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Say More By Playing Less

Friday, April 23, 2010

A friend told me a story about one of the weekly jam sessions hosted by Les Paul at the Iridium in New York City. It was somewhat of an open invitation where Les encouraged guitar players to get up and jam. On this particular night, one guitarist (he never told me the guy’s name) got [...]

Licks Are Cool Tricks, But Not the Fix

Thursday, April 22, 2010

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Hey, check out this lick? Did you hear the lick such-and-such played on that solo? This is an E-harmonic minor lick you absolutely MUST learn! Bet you can’t play this lick! Licks! Licks! Licks! Argh! I want to slap the crap out of someone!

Are You a Guitarist or a Musician (or Both)?

Monday, April 5, 2010

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Are You a Guitarist or a Musician (or Both)?

I’m still just a tiny bit fired up from last week where I called David Byrne an idiot. He’s more of a knucklehead, really, but it got me thinking along some very interesting tangents. As I was playing devil’s advocate back and forth on a number of topics, it occurred to me that there might [...]

Melodic Minor Scale Applications, Part 1

Friday, March 12, 2010

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Melodic Minor Scale Applications, Part 1

Last month, Fretterverse guest author Dr. Matt Warnock introduced us to “that other minor scale,” the Melodic Minor scale. Because it’s such a highly-versatile scale with lots of applications, I would like to start a series of posts on some of the different ways it can be used. If you are not familiar with the [...]

The Indian Music Effect

Monday, February 22, 2010

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I think it’s safe to say that before The Beatles, not many people in the Western world paid very much attention to the rich cultural offerings of one of the world’s most populous countries — India. To this day you can practically throw a rock in any direction and hit a yoga studio or Indo-Pak grocery [...]

Practice Journal: Josh (02/19/2010)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

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In the interest of keeping this blog fair — as much as I’m going to be talking about practicing, among other things — I thought that I would keep myself honest and journal my practice sessions. I will try to provide as much information as I can about my sessions. If you have any questions [...]

Practice Journal: Josh (02/18/2010)

Friday, February 19, 2010

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In the interest of keeping this blog fair — as much as I’m going to be talking about practicing, among other things — I thought that I would keep myself honest and journal my practice sessions. I will try to provide as much information as I can about my sessions. If you have any questions [...]

The Guitar Arpeggio Compendium by Scott McGill

Thursday, February 18, 2010

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The Guitar Arpeggio Compendium by Scott McGill

How well do you know your arpeggios? If you’re like most guitarists (myself included, let’s be honest), you probably have a few under your fingers; the “important” ones that you know you can throw into any line to increase the WOW! factor of your solo. But if that’s all you’re using arpeggios for, or if [...]

Practice Journal: Josh (02/17/2010)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

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In the interest of keeping this blog fair — as much as I’m going to be talking about practicing, among other things — I thought that I would keep myself honest and journal my practice sessions. I will try to provide as much information as I can about my sessions. If you have any questions [...]

My New Practice Routine (2/2010)

Monday, February 15, 2010

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For the three of you that might care, I have finalized my practice routine for the foreseeable future. There is enough material to last for a long time, so we’ll see how effectively I progress. Seems like a lot to juggle, but I’m up to the challenge.