Guitar Noise Archives

Way, way, way back when, mankind had only two instruments. And by examining how these two are still used today, we can improve our timing, phrasing and many other aspects of our guitar playing. Josh Urban takes us on this interesting tour from early to electric man.

Walking bass lines are an easy way to spice up your playing and also learn a little about music in the process.

When you’re starting out, sometimes it seems like your hands have a mind of their own. Maybe even two minds, since you have two hands! Josh Urban explores how using a little psychology can help you to get faster and cleaner in making your chord changes.

Also known as Are You Sleeping Brother John, this has to be one of the best known children’s songs in the world. Doug brings up a fun and thoughtful arrangement of this favorite song.

Guitar Noise is pleased to welcome Josh Urban as a contributing writer our website. Josh’s first piece examines what many musicians refer to as the most important skill one can develop – listening. And, like almost everything about the guitar, listening has many different aspects and each must be practiced in order to become a better musician.

Time to tackle the notes on the third string of our guitars! Peter’s series on learning the notes of the guitar in standard notation continues along, complete with exercises and sound files.

Doug has come up with a lesson featuring two children’s favorites: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and London Bridge. Enjoy sharing these with people of all ages!

A hearty welcome back to Allan Abbott, who brings us a beautiful and easy to play chord melody of this classic Gordon Lightfoot masterpiece.

Learning to read music is easier than you might think. Peter Simms returns to Guitar Noise with a lesson on the notes found on the second (B) string, complete with some simple exercises to help you easily learn the notes.

There are seemingly limitless ways of playing any one song, so why should someone ever say I can’t play a song? Or worse, I’m waiting for someone to show me how to play a song… In this lesson, we’ll start out with a simple strumming arrangement, spice things up a bit with arpeggios, and then wind up with an arrangement that’s close to chord melody.

David returns to the pages of Guitar Noise with another Easy Song for Beginners lesson. Work on your chord changes and strumming with not one, but two great country classics.

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to start (or finally) learn music notation, then help is here in a big way! As Peter points out: the only obstacle is that reading music takes a while to learn. If you truly want to learn, patience and consistent practicing will get you there.

Just as there are all sorts of ways to make a living in music, there are more ways why people decide not to follow their dreams. More often than not, the simple task of being prepared to ask oneself questions (and to answer honestly) can get you living the life you dream about.

Here’s a wonderful simple and sparse arrangement of this traditional song from the Outer Hebrides. It’s a beautiful song and, like Doug, you’ll be thrilled to add it to your holiday repertoire.

Doug brings us another beautiful Christmas carol, arranged in standard tuning. This one is quite catchy and Doug also gives us a fascinating bit of history concerning the history of Christmas carols in Britain.

Paul Andrews makes a long awaited return to Guitar Noise with the sequel to his February lesson on power chords. Here you’ll find the lowdown on augmented and diminished power chords, plus examples from everyone from Bush to Hendrix to Metallica to Eminem.

Everyone wants to get their playing tight and solid, rhythm-wise. Rob Gravelle returns to the pages of Guitar Noise with some great tips for working with your metronome instead of having a frustrating time with it.

Here is a beautiful Christmas hymn, wonderfully arranged in DADGAD tuning for us by Doug Sparling. What a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Here’s an original song from Peter Simms – Key West – a perfect song for lounging on a lazy summer afternoon. Peter wrote this specifically for those of you who want to play chord melodies with a pick, so enjoy!

GN’s favorite Celtic lesson writer returns with a jig in his step. Here’s a sprightly air in 6/8 time to challenge you and delight your ears!