The Guitarist Blog

A student in my class just gave this to me.  Very funny! Everyone should play the same piece. If you play a wrong note, glare at one of the other players. Carefully tune your instrument before playing.  Then if you play out of tune, you can at least do it with a clear conscience. If everyone gets lost except you, follow the ones who are lost. If a passage is difficult, slow down.  If it is easy, speed up.  Everything will even itself out in the end. When everyone else stops playing, you should stop also.   Do not play any notes you may have left over. A wrong note, played timidly, is a wrong note.  A wrong note, played with authority, is simply your interpretation of the phrase.

I really like this creative arrangement of And I Love Here by The Beatles.  The intro has a bit of a Latin feel.  This arrangement was composed by Pete Huttlinger.  I plan to teach another one of his Beatles arrangements, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, in class soon (video coming soon, too)!

A large percentage of our new students are people that have never played guitar before. In fact, they are so new to the guitar that they don't even own a guitar yet! We want your buying decision to be confident and easy. Buying a guitar from us is a little different then if you buy it from somewhere else. Why? Because we are also going to teach you how to play it. What teacher would want their students trying to learn on a guitar that is difficult to play? When a guitar arrives, we unpack it and give it a look over. You would think that when you unbox your guitar it would be ready to play. Not necessarily. When guitars are shipped they may travel through different climates, i.e. humid to hot and dry. This can cause the neck to be curved or bowed. At The Guitarist, we take the time to set the neck so that the strings play easy all along the fretboard. (Be careful ordering a guitar online. It is not uncommon that this adjustment will be necessary and it needs to be mad...

From the Indian Film RockStar, here is the intro to Jo Bhi Main (played two times through). One of my students brought this song in during a lesson and I just thought it was a great riff.  So, here it is for all my students and friends from India! I should have the tab available soon.  If you would like it, please send me an email request. Please post your questions and comments.

Here's a demonstration of Sheryl Crow's Soak Up The Sun (acoustic style). I am playing the intro and verse four times.  Hope this helps with your practice!

Be sure to read this lesson.  Your first week of practice is critical.  Be sure to make an effort to find a comfortable sitting position, to play on the very tips of your fingers, and to hold the pick properly. Read through this lesson, try all the exercises, and go over the Right Hand and Left Hand Check List.

I love those Takamine guitars! Read article here.