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Music, Its Good For You!

In Interviews and Insights, Music by Craig Smith

The power of music is, quite frankly, mind-blowing. It is amazing how we can play a song, and within 30 seconds, our mood can change. Whether it is a slow love song or an upbeat summer jam, it can transport us to a different place entirely, completely impacting our emotions. This is something that you can use to your advantage, giving you the all-important pick-me-up whenever you need it. Music can lift your spirits when …

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Learning An Instrument – 4 Essential Tips

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Joe Weintraub

Learning an instrument can be a very fulfilling skill to have. In fact, learning music might even open up to new opportunities in your life. When learning an instrument there are some essential tips that are worth learning in order to be successful. Here are four essential tips for learning an instrument. Invest In A Decent Instrument Ffirst thing you should make sure the instrument you’re investing in is a decent one. Like anything in …

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How Musicians Are Affected by COVID-19

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Craig Smith

  How COVID-19 is Affecting Guitarists and Musicians Well, this is a guitar website after all… We’re all musicians, we’re all in this together; even if it doesn’t always seem that way in heated political discussions on social media. (I’m guilty, I know) Things have changed A LOT. The 2nd week of March 2020, I was finishing up a typical 5-gig week. On that following Monday, everything was cancelled. Everything on my calendar gone, literally …

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Taking Your Music With You Wherever You Go

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Craig Smith

For many people, playing a musical instrument isn’t just a hobb. For some, 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 can’t bring leave your instrument behind, then bring it with you. Before taking your instrument with you …

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5 Tips on How to Become a Better Musician

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Craig Smith

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 …

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6 Ways Parents Support Kids Guitar Lessons

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Craig Smith

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 …

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Develop a Better Ear – Guitarists and Musicians

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Craig Smith

One of the most important skills you can develop as a musician is a “good ear”. The ability to match pitch and audiate on the guitar is fundamentally important in all aspects of your playing. If you want to Develop A Better Ear, check out this article below. Developing your ear will make your improvisation more creative and melodic. As a result, it will improve your composition and make learning and accurately playing any piece …

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10 Ways To Get Your Kids Into Music

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music by Joe WeintraubLeave a Comment

Getting your kids into music can start as early as in the womb. Many parents-to-be report excited kicks coming from their tummy when singing to their unborn babies or playing good music. Music can bring great joy and speak to the soul. As a result, it has many benefits that can seriously improve quality of life. Music increases brain power and memory and gives kids a form of artistic expression. It also improves creativity, can …

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Guitarist Bobby Koelble Interview & Lesson

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music, Practice and Technique by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

I want to start this article by saying, I’m just a big fan of Guitarist Bobby Koelble. He’s the type of Guitarist I want to be like “when I grow up”. I like to think of myself as a busy musician. I’m writing, teaching and performing 4-6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. But… theres busy… and there’s Bobby Koelble busy. I like to think I’m fairly versatile on the guitar. I’ve done my …

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10 Essential Guitar Albums

In Guitar Blog, Interviews and Insights, Music, Reviews by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

I love lists! There are so many ‘greatest guitarist’ and ‘greatest guitar album’ lists out there, why should you care about mine? The biggest fault I see is in the lack of diversity found in most best guitar albums lists. When making a greatest guitar music album list, I think it’s essential to cross into different genres of music. It’s important to also cover as many techniques as possible. ….and why does the music all …