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Listening is The Key to Everything

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May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow

Photo by David Goehring
Learning to play guitar gets easier these days with the many YouTubes and Tabs available everywhere around the internet.

The downside of this phenomenon is that people who are learning to play guitar these days can get lazy if they just copy whatever is being taught on the net.

It’s still very important to listen with your own ears and learn to transcribe songs without tutorial videos or tablature books.

Transcribing songs will teach you how guitar playing works from the inside out. I can tell you, it taught me more than I could have ever learned from tutorial videos.

I am not saying you need to stop watching YouTube guitar tutorials….No Way! YouTube is a great tool, but just don’t forget to listen and transcribe songs on your own. A must for every serious guitar student!

Listening is the key to everything:

Give Music a Chance.
Listen to as much different kinds of music styles as possible. Explore Pop music, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Country, Fusion, Latin, Metal, Flamenco and Classical sounds to expand your horizon and become a more creative musician.

If you don’t like a song or an album at first, put it on a second time.

Now this time listen differently:Continue Reading

The 23 Essential Guitar Arpeggios to Get Smooth

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May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow

Photo by Benjamin Deutsch
Arpeggios are often used for sweep picking also referred as economy picking (different from alternate picking).

It is a technique that creates a fast and fluid sound.

Frank Gambale, Yngwie Malmsteen among others are experts in this field. So if you like to show off or just create incredible sounds on your guitar try arpeggio sweep picking.

Besides using it for fast playing, I really like to use it as a handy tool for improvisation.

If you don’t want to sound like you are playing scales all the time then you can use arpeggios as an extra ingredient to spice things up with a really nice flavor.

When using arpeggios in improvisation play them occasionally, try to play parts and pieces or play random notes of an arpeggio to create cool sounding licks. Use your creativity.

Tip1: Not only play arpeggios but use them in your improvisation.
If you don’t do this it’s like you are learning new words but don’t apply them in your language.

Tip2: Learn every arpeggio in different positions on the neck so you become familiar with the shape of the arpeggio rather than concentrating on which frets you put your fingers in one particular postion.

Here are the 23 essentials that can really open up your playing and improvisation skills.

Have fun and work hard.
You’ll benefit from it!



#1 D Major Arpeggio
e:--------------2h5p2----------------------------------------|
B:-----------3---------3-------------------------------------|
G:--------2---------------2----------------------------------|
D:-----4---------------------4-------------------------------|
A:--5--------------------------5-----------------------------|
E:-----------------------------------------------------------|

 

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Simplify to Play Guitar for 2011

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May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow

Photo by cesar bojorquez
Every year I think about new resolutions. I get excited and want to do better in the next year, always looking for a new challenge.

I also evaluate what I have accomplished, experienced or how much I have grown.

I can look back with awesomeness.

In May my son Vince was born (he is really into guitars already), I spend more time practicing guitar and learned a lot of new stuff, Guitarhabits has grown rapidly and I really love the feedback I got from everybody, I started a new blog about simplicity, reduced and downsized a lot of my stuff, I have become an early riser (I wake up at 5 am) and enjoy teaching guitar as a profession at home.

This year I want to spent less time on the internet, simplify more and worry less about achieving goals.

I want to focus mainly on teaching and practicing guitar, Guitarhabits, meditation, running/walking and spending time with my family.Continue Reading

4 Brilliant Christmas Guitar Albums and What You Can Learn from Them

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May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow

Christmas time is a great opportunity for guitar players to show (off) their skills.

Everybody wants to hear a good old fashioned christmas tune during the holiday season.

So to entertain your family and friends or impress your audience you got to prepare, study hard and learn from the best.

Besides that, you might want to listen to some decent christmas music yourself from time to time.

We all know the famous christmas songs we hear everyday on the radio, but guitar players need quality input to improve, to be fueled, to be inspired, to fall in love with and stay ambitious.

Listening to christmas guitar albums makes you understand how melodies and rhythm work in different ways.

It shows you how every guitar player has his own unique way of phrasing.

There is so much to learn from just by listening to records.

Listen to the records and hear how guitar players make use of scales, patterns, triads, arpeggios, intervals in the most creative ways.

Listen to the feel, dynamics, timing, tempo, techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, tapping, etc.

When you’ve listened close enough to the lead guitar and rhythm guitar parts start listening to the bass guitar, the piano, the drums and other instruments.

Concentrate your ears on one instrument at a time throughout the whole song. You will learn to start listening differently with your musical ear.Continue Reading