I recently wrote a guest post titled "Resources for Beginners" for the Jemsite blog. Jemsite is a Web site devoted primarily to Ibanez guitars. However, the blog covers many guitar-related topics in addition to Ibanez guitars. My post includes some resources that I think are helpful for new and beginning guitarists. Check out my post on the Jemsite blog. … [Read more...]
Why You Should Not Major in Music Performance
In my sophomore year of college I started taking classical guitar lessons and briefly considered switching my major to Music Performance (I was a Business Administration major). However, my college guitar instructor gave me what I believe was sage advice: don't. I was more than a little surprised when my primary interface with the Music department was steering me away from … [Read more...]
Should you learn to play classical guitar?
One of the questions that I've heard many guitarists ask is whether they should learn how to play classical guitar. I've stated often on my blog that I studied classical guitar for a few years in college, and I can state unequivocally that those two years made me a better guitar player. However, learning to play the classical guitar is not for everyone. Learning to play … [Read more...]
It’s the Song, Stupid
Many of us have heard of the KISS principle: "Keep it simple, stupid." It's an old principle that reminds us that simplicity should be our goal. In many ways, the KISS principle applies to music, but I would modify it to say "It's the song, stupid." For example, I was listening to some music the other day, and while the guitarist was playing great licks, there wasn't a whole … [Read more...]
Warming Up
As a follow up to my Perfect Practice post, I thought I'd talk a little about warming up. Warming up should be included in your practice routine. It's important to warm up prior to practicing or playing so that the muscles in your hands are loose. It's possible to strain or damage the muscles in the hand if they're not properly stretched prior to playing at full speed. Another … [Read more...]