What Vintage Guitars Can Teach You Sometimes, becoming a better guitar player isn’t all about practice time or techniques. Sometimes, it’s about what kind of guitar you’re playing. For me, one of the biggest learning opportunities for guitarists at any skill level comes from old, beat-up and worn-out vintage guitars. But what is it that […]
Speed, String Skipping, and Tapping. Learn to Tackle Stone Mob’s Guaranteed Solo by John LeMarr The guitar solo in Stone Mob’s rollicking “Guaranteed (Betty)” is a tour deforce of blazing speed and difficult techniques including string skipping and tapping. Guitarist Blaine Kaltman is known for his wild yet super technical style and this solo is […]
5 Common Practice Routine Problems – And How to Solve Them 1) Not Having One At All! There are two types of guitarists in this world – those who have a practice routine, and those who need a practice routine. Repeated, regulated practice is vital in improving your skill level at absolutely anything, from sports […]
Introduction: Guitar practice tips for beginners The guitar is a noble instrument that has been around for quite some time. Even though it gained a massive boost in popularity during the past few centuries, it was first used by native Egyptian tribes, and being a “guitarist” in those days was considered as a great honor. […]
In this lesson, we will go over a few basic things to get you started on your journey to play jazz guitar. But before we get started, in order to save time, I’m going to ask that you do a bit of homework. This lesson will require you to know some very basic theory; rhythmic […]
Guitar Shapes and Sizes. The Shape Of Things: Aesthetics, comfort, voice, ergonomics; These are a few words that describe the importance of a guitar’s body shape to the player. For the beginner guitarist, there is no point of reference, and so most people shopping for their first guitar don’t have a strong opinion about the […]
The guitar is arguably one of the coolest inventions to ever have graced the Earth, coming through the hands of Man. Why? Let us try and speculate. First, you have to agree to go on appearances and admit that whoever carries it automatically becomes a hundred times more appealing. If they play it and well, […]
“My guitar is only 2 years old and already needs a re-fret”. I have heard this complaint many times. Why do some guitar frets last longer than others? There are many variables. Some fret wire is softer than others, some players are heavy handed. Some cases put excessive pressure on the frets. Some people drop […]
Sister Golden Hair. America. Easy Guitar Songs. On first listen, this sounds like a very easy song to master, but listen carefully and you will hear a few chords that do not quite sound “standard.” Andy found this out when working out the track and it became quite obvious that a “normal” major or minor […]
Sugar Mama. Introduction Teach Who recorded it? Nine Below Zero are an English Blues band who were at their height in popularity in the early 1980s but continue gigging to this day, having built up a cult following throughout Europe. Sugar Mama is a departure from their normally hi-energy style, but is an introductory riff that the majority […]
Robert Cray Phone Booth. Introduction Teach Backing Now this isn’t a riff, it is the beginning of Robert Cray’s beautifully played solo from his hit Phone Booth Why Choose This? Andy really wanted to bring you something different and, in just a couple of bars, you can make out the distinct Robert Cray soloing style. This particular solo is […]
E Minor Pentatonic improvisation
E Minor Pentatonic improvisation. Introduction Practice Riff 1 Riff 2 Riff 3 What Have We Achieved So Far? The first improvisation session covered the E minor pentatonic scale in the open position and gave you an idea of what you can achieve as you learn the magic of improvisation. We are now going to start progressing further by giving […]
Best Beginner Electric Guitars
Best Beginner Electric Guitars Video review of the best beginner electric guitars. We look at the top brands for beginners to see what they offer and how they differ.
ZZ Top Guitar Riffs We had such an overwhelming response to our David Bowie riff videos (playing three patterns, one after the other) in the last issue, that we have decided to do the same again with some classic ZZ Top guitar riffs; but this time we’re upping the ante and including a kick drum backing track so you can execute […]
The Eagles Lyin Eyes. Melody Line
The Eagles Lyin Eyes Following on from the rhythm intro lessons to Lyin’ Eyes by The Eagles in issue 4, we have now put together tuition videos for the lead guitar intro so you can start to experience playing all aspects of the song. Teaching Video As is typical with The Eagles, this intro is not as simple as it […]
