Index
The Art Of Practice
I have always believed that success, in practically any subject you can
think of, is a direct result of "clear thinking". That is, the
ability to understand very clearly what needs to be achieved and the action
to set about surmounting very necessary hurdles in order to reach those
goals. More
Building
A Relationship WithYour Guitar
I am convinced one can become a great player with a limited knowledge
of harmony, theory and technique. Now, before you jump down my throat
and say "Why on earth would you recommend that?!" Well
- I'm not recommending that you stop learning these invaluable aspects
of music. More
Defining The True Artist
There are musicians who are more than comfortable remaining anonymous.
You know, happy to hide behind their guitars or keyboards and be sidemen
to the stars of today or tomorrow. Then there are those that have grandiose
aspirations of stardom, adoration and limelight. And then there are those
who have a driving desire and need to say something original artistically.
More
Developing
Good Time
Guitar players have a terrible tendency to rush. I would say, as a general
rule, it is guitar players that need to work on their time more
than any other musician. I think it is easy to forget how important the
concept of time is, and moreover, I think so many players aren't
willing to face up to the fact that they need to work on it, if they are
even aware of the problem at all. More
Hearing
Harmony
In order to hear harmony, it is very helpful to see chords in their various
inversions on the fretboard. Once we can visualize chords and their inversions,
we can then start to stress upper structure notes within chords (13, b5,
b9 #9 etc) and with practice, get those sounds locked in our heads. More
How To Find A Good
Guitar Teacher
Finding a good teacher is not always easy, at any
level. At the beginner level it is important to get on the right foot
and as an intermediate player you need to know that your teacher really
knows his or her stuff if you want to move forward. More
How
To Get A Great Jazz Guitar Sound
I get many emails from people asking me how to get a great clean jazz
guitar tone. I'm always a little perplexed when I hear this because a
good jazz guitar sound is simply the cleanest setting you can get on an
amp. Now if someone said to me, "how do you get a great overdrive
guitar sound", that might be more challenging as there seem to be
a million different distortion tones to choose from. However, the more
I think about the clean jazz guitar sound question, the more I think I
understand the problem. More
How To Move People
With Your Music
I have never been more interested in musical phrasing than I am now. Perhaps
it is because I have recently been hearing young technically astounding
players with chops up the yin yang and I am not satisfied. Why? I have
been asking myself. And I think the answer is that, to me, it appears
they are not 'in the music', they are simply showing off their astounding
technique. More
How To Seriously
Improve Your Guitar Playing
There are bedroom guitar players and there are live performers. There
doesn't seem to be anything in between. The minute you walk on to a stage
(whether you get paid or not) you are a professional. You are in the business
of entertaining and displaying your wares, so to speak. And if you really
want to seriously get your guitar playing together it is the latter you
need to strive for in my opinion. More
How To Sound Unique
The biggest compliment I ever receive is when people say to me "Chris,
every time I hear you on the radio, I just know it's you. You don't sound
like anyone else". I simply never tire of this. And the reason is,
this is something that I have focused on for many years now. But it wasn't
always that way. More
Inspiration
Go Grab It!
We all get discouraged from time to time in our
musical journey. It's only natural. "Mom, can I get a guitar for
my birthday? - I really want to learn how to play guitar" - is often
how it begins. Then lessons start and it's just all too much for many
and most give up.More
Inspiration
Wanted
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for music students is knowing what
to practice. In the early years students listened to their teachers and
did what they told them to do, which is still of course perfectly valid.
But the real turning point that sets a student on their own path is the
ability to self motivate and take the reins without the aid of a mentor.
More
The Miracle Of
Music
I watched a wonderful masterclass recently on PBS television. The show
was called Barenboim on Beethoven. Daniel Barenboim is a classical concert
pianist and conductor with a penchant for the music of Beethoven. I am
always fascinated with these masterclasses because one only needs to come
away with a small soundbyte of wisdom or expertise and the experience
has been worth it. More
Observe Yourself
It is always interesting to me why from time to time a player plays really
well on a given day and on another does not. Or put another way, "Why
do I sometimes suck but not other times?" More
Peformance Nerves
For many years I would have private classical guitar lessons. I would
get on a bus and go to my guitar teacher's house and watch him warm up
and maybe play through something he was working on. Then he would ask
me to perform what I had been working on that week. I was a diligent student.
I worked bloody hard. And I have an inbuilt competitive thing that has
been with me for a long time, and won't go away. But it is this that also
drives me to do my best, and hopefully succeed. More
Playing
With Conviction
I'm very often disappointed when I go and hear straight-ahead jazz guitarists
play in a club, no matter how good they may be. Many have practiced their
technique and have a knowledge of harmony that is clearly impressive.
They have good time and play well with the other band members. But 9 times
out of 10 I am disappointed and for the most part I think I know why.
More
Put That Guitar
Down!
For all the words of encouragement you have ever heard pertaining to picking
up the guitar and practicing, either from me or your own sources, this
article may come as a bit of a surprise to you. For once I am going to
tell you to put the guitar down! More
Reaching
For The Soul Zone
Every searching artist wants to get there.
It's that magical place where something takes over, you know, when something
bigger than you whispers in your ear and says "Relax - I'll take
it from here!" More
Recording Solo
I had an email from a subscriber recently, and
I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember his name because these days unless
I write things down, nothing gets done or remembered. It's my age you
know. Anyway, he asked me if I had any tips on recording solo guitar as
he had recently been doing so and was having a hard time. He said "Everything
is just so exposed, I hear every note, fluff and squeak, and it just sounds
terrible and I had to give up in the end". More
Thoughts
From A Robben Ford Masterclass
I was invited to a masterclass recently at USC featuring guitarist Robben
Ford. I was particularly keen to go as Robben was quite an influence on
me as a growing musician back in the early 80s. Besides that, it is always
nice to hang out with the USC professors, they are all great players in
their own right, and always fun to hang out with. More
Take A Breath
I was at the NAMM show recently, a massive trade show for musical products.
If you've ever been into Guitar Center and witnessed that infernal noise
made by guitarists and bass players 'trying out' instruments, then the
NAMM show is that x 50,000. It can be hell, yet a necessary evil if you
are in the business. More
Take Command Of Your
Instrument
Back in the early 80s I went to the London College Of Music to study classical
guitar for three years. I studied exclusively with a wonderful guitarist
named Robert Brightmore who is now teaching at the Guildhall School Of
Music in London. Bob was not only a great teacher but a mentor to me and
I looked forward to my weekly lessons with him. More
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