If you ever go through the desert on A Horse With No Name there might be some Dust In The Wind.
Tips For New Guitar Players 6
Memorize Music
You should try to memorize songs you like. Memorizing is just a matter of playing the same thing over and over (repetition) until you can remember it. It is a great skill to develop, and every musician should have numerous songs they can play without the aid of written music.
Why Are Musicians So Weird?
Why are musicians so weird? I was talking to some musician friends about how I didn't think you could really escape a subterranean cave large enough to hold an ocean at the center of the earth through the conduit of an active volcano by riding in a giant clam shell shaped fire-proof vessel and being pushed up and out the throat of the volcano by a lava eruption. And even if you could
Songs Worth Learning - 11
Blackbird - The Beatles (Paul McCartney)
This Paul McCartney written song flies up and down the guitar neck like a bird, making it a fingerstyle classic perfect for solo performing. Paul McCartney has said it was inspired by J.S. Bach's Bourrée in E minor, a well known lute piece that he and George Harrison tried to learn as teenagers.
Tips For New Guitar Players 5
Be Open To Different Musical Styles
People often have very rigid views of what “good” music is. While there is nothing wrong with only liking one style of music, you should try listening to styles of music you aren’t familiar with. Listen to the guitar players in other styles of music. You may not care for that particular style of music, but you should be able to appreciate good guitar playing.
Don't Look Back
I miss the good old days, so I am currently converting all the music files on my computer to 8-Track tape.
How Guitar Players Approach Soloing or Improvising
It seems to me that there are five main components (or things) that guitar players use when soloing or improvising on guitar. I’m talking about how guitar players think about or react to music while playing to create solos. The five components are
Jam Track 6 Posted On Media Page And YouTube
I have posted a new Jam Track on the Media page and YouTube. It is called Midnight Mood. Jam Tracks are full band (guitars, bass, cello, drums) backing tracks that you can use to practice guitar soloing over.
Numbering Chords In A Progression & Finding The 1 - 4 - 5 Trick
A chord progression is the order in which chords are played. It is common and useful to refer to chords in a progressions by numbers instead of chord names. Using the key of C as our example, we can use a Key Chords formula to find the chord numbers for the key of C.
Naming The Band
At the end of summer, some of my mates from Peak City Sound decided to branch out and start a smaller band to play some smaller venues where the 14 member Peak City Sound band simply wouldn’t fit. They asked me if I would be interested in joining the group. Being a full time musician (a.k.a. no steady paycheck) and that they are all fun people to play with, I said “Of course.” So during our first practice our drummer Jack says “I got us a gig.” What?
Barre Chords 3: Minor Barre Chords
In the Barre Chords 1 and 2 lessons you learned about Major barre chords. Now that you understand barre chords and the diagram I use to display them, it is time to look at Minor barre chords. You will be learning two chord shapes based on the open E minor chord and the open A minor chord shapes. The Em shape barre chord has its root on the 6th string and the Am shape barre chord has its root note on the 5th string.
Musicians Handsome Men Community Band
I am beginning to think we have gotten it backwards when it comes to music. We've become a nation of music listeners instead of music makers. In times past people gathered around the family piano, or a guitar on the porch, and sang together for fun. People sang while they worked (have you done that lately?)
Music Theory Lesson 1976
“When you hear the scratch of the guitars scratchin', then you'll know that rhythm carries all the action. Woah. Turn the beat around..." - Professor Vicki Sue Robinson
Songs Worth Learning - 10
My Girl - The Temptations
This 1964 classic Motown hit was The Temptations’ first #1 single. It was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White. The instantly recognizable signature ascending guitar riff is simply a C major Pentatonic scale followed by an F major Pentatonic Scale. But scales rarely sound this good. It is also a clever way to outline chord changes without actually playing chords.
Barre Chords 2
In Barre Chords 1 you learned what barre chords are, how they work, and how to play them. In Barre Chords 2 you willlearn how to play a second major barre chord shape. I also provide a handy chart for looking up major barre chords.
The Life Of A Music Teacher
“Alright Friedrich, a drop of golden sun probably would melt through your hand. But you’re missing the point.” - Maria ( Julie Andrews )
A little known musical quote from the Starlin Book of Little Known Musical Quotes.
Barre Chords 1
A Barre Chord is a chord where one finger holds down more than one string of a chord. The most common type of barre chord has the first finger holding down (or barring across) all six strings. Since you are holding down all of the strings, the barre chord shape is moveable, enabling you to play 12 chords of the same type (major, minor, 7th, etc.) by simply moving one chord shape up and down the fretboard.
Tips For New Guitar Players 4
Record Yourself
Record your playing regularly. It doesn’t matter what you use to record, just make recordings. Computers today are powerful enough to be virtual recording studios, so get an audio interface and get started. Or use a tablet or a phone. Recording can help you remember ideas. Many times in my life I had a great song idea and didn’t record it. Then the next day I couldn’t remember it. Recording the ideas prevents them from getting forgotten.
Unexpected Joy - Song Posted
I have completed and posted the latest jazz song from my upcoming album My Kind of Jazz. You can listen to it on the Media page. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
Come On Get Happy
I wish The Partridge Family would tour again.