Today I am going to talk some more about improvisation, specifically melodic improvisation: `soloing’ or `lead playing’ as some call it. Sorry jazz people, I am going to disappoint you and focus on songs that stay in a single key. In particular, I want to reach those people who have only recently started exploring improvisation. [...]
September 6, 2010
I have written a guest article over at Guitar International that discusses three lead playing ideas that give Slash his unique style. You can incorporate these ideas into your own lead playing. I have also added a video example, so head on over! The link is Slash Guitar Lesson and Tips. And the second instalment: [...]
September 3, 2010
There have been many times in the past when I’ve sat down to improvise a solo only to find that my fingers automatically do the same thing every time. Have you ever tried to improvise a lead only to find yourself playing the same licks over and over again? You try another song, but the [...]
August 31, 2010
When you first start out on the guitar you will have a hard time putting your fingers on the appropriate strings — especially while fretting chords. You place one finger on one string, so far so good. Then you place another finger on another string, but in doing so the first finger you placed wants [...]
August 27, 2010
The following is written with guitarists in mind, but the same principles can be applied to any other musical instrument, or life in general, come to think of it. Imagine the following scenario: You’ve been having a good time playing the guitar. Every day you look forward to picking it up and playing. You have [...]
August 26, 2010
Every once in a while we need to take a step back and look at what we’ve accomplished. The main aim of this blog is to make you — the reader — a better player. I hope my blog posts have been useful for you so far: provided you with something you didn’t know yet, [...]
August 24, 2010
What do Mariah Carey, Miles Davis and Steve Vai have in common? Ask a random person this question and it is likely they will give you an answer along the lines of: “Well, the three of them are (or were) celebrated, skilled musicians who have contributed a great deal to music, and have inspired a [...]
September 9, 2010