Why the fretboard is hard to learn | In defense of guitar players
If you’ve ever tried to learn the notes on the guitar fretboard then there’s a good chance you’ve heard a comment like this: “You don’t find players of ANY other instruments who don’t know the names of the notes they’re playing. It’s ridiculous! If a piano player didn’t know this stuff you’d just laugh at […]
The Jimi Hendrix Chord explained – What it is, how to play it, and why it sounds so good
Jimi Hendrix was a one of a kind musician who revolutionised the guitar. Although he is often best remembered for his incendiary solos and lead work (and rightly so), his rhythm playing style was no less innovative and influential. Like a scientist having a new species or planet named after them, Jimi Hendrix was such […]
Why Drum Tab is pointless and why drummers should learn music notation
First of all, I’m not a notation snob and I’m definitely not anti-tab. Without guitar tab, myself and tens of thousands of other players would probably never have stuck with the instrument long enough to get anywhere, so I’m very grateful it exists. Tablature – known as tab for short – is a system for […]
Mythbusting The Modes
The Modes… The keys to the musical Ferrari. The secret knowledge of guitar virtuosos. The Holy Grail of being able to play anything you want. You’re here because you’ve heard guitar players talking about something called “Modes”, but you still don’t understand what they are, how to play them, or where to use them in […]
Handle with caution: Advice from famous guitar players (even when they’re great)
When you’re trying to learn guitar and improve your guitar playing, you could be forgiven for thinking that going straight to the source would be a pretty safe bet. After all, what better advice to follow and who better to learn things from than the original person who did it? The truth is that interviews […]
How to quit guitar by mistake
Imagine yourself quitting guitar. Giving up on trying to get better. Eventually not playing again. You probably think this would be a decision you’d give a lot of thought to before making. Perhaps you think it’s a decision you’d never make yourself. You’re serious about learning to play or being the best player that you […]
Five Reasons Your Vibrato SUCKS
Being a good musician starts and ends with being able to make one note sound awesome. If you can’t make one note sound really great, then it doesn’t matter what else you can do — you’ve already lost the battle. Before we go any further, know that I’m not one of these guys who thinks […]
Examples of Modes in songs and rock music
When you’re trying to learn the Modes, one of the most important things is to have examples of real music that use them so that you can get their sound into your head. Having these examples will really help you recognise the unique sound quality and distinctive “attitude” of each Mode. So, without further ado, […]
How to work out the key of a song by ear
Have you ever wondered how to work out the key of songs with your guitar? Today I want to share my method and show you how easy it is to find the key of songs by ear. I was inspired to write this because I was on Youtube recently and I happened to stumble upon the worst […]
The myth of the self-taught rock musician
Myth (noun): A widely held but false belief or idea; A misrepresentation of the truth; An exaggerated or idealised conception of a person or thing. Today we’re going to explore the popular belief that most rock musicians were self taught on their instruments. Is it true? Here is a classic example of the answer we […]