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Legato Lead Guitar Techniques
How do guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai play super fast and smooth? The answer is that they’re using legato (smooth) techniques called Hammer-ons and Pull-offs. The exercises in this guitar lesson will help you develop your legato technique.
Hammer-ons
A hammer-on is where the 1st note is plucked then the 2nd is sounded by hammering a finger onto the guitar fretboard. This creates smooth legato connection between the notes and also allows you to play these notes faster as you don’t have to coordinate the guitar pick to pluck the 2nd note.
Depending on the gauge (thickness) of your guitar strings you may have to hammer quite hard onto the fretboard to ensure that the 2nd note rings out. Read More -
Reggae Rhythm Guitar
Reggae music from Jamaica became popular in the 70s with musicians like Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley becoming big stars. Reggae is a laid back style of music that has a great groove for dancing. Other non-Jamaican musicians who had hits with this style of music include Eric Clapton with his cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot The Sheriff” and bands like The Police and UB40 playing many songs with a reggae groove.
Skank Rhythm
In a reggae band the rhythm guitar usually plays short staccato chords on the off beats or just on beats 2 and 4 of the bar. This is called a “skank” rhythm with the term “skank” coming from the name of a dance style. Read More -
Setting Guitar Goals For 2014
The start of a new year is a good time to reassess your guitar playing and where you want to take it in the upcoming year. One of the best ways to improve guitar playing and to avoiding being stuck in a rut is to set goals.
There are 3 main types of goals short, medium and long term. Breaking up your goals into these types will make them more achievable and less overwhelming. Depending on your playing level and style of music you like to play your goals will vary greatly. For ideas of what your own guitar goals can be for 2014 check out these examples. Read More -
Top 10 Tips To Prevent Your Next Guitar Gig Fail
Whether you’re new to performing live or have played numerous gigs before these top 10 tips will ensure that your next gig as a guitarist is not a complete failure.
1. Check Your Equipment
Before you leave home check you’ve packed all your equipment including:leads
pedals including fully charged batteries or power supplies
picks
capo
tuner
guitar strap
music stand including lights for reading if in a dark venue
sheet music
guitar standOne of my guitar fail stories is that I once played a gig where I left my guitar pick at home. I usually have one in the back pocket of my jeans but I was wearing a suit as the gig was a corporate function. Read More
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Rocking That Band Audition
So you’ve been practicing for years and feel that its now time to finally play guitar out of the confines of your bedroom. The next logical step for most guitarists is to join a band.
The first choice that needs to be made is what sort of band do you want to join? An original band or covers band? What style of music do you want to play? Rock, blues, country, funk, pop, metal or jazz? Whatever the style of music, original or covers these tips will help you get ready to rock that band audition.Searching For a Band
Depending on your location how you search for a band to join will be a bit different. You can search local online classifieds such as Craig’s List, Gumtree or in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia try Melband. Read More
