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Funky Fingerstyle Guitar

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You are here: Home / Archives for Guitar / Practice

Practice

3 Tips for Breaking Out of Your Guitar Comfort Zone

By Adam Rafferty 12 Comments

Adam Rafferty - 3 tips for breaking out of your guitar comfort zone
Lately I have been working on some new guitar techniques that are taking me “outside my comfort zone.”

Working on new things can be very unsettling – for all of us. Sometimes feeling like a beginner is fun, but at other times a lot of mental resistance comes up.

[Read more…] about 3 Tips for Breaking Out of Your Guitar Comfort Zone

How to Practice Guitar Like Bruce Lee

By Adam Rafferty 36 Comments

bruce-lee-2When I am asked about practicing guitar, I usually preach the gospel of repetitive mindful practice.

However – I have been wondering lately…”do I really know what the heck I am doing?”

You can usually find me on tour in a hotel room practicing the pieces I play on stage like “Billie Jean”, “Superstition” , “In My Life” for the 10,000th time.

  • Have I lost my mind – is this focus or obsession?
  • Have I become a simple person and “one trick pony”?
  • Have I lost my ability and flair to do a broad spectrum of music?
  • Have I lost my creativity?

[Read more…] about How to Practice Guitar Like Bruce Lee

What do People See in YOUR Guitar Videos?

By Adam Rafferty 16 Comments

I recently had a guitar student upload a video to Study With Adam for coaching, the title read

“In My Life, The Beatles, Arranged by Adam and Butchered by Craig”

I had to laugh out loud. LOL!!!!

hear-vs-see

It’s important to know that what we HEAR in our playing is different from what people SEE in our guitar videos.
[Read more…] about What do People See in YOUR Guitar Videos?

8 Tips for Playing Fingerstyle Guitar Without Making Mistakes

By Adam Rafferty 49 Comments

Here’s a question I get from a lot of readers:

“Adam, I can’t seem to get through a piece without making mistakes.”

Well, neither can I!

There are a few tips and insights I can give you though – on how I practice and “problem solve.”

[Read more…] about 8 Tips for Playing Fingerstyle Guitar Without Making Mistakes

How to Get More Paying Gigs Playing the Guitar

By Adam Rafferty 16 Comments

ar-bl-paying-gigs-plying-guitar


This article is about some of my early struggles as a pro guitar player and how I overcame them…I hope you like the info here.

As a young jazz guitar player, I really struggled to make ends meet.

I taught, played weddings, and did little gigs and in NYC it was a “scramble”. If you live in a smaller town, with fewer musicians – it can be a little easier.

You may be in this situation yourself, wondering how you can boost your gigs, raise your prices, and so on.

I needed a solution for my situation at the time.

[Read more…] about How to Get More Paying Gigs Playing the Guitar
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FREE - “Discover the 7 Tools You'll Need to Record Awesome Fingerstyle Guitar - At Home!”
Learn how you can get great results with very affordable equipment. I'll show you exactly what I used at home to record my most recent CD. Enjoy!
Start playing "Simplicity" and "Vitamin E Blues" - in just minutes...for FREE!
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Discover 5 Powerful Techniques that Will Make You Sound Like a Full Band on a Single Guitar. Learn to play Bass Lines, Melodies and Grooves at the Same Time - Guaranteed!
Watch these FREE guitar lesson videos revealing my “secrets” to guitar technique, groove, and effective practice so that you can improve YOUR playing, INSTANTLY!
FREE - Get PDF tabs and 9 Step-by-Step Video Lessons for "Vitamin E Blues" - Instantly...
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Get the FREE PDF and Start Playing "Simplicity" for Solo Guitar in Just Minutes!
You will love learning and playing this song...and your friends and family will listen in amazement as YOU play it!
Learn to play "Silent Night" for Fingerstyle Guitar - Instantly!
You'll get a PDF and 8 Video Guitar Lessons, FREE.
Learn to play "Silent Night" for fingerstyle guitar - Instantly!
You'll get a PDF with complete guitar tabs and 8 video guitar lessons - free.
FREE - “Discover the 7 Tools You'll Need to Record Awesome Fingerstyle Guitar - At Home!”
Learn how you can get great results with very affordable equipment. I'll show you exactly what I used at home to record my most recent CD. Enjoy!
Start playing "Simplicity" and "Vitamin E Blues" - in just minutes...for FREE!
Your tabs will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - Instantly!
Discover 5 Powerful Techniques that Will Make You Sound Like a Full Band on a Single Guitar. Learn to play Bass Lines, Melodies and Grooves at the Same Time - Guaranteed!
Watch these FREE guitar lesson videos revealing my “secrets” to guitar technique, groove, and effective practice so that you can improve YOUR playing, INSTANTLY!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
FREE - Get PDF tabs and 9 Step-by-Step Video Lessons for "Vitamin E Blues" - Instantly...
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Get the FREE PDF and Start Playing "Simplicity" for Solo Guitar - Instantly!
You will love learning and playing this song...and your friends and family will listen in amazement as YOU play it!
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FREE - Get PDF tabs and 9 Step-by-Step Video Lessons for "Vitamin E Blues" - Instantly...
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the Free PDF and videos! Links will come INSTANTLY via email. Grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"Just A City Boy" - Instantly...
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FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"Ciao Bella" - Instantly
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FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"Listen to Your Heart" - Instantly...
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FREE - Get the Video Lessons, Tabs and MP3 for
"Shelter Island" - Instantly...
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FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"America" - Instantly...
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10 Tips for Healthy Guitar Practicing
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Learn to play "O Come All Ye Faithful" for Fingerstyle Guitar, Instantly!
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Learn "Angels We Have Heard on High" for Fingerstyle Guitar, Instantly.
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FREE - Get the PDF Tabs for this "E7 Groove"
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Learn to use harmonics, slaps and percussion!
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Download The "Groove Scales PDF" and Watch Your Technique Improve Effortlessly!
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Learn this simple yet powerful warm up technique in minutes...
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Download The "4 Levels of Thumb Picking" and Watch your Technique Improve Dramatically!
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Full chord progression as played in the video is included in the tabs.
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Discover Lush Guitar Harmonies With a Simple
One Finger Move...
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You'll also get the 'move' as well on D, G, C, E and A minor chords in the tabs!
Learn to play "O Holy Night" for Fingerstyle Guitar - Instantly!
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Give Your Technique and Fretboard Knowledge a Boost - Quickly and Easily....
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You'll get the 3 octave G scale with all tabs and fingerings - Instantly!
Learn to Play Arpeggios "Magically" on the Guitar - In Just Minutes...
It's actually so easy to understand and play arpeggios using this technique, that you'll feel like you're cheating! :-) Enjoy!
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Are You Curious About the Jazz Solo from
my "Black Orpheus" Video?
Tabbed out just for you! Here's the improvised solo from "Black Orpheus" plus a lead sheet of the alternate chord changes I use. Enjoy!