When I first started to play the guitar it wasn't until a few months later that I got the knock off Stratocaster in tune. Of course that did not stop me from plucking the strings now and then.   I started off practicing picking the strings because everything else sound really bad. I didn't have a huge musical influence back then. Only what I herd on the radio and a few old records that a swiped from the parents. I did not own and Cd's or tapes but the music channels were starting to get big on TV. I started to listen to lot of blues guitar. There was something about that muddy dirty playing that just sounded so good to me. Of co... [Read More]

You are a better guitar player today! When would you like to become a good guitar player? Will it be in two months, seven months, or how about three hundred and sixty four days? Which songs will you have learned in that time frame? What guitar scales will you have mastered? What will  you know now about playing the guitar that y [Read More]

  I've noticed from my guitar teaching experience that many guitarists often feel immense frustration when it comes to their electric guitar playing. And while there are many potential reasons for this frustration, a very common one is having a short-term mindset. What I mean by this is that they are putting too much pressure on themselves to progress quickly. They want to get good, and they want to get good yesterday! On the surface wanting to progress faster and faster may seem like a positive thing. (And there is certainly nothing wrong with being ambitious!). But unfortunately for many guitarists this all-consuming focus on their speed of progress can cause quite a few problems such as... --A shallow level of learning. In their rush to get good they don't take the time t... [Read More]

  One of the cool things about working on your guitar technique really hard is that you start to gain new insights. And these insights, although they may appear insignificant at times can actually make a huge difference to your playing. In fact, they often can make such a massive difference that you'll kick yourself that you didn't notice them sooner! One insight in the realm of alternate picking is this... The speed that the pick moves will not always be the same as the speed of the notes being played. At first glance the previous sentence might seem completely wrong. I mean...shouldn't the pick move at the same speed as the notes? Many of my less advanced students think that it should...at least initially. The Two Functions Of A Pick Motion When you are alternate picking, eve... [Read More]

  A common goal that crops up all the time when I'm teaching guitar is the goal of joining the band. And let's face it...it's a great goal. Being in a band will help you learn many musical skills that you just can't learn by yourself. Not to mention it's a fantastic way to stay motivated with your own guitar practice. But here's the thing. Often guitarists are waiting to get "good enough" before they join a band. They want to get to a certain level of playing before they take the steps needed to be part of a band. Can you see some a problem with that? On the surface it might appear sensible to "fully-prepare" yourself. But for many guitarists, delaying being in a band is a form of procrastination. And I feel that this procrastination is often caused by fear or self-esteem issu... [Read More]

  Have you ever noticed how guitarists who can alternate pick fast often make it look really easy? For Example: I remember watching a video of Tiago Della Vega setting the Guinness World Record for World's Fastest Guitarist. It was incredible to watch his picking hand as he played Flight Of The Bumblebee at a frightening 320bpm. Considering that song makes large use of sixteenth note rhythms, I think the tempo he played that song was otherworldly. (And it certainly inspired me enough to do lots of alternate picking practice for the rest of the day!). The thing I really noticed about Tiago's picking hand was just how small his pick motions were. He obviously is a guitarist who understands the value of  economy of motion. And there is absolutely no way he could have played at su... [Read More]

  If you're new to rock lead guitar then you might be wondering what scales you need to learn. You probably notice that there are a seemingly infinite number of guitar scales out there. And it can often be hard knowing what the best ones are to learn. Who wants to waste valuable time learning scales that aren't essential to rock guitar? Before I tell you the two essential scales, I need to quickly mention another scale...the major scale. Although this scale isn't the most essential for soloing in a rock style, I need to explain it so that you will understand the theory we'll cover later on in this lesson. Understanding The Major Scale You may have read in a book that the major scale has the following formula... W  W  H  W  W  W  H (W=Whole Step... [Read More]

  If you're relatively new to guitar then you might be curious to find out exactly how long it will take you to play guitar really well. And I think it's a valid concern. You've been putting all this time into practice, and I think it's only natural to wonder when you're going to see the fruits of your labor! But you probably already realize that it's a very difficult thing to answer. (I know that I can't really give a clear-cut answer anytime a student asks me this question). The truth is that it depends on a lot of different factors. Let's take a look at a few of the most important now... Your Goals Everyone has a different idea as to what "good" means. Some people have very modest goals, while others are much more ambitious. For Example: One guitarist may only want to play so... [Read More]

    I think we've all done it at some point. We've looked at some incredible guitarist play and wonder just how they got so good. Maybe we've even asked ourselves questions like...   --Are they just naturally talented? --Do they have something that I don't? --Will I ever be able to play like them? If you can relate to these questions, then you can feel better by knowing that you're not alone. I definitely asked myself those questions when I started learning lead guitar. And I know that many of my students have asked themselves similar questions. It can definitely be quite intimidating watching someone play with incredible skill...especially if you're new to lead guitar! So how do you think these amazing players got so good? Well, clearly there is no simple one-si... [Read More]

If you're new to alternate picking then you might be asking yourself what's the best pick to use to alternate pick fast. Well, it's definitely not an easy question to answer. It's a bit like asking what car is best for driving fast. (There are plenty that would get the job done!). With that said, let's take a look at the type of pick that I use. I've been using this type for a long time. And it's the one that I recommend to my students all the time. (Especially if one of their goals is to pick at blazingly fast speeds). So what pick am I talking about? It's my trusty black-colored Jim Dunlop Jazz III pick! If you don't own any of these very cool picks, you're truly missing out. OK, maybe that's a bit melodramatic! All I'm saying is this...buy some, and give them a go. :-) So what's... [Read More]