I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year talking with people about how they see themselves as players and musicians. I work with students with widely different levels of skill and musical goals, so of course everyone has their own story. But one thing I hear from a lot of people is that […]
Strum secrets 2: percussion and tonal quality
Guitars are percussion instruments that you strum. Like drums, we hit them to make a sound. Even a light touch has an “attack”: the way the finger or pick hits the string. The attack is the beginning of what we might call the “envelope” of the sound. If you’ve ever looked at audio waveforms on […]
The simple first step to getting better
Honestly, it’s so simple that you might wonder why it wasn’t obvious, but it’s not. The first step to playing better is to start noticing why you can’t. Everything we do on any instrument has two elements, mental (intentional) and physical (mechanical). On guitar, we direct the hand to the notes we want to play. […]
Strum secrets 1: power vs finesse
Getting a good sound when you strum a guitar is all about how you hit it. The more your arm swings when strumming, the more force you apply. Strumming with a straight wrist and forearm creates the most power, but without some finer control it can sound brash and stiff. Relax the wrist and forearm, […]
The Perpetual Beginner
Who is the perpetual beginner? The perpetual beginner plays with the guitar but doesn’t feel like they play it. The perpetual beginner knows some chords, and probably some – even many – whole songs too, but feels like they’re doing the same thing over and over. The perpetual beginner has had ongoing struggles with the […]
Weekend Warrior blogs for JamPlay.com
The Weekend Warrior blog at JamPlay.com are on a variety of topics, but each one has a lesson you can master in a weekend. 3 James Taylor fingerstyle intros Spanish Madness: an introduction to classical-style picking Mastering Moveable Chords 3 licks in the style of Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) Basic Blues Rhythm 3 licks in the style […]
