Is reading music an absolute must for playing guitar? Today, I give you all of the pros, cons, and also my opinions about reading music on guitar. 00:47 Do I Need to Learn How to Read Music to Play Guitar? 02:28 Do You Recommend Learning to Read Music? 04:28 Is It Easy To Read Music? 05:27 Reading Vs. Sight Reading. 07:04 What Styles Do You Need to Read Music? 09:29 Reading For Jazz and Classical Guitar. 11:21 What Does Standard Notation Do For You? Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.c...
Nov 25, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Have you been playing guitar for a while and you're not getting better? Today, I'm going to look at something as simple as the way you approach songs that could be holding you back. 00:48 Incomplete Songs. 01:48 Are you a career beginner? 02:54 Expecting to Get Better at Guitar. 03:51 Why Do You Struggle With Guitar? 04:57 Playing Songs. 06:07 When You Only Know Parts of Songs. 10:19 A New Approach to Learning Songs. Chord Guide: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/chordguide Show notes at: https:...
Nov 18, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 151
Today's podcast is for the community! I'll update you on what's been going on here, what's coming up, and the ways you can get involved! Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/update-for-the-community-150 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Nov 11, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 150
Are you struggling for ideas for solos and fills? Today, I'll show you why you don't need to look any further than the chord shapes you're already playing for great sounding melodies. 00:43 Guitar Licks Around Chord Shapes. 02:11 How Scale Patterns and Chords Relate. 04:04 The First Step. 05:22 Build Licks Around Common Chord Shapes. 08:17 Dorian Licks Over A Minor. 11:27 Hendrix Style Easy Licks. 14:28 Bonus Exercises. Free Blues Solo Course: http://freeblueslesson.com/ Show notes at: https://w...
Nov 04, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 149
Being accountable to yourself and others is a huge part of success as a guitarist. Today, I help you reach the next step of success and supercharge your progress by changing the way you think about practice. 01:32 How to Approach Practicing. 02:44 Ownership. 04:20 Holding Yourself Accountable. 07:00 Being Accountable to Other Musicians. 08:04 Benefits of Being Accountable. 09:14 Keeping Up With a Group. 09:57 Bonus Steps. Free Practice Guide: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/practice Show notes...
Oct 28, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 148
What's the best habit you can take on right now to speed up your progress on guitar? It's practicing with a metronome. Join me today and find out why a metronome could radically change your progress on the guitar. 03:30 Why use a metronome? 05:35 Common Timing Problems. 06:51 Solid Internal Time. 06:51 Solid Internal Time. 10:22 How to use a metronome in your practice. 12:34 Playing Faster Cleanly and Correctly. 14:08 Practice Playing at Slower Speeds. Guide to Clear Sounding Chords: https://www...
Oct 21, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 147
Do you want to get better at guitar? Today, let's go over the number one thing you can do to start seeing results... fast. Start making small goals in your practice. 03:06 The Habit of Achieving 04:33 Take Control of Your Habits 06:11 Break Down Big Goals 08:03 Put Your Problems in Order 10:03 Expect Achievement 11:26 Get Real About Your Playing 13:06 Small Goal Examples. Free practice space checklist: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/practice Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/bl...
Oct 14, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 146
Are you on the fence about whether to fix up that old guitar or get a shiny brand spankin' new one? Today I help you make the right decision for the situation you're in. 02:17 My Guitar Doesn't Feel Right 04:10 Guitar is Designed For Other Styles of Music 06:04 Guitar Needs Repair 07:45 Guitar Doesn't Sound Right 09:03 It Needs Different Pickups 10:22 Guitar Needs Adjustment or Repair 16:50 Buying New or Used Guitar Issues Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/should-i-upgrade-my...
Oct 07, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 145
You dream of playing your guitar but you don’t have the time. Sound familiar? Today, I give you three easy tips to find the time you need to get great at guitar! Make sure to download my FREE Practice Room Checklist: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/practice Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/finding-the-time-for-guitar-144 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Sep 30, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 144
In this podcast, I’ve got five licks that show different ways you can use the Lydian mode in rock music. I’ll also show you how they are constructed and how you can take these ideas and use them in your own solos. 01:36 Lydian Sequences Over E 03:31 E Lydian Over F# 05:14 Lydian in Major Diatonic 08:07 Legato Lydian 09:47 String Skipping Lydian 12:30 ii V I (Lydian) Get the FREE pdf at http://playguitargroup.com/ Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/lydian-licks-for-guitar-143...
Sep 23, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 143
Would you like to add cool and airy tones to your lead playing? Would you like to give your major solos a little something extra? Today, I introduce what the Lydian mode is, where you would use the Lydian mode, and the best practices to play the Lydian mode. 0:31 Lydian Mode 1:23 What’s the Lydian mode? 2:46 Approaching the Lydian Mode. 5:36 Where would you use the Lydian mode? 9:04 How would you start to use the Lydian mode? Make sure to learn the right steps for Successful Blues Lead Guitar wi...
Sep 16, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 142
When you think of lead guitar, distortion comes to mind. But, some of the most popular lead guitar solos have used clean to very light gain tones. Today I go over how to build and use three awesome low gain lead tones. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/low-gain-lead-tones-141 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Sep 09, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 141
Are you learning Mixolydian but it just doesn't sound right yet? Check out these seven Mixolydian licks for a guideline to incorporating this awesome sound into your guitar playing. Join our Facebook group to download the licks: http://playguitargroup.com Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/mixolydian-licks-140 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy...
Sep 02, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Getting into modes can be difficult to wrap your head around. Today, I get you started with the what, where, and how of the easiest mode to learn: The Mixolydian mode. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/what-s-the-mixolydian-mode-139 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Aug 26, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 139
On guitar, we learn scales visually without any idea what the notes are and what their function is. Today, I'm going to show a different way of starting to play scale patterns that makes sense and gives much better results. FREE three notes per string download: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/3nps Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/how-do-scale-patterns-work-138 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy...
Aug 19, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Today, I'm going to help you with the most important part of your guitar playing, your head. So let's get our heads on straight by really understanding why we play guitar, why it's so easy to get off course, and what we can do to relax and achieve at the same time. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/getting-your-head-right-137 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Aug 12, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Being able to use Hammer-ons and Pull-offs effectively can take your lead playing to the next level. Today, I show you how to use them, the different uses for them, and some very cool exercises you can do to get that smooth sound into your playing. FREE PDF HERE: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/hammer Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/hammer-ons-and-pull-offs-136 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy...
Aug 05, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Today, I share with you the two most powerful things I've found that will keep you out of a guitar rut and help you to experience consistent progress... and I'm pretty sure they aren't what you would think. Get your FREE practice space checklist at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/practice Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/if-you-listen-to-only-one-episode-this-is-the-one-135 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy...
Jul 29, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Have you thought about getting into recording but were unsure where to start? Today, I go over the first steps, the gear you need, and some tips to get you started recording without any stress and confusion. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/how-to-get-into-recording-134 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jul 22, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 134
Delay and reverb are the finishing touches for your guitar tone. Today, we finish off our tone challenge by understanding what they are and how to use them effectively. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/using-delay-and-reverb-133 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jul 15, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 133
How do you build a great guitar tone? You need a starting point. Today I go over three basic core tones you can use as the foundation for tons of different sounds. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/basic-guitar-tones-clean-crunch-and-l
Jul 08, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 132
How's your guitar tone? Today kicks off our Summer Guitar Tone challenge. It's time to work on our sound and get toned and ready for the summer! Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/summer-guitar-tone-challenge-131 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jul 01, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Let's take the first step into more colorful chords... using the 9th. Today I'll explain what 9th chords are, how they are constructed, and all of the different types that you can use to fancy up your rhythm guitar. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/ninth-chords-on-guitar-130 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jun 24, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 130
One of my favorite things about learning songs is coming across new and interesting chords. Today I'll go through three of my favorite types of chords and show you how to use them in your own playing. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/fun-guitar-chords-129 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jun 17, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 129
Can't make any progress and losing interest? Putting in more effort and getting less results? Today, I show my proven path to getting back on the road to success on guitar. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/stuck-in-a-guitar-rut-128 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jun 10, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Arpeggios? What are these awesome sounding things? Today, I give an overview of arpeggios and how to use them. They aren't as hard as you think and can make your solos sound great! Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/guitar-arpeggios-explained-127 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
Jun 03, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Are you frustrated? Have you had about enough of not knowing what you are doing and very low results. Join me today as we put this in the past by solving three of the most common frustrations for guitar players. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/the-frustrated-guitarist-126 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
May 27, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 126
►Download the FREE Challenge Worksheet: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/lickbuildingchallenge It's my first Lick Building Challenge! Join us as we get creative and see what we awesome ideas we can make with a certain set of notes. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/lick-building-challenge-125 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy...
May 20, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 125
►►Download FREE guide to clear sounding chords: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/chordguide Having a hard time making the switch between acoustic and electric guitar. You are not alone. Just because they are musically set up the same, doesn't mean that they are close in feel and play-ability. Join me today as I demonstrate the physical differences between the two and what to look for if you are having trouble. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/switching-between-acoustic-and-...
May 13, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 124
Welcome back to the guitar! Have you made the commitment to make it work, this time. Today, I give the top 3 tips to make your experience on the guitar much more successful... this time. Show notes at: https://www.playguitaracademy.com/blog/welcome-back-to-the-guitar-123 Copyright ©2020 Play Guitar Academy
May 06, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 123
