July 30, 2019
Choosing the right guitar is a pretty important part of a guitarist’s career. While some people have extra money to burn to collect instruments, most people need to think carefully about a guitar purchase. The next guitar you buy may be your main axe for many years to come. Check out these five tips.
July 25, 2019
One of the hidden barriers to progress can be thinking we know more than we do. I remember thinking that I “knew” the pentatonic scale and feeling that there was something else that I needed to know if I wanted to play even simple solos and riffs. If I could go back in time and teach myself, I would share the information that I now show to my own students today.
July 23, 2019
Sweep picking is one of the most coveted techniques on the guitar and has become surrounded with myth and legend. While it's true that it takes real dedication and a good deal of practice to completely master sweep picking, it's nowhere near as difficult to learn when you know the secrets behind it.
July 20, 2019
There are a ridiculous amount of myths and misconceptions regarding music theory among the guitar community. To really understand how theory should or shouldn't be playing a role in your pursuit of the guitar, it's important to dispel a few of these misconceptions.
July 16, 2019
Imagine you're at a large gathering of people waiting for a band to come in and perform. The band cancels at the last minute leaving everyone disappointed and bored. The gathering needs some live music and you're the only person there who can play the guitar. An acoustic guitar is available but you have no songs ready and nothing prepared. Would you be able to entertain the audience and keep them engaged for an hour without preparations, without a repertoire, and nothing but an acoustic guitar?
July 9, 2019
Winning isn’t everything, but it sure is important. How many times have you had a “winning experience” at some point in the day and felt negative afterword? Seldom. What we do as guitar players to improve can be a slow, gradual move forward. For example, today I can play this at 79 bpm when yesterday it was 78 bpm. Progress? No doubt. But it doesn’t really feel like winning does it?
July 2, 2019
From the beginner or intermediate standpoint, becoming a master seems like an impossible goal. As I've said on a few occasions, this is because it would take many lifetimes to achieve mastery if your progress continued at the same rate as it does when you first start out. However, since we know there are masters of the guitar, we can easily deduce that the rate of progress actually increases exponentially over time.
July 2, 2019
Feel is your guitar fingerprint, the totally unique aspect of your playing style. It doesn’t matter your level of experience, there is something unique about your sound.