4 Reasons You Should Teach Guitar

If you're reading this, chances are you've thought about teaching guitar or you'd like to teach the guitar. Even if you've never taught anyone before, I'm going to share with you today 4 reasons you should teach the guitar! Firstly, let me say that teaching isn't necessarily for everyone as a career but there are more benefits than purely on a monetary scale. Teaching is a great way to pass on and improve upon the knowledge you've gained yourself to others around you!

Let's get started with 4 Reasons You Should Teach Guitar


1) Teaching Is The Best Way To Learn

I started teaching several years ago when a couple of mates were asking me to show them how to play something. Truth be told, I didn't fully know how to explain it to them but as I started teaching them, I had to develop and be confident about how I understood it! As I taught them, I started to truly understand it for myself.

It's only when you stop and communicate something to someone else that you realise you really do know it. Similarly, if you've got friends who you're asking questions to about playing the guitar then don't feel bad. It's as good for them as it is for you! This isn't to advocate teaching stuff you don't know but to say that you don't have to know everything before you can teach at all! We're all on a journey of playing the guitar; everyone has something to learn!!

2) Teaching Is Fun

I've had many laughs teaching the guitar to my pupils. In November 2007 I decided to launch my own tuition company called Dynamic Tuition. This was a brave move as I had only taught mates for fun and thought I would give it a go. The thing is, you have to enjoy what you're doing. If you're not a big fan of people or you're not very patient then perhaps it isn't for you but teaching is a great way to have fun while playing the guitar! It's hilarious to see other peoples perspective of the guitar and it broadens your own playing. I'm constantly creatively inspired by my guitar students, even if their technical ability isn't as good as mine is. You can learn a lot from the way they practice and the way they approach the guitar. Teaching is most definitely fun!

3) Teaching Releases Others

Playing the guitar shouldn't be just about you? Someone took the time to show you the ropes or to give you a few tips or to inspire you; why don't you do the same? It'd be just as rewarding if not more rewarding to see someone else succeed in music because of your input than to see your own personal success. Why not let your life be about other people? Surely the whole point of playing music is to create something beautiful that inspires others anyways? It's very satisfying to see other people's guitar ability improve and get better; to see someone who couldn't even play E minor suddenly improvising a solo! Don't make it about you; teach guitar instead!

4) Teaching Makes Money

An obvious benefit of teaching is that you can make money for it but I've deliberately put it lower down in the list. It's the elephant in the room, you can earn some cash from teaching the guitar. Let me encourage you, when I first started, lots of people thought I was underqualified and it was bad that I was actually charging people (you don't need that sort of input). The truth was that I had a lot to share and to pass on to every single person I tutored. Of course, it goes without saying, don't overcharge when you're first starting out (or ever) as a music teacher; I started with ridiculously low rates and over time I've increased my prices to match my teaching ability and experience

That's it! Remember, teaching the guitar is a great way to improve your own skills, pass on something to the world and make a little cash on the side too!

Guitar Solos: A Simple Guide To Phrasing

We've all heard solos that went on far too long and had far too many notes in them. In fact, they were not only meaningless but a complete and utter waste of time! A good solo is like a good conversation; it has to keep you interested and it has to have ebb and flow to it.

Your Solo Needs To Be Like A Good Conversation

Phrasing is a critical element in your guitar solos sounding natural and can be best compared to the nuances of how you would have a conversation. No one talks solidly at the same pitch and the same speed without sounding very odd. Try reading this paragraph yourself and listen to the way you pause and add gaps to convey the meaning of each sentence.

Less Is More

When I meet someone new, I like them to be conversation but not for the conversation to be all about them. If someone starts to talk very extensively without breathing, it's a warning signal for me to get out of there! The best guitar solos and riffs are simple, purposeful and deliberate. Give me 3 well thought through notes with feeling and emotion over a 'machine gun' fire of 200 notes which destroys your ears. Compare someone you care about saying 'I love you' to someone sharing a 2 hour thesis on Binary. Less is definitely more.

Phrasing makes the guitar sound like it's being played by a person and not a computer. Practically, what about a variety of playing styles: hammer ons, slides, bends, vibratos etc?

Leave Breathing Time

Breathing is a very normal part of life that we don't think about very often. If you don't breathe, you will die. And if you don't allow space and breathing time between your phrasing then your guitar solos will be deathly (not in a good way ;))

So why don't you try it? A good exercise is to take only 2 notes and to try and solo on them. By limiting the amount of notes you are playing you can completely practice phrasing.

Enjoy! See also Rapidly Increase Your Guitar Playing Speed in 5 Minutes!

Rapidly Increase Your Guitar Playing Speed in 5 Minutes

Quite often in life, its the smallest things that make the biggest differences. Playing the guitar is no different. Countless times I've seen someone make a small change to their guitar playing; a change of position, a change of speed or a change of thought process and I've seen it made a huge difference to their overall tone, consistency and speed.

Get The Most Out Of Your Playing Time

If you're like most people then you want to get as much for as little as possible. Everyone loves to bag a good bargain; and everyone wants to practice as little as possible and play as fast as possible. (If playing technically fast doesn't float your boat then how about being able to string great improvisation phrases together or learn songs quicker. This will help all of those areas too)

A few years ago I noticed that a lot of the people I taught would always play everything way too fast. They would play riffs that were too difficult at that speed and as a result had to stop and start all the time; their tone was terrible and the rhythm was all over the place etc etc. I noticed that I instinctively knew what speed to practice at.

Faster Means You Can Fit More In

If you think very practically, the faster you can practice something, the more practice you fit into an alotted time. However, most of us have ears bigger than our playing ability and so attempt to play stuff that is way too difficult for us. This doesn't do us any good; we only practice playing something very badly and so it's almost worse than not practicing at all.

Your Key To Practicing Better

What we want is to play a riff or lick as fast as possible for our ability at the time. The easiest way to figure our optimum playing speed is to use a metronome. If you don't know what a metronome is; its a small device that provides a constant beat for us to play along to. It's measured in Beats Per Minute (or BPM). For example, if it was set to 60BPM it would play a click or beep every second because there are 60 seconds in a minute. If you don't have one, you can use a free one here

Think of a riff you are currently learning or trying to play and lets take the first 4 or so notes of it. Now let's start the metronome at a completely random BPM. (I've gone for 60) Try playing your riff along to it. Now ask yourself, is it really easy or hard?

Practice 'Perfectly'

Whenever you practice, you should be able to play whatever you practice absolutely perfectly. Think rhythm, tone, feeling, dynamics etc. Ask yourself honestly if you can play it at that speed. If the answer is yes, keep practicing and gradually increase the BPM from anything from 1-5BPM. Rinse and repeat until you start to feel it affecting how relaxed you are when playing. 

Make a note of the optimum BPM for that riff and next time you practice start there and gradually increase as the riff gets easier as you practice.

There you have it. Each riff or progression you play will obviously be unique and so you need to do this each time. It will become habit if you make sure you do it each time. I can guarantee this will revolutionise the way you practice and increase your guitar playing speed in a ridiculously short space of time!

Check out The Secret of Effective Guitar Practice for more practicing tips!

Coldplay - Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Guitar Chords + Lyrics

Coldplay's latest single from their brand new EP is absolutely beautiful. An incredible summer tune with some great lyrics. Check out the chords for guitar and lyrics below!



Intro

D    A/C# x 2

Verse

D
I turn the music up, I got my records on
A/C#
I shut the world outside until the lights come on
D
Maybe the streets alive, maybe the trees are gone
A/C#
I feel my heart start beating to my favourite song

Pre Chorus

D
And all the kids they dance, all the kids all night
A
Until Monday morning feels another life
F#m
I turn the music up, I'm on a roll this time
D
And heaven is in sight

Instrumental
A     D x 4

Verse

D
I turn the music up, I got my records on
A/C#
From underneath the rubble, sing a rebel song
D
Don't want to see another generation drop
A/C#
I'd rather be a comma than a full stop

Pre Chorus

D
Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees
A
Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes
F#m
But my heart is beating and my pulses start
D
Cathedrals in my heart


Bridge

D
And we saw oh this light
F#m
I swear you emerge blinking into
D
To tell me its alright
D            A/C#
As we soar walls
F#m
Every siren is a symphony
D
And every tear's a waterfall


A
Is a waterfall
D
Oh
A
Is a waterfall
D
Oh oh oh
A
Is a is a waterfall
D
Every tear
A
Is a waterfall
D
Oh oh oh

Tag

E                      D
So you can hurt, hurt me bad
A/C#                  D
But still I'll raise the flag

Instrumental

A D x 2

A                    D
It was a wa wa wa wa wa-aterfall
A                    D
A wa wa wa wa wa-aterfall

Instrumental

D A/C# E (repeat into outro)

Outro

D
Every tear
D
Every tear
A/C#                 E
Every teardrop is a waterfall

D
Every tear
D
Every tear
A/C#                 E
Every teardrop is a waterfall

The Reason 4 - Take It All - Chords + Lyrics

Great new tune from The Reason. Check out the chords and lyrics below!




Verse 1

 D                           Am
When I was a little child
Em                                       G
All my dreams were running wild
D                                         Am
I had the whole world at my feet
Em                                       G
Was never hurt, I let my actions speak

Pre Chorus
      Am          Em                  G                        D
I never doubted that I would find it in myself to be
                           Am     Em
Now I'm gonna shout it
              G
Let the whole world sing it along with me
              G
You can be who you wanna be

Chorus
D                                Am                     Em
So don’t stop ever believing, keep on dreaming
                G
Got to be strong and take the fall
D                       Am                           Em
Hold on to the feeling, the path we're leaving
                      G
This is your chance to take it all

Verse 2
D                              Am
In the moment it all sounds
Em                                      G
Tears of joy will drown the crowd
D                                      Am
Feel my heart just beating fast
Em                             G
This is how it feels to live and laugh

Pre Chorus
Chorus
Instrumental
Pre Chorus
Chorus

Enjoy! It's basically the same 4 chords throughout the whole song in slightly different order. Great melodies though. You can check out their official page at www.thereason4.com

What Is Guitar Tab?

Hello! If you're a beginner or new to playing the guitar or bass then you will have undoubtedly heard reference to this mysterious system called Guitar Tab. It's actually short for guitar tablature and is a simple and very easy way to communicate or record a riff or song to be played on guitar or bass.

Why Guitar Tab?

Guitar tab is very easy for anyone to read without any musical background or training and so is very popular across the internet for people who don't know how to write classical music notation. Although I learnt classical piano and music notation when I was little, when I started playing the guitar I heavily relied on using tabs to learn songs and to write down my own ideas.

How Does It Work?

Where sheet music has 5 lines in a stave, guitar tab starts with 6 horizontal lines which represent the strings of the guitar. You can see that it is useful to label them with the names of the strings (EADGBe) to read the tab correctly. Bass guitar is exactly the same but with only 4 strings. You can see from the image below that your low E string (ie. your thickest and lowest pitched string) is actually written on the bottom of the tab. This may seem upside down but I'm afraid thats the way it's commonly done!

What Do The Numbers Mean?

Each number represents a fret to be played on the guitar. Tab reads just like you're reading this article; from left to right. If there are two numbers above each other then you play both notes at the same time. This is how you notate chords. The number 2 means play the second fret on the string noted. The number 0 means play the open string. If there is no number then you do not play that string.

The Down Sides of Tab

Despite being very easy for anyone to read and write, tab does have some disadvantages. If you hadn't noticed, while we can notate the melody of the song, we can't write down the rhythm. Obviously if you don't know the song then this is very difficult.

In summary, guitar tab is a fantastic tool used to make simple notation on the guitar but is not a long term solution for communicating music. I use it to scribble down song ideas and riffs I've learnt but wouldn't use it in a more professional context. In todays age, you can generally find tabs for most of your favourite songs and tunes because someone has already tabbed them.

Happy tabbing!

9 Reasons Your Guitar Playing Sucks

1) You Don't Practice

First and foremost, practice makes perfect. If you want to be able to play well, you have to play regularly. I find I only need 15 minutes every 2 or 3 days to see improvement in my students which is a lot better than playing for an hour every 2 weeks. If you're struggling with practicing then check out The Secret to Effective Guitar Practice

2) You Don't Listen to New Music

Inspiration is everything. You can tell when someone isn't inspired to play. There's no emotion, no passion and no life in their music. You've got to keep yourself creatively inspired by listening to new music, checking out new artists/bands, even being inspired from things that are nothing to do with music changes the way you play! Uninspired playing becomes routine, religious and plain boring. To inject life and passion into your playing, why not buy a random album from Itunes. I've recently bought The Naked and Famous' latest album and Hillsong United's Aftermath.

3) You Play With The Wrong (or no) People

When I first started playing the guitar I used to jam with a mate who really wasn't very good at the guitar. He used to play the same old chords and I would get pretty frustrated easily as I wanted to express myself more creatively. A few months later I tried playing with a drummer friend of mine who had some real musical talent; the atmosphere was completely different. I was a lot more creative and my playing went to a completely different level simply by surrounding myself with similar minded people who were further on the journey of musicianship.

4) You've Lost Your Motivation

When you lose your mojo (or motivation), playing the guitar is the last thing you want to do; and so it sounds like its the last thing you want to do. Remind yourself why you first wanted to pick up the guitar. Why did you want to get good at playing? What are your favourite bands and artists that challenge you to improve and to get better? If you've made playing the guitar a chore then you need to change something. Make an effort to be spontaneous and play for fun!

5) You've Learnt It All

Life is only fun as long as your learning. The best musicians in the world never stop learning. There's never a moment that you stop and think, "I can play everything now." If you feel like you've reached the limit on your playing then you've missed the point. There is loads more to learn and to play. Your playing can only ever sound rigid if your learning has plateaued.

6) Your Guitar is Rubbish

Plain and simple, you get what you pay for. If you're strumming on a 80 pound starter guitar then you'll struggle to get the killer tones you've been trying for. It's great to start on a cheap guitar but you'll get to a point when you need to upgrade. If you need to save up then get started because it will really make a difference.

7) You Need New Strings

I've seen so many people play with dreadfully old strings. I change mine every 2-3 months. It's completely dependant on how often you play but there's no way your strings should be on for more than a several months. Old strings give you a dull, tired sound instead of a fresh bright one. Spend a couple of quid at String Busters and get yourself some new strings.

8) You Need a New Teacher

It's one thing to be brilliant at the guitar and its something completely different to be a great teacher. If you're not progressing at all and you are practicing a lot then it's time to look at your teacher or lack of one!

9) You're Playing Too Fast

Slow it down. Most people try and play at 110% of where they're at and as a result sound very messy and out of time when they play. None of the notes come out properly and there's no feel or phrasing to their playing. I generally play at 90% of my playing ability; I try to push myself as hard as possible as often as possible but I never play beyond what I can actually play. Try slowing down your playing and you'll see immediate improvement to your playing.

There you have it! Just focus on fixing one thing at a time and you'll be away in no time!

The Secret to Effective Guitar Practice

Over the last 16 years of playing different musical instruments I've realised that improving doesn't happen overnight. I used to spend hours  and hours with mates watching ridiculously brilliant guitar solos by Paul Gilbert and let me think, more Paul Gilbert. I spent a lot of time practicing, and not very much time enjoying my playing! Let me share with you the secret to effective guitar practice that enables you to practice a little, and play a lot!

The Law of One

Right now, wherever you are, you're only one step away from being better at playing the guitar. What are your aims? What are your goals? Instead of trying to be 'better at the guitar', why don't you be more specific? Aim to be 50% at the riff you can only play really slowly at the moment. It took me a while to get this; I kept trying to play 100 steps ahead of where I was at but now I just focus on improving one thing at the time.

Recently I went through a big phase of improving my acoustic guitar playing; fingerpicking, percussive playing and tapping but right now I'm concentrating on fast licks and shredding to build up stamina and strength. You see, the best way to learn quickly is to do one thing at a time. You'll actually find the benefits of practicing that one thing will spill out into all aspects of your playing anyways!

The problem with multitasking

The problem with multitasking is that it's physically impossible. Yes, you might think that you're multitasking when you're strumming and changing chords but actually you're flicking between both of them very quickly. The simple truth is that you lose concentration a lot quicker than you think which makes your guitar practice weak and ineffective. Let's face it, we want to practice as little as possible so we can play as much as possible. I used to practice and never really achieve anything in my practice time because I was trying to practice 10 different things. You need to stop multitasking and focus on the one thing you want to improve.

It's different for all of us; for some it might be just managing a chord change and for others it might be to learn a new riff. Your goals are going to be different to mine; that's absolutely fine! Have a think right now of the one thing you want to build up and improve!

Here's a few examples of what your one thing might be:

• Strumming in time (use a metronome)
• Alternate picking
• Chord changes
• Improvisation
• Ear training

Don't just read it; give it a try and test out what I'm saying! Happy Playing!

To increase your speed quickly try Rapidly Increase Your Guitar Playing Speed in 5 Minutes

Little Comets - One Night in October

Possibly one of the best indie rock bands out at the moment, Little Comets have debuted a terrific album, In Search of Elusive Little Comets.

Their creativity is outstanding; hopefully you'll enjoy this video!