Category: December 2015
Guitar Triads, Part 1: Building Triads from Thirds
Guitarists live and die by chords. Practically every song is based on a chord progression, regardless of the genre. So, what is the difference between a major and minor chord? How are chords constructed? When soloing, how do I know which notes will sound best over the chords? These are questions guitarists ask all of […]
Fretboard Fundamentals – Understanding the Major Scale
The great thing about the guitar is how visual an instrument it is. Patterns and shapes repeat themselves, making it easier to learn and play. In this article we will see a great example of this by taking a look at the major scale, analyzing how the scale is laid out, and using this knowledge […]
Metal Guitar, Part 3: The Harmonic Minor Scale and Harmonies
Welcome back to Beginning Metal Guitar. I hope that the techniques shown last month have helped you write better riffs. As we’ve been concentrating so much on rhythm guitar during the past couple of months, we’re going to start looking at lead guitar work, starting with the harmonic minor scale and harmonizing guitars! Example Recordings Editor’s […]
The Top 5 Things You Must Learn When Beginning Guitar
Having been a professional guitar player and teacher for over 30 years now, I have seen many techniques, courses and tips from a variety of teachers and schools. Many of them were good, a few great and some just plain bad. A student recently asked me what I thought were the top five things that […]