How the Guitar Modal Scale 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. Consequently, at one point I had over 70 students …
Fernando Sor Study in B minor
Guitarist Fernando Sor 1778-1839 “The Beethoven of the Guitar”, José Fernando Macario Sors, aka Fernando Sir, 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 …
Guitar Modes – Essential Guitar Scales
Introduction to Modal Scales for Guitarists I know what you’re thinking. Oh, great. Another article on guitar scales. You may be asking yourself the usual questions: These are the same things I asked myself over 30 years ago when I first started using the Modal Scales in my everyday guitar playing. I remember back in the late 1980’s when I was first starting out on the guitar, reading about these mysterious scales in magazine interviews …
Taking Your Music With You Wherever You Go
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 …
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 …
6 Ways Parents Support Kids 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 …
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 are the best scales for guitar practice. There are a few reasons why adding scales to your guitar practice routine is super important: Scales build technique, strength and coordination in both hands on the guitar. Scales are the basis for all melody, solos and …
Develop a Better Ear – Guitarists and Musicians
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 …
What You Should Look for in a Guitar App
What Should You Look for in a Guitar App? Using apps is one of the ways beginners can learn to play acoustic, electric or bass guitar. It’s convenient and allows you to practice and review lessons even when you’re on the go and even when you don’t have your beginner electric guitar around. But with the number of guitar apps out there, how do you know which one will meet your needs? Here are the …
10 Ways To Get Your Kids Into Music
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 …