Exercise and Practice

In this article Kyle Smitchens explores as many aspects of bending as he can in one sitting. How many ways can one person bend on a guitar? Find out here.

This week we look at the Meat Loaf hit “I’d Do Anything For Love” by songwriter Jim Steinman. So what can learning this song do for you? Find out here.

During Cryptopsy’s career the band has set the bar in speed, intensity, and complexity. Here we present the song “Cold Hate, Warm Blood” as a challenge.

This week we recommend a song from one of the most influential of guitarists rock has ever come to know. That would be Van Halen’s Runnin’ With the Devil.

For this week’s challenge, we’re looking at Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Lenny”. It’s a great song to learn to polish up on your slides, hammer ons and general mojo!

Sometimes you have to tweak your practice routine to keep it interesting. Here Kyle Smitchens seeks to practice several techniques in one exercise.

We’re in the music industry here. The sense that gets the most use is our sense of hearing. With that in mind if you were to develop any individual skill the greatest asset to you could add to any musical endeavor is a well trained ear. While I’m writing this with a bias towards learning on guitar it is a skill that knows no boundaries and can be translated to any circumstance, even an instrument-free one.

For this article I’ve picked out three fun exercises you can try and each of them target weaknesses that I frequently encounter with many of my intermediate guitar students’ rhythm playing.