The Glory of the Four Chord Song
Today, I’m bringing to you an explanation of the song everyone knows. The four chord song. The Axis of Awesome does a good job of showing what I mean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I So what are those chords? To be more specific, it’s not just four chords, it’s four chords in a specific order. It’s one single progression … Read more
A Practical Guide to Effects
Practice. I’m a dick. Haha. Alright, let’s assume that part is covered. To effectively imitate the tone of a guitar part in a song, you have to have a working knowledge of the tools guitarists use to get that tone. Which means a knowledge of what those tones are made of, and what tones are common. Cutting to … Read more
Make Your Own Music: Learn from “Everlong”
One of the foundational skills of a good guitarist is “Knowing what chords sound good together.” The most complete understanding of this skill comes from reading books on harmony. I recommend Harmony for Computer Musicians by Michael Hewitt. It’s my favorite book on the subject, and it’s a very practical modern approach to understanding chord progressions and harmony. Knowing … Read more
You’ve got to pick fight…
You’ve got to pick fights with your instruments… and win those fights.
-Jack White
Citizen Cope
Clarence Greenwood is one of the best song-writers out there right now. His guitar parts are interesting because they focus on the use of thirds and are very simple to play, but they sound amazing.
Setting Practice Priorities
At any one time, there’s a million things we can work on with our playing. Literally every area of our playing can always use improvement. Our speed playing, chord transitions, chord progressions, rhythm, improvisation, It’s important to have priorities for practice. Depending on where you’re at with your guitar playing, you need different advice at different times. Use … Read more
Breaking the Speed Barrier: Going Fast on the Guitar
Everyone wants to go fast on the guitar, and for good reason. If you can play fast, it means you really know the guitar. In general, the ability to play fast means you’re more free to do what you want. Also, sometimes you just want to go fast. When you can, it’s freaking awesome. How fast you can go … Read more
