Learn How to Read - Teaching Reading With Scholers Tutoring

Learn How to Read - Teaching Reading With Scholers TutoringScholers tutoring is the best way to help children learn how to read. This is a necessity for every school that offers children reading lessons and, as such, the schools need to provide exceptional reading instruction to children in order to help them pass their classes.Scholers tutoring works by finding the children that are not able to be taught properly because of individual characteristics or disabilities. They will then set out on learning for these children how to effectively read, write and understand what is being taught. Every child learns differently and for this reason Scholers tutoring is able to help children to progress quickly in reading and literacy. Every child needs individual attention in order to effectively learn how to read for a longer period of time.It is often difficult for teachers to keep up with the demands of children who are learning a new language. In fact, many children are unable to cope with the demands of a classroom which is why this type of teaching is a vital part of the educational process.Young children who are experiencing the pressures of school work usually have learning abilities that are very limited. Thus, it is very important that children get the attention they need when they are struggling in school.However, in today's society where there are so many children, finding the time to actually spend with these children is not always easy. Therefore, the best option for many schools is to allow a tutor to come into the school to give classes.Most teachers would see this as an added expense because it takes away from their own classes, but it is a much better investment than getting a substitute teacher who may not even attend the school regularly. Many schools will encourage the use of a tutor for different reasons but it is vital that the school provides the necessary guidance.In today's schools it is essential that children learn to read and understand things like words, grammar and math. However, many children will still struggle with this. For this reason, parents should make sure they find the right way to achieve this goal.

Halloween and the establishment of gender roles

Halloween and the establishment of gender roles PartyCity.coms boys and girls toddler Cookie Monster costumes So although I was concerned? disappointed? upon seeing a post on Tumblr the other day comparing the boys and girls options for Cookie Monster toddler-sized costumes (see image, left) the other day, I cant say I was surprised. Now, Im not saying that someone sat down and brainstormed how they could make the toddler girls Cookie Monster costume sexy. I rather hope that anyone who would do such a thing is, you know, in jail. But I also think that the comparison at left shows the roots of the gender divide in Halloween costumes. The costume intended for boys (and therefore marketed to the parents of boys) is concerned with actually duplicating to some degree what Cookie Monster actually looks like. It also looks like its made of warm material, which is important in a large sector of the United States. By contrast, the girls Cookie Monster costume (marketed to the parents of girls) is merely a hat tip to the character of Cookie Monster slapped onto the basic frame of a frilly dress. There is essentially no attempt to make the costume actually look like Cookie Monster. And if relative warmth of a costume is an issue, parents will have to provide a turtleneck and tights to wear under the dress themselves, because keeping the costumed girl warm is clearly not a priority of this costume either. On PartyCity.com, the toddler boys section of costumes has separate career and classic themed sub-sections. In the toddler girls section, the two are combined.   Careers to which the boys might aspire? NASCAR driver, police officer (including SWAT and regular uniforms), soldier (generic army), admiral, fighter pilot, commercial pilot, firefighter, astronaut, UPS driver, postal worker, magician, and clown. With the girls career costumes combined with the classic ones, its difficult to pinpoint the precise number of careers Party City believes little girls might be aspiring to. Near as I can tell, they are as follows: cowgirl, cheerleader, clown, magician (although Id have pegged the costume as a magic-using princess if they hadnt labeled it as a magician), celebrity starlet (a la Paris Hilton), half-pint referee (in a miniskirt even the NFL replacement refs didnt wear miniskirts), and a can-can girl. PartyCity.coms toddler Superman and Wonder Woman costumes Further perusal of the selection of toddler costumes shows a general tendency for the boys costumes to attempt to duplicate (with varying degrees of simplification) the actual look of whatever the costume ostensibly represents whilst there is a general tendency for the girls costumes to attempt to fit whatever the costume ostensibly represents to a frilly dress, usually at the expense of direct representation. Often with the girls costumes there isnt even an attempt to pretend a real thing is being represented a frilly tutu dress with a cupcake on it becomes a Lil Cupcake costume. Is she supposed to be a cupcake? A person who sells cupcakes? A person who eats cupcakes? Its not a costume! Its a frilly dress with a cupcake on it! Another tendency I noticed is that with the boys costumes there is a marked tendency to add muscles. This is not particularly unexpected when youre talking about the superhero costumes (such as the toddler Superman costume at left), but it becomes a bit ridiculous when the toddler astronaut costume adds muscles. Im pretty sure you cant see muscles in a spacesuit! Maybe Im just looking at them from the wrong angle. This pattern of adding muscles to boys costumes even when logic dictates one shouldnt is not at all present in girls costumes even the superhero ones. Arguably, WonderWoman should have some muscles. Magic bracelets or no, shes a superhero, and Im pretty sure theyve got muscles. But the WonderWoman costume is just a dress and some accessories. (And I wont even mention the fact that whilst none of the boys in any of the age groups are wearing discernable makeup unless its an intrinsic part of the costume, even the toddler girls are clearly fully made up. Lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, blush, the whole deal.) My favorite irony in the toddler section, however, is that in the boys selection of TV/movie costumes, there is a costume for Hedwig, Harry Potters pet owl. There is not a Hedwig costume (nor indeed any Harry Potter-related costume) in the toddler girls section. This is ironic because Hedwig is a female owl. (Apparently she was played in the films by a male owl, but she was still referred to in said films as a female character.) PartyCity.coms kids cowboy and cowgirl costumes I moved on to investigate the kids section, which is again divided into boys and girls sections and further subdivided by theme. On the plus side, in this age group there are enough career costumes for the girls to have their own section of them. Of course, said section is still littered with careers such as cupcake cutie, gypsy princess (nice work if you can get it?), 1950s carhop (aka waitress), another miniskirted-referee, another impractically-dressed cowgirl (my sister is the genuine article and I promise you shes never looked anything like the girls costume at left, although she has come close to the boys version), and three varieties of cheerleader, none of whom sound particularly cheery (the bad spirit cheerleader, the cheerless cheerleader, and the gothic cheerleader). There is a doctor costume which pops up in the results, but it is the same costume thats listed in the boys section, right down to the little boy who is modeling it. Naturally the boys career selection is somewhat better at having actual careers represented. Additionally, the trend of boys costumes leaning more towards actual representation and girls costumes leaning towards making the supposed subject of the costume fit onto a dress continues in the older age group, even extending to odd costumes like the birds from the game Angry Birds. The boy version is vaguely angry bird-shaped, whilst the girl version is a little red dress with an angry bird face on it. PartyCity.coms boys Escaped Prisoner and girls Miss Dee Meaner Prisoner costumes And then theres the criminal costumes. For toddlers, there was one prisoner costume. It was essentially striped pajamas and was listed only under the boys section. For older kids, there are boys and girls options. The boys option (far left) is simply titled Escaped Prisoner costume and consists of loose-fitting striped pajamas, a pair of over-size manacles, and ball and chain for the childs ankle. The girls option, on the other hand, is titled Miss Dee Meaner Prisoner costume. It consists of capri-length leggings, a fitted tunic, and pink handcuff bracelets. Its a pretty short step from this to the Wardens Mistress womens costume, thats all Im saying. In and of itself, the Miss Dee Meaner costume (which again, is intended for young girls, not teens) is perhaps only minorly problematic. Indeed, in and of itself, the toddler Cookie Monster dress isnt particularly problematic. Its not particularly effective either, at least not if ones goal is to dress ones child up as Cookie Monster, but hey, some little girls just want to wear a frilly dress. Which is fine. If your little girl wants a frilly dress, give the girl a frilly dress. But the problem is that unless the parent (or the child) thinks to/is willing to look in the boys costumes as well, there arent very many options that arent a frilly dress or, as the child gets older, a slinky dress. PartyCity.coms toddler Lil Cupcake and teen Cupcake Girl costumes For example, the Lil Cupcake frilly dress for the toddler (far left) turns into the Cupcake Girl extremely abbreviated slinky dress (near left) for the teen. And Im still not entirely sure what career this represents for the toddler, or how cupcake patterned minidress qualifies as a classic costume for the teen. Then again, perhaps the reason why costume makers for young girls find it so difficult to create girl versions of police officer costumes or firefighter costumes or military costumes has to do with what the woman versions of those costumes look like. As far as people who make costumes for grown-ups are concerned, female Naval officers look like this, female Army commandos like this, female fighter pilots (excuse me, Air Force Angels, because obviously there are no female fighter pilots) like this, female cops like this, female firefighters like this, female astronauts like this, and they have no idea what female doctors look like, because all female medical professionals are nurses who look something like this. This article doesnt even really begin to scratch the surface of the murky gender issues surrounding Halloween and I didnt even get to reminisce about all the varieties of sexy _____ to which I bore witness over three Halloweens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but I hope Ive given yall something to think about. Im not sure what my Halloween plans are this year, but if I do find myself a party to attend, I think Ill just go as Arthur Dent from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Yeah, hes a man and Im not, but all Id need would be pajamas, a robe, and a towel. Sounds like a plan to me.

5 Tips On How To Deal With College Roommates

5 Tips On How To Deal With College Roommates A roommate I love College roommates are one of the most unique, wild, and uncomfortable social experiments to ever exist. Were all trying to find ourselves in these pivotal years, and most of us are stressed/ cracked out on caffeine. These factors only heighten our emotional states. Paired with the fact we need to cohabitate with each other creates a boiling pot of emotions and boundaries being crossed. My freshman living situation was one hazy fever dream My roommate was the physical antithesis of me. He was a tall, built, football-player who dwarfed me which made my initial trepidation about meeting him only greater. I had never lived with another man before besides my father, who snores like a fog horn and burps just to annoy me. The idea of being forced to cohabit in laughably small room with a boy my age was both terrifying and fascinating to me. The reality of the situation, however, is that we were not the most compatible to live with each other. There’s a list of horrors that include (but ar e not limited to): ball pythons with homicidal eyes, dip spit cups, and the whole ‘he never ever did his laundry’ thing. If I hadn’t been so meek maybe I could have made some changes. I eventually found solace when he had to leave school and I had my entire room to myself for most of Spring Semester. Deep down, I had a strange fondness for the guy. He was kind at heart, albeit misguided, and helped me dunk my toes into the deep pool that is potential roommate conflicts. Here is my advice on how to deal with a roommate who might not be the most pleasant to live with: 1.    Be up-front and bold with the rules- Lay down all nit-picky rules you’re going to need to beforehand. Even things you think you may never need, such as “Please don’t use my toothpaste,” or “Please make sure your friends don’t write on our walls with chalk.” That way, nothing is a surprise for anyone. We’ve all had living situations in which we just wanted to be pals with our roommates and therefore we were meek about our needs. Then, a few months into the semester you’re pulling out your hair at the passive aggressive notes they leave on your white board. “Clean up the dishes, please  it’s starting to smell like a homeless shelter in here.” Oh, yea?   2.    On that note, just avoid leaving notes: I understand that it’s 2013 and the Internet has turned us all into huge babies who shy away from combative, in-person interaction, but passive aggressive notes are never the route to take. Don’t write them, don’t indulge in them. Every smiley face my roommates would use against felt like a bitch slap to the face. Every ‘love you!’ felt synonymous with “fuck you.” Just sit down face to face. You know, like the adults we’re all demanding to be treated like. 3.   Don’t talk behind their backs! Okay, who am I kidding, if a roommate eats all of my cereal, my first instinct is to call up my best friend and gossip like I’m at a French Salon. The #dark truth of the matter is that it almost always gets back to the roommate. If this happens, and it will, you can just take pleasure in reenacting a scene directly from The Hills; you know the one where Lauren screams at Heidi “YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!” Don’t lie; you know which one I’m talking about. loves it 4.      Aggressively walk around in your underwear / a cat onesie and whisper nonsensical things until they leave for the night and you’re free to use the living room to watch Game of Thrones and openly weep without judgment. Make sure your roommate knows you need your space and alone time. It’s not you being a jerk, it’s you loving yourself and making sure you have time to decompress. 5.     Get rid of them. If all else fails, take back your castle! Or studio apartment, or whatever. Put Nair in their conditioner, tell them you have mono and promise to infect the whole apartment unless they leave. Get a cat and tell them Mr. Whiskers is moving into their room. This may be tricky since there are legally binding leases involved with having roommates, but no matter! Go Lindsay-Lohan-Parent-Trap style on their ass and move all their furniture to the roof.  No, don’t do any of those things. If you and a roommate literally can’t see eye-to-eye, it’s best to try and figure out alternative arrangements for one of you. Living with someone you despise is completely toxic and so detrimental to both your mental and physical health. roommates / studz I’ve been lucky to make some wonderful friends through living with people (all the ones featured in these photos + ones who are not) It’s completely possible to cohabitate with another human being without the result being homicide. Roommate scuffles can be a battleground in which the worst version of you becomes a warrior. As long as your roommate isn’t a total sociopath, you should be able to sit down and discuss things thoroughly. We’re here in college to get an education, but we’re also here to gain the life skills necessary to be independent, experienced adults.

italki 2016 New Year Language Challenge Public Pledge videos !

italki 2016 New Year Language Challenge Public Pledge videos ! Dont forget to sign up for yourself, this time is FREE! Get the New Year of to a great start! Life Hacks research  has shown that if you put yourself up to something by making a public commitment, are likely to reach your goals because  others are watching.  Use peer-pressure to your advantage! Help out your fellow language learners participating in the challenge!  Leave words of encouragement on their notebook entries! Roman   from Russia is learning ASL(American Sign Language) Roman is a member of Mobile App development team in italki.  He has already completed previous italki Language Challenges and this time hes going to discover the mysteries of ASL (American Sign Language)! The rest of our team enjoyed his public pledge video, so give him some support by leaving a quick message in his  notebook. Tay is learning Italian! Shes been learning Italian for a year already and has set goals to master pronouns and carry on a conversation with a native speaker.  We have no doubt she will see lots of improvement in time for her to lead a tour to Italy! Laeticia  is learning Korean! We have no doubt shell soon be ordering food like a champion and chatting all day on KakaoTalk with her friends in Korea!  Good luck! Kai from Singapore is learning Korean! Mamen   from Spain is learning Italian! Mamen is a professional Spanish teacher on italki and shes participating our New Years Language Challenge learning Italian! Indran from Missouri, USA is learning Arabic! He already has a lot of confidence while speaking!  Best of luck to Indran as he continues to improve his Arabic. Alyssa is learning Slovene! AND FRENCH!!! Alyssa has studied French before but is worried she will forget her it if she doesnt use it.  What a great opportunity to refresh skills she learned in the past!  Use it, so you dont lose it! Omar from Mexico City is learning Latin! Omar already speaks fluent Spanish and English.  Now he has the dream to travel to Vatican City to attend and understand a mass with the Popegiven entirely in Latin!  Good luck, Omar!  Carpe Diem! Hannah  a.k.a. Océanne  is learning Icelandic and Finnish Hannahs friends have been telling her about italki for a long time and shes ready to join us.   Good luck learning Icelandic!  We look forward to seeing your progress! Eileen is learning Portuguese! Her goal is to speak fearlessly when talking to her tutor.  We have no doubt she will be chatting like a pro after our challenge! Michaela from New Zealand is studying  Hebrew and Arabic! Good luck Michaela!  Your hard work is going to pay off! Vera is working to improve her English! Good job, Vera.  Your English is already very good, and it will continue to improve with this challenge. Kevin is learning Urdu! Wow, it already sounds great Kevin.  Keep up the good work! italki 2016 New Year Language Challenge Public Pledge videos ! Dont forget to sign up for yourself, this time is FREE! Get the New Year of to a great start! Life Hacks research  has shown that if you put yourself up to something by making a public commitment, are likely to reach your goals because  others are watching.  Use peer-pressure to your advantage! Help out your fellow language learners participating in the challenge!  Leave words of encouragement on their notebook entries! Roman   from Russia is learning ASL(American Sign Language) Roman is a member of Mobile App development team in italki.  He has already completed previous italki Language Challenges and this time hes going to discover the mysteries of ASL (American Sign Language)! The rest of our team enjoyed his public pledge video, so give him some support by leaving a quick message in his  notebook. Tay is learning Italian! Shes been learning Italian for a year already and has set goals to master pronouns and carry on a conversation with a native speaker.  We have no doubt she will see lots of improvement in time for her to lead a tour to Italy! Laeticia  is learning Korean! We have no doubt shell soon be ordering food like a champion and chatting all day on KakaoTalk with her friends in Korea!  Good luck! Kai from Singapore is learning Korean! Mamen   from Spain is learning Italian! Mamen is a professional Spanish teacher on italki and shes participating our New Years Language Challenge learning Italian! Indran from Missouri, USA is learning Arabic! He already has a lot of confidence while speaking!  Best of luck to Indran as he continues to improve his Arabic. Alyssa is learning Slovene! AND FRENCH!!! Alyssa has studied French before but is worried she will forget her it if she doesnt use it.  What a great opportunity to refresh skills she learned in the past!  Use it, so you dont lose it! Omar from Mexico City is learning Latin! Omar already speaks fluent Spanish and English.  Now he has the dream to travel to Vatican City to attend and understand a mass with the Popegiven entirely in Latin!  Good luck, Omar!  Carpe Diem! Hannah  a.k.a. Océanne  is learning Icelandic and Finnish Hannahs friends have been telling her about italki for a long time and shes ready to join us.   Good luck learning Icelandic!  We look forward to seeing your progress! Eileen is learning Portuguese! Her goal is to speak fearlessly when talking to her tutor.  We have no doubt she will be chatting like a pro after our challenge! Michaela from New Zealand is studying  Hebrew and Arabic! Good luck Michaela!  Your hard work is going to pay off! Vera is working to improve her English! Good job, Vera.  Your English is already very good, and it will continue to improve with this challenge. Kevin is learning Urdu! Wow, it already sounds great Kevin.  Keep up the good work!

American Chemistry Society Exam - What Are The American Chemistry Society Exam And How Can You Prepare For It?

American Chemistry Society Exam - What Are The American Chemistry Society Exam And How Can You Prepare For It?If you are interested in taking the American Chemistry Society exam, you are probably reading this article because you are looking for some good information on how to prepare. There are actually three different options you can take a look at. Each of these courses will have its own set of prerequisites that you must meet before being eligible to register for the course.The first method you can choose from is that of taking an online preparation course. You may have heard of the internet and how it can help you find many different types of education and training.Many people are starting to use the internet to help them prepare for their actual exam. This allows them to study and apply what they have learned during the online course to the actual exam. Not only does this allow you to get the knowledge you need to pass your American Chemistry Society exam, but it also gives you an opportunity to brush up on any additional skills you might have such as problem solving or critical thinking.As far as material goes, you'll need to bring back a copy of all of your textbooks with you when you arrive. You'll also need to bring the appropriate scientific notebook of notes so that you can record your notes. Taking a practice test on your computer is a great way to do this.You should also bring along an instructor who will help you with the chemical formulas and other useful pieces of information. The classroom will be one of the best ways to make sure that you understand the material and also will give you the opportunity to interact with the instructor. At the same time, you'll also get an excellent opportunity to meet others who are interested in this very specific field of study.Now that you have a better idea of the different ways you can approach the exam, you can take a closer look at what the course offers. There are different sections of the course, which a llow you to learn more about how to prepare for the American Chemistry Society exam. Each section includes a number of practice tests, which will help you get used to the format and familiarize yourself with the material.Some of the sections also include an actual exam with a simulation of the actual exam. This makes the materials even more interesting and helpful to understand, which helps you learn a lot more than simply reading about it. The material you study on the practical exam will also help you decide on which test you'll be taking.

Atlanta Georgia Online Schools - Tutoring Degrees at The Vanderbilt University

Atlanta Georgia Online Schools - Tutoring Degrees at The Vanderbilt UniversityTutoring at The Vanderbilt University in Atlanta, Georgia, is a program that can provide you with the degree of Master of Science in Teaching (MS TES) with an emphasis on Education and Teaching. This course allows students to study education through various fields such as applied education, science, and mathematics.Your chosen field can be as varied as computer science, biology, sociology, and more. Students have the option to get a bachelor's degree or even a master's degree. Any student who chooses to pursue education or teaching in Atlanta Georgia is accepted to the program.Whether you're looking for a bachelor's degree or a master's degree, your online college, also known as online degree, will be able to offer you an excellent education. Online tutoring and online classes can give you an excellent education. With this type of education, you can become a part of a learning community that includes online tutors, or the learning community can be self-teaching.Tutoring DeKalb Indiana has a program known as the Core Curriculum where all students enroll. You can study in a wide variety of subjects.Masters students take up the Masters in Teaching program. Here you can opt for teaching in various teaching professions.Another program offered by the tutoring dekalb Indiana is called Masters in Education Administration (MET). This course will help students strengthen their strengths such as organization, critical thinking, and communication skills. It also prepares them to promote the learning environment within the campus.These programs are offered in online college where students can study in their area of interest. The program is an excellent option because it allows the student to pursue a degree while staying at home. This gives the student the chance to enjoy life and avoid the demands of schooling.

Organic Chemistry Tutor Amines - Why You Need One

Organic Chemistry Tutor Amines - Why You Need OneIf you're looking for an organic chemistry tutor to teach you about organic chemistry, then you need to do a little homework first. Organic chemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with the organic compounds, chemical building blocks and reactions that occur in nature.This means you'll learn about chemical interaction, reaction mechanisms, chemical bonding, molecular structure, interactions between various types of molecules, and chemical behavior. It also includes non-chemical processes as well. All of these concepts are relevant to organic chemistry in general. The branch is basically a branch of physics and chemistry.But it's not used in the laboratory to make materials or products, which is why it's so misunderstood. You'll be able to see yourself developing a wide variety of chemistry-related skills. The following article provides more information about organic chemistry tutor Amines.Amines is an international lecturer who is passionate about teaching chemistry. He has taught organic chemistry for over twenty years and has earned an advanced degree in the field of teaching.Amines teaches organic chemistry on the college level, online, in his own classes, and at his accredited school, The University of Kentucky, in Lexington, Kentucky. He also works closely with the Kentucky Polytechnic Institute to train new teachers, as well as for graduate students at the university.As with most people who have a lot of such expertise, Amines is an expert in all aspects of science, particularly in chemistry. He's given over one hundred talks about organic chemistry on television, radio, and at conferences around the country.When it comes to choosing an organic chemistry tutor, Amines has some useful advice. He says it's best to work with someone who is passionate about organic chemistry and has years of experience working with all types of chemistry. He suggests working with someone who is an expert in organic chemist ry, who know it inside and out, and whose approach to teaching is truly flexible.

Top 5 Strategies to Improve Your Math Grades

Top 5 Strategies to Improve Your Math Grades Online Math tutoring  works on given strategies and builds your confidence to solve any problem.  Tutor online  guide you through apply simple strategy of taking things one step at a time and practice number of varied Math problems. Encourage the process of discovery and reasoning: Math is the subject that starts with answer to what is being sought and why. Encourage your child to glimpse the bigger picture. Mathematicians seek to discover conclusion of any Math problem logically from clearly laid down grounds. The tutor should develop strategy to instill the rigor of thinking and reasoning into the student. It becomes essential asset to succeed in Math. Understand that Math is not sequence of techniques used to seek solution but connect thinking towards problem solving.  Math tutor online  helps you to see relationship between reasoning and discovering right answer. Master the topic before moving to next topic: It sounds very simple but often students fail to adhere. Often students face hard time struggling some sticky Math topics. Out of frustration, they leave that topic and move to the next topic in the hope that they will understand it. However, they fail to understand both the topics. Typically, Math courses are designed in specific sequence as every topic builds on previous topic. When you face problem understanding one topic, continue working on the same topic till you feel confident enough to work problems successfully. Master the topic before you move to next topic. Work example problems and check answers to gain confidence: The students should learn Math topic from the textbook, properly study problems solving examples and start working examples given at the end of the topic. First, start working on simple problems having answers in the back of the textbook. Build your confidence starting with easier to harder and complex problems to solve. Simply reading a Math textbook cannot master you, but solving variety of problems can help you succeed in Math. Do not map out a path to answer before you start working Math problem: It is very common practice among students where they try to figure out any Math problem before they write down anything. They are tempted to solve equation in their head and think of the way to get the answer. However, this is wrong practice. Start writing down problem and begin to solve it step by step. Ensure that each step that you write down is mathematically legal. This will help you to break down problem in small chunks and proceed solving each chunk. This strategy is trial of your paper work. Draw picture of the problem if it lends itself:   This strategy works with Math Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus. Draw a picture of the problem to describe it in better way. The process of drawing the problem will give an idea about what the problem is asking for. This will help you to figure out how to proceed.

How To Improve Your Guitar Tone Without Buying New Gear

How To Improve Your Guitar Tone Without Buying New Gear Suzy S. Want better guitar tone without spending hundreds of dollars on new gear? Guitar teacher Ben M. shares how you can use the settings already on your electric guitar to drastically improve your sound When it comes to the electric guitar, players can be relentlessly dedicated to achieving the perfect guitar tone. Guitar tone (also called guitar sound) is most simply defined as the sound your guitar produces. Guitar tone can be compared to a painting; it is a masterpiece that results from blending different colors together. In this case your colors are bass, treble, mids, your amplifier, and any effects a guitarist may use. Guitarists pride themselves on their tone because it is what sets them apart as an artist and gives them their own unique sound. But don’t be fooled by this brief definition, guitar players can spend countless hours, days, and even weeks carefully sculpting their ideal tone. However, the good news is that guitar tone is in fact 100% personal and every player, no matter how experienced, has the ability to dial in great guitar tone without spending a fortune on fancy gear (though it is important to have the essentials). This article focuses on simple ways to improve your tone by simply using  all the built-in features your electric guitar already has. First Steps  to Improve Your Guitar Tone When beginning to work on improving your tone it is important to ask yourself a few basic questions: What aspects of my current tone do I like? What aspects do I dislike? (too dark, too bright, etc) Based on my playing style and genre, what aspects of my playing do I want to highlight in my tone (for example: sparkling chords, thick power chords, or clear solo bends) After analyzing what you’ve discovered, set a goal. Maybe you are trying to imitate your favorite guitar idol’s tone or want to focus on creating your own sound. Regardless of what your goal is, an important thing to keep in mind (especially for beginners) is to always start with what you have. How to Use Your Guitar Tone Settings While many players may rush to their local music store and walk out with a handful of effects pedals or even a new amp, most players tend to forget one of the most basic aspects of their guitar’s anatomy; the pickup selector switch and the tone and volume control knobs. Below is a quick breakdown of an electric guitar’s tone settings: Pickup Selector Switch Selects which pickup is active on your guitar. Most guitars have three  switch positions; some guitars like Fender Stratocasters have five. Bridge Pickup (farthest down): bright, sparkling sound, lots of treble Middle Position: warm and shimmery sound, high mids Neck Pickup (farthest up): full and rounded sound, more bass Volume Control Controls the master volume of your guitar, or the amount of signal that will come out of your amplifier. Tone Control Controls the brightness or darkness of your guitar’s sound by adding or reducing the amount of bass/treble in the signal. Bass = darker tone with lots of low end. Treble = brighter tone with lots of high end and sparkle. How to Adjust Your Guitar Knobs for Better Guitar Tone Now that we have established the basics, let’s focus on learning how to use the guitar  knobs. Players of all levels continue to leave their controls dialed up to 10 all the time, restricting them from loads of undiscovered tone possibilities. To make a comparison, that’s like buying a sports car and only driving it only in first gear. A simple concept that can really help develop a guitar player’s control over their tone is getting into the habit of setting your tones with the volume and tone controls below their maximum levels. When you dial in your tone with the knobs at 10, you have limited adjustment options. Only being able to turn down the knobs will typically make your sound muddy. By giving the controls room to expand, you have an array of possibilities if your tone needs adjusting. Below are common ways to use your guitar controls and bring up your guitar playing IQ. Guitar  Knob Techniques Basic Boost: The volume knob can act as a boost which can take your guitar from clean sounds for rhythm playing to dirty overdrive tones for soloing. When playing a song keep your volume knob at 6 or 7 when playing chords or verse parts and when it’s time to deliver a rockin’ solo roll up the volume to 10 and you will not only hear a boost of gain (overdrive) but also a volume lift over any other instruments in the song. Signal Clean Up: Perhaps your tone is too distorted and you want to reduce the harshness and clean up the signal without changing your amp/effects settings. Simply roll off the volume knob on your guitar a bit and the signal will clean up rather effectively. Buzz Killer: How many players have cringed at the level of buzz coming out of your amp? Guitar buzz is commonly caused by poor grounding in your guitar’s electronics and usually requires repairing. But as a quick fix, turning down the volume knob until the hum is quelled can make your guitar sound more pleasing to the ear. Set Polisher: If you are in a band, always turn the volume knob down while on stage in between songs to avoid buzz. This makes your set seem much more polished and professional. Volume Sweller: A more advanced technique with the volume knob is called swelling. Play a chord or note with the volume knob off and gently roll it back (many players use their pinky on the side of the knob) to let the sound pass through again. Experiment rolling up the knob fast or slow and see what happens. This takes practice but can produce awesome sounds when used while playing. Guitar Tone Control Techniques Tone Warmer: Keeping the tone knob around 9 or 10 is best for warm tones like Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix type sounds. This means the guitar signal has lots of treble making the high ends of the signal sparkle. Tone Darkening: Roll back the tone knob for darker sounding tones like Sunshine of Your Love by Cream or the wholesome solo tone from American Woman by The Guess Who. This setting brings out the bass or low end in the signal. Onboard Wah-Wah: A more advanced tip with tone control is using the tone knob as an onboard wah-wah effect. In essence a wah-wah pedal is just a giant tone control adding treble when pressed down and adding bass when pulled back. You can emulate this effect by playing a chord or note and twisting the tone control rapidly, or slowly, from its maximum level to minimum level (much like volume swelling.) This requires practice and technique but you can get great wah-wah sounds without buying the pedal itself. After reading this article, hopefully you can understand why improving your guitar tone is vital to developing as a player and that there are endless sonic possibilities at your disposal already. Experiment with some of the techniques from this article and find what kind of sounds are most pleasing to your ear. Mastering a guitar’s controls, like playing the guitar itself, takes time so be persistent. Having a solid understanding of the most basic tone tools will not only boost your guitar playing IQ, but also push you in the direction of guitar tone paradise. Do you have any guitar tone questions? Join the conversation in the comments below! Post Author:  Ben M. Ben M. is a student at Saint Josephs University and has nearly 10 years of guitar playing experience. He specializes in  beginner and intermediate guitar playing, blues guitar, and guitar repair. Learn more about Ben here! Photo by Tiago Cunha Interested in Private Lessons? 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