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Category: Better Practicing
Guitar Slurs And My Middle Finger
Not so long ago I began to work on Vals Venezolano No. 2 by Antonio Lauro. If you know anything about much of Lauro’s work, then you know it is quite quick. These waltzes are no exception. During the process of getting it to speed, I had a lesson and in it, we noticed that…
A Gradual Approach To Practice And The 75% Rule
All of us have been there, we hear a great piece, buy the score, and begin diligently working through the piece. Two months into playing it we get frustrated, put it down, and feel as though guitar just isn’t in the cards for us. This, of course, is a completely backward approach to practice. Marathon Approach…
Guitar Development And Enjoyment: A Fine Line
I consider myself more of a teacher than a performer when it comes to what I do as a profession. This is only because the majority of my income comes from teaching rather than performing. Because I spend less time practicing than someone making a living from performing, I have to strive, like most, to…
6 Left Hand Tips When Playing Guitar
The left hand is the focus of much of our time on the guitar. For many, the right hand becomes automatic for most of playing and learning a piece. Only when there is trouble do most players work out specific fingerings for the right hand that are contrary to general rules. Therefore, let’s look at…
The Two Main Ways To Practice Your Instrument
Does practice make perfect? I think this statement was probably made at some point by someone who was not a musician. It is by far one of the greatest lies told to humanity about practice. As most of my students can recite my view is that practice makes permanent. And to follow this statement I…
The Battle of the Electronic Guitar Tuner Vs. Tuning Fork
At what cost has the electronic guitar tuner laden the amateur and/or budding professional guitarist? Is such a question even valid? Without the electronic tuner, every beginning guitarist would play out of tune. Or, maybe, the skill of learning to tune the guitar from a single reference note from a tuning fork should be part…
Mastering the Art: Better Judging of Yourself While Practicing Guitar
Embarking on a journey to learn the guitar is a fulfilling endeavor, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Among these challenges is the ability to accurately assess your progress and skill level during practice sessions. Often, we can be overly critical or overly generous in our self-assessment, both of which can hinder…
12 Guitar Practicing Tips From The Musician 1916
By now, you know that some of the best advice in learning has been passed down from the past, including these practicing tips. It is amazing that science if finally catching up to the discoveries of practicing from 100 and 200 years ago. And with that, some advice doesn’t ever change. Today Positive. Yesterday Negative.…
Online Guitar Lessons VS In-Person Guitar Lessons
I get questions often about the validity of online guitar lessons vs in-person guitar lessons. Many conclude that they are inferior but the reality is quite different. Though the concerns create some challenges, they are outweighed by the benefits and outcomes. Over the past 10 years, online learning has grown tremendously and will only get…
Guitar Sight Reading Helpful Tips For Improvement
Guitar sight reading seems to be the area most neglected by students and even professionals alike. If we take an honest look at our ability, then we would probably all conclude that our sight-reading skills could use some work (I wrote a book to help your sight-reading: Amazon/This Site). Maybe we need to rethink our…