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10 Tips For Playing Live In A Band

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

Performing live can be scary for new musicians – especially if it’s your first gig. I’ve been playing live now for a little over 27 years now. Thousands of gigs! (Thats me in the pic above playing live at The Gaylord Palms, Orlando in 2013) I’m still learning.. and like any good musician, you should be too! If you want your live performances to go smoothly, make sure to avoid some of these common mistakes. …

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Guitar Practice Routines – An Interview with 5 Pro Guitarists

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

While on my ‘Virtual Book Tour’ promoting The 7 Day Practice Routine For Guitarists, it occurred to me to ’round-up’ some of my favorite players both Local and National to talk a bit about what they practice on a daily basis. As much as I love playing and teaching the guitar… I also really love talking and writing about it too. It was kinda funny though.. Getting REALLY good Guitarists and musicians to talk about …

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Metallica …And Justice For All – Turns 30!

In Music, Reviews, Vinyl by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

Metallica …And Justice For All Turns 30 30 Years!? I can’t believe it! Fall of 1988. I was a Senior in High-School in Stow, Ohio. We had just seen Metallica completely destroy all of the bands on the Monsters of Rock Tour that Summer at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Van Halen, The Scorpions, Dokken… all great bands sure.. but everyone was there to see Metallica. I remember at one point during the concert James Hetfield …

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Guitarists – Technical Work for the Long Run

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

Technical Work for the Long Term Technical Work. Yeah I know, who has the time right? Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned pro, every musician can benefit from regular technical workouts. I have seen the results first hand both in my students and my own playing. Working on the technical aspects of your playing will make everything else you play feel easier in comparison. If you’re in a cover band and have a …

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7 Day Guitar Practice Routine – Day 4 -Scales

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

Welcome to Day 4 of my 7 Day Practice Routine for Guitarists! Today we’re going to focus on something a little obvious. SCALES. Don’t click away just yet. I know it can be a daunting and often boring part of your guitar practice routine.. but seriously… Scales need some love too and they can be super fun. In case you missed the previous articles, you may want to check out: Day 1 – A 7 …

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Sanfording #3 – Anniversary Adventures in Sanford

In #Sanfording by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

Fuel BBQ & The Alley Last weekend we started off #Sanfording at Fuel BBQ / The Alley (Corner of Park & 2nd Street). I love any excuse to get in there and get some awesome BBQ, but Saturday I had the best excuse of all – My Acoustic Duo (Acoustic Inferno) was playing 4-8 P.M. There was a Bike Run going on for a guy who was in an accident. They were raising some money …

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Guitar Practice Routine – Modal Scales for Guitar

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

Guitar Mode Workout In case you missed last weeks article: The 7 Day Guitar Practice Routine …Definitely check it out as it’s a great place to start before moving to this weeks Tuesday Guitar Practice Routine. Tuesday’s routine is a bit more involved and includes my Modal Workout. This exercise utilizes each of the 7 Diatonic Modal shapes including alternate picking variations, legato and arpeggios. If you’re new to modes or do not yet have the …

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Jason Becker – Perpetual Burn on Vinyl!

In Music, Reviews, Vinyl by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

Album Reviews – Jason Becker – Perpetual Burn (1988) It’s really hard to believe that this record is 30 years old!  I just picked up the 30th Anniversary Reissue on “Hot Pink” vinyl off of Amazon.com. I was a bit concerned about ordering an actual vinyl record online due to the fragility of the record itself and the current climate, (August in Florida!). As usual Amazon came through with excellent packaging and timely Prime delivery in …

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How I Changed My Bad Morning Habits : Morning Vinyl

In Lifestyle, Music, Vinyl by Craig SmithLeave a Comment

How I changed my Morning Routine with Music. In another recent article (Is Facebook Poisoning Our Relationships), I discussed how changing up my morning routine has greatly improved my productivity and overall state of mind. I replaced TV and Social Media (Facebook in particular) with listening to music. Sounds simple right? It was actually a bit harder than it sounds. My normal morning routine consisted of coffee, CNN and posting on Facebook. Not just posting …