For many hundreds of years, almost as long as the idea of the guitar itself has been around, there have been modifications to the conventional design - sometimes this included an extra string! When you hear the term ‘seven string guitar’, your mind naturally wanders towards heavier, more aggressive styles of music. However, this is not always the case and we will be learning about some of those today. The modern seven string guitar as we know it, with a solid body and menacin

I had recently had a request from a student to abstain from the usual lesson material we had been working on, and instead to try out a song that he could use to relieve some stress. The scenario is that he had a hard day, and just was not in the right mindset to absorb more information. I am nothing if not flexible, so taking into account that student’s preference for the heavier kinds of music, we looked at ‘Ace of Spades’ by Motorhead (you can see my YouTube short on the ma

After a period of time, which will be different for everyone, you will eventually amass a vast and eclectic repertoire. There is a high chance that this repertoire will share a material with many other musicians, artists or bands which is fine, but there will also be a selection of more unique tunes too. This could be things that you have worked on by yourself or been requested to play at some point in time. The aim of this blog post is to help you make a sure decision when i

You may have been inspired by great demos online, persuaded by your favourite guitarist or developed a genuine need for some guitar amp modelling in your life and so you have gone and made an investment. This blog post is not designed to make you choose between analogue vs digital solutions, there is another one for that and plenty online besides, but how to get the most out of whatever you already have. Any of the things discussed in this blog post can be applied to any mod

In the interest of keeping everyone happy, I will not name any specific names within this blog post. I will talk from my personal experiences, both good and bad, as well as what I have learned from my peers and idols. This blog post is not aimed towards any specific skill level, as any one person technically has the right to get paid for their hard work, but instead towards someone that has been performing for a short time and has inevitably come across that one particular w

It is my belief that, decades ago, guitar players and other musicians had a more dramatic sense of theatre about them. Many people in the rock and metal genres had a separate persona that they would have onstage. This is definitely not the same as people that are pretending to be something they are not whilst marketing it as their true self – I am referring to people playing characters to an otherworldly degree, an alternate version of themselves or simply creating a new char

Musicians tend to fall into one of two main categories; some people gravitate towards one instrument although they have rudimentary skill with other disciplines, and others seem to be equally at home with anything that you put in their hands. I find myself firmly in the former category, but I have met many people who align with the latter statement (I may or may not be a bit jealous!). In this blog post, I want to discuss how having some experience with other instruments asid

There is the old joke that the ideal number of guitars is X + 1. Meaning that you always just need one more, and once you have that one piece to finish the collection then another one comes along that you must have. It is a vicious cycle and we have all been there at one point or another. However, that begs the question of how many guitars do you actually need? The answer to that question is going to change depending on who you ask. In this blog post, I will try to help you

It is easy to understand that the best melodies are going to be different for each person; the concept of something being ‘the best’ in almost any instance is entirely subjective. Unless you are ranking a melody on the most money generated etc (something that is very hard to accurately determine!), then this will always be the case. Today we will be talking about the best melodies, how we can classify this with our own personal set of rules, some examples of what I think are

The electric guitar is one of the most influential and iconic instruments in the history of modern music. Its sounds have defined genres, inspired musicians, and created some of the most unforgettable moments in music history. But the electric guitar is not a monolith; it comes in several distinct types, each with unique qualities that shape the way it sounds and feels. Among the most notable categories are solid-body, semi-hollow, and hollow-body guitars. These designs refle

Having played in various ensembles, from smaller groups playing rearrangements of tunes, to touring bands playing original music and larger corporate style function bands, I am in a unique position to comment on whether or not you should actually learn the original solo of a tune properly. In this blog post I will discuss arguments for and against this, and my end goal is to help you determine the correct choice for yourself. This is all under the assumption that you have the

Some guitar players prefer to go down the multi-fx route for their entire chain; using products like the Helix from Line 6, the Kemper Profiler and a seemingly endless list of others to create your entire signal chain is commonplace. Whether or not you should do this is entirely your choice, and something I have discussed in a blog post before. The purpose of this blog post is to discuss uses for these systems within an existing guitar rig, whether you have a conventional amp

When it comes to mastering the guitar, understanding the relationship between scales, chords, and arpeggios is a critical step. These three elements form the backbone of music, creating the framework for melody, harmony, and improvisation. Whether you’re strumming chords for your favorite song or crafting a solo, these fundamentals will improve your technique and deepen your understanding of how music works. In this article, we’ll break down what scales, chords, and arpeggios

Let us start off by stating that the world of acoustic instruments is a minefield. Unlike electric guitars, the shape, the woods used in construction, the nut and saddle material all make a significant difference to the sound. This is because the instrument itself produces the sound that you hear, rather than with an electric guitar where the speaker in the cabinet or PA speaker makes the biggest difference to the tone. You can read more about the different types of acoustic

One thing that I struggled with for a very long time was having my guitar solo at an appropriate volume compared to the rest of the band. The idea was for the guitar to still fit in tonally, but have the lift and any ambience that I required. I have experimented with many different methods over the years, and I have discovered a few that work best for me. In this blog post I am going to discuss a variety of things you can do to effectively get your solo from your fingers to t

It is all well and good having a nice selection of pedals, sometimes people put weeks of research, testing and decision making into choosing the right product for them. Then it goes right next to the equally as special pedal and then it all gets powered by something from the Stone Age. Often the one part of a rig that lets a guitar player down is the power supply, and they are not all made equally. In this blog post, I will discuss the pros and cons of different power supplie

If you have read any of my gear related blog posts in the past, you would have undoubtedly come across my advice where I explain the approach I recommend you take when buying new gear. This includes figuring out what you need, what gear you use, factoring in budget and various other points of interest. In this blog post, I want to walk you through my own personal journey that happened very recently – buying a new delay pedal. Read on to learn when I decided I wanted a new del

Drive pedals are one of those strange things that guitar players love, despite the fact that most of them are derived from a select few circuits. Some people buy specific models because their favourite player uses them, and manufacturers like to over complicate things by having a million different drive sounds in one. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals proved that you can make something cheap like the Digitech Bad Monkey sound almost indistinguishable from an original Klon Centaur, so

Rock ballads have a way of hitting you right in the feels. Whether it’s the soaring vocals, heartfelt lyrics, or unforgettable guitar parts, these songs linger in your mind and often become a soundtrack to life’s big moments. For beginner guitarists, rock ballads are not only inspiring but also a fantastic way to build skills. They typically feature simple chord progressions, making them accessible while still feeling rewarding to play. Rock ballads hold a special place in th

Tuning your guitar for the first time can feel intimidating, especially if you’re worried about breaking a string or don’t know where to start. Don’t worry! With a little guidance, you’ll have your guitar sounding great in no time. This guide will walk you through the entire process step-by-step, using clear explanations for every detail. By the end, you’ll be ready to strum confidently. Step 1: Gather Your Tools Before you begin, you’ll need a guitar tuner. There are several