Guitar Noise

The trick to being a better guitarist is you have to be able to work both inside and outside of the box. Imagination plays an important part.

In this beginner lesson we’ll learn a few basic techniques for both the rhythm and lead guitarist. They are hammer ons, pull offs, slides and bends.

This is the first in a series of lessons teaching you how to play a guitar solo. We’re going to start by learning the fundamentals of a melodic guitar solo.

Let’s break musicianship down into three basic parts: what you were born with, what you can learn, and what you can dream. Where do you go next?

The third and final part in our look at alternate tunings. Let’s see how they can be used to write songs and we’ll throw a little bit of theory into the mix.

Part two in our look at alternate tunings. We’re going to see how alternate tunings can be used as a tool for arranging and interpreting old familiar tunes.

This is the first of three lessons on alternate tunings. We’ll go over the basics of alternate tunings such as why and how to use them with some great examples.

Buying a new guitar can be an emotional ordeal. We’d like to share some helpful advice on what to think about before shopping for a new musical instrument.

Both hands are equally important when playing guitar. This beginner lesson looks at developing the basic techniques needed for your strumming hand.

Let’s look at guitar fills and the theory behind them. This lesson will teach you how to come up with your own interesting fills and transitions between chords.

Let’s tackle strumming patterns; how to learn them and get them down pat. Here’s an approach that will simplify the whole issue surrounding strumming patterns.

This beginner’s primer explains different types of scales and unusual chord progressions. We’ll learn how they work in songs like Gimme Shelter and Hey Joe.

There are a few guidelines to chord changes and progressions that make learning music theory and songwriting easier. Here are some useful rules to remember.

Being able to play along to songs you don’t know is a skill that can be learned. Here are some tips to help you join the band on any song.

This is the third and final part in our series of articles on figuring out songs by ear. Let’s put all the pieces together and and take out the guesswork.

The second of three parts, this lesson looks at songs by Smashing Pumpkins, The Eagles and Talking Heads to explore the conventions of song structure.

How do you figure a song out by ear? This is the first of three lessons on how to figure out songs without guitar tab.

Sometimes it pays to take stock of things and remember what made you want to play music in the first place. Here’s a short interlude for any season.

This is the second of two parts on open tuning. We’re going to learn how to put together a fretboard map and use it to figure out chords in open tuning.

This article is the first of two parts on the use of open tuning. Find out what open tunings are and how to achieve them.