If you’re working to really develop as a player, learning to play lead is an important part of the well-rounded guitarist’s skill set. And besides, we all love a good guitar guitar solo. When I was a teenager first learning to play it was the most exciting part of the song. I idolized virtuoso soloists […]
Learning to understand harmony
Learning to play without understanding harmony is like speaking a language without understanding what the words mean. I should take a moment to qualify what I mean by “understanding”. It’s certainly worthwhile to learn enough music theory to able to identify the notes of a key, or spell a chord. But knowing the math isn’t […]
Learning to listen
Musicians listen differently than the average person. But anyone can learn to listen music more deliberately, and understand more about what they hear in the process. We might think of the way we listen casually as passive listening. This is the way you might hear music playing in the background, whether you’re driving your car, […]
Learning the notes: navigating the matrix
One of the great challenges of learning the guitar is that the logic of the notes on the neck isn’t easily apparent. By contrast, think of the layout of a piano keyboard. Low notes are on the left, high notes on the right. Move from one white key to the next and move up or […]
Professional skill vs personal style
I believe I developed a personal style as a player in spite of my education. This might sound like a flip statement, but it’s taken many years to understand. I’m grateful to have had the training I did, but I didn’t fully understand how working to become a professional could also slow the process of […]
Chops vs technique
When you think about “technique” or technical playing, you probably think of what musicians call “chops”. It’s a general term but it’s almost always used to refer to difficult or physically challenging music. Using your chops means playing fast, intricate parts, beyond the reach of players that don’t work to develop that ability. This isn’t […]
