If you believe you have no natural rhythm, you’re wrong. Rhythm is actually as natural as breathing, or a heartbeat. We use the term “pulse” in music for a reason! Your pulse might be faster or slower depending on the situation you’re in, but if it’s irregular you know there’s a problem. We walk in […]
How to make a guitar sing.
Some people can play a lot of notes, but the best players make the guitar sing. Why do some musicians command attention with a single note? Chops are impressive, and speed and flashy technique have their place. But the notes are just the beginning. Expression on the guitar comes from the player’s touch, and the […]
The one lead guitar rule you should never break.
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 […]
