Guitar

When it comes to lead guitar, there are certain techniques you need to master. Whether you’re trying to learn your favorite guitar solo, or you’re looking to add some flare to your band’s songs, if you don’t add any feeling to your lead playing, you’re not going to come off sounding like a pro. “Feel”…

As you begin to delve into the world of scales, you might feel a little overwhelmed. There are a lot of different scales in music, many of which aren’t immediately applicable to the musical situations you’ll likely find yourself in, especially as a beginner. But you probably won’t know the difference between what matters now…

Unless you’re exclusively a jazz guitarist, odds are there’s going to come a time in your journey when you’ll need to learn string bending techniques. Even if you’re a complete beginner, you’ve probably heard lots of examples of string bending in the music you love: the intro to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”, the solo…

Are you new to string skipping? Are you looking to assimilate new techniques to include in your repertoire as a guitarist? Want to test out the cool new strings you’ve just bought? The amazing thing about a seemingly simply technique like string skipping is that it can go from easy and simplistic all the way…

A guitarist’s collection of gear inevitably grows, shrinks, and fluctuates over time. This is because a beginner often starts on inferior equipment – instruments, cables, pedals, amps and accessories that may be good enough to practice on, but aren’t ideal for recording or performing. And then, as they continue to grow and learn, guitarists usually…

There are many different ways to play the guitar. The instrument is so adaptable, in fact, that it would be nearly impossible to learn every style, every genre, or every technique. But finger picking is a technique that’s definitely worth learning, even if you’re a dedicated metal guitarist that could care less about “slow music”,…

Chromatic scales aren’t terribly musical, but they do make for good exercises or speed drills. They can help you build your finger strength and dexterity, coordination, speed, and so on. As you probably know, there are 12 notes in the 12-tone western scale. A chromatic scale is merely a scale with all 12 pitches in…

Learning guitar by ear has become a bit of a lost art. It could be because guitar tablature is more accessible than ever, and we’d much rather get the gratification of learning and playing our favorite songs as quickly as possible instead of going through the trouble of figuring them out note for note. I…

Scales are the foundation of melodies, riffs, licks, solos, and improvisation. Rhythm guitar can be a lot of fun. But if you want to break out of just strumming and picking chords, and start throwing in some cool flourishes in your playing, you’ll have to learn your scales. At first, scales aren’t that interesting, so…

Something a colleague of mine said has stuck with me over the years: Chords are frozen arpeggios, and arpeggios are melted chords. I can’t remember exactly who it was that shared that with me, but I am thankful for that description, because it’s exactly how I explain arpeggios to my students today. And – just…

Here’s the good news about beginner guitar chords – there are only eight you need to know. The bad news is that some beginners find it difficult to pick these up. You may want to start with some simple single note, double stop, triad, or flatpicking exercises before you start pulling your hair out trying…

You don’t want your guitar students to treat your lessons like they treat any other class in school. Why? Because music is supposed to be fun, and your students aren’t going to stick with it if it isn’t. This doesn’t mean that your students won’t come and go. Inevitably, they will hit certain milestones in…

As a guitar teacher, I often get asked which guitar is better for beginners; acoustic guitars, or electric guitars? And, the simple answer is that both choices are valid. Neither the acoustic guitar nor the electric guitar is necessarily a better choice. But I know you’re looking for a little more meat to the answer,…

Proper guitar technique is all about establishing the right habits, and habits don’t stick unless you reinforce them through repetition and focused attention. Beginner guitarists typically need to be more reflective and granular in their approach. It’s about paying attention to every little detail, and getting a clear, crisp sound out of every note you…