Sitting on my bed with the Taylor, retuned to DAGDAD and ran through a few riffs I picked up over the years. Then I wanted to play my favorite tune I picked up from a Celtic guitar book years back. Song took me forever to learn, and I continued reviewing it for years, but I hadn't played it in perhaps a couple years? I can't remember. I spend an hour trying to recall it, … [Read more...] about I forgot how to play a favorite tune until I remembered it?
Musician Articles
Six Important Things EVERY Guitarist Must Learn
(A blog from my teaching days...) I get this question from my students occasionally, the motivated ones who want to maximize their improvement without wasting any time. It’s a good question, though, what essentials should you tackle first. Of course, I am but one humble lifelong student of the guitar, so what do I know about the essentials? And then you have all the … [Read more...] about Six Important Things EVERY Guitarist Must Learn
10 BAD Guitar Playing Habits of Beginners
(Repost of a past article I wrote in my guitar teaching days.) Things my guitar students do that make me secretly dream of setting them on fire. 1. Not tuning up your guitar before practicing EVERY TIME. Or at least, being too lazy (WTF???) to tune when it’s obvious one string is way flat and another is way sharp. People don’t play their guitars like that, you say? Then … [Read more...] about 10 BAD Guitar Playing Habits of Beginners
The Art of Jamming with Other Musicians
Unless you’re going to be an introvert solo artist (which I often am) you’re going to want to jam with other players. Jamming is a way to challenge your musicianship, hang with your friends, make new ones, even network into better gigs. And all you gotta do is show up with your instrument. Some of my guitar students have approached me after an attempted jam, disappointed in … [Read more...] about The Art of Jamming with Other Musicians