Slapping is a bass technique where you hitting the string with your thumb near the start of the neck, often pulling or snapping the higher strings with your index and middle finger (popping). This technique first appeared in the 1970s and was synonymous with the funk music of that period. Larry Graham, bassist with Sly and the Family Stone, was one of the bass slapping pioneers.

A common problem for beginner guitarists is getting chords to ring out nicely. You followed the instructions, you have your fingers in the right place, the guitar is in tune but when you strum the chord it just doesn't sound right. If you were to pick each note and listen carefully you might find some of the the notes sound dead or muffled.

A well known way to make weird noises with a electric guitar is to point an infrared remote control at the pickups. This makes a sound like a series of high pitched clicks or beeps.

This is a useful instructional video for absolute beginners on the guitar. Jeff Isbell shows how to play the basic open chord shapes, E-A-D-G-C. Jeff gives a few fingering alternatives for the basic shapes.

This is the first in a series of 16 free videos about learning electric slide guitar, by John Armstrong a professional guitar teacher.

Palm muting is a common technique in rock guitar playing. Resting the side of your palm on the guitar bridge gives a percussive quality to distorted chords. The trick is using just the right amount of palm pressure: too much and you wont get any sound, too little and you will loose the chunkiness.