Apple legend Steve Jobs was inspired by The Beatles. He was himself a huge music fan. The reason Apple computers have a strong music focus (think Garageband, iTunes and Logic) is because of Jobs’s passion for music. The reason I mention Steve Jobs is because you would be hard pressed to find a better example of…
Category: Guitar Students
Posts aimed at guitar students
When is the best time of day to practice guitar?
Surprisingly this question is rarely considered by guitar students yet, working out the best time of day to practice can make a huge impact on your progress. We are all unique so you need to find what works for you. I must admit that it never occurred to me until many years in to my…
Successful guitar students prepare to fail – What?
Hang on a minute. Aren’t successful people confident and positive about what they can achieve? Weren’t we told that if you expect to fail you probably will? The ‘Self fulfilling prophecy’ idea right? Well it turns out that a sign of a successful person is someone who is actually expecting to fail and this applies to…
Do you feel guilty when you don’t practice guitar?
In the book ‘The Will Power Instinct’ the author referenced a study done on the effects of guilt on a person who fails to follow through on a commitment. In one example they compared dieters who felt guilty after a moment of weakness to those who did not feel guilty and the finding was surprising….
How Music Makes You Healthier
Music Practice Leads to Better Health Researchers in the Netherlands discovered that patients who practicing music for 100 minutes a day or more showed a significant drop in their blood pressure and a lower heart rate compared to those who did not practice. Three of the test subjects were guitarists. Source http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/playing-music-may-lower-blood-pressure-51779/ How Music Promotes…
3 Ways Great Guitar Players Stay Focused
Being great at anything requires focus but in today’s world staying focused is a challenge. This is especially true for musicians because for the most part playing music has little financial return. Many years of teaching have put me in a privileged position of being able to identify what the great guitar students do in…
Make Guitar Practice Fun For Kids So They Want To Learn
We often get questions from frustrated parents asking how they can make their child’s guitar practice fun, so that they actually want to practice. The trick is to turn practice into a series of fun games. In this video I demonstrate with my 5 year old daughter how to keep the practice fun and engaging….
How old can a child begin to learn guitar?
We are often asked the question of how old does a child have to be to start on guitar. At G4 GUITAR many of our teachers can start students from 3 or 4 years old. Its not actually about the child its mostly about the teacher and parents. A teacher needs to be trained in working with…
PLAN your PRACTICE
One of the best pieces of advice I can offer any student is to plan your practice. Time is precious and you need to make every minute count. Start with short practice sessions of 15 to 20 minutes and break it down into 5 minute topics. Example; 5 minutes picking practice. Leave your left hand…
Why you should devote some guitar practice to ear training
I highly recommend to anyone pursuing music to invest a portion of their practice time into developing aural skills. This means your ability to listen to music and understand what you are hearing so as to replicate on your instrument. Step 1 The first step I recommend for my guitar students is to learn the…
Improving your guitar skills advice
Improving your guitar playing is not just about practice. Jamming with others is an important an often underrated part of any guitar player’s program.When you jam with other guitarists and musicians you are putting what you know to the test. You will quickly determine your level of proficiency. E.g. If your timing is not spot on…
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