If you have questions about our ordering policies or how to order one of our courses, please consult our list of Frequently Asked Questions below, or contact our Customer Service department using one of these methods:

Phone: 1-888-687-4216, Customer Service representatives are available 7 days a week day and night to take your order and answer questions.

E-mail: Send your queries to us at [email protected]. All questions will be addressed within 1 hour of receipt.

We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you!

General FAQs

Guitar / Music FAQS


What are your payment options?

We accept three types of major credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, and Discover), as well as checks, and PayPal payments.

All checks submitted for payment should be made payable to:

Guitar Control

Box 149 1800 Mineral Spring Avenue

North Providence, RI 02904-3927

Note that checks must be written in U.S. Dollars and must be drawn from a U.S. bank. Also, when placing an order with a check, please be sure to add the appropriate shipping and handling costs.

It is important that you include a note as to the title of the product(s) you’re ordering and your email address along with your payment so we can notify you that order is being processed.

For PayPal payments please send to [email protected]

Please include the shipping and handling fee in your payment, otherwise we will not be able to process your order.

After you have sent payment, please contact customer service at www.GuitarControlHelp.com who will process your order. Be sure to tell us:

a) the date of your purchase

b) the amount of purchase

c) what product(s) you are ordering


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How long will it take to receive my order?
Delivery within United States approximately delivers in 5 to 7 days. International orders usually takes 3 to 6 weeks.

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What is your return policy?
We have a 365-day money-back guarantee. We want you to be completely satisfied with your order and if for some reason you are not and you wish to return your purchase, you’ll need to call our Customer Service department at 1-888-687-4216 or send an email to [email protected]

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When will I receive my refund?
You will receive an email notification as soon as the refund is processed. Please also allow 3-5 business days for the credit to appear in your account.

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Where are the bonuses, downloads or tabs?
Please be advised that our bonuses do not come in DVDs or paper form. They are being downloaded in PDF or PTB format or MP3 files. However, if you wish to have the printed form, we can send it for a minimal amount. Please contact Customer Service for assistance.

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I can’t open the bonuses, can you help me?

Most files are in PDF so please make sure you have adobe reader/flash player installed in your computer.

You may download this program free at:

http://get.adobe.com/reader/

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

For Powertab you need to install a software called Power Tab

to open and play the ptb files.

For MacPC

http://tabview.en.softonic.com/mac

For Windows

http://www.power-tab.net/guitar.php

You may also need the following programs:

1.) Free Zip Software:

http://www.brothersoft.com/freezip-3847.html

2.) Power Tab Editor:

Please click on the link below and find the download link to download the Power Tab software.

http://download.cnet.com/Power-Tab-Editor/3000-2133_4-10502034.html

After installation of the Power Tab Editor, please restart the computer for effective results.

Opening a Power Tab File from Within Power Tab Editor

1. In Windows, click Start, Programs, Power Tab Software, PT Editor, Power Tab Editor 1.7. This will load Power Tab Editor.

2. On the File menu, click Open.

3. Using the Look in box, browse to the folder where the Power Tab file (.ptb) you want to open is located.

4. Click the file you want to open, and then click Open.

Note: Most Web sites store Power Tab files in a compressed format (.zip) in order to save bandwidth. For information on how to uncompress (extract) the contents of a .zip file, see the knowledge base article Install Power Tab Editor. The article gives detailed steps on how to uncompress the Power Tab installation .zip file. The same process can be used to uncompress an individually zipped Power Tab file.


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I am being billed $19.95 a month. What is that for?
The $19.95 charge is for your monthly membership to one of these clubs -- Guitar God Club, Keyboards Club and Bass Club.

The access to the membership is free for the first 30 days and automatically charges $19.95 if you will not cancel within the 30 day period. We have also contacted you both email and phone to make sure you are aware of this.


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How do I cancel the Guitar God Club?
You can cancel your Guitar God club membership at anytime from the members area. For assistance please contact Customer Service.

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I need to update my customer information. How can it be done?
Please send an email to [email protected] with the Subject: Customer Email change request

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How do I unsubscribe from your emails?
Open a recent email from Claude and scroll down to the bottom of the email. You will see a link that says To unsubscribe, please click here or you may also contact Customer Service for assistance.

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Do you have an affiliate program?
Yes. We have a master affiliate system that will allow you to earn up to 40% commission on most of our products. Go to our information page to learn more and sign up.

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Which one should I buy - an Electric or Acoustic Guitar?
Electrics are more easy to play and the sound is pretty different, but also you need to have an Amp. The Acoustics are harder to play but you don’t need an amp, so I recommend that you test both guitar and decide for yourself.

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I’m a beginner, just starting to play the guitar. What do I practice first?
The first you should learn are the basics chords, so this way you will be able to have fun playing some songs you like then I’d go with some scales and licks depending a little bit what style you like to listen to, also I suggest you to check out our beginner course www.ultimatebeginnerguitar.com/main.php. You will learn tons of songs and chords in weeks, more than 75 classics songs, for more info check it out!

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How long should it take me to learn a new chord?
It’s all about practice. I recommend you to practice at least 1 or 2 hours a day, but I think you will need a couple of months to master the main chords.

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What scales do you recommend to start with?
First I recommend you to learn the pentatonics and blues scales, then the major and minor scales, the modes, then you should practise some cool patterns. But also I suggest you to check out this page www.playleadguitar.com/main.php. You will learn tons of solos in weeks, here you’ll learn the techniques of guitar heroes like Hendrix, Clapton, BB King, Slash and many others. This is the best course out there.

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How to set up a guitar?
Please watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKa-IL0sveQ

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I have small hands, what can I do?
There are mid-sizes guitar, that could works fine, check it out in any music store.

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Tips for developing some speed?
Practise chromatics runs and scales patterns, here are a few

Ex3: a very common pattern but very effective.

Ex1: a very common chrommatic run but very helpful for the right hand.

Also I suggest you to check out this page www.virtuosoguitarsecrets.com/main.php. You will learn tons of shred techniques in months, also you will learn 5 different styles like Gilbert, Moore, Yngwie and more! This is probably what you’ve been looking for, and you’ll be amazed how easy it can be to learn real, advanced licks. Check it out!


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Can you give me tips on strumming?
I recommend that you practice basic exercises like playing 2 notes per string, start always with a downstroke and then an upstroke... this is always the same, all down and upstrokes. So play from the low string to the highest, sartt in the 1st fret and moving up to the 12th fret, then go back.

Try it with fingers 1 and 2, then 2 and 3 also 3 and 4. This will help your right hand and of course the left hand.


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What is a chord progression?
A chord progression is what a song is based, it can be very simple, 2, 3.. 4 chords, it depends of the style and musical taste of the songwriter, for example in Jazz music, or Bossa Nova the chord progressions will be more complex than a Pop song.

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What is a C major scale?
In music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "C, D, E, F, G, A, B, (C)". The simplest major scale to write or play on the piano is C major, the only major scale not to require sharps or flats, using only the white keys on the piano.

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If in key of A or Am does one stay in that pentatonic throughout the song or can you mix in say pentatonic of D and E in the progression......what flexibility exists?
The most common thing is to stay in one scale, I mean in one tonality... but the scales are several, if you are in Am and you think in modes on that chord you are playing the eolian mode, when the chord is Dm the mode is dorian, when you play over E7 the mode is phrygian major, maybe there you have to change the scale, you have to play the harmonic minor, to make it easier you think in the Am scale BUT with the 7# (G#) Another cool thing is using the dorian mode over Am, so you are playing the G major scale over Am.

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How do you use the wammy bar?
I suggest you to check out this page www.playleadguitar.com/main.php. You will learn tons of solos in weeks and the techniques of guitar heroes like Hendrix, Claptom, BB King, Slash and many others, this is the best course out there. Check it out!

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Can you tell me something about solos so I can play it and understand it better?
The first you have to know is the basic scales, such as pentatonic scales, natural minor and major scales, the modes.

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Do you have any tips or techniques on how to write music?
First of all you have to know the basic chords and the different chord progressions. Also you should know some keys and scales, like pentatonics, Blues, major and minor, the modes and stuff like that� also tonal field, which chords any key have.

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How to improve my sweep picking?
The secret is to make only one movement, a downstroke and an upstroke, you don’t have to play each note separately. I suggest you to check out this page www.virtuosoguitarsecrets.com/main.php. You will learn tons of shred techniques in months, also you will learn 5 different styles like Gilbert, Moore, Yngwie and more. This is probably what you’ve been looking for, and you’ll be amazed how easy it can be to learn real, advanced licks. Check it out!

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Can you give me some tips on how to play barre chords?
I know it’s difficult at first but keep practicing - one thing, try to put the index finger near the fret, also check out your guitar because maybe your action is too high. Have your guitar adjusted by a professional at a local music store. Also I suggest you to check out our beginner course www.ultimatebeginnerguitar.com/main.php. You will learn tons of songs and chords in weeks, more than 75 classics songs, for more info check it out!

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How to read tabs?
(Some guys don’t say tabs because they don’t know its name, so they say like:`what does those numbers and lines mean). Here I send you some cool explanation (in adjust files), hope that helps!

Reading Guitar Tab
Guitar tablature (tab for short) is a system of notation that graphically represents strings and frets of the guitar fretboard. Each note is indicated by placing a number which indicates the fret to play, on the appropriate string. With these easy instructions you will be able to understand how to read and write guitar tab in 5 minutes.


The Basics of Reading Guitar Tabs
To start out, tabs are written in lines, each line representing a string on the guitar. The thickest string being the bottom most line and the thinnest string being the topmost.

Numbers are then placed on these lines to represent finger positions on the guitar fret board. If you read the diagram below you would play this on a guitar by putting your finger just behind the 2nd fret on the 5th string (or the second thickest string). As musical notes this would read as follows B B B C# B A. The ’zero’ represents playing an open string. So in this case you would play the A open with no finger position on the fretboard.

How to Read Guitar Tab Chords
To tab a chord the notes would be placed in a vertical line upon the horizontal ones. This diagram represents a C Chord. You would strum the bottom 5 strings of the guitar in one motion if you were to read this tab properly.

And this one you would strum the ’C Chord’ three times. The one shortcoming of guitar tab is it doesn’t usually represent how long to hold a note for, or rhythm very well. Although some good tab writers will represent it by how much space is between each note. Tab works best if you listen to the song for guidance on timing then read the notes and practice it. Here for example is the timing of ’Day Tripper’ by the Beatles, note the distances between the numbers, the first 0? would ring slightly longer than the next 4 notes and the distance between D2 and D0 would also indicate a break in timing:

Tablature Symbols
The numbers don’t really describe the subtle techniques that a guitarist can execute, these are the tablature symbols that represent various techniques.

  • h - hammer on
  • TP - trem. picking
  • p - pull off
  • PM - palm muting
  • b - bend string up
  • \n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
  • r - release bend
  • \n - tremolo bar down
  • / - slide up
  • n/ - tremolo bar up
  • \ - slide down
  • /n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
  • v - vibrato (sometimes written as ~)
  • = - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
  • t - right hand tap
  • <> - volume swell (louder/softer)
  • s - legato slide
  • x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
  • S - shift slide
  • o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
  • - natural harmonic
  • [n] - artificial harmonic
  • n(n) - tapped harmonic
  • tr - trill
  • T - tap

A Hammer On
A hammer on is executed by picking a note and then hammering done with the fretting hand on the second note. The second note isn’t actually picked but kind of echos the first one. Here is an example of how hammer ons are written in tab:

A Pull Off
A pull off is the opposite of a hammer on, so the first note is played again then the fretting hand pulls the finger off and lets the one fretted behind it play.

A Bend
A bend is represented by the symbol ’b’, this is where the fretting hand actually bends the string to give a wobbly effect.

A Release Bend
A release bend is represented by the symbol ’r’, this is just like a bend, but it tells you when to release the bend and go to the next note.

A Slide-Up
A slide up is represented by the symbol ’ï’. You would play the first note on 7 then slide the finger that is holding that note up to 9.

A Slide-Down
Opposite of a Slide Up, slide down is represented by the symbol ’\’. You would play the first note on 7 then slide the finger that is holding that note down to 5.

Vibrato
Vibrato is like a constant rhythmic bending of the string. You do a bend up and bend down quickly to create a moving sound. It is usually represented by ’v’ or ’~’.

Tapping
Tapping is much like a hammer-on but you don’t strum any notes. Just tap the notes on the fret board with your fretting hand.

Tapping: is a playing technique generally associated with the electric guitar, although the technique may be performed on almost any stringed instrument. There are two main methods of tapping: one-handed or ’ordinary’ tapping, and two-handed tapping.

It may be considered an extended technique, in that it is executed by using the fingers of one hand to ’tap’ the strings against the fingerboard, thus sounding legato notes, often in tightly synchronized conjunction with the other hand. Hence, tapping usually incorporates pull-offs or hammer-ons as well, whereby the fingers of the left hand play a sequence of notes in synchronization with the tapping hand. For example, a right handed guitarist might hammer down on fret twelve with the index finger of the right hand and, in the motion of removing that finger, pluck the same string already fretted at the eighth fret by the little finger of his/her left hand. This finger would be removed in the same way, pulling off to the fifth fret. Thus the three notes (E, C and A) are played in quick succession at relative ease to the player.

One-handed tapping

One-handed tapping (perhaps misleading in name, in that both hands are actually used), performed in conjunction with normal fingering by the fretting hand, facilitates the construction of note intervals that would otherwise be impossible using one hand alone. It is often used as a special effect during a shredding solo. With the electric guitar, in this situation the output tone itself is usually overdriven although it is possible to tap acoustically with drive serving as a boost to further amplify the non-picked (and thus naturally weaker) legato notes being played. Because of the amount of distortion generally present, the player should also focus on reducing unnecessary noise during tapping; for instance, by using the palm of the tapping hand to mute any open strings that might otherwise ring out.

The actual passages that can be played using this one-handed technique are virtually limitless. The note intervals between both hands can be shifted up or down the neck, or onto different strings, to form familiar scalar patterns, or even ’outside’ tones by randomly streaming through any chosen notes for mere show (often by using chromatics or otherwise dissonant intervals).

As far as the actual technique goes, there are many ways of performing a one-handed tapping passage. The most common one involves rapidly repeated triplets played at a rate of sixteenth notes, using the following sequence:

Tap pull-off pull-off

In this case, the right hand index or middle finger sounds the first note on a string by sharply hammering onto it once, then pulling off (often with a slight, sideways ’flicking’ movement so as to strengthen the note) to a lower note held by one of the left hand fingers, that of which is then finally pulled off to the last note held by another left hand finger. From there, the cycle is repeated. If one breaks that down even further, the very first part can be seen as the actual ’tapping’ motion itself, whereas the second part involving the left hand acts as a way of embellishing the passage with additional notes; which, overall, could be considered an extended trill. The overall aim is to maintain fluidity and synchronisation between all the notes, especially when played at speed, which can take some practice to master.

In tablature form, the above sequence could thus be displayed as:

A E C#

e|-t17p12p9-|
B|----------|
G|----------|
D|----------|
A|----------|
E|----------|


Alternatively, different sequences can be used. One common variation is to reverse the action of the left hand and instead add the second left-hand note as a hammer-on at the end:

Tap pull-off hammer-on

G C D#

e|--------|
B|-t8p1h4-|
G|--------|
D|--------|
A|--------|
E|--------|


The above variation can be heard to good effect on the famous Van Halen track, "Eruption", in which Eddie Van Halen uses the above tap-pull-hammer method to create a lengthy cascade of tapped notes. In addition to the aforementioned triplets, tapping can be played using sixteenth notes (four notes to one beat as opposed to three), or even though rarely heard quintuplets (five notes to one beat). This, especially the latter, can result in even more complex-sounding passages, with some guitarists choosing to use it as a form of neo-classical phrasing to further deepen the musical possibilities of the technique. Again, there are a number of ways of doing so, but some examples of sixteenth-note tapping could be broken down as:

Tap-pull-off-hammer-on-hammer-on

Tap-pull-off-pull-off-hammer-on

G B C# D

e|------------|
B|-t15p7h9h10-|
G|------------|
D|------------|
A|------------|
E|------------|


C# G# D# G#

e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-t18p13p8h13-|
D|-------------|
A|-------------|
E|-------------|


And finally, quintuplets could be displayed as:

Tap-pull-of-hammer-on-hammer-on-hammer-on

Tap-pull-off-pull-off-pull-off-pull-off

A# D# F F# G#

e|-t18p11h13h14h16-|
B|-----------------|
G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|-----------------|
E|-----------------|

C A G# G F

e|-t20p17p16p15p13-|
B|-----------------|
G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|-----------------|
E|-----------------|


If looked at in scalar terms, the above sequences would follow the intervallic forms of a minor scale and a blues scale respectively. The same concept can therefore be applied to virtually any scale imaginable, making tapping a very diverse technique with constant room for experimentation.


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How to Tune a Guitar?
Tuning the guitar is vital to sounding good. Here are some simple instructions that explain guitar tuning basics. The open strings of a guitar from the thickest to thinnest are as follows:
  • E - the thickest or lowest sounding string is known as the 6th string
  • A - is the 5th
  • D - is the 4th
  • G - is the 3rd
  • B - is the 2nd
  • E - the thinnest or highest is the 1st
The most common method for tuning both Electric and Acoustic guitars and the one you can use when no other instrument or guitar tuner is at hand is:

Standard Guitar Tuning Method

Step 1: The E String
Tune the bottom E, as accurately as you can. Chances are it’s in tune anyways, being the thickest string it’s the least likely to detune itself than any of the others. If you have another instrument such as a Piano (which stays in tune for years), you can tune it to the 1st E below middle C. If you have no device or instrument handy just try to get it as accurate as possible, what really counts when you are playing is that the guitar is in tune with itself and any other instruments you might be playing with.

Step 2: The A String
Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the bottom E string. That’s an A note. Keep your finger on that fret. Now pick the fifth and six strings in turn, gently adjusting the fifth string tuning peg until the two notes are the same.

Step 3: The D String
Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the A string. That’s a D note. Tune the 4th string (the D note) to that.

Step 4: The G String
Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the D string. That’s a G note. Tune your G string to that note.

Step 5: The B String
Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fourth fret (note the B string is the only one that comes from a different position the fourth fret, the rest are from the 5th fret).

Step 6: Tuning the E String
Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the B string. That’s a E note.


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How do I change strings?
Please check out this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7HsWFRdYY.

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What exactly is string skipping?
It’s when a lick involves some string skipping, for example the lick starts in the 1st string and then go to the 3rd string, then to the 5th and so on. One of the most used are to play arpeggios but also tapping and scale.

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How far do you need to bend the strings of the guitar to get a nice sound?
Well, there are several ways to bend the strings, but it’s not a matter of sounding nice, you have to sound in tune. So you can bend a half tone, a whole tone or a whole and a half tone (1 tone). Maybe 2 tones but you could break the string.

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How to do pinch harmonics?
Watch this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-0TK6rBGVg. Also I suggest you to check out this page www.playleadguitar.com/main.php. You will learn tons of solos in weeks and the techniques of guitar heroes like Hendrix, Clapton, BB King, Slash and many others - this is the best course out there. Check it out!

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How do you use a glass slide?
You have to touch the string very softly and above the fret, it’s not as easy, it could take some years to master it.

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If you haven’t found the answer to your query, please get in touch.
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