How to apply the basic components of music to writing songs Musicologists have argued for ages as to how many elements of music there are. Some claim there are 5 main elements of music, some 7, some 10, others even more. This debate isn’t really useful for us songwriters and most of the time it […]
Understand the basic rhythmic components of music and figure out guitar strumming patterns on your own. In this lesson, rather than give you a few common guitar strumming patterns to play, of which you can find many on the Internet, I’ll be showing you the basic rhythmic components of a strumming pattern, so that apart […]
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, […]
Learn what a guitar riff is, and start riffing straight away! 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 […]
In this lesson on the guitar fretboard, I’ve shown you what the notes on the guitar neck are 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 […]
Where to start when learning the guitar 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 […]
Guitar scales for beginners: What you need to know before you start learning them 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 […]
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 […]