Below is an article I recently wrote on the topic of aural training for Guitar Tutor magazine, published and released by RGT – the Registry of Guitar Tutors. I’m a member of the RGT and love getting this magazine in the post every 3 months as it features some wonderful insights, tips and tricks for teaching and playing the guitar.
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Podcast #1 – Announcing the Brand New Guitar Domination Podcast!
A short while back I mentioned that I have two pretty awesome announcements coming up soon. Well, here is the first one; it is my brand new guitar podcast.
One of the most useful benefits of learning some really basic music theory that no one talks about
Music theory is a touchy subject for a lot of guitarists. Most of them don’t believe in it and others just hate it. On the other hand, some guitarists who struggle to knock out a decent tune, spend too much time reading up on advanced intricate theory when they should be practising their guitar skills and learning how to play the songs they love. [Read more…]
Play It By Ear – The Great Big Ear Training Test For Guitarists (Part 1)
Out of all the things I have written about here on my blog, one thing I haven’t given you much of so far is ear training and specifically, ways to test your ‘ear’. Well, in this post that’s about to change. Ear training is so important for your overall musicianship and is often neglected by a lot of guitarists.
The 3 things that really matter when you start playing music by ear
I get asked a lot by students exactly how I work songs out for myself. That is, by not using any sort of tab, chord chart or YouTube video—nothing but my own hands and ears.
Often a student is really keen to learn this skill but they cannot believe it is something they can acquire. They see working songs out by ear as a mystical skill that only wizards such as Gandalf and Merlin could acquire (just imagine those two rocking the guitar!)