Are you a guitar player who’s mastered chords but are bored of playing the same old on-the-beat downward strum? Or a more advanced player who would love to improvise solos, but are not sure where to start? Maybe you are a Metal fan, trying to work out some of the genre’s technical terms? Or have you been looking for an easy way to count rhythms? Whatever has been causing you musical curiosity we have all the answers right here!
Guitar improvisation made easy
Improvisation seems like something which comes naturally to some musicians, and is just impossible for others. However, this simply isn’t true. Improvisation is a skill that can be learned like any other music skill. This week we published an article showing how anyone can learn how to improvise on guitar following just three easy steps. Come armed with some knowledge of the pentatonic scale, some 3- or 4- chord songs and your guitar (of course) and you are ready to become that killer lead guitarist you have always dreamed of being.
Down, down, down-up-down
If you enjoyed our last two articles on the best video tutorials to learn 3- and 4- chord songs and are ready to take your guitar skills to the next level this next article is for you. We scoured YouTube for the best video tutorials on strumming and fingerpicking 3- and 4- chord songs. These tutorials will teach you to strum-slap like a pro, play some classic bluegrass rhythms, and even serenade your loved one with a beautiful finger-picked version of “Wonderful Tonight”.
Speaking of YouTube, if it is your go-to site for learning music, check out this article on how to get the most from your YouTube learning experience.
…and play your ukulele
For all you bubbly ukulele players, our friends over at Musical U have written a great post about “How to get Quickly get Started Playing Ukulele Like a Pro”. Essential reading, especially if your over-enthusiasm means your fingers can’t keep up with your brain.
Do You Speak Metal?
Surprised to hear that even Metal music has technical terms? Check out our essential metal vocab list for the low-down on “drop tuning” and “sweep-picking”.
Also, if you haven’t yet listened to 67-year old Canadian “The Grindmother” check out her new single on YouTube or Bandcamp.
Talking Kodaly Rhythm – tum-ti-ka-ti-ka-tum
If you have been following our Talking Rhythm series you’ll be excited to hear that the next instalment is ready for you! In this tutorial Sabrina Peña Young teaches you how to count rhythms using the Kodály method. An essential skill for any singer, instrumentalist, composer, and of course, percussionist.
Right, hopefully that’s all your Guitar, Ukulele, Metal and Rhythm woes taken care of… for now anyway? Finally, we leave you with our favourite quote from the week from the Musical U Facebook page:
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