As a rhythm guitarist, I hate playing in funny keys such as F# as it usually involves lots of bar chords, which gets the left hand tired really quick.  I usually resort to sneaking a capo in when no one’s looking, but I know some would just tsk at me disapprovingly, and tell me that [...]

I’m always on the lookout for interesting sites and resources for learning the guitar, and this one fit the bill to a T.  Songsterr, according to their blog,  ”is a service offering an extraordinary experience of playing, learning, and singing guitar on-line. Songsterr provides a realistic guitar sound and gives you a full control over [...]

Back in the day when I trained as a classical guitarist, I remember carefully grooming the nails of my right hand, always manicuring them to ensure that they had the nice squarish shape with slightly rounded corners, and filing them with emery paper until they were smooth.  I went to the extent of ensuring I [...]

If you’re a rhythm player like me, solos usually consist of either (1) exact knock-offs of those on a track, (2) monotonous and repetitive melodies, interspersed very infrequently with (3) once off, never to be repeated patches of brilliance.
Thank heavens then for guitar teachers like Keith Moore, who share these tips on improving your guitar solos. [...]

I’m always on the lookout for an easy way to learn new chords - while I keep a chord book, I find the internet is the fastest way to lookup a particular chord and its variations.  Thanks to this post at redferret, I’ve found another favourite to add to my collection of musical links.
This chord [...]

Most electric guitars come with a variety of knobs and switches. At the bare minimum, there will be a volume knob, and a tone knob. When I first started to play electric guitar, I had no idea how to use these basic controls effectively, and like anyone picking up the electric for the first time, [...]

More and more people are getting into B.Y.O (Build Your Own) pedal kits, modifying a pedal or two, or even working on the electronics of their own guitars. So you’re looking at starting out building or modifying a pedal or two, or switching the pickups out on your guitar? What gear should you have to [...]

My main rig for guitar effects at the moment is a well used but loved BOSS GT-6 Guitar Effects Processor.  For me, the convenience just can’t be beat, but there are those who argue that individual pedals ultimately give more flexibility and better sound. For those wanting to get into the effects pedal scene, here’s [...]

The internet has a wealth of information, and if you know where to look, almost everything is available, including guitar lessons.  Sorting the wheat from the chaff is a bit of a challenge though, as often some of these so called free lessons are just designed to upsell you to some paid ones.
So where do [...]

Is two weeks is too short a time for a complete newcomer to become proficient enough to perform as part of a band?  Simon Talbot, 41, took up this challenge using Richard Delyn’s Easy Guitar Method, involving one intensive 30 minute session a day.  His aim was to play the Snow Patrol song “You’re All I Have” [...]