Guitar technique

The Importance of Rhythm Guitar

2023-03-16T08:47:15+00:00

Rhythm Guitar is The Glue! So we all love a good bit of lead guitar. Slash’s “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” guitar solos, Angus Young’s iconic solos during “Back In Black”, and Kirk Hammett’s shredding in “Enter Sandman”. But one thing that all these great songs and guitar solos have in common is that they all possess a great rhythm guitarist keeping the whole thing together. Guns ’N Roses have Izzy Stradlin playing a mix of arpeggiated open chords and thick distorted powerchords throughout Slash’s guitar solos, AC/DC have Malcom Young rocking away on those classic rock open chords, and Metallica [...]

The Importance of Rhythm Guitar2023-03-16T08:47:15+00:00

II V I Tricks and Tips for Jazz Guitar Playing

2022-09-06T21:05:31+01:00

Play In One Position One thing that will prevent you from playing smooth lines through ii V I’s is having to jump all around to different positions on the neck because you’re only comfortable in certain positions for different arpeggios. Before you start trying anything too crazy with your ii V I’s, spend the time to get super familiar with playing all arpeggios in one position on the neck both for if you have the root note on the low E string or the A string. Once you have learned the minor 7th, dominant 7th, and major 7th arpeggios in this [...]

II V I Tricks and Tips for Jazz Guitar Playing2022-09-06T21:05:31+01:00

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

How To Memorise The Notes of The Guitar Neck

2022-05-05T22:10:42+01:00

Many guitarists will reach a point when they want to understand more of what they are playing, rather than relying on shapes or thinking about fret numbers! Memorising the notes on the fretboard is a great way to do this, and can be achieved a few different ways. Learning the guitar is quite a unique experience when it comes to learning the theory behind what you are playing, or even what notes you are playing. This is due to the guitars layout across the neck, being much less visually helpful when it comes to memorising the notes of the fretboard. This [...]

How To Memorise The Notes of The Guitar Neck2022-05-05T22:10:42+01:00

Is the guitar relevant in pop music?

2021-08-15T11:27:57+01:00

Why is the guitar less prominent these days? To most people, pop music these days means slick, polished production that appears near perfect, although the sound of pop and what exactly is pop music is something that has changed drastically throughout the decades. Pop music of the 1960s and 1970s was far less “perfect”, as this was an age of minimal editing of the band or artists performance once they had been recorded in the studio, as the performance was already committed on tape. These days however, digital audio workstations (DAW’s) allow for endless editing meaning the performance that goes into [...]

Is the guitar relevant in pop music?2021-08-15T11:27:57+01:00

5 Ways to stay motivated when practising guitar

2021-03-02T11:39:18+00:00

Discover 5 ways to stay motivated when practising the guitar. Improve your practice routine and improve your guitar playing! All teachers have had conversations with students about practise routines and we’ve all dealt with students who are feeling less than motivated to practise. Here are 5 ways to stay motivated when practising. These tips can be used if you are a teacher with a student feeling the pinch of motivational depression or if you are a student looking to give yourself a boost. 1. Progress Chart For young students, I find progress charts are a great way to encourage them to [...]

5 Ways to stay motivated when practising guitar2021-03-02T11:39:18+00:00

Developing speed in your guitar playing

2020-07-01T18:26:11+01:00

As a young lad (around 15) I was very fascinated with speed and virtuoso guitar playing. In fact, I am still fascinated, and to some degree, I have become a young virtuoso on the guitar myself. Initially, I was incredibly frustrated with my guitar speed. I could play fast, but not accurate and certainly not at lightning speed. (At least not without pull-offs and hammer-ons) I entered a period of seeking... speed playing was a mystery to me... It was like some talent bestowed only on the few lucky ones: Paco De Lucia, Yngwie Malmsteen, John McLaughlin, to name a few... [...]

Developing speed in your guitar playing2020-07-01T18:26:11+01:00
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