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5 Top Tips To Mastering The Fretboard
Mastering the fretboard is a lifelong pursuit. From learning the names of each string to being able to play literally any chord or scale or lick anywhere on the fretboard, guitar players have to figure out a system of ‘mapping’ their fretboard. In this article I will briefly explain the process that most pros and many of my students go through to learn their fretboard. This should provide some... -
Top 5 Tone Tips For Improving Your Tone
Acolytes of Tone, gather round, as I share with you my top 5 tone tips for improving your tone! Let me preface this, however, with a disclaimer: tone is, by its very nature, a very subjective thing. Often, tonal differences come down to the individual player’s personal taste. Don’t stone me for my suggestions, rather let your ears guide you and go with what makes you want to pick... -
Top 5 Fender Tele Tone Tips
Some background before we dive into my top 5 Fender Tele tone tips: When Leo Fender introduced the Fender Telecaster, early in 1951, it was derided by some as a “boat paddle” and “snow shovel”. You may still hear modern players affectionately refer to their Telecaster as a ‘plank’. Little did Leo or anyone else realise what a monumental shift this humble electric guitar signalled for the future of... -
Funk Guitar Lesson: The Muting Technique (Part 1)
In this lesson, we’re going to work on three things: Developing your 16 note rhythmic prowess at different tempos. Feeling 16 notes to a metronome is considerably more challenging than 8th notes. The muting technique – playing all the strings without a single note or harmonic ringing out. This gives it a very percussive feel. Strumming speed (increasing tempo gradually), consistency (keeping a 16 note pulse for a long... -
Guitar Effects Buzzwords Volume 3: All Analogue
The ‘Golden Age’ of guitar effects you say? Sounds fantastic! Anything I should know about, any words of caution? Well, yes, actually. Digital or all analogue? Don’t fall for the hype. Be informed regarding ‘the latest and the greatest’ trend. Know what the buzzwords are all about. The following for your edification: “All Analogue’ – What is all the fuss about? Surely we live among the wonders and... -
Funk Guitar Lesson: ‘Get The Funk Out’
In this Funk guitar lesson, we’re going to work on playing chords and adding muted strumming in-between. This exercise is designed to help you work on getting your muted notes perfectly silent while playing your chords flawlessly too. Always make sure that there is a clear difference or contrast between your muted strumming and when you strum a chord. You need to be able to quickly switch between muted... -
Guitar Effects Buzzwords Volume 2: True Bypass
This time we look at the concept of ‘true bypass’. Do you have it? Do you need it? Will it make you sound better, and therefore play better? As I’ve mentioned before, the ‘Golden Age’ of guitar effects we find ourselves in can have some accompanying pitfalls, one of which is deciphering the buzzwords that appear to be ‘all the rage’, and not falling for something that may simply... -
Digital Guitar Tone – Part 2
In the previous article, ‘Digital Guitar Tone – Part 1‘ we spoke about how ‘going digital’ has made our lives as guitarists more convenient in many ways. We also spoke about the downside, and how some would argue that the quality of sound still isn’t on par with the traditional ‘analogue’ gear used by all the top dogs. If this were 2-5 years ago, I would have to agree.... -
Digital Guitar Tone – Part 1
The music industry is one of the main industries that are taking full advantage of the latest advances in technology with digital guitar tone. There have been massive amounts of debates about digital amps and if they can compete with the top analogue amps out there. Even though these opinions on tone can differ, this article aims to point out the undeniable advantages that digital amplification has over analogue... -
Improve Guitar Tone – 5 Smart Tips
Jeff Owens from Fender offers some cost-effective tips on how you can improve guitar tone, no matter what guitar you play. Check out his five tips below: HAVE A WELL-ORGANIZED PEDAL BOARD Effects pedals are a terrific way to develop your own tonal identity. One basic thing to remember while turning your pedal board into your sonic playground is that certain types of effects sound best when placed...