From the category archives:

Guitar Study

Don’t Sell Your Soul To The Shred Beast!

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by Gordon Kahan on October 9, 2009

Don’t be a Guitar Center doodle-wanker! A short tasty phrase is worth 10,000 notes.Did you ever think maybe you loved soloing too much? Sure it’s great to be able to whip out some impressive lead chops, but if this comes at the expense of the rest of your playing, you might want to reevaluate your practice regimen. [click to continue…]

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Learn Theory… Then Forget It! – Learning to Play the Guitar “Unconsciously”

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by Gordon Kahan on August 14, 2009

There is one thing I always tell my students: you can’t think about playing guitar and play well at the same time. Thinking about playing is the same as analyzing it, a function of the left side of your brain. [click to continue…]

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To Read Or Not To Read, That Is The Question – Why Guitarists Should Learn To Read Music

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by Gordon Kahan on July 23, 2009

For some reason many guitarists look upon reading music as a bad thing. I’m sure most of you have met/known a guitarist who has said, “I don’t want to learn how to read, it will @#% up my playing”. Maybe you yourself have said this? This is like saying, “Yes, I am an ignoramus, and I embrace it!” [click to continue…]

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Sing! – Using Vocalization to Master the Guitar

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by Gordon Kahan on June 26, 2009

I can never stress enough the need to approach the guitar as a musician, not just as a guitar player. Sure, you need to learn many techniques to get the most out of your instrument; however, once you begin to master these techniques you should concentrate on developing your own unique voice. [click to continue…]

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Learning The Modes, Non-Scientifically

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by Gordon Kahan on June 26, 2009

It seems like whenever people decide to get more serious about their guitar playing “The Modes” inevitably come up. There are countless books and videos on the subject and yet I rarely have students come to me really understanding them, either how to accurately define them or recognize them. Understanding the Modes from a theoretical point of view is essential to anyone who wants to use them in their playing, but that will be covered somewhere else. What I want to share here is how I teach my students to hear and recognize the modes. [click to continue…]

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