The first thing is technique and the second component to “guitar control” is fretboard knowledge. This includes the knowledge of the scale patterns, but also where the notes are on the fretboard, knowing their various combinations (such as scales, modes, chord voicings, etc), and beyond. It encompasses music theory, and how that theory applies to …
All the patterns all over the neck for E minor are the same as for G major. The only difference is which note is treated as the root or tone center. By changing the tone center, or which note is emphasized the most and returned to, the quality of the musical flavor changes. This is …
Whatever style you want to play, technique will come in handy. And perhaps the most universally handy tool is guitar scales. Not only will they improve your chops tremendously, but they are a great way to find the right notes to play. Think of guitar scales as a bridge between technique and fretboard knowledgable. Within …
Technique is the basic physical ability to play notes on the guitar. Without at least a basic technique, it is essentially impossible to play any music at all on the guitar. If you’ve been playing guitar for any amount of time, you already posess a certain level of basic technique. Ironically, technique (also called “chops”) …
When I was just starting out playing, I read an article about Eric Clapton as an innovator. It said he had the perfect blend of technique and control. Reading that had a profound affect on me. Technique seemed like a straightforward, mechanical thing. However, control was another story. It seemed be a hard-to-acquire quality that …
The first step in any journey is to pick a destination. I have always been inspired by guitar players like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, and many others. What do these guitarists have in common? – They sound amazing. – They have a unique lead guitar style which …
There’s a few reasons why some people have difficulty learning the guitar. Probably the biggest reason is they don’t have the right teacher. And without the right teacher, the student doesn’t have the right system. It all starts by having the big picture, and understanding how music and guitar actually works. When you understand how …
The fastest, easiest way to play all your favorite songs is, in my opinion, as follows: First, you learn the basic chords. Chords are the basic building blocks from which all music is created. Next, you learn to string a few chords together into progressions. The key to that is being able to switch your …
So you’re an aspiring guitar playing and you’re wondering whether you should play acoustic or electric. Heck, I say, play both! But lets say for the sake of argument, that you only want to just buy ONE guitar to start with. Well, they each have their advantages and drawbacks. The electric guitar is easier physically. …
Technically speaking, you could tune your guitar to a chordand not fret any notes… Then you’d be playing a chordwith only one hand.But ok, that’s just being too clever for our own good.What’s the simplest chord we can play that actuallysounds good on a standard tuning guitar?We can put one finger on the second fret …