Guitar technique

How to Play Rhythm Guitar in a Band – Tips and Tricks

2024-11-08T14:05:39+00:00

Rhythm guitar - sometimes considered the lesser guitar to lead, but once you really get into studying this art form you’ll soon discover that it is anything but! Lock In with the Bass and Drums As a rhythm guitarist you have a very important job, along with the bass and drums, to create a solid foundation for lead parts such as singers and lead guitars to soar on top of. If the foundations of the song are shaky, then the more noticeable lead parts won’t sit right and in the instance of playing live, these musicians will struggle to execute their [...]

How to Play Rhythm Guitar in a Band – Tips and Tricks2024-11-08T14:05:39+00:00

How to Improve Your Guitar Technique

2024-10-28T10:09:41+00:00

Something that is often skipped over in the early stages of learning, guitar technique will affect all aspects of your playing! Don’t take shortcuts by breezing over the basics. Make your playing the best it can be by improving your guitar technique! Fundamentals The most logical place to start when wanting to improve your guitar technique is with the fundamentals, as many players skip over these in order to jump to playing their favourite songs! This is one of the major hurdles I find as a guitar tutor when taking on a new student who is mainly self-taught, or has come [...]

How to Improve Your Guitar Technique2024-10-28T10:09:41+00:00

Is There Any Point to Learning Scales, or Are They Only Good as a Warm-Up Exercise?

2024-09-16T21:07:56+01:00

Yes, it’s great to run through some scales to warm up your fingers before jumping into your most recent song that you’re working on, but is that all that they’re good for? Absolutely not! Here are just a few examples of when you can draw on your knowledge of scales to make yourself a better guitarist and musician. Improvising One major area of playing an instrument that will require knowledge of scales is when you are improvising. Improvising will require prior knowledge of not only how to play scales on the guitar (or your instrument of choice), but when it [...]

Is There Any Point to Learning Scales, or Are They Only Good as a Warm-Up Exercise?2024-09-16T21:07:56+01:00

Going Back to the Basics in Your Guitar Playing

2024-06-26T21:19:09+01:00

As a guitarist, it's easy to get caught up in the thrill of playing new techniques, learning complex songs, and exploring different styles. However, it's essential to remember that a solid foundation in the basics is crucial for any level of guitarist, regardless of whether you're an intermediate or advanced player. In this article, we'll explore the importance of going back to basics and provide some practical tips on how to refocus your guitar playing. Why go back to basics? When you're an intermediate or advanced guitar player, it's tempting to skip over the basics and focus on more challenging [...]

Going Back to the Basics in Your Guitar Playing2024-06-26T21:19:09+01:00

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
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