Archive for the ‘Practice’ Category
21 Must Have Online Musician Tools For Guitar Players
Today I present to you a list with 21 online musician tools so you don’t have to download or install anything. Just click the links and you’re up and running.
19 out of 21 tools are free to use. Most of them are virtual tools, a few of them are blogs but they can be a great tool as well.
The tools come quite in handy whenever you are practicing, playing, transcribing, improvising, songwriting or promoting.
I’m a major fan of cloud computing / Web 2.0 therefor I love online music rescources. It’s great to access these tools from any computer where I happen to be. It makes life a lot easier.
One of my personal favorites is tool #8 for improvising over blues backingtracks. They sound really cool.
In case you are going to copy/paste this list on a blog, a spreadsheet or mail it to someone, (which you are free to do) I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on my own blog so that’s why I put Guitarhabits on #21.
Enjoy the ride and good luck with it.
For your convenience:
1 – Myna Online Audio Editor
wwww.aviary.com/…
Use Myna to remix music tracks and audio clips. Apply sound effects and record your own voice or instruments. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Famous Repetitive Classic Blues Rock Metal Guitar Licks
When I was a kid I used to transcribe solos of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guns ‘n Roses, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, etc. And all those famous blues, rock, metal guitar players had one thing in common. They used repetitive guitar licks.
Repetitive licks create a sound where you feel like you’re playing really fast. Well maybe you are :) Besides that they just sound really cool. Those licks have made history.
The trick is too use them occasionally, but certainly not too often assuming that you want your solos to sound fresh and don’t want people to get bored out of their minds.
Use them in the middle of your solos when you are working towards a climax or you feel like you’re on a roll. Something like that.
The best way is to listen to those guys and see how they incorporate them into their solos.
Try not just to copy these licks but also change them around a bit. Create your own repetitive licks. Explore and evolve those licks.
These licks are played using A minor or A pentatonic scale.
You can use them over an Am chord progression or a blues rhythm in the key of A.
I always keep repeating this, because I think it’s important. Play the licks slow first and make sure you can play each lick perfectly clear before you build up speed.
Good luck! Read the rest of this entry »
12 Cool 3 Notes-Per-String Exercises to Rock On! Part II
Via Twitter I’ve received a lot of positive response and requests for a follow up on the “Cool 3 Notes-Per-String Exercises to Rock on!” post. I thank each and everyone of you.
It’s one of the most popular posts on Guitarhabits. I have a lot of fun in creating these licks so it’s my pleasure to present to you part II.
All of the exercises are licks you can incorperate in your improvisation or solos. Feel free to use them however you like. They are yours to take.
If you haven’t checked out part I yet, I recommend you to do so. Part I also explains the purpose of 3-notes-per-string exercises.
Tip: Practice each exercise with a metronome. Start at a slow pace and gradually increase the beats per minute.
Note: Don’t go any faster until you can play each note clear and correctly. It’s good for you.
Enjoy!
EXERCISE #1(in the key of E minor) e:-------------------------------------------0-3-5/6---------------------| B:-----------------------------------0-3-5-------------------------------| G:---------------------------0-2-4---------------------------------------| D:-------------------0-1-2-----------------------------------------------| A:-----------0-5-7-------------------------------------------------------| E:--0-10-12--------------------------------------------------------------|Read the rest of this entry »
“The 150 Essential Chords” Free Ebook
“You have to know all the notes on your guitar, you’ve got to know all the scales, you have to know all the ‘chords’ and make sure you do that stuff as much as possible” – Joe Satriani
Today I’m happy to announce “The 150 Essential Chords” free Ebook.
I worked hard and passionately to create a good organized, categorized and easy to read chord book.
The book contains 33 pages packed with the most essential chords for you to behold, study and save for future reference.
Each page has a clear overview and a nice layout so you get a good sense of the overall picture.
Starting with basic major & minor chords, sus4, sus2, 7ths, major 7ths, barre chords etc. and then gradually building up to more advanced chords such as 9ths, 11ths, 13ths and many more.
The book is not too big and not too small. Perfect to save on your desktop, notebook, IPad or Smart Phone to make it accessible from anywhere. Now you can memorize your chords anytime you want.
Tip: If you want to study and memorize all the chords in the book than the fastest and most efficient way to go is to incorporate them in the songs you are playing. Speak out the name of every chord you are playing over and over again. It really works!
Here’s a list of contents:
- Chord Diagram Explanation
- Chord Voicings and Brief Chord Explanation
- Major Chords Read the rest of this entry »
Learn The Guitar Fingerboard Thoroughly in 16 Days
Photo by John W. Tuggle
If I have to name two things that took my guitar playing to the next level I would say music theory and memorizing the fingerboard.
It made me understand the big picture.
Combining music theory (understanding scales, modes, chord structure, improvising over chord progressions, etc, etc.) and knowing all the notes on the fingerboard will open up a whole new world.
Guitar playing becomes more fun when you know what, when en where to play it on the fingerboard.
When you want to know where to play any type of chord shape instantly it’s pretty helpful if know the notes. For example: An F major Barre chord shape (133211) can be played on any fret. Every time the chord shape goes up a half step (1 fret) the name of the chord changes.
To know the name of the chord you need to know all the notes on the low E-string. For Example: The note on the 7th fret low E-string is a B note, so your chord shape becomes a B major. The only way to see this right away is to memorize the notes. Read the rest of this entry »
A B C D E F G Basic Major Scales to Improve Your Skills
Photo by Janek Mann
The one thing most beginners hate to practice is scales, because they don’t see the point of it. It takes some practice to learn scales properly and then it takes another while before you can use them as a tool for your playing. Patience is a virtue.
But once you master the major scales you can really unlock their full potential.
Scales are used for improvisation, analyzing chords, progressions, warming up, speed picking practice and much more. In other words just about everything that is important to become a good guitar player.
When the time is right you will recognize the importance and effectiveness of scale practice.
Today I wrote down 7 basic major scales for you to practice. One scale for every whole note. In music there are 7 whole notes. Whole notes are: A B C D E F G.
Most of the scales below are open major scales, which means they contain open string notes.
Play the scales using alternate picking (alternating up and down strokes ascending and descending).
While there are many other scales, the pentatonic scale and the major scale are the two most important scales to know. With these two scales you can already rule the world.
Study the major scales thoroughly. It’s good for you!
A MAJOR SCALE e:------------------------------2-4-5-----------------------------------| B:-----------------------2-3-5------------------------------------------| G:----------------1-2-4-------------------------------------------------| D:---------0-2-4--------------------------------------------------------| A:--0-2-4---------------------------------------------------------------| E:----------------------------------------------------------------------| Read the rest of this entry »