“How many of you practice with a metronome?” Steve Vai asked an audience of college students for a show of hands. “Not nearly enough!” he said with a smile that indicated he fully expected the result. The footage is a little grainy, but the 1985 seminar from GIT in Hollywood is a hidden gem on the internet. …
How To Practice Songs With a Metronome – Improve Your Timing Read More »
A guitar saddle is part of the bridge where the strings sit. It is designed to transfer the string vibrations from the bridge to the soundboard. A guitar saddle affects the tone, string height, and intonation of the guitar. As one of the two places where the strings are seated (the nut at the opposite end of …
In the quest to start learning how to play guitar, there are many paths one can take. Books, YouTube, online guitar schools, traditional lessons, and magazines all have a lot to offer and each of them comes with a variety of resources and reference material. The most popular reference materials for learning guitar include chord …
I feel like I could write an entire book on this subject. Heck, I’m sure every electric guitar player could. We all catch the bug at some point, and there’s really no cure for it. Once you buy your first pedal, it’s all over. To one degree or another, you are a gear geek for …
Some of the most fun one can have playing the guitar is with a loop pedal. A loop pedal simply allows a player to record a passage of music and loop it, i.e., play it back on repeat. Loop pedals can also stack additional layers so the player can record several instances of themselves to …
Can You Use a Loop Pedal With an Acoustic Guitar? Here’s How. Read More »
Exploring different sounds and tones for your guitar is a neverending journey. This becomes pretty clear not long after you begin to learn how to play electric guitar especially. Technology aside, there is just so much raw creativity out there and so much inspiration to draw from. When you hear a sound you like and …
Learning to play classic rock on the guitar is not just about the licks, but the sound and tone. If you can’t capture the sound, it will always feel as though something is missing no matter how much you nailed the solo for “Hotel California”. Some of the best tools one can have are good …
Fingers or Pick? I prefer both and I recommend all guitarists learn to play with their fingers. You never know when you might find yourself with a guitar and no pick. You know that dream you have when you show up to school and you forgot to wear pants? Instead of feeling like that, learn …
Is Fingerstyle Harder Than Strumming? Read This First. Read More »
Fingerpicking is not just for acoustic players. Electric guitarists can get down with it, too. Just ask Jeff Beck. The use of fingers along with, or sometimes instead of a pick is quite common. The electric guitar is a very dynamic instrument and using different methods for plucking strings is one of the ways to …
Can You Fingerpick On An Electric Guitar? Yes, Here is Why. Read More »
Almost every professional guitar instructor will recommend a student begin learning how to play guitar on the acoustic guitar rather than the electric. I am one of these. In many respects, it’s just easier to learn on the acoustic. It’s less expensive and there are fewer technical requirements from your hands. Once a student displays …
How to Transition From Acoustic to Electric Guitar – 7 Tips Read More »
