The guitar is one of the most popular instruments. Whether you’re a child or an adult looking to learn to play the guitar, you must choose the right first guitar. Choosing, however, can sometimes be confusing and overwhelming. There are countless guitar styles available for both electric and acoustic guitars. When you walk into a musical instrument store, you can easily get lost in all the guitar brands, styles, and shapes. Shopping online is even …
Fernando Sor Study in B minor
Fernando Sor 1778-1839 “The Beethoven of the Guitar”, JosĂ© Fernando Macario Sors was born February 14th, 1778 in Barcelona, Spain. Sor was widely considered the best guitarist in his time by his peers and the general public. He composed for the guitar, ballet, opera, string quartet, orchestra, piano, and voice. Sor came from a family of military men and intended to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfathers before him. After his father …
Guitar Modes – A Beginners Guide to Modal Scales
Introduction to Modal Scales for Guitarists I know what you’re thinking. Oh, great. Another article on scales. You may be asking yourself the usual questions: Why do I need to learn these scales? Why do modal scales have such funny names? Are these scales really going to make me better? Can I really use modes in everyday guitar playing situations? These are the same things I asked myself over 30 years ago when I first …
Taking Your Music With You Wherever You Go
For many people, playing a musical instrument isn’t just a hobby, it’s their passion, which makes leaving it behind for college or vacation all the more difficult. So how can you take your music with you wherever you go? Here are a few things you could try. Invest in a good quality travel case If you really can’t bring yourself to leave your instrument behind, then the only answer is to bring it with you. …
5 Tips on How to Become a Better Musician
As an independent musician, several factors can disrupt your career. Maybe you’ve got a day or night job, social obligations, you’re in school, or other responsibilities that take top priority. So how will you create more time to focus on your talent? Just like any other endeavor, you need to create time for your creative work. How much you devote will mainly depend on the demands of your non-musical life. With this in mind, it’s …
Classical Guitar A Practical Guide – New Book Out Now
View Post20 Essential Guitar Chords for Beginners
If you’re new to playing the guitar and wondering what chords are suitable for a beginner guitarist, look no further. I’ve got you covered in this lesson… and then some. [Update] Since I wrote this lesson last year, I’ve written an accompanying chord book that goes even deeper. The Beginners Guide to Chords (35 pages) $9.99 You’ll find no shortage of downloadable guitar chord charts and graphs flying around the internet, so what makes this …
6 Simple Ways Parents Can Support Their Child’s Guitar Lessons
As a music teacher and private lesson instructor for a while now, I’ve taught them all. From ages 7-70, I’ve seen students become proficient on guitar no matter what their background. The challenges from younger learners are much different than with older ones. The sad thing is the reason most of the younger students (18 and under) quit is because of the parents. Without realizing it, parents may be hamstringing their child’s learning potential. With …
WristGrips – Compression Therapy for Guitarists
How’s it going in the practice room today? I had an action packed January full of gigs that concluded yesterday (Sunday) with the 5th of 5 straight gigs in a row. Now, if you’re a Rock Star doing a 90 minute concert or an original, regional band pulling a 45 minute set, chances are you may stop playing before the pain sets in. If you’re like me pulling 3-4 hour cover gigs, 200+ days per …
10 Essential Guitar Scales for Beginners
If you’re a beginning guitar player, you’ve probably heard the word “scales” before but may not be sure where to start. If you’ve tried a few, you may be wondering what the point is to this often tedious guitar playing chore. There are a few reasons why adding scales to your practice routine is super important: Scales build technique, strength and coordination in both hands on the guitar. Scales are the basis for all melody, …