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…
The Loog Guitar?
The Loog Guitar was the invention of Rafael Atijas who developed the concept as his Master’s thesis at New York University. The Loog Guitar was launched in 2011 via Kickstarter the fundraising website as a creative project. The idea behind the Loog Guitar was to make a simple, fun, inexpensive and even environmentally friendly instrument that would…
How to start your child learning music
So where do you start? Music learning is similar to language. Its starts with listening (exposure) by playing music at home, singing songs from 20 weeks from conception (or sooner as I am sure the practice won’t hurt). What songs should you play or sing? Remember its like learning a language so although most music…
The Fastest Way to Learn Guitar
This is a short article about a very important topic for those who wish to learn guitar but can also be applied to really learning just about anything. I’m often asked the question “What does it take to learn guitar?” It is the burning question that anyone who sets out to learn guitar would give…
How’s your memory ? Musically speaking…
Musical memory is the ability to remember musical passages whether it be a melody, a chord progression, a rhythm pattern or a song arrangement. According to research our musical memory is encoded in a different part of our brain to language so needs to be developed. They also found that both sides (left and right…
The Guitarist Mindset. Will you succeed or fail?
New students will often wonder whether or not they have the so called musical bone in their bodies. Are some of us born more musical? After 30 years working with guitar students and much research I have come to the conclusion that it doesn’t really matter. It may or may not be the case but…
5 tips for finding a great guitar teacher
Finding a great guitar teacher is difficult for several reasons. Firstly they are very rare. Secondly great teachers rarely have vacancies. Lastly teaching guitar is an unregulated industry so anyone can teach guitar which means you need to go through a lot of teachers to find those few exceptional ones. The question is how do…
Looking at your hands while playing guitar. Yes or No?
This answer is yes and no so let me explain. The goal is to be able to play guitar without looking at your hands. There are several reasons why you will want to learn to play guitar with out looking but lets begin with when to look. The time to look at your handsThe time…
The Idol delusion – Overstating your ability
The TV show American Idol has revealed a well known condition that we all suffer from to some degree in one area or another. That is we believe we are better than we actually are. When we watch Idol and see wannabe singers stand up and audition with no obvious training or natural we…
Why we need guitar heroes
It’s easy to be cynical of idol worshipping. When we see the inside of a teenager’s bedroom covered wall to wall with posters of their favorite pop/rock stars we laugh and think its silly or a complete waste of time and money and in some cases may even seem obsessive. Some people spend their last…
Should you look at your fingers when playing guitar?
The answer is both yes and no. The goal is to be able to play guitar without looking at your hands. Relying on your eyes to guide you will put you at a significant advantage which I will explain. The only time you will want to look at your hands is when you are first…
A star is born. Really? I think they are made.
When we think of very talented musicians it is easy to assume they were somehow born with such talents. This theory has little if any evidence but there is plenty of evidence that being born into the right family is a major factor. Without a doubt Delta Goodrem would be among Australia’s top selling artists…
G4 GUITAR Blog 