Guitarists everywhere are stuck using the same old first form of the minor pentatonic scale.  You know the one.  If you’re a rock or metal guitarist, it’s probably one of the first scales you ever learned.  It is known and loved by guitarists everywhere, and that’s for good reason. This scale is ...

Two guitar parts are always better than one. A guitarist’s approach to writing is typically grounded in a single guitar part. By that, I don’t just mean a single riff or a lick, but it can also be a situation where a single guitar flows in and out of verse and chorus riffs with an occasional solo...

MuseScore is one of my favorite pieces of software that I use for instructional guitar content and lessons.  I use it all the time.

While it’s a lovely tool that caters to musicians of all kinds, it’s also great for guitarists because it allows us to write out sheet music, chord charts, and t...

We live in a world where it's increasingly difficult to just stick to one simple, universal guitar tuning. Whether you're trying to learn different songs from different artists or trying to write songs that cater to various genres, you'll likely run into that classic fork in the road: do I change...

In a way, a guitarist discovering the blues scale for the first time is kind of like hearing the Gospel for the first time.   

“You mean all I have to do is put my faith in Christ and I get to live forever?” 

“You mean all I have to do is add one note to the pentatonic scale for it to sound ...

Ah, the power chord. When all else fails, we always have that comfortable perfect 5th interval to fall back on. But doesn't it ever get kind of boring after a while? I think we tend to favor this efficient 2-note combination because it can lend itself to major or minor chords without allowing us ...

There's one song I find that challenges the picking hand like no other. That song, of course, is “Violate” by Iced Earth. This total headbanger relies heavily on the gallop riff which is a key staple in thrash metal. So, if you're looking to use that technique and apply it to a real-world song, “...

Whether you're just starting out or you've been scraping by for years, there are just certain things you cannot get by without as a serious guitar student. Yes, I'm talking about gear. If you've got some Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I'm sure you're jumping for joy at another excuse to buy something...

One finger, one whole step, and one string can open up a whole new world of endless possibilities for guitarists. If you've heard of drop D tuning, you may be in one of several different camps. You may have started playing in E standard tuning and are starting to see that a bunch of songs you wan...

Guitar soloing has become sort of a lost art in many circles over the past few decades. What was once a heartfelt expression of virtuosity that served as a mini song within a song had become something that bands started to steer away from. Fortunately, it looks like the guitar solo is being recla...

My entry for Jared Dines' Shred Collab 7.  Good luck to all participants!

I remember back in the day as a younger guitar student, I'd show my guitar teacher a bunch of songs I wanted to learn. Nothing unusual except my teacher hadn't heard most of the songs before since they were by underground metal bands. What amazed me was how he learned and taught me these songs. H...