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Showing posts from January, 2013

The Barricades of Heaven - Jackson Browne

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We will use a basic 4/4 strumming pattern to play through the chords.  There are a few chords that will switch on the up beat during the chorus, but other than that, this is a fairly straight forward song. There's a really cool riff that is played between verses.  Watch the video below to hear how I would play it on an acoustic guitar. Be sure to play along with the recording.

Ho Hey - The Lumineers

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I love playing this song!  It's got a great 16th note feel in the strumming pattern that is played over the verses, and then goes into a Bluegrass "Boom-Chuck" strum in the bridge and chorus.  This will be lots of fun to play in class. Get your copy of   Ho Hey  and play along!

New Year's Guitar Resolutions 2013

It's that time of year when we all should reflect on last year and celebrate our successes and learn from our mistakes. It's also time to look ahead and set our personal and professional goals. Below are five New Year's Guitar Resolutions that I hope you will consider. 1. Enjoy Playing Your Guitar. I once worked really hard on a piece that I was asked to perform and, whenever I played it during rehearsals, I was tense and always had a very serious look on my face. Once, just before performing it, someone said to me, "Don't forget to have fun!" I'm guilty of taking my music too seriously at times. If you want to take the fun out of your music, just demand perfection in your playing. I want to encourage you to try a different approach. Every time you make a mistake, smile and say to yourself, "I'll get it next time." Work hard, practice, but don't forget to enjoy the journey! 2. Practice smarter. Now that I got resolution #1 ou