fingerstyle | ArtistWorks

Win A Rare Studio Experience!

Tue, 08/25/2015 - 3:29am

Written by MartinT

Topics: fingerstyle, guitar, Martin Taylor

Win a rare recording studio experience playing and recording Martin's vintage and rare guitars at his private studio in Scotland.

Here's the link... http://martintaylor.com/giveaways/studio-2015/

Here's a video (Part 1) of Martin in his studio playing and talking about some of his guitars.

Martin Taylor Guitar Retreat: New York 2015

Fri, 07/10/2015 - 1:19pm

Written by ArtistWorks

Topics: fingerstyle, guitar, Martin Taylor

Martin Taylor has been hosting a series of guitar retreats, and the next one takes place in the Catskill Mountains in New York, July 13-17. Designed for players of all levels and styles, Martin's retreats are a great opportunity to get immersed in your guitar with other players in a beautiful surrounding. This year Martin is joined by a few guest instructors which include the guitarist Woody Mann and luthier Jim Cunningham. Some of the topics they'll be covering in workshops include fingerstyle, improv, composition and arranging - plus a lot more of course.

These retreats are also where Martin is able to initiate conversations with guitarists from around the world and help them with their playing, which is great because they can continue that relationship through the power of Video Exchange® at ArtistWorks. Watch the video for a closer look at the retreat and what some of his students are saying about the experience. For more info visit martintaylorguitarretreats.com.

Improvising Guitar over Jazz Chords

Thu, 07/17/2014 - 12:46pm

Written by AW

Topics: fingerstyle, guitar, jazz, Martin Taylor

In this sample lesson from Martin Taylor's Online Fingerstyle Guitar School, he goes over improvising over jazz chords using a 2-5-1 progression consisting of Dm7, Gm7, C.

The 2-5-1 progression is simple but effective and it's a great way to practice your improvisation skills. All you need is a long backing track or loop with the right chords, then let those notes sing with your own melody for as long as you like.

For a beginner first learning improvisation or even if you have been playing awhile, this exercise can be a good way to practice clean and tasteful soloing without too many notes. Just let the feel of the 2-5-1 dictate where you place the notes and from there focus on creating your own melody.