That is like the question I get all the time:
- Philippe, what strings do you put on your guitar?
and, I know when I look in your eyes that you guys had… and maybe still have if you did not read this article yet, the same issue(s) I had. Finding the right strings!
Honestly, if you get into a store and look at the brands, you really start feel ing woozy, and then you start to try one set, and another, and another… and arrive on my blog – or come to one of my clinic – and anxiously ask me about strings.

Because I tried them all, and there is not a week I do not receive a set from a string company. Some are okay… the first days of their life but, like the butterflies, they do not last a long time. Others – let’s be honest – most of the brands have intonation issues… you have to run to the store to buy other 1st or 3rd strings (no kidding! I live in Texas and the time I get to the store it’s pitch dark, that’s how far it is!!!) and you realize you have to go back to the store because the new ones you get still have intonation problems… Other sets have they basses dead in 2 or 3 days… or break.
Seriously: do you want me to break in string during a show? I tour and play a lot and want to have reliable strings! And y’all know I bang the guitar and take all the guts out of the poor thing.

You never see me re-tuning the guitar when I perform (if you saw me, it’s because I was about to play open tuning… or it was when I did not have Alhambra Guitar… just buy the right stuffs guys) It’s not because I’m deaf … neither because I’m blond… it’s because the strings I use stay in tune, never break, last forever… are cheap and American. Read that well coming from a Frenchy: they are MADE IN ZE USA! Okay… Should I share more about the spirit? You want me to tell you I fence my Texas ranch with those strings?

So, what is the mistery? Well, I went to Africa to meet a wizard in Zambia and he gave me the answer… are you ready?

The basses are round anb rich because they use the best wire, the highest quality. Not the cheap one that will rust in no time. Also for the “EXP” basses, they put the coating ON the wire, not just on the strings. See? Have you tried the other ones? The ones that have been made the “fast way”? Just the coating sprayed on the whole string… and what happenend after that? It’s peeling off!!! Not only it looks nasty, like if your guitar contracted leprosy – or you which is worst! – and because of the peeling-off-fast-spayed-coating… your strings buzzes. Hey, you know what I’m talking about.


But not the strings I use… Did you hear my guitar buzzing? Peeling? Strings shredding away? Mais non!



I go great basses strings! The “Must”, the “Best”. They got the sustain you are looking for and the harmonic support.

What am I talking about?

- Go to the end of the concert hall next time you attend a classical guitar recital… you barely hear the basses. They are weak. But not the one I use!



And the trebles… no intonation issues. Why? Because they want to be so perfect they measure each string two hundred times.

How many times? 200 – TWO HUNDRED TIMES, dos cientos, zwei hundert, δύο εκατό!!! 200 times!

Those guys are so crazy about precision, they measure EACH string 200 times. It’s not only for fun .. or because they have time to kill… It’s because they have a vision:
- They want to make the best products ever because they take pride into what they do.
- One dissatisfied player will be talking to 8 people about how the strings caused them problems and they will talk to others who will talk to others… and so forth.



First, to measure the strings with such precision, they thought about hiring a bunch of elves, fairies and dwarves from the “Enchanted Forest” but, over the past 30 years, guitar strings have benefited from a wealth of engineering and manufacturing improvements and the brand I use are now made by utilizing automated computer-controlled winding machines. The result has been unprecedented quality and value for the guitarists. The trebles are sorted by a sophisticated computer-controlled laser machine which performs diameter/tension measurements and quality checks to insure precise intonation.
They want to make you satisfied… And they are.

What do I play?
The only real strings for pro… D’Addario. I use the Pro-Arte and also, on my spruce top guitar the Composites to give it a “warm gut alike touch”.

D’Addario Composite wound strings exclusively feature Zyex(R) multi-filament stranded core material, which delivers gut-like tone with extremely long life and consistency. The trebles come with two 3rd strings, one from the regular Pro Arte line (clear nylon) and one made from composite polymer (coffee colored) which has a brighter tone (the 1st and 2nd are also from the regular Pro Arte line).

Say you love me now… okay… a thank you would be enough. Cheers!

Take guitar lessons in Arlington

Guitar Lessons in Dallas Fort Worth

Guitar Lessons are tailored to YOUR needs.
I will design your personal curriculum, based on songs, music, you dream to play.

Playing internationally for more than 20 years, from Carnegie Hall to Montreal Jazz Festival, I will share with you the experience of a real professional.

You will learn music theory as you go, pick up a music by ear, improvise your own solo… and much more…

Four different locations in DFW area. Check the websites or contact me for info:
- Arlington
- Benbrook
- Fort Worth
- Mansfield

Each student is unique, in terms of his or her age, degree of musical knowledge and skill, stylistic interests, and style of learning. Private guitar lessons provide the opportunity to create a personalized approach to learning for each student.

The guitar lessons are always a nurturing environment that allows students to learn through guided exploration.

Everything for guitar students’ success:
Performances, guitar club – to meet other guitarists to play and jam with, competitions…
Priorities and focus are the goals and needs of each student so that progress can be made in a manner that is enjoyable and rewarding for each individual.
Therefore I design a curriculum for each student that is tailored to accommodate their specific needs and goals while including fundamental principles that are necessary for providing a foundation upon which a multitude of musical activities can be built. Beginners and advanced guitar lessons are offered.

My guitar students work in several general areas:

• Technique
• Weekly Study Pieces
• Repertoire Pieces
• Theory and Ear Training
• Improvisation and Composition
• Music Literature/History, and Critical Listening Skills

All these areas constitute a holistic curriculum that surpasses the more fragmented traditional approach of developing repertoire and technique alone. Each area reinforces the other thus allowing students to excel in all areas with greater fluency. While evaluating musical ability through performance is possibly the easiest way to gauge success, it is not the only way. Far too often many teachers work primarily in this area while neglecting the others. True artistry comes only after understanding. This approach shows students a musical world that can be enjoyed for their entire lifetime not only through performing, but also by attending concerts, supporting the arts in our schools and communities, collecting recordings, and by the many other countless ways that we experience this life-enriching activity.

Tuition and guitar lessons policy- Download a registration form.

The pride of being a guitar teacher is to listen to those wonderful and talented guitar students of mine.
What a reward!

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Learning with “Guitar Hero”

Guitar Lessons are tailored to YOUR needs.I will design your personal curriculum, based on songs, music, you dream toplay.
Playing internationally for more than 20 years, fromCarnegie Hall to Montreal Jazz Festival, I will share with you theexperience of a real professional.
You will learn music theory as you go, pick up a music byear, improvise your own solo… and much more…

Contact:Email Contact
Cell : 682-553-1028
Philippe’s Website:http://www.philippebertaud.com/

Guitar Hero II (Activision) places you in the role of a guitarist in a touring rock band. Through the use of a specially-designed, guitar-shaped game controller, you shred your way through 50 popular classic rock and heavy metal songs, trying to nail the guitar part for each. The game can clearly be a lot of fun for musicians and non-musicians alike, but does actually playing guitar provide an unfair advantage, and can it make you a better guitarist?
Most of the kids and teenager who ask for guitar lessons have been motivated by playing the game.

Therefore I decided to base all guitar lessons – for those who want to rock – on Guitar Hero. Using a visual method, and, step by step, including music theory, note reading and all the vocabulary and grammar needed to become an accomplished guitarist.

The very first benefit from Guitar Hero is through a required attention to rhythmic detail. Most songs involve quirky rhythmic figures that, in order to successfully complete, need to be learned. In many cases, younger guitarists have trouble internalizing some of the rhythmic aspects of playing guitar, and in these situations, Guitar Hero indeed helps them grow as a musician.

Additionally, Guitar Hero may help newer guitarists conquer the challenge of playing songs with multiple parts. As songs progress from verse, to bridge, to chorus, etc., the guitar parts often change dramatically. These different sections usually require some preparation to be able to move smoothly from part to part.

Traditionally, newer guitarists have trouble playing songs that involve multiple transitions from part to part – they get too wrapped up with what they’re playing now, and can’t think about what’s going to happen in four bars. Guitar Hero II may help these guitarists learn to look ahead, and anticipate changes in the music.

The benefits to guitarists aside, hard rock fans will find a whole lot to love about Guitar Hero – it’s air guitar brought to a whole new level.