he was going to stop back by before I switch duty stations. For whatever answers you can give me, I truly appreciate them. Thank you so much, and may God bless your socks off!!
Consumed by the Call,
Lee-Ann
Lee-Ann Cartwright , from Schofield Barracks, HI
Answer:
Lee-Ann
Thank you for your interest in the guitar. As for picking out a begining guitar it is very important to get one that 'fits.'
If you are a long-waisted person you might want to consider a dreadnaught guitar such as the Jasmine by Takamine featured in the acoustic guitar section of our website. If you are a short-waisted person you might want to consider the Austin folk guitar or the Austin "Branson" model. Either of these models are good beginner guitars that we sell to our students here at Chapman Music.
As for when Steven is going back to Hawaii, we don't know when he is going to be able to go back. With the new album coming out he is keeping really busy and there have not been any tour dates set for next year as of yet.
Question:
I was wondering what type of guitar you recommend to people that have never played a guitar in their life? :) I'm planning on ordering your video when it becomes available, to see if it is something that I can do. I obviously know nothing about buying a guitar, so if I were to walk into your store tomorrow, what would you suggest that I get?
Christy , from Roanoke, Va
Answer:
We have a couple of guitars we recommend for the begining guitar student. One is the Jasmine S35 dreadnaught and the other is the Austin Concert Folk guitar. The main difference in which guitar we would recomend depends on how the guitar fits the person buying it. A lot of women prefer a smaller bodied guitar and we also sell them to short waisted men and children. The Austin guitar is a smaller size body style which is called a "folk" body. The Jasmine is a larger body style called a "dreadnaught". We are also going to be putting some package deals together with a guitar, case, and video when we release the video.
Question:
How did you get into teaching in the first place, and what made you stick with it for so long?
Karen Bosurgi , from Beaufort, SC
Answer:
I started playing the guitar when I was eight years old and I have always had a love for the guitar. I began teaching guitar at a local school "West Kentucky Conservatory of Music" and began developing the technique I use to this day to teach my students to make music with the guitar and to be able to sing along while they play.
I founded "Chapman Music" in 1967 and over the years I have never tired of watching a student grow in their abilities and in their love for the instrument.
I believe that music is a gift from the Lord and I never get tired of sharing that gift.