Dominate your Scales! Examples of practice routines for scale studies: In this article we’re going to look at just a few ways you can take a single scale and drill it various ways into really useful exercises. These techniques can be applied to nearly every facet of the guitar. With a little creativity, you can…
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Sweep Picking – Easy Variations Sweep Picking! This article will discuss basic ways to get more out of basic sweep picking, particularly 3 string arpeggios. All examples shown are based on the A minor arpeggio and are usually the first sweep picking exercise a student learns. Pay careful attention to the pick direction, as notated…
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Major Scale Exercise Are you struggling with major scales and chord shapes? Are you frustrated by the idea of “blunt force” practice? Simply practicing a major scale exercise over and over is NOT the most effective way to reach your goals. The same applies logic applies to chords, licks, everything. This exercise will help…
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Oh, Susanna Beginner performance tune If you’re just starting out playing guitar, you may struggle with finding lesson materials that give you adequate challenge, but are not TOO easy. Often, beginners have issues with fret location, picking the correct string, and understanding notation as it relates to the guitar. If you find yourself in…
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We Three Kings Christmas beginner tune Here’s a fun tune to learn around Christmas for a 1st year student, We Three Kings of Orient Are. All the notes are in first position, and only the B and high E string are used. The rhythms within are Quarter, Half, and Whole notes and a dotted half…
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When the Saints Go Marching In Another great example of a practice tune for a 1st year student, When The Saints Go Marching in. All the notes are in first position, and only the B and high E string are used. The rhythms within are Quarter, Half, and Whole notes. This tune also introduces the…
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Mary Ann Perfect beginner tune Here we have another tune that’s perfect for a beginner, 1st year student, Mary Ann. All the notes are in first position, and only the B and high E string are used. The rhythms within are Quarter, Half, and Whole notes. This tune also introduces the tie, where the length…
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Aura Lee Beginner Tune Here we have another tune that’s perfect for a beginner, 1st year student, Aura Lee. All the notes are in first position, and only the B and high E string are used. The rhythms within are Quarter, Half, and Whole notes. If accompanied, follow the chords written above each measure.
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Common Rhythm Guitar Problems There are common issues rhythm guitar players face that come up again and again. Often, just noticing these issues exist is the first step towards implementing a solution. Sometimes, an experienced teacher can help you notice issues you didn’t know you had. Here is a short list of some common problems…
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Technical Mastery is Foreign Language Mastery Understanding music, being creative, improvising, reading a chart, knowing your fret board. It’s all akin to a language. When you study a language, there is a path to mastery. With music, it is similar. Let’s look at some examples, and apply to foreign language. A student wants to be able to use the…
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