I've uploaded a small audio piece that I put together for fun. I was practicing the basic rhythm lesson and decided to add to it a bit. Nothing serious, but when you can practice a lesson and not just learn it but have fun with it, then at least for me, I seem to learn better....feel free to check it out on my profile page and comment if you like, but please don't be overly critical.

I would like to know what guitar players of all ages think of the new game series "Guitar Hero". While I enjoy the occasional video game (usually 1st person shooters) I find this one kind of......stupid and annoying. I guess it just that when I was young we didn't have vid games like today, we had to go to an arcade. I see kids now at Best Buy clicking away on the little plastic guitars  trying to get a high score and I just wonder what's the point? I guess it could be the new "air" guitar. If this inspires people to want to learn to play then that's cool, but in a way it sort of cheapens the instrument, ....just my opinion, what's yours?

Well, I appreciate the aspiring (and perspiring) guitar players who have checked out my blog. I have been busy working on some basic lessons, just getting itno the groove of things so to speak.... Believe it or not I have had lots of fun with the basic rhythm lesson. While I can can play the rhythm for Metallicas "Thru the Never" note for note, sitting down and playing a specific strum pattern is challenging especially when it's me, my acoustic, and a metronome...tick,...tick,...tick,...tick. I have noticed some improvement in my strumming technique though, I guess maybe a new amount of added confidence when approaching a tricky pattern. Eventually I want to get the rhythm down for "Dogs" from Pink Floyd. I guess it always good to set goals. As far as lead stuff goes I am working with the single string scales and just practicing the pentatonics as well. I know lots of scales but the lessons I'm working on now are helping me to understand the theory behind them, something I am sorely lacking. Just because you can run doesn't mean much if you don't know where you're going,  and most likely you'll just keep ending up in the same places, over and over again. Check back soon as I will be posting an audio clip....

I guess this is where it all begins. I have played guitar for lots of years but never very seriously. Now I have decided to start (re-start) from the beginning to rebuild the foundations and see how good a musician I can be. I guess since I'm back to the beginning then good place to start is with the simple wonder of the intrument itself. I look back on it now and I remember the first time I touched a guitar and strummed across the open strings:

What can this strange device be?

When I touch it, it gives forth sound....

It's got wires which vibrate and give music...

What can this thing be that I've found?

No matter what, the simple wonder of the instrument should be what drives our desire to learn...

I think a lot of musicians lose that 1st time appeal as time goes on, you know..like the scene in Back To The Future where Marty McFly turns on the amp and hits the power chord that blows him against the wall. Remember the first time you you played a chord (probably) and A or Em, or even open G on a guitar with distortion on it? That day, in your mind, you had joined the gods of rock and you were hungry for more....