If you’re taking music lessons as an adult, you might have memories of the experience as a child. Even if you didn’t take lessons yourself, you’ve got a mental picture of what that looks like. The student and teacher in a small room with a music stand, the little blue method book, and the gold […]
How can I make practicing scales more interesting?
If you’ve ever taken a guitar lesson, you’ve probably heard about the importance of practicing scales. You might have some questions about, what, exactly, one gets out of the exercise. Lots of people will use the word “tedious” and it’s not an unfair judgment. But practicing scales doesn’t have to be mind-numbing. (In fact, your […]
Guitar learning and the internet
The average person trying to learn guitar on the internet is being swamped with information. Too much information, frankly, because there are also lots of opinions on what has value to you and what doesn’t. Put those two things together and it’s hard to know what to practice, or whether you’re putting your energy in […]
The Etudes Project
What is the Etudes Project? What exactly is an “Eh-tude”? In classical music, an “Etude” is a piece written for students to practice a particular musical or instrumental technique; it’s just French for “Study”. But Etudes are also meant to be “real” music, to be performed on a stage and not just a practice room. […]
Remembering Eddie Van Halen
I started playing guitar in 1982, and for a teenager learning rock guitar there was no one who loomed larger. The story goes that Edward started out on drums but switched to guitar when his brother Alex could play “Wipeout” better than he could. By the time I was learning, “Eruption“, the stunning guitar solo […]
Chopin Plays The Changes
This is a guest post by David Hamburger, a great fingerstylist, blues authority, and a teacher I respect greatly. Check out his lesson on “Statesboro Blues“. School is back, sort of, but getting there on time was never our strong suit, and now we’re rusty. We live close enough to walk, but some mornings when […]
