Great Guitar Players - Andy Summers

Summers started his guitar career way back in the 60s as the guitarist for Zoot Money's Big Roll Band. He was also involved in several other bands around that time including Eric Burdon and The Animals. Summers even had a brief encounter with Jimi Hendrix. No doubt a memorable occasion. By the 70's Summers was mostly a session guitarist working with big names like Joan Armatrading and Neil Sedaka. Summers was even considered by the Rolling Stones as a replacement for Mick Taylor.

Summers fame came from band The Police which exposed Summers talent as a creative guitarist. Songs like Every Breath you take, Walking on the Moon Message in a Bottle" are all good examples. .He also won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental in 1980.

Summers has a distinctive sound making the most of available technologies and state of the art guitar effects such as chorus, flanger and echo effects. His favourite guitar is a customized Telecaster.

Summers has worked with a host of musicians and I would recommend to any serious electric guitarist to check out his work. Its truly inspirational.

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Great Guitar Songs - Layla - Derek and the Dominos (1970)

A classic guitar riff that was a huge hit in the 70's and 80's for that matter. A song that has stood the test of time. Clapton revamped an acoustic version on his 1992 Unplugged album which took the song again to the top of the charts. Not many songs last four weeks let alone four decades. Great song in any era with a good mix of chords and an easily identifiable riff.

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Rock Star Success Tips - Image

Image: A lot of guitarists have trouble with this because they feel they are being fake. It is not about being fake. It's about playing a role. When you are on stage you need to entertain. Playing guitar well is of course important but if you can add more to the performance via a unique image you are more likely to be remembered.

Create a remarkable image for yourself. Even have some kind of signature on stage act. Hendrix actually made his name originally from setting his guitar on fire on stage. Angus Young (AC/DC) dressed up as a school boy and strutted the stage which he basically copied from Chuck Berry. Eddie Van Halen would jump in the air and do a scissor kick. Kiss wore face make up. The Beatles had unusual haircuts. I think you get the idea....

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Improving your guitar skills advice

Improving your guitar playing is not just about practice. Jamming with others is an important an often underrated part of any guitar player's program. When you jam with other guitarists and musicians you are putting what you know to the test. You will quickly determine your level of proficiency. E.g. If your timing is not spot on it will be obvious, if not to you others will notice.

Jamming also gives you a chance to learn new licks and tricks from other guitarists. Always be humble and ready to learn. If someone does something you like ask them to show you how.

Jamming is also the precursor to forming a band. You will learn teamwork, how to play your role and what makes a bank actually work. You will begin to get an idea of what you are looking for in other band members.

Jams are also a great way to network and meet even more musicians. I often hear guitarists complaining that they can't find anyone to jam with yet at the same time they make little or no effort to get out there and meet other musicians. Post a sign at a local music shop. Get a teacher (join a music school) and ask them to introduce you to other students. Just speak to people about what you do and in no time at all you will be connecting with musicians everywhere.

So get out there and jam. It's the best way to improve and stay motivated. Jump on the phone and call some one now.

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Today's Mode is Locrian

Each day I post a mode for you to practice. The idea is to practice only one mode for the day. This will help you to focus. If you don't know what a mode is go back to our previous blog on MODES.

So today's mode will is Locrian. The 7th Mode. Yes it does sound a bit strange. In the 17th century many believed it was the devil's mode but I will leave you to decide that one.

To see a demonstration visit our MODES Webpage and scroll down to the Aeolian. Its the 6th mode.

You can also download the G MODES as a FREE pdf.

If you have any questions email me. david@g4guitar.com.au

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Bite Size Theory Lesson - Reading Music

Almost anyone who learns music starts with learning the names of the 5 lines and 4 spaces with Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit (Lines) and F A C E (Spaces). But most of us don't really understand why this is so important so let me explain.

Our brain identifies with pictures more so then simple letters. Its easier to remember a phase or a word with meaning then a bunch of letters. Memorising the letters is the first step but the critical part is using it every single time (and I do mean every single time) until you are crystal clear on every note.

My top 5 tips for learning to read music are;

1. Say 'Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit' and spaces 'F A C E' while looking at each note until you can instantly recognise any note with 100% accuracy.
2. Isolate the melody and rhythm. Start by simply clapping the rhythm and then try only saying the note names and then gradually try doing both at the same time.
3. Choose simple melodies that you are familiar with so you can recognise mistakes more easily.
   
4. At first do one bar at a time. Break down in to achievable steps.
5. Practice as slow as you need to with a metronome. E.g. Begin by playing one note every 4 or 8 counts of the metronome. Yes that slowly. Aim for no mistakes.

The whole idea is to 'learn how to read music' first. I see too many impatient students who are frustrated because they want to play the song now. Take a deep breath, slow down and remember you are learning. The rewards will come later. Give it time.

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Sweep Picking??? Please explain!

What is sweep picking you ask? It is when you pick across strings in one direction. Down or Up. The result of a well developed sweep picking action is fast smooth sounding scales, runs and arpeggios. It is important to use a metronome to ensure your sweeps sound even and articulated. Without the articulation it will sound messy and lose its effect. Each note must be distinct from the previous. One note ends where a new note begins. You want to avoid two notes sounding at the same time and gaps between notes.

So get started on a beginner exercise please visit the The G4GUITAR PRACTICE SITE - Sweep Picking for Beginners.

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The value of a Ear (Aural) Training

I highly recommend to anyone pursuing music to invest a portion of their practice time into developing aural skills.

The first step is to know what you are hearing. If you want to play you favourite songs correctly the ability to breakdown the song will give you an immediate head start. Think of it like language. If I quote a phrase in a familiar language chances are you can quote me back word for word. But if I were to speak in an unfamiliar language it is unlikely you will quote me correctly. Ear training in music is simply becoming familiar with the language of music. Pitch, rhythm, duration, timbre etc.

So to get started please visit our online Aural lessons. We have only just began developing our online course so please visit every few weeks.

G4GUITAR ONLINE AURAL COURSE

If you have any questions email me. david@g4guitar.com.au

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Classical guitar relaxer...

Richard Durrant plays J S Bach. Nice work.

If you have any questions email me. david@g4guitar.com.au

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Recessions are great for Guitar

We currently live in a world that is experiencing a financial shake up. I won't go into the details but we will all feel the effects in someway eventually. Most people are being cautious about spending including myself.

But people are people and we still want to be doing things we enjoy. The trick is to do the things that cost less or at least give you more satisfaction for your hard earned dollars. Guitar playing would have to rate as one of the best options for recessionary blues. Think about it. If you bought a guitar ($200) had a weekly lesson for a year ($1000) plus a few extras ($300) you would have spent $1500 for the year. Now compare that to a restaurant meal once a week for a year. ($50 x 52) and you are looking at $2600 not to mention the transport and the extra calories.

So which is a better option? Guitar of course! On top of everything you will feel good about yourself as you gradually improve. I am yet to meet anyone who said they regretted learning guitar. Does such a person exist?

If you have any questions email me. david@g4guitar.com.au

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Want to be a ROCKSTAR?

As much as I hate to admit it being a ROCKSTAR is about playing the game. We must remember the music business is a business. If a Rockstar is what you want to be you'd better learn the game.

Today's Rock Star tip; Visit MusicBizAdvice.com website and read the feedback they give to American Idol contestants. This will give you some idea of what record companies are looking for.

If you have any questions email me. david@g4guitar.com.au

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Guitar Teacher Course

Guitar Teacher Course 

The G4 GUITAR  Teacher Course is about creating a a standard. Guitar teachers traditionally work alone preparing their own lesson plans, doing their own marketing and generally running their own business. This has its benefits but many of these teachers are seeking the necessary skills to be truly professional and successful. 

The Benefits

• TEACHER TRAINING - All teachers begin with the online training. You will have access to a range of helpful training blogs, videos, audios and podcasts to help you succeed as both a teacher and a small business operator. 
• G4 GUITAR METHOD - The G4 GUITAR METHOD is based on extensive research from over 25 years of teaching experience and is designed to get results for you and your students. You will have copyrights so will be able to print, copy and give to your students.
• STUDENTS - We will include your contact details on our popular website so students can make inquiries.  
• CREDIBILITY - Using a proven effective method will help you to gain credibility as a guitar teacher and will be part of a network of more than 25 teachers in Australia, Canada and the US.
• LOCAL MARKETING - We also provide proven local marketing materials to help build your own student numbers quickly.
• SUPPORT - We offer email support for teaching and business.
• TESTIMONIALS - See some recent comments to the right.

Contact  

If you would like to ask any questions please feel free to email David Hart at g4guitar1@gmail.com 

Getting Started 

To begin your teacher training please subscribe below. There are no contracts so you can cancel at anytime. This means you can simply do the training if you wish and unsubscribe when you are done. Membership is $250 per month via a subscription. This will allow you access to the teacher training plus full use of the G4 GUITAR METHOD and associated teaching materials along with a listing on our website.

Subscribe Here 

Membership & Training 

$250 per month.

  

                                                                  

To cancel your subscription click the link below 

                                                                  

Testimonials

from our teachers 

"Further validation of your training methods - I've been covering another teacher (not a G4 teacher) for the past two weeks." This week I found out no less than four of his students have asked for me as a permanent teacher. Thanks for all your help :-)" - Daniel Holmes

"God damn your good Dave:)" - Chris Quinane.

“Hi David ~ Your advice is right on the mark. Thanks so much for being on my team.   I can't thank you enough for all you have done for me and my studio” -  Rita Long

“I spent a few minutes speaking with a student and his mother the other evening. I was harsh but fair in what I said and explained how important practice is for playing any musical instrument. I shall see how he improves this week, and whether or not he's practicing. Thanks for all your help on that a few weeks ago”. -Stefano Cosentino

“i appear to have found two more of "me"...one is at Take Note and one for Zumba...am paying them 5 hours a week each to do the adminy boring things I just dont get to and guess what...I can let go and trust them..thank you for teaching me how to! - Emma Payne

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Robben Ford & Larry Carlton

Larry Carlton & Robben Ford - talk to your daughter
Uploaded by popy27

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Learn the notes on the guitar fretboard in record time Part 4

If you missed the previous parts to this lesson click here to go back.

Now lets put it all together. You know the Chromatic scale and you know the open notes on a guitar. By starting on the open notes and using the chromatic scale you can simply count up to work out any note. In the example above I have worked out the notes on the 6th string using this process.

Now I want you to work out all the notes on strings 1 to 5. If you get stuck send me an email and I will help you out.

Next I will show you how to memorise the notes so you can quickly find any note on the guitar. See you tomorrow.
If you have any questions email me. david@g4guitar.com.au

Free 5 week  Beginner Guitar Course

G4 GUITAR METHOD 

Please follow the link to subscribe to our free online course. 

http://www.g4guitarmethod.com