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Musicians Affected by COVID-19

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

How COVID-19 is Affecting Guitarists 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 overnight. I’m not …

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Acoustic Inferno Virtual Gig No. 4- This Saturday 6PM!

In #Sanfording, Guitar Blog, Lifestyle, Music by Craig Smith

Acoustic Inferno Streaming LIVE, This Saturday, July 18th @ 6:00 P.M. Let’s do it! Another streaming shit show coming your way! Our first 2 streams were amazing thanks to YOU. We are ready to do another one THIS SATURDAY night. The tips and virtual ticket sales last time helped so much. We both can’t thank you all enough! All proceeds will be split between Lyndsley and Craig….  and of course, as with everything here on the …

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The Modal Scale Workout for Guitarists 2.0

In Guitar Blog, Music, Scales by Craig Smith

How the Guitar Mode Workout Started Back in the 1990s, I was teaching guitar lessons at Lentine’s Music in Akron, Ohio. I was teaching 6 days a week and playing gigs at night on the weekends. Before the internet, before cell-phones, before YouTube lessons… you had to take lessons in person from an actual person. I have a lot of great memories from those years. At one point I had over 70 students per week …

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How To Choose Your First Guitar

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

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 …

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Fernando Sor Study in B minor

In Classical Guitar, Guitar Blog, Music by Craig Smith

Fernando Sor 1778-1839 “The Beethoven of the Guitar”, José 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 …

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Guitar Modes – A Beginners Guide to Modal Scales

In Guitar Blog, Music, Practice and Technique, Scales by Craig Smith

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 …

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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 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. …

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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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20 Essential Guitar Chords for Beginners

In Chords, Guitar Blog, Practice and Technique by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

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 …