Learning to play the guitar

Strumming Hand VS. Fretting Hand – Which is More Important?

2024-04-16T13:16:38+01:00

We need both hands to play the guitar, but which is more important? We need to make all of the chords with our fretting hand, but they won’t make much sound without the strumming hand! So which one is more important?Strumming hand vs. fretting hand - which is more important?Role of the fretting handWhen we first start learning the guitar, a lot of thought is given to the fretting hand.This will be important as we are constantly thinking about which strings and frets each finger needs to be on for both riffs and chords, as well as which fingers should be [...]

Strumming Hand VS. Fretting Hand – Which is More Important?2024-04-16T13:16:38+01:00

How Playing Along to Songs will Make You a Better Musician

2024-04-16T13:06:27+01:00

Not only is jamming along to your favourite songs at home a whole lot of fun, it is also a great pathway to becoming a better musician! This will improve your ability to stay in time, your dynamic sensibilities, awareness of the vocals, and your overall musicianship. How playing along to songs will make you a better musician Staying in time One of the major skills that you are going to develop from playing along to songs is the ability to stay in time, which is something you aren’t tested on as much when you are playing by yourself solo. You [...]

How Playing Along to Songs will Make You a Better Musician2024-04-16T13:06:27+01:00

How to Learn Songs by Ear on the Guitar

2024-03-06T08:43:43+00:00

Listen to the bass! Learning songs by ear is a lot of fun, and a skill that will come in extremely handy for you both at home for your own enjoyment and in jam sessions/rehearsals when you need to be able to pick things up quickly without TAB’s or sheet music. When starting off on your ear training journey, keep things simple and try to learn a simple four-chord-song that will have pretty straightforward information for you to transcribe. Let’s take “With Or Without You” by U2 as our first example. This will use the same four chords the entire way [...]

How to Learn Songs by Ear on the Guitar2024-03-06T08:43:43+00:00

Should I Complete Grades On Guitar?

2023-05-08T13:45:47+01:00

Preface A question that I often get asked by students and parents of school aged students is should I/my child complete grades on the guitar? It’s a great question with no clear answer; this will very much depend on the student and what their goals on the guitar will be. If you are not familiar, many different companies will have a series of books designed to teach students the fundamentals of playing an instrument, requiring them to play several pieces as well as also scales and technical exercises. These come in different grades, usually starting at a Debut or Initial grade [...]

Should I Complete Grades On Guitar?2023-05-08T13:45:47+01:00

The Role Of Funk Guitar

2023-04-05T12:21:30+01:00

Less Is More When we’re talking about funk guitar or just funk in general, less is more is the mindset that we need to approach it with. Funk is all about the space between the notes, rather than the notes themselves. In fact, what usually makes up a funk song is rather simple. Unlike other musical styles, funk is often centred around one or two chords, usually one chord per section of a song, meaning it is much more rhythmically driven rather than harmonically. When we think of funk we often think of one artist in particular, that artist of course [...]

The Role Of Funk Guitar2023-04-05T12:21:30+01:00

How To Play Major and Minor Triads Horizontally Across The Guitar Neck!

2023-02-03T13:30:35+00:00

What Are Triads? So before we start jumping into playing triads across the guitar neck, let’s have a recap of what  triads are to start with. The triad is the simplest form of a chord that we have in music, comprised of  three notes stacked on top of each other, hence the name. The triad comes from the major or natural  minor scale, and is formed when you play the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees together at the same time.  These three notes can go on to form the core of many other different types of chords. Whether you know [...]

How To Play Major and Minor Triads Horizontally Across The Guitar Neck!2023-02-03T13:30:35+00:00

How To Get Started With Strumming On The Guitar

2022-12-06T15:22:57+00:00

How do I strum properly on the guitar? How do I hold the pick? Which way do I strum? All are valid questions when learning how to get started with strumming on the guitar, and are important to think about when learning the basics. Strum Some Simple Open Chords With A Plectrum Strumming can be a strange concept to a beginner guitarist who has perhaps played more simple riffs and single note melodies on the guitar. Many beginners will start off by learning a few simple open chords (such as C, G, Am, D, Em ect.) and may be strumming [...]

How To Get Started With Strumming On The Guitar2022-12-06T15:22:57+00:00

What Is The First Thing To Learn As A Beginner On The Guitar?

2022-10-31T13:08:51+00:00

The Basics! So I suppose the most logical place to start your guitar journey would be at the beginning (duh!) with the basics! You would think that this would be fairly obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people skip over the core fundamentals of playing the guitar because they are in a rush to learn their favourite songs! I always start every first guitar lesson with: the body parts of the guitar, the open string names, basic fretting technique and basic strumming technique. These fundamentals are extremely important to get right in the beginning to then build upon later down [...]

What Is The First Thing To Learn As A Beginner On The Guitar?2022-10-31T13:08:51+00:00

What Are Power Chords And How To Use Them?

2022-08-16T11:18:47+01:00

How To Make A Power Chord A sound that many of us will know well even if we have never played one before, power chords are used excessively in all different genres of music. Although these are most commonly heard on the guitar, specifically the electric guitar, they can also be played on piano using the same combination of notes. To make a power chord you will need your root note of the chord and the 5th above the root note played together. For example; for an A power chord we will need the root note A, and the 5th above [...]

What Are Power Chords And How To Use Them?2022-08-16T11:18:47+01:00

7 Tips For Learning The Guitar As An Adult

2022-06-28T09:17:04+01:00

Take Lessons! Adults need a bit of encouragement the same way that kids do, or even more when trying to find the motivation around work and family commitments! Taking regular lessons with a great tutor will keep you motivated and give you weekly tasks to work on to constantly encourage you to pick up the guitar at home. I always say to my students that the key to seeing progress is short but frequent bursts of practice. This can be incredibly hard to do on your own accord, so the thought of turning up to your weekly lessons and making an [...]

7 Tips For Learning The Guitar As An Adult2022-06-28T09:17:04+01:00
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