How do you teach a young child to play guitar?

Check out this 5 year old boy One person asked how do you teach a young child to play like this and here is my answer. This boy is outstanding but its obviously the result of daily practice and parental support. I have taught many young children guitar using the g4guitarmethod  including my own daughter…

The Classical Sitting Position – Is it better?

  The Classical Sitting Position(on the left)  as it is known is really the result of hundreds of years of guitar evolution. When sitting in this position it really is the ideal way to play guitar. If you notice in the pic the shoulders are basically even, my back and neck are straight and the…

Your mental state affects your ability to learn guitar

Your mental state affects your ability to learn guitar   Learning guitar is as much about mental training as it is physical. Scientists have known for some time that our physical and mental health are linked. In the 1960’s a Dr Charles Garfield (computer analyst) joined the infamous Apollo moon project and found himself surrounded…

Memorise the guitar fretboard

Memorising the notes on the guitar fretboard will give you a big advantage. Once you have the notes memorised you will spend less time looking for notes and more time playing. The trick to memorising the guitar neck is to do it one note at a time. So here are the steps. Step 1. Learn the…

Find Your Guitar Sound

I believe an important element of success for any guitarist is establishing your own sound. Whenever you read interviews with high profile guitarists they will inevitable talk about what guitars they use, which pedals, amps, string gauges etc. Each of these elements plays a role in their overall sound and many are very particular about…

Do you have a guitar practice plan?

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” – Thomas A. Edison Practice efficiency Two people in theory could both…

5 Ways to Inspire Yourself to Practice Guitar

The majority of people who take up guitar do so because they were inspired by a guitarist, band or song. When they made their guitar purchase they were excited and imagined themselves practicing everyday but somewhere along the way the fire went out. Guitar practice began to feel like a chore. Even when they could…

When will you get around to learning guitar?

I often get asked when is the best time to start guitar and my answer is RIGHT NOW! The problem is the ‘right now’ answer does not always feel right wouldn’t you agree? Perhaps you are moving house, about to go traveling, having a baby, have no money or are just not in the right…

Are you a frustrated guitarist?

  Don’t be put off. Your frustration is trying to tell you something so you need to listen. My early beginnings on guitar were mostly enjoyable. I had little to no expectations. My school friend had an electric guitar and he would kindly let me play it when I would visit his home which became…

Does measuring your practice make a difference?

Whenever a new student would begin lessons I would spend a portion of the first lesson asking them to fill in a daily practice log. Now most were happy to go along with my request but not all. Some students would feel it unnecessary, pointless or even over the top. Comments like “Guitar is just…

Satriani Drinking the Magic Elixir

Joe Satriani is much more than just a great guitarist. What I admire as much as his playing is his teaching. I only just found out by watching this series of video interviews that Joe’s mother was a teacher which makes sense. Joe was always comes across as a natural teacher and its probably due…

5 misconceptions about learning guitar. No. 2.

People with short fingers don’t make good guitar players. I distinctly remember as a teen people commenting on the size of Jimi Hendrix’s hands. To a naive beginner with average fingers playing Hendrix style guitar seemed impossible. This affected me so much so that I didn’t even bother with Hendrix at the time and just…