Assessment lessons – The First Step Forward The internet is flooded with questions and answers. Some true, some false. Entire websites are built trying to answer guitar specific questions, more forums are created that try to correct or dispel the questions, and on and on. We avoid that by directly addressing the specific student. An…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Creative Tapping Licks One lick with Variations In this article we’re going to check out a single tapping exercise. We’ll provide some examples of how to come up with variations on it. With one lick, you could come up with 100’s if not 1000’s of variations. This type of practice is taught in our lead…
Making The Most With What You Know: Part 2 To continue from the last article, we’re going to check out some more licks, and how to start practicing them with purpose. The hardest part of learning new material is how to integrate it into your playing thoughtlessly. It should slowly become second nature, like…
Making the Most with what you know: Today we’ll be showing a few examples of how to take a single idea, and start using it in licks you already know. Although this example is primarily for Jazz, the concept can be applied to just about anything. The concept here is to take a new idea…
Major 7th Phrasing Part 2 Check out part 1 if you have any questions about the theory and basic approach to these exercises. Check our our video showing all of the exercises from part one and part two here: https://youtu.be/YVstW7o3v6I When practicing these on your own, the easy way to think about applying them is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…