Guitars

Guitar solos are some of the most fun and expressive things that can be done on guitar! A great solo is likely the reason that many of us first started playing guitar. They’re fun to listen to, fun to play, and they’re one of the most individual forms of expression that can be done on…

Playing any musical instrument seriously requires a bit of adjustment – it becomes part of your life, and sometimes other things can get in the way of your passion for playing. If you’ve got long nails, you’re probably quite proud of them – but it’s also very likely that you’ve noticed they can get in…

Don’t get me wrong, learning all your favorite songs by the bands that got you into guitar in the first place can be incredibly rewarding, as can writing your own music, but at a certain point, you can ignore improvisation no longer. As you advance as a guitarist, you won’t just be playing in a…

There are so many ways to tune a guitar. This is what makes them such a versatile instrument. Just a few tweaks of the tuning pegs can change the whole dynamic of a guitar’s sound. Changing it from standard tuning to something more unique opens up almost boundless opportunities for unique pieces of music. However,…

Your guitar strings are one of the most important parts of your instrument. Without them, you cannot play anything and the guitar is essentially useless. They are in contact with your fingers constantly which means that they can get very dirty. There are many different oils on your fingers that can transfer to the strings…

Learning to play the guitar can be a challenging task. There are a number of rudiments and techniques of guitar playing you’ll need to pick up and practice. Understanding how to strum a guitar correctly, however, should be the number one priority of any beginner learning to play the instrument. Yes, studying scales, open position…

Learning the guitar will be one of the best things you will ever do. Just picking up this instrument and playing a few chords can strum away negative emotions. Whether you’re angry, sad, or in a great mood, the guitar can be your trusted friend through life. When it comes to playing the guitar, you…

Diagnosing and Curing that Irritating Rasp That Comes out of Nowhere. Unless a bee flew into your sound hole last time you were having a wholesome jam outside, that irritating sound you’re hearing is the dreaded fret buzz. Plaguing every guitarist at numerous points of their playing lives, fret buzz occurs when the string you’re…

Scientists claim they don’t know what’s in a black hole, but I’m pretty sure it’s all our missing picks. We guitarists are renowned for losing them in sofas, through sound holes, in washing machines…literally anywhere, but the fingerpicking technique allows us to keep on playing when our pick reserves inevitably run dry. No matter what genre…

When it comes to playing a string instrument, you may have heard of fingerpicking before. It is a fantastic technique to learn when you are comfortable playing chords and strumming. It is the natural progression that will allow you to get the most out of your instrument. While fingerpicking is most commonly associated with guitars,…

It may seem like a bit of a hassle, but it’s important to regularly change your guitar strings. Not only do germs build up on the strings (and feel pretty gross to touch), but old strings just sound worse, are difficult to tune, and are more likely to break – a nightmare when you’re playing…

Your garden variety guitar has six strings, which is why the term “six string” has transitioned from an adjective into a noun over the years.  Now if someone says, “Hey Johnny, bring your six string over next time you come around”, Johnny won’t be left wondering “Six string what?”. They’ll know to bring their guitar…

One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘how long does it take to learn guitar?’ It’s often posed by people who’ve had a lifelong interest or passion in learning to play the guitar but haven’t got the time, or in some situations, the dedication to set aside to learning it themselves.  Unfortunately,…

Deciding to learn a new instrument is a big undertaking, as it requires putting in a lot of time and effort. However, it can also be incredibly rewarding and you shouldn’t let the hours spent learning an instrument put you off. It can be a lot of fun! Below, I’ll answer the question of how…

While it may seem a difficult instrument to learn, the truth is that it’s not hard to pick up the basics of a banjo rather quickly. In fact, with enough practice and dedication, you could even play a song within a month! What separates the newbies from the seasoned players is the way the latter…

Technically, yes, you can definitely use your studio monitors as regular speakers, which is great news for you and your bank account. The last thing you want to hear after forking out for an expensive set of monitors is that you need to allocate your next paycheck to bringing some regular speakers into the fold…

Perhaps you can’t picture your electric guitar without its amp. However, sometimes it can be a hassle to get your rig set up every single time you want to play. Not to mention if you have any neighbors who get irritated every time you use your amp! So you may be wondering, can you play…