Photo by Aimee Heart
A few weeks ago a great bass player asked me to join him and two other muscians that I really admire to start a new band.

I was ecstatic. I said: “Yes of course, great, awesome!”

We met a few days later to talk about stuff like what kind of music we wanted to play, what our goal would be, how many gigs we wanted to play, where to rehearse, etc.

I was thrilled, but at the same time confused. I was in a dilemma.

The picture of me playing with those great musicians playing great music was awesome, but somehow it didn’t feel right. I was doubting and I was restless. I decided to let it rest for a while and leave it up to the universe.

I went through all the different scenarios in my head, the pros and cons and I still couldn’t figure it out.

I called him back and we talked for an hour and a half figuring out what was troubling me and we had a really great conversation. It helped me a lot, but still I couldn’t decide what to do.

I threw the dilemma back into the sky and after a week of going back and forth the answer slowly grew on me. In fact, I think the answer was already clear from the beginning, but I just didn’t want to see it or I didn’t want to believe it. Read More »

Photo by Igor Giamoniano

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 More »

Photo by Frédéric Dupont

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 More »

Photo by Al-Janabi
A lot of people have difficulties with prioritizing their guitar practice. I did too. When I became a dad (best thing ever) I realized life was going to be busy.

I wanted to improve as often as I could, but often other things tended to come first.

I knew I had to become more efficient with my time would I be able to play guitar like old times and do other great stuff like writing a blog and working out.

Since then I have re-learned how to prioritize. I wouldn’t know how to live without playing guitar on a regularly basis.

Playing guitar gives me so much in return, while other things don’t have lasting value. The more I practice, the more I gain control over the instrument and the more and more and more I am loving it.

It’s funny how you can prioritize other things, that don’t really mean much to you, over the things you love most. We all do it sometimes. Some more than others, but once in a while you need a reminder to set things straight and reset.

Here are some solid tips to prioritize your favorite instrument and start enjoying it as much as you would like to: Read More »

“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 More »

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 More »