Playing Better
Becoming a Better Player
29/08/09 03:28
The common thread that I see and hear amongst my “more proficient” students is that they can play fast and intricate passages with a little bit of practice. And, as they get better, their stage presence becomes more commanding and they start showing signs of, not only improvement but—dare I say it?—the potential for prominence. However, the other common thread is that they spend most of their time on developing what they’re already good at and dismissing what they really should be working on. Read More...
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The Six Ts to Becoming a Good Guitar Player
03/07/09 00:39
Many students use the term “good” to describe a guitar player. Some will even ask what does it take to become “good.” Others want to make sure that they are on the road to being considered “good” by their peers. So for this article I wanted to address: what makes a guitar player good? Read More...
Four Simple Letters, One Word: TONE
16/05/09 03:48
Tone is the Holy Grail for serious guitar players. Many spend their lives searching for a the sound that clearly defines, inspires, and motivates them. Whether it’s Eddie Van Halen’s famous “brown” sound, Eric Johnson’s creamy distortion, Nile Rodgers single-coil compression, Randy Rhoads’ phased distortion—the list goes on and on—every great guitar player is recognized by not only the notes that they play but how they sound when they play those notes. Read More...
The 10,000 Hour Rule
25/04/09 02:31
When I was a strap-hanger commuting to Manhattan five days a week—before the iPod—I would devour magazines. I had subscriptions and would sometimes borrow magazines from work. Occasionally, I would take the advice of a coworker and try something new. One of the new experiences was based on the suggestion of a mid-level manager who was an English Lit major. His recommendation was The New Yorker and that introduced me to one of my favorite writers, Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell was a journalist for The Washington Post before writing for The New Yorker. In addition, he has written two best-selling books: The Tipping Point (2000) and Blink (2005). But it is 2008’s Outliers that inspired this entry. Outliers debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and remained there for eight weeks. Read More...