In music, playing two or more notes “legato” means playing them smoothly, and this can be achieved in different ways on different musical instruments. On the guitar, the most common phrasing techniques that achieve this, along with slides, are the hammer on and the pull off. In the following hammer on and pull of exercises, […]
If you look at the example guitar licks in this lesson and compare them to the guitar riffs in this, you will get quite a good idea on what makes the difference between a guitar lick and a guitar riff. In this tutorial, we’ll go deeper into what is a guitar riff, it’s role in […]
In this lesson on the guitar fretboard, I’ve shown you what the notes are on the guitar and how to memorize them. This is important for getting started in the art of improvisation which simply means being able to come up with your own tunes on the guitar at will. However, knowing where the notes […]
A question I frequently encounter in guitar groups on social media like Reddit or Facebook, goes something like this: “I’m a complete beginner on guitar and don’t know from where to start. What do I need to practice and learn?” Usually the person who asks the question gets a barrage of things thrown at him […]
Beginner guitar players are usually told harrowing stories on the quantity of scales that need to be memorized in order to learn the guitar, usually without being told how to actually learn guitar scales and use them. This has led to myths among many beginner guitar students that scales are boring, useless, something in between, […]
Some people just pick up their guitar once in a while dreaming of stardom they will never reach. Others play just for fun, to entertain themselves and their friends. Then, yet another group, actually mean business and want to go places. If you’re in this last group, these guitar practice tips are for you. […]
In the lesson on understanding guitar notes, intervals, scales and chords I explain important music theory concepts I would suggest you get a grip of before going to the next stage towards reaching your goals of playing and/or making music: Actually applying these concepts on the guitar fretboard. In this lesson we’ll be focusing on […]
If you want to play or create electric guitar riffs, effects such as distortion, overdrive and fuzz offer you a lot of options you don’t have on the acoustic guitar. In this lesson I won’t get into the differences between these effects, but will just advise you that the following electric guitar riffs are likely […]
The amount of guitar riffs you can play on one string is infinite. While in many cases, guitar riffs played on a single string are simple and easy, this may not always be the case. For instance, intro guitar riff to Sails of Charon by the Scorpions, is played on just one string, but it […]
Do your fingers hurt when you play guitar? Are your fingertips sore? Read this before you make the situation worse, or give up on guitar. For beginner guitar players, building guitar callus on the tip of their fingers is a major issue, especially since it implies “pain”. As well as having less time to practice […]