Guitar Noise

Here’s something I couldn’t believe – Apparently it was only four years ago (July 1, 2005 to be precise) we started “Volume 3” of the Guitar Noise News. It was the start of the “bi-monthly” newsletter format that we currently have today, and it was certainly a bit ambitious. Even Nick had his own little [...]

Although it seems like ages ago, it was just around this time last year that we premiered the first of what has turned out to be a very popular series here at Guitar Noise, our lessons called “Turning Scales into Solos.”
While these lessons have been shorter in length than many of our other song lessons [...]

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue #92 of Guitar Noise News! Check out part ten in our series on practicing modes plus this day in Guitar Noise history (or thereabouts).

Sometimes it’s amazing when I think of how much material that there is here on Guitar Noise, and how most of it has come about in the last ten years. So, to celebrate our longevity, how about we look back from time to time at things that have happened?
For instance, going back just three years, [...]

In this newsletter we have three new lessons, a wonderful tip on modes from Darrin and take a peak back at this point in Guitar Noise history.

It’s time to explore what to do when we get around to playing with another guitarist. So here we start out with a simple arrangement for two guitars.

Some of you may agree with the “Easy” label, but our arrangement of this Bob Dylan favorite (from the album, “Nashville Skyline”) can be played very easily with the use of a capo, plus a very simple picking pattern. More important, though, is that is can be used as a great lesson to help you get used to switching between open position chords and basic barre chords. With some practice and patience, you should find yourself playing it well in no time.

If you’ve been a long-time reader of Guitar Noise, you’ll probably be aware that we’ve been long-time fans of Jamie Andreas and her Guitar Principles website. Jamie has been a strong tutorial presence on the Internet for ages and her teachings focus on posture, relaxation, muscle movement and memory and the other physical aspects of playing the [...]

Here is a rather faithful arrangement of the closing song from Bob Dylan’s immortal album, “Blood on the Tracks.” Using open D (or open E) tuning, as well as a steady (and incredibly easy) bass part, it’s easy to make this song sound really good. And, it’s excellent practice both for honing your finger picking technique as well as for developing a good sense of syncopation.

Bob Dylan month continues at Guitar Noise. We also have three new lessons to plug in this latest newsletter, Guitar Noise News Vol. 3 #90.

In our latest lesson in this series, we look at a basic rock progression and examine the choices we can make in terms of scales for soloing. Plus we get a look at the Mixolydian mode as well as discovering a new use for the Dorian.

In this podcast we’ll work on getting the basics of the summer camp song “Puff The Magic Dragon” down, plus have a little fun with the bass line.

Guitar Noise News Vol. 3 #89 kicks off the month of May. This month we are celebrating the work of Bob Dylan and have a couple new lessons to boot.

What can you write about someone who, essentially, is a whole genre of music? About someone who posted in his high school yearbook that his ambition was to join Little Richard? About someone who’s latest recordings are as influential as the first ones he made close to fifty years ago?

Here’s a song arrangement that no one has to sing! Take aspects of “chord melody” arranging and mix them in with fingerstyle playing and you’ve got yourself a version of one of George Harrison’s terrific songs to perform. It’s not all that hard to learn and you can easily adapt it with your own embellishments and style.

I’m pleased to introduce a new series here at Guitar Noise, spotlighting the many, many musical Meccas in this wonderful world of ours. First stop – Nashville, Tennessee. And if you’re thinking, “That’s only country music,” you’ll soon realize that there’s a whole lot more going on!

David Hodge returns with Guitar Noise News Vol. 3 #88. There’s a new song lesson and a new feature on musical Mecca’s plus all the regular features.

If you’re going to play an emotionally charged song, you can’t hide behind a single strumming pattern. In this lesson we take one of the highlight songs from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and arrange it for a single guitar, using many strumming and crosspicking techniques we’ve gone over in our Guitar Noise Podcast series. You’re going to have a lot of fun with this one!

Let’s finish our look at “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” by looking at a slightly more complicated strumming pattern as well as learning about a new voicing of the G7 chord.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a Celtic arrangement of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “All I Can Do Is Write About It” done in DADGAD tuning. A wonderful way to remember your home, whether home is in Alabama or Caledonia.