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…]
As I’ve mentioned before: every item in your signal path, from your guitar, to your strings, to your pickups, to your amp… All this affects your overall tone. Your pick is part of this equation. Many beginning students ask me what kind of pick they should use when they first start studying guitar. My advice is always the same: buy an assortment and see what feels best for you.
There are three things to consider when choosing the right pick. [click to continue…]
No doubt, delay is my favorite effect, unless you consider distortion an effect. Delay adds a depth and richness to my tone that I can’t live without. There are many ways to apply delay (which is also called echo). Before getting into the applications, though, let’s go over the basic parameters of a delay effect: [click to continue…]
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…]
Whenever people tell me they think the life of a gigging musician is cool I always tell them the same thing: “It ain’t glamorous”. This doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, I love it; however, it’s a ton of work for not much money. That’s not to say that some people don’t make great money playing music, but for most of us mortals it is a pursuit of love, and at best small remuneration. [click to continue…]