Learn how one < $100 device completely changed my home recordings, and got me back on track recording songs and making demos.
The best guitar apps
One of the biggest barriers to learning guitar used to be cost. In today's day and age, any computer or phone that can connect to the Internet can allow you to learn guitar easily and on the cheap.
Today I wanted to share some of my most used apps for guitar. These range from simple utilities (like a metronome) to full on tab sites. These are the apps I go to every time I pick up a guitar to practice.
How to find the time to play and practice
The majority of us don't have the time that pro guitar players have to work on our craft. For many of us, 5 hour practice sessions are something we can only dream of -- imagine all the time you could spend learning sweep picking?
With 9-5 jobs, side hustles, family and friends, and a host of other responsibilities it's a surprise we get any time to play at all. With that being said, it's not as difficult as you think to make time to play or practice. Here are a few ways to practice, with and without your guitar.
Plectrum Electrum: What's the best guitar pick?
Choosing a guitar pick never was a personal thing for me. I found out what Kirk Hammett of Metallica was using, and for years that’s what worked for me — the Dunlop .88mm green Tortex pick. I still think these are fantastic everyday picks, but one day I wanted to see what else was out there.
I reached out to a couple bigger manufacturers who sent me some picks, and some small manufacturers as well. There are countless pick makers out there, and I’m sure you’ll let me know who I missed! In this post I’m going to go over four different companies that I have experience with, and what their picks have to offer.
The "on the go" practice setup
How to Livestream a Shred Legend: Michael Angelo Batio 2017 Live Interview
I've been a fan of Troy Grady's Cracking the Code lessons for years at this point. When I heard that Troy was sitting down with Michael Angelo Batio, I was excited to see what the shred legend had to say.
I got on so early and contacted their producers that I was able to ask Michael a question about hand synchronization. He gave me some great tips, talked about his career, and answered other questions as well. He seemed like a really nice guy, and he's a beast on the guitar.
If you didn't know, he can play the guitar ambidextrously (with either hand, or at the same time!)
This post from Guitar World has a video of the entire live stream, and also has Troy breaking down how he actually got the live stream going (which was a feat in itself!)
Check out the video and let me know what you think by reaching out on Twitter.
8 fantastic female guitar players
Guitar has long been thought of as a boys club. Seeing the guitar world this way is short sighted, and will have you missing out on a ton of great players.
Whether it be Orianthi and more current guitar players like Gabriela Quintero, or legends like Bonnie Raitt and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, there is a wealth of great female guitar players out there. Here’s a list of my favorite 8.
Flaunting your failures
Occasionally we all run into a snag when it comes to playing guitar, practicing, recording, and lots more. It's never bad to flaunt your failures and move on, especially if you learn from the experience. He's a short story about how I overcame having to use a sub-optimal piece of recording equipment when trying to record a jam track.