Funky Fingerstyle Guitar
I just had the pleasure of spending some time in my home studio recording a few solo tunes.
During the past few days I have experienced the range of emotions from elation to frustration, mainly with my own guitar playing.
I’d like to share some insights with you. The following applies to do-it-yourself home recordings as well as sessions where you go to a pro studio.
I’m gonna give you some straight talk about practicing guitar and taking good care of your body and hands.
This is especially relevant today since so many people are self taught from videos and don’t have a real life teacher for feedback.
The “He / She Never Stops Practicing” Myth – Debunked!
One of the favorite “myths” that fans and students hold in mind is that “great musicians practice 24 hours a day, to the exclusion of everything else and that’s why they are so good!”
People always ask me how “many hours a day I practice” and I see that they are living exactly this fantasy of “wow you are a dedicated artist who practices all the time!”
I was thinking about something someone once told me.
“Pitch is Rhythm.”
Huh?
When I sing or play a note, it does not sound like a beat.
When I play a beat it does not sound like a note.
But in actuality – they are the same thing. Let’s take a look at this…
An “A 440” is simply a very fast rhythm. Scientifically speaking we are hearing a wave at 440 cycles per second.
Hey Gang!
I get asked quite often about how I approach fingerstyle guitar arranging, and suddenly – this simple idea came to mind.
I hope this gives you a little “AHA!” moment – to brighten your day.
Disclaimer – there is always “more than one way to do it”. Here’s one approach that I use, 90% of the time.
The Dark Ages Way of Guitar Arranging
Most guitarists come out of a “chord” approach, which leads to picking patterns on the chord, and ultimately “jimmying” little melodies on top.
[Read more…] about How To Build Your Own Fingerstyle Guitar Arrangements – Part 1
He showed up for his first music lesson with the master, with his saxophone case in hand.
As they chatted for the first time, he told the teacher “I think I am one of the best sax players in town.”
The teacher answered “It would be nice if someone else thought that as well.”
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That’s a true story that one of my teachers, Mike Longo told me. It just goes to show, that when we are in our own little world, we think we’re pretty good.