As we all know, guitarists are not generally known to be the best sight readers on the planet. Of course this is a huge generalization, but for the most part it's true. Guitarists have so many options that make reading seem unimportant. However, being able to sight read music can do amazing things for your playing and your musicianship. This month I've just listed several points for you to … [Read more...]
The Intelligent Guitarist
Musicians admire, and enjoy working with guitarists who know what they're doing. Music can be complex and challenging and the more you know about music, the less you'll be affected when someone throws something challenging at you. The more you know about music, the more helpful you'll be in your current playing situation. The more you know about music, the more appealing you'll be to a prospective … [Read more...]
Staying Focused at the Gig
I've heard from a lot of my friends and other colleagues that, while on stage, they often let their playing wander due to the fact that they're playing the same songs night after night, gig after gig. Their solos become just a bunch of licks and runs that they do from night to night. Do you experience this? It's actually pretty common and will probably happen to you at least once in your … [Read more...]
Can You Feel It?
Let's face it, a lot of players, when they first start learning to play guitar, want to burn, burn, burn. They want to play as many notes as fast as they possibly can and blow people away with their shred ability. This can be extremely attention grabbing and, at the appropriate moment, can be the right thing to do. However, one of the most important virtues of a musician is to make his audience … [Read more...]
Is Your Playing in a Rut?
How to Stay Inspired! OK, you've been playing for a while, but it seems like every time you're on stage and you've got a solo coming up, you can't think of anything inspired to play. You're in a rut and you feel that even though you may be performing a lot, putting a lot of hours on your guitar, your playing is getting stale and you are playing the same stuff over and over again. In this … [Read more...]
Auditions
Putting Your Best Foot Forward You've worked hard on your playing and now you want to get a gig. Starting your own band is one way of entering the work force, however; the easiest way to start making money with your guitar is to join an established band that already has a full schedule of gigs. To do this, you will often have to go through an audition; the musicians equivalent of a job … [Read more...]