Monthly Archives: February 2010

Even Gordon Sumner’s mom and kids call him “Sting” so I guess we will, too! Read our artist bio of this Rock Hall of Fame and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame artist.

Sometimes the desire to fix every problem a student may have all at once may cause even more problems. Tom Hess describes how to break down a bad habit so that both teacher and student can tackle it in easy, manageable steps.

Whether you are a guitar teacher or a self-taught guitar player you are likely to come across problems related to playing in time and interpreting rhythm. In this series of articles TeachGuitar.com’s Nick Minnion looks at where these problems spring from and what can be done to address them.

You’ll want to have a large repertoire of different kinds of songs to help you grow as a musician. Here are some thoughts about which songs to learn.

If you’re more comfortable thinking with fret numbers than note names, the chart in this tip will help. Use it the next time you learn a tune’s chords from sheet music.

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue #108 of Guitar Noise News! We have three new lessons to tell you about, plus some more book recommendations. We also answer a reader question sent by email.

As the tutorial resources you have at your beck and call get more and more sophisticated, it gets harder to remember that learning guitar is all about playing guitar. That means if you want to be able to play your instrument, you have to go through all the “grunt work” – that means practicing. And for many players the biggest aspect they need to work on is not using their eyes.

When you learn a chord progression, try doing so in a way that helps you understand and apply it effectively, and helps you understand better how music works. That way involves learning the root movements between the chords.

The pentatonic scale is, without doubt, one of the guitarist’s chief tools. Modes, on the other hand, can be confusing. Paul Tauteroff shows how guitar players who are already familiar with the pentatonic scale can learn and utilize the modes in their lead guitar playing.

Is it better to practice a piece slowly at first or quickly? Teachers and players usually recommend slowly, but there are instances where fast might work. Jamie explores why both methods work, but more importantly details how to recognize and determine when one method is better than the other.

How do some guitarists seem to barely move their hand when they change chords? The answer is inversions. Learning how they work can give you a “slowhand.”

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue #107 of Guitar Noise News! I’d like to get in an early wish for a “Happy Chinese New Year” to you all! The Year of the Tiger starts February 14, which is not only Valentines’ Day, but also the day before our next newsletter.

You don’t even have to be a fan of blues music to like Stevie Ray Vaughan. While his success as a “crossover” artist is undeniable, his legacy is still rooted in the blues. In fact, Vaughan is often credited with rescuing blues music from obscurity.

If you know how to read notation, specifically the rhythm values of notation, you never have to worry about figuring out strumming patterns because everything is spelled out for you. In this lesson, we’ll use the main guitar parts from Jack Johnson’s song “Taylor” to demonstrate how easy strumming can be.