GUITARHABITS

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Why Guitar Players Need to Be Fit

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March 29, 2021 by Klaus Crow

doctorgreenguitarMany years ago I bought a guitar exercise book written by Al Di Meola. The first two things he pointed out in the book was the importance of creating good habits and taking care of your health. I never forgot those two golden rules, although taking care of my health was something I had to learn the hard way. It took me a while to learn the major benefits of living a healthy life.

Body work outs, healthy foods, stress release, finger warm up exercises, taking care of your hearing, stretching, relaxation, etcetera are all part of the journey in becoming and staying a good guitar player. I know we don’t always have the time to work out and we all get into a slump once in a while. That’s okay. It’s part of life and it’s good to have a break now and then, but that’s no excuse to ignore that little voice in the back of your mind who knows what is best for you when you haven’t taken care of yourself the last couple of months or worse. So let’s pick it up where you left of. You know you’ll be a lot happier once you start working out. We are talking about your health here. It’s the most important thing!

Being fit will make you feel good about yourself. It gives you a more overall positive attitude. You will be more motivated to practice and more focused to achieve your musical goals. A good physical condition will also improve your performance on stage and in the studio when you’re recording.

So here are some tips to get you in good shape and stay motivated at all times:
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6 Essentials to Master the Blues

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May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow

photo from Flickr
bluesplayer-5Blues is one of the most important things to learn when you want to become a rock – jazz – metal – country – all round guitar player All these genres are related to or arisen from the blues. There is also a lot of blues in the songs you hear on the radio without even realizing it.

It’s hard to be a great rock n’ roll guitar player without learning the blues first. Okay maybe you can, but you will probably sound like crap. :-) Blues is what makes your guitar cry, shiver and scream. It’s got anything you need to express your feelings. Besides that there are so many cool blues songs, progressions, licks and tricks out there that will ensure you have a great time practicing and will really improve your playing a lot. So sit down, read through these essentials, get your guitar amp all cranked up, plug in your favorite blues guitar and let’s get down to serious business.

Here are the 6 essentials to master the blues. Check it out:
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Daily Habits Create Your Future

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May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow

photo from Istockphoto
istock_000001552244xsmall“The best way to predict the future is to create it” – Peter Drucker

A lot of people are not aware of their daily habits. They just go through life without a plan or compass and don’t have a clue how to achieve their dream goal. If you want to make a change in your situation you need to interweave it into your daily habits. Your daily guitar habits determine your ultimate future.

If you want to play in a band you need to create a daily habit that is going to lead you to this path. If you want to become a songwriter we have to get you a writing habit plan to get you to from a to b to z.
It doesn’t matter what your dream is. Maybe you want to build a guitar repertoire so you can play in front of an audience. Wouldn’t it be great if you could play some tunes without the need of sheet music? Do you want to add a new style to your playing? Anything is possible. You have multiple dreams? Great! You need to customize your daily habits to your wishes.

What you do today is what you want for your future.Continue Reading

How to Become a Minimalist Musician

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March 29, 2021 by Klaus Crow

Traveling MusicianWhy should you become a minimalist musician in the first place? Well, musicianship is about playing and creating music and not about collecting a lot of stuff. We call those people collectors.

All you really need is an instrument to play and then you need to get going, working your way up to becoming a better musician. A very efficient and fulfilling way to do this is becoming a minimalist musician.

Stop focusing on all the stuff you think you need to improve your playing. It will not. Practice improves performance.

A lot of stuff will only distract you from reaching your goal. As a musician it is tempting to keep buying the latest gadgets, hottest gear or recording equipment, but in many cases it will eventually end up somewhere in a corner. I don’t say you shouldn’t buy gear or recording stuff, but keep it basic and to a minimal. The less stuff you use, the more authentic you will be as a musician. If you do buy some recording equipment, use what you buy, use what is is meant for. Don’t leave the dust to settle. You know who you are. :-) Write songs and record them. Brilliant ideas won’t stick in your head forever. They deserve to be recorded and put on paper. Buying is the easy part, actually recording is a different matter. It’s great fun but you also need some persistence. Keeping things simple makes it easier.

Being a minimalist musician is about sticking to the essentials, being focused on your music with the least distraction, feeling good about yourself and trying to become as authentic as you can possibly be. Play, write, perform and record authentically. Don’t strive for perfection, strive for authenticity.

Here are some suggestions to becoming a minimalist musician:
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