guitarhabits

photo by Dan Taylor
What a great joy it is these days to be a musician or a songwriter. Big studios are no more a necessity to record your music.

Better yet, you don’t even need a home studio anymore. All you need is a laptop (with proper software), an interface, a guitar, a mic and you are ready to roll. High quality recordings at your fingertips.

Mobile and minimalist.
Now you can pack your whole studio in and onto your guitar bag. You can put your guitar and mic in the bag and your notebook and interface in the front pockets of your guitar bag. Yes you do need a solid bag with multiple pockets. Composing, recording, editing and mixing your music everywhere you go. It almost sounds like an ad, but it is just to demonstrate how mobile and minimalist you can be as a musician. That is true freedom.

The minimalist musician / songwriter
We are musicians so we do need an instrument to play with and equipment to record our music, but we are aiming for the minimalist approach here as much as possible. Read More »

I grew up listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan. My oldest brother was a big fan of Stevie and he introduced me to the wonderful world of blues and rock. He did not play guitar himself but he loved listening to guitar players all the time.

I started playing guitar at the age of 9, but it took another 6 years before I started listening and learning the songs of Joe Satriani, John Frusciante, Scott Henderson, Jimi Hendrix, Dimebag Darrel, Marty Friedman, Slash and Frank Gambale to name a few.

Much later I began listening to pretty much the rest of the list presented below. Listening to all these guitar players enriched my playing and my life as a musician and music lover. I hope it does the same for you.

This is a list of the most greatest, influential and famous guitar players of all time in no particular order. The list is not complete, because it can never be.

It is a wonderful guide to learn from, listen to and read about. The musicians and their music will inspire and motivate you. If you want to become a great guitar player then these are your teachers.

I present to you: The gurus, revolutionaries and guitar heros. Enjoy!

001. Jimi Hendrix (Blues/Rock)
002. Robert Johnson (Blues)
003. Albert King (Blues)
004. B.B. King (Blues) Read More »

For all you blues beginners out there, in this video I will teach you the A pentatonic scale and three basic blues licks that use this scale.

The Pentatonic scale is the most often used scale for soloing and improvising in blues and rock. If you are just starting out in blues you should definitely check out this video. The 3 blues licks are free and for you to use in your own improvisation. Copy them, rip them apart, turn them around and make them your own. Use the pentatonic scale to create your own licks and solos. Be cool!

Tablature explanation:
p = pull off
h = hammer on
bd = bend down
bu = bend up
\ = slide

A PENTATONIC SCALE: Read More »

photo by Sean McGrath
Does songwriters block affect me? Yes, sometimes, but fortunately not for a long period of time. If I really get stuck it’s just for an hour or a day.

I can also have writers block over one particular song, but then I start writing on something else and the inspiration miraculously comes back.

I spent a decent amount of time on lyrics to make it work. It can take a day, a few days or a week and it is only seldom that I finish a complete song in a hour or so. When it does happen it’s mostly one of my better works.

Nice chord progressions, finger-pickings, cool licks and solos is the fun part. I can write music endlessly. Lyrics for me is the more difficult part and sometimes I can get stuck, but that is where the list comes in. This list definitely makes things go a lot smoother.

Put these 33 impeccable ways to the test yourself and experience the magic of inspiration:

1 – Ask why, how, when, where and who?
Ask yourself questions about the subject. If your song is about a suspicious old man then ask the questions: Where does he go? Where did he come from? Who is he? What is he going to do? Who are his friends? Does he have any? What are his interests? What are his dreams? Is he married? What is his history? Why does he act so strange? Ask as many questions as possible to come up with ideas.
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I am happy to announce the first GuitarHabits Lesson Video. I will teach you three cool blues licks to spice up your improvisation skills. There are a lot of blues licks out there that sound a little ordinary so here are some cool blues ingredients to make your improvisation sound more alive. I wrote down the tabs (tablature) below. Do check out the video to hear what they sound like and how to position your fingers.

Enjoy!

 

LICK #1: Read More »

photo by Tiny Froglet
My daughter is now 20 months old and our second child is on the way. I love spending time with my daughter and I very often do, but as parents know children have a tendency to occupy all your time.

When I play guitar, my daughter wants to play guitar also. I bought her a little guitar of her own, but she wants to play on my guitar when I play it. That is just great. :) I don’t mind, but my practice workouts become a little difficult this way. Therefore and for a lot of other reasons I designed the Zen Guitar Practice Workout.

Zen is more and more finding its way into the western world along with minimalism and new lifestyle designs.

A major benefit for all who are seeking a different and more effective way to self improvement and development.

Zen is also very good to apply when it comes to guitar practice.

Guitar practice is in itself a form of meditation. You need to stay focused on what you practice and not let your mind wander.

It is about concentrating on your fingers, your technique, letting go off tension, recapturing yourself, letting it happen, continually shaping and getting back to the essence of your practice.

Zen Guitar Practice is a way to combine the rules of Zen Buddhism and the rules of guitar practice into your workout.

Here are the steps to benefit:
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