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The Hump Day Guitar Challenge

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

If ever there was a day of the week when motivation simply does not exist, Hump Day would be it. It’s still a wee bit too early to get excited about the weekend, it’s never a paycheck day and, as much as you really want to sit around and do nothing, you know you can’t. [...]

Better Comping With Dyads

Friday, January 14, 2011

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It seems to me that one of the biggest hurdles beginner jazz guitarists face when it comes to comping is getting away from the bulky barre chords we all memorize when we first start playing. You know, the “all you have to do is lift up your pinky to get a minor 7th” kind of [...]

Guitar Concepts DVD by Joe Dochtermann

Monday, August 30, 2010

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Joe Dochtermann, author of one of my new favorite books on audio recording and production, was kind enough to send me his new DVD – Guitar Concepts – which is available for purchase on his website. It’s always interesting to look at a person’s sophomore effort after hitting such a huge home run. Kind of [...]

Improve Your Ear With EarMaster

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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EarMaster, the interactive ear training and music theory software program, is the most comprehensive learning tool I have seen in a very long time. The developers say: Covering pitch and rhythm training, music theory and solfege, EarMaster is a complete and powerful ear trainer for all musicians at any level. The question is, does it [...]

George Van Eps’ Harmonic Mechanisms Series (Books)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

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George Van Eps’ Harmonic Mechanisms Series (Books)

If you read my interview with Steve Herberman, then no doubt you read about George Van Eps‘ influence on his playing. Often considered the pioneer of 7-string jazz guitar, Van Eps left behind a legacy and a legion of fans and players who consider him a major influence. He left behind the classic CD “Mellow [...]

Music Theory Lesson: Intervals

Saturday, January 16, 2010

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I’m back with the third installment of my Music Theory Concepts series. For this article I would like to talk about intervals. In common terms, an interval is the relative distance from one pitch to another. Intervals determine chord types, scales/modes, and provide the basis from which key signatures are determined.

Chord Hacks: String Group Inversions

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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I don't know if you spent any time investigating the different string groups from my previous post, but I would like to continue exploring the string groups and how to bring some life to your chord playing.

The 15 String Groups

Sunday, January 10, 2010

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This will be a relatively small, (hopefully) informative article, but one that will set the foundation for subsequent chord lessons that I will be posting soon. Consider, as a standard practice, that you have four fretting fingers available when playing. Without the use of barring or double-fretting, you can play one note on any one [...]