5 Fundamental Tips for Playing Blues Guitar
Fri, 06/02/2017 - 11:02am
As you are developing your skills as a blues guitarist, you will at some point hit a plateau and feel that your progress has slowed or even stopped. This is perfectly normal while learning any instrument, so it’s important to develop some ways to work through the rut. Take it as an opportunity to re-think some common assumptions about what and how to practice - here are a few tips that are covered in various lessons from the Blues Guitar School by Keith Wyatt:
1. Swing is the Thing
Guitar players tend to rush right to the bright, shiny object, i.e. the solo, but to paraphrase Duke Ellington, your licks don’t mean a thing without that swing. Developing a confident rhythm feel, especially for the shuffle, is the foundation of everything else you do in blues, and expanding your rhythmic vocabulary is one of the best ways to re-charge your playing style.
New Feature: Quiz Your Bluegrass Guitar Knowledge
Fri, 06/02/2017 - 4:23pm
Good News: We just launched a new feature around here, Quizzes! These are going to test your knowledge about what's in the bluegrass guitar lessons, so if you've been spending a lot of time in the Learn channel you already have a huge advantage. You'll find multiple choice, True/False, questions with images and some audio questions too. So grab your guitar and get started!
There are two ways to access the self-assessment Quizzes
1. From the lesson lists for each section in the Learn channel, if there's a Quiz you'll see it appear at the bottom of the list. Basic Guitar, as an example:
George Freeman
Tue, 06/06/2017 - 8:49am
Diersbach, Austria - Excellent weekend playing at the INNtöne Jazz Festival. I spent yesterday afternoon hanging out with the great George Freeman drinking coffee and eating Austrian cake... ah, this is the real jazz life!
At 90 years of age, George is living proof that playing music is good for you and keeps you young.
It was so good to chat with George and hear his stories about playing with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Shirley Scott, and of course his nephew Chico Freeman.
Safe flight back to Chicago George, thanks for a great gig!
Martin in France
Wed, 06/07/2017 - 10:40am
I will be performing in Paris/Saint Ouen on Saturday June 10th with Didier Lockwood and Marcel Azzola at the Festival Jazz-Musette.
It would be great to say hi to any of my French students that plan coming along to the show.
Just let me know and I will arrange for us to meet.
Feature Spotlight: Music Theory Lessons
Wed, 06/14/2017 - 11:43am
Topics: jonathan coopersmith, music theory
We all play music, but not everyone understands the science behind it. With music theory, musicians have a shared language to discuss and articulate ideas with other musicians. Unfortunately, not everyone learned this in school growing up (it'd be nice). Even if you do seek it out later in life, it can be hard to find a qualified music theory teacher willing to dispense all this knowledge on you (especially for free).
Lucky for anyone learning online at ArtistWorks, we've already done the work for you. We found a verifiable expert, Mr. Jonathan Coopersmith, and got him to record a whole series of music theory lessons for everyone here.
He boiled it all down to the main ingredients and has it broken up into 2 main categories: Basic Music Theory and Advanced Music Theory. Did we mention you already have access to all this in the Learn area? Read on to take the tour!
Martin Taylor 'In the Spirit of Django'
Fri, 06/23/2017 - 5:09am
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra is delighted to welcome world renowned jazz guitarist Martin Taylor to perform the music of Django Reinhardt, one of the most perennially popular figures in jazz, for three concerts in Scotland this September.
There is no guitarist on the world stage today more capable of evoking the spirit of Django’s ageless music than Martin Taylor. He connects the golden age of Parisian Swing to the present day through a discography full of authentic gypsy jazz; acclaimed recordings with his Spirit of Django ensembles; and his extraordinary eleven year partnership with Reinhardt’s closest musical collaborator, Stéphane Grappelli.
Reinhardt became world-famous for his delightfully idiosyncratic jazz music, his unique style and his sheer artistry. Long after his passing, Django remains a hero to guitarists everywhere, and his wonderfully evergreen music never fails to reach into our hearts and lift our spirits.
Pentatonic Scale Practice Ideas for Rock Guitarists
Wed, 06/28/2017 - 3:58pm
The pentatonic scale is probably one of the most common and useful scales you'll hear in rock guitar. It’s used in many other styles as well ranging from bluegrass to blues and beyond. As the name implies, it's a five-note scale and it's embedded within the seven-note major & minor scales. However, the omission of certain notes allows you to play faster and cover a broader range of notes across the fretboard.
The popularity of this scale makes it critical for any guitarist to understand, no matter the genre you prefer. Here are some tips to help you become more proficient playing in the pentatonic scale.
Maintaining your Nails for Classical Guitar
Wed, 06/28/2017 - 4:08pm
Any classical guitarist can tell you from experience that busting up your fingernails is no fun. It’s usually not until the next day’s performance when the tenderness and soreness really takes effect. Not only is maintaining your nails good for your overall hygiene, it is essential for playing fingerstyle guitar.
Here’s a brief overview to help you keep your fingernails in great condition for playing classical guitar, as well as a few suggestions on how to protect them from harm.
Essential Bluegrass Guitar Licks: The G Run
Wed, 06/28/2017 - 4:22pm
One of the most popular licks in bluegrass music is the famous G-run. If you’ve ever listened carefully to a bluegrass jam session, you'll hear it all the time. Notice how each person or instrument plays the rhythm part until they eventually get a chance to shine by playing the lead.
The G-run is simply a handful of notes played by the guitarist to complete a phrase and, at the same time, signal the beginning of a new phrase.
Summer Bluegrass Events Not to Miss
Fri, 06/30/2017 - 4:44pm
Topics: bluegrass
Summer's here and that means it's time for some of the greatest bluegrass festivals in the world. If you're heading out to any, be sure to stay hydrated and sunscreened. Here's the bluegrass festivals ArtistWorks is proud to be sponsoring this year, as well as which ArtistWorks teachers you'll find performing:
