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Top 4 Alternative Guitar Tunings
Alternative guitar tunings are very popular amongst major artists. Other than the standard tuning on the guitar, there are many other tunings that we will explore below. As versatile as the guitar is, the vast majority of the time we spend playing the instrument exists in a fairly limited spectrum of possibilities known as standard tuning. Commonly referred to as E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4. But the status quo can be broken by... -
Top 5 Chord Progressions
The top 5 chord progressions are the order in which chords are played in a song. They are the foundation of harmony in Western music from the Classical period to the 21st century. Chord progressions define how the melody and rhythm of a song will be determined. Chord progressions are identified by using Roman numerals, this enables players to quickly transpose to a new key and recognise the song’s progression. All styles of music have... -
The Boom-Chick Rhythm | Country Guitar Lesson
A very popular country guitar technique is a rhythmic device called boom-chick. Click the video below to learn how to play this simple but creatively rewarding technique: ►To get FULL ACCESS to our video lesson library click here: https://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/product/video-membership/ ►For more great lessons and other valuable free content delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe here: https://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/newsletter-sign-up/ ►For more FREE lessons subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://goo.gl/oTbwrS Notes: The boom-chick... -
Songwriting With Chords
It could be said that songs consist of only three things and they are namely melody, lyric and chords. Let’s have a look at how to focus on the use of guitar chord changes in the songwriting process and, how you can use them to make your songs communicate more powerfully. Let’s Add Some Chords When you’re adding chords to a new song you get to decide on the... -
Open Major Chords – A, E & D | Guitar Lesson
These basic open major chords give us a strong foundation to start off with. There are hundreds of songs that use these same three open major chords, so by getting them under your belt, you will be able to start playing your favourite tunes in no time. The reason why they are called ‘open chords’, is because they make use of the ‘open strings’, which are the strings you see in the... -
Learning Theory Through Chord Melodies
What are chord melodies? Why learn chord melodies or learn to arrange chord melodies? And how can learning chord melodies help me understand theory better? These are 3 questions that you may ask when looking at the topic of this blog. Firstly, what are chord melodies? Chord melodies, as the name suggests, are exactly that: the melody of a song mixed with its chords. The melody of the song is what the... -
Blues Modal Harmony
The name blues modal harmony may confuse you at first but, have patience and let me explain a few things to help your guitar playing. You will have a greater appreciation for guitar music in general after reading this. When discussing which chords go together in which keys with students, I often have questions about why there are chords in some of their favourite songs (such as Major bVII... -
Memorizing Chords and Scales on Guitar
There are many guitarists out there that are deeply concerned with the notion that memorizing chords and scales on the guitar is a huge feat, and it is but, to learn all of them that exist is simply ridiculous. Guitarists tend to obtain an abundant wealth of knowledge of chords and scales and yet seem to have trouble connecting everything together. All the information seems to be floating around... -
10 Jazz Musicians To Help Mold Your Playing
Here is a list of 10 Jazz musicians to help mold your playing and your overall jazz guitar. 1. Charlie Parker One of the most important Jazz musicians to study to shape your playing would be saxophonist Charlie Parker one of the founding fathers of the bebop era of jazz. Many musicians transcribe and learn to play his solo’s to delve into the style of Parker, his rhythmic language,... -
Common Beginner Mistakes On Guitar
Most beginners guitarist’s, more often than not come face to face with many common beginner mistakes on guitar. Along with a seemingly unclimbable wall of obstacles and aspirations. Some people at this point attempt to climb this wall, some succeed and some don’t, and other people merely turn around and go home. Alas, Guitar Excellence is here to your rescue. Don’t worry we are here to help you get...
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