GUITARHABITS

You Need to Keep Time and Lock In With The Beat

May 14, 2019 by Klaus Crow

Keeping time comes naturally for one musician, and can be a challenge for the other. While a lot of musicians think they can keep time, a lot of them might not be as tight on the beat as they would like to think. The tips in this post will get the job done.

If you’re sure and confident you can keep time, you still might want to read on. For many guitar players this skill can still be improved and perfected.

Whether you are playing with a fellow guitar player as a duo, accompanying a singer or playing in a band, it is really important to keep a steady beat.

It’s not the first time a guitar player joins a (new) band, and will be confronted with his or her lack of timing when playing with more experienced musicians. The guitar player will have a hard time locking in with the groove and keeping things tight. To avoid such an undesirable scene, it is wise to master this skill while we’re at it.

Let’s dive in.
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10 Best Tools to Figure Out Guitar Songs and Solos

By Klaus Crow 20 Comments

October 19, 2021 by Klaus Crow

Being able to transcribe a song or guitar solo is a great skill that anyone can learn. One of the things that is really helpful developing and applying this skill, is to have some good solid tools that make this process as effortless as possible.

Back when I was 15 I had a cassette recorder with a slow down function, so I could figure out the notes of a guitar solo. The only problem was the slow down function also lowered the pitch when you’d slow down the song.

So when I had to deal with a fast blazing solo I set the pitch exactly an octave lower than the original key so I could transcribe the solo by ear. The downside was that some notes were so low they became undefinable and I couldn’t tell what notes they were playing anymore. :)

The tools we have today are something I could only have dreamed of back then. I’m not complaining, because I learned a lot from those limitations, but I also enjoy the benefits of the technology today. And oh, what makes it transcribing fun and easy!

Working out a song by ear is an important skill that is often overlooked. It takes your guitar playing to a higher level and gives you a deeper understanding and insight in many aspects of guitar playing. So, try to develop the skill of transcribing and use the appropriate tools to improve your skill and take it to the next step.

I created a list with the best tools that make the process of transcribing and learning a song or solo going as smooth as possible. These tools will help both guitar players who can already transcribe and guitar players who can you use some extra help.

Enjoy!

How to Become The Best Guitar Player You Can Be

By Klaus Crow 10 Comments

May 14, 2019 by Klaus Crow

We all want to become a great guitar player, but what does it really take? Well first and foremost, you want to become the best guitar player YOU can be. You have to focus on your own path, and not somebody else’s. While that might sound obvious, for many it isn’t.

A lot of guitar players have the tendency to compare themselves with other musicians and follow their journey instead of their own. The fact is, we are all destined to become different kind of guitar players. Your mind, taste, anatomy, emotions and daily life are all unique. These things determine how you play, what you play, and the musical path you will follow. You will only succeed if you do that.

Second, you’ve got to stop making excuses! Stop telling yourself or anybody else why you can’t do it, why don’t have the time, why you’re not fast enough or why you’ll never be a badass. You are unique, and if you cut all that shit, you can become the best guitar player you can be. And that is pretty darn good!

Now, here is the guideline that will take you on this amazing trip, no matter what kind of guitar breed you are. Here are the keys that will improve your playing to the max and make sure you become one hell of a guitar player.

Follow the keys and you’ll be on your way!
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How to Play The Most Common Types of 6th Chords

By Klaus Crow 3 Comments

September 4, 2023 by Klaus Crow

How to play the most common types of 6th chords for guitar

The 6th chord has a really nice flavor of it’s own. It’s probably not one of the first obvious chords you will learn when you start out, but the 6th chord is used in many popular songs and is a favorite in jazz music.

The chord is often used in intros or as a final chord at the end of a song, but also to add a breath of fresh air throughout a chord progression.

Today we will learn the most common types of 6th chord shapes:
– Open major 6th chords
– Minor 6th chords
– Moveable (closed) 6th chords

Let’s spice up your chord vocabulary and play a bit out of the box.

Enjoy the flavors!

OPEN MAJOR 6TH CHORDS

There is often confusion over the chord symbols 6 and Maj6, but these are interchangeable. So “C6” is the same as “Cmaj6”.

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