Guitar Lessons Wylie Texas

Group Guitar Lessons

2011-11-01T07:46:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!

Let me start with a little bit of back story:

I am currently taking a group piano class at Collin College. I must say, I am really enjoying it! It got me thinking about the possibilities of offering a group guitar class. Then I had somebody contact me regarding lessons, but they were only available on Saturdays, a day that I typically don't teach.

After much thought, I decided to put together a 4 week Saturday morning guitar course. This course will be an introduction to chords, strumming, and some simple riffs. At the end of the course you should be able to play a four chord progression, and the intro to "Sweet Home Alabama"!.

A few other things you will learn:

- The names of the strings

- How to read "tab"

-"frets"

- How to count and keep time

- Simple Strum patterns

There will be two classes. One for adults (16 and older) and another for youth (8-15). The adult class will begin Saturday morning Nov. 12 from 10:00-11:00 am. The youth class will be from 11:00-12:00. Both Classes will be held at New Hope Church in Wylie.

The cost will be 75.00 per student. Discounts available for additional family members.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

-Steve

- Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

"Drum Lessons" Wylie Texas

2011-10-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

If you are looking for a drum teacher, I would like to introduce you to my friend Greg Bower.
He is a great guy and a heck of a drummer! I have had the privilege of knowing and playing with Greg in various capacities for over 7 years!

Greg is pursuing teaching on a full time basis, so I wanted to give him a shout out.

I gave Greg a quick interview so that you could learn a bit more about him:

Me: How long have you been playing?
Greg: I have been playing drums for 12 years.

Me: Where do you teach?
Greg: Currently, I go to people's homes to teach. I find it more
convenient for the students.

Me: What is your method of teaching?
Greg: My method of teaching depends on the student, but there is a basic
curriculum that I follow. I start with proper sticking technique: how
to hold the sticks, use the sticks, and basic sticking patterns. We
also work on basic music reading skills. For students that want to
play a drum kit, we work on how to play and read basic drum beats.

For more advanced students, I spend more time on fills, time signatures,
and more complex beats. I also have been playing worship music in
churches for the better part of my 12 years as a drummer and can
easily tailor lessons to learning songs for that venue. In short, if
you are in middle school percussion or want to rock out in a band, I
can teach you the technique and style you want to learn.

Me: What are your rates?
I run a beginning student special of $25 for each 30 minute lesson for the
first two calendar months and then it goes to the regular price of $30
for 30 minute lessons. I also teach hour long lessons which simply translate
to double according to the half hour pricing.

Me: Can you tell us a little more about you?

I am 28 years old and as I said before, I have been playing drums for 12 years. I grew up playing drums in churches doing worship music. However, I have also played in a variety of bands that play all kinds of music. Funk, rock, jazz, blues, or almost anything else you can think of. I am a music junkie and simply cannot get enough of it. I will listen to almost anything. I recently started collecting vinyl records and they are my favorite to listen to.

Me: Good Luck Greg! I wish you nothing but the best!
Greg: Hey thanks so much!

If you are interested in finding out more about Greg or scheduling lessons with him, feel free to contact him at gregorybower@gmail.com or (214) 402-2058.

Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Student Concert

2011-10-18T10:25:00.002-07:00

Recently we had a student concert. It was a great evening! Students played various songs ranging from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Taylor Swift, just to name a few! We had over 100 parents, friends, and family show up to show their support and encouragement to the students.

Did I say it was a great evening?

I believe live performances are important for several reasons:

1. It gives the students a chance to demonstrate the hard work they have put in to learning their instrument.

2. Nothing motivates a more intense level of practice and study like a live gig. It's easy to think a song is "good enough" when no one is going to hear it. It changes things when you are going to play it for a room full of people.

3. They are fun!

Here are some pics from the evening-

-Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Reviews/Recommendations: Tuners.

2011-10-16T13:35:00.002-07:00

Ok. Being able to play with your guitar in tune, whether by ear or with the assistance of a tuner is probably the MOST important aspect of sounding good when you play. If you are out of tune, it will not matter how well or fast you can play, it will just sound bad period. I often get asked "which tuner should I get"? So, I want to talk about a few tuners that I have experience with. There are a lot of great tuners on the market, but I will just be covering the ones that I own/use.

Allright, let's start with a heavy hitter. BOSS TU-2 Tuner. I love this thing. Why? Because it can sit on your pedalboard on the floor), and is right between the signal path of your guitar and amp. Why is this a good thing? Well, imagine that you are playing a live gig and you want to tune between songs. You step on the tuner pedal (which enages it) and it mutes the sound or signal going to your amp. Now you can tune silently and not make a bunch of noise on stage. With a cheaper handheld tuner you would have to unplug your 1/4 inch cable from your amp which would be a pain, and not exactly on the fly. With this one, you just step, tune, step again to turn off, and ready to play! The other thing this pedal has going for it, is that it is built by Boss, which means it is built to withstand abuse. Oh yeah, believe that Boss just came out with the TU-3 which I am sure would be just as good if not better than the TU-2.

Moving right along we look at a tuner in the light-weight division. I have a Korg GA-20 tuner that a friend gave me some time back. Great little tuner. It has a built in mic to pic up and read the sound that it hears. If you have an electric or an acoustic with electronics you can also plug your 1/4 inch cable for improved accuracy. But again, I have good success with the mic. One final note- I believe that GA-20 has been discontinued and has been replaced with by the GA-40 .

Finally we have the Intelli clip on tuner.

1. It works great, I appreciate the fact that it picks up vibrations from the instrument not sound, so you don't need to be plugged in or make much noise to use it.
2. The bright LCD backlight is perfect for using in a dim venue.
3. It clips on to the headstock of your guitar, so it is easy to see

Boss Korg Intelli

Take care, and feel free to e-mail any questions!
-Steve

www.guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Guitars for Little Ones...

2011-08-20T12:30:00.005-07:00

Sometimes I get inquiries asking about teaching 6 or 7 year olds. Most people want to know if that is too young. Typically what I find is that it's not as much about the age as it is about their attention span, willingness to practice, and fine motor skills. I have taught several 6 and 7 year olds and have even taught a student as young as five before.

However....

When teaching a student that young, sometimes their hands are just not big enough to play a regular size guitar. In fact, most of the time I wouldn't even recommend starting to learn on a full size unless it is evident that the student can play on one. So, what to do?

Let me recommend a few guitars for little guys and gals....

1. Let's start with the guitar my son uses. Seth is 7 and started playing just before his 7th birthday. Last year, someone gave him a Washburn Rover Travel Acoustic Guitar which is working out really nice for him. Below is a picture of Seth rocking the Washburn!

It is great for students with small hands. Obviously with the small guitar body, you are not going to get the sound of a full size acoustic, but it is very playable. And at this age, that is much more important!

2. The Yamaha 3/4 Size Acoustic Guitar . This is one that I have had several students use, and it has been great. As you can see in the title, it is a 3/4 size guitar, so it is smaller that a traditional. It also has a more traditional shape as opposed to the Rover. It is a great little guitar that I recommend. Due to the lower price and more traditional shape, I would have to give this one the slight edge if you were to recommend one over the other.

3. Fender mini Strat. This is for those who want to start rocking an electric guitar at an early age! I have also had several younger students use this guitar and it has worked great for them! If Guitar Hero has inspired your child to want to play...well, this is probably the one for them :)

Click on images below to get more info at Amazon.com.

I am sure there are many other options out there, I am only mentioning the ones that I have had good experiences with. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an e-mail!

Take care,
Steve
www.guitarlessonswylietexas.com

There really is no excuse...

2011-07-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

for not using a metronome.

You can download a metronome app for your iphone here

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Brian Setzer Guitar Rag live!

2011-06-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

This guy is so good!

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Another one from Brian...

2011-06-10T16:29:00.002-07:00

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Brian Setzer Interview/quote

2011-06-05T16:25:00.001-07:00

Brian Setzer from Famousinterview.Ca

Q. When you were growing up, did jazz musicians make a bigger impression on you than say pop or rock musicians?

A. That's a very good question, because I heard guys on; the radio, but far away, you know. Guys like George Harrison. But, he was in England with The Beatles, on a record. The guys I had teach me, were jazz guitar players, from New York. They were right there. So, that's a very good point. I never really thought of that.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

A little jazz from a legend...

2011-05-30T16:20:00.001-07:00

Enjoy some Joe Pass.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Wes Montgomery quote

2011-05-25T16:18:00.002-07:00

"Regardless of what you play, the biggest thing is keeping the feel going."
-Wes Montgomery

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Pics.

2011-05-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

Attempting a few artistic shots of a few of my instruments....

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Why Practice with a metronome?

2011-05-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

1) To learn to play in time. Most people left to their own devices will NOT play in time. The 'nome does not lie and will quickly expose any timing issues.

2) It gives the ability to set goals. If you can play a passage at 100 bpm (beats per minute) right now but want to hit 120, that is an actual attainable goal as opposed to just wanting to get "faster".

3) One of the great benefits of using a metronome is that it can help you learn or absorb new things or ideas faster than without one. Remember: Practice does NOT make perfect, practicing RIGHT makes perfect. Here is how I have seen this play out- A student is learning something new, whether it be chords, or a new scale, etc. The tendency for most people is to take that new idea or concept and play it as fast as they can, even though it is not in time and they are making serious mistakes. I have had students on multiple occasions say "I can't play that. It's too hard". Most of the time, they CAN play it, they are just not approaching it correctly. I will turn on the metronome and set it to a tempo that is terribly slow. Sometimes as slow as 40 bpm if necessary. I will ask them to play. Usually they will be able to play it perfectly. After 7 times perfect I will raise the metronome by 5 bpm. Continue to repeat the process until mistakes become frequent. I have had students leave playing something at a pretty fast tempo after they told me they couldn't because they slowed it down with a metronome and practiced it correctly.

One more time: Practice does NOT make perfect, practicing RIGHT makes perfect.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Metronomeonline.com

2011-05-07T15:22:00.003-07:00

If you don't at least spend some of your time practicing with a metronome, you need to.

And this here eliminates the excuse that you a) don't have one b) can't find it or b) the batteries are dead

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Beatles Medley

2011-04-15T12:18:00.003-07:00

Check out this Beatles Medley by guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Sir Paul McCartney Interview

2011-04-10T12:16:00.001-07:00

Paul McCartney Interview with Guitar Player

Q. Have you ever had any doubts about your playing?

A. Definitely. Often. Probably every time I've done a bass part. I have some self-doubts because I think, "Oh, my God; I've made so many records. How am I going to make this sound fresh?" But if you're lucky, you just get a little thing, like, you know, in "Rain," where there's this sort of high stuff. Then you go, "Ooh, I've got it!" And the rest of the part flows because you've got something to feel special about. "Paperback Writer"-there's something. Or the lines that I discovered in "With A Little Help From My Friends." And what gets rid of the self-doubts is just plugging at it, keeping at it, and finding something to sort of release myself with.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Amazing Slow Downer

2011-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a resource that I am a really big fan of. It is called the Amazing Slow Downer. You can download the demo version for free, or purchase the full version, which is well worth it in my opinion.

So what does it do? A whole lot. You can speed up or slow down music, you can adjust the pitch, you can set markers on a particular part of a song you are working on, so it keeps looping that one part. You can even save the adjusted piece of music as a new file so you can play it in itunes or your other favorite media player.

It is great for figuring out tricky lines. I also will adjust pitch on a song that was recorded 1/2 step down so I don't have to change the tuning on my guitar.

Even if you don't buy the full version, at least check out the demo! You can find it here

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

John Mayer Interview

2011-03-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Let's hear from a modern day guitar hero.

John Mayer interview taken from Acguitar.com

Which came first, the desire to play the guitar or the desire to write songs?

Mayer The desire to play the guitar came years and years before—probably six years before.

And who specifically put that fire into you?

Mayer: Well, I had a common curiosity about playing the guitar, but it was really locked in by Stevie Ray Vaughan. The thing is, I was never a blues fan. I was kind of a jazz fan—my dad used to have a couple of jazz records that I really liked. I imagine there was something primal in my love of [Vaughan's music], because until then there was no evidence that was the kind of music I liked.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

One more....

2011-03-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

And I promise I will stop.

So much passion packed into a song. To me, these guys prove that feeling and emotion always win.

And they use their music to promote good causes.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

More from the Edge

2011-03-17T08:03:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite songs have been written by the Edge and U2, so heres another!

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

U2 - Where the streets....(Live)

2011-03-15T07:58:00.004-07:00

Amazing Song. Amazing performance.

I have also thought the intro that the edge plays is so beautiful...

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

The Edge

2011-03-10T07:54:00.001-07:00

The guitarist for U2 shares a few thoughts-

Taken from GuitarPlayer magazine

GP: It sounds like the guitar still excites you.

Edge: I find it to be an ongoing challenge to keep the guitar from  becoming too traditional - which can happen to even the best ideas and  the best styles. They eventually lose their fire and their ability to  reach you because they get overused. I'm constantly trying to find  uncharted territories by looking for sounds and tones that inspire  new feelings and stop me from becoming too staid. Ironically, on this  record that meant plugging a beautiful vintage guitar straight into a  lovely vintage amp. That was pretty inspiring for me.

GP: What is it about the guitar that still resonates with people?

Edge: I think it may have something to do with it standing for  freedom in some weird way - somewhat like the automobile has meant  freedom for people over the last century. Since the invention of  blues and rock and roll, the guitar has inspired that kind of feeling  in people. And it probably always will.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Lincoln Brewster

2011-03-06T07:51:00.002-07:00

This dude has some serious chops...

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Jamcenter.com

2011-03-01T07:41:00.003-07:00

Today's cool resource is Jamcenter.com. A great one if you need some rhythm tracks to practice your leads and solos over. They are not all of the greatest quality, but they get the job done. And did I say that it is free?

You pick your key and then choose from one of the five styles. It will continue to loop while you wail over the top of it. Remember to turn your amp up to 11. Have fun!

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Are you serious?

2011-02-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

Speechless.

Unbelievable.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Joe Satriani....this time his music!

2011-02-20T07:30:00.005-07:00

Last post we heard some words of wisdom from Joe. Now lets check out a tune. A personal fave: Cool #9

The jamming turns into the actual song at about 3:30 so give it a chance to get going...

Man, what a great groove!

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Joe Satriani gives a shout out for learning music theory....

2011-02-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

A little long, but well worth the read!

Joe Satriani from Guitar.about.com

Who would you say is your biggest musical influence that is not a guitarist?

Joe: Well, probably my high school music theory teacher. He was the one that was able to reach me as a teenager and show me that there were mysteries out there that could be explained about music. That every musician that walked the planet before me started out equally ignorant and was taught by somebody, or a few people, about what all the musicians before them had done. I learned not only music history, but music theory and was enlightened by biographies of great musicians from the classical world, the pop world and the jazz world. All those things put together really help you sort things out. When you're a young kid and you've got music in your head, you really want to try to get it out, but you don't know how it fits together. So he was a big influence on me that way. He sort of helped me figure out what it was to be a musician. How you're supposed to go about your life. It can be very difficult. The way that all of the humans have progressed in civilization is to label things. You know, not only objects but feelings, inclinations, ideas. In the case of music, they call it music theory and make it sound more important than it really is. Basically, when you get a sound in your head, and you want to remember it, you've got to call it something. If you get a sound in your head, and you want someone else in the room to understand what it is, you've got to call it something. Whatever you call it, if that other person is familiar with that lexicon or that language, then they'll know what that sound in your head is. Imagine before there was measurement and somebody had to describe length to somebody. In music it's the same way. I can look at a musician and say "I need a minor 6th there and I need it in a triplet eighth note" and that's the language that we use and then I can communicate the sound in my head to that musician so they understand it. There's just this huge vocabulary that you have to learn in order to interpret what's going on inside of you and can understand and translate all the music coming at you from other musicians. A lot of starting out as a musician is learning that language. You learn a lot about the music that's in your head when you get that language together. It's a great experience.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Jonathan Reuel...

2011-02-12T09:39:00.001-07:00

Jonathan has been a really good friend of mine for a number of years. He is a fantastic singer songwriter with a great sense of rhythm. One of the things that I appreciate about his music is his passion. He plays from the heart and soul. When he plays live it is never the same twice. He is also just as comfortable with a full rocking band as he is performing solo with an acoustic guitar. He is working on a new project which will most likely include this song:

Untitled from Justin Clemons on Vimeo.

It's still a work in progress but I love where it's going.

If you are drawn to that kind of music I would encourage you to check out his album "Now" by clicking here. That album contains some tracks that I think are amazing. I have had the privilege of playing with Jonathan multiple times, he is just a really great guy.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Btw- another really good friend of mine, Justin Clemons shot the video, you can find more about him here. Justin is an amazing photographer/videographer.

Coldplay

2011-02-10T07:18:00.010-07:00

This is a great song, and a great lesson on why learning chords is important!

Those high vocal notes at the end always give me the chills.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve

Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

This is just funny....

2011-02-09T11:40:00.001-07:00

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

More S.R.V.

2011-02-07T07:09:00.001-07:00

Let's here a little from Stevie in this post...

SRV interview with Modern Guitar

You’re able to stand back from a solo and be objective enough and know when you’ve captured the moment?

SRV: Yeah, when it’s right, I get chill bumps and things when it feels good.

How far from the blues would you stray? Would you do a pop tune?

SRV: To be honest with you, I’m not sure what a pop tune is. I’m sure if I hear it on the radio, I’d say that’s pop or this or that. But, really, what I pay attention to the most is just music that moves me. It’s all at least a root-type music instead of a formula.

Good words from a legend! Make sure the music moves you!

-Steve

Official site Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

S.R.V.

2011-02-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

I love this song! Crank it up at 1:20 when he goes into his solo!

- Steve

Official site - Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Emusictheory.com

2011-01-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today I want to talk about a cool free web resource. This is perfect because in the last post, I posted an article talking about the benefits of learning to read music.

The website is emusictheory.com.

Emusictheory is site that has great drills that can really help in the process of learning to read music. You will not have access to all of the resources for free, but you will have access to some really cool stuff. You can find the free drills here. My personal favorites are Note Names, Paced Note Names, Guitar Frets, Rhythm Performance, and Chord functions.

Each drill will have a settings option. Make sure you pick the treble clef since we are playing guitar. On most of them you can also adjust the difficulty and select or omit any notes you want to add or take away. For example, when you are first starting you might only pick natural notes.

I hope that you get a chance to check it out, I have found it to be very valuable!

Good luck on the musical journey!

Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Music and Math?

2011-01-19T22:06:00.001-07:00

Did you know learning to read music can actually help students with math?

"Now that the school year has kicked in full force, many parents look to November as back-to-school night when they meet their children's teachers for the first time and get an assessment of how well or poorly their little juniors are doing. Historically, the subject of math has provided ample cause for concern as many students lag in this subject and struggle. Yet one secret to better grades is quite simple: let your kids play music.

Yes that is correct. Let your kids play music. Let them take up a musical instrument. Whether they choose to learn violin or piano, or little rocker Johnny wants to be like Eddie Van Halen and rip through the Eruption solo, does not matter. The important thing is that they begin to learn some instrument. This will definitely improve their math grades because of the intimate relationship between music and mathematics.

Learning a musical instrument will expose your child to learn to read music. Beside strengthening hand-eye coordination, which is always a good thing, learning to read music will strongly improve your child's ability to work with fractions."

You can read the rest of the article here

Pretty cool huh? - Steve

Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

The Legendary Wes Montgomery

2011-01-09T21:51:00.003-07:00

Way ahead of his time!

and lets do another!

Hope you like! -Steve

Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Interview/Quote with Eric Johnson

2011-01-06T07:00:00.001-07:00

Eric Johnson interview from Guitar international magazine

Rick: Do you have any projects that you’ve dreamed of doing, but have just haven’t got around to yet?

Eric: I’d like to work with an orchestra some day. That would be a lot of fun! And I would like to learn more about music and cut some records that are different styles.

Rick: Are there any guitarists that you always go back and listen to for inspiration?

Eric: Wes Montgomery!

I love the fact that someone as amazing as Eric Johnson said that he would like to "learn more about music". That is awesome. I think next post we should hear some Wes to see what all of the fuss is about!

Good luck on the musical journey. -Steve

Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Interview/Quote with Jack White

2011-01-02T21:41:00.010-07:00

Do you see yourself as competitive with other musicians of your generation?

JW: No, I give up! [Laughs.] I surrender! I watch MTV, I listen to the radio, and I just give up. I don't know to record like that, I don't know how to be "current." Anytime I do something and it sounds "modern" to me, someone is quick to point out that it sounds like something from 30 or 40 years ago. You know, I give up! [Laughs.] That's never been a battle that I wanted to fight to begin with, but even the times I think about it, I think that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't even know the first thing to do.

Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Merry Merry Christmas...

2010-12-25T10:00:00.003-07:00

A great modern Christmas tune about the heart of Christmas.

Grace, peace and joy. -Steve

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T21:27:00.017-07:00

Nothing like a little Brian Setzer Orchestra for the holidays!

Hope you have a merry Christmas! -Steve

guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Very Cool!

2010-12-17T10:50:00.003-07:00

A friend just sent this to me.

That's just nuts! Hey think different.

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

One of my guitar heroes!

2010-12-15T14:50:00.003-07:00

David Gilmour. He doesn't play play with lot's of flash, but he plays with conviction and from the heart. And that is what's most important.

For lesson info guitarlessonswylietexas.com!

Cool!

2010-12-13T16:19:00.001-07:00

Just received these as a gift from a family member...

What cool ornaments!

Good luck on the musical journey! -Steve
Official website Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

Give the gift of Music!!

2010-12-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

This Christmas gift the gift of music!

GuitarLessonsWylieTexas.com for more details!

New website up!

2010-12-02T17:09:00.003-07:00

You can find it here:

http://guitarlessonswylietexas.com/

Good luck on the musical journey! - Steve

How to Practice

2010-11-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Practicing Right

A lot of people do not understand how to practice a musical instrument. The temptation is just to practice as fast as you can until everything just sort of falls together. The problem with that technique is that you then practice the piece "wrong" and full of mistakes, adding unnecessary time to the process. Remember the old adage that you have to do something 21 times to make it a habit? That means 21 times perfect! If you play it wrong you will have to unlearn those things later. So rule #1

Play a new song or technique as slow and as clean as possible. Try to make it musical. If you try and practice a piece too fast and play it sloppy it will not sound like music. On the other hand, it will not matter how slow you play it, if it is accurate and in time it will sound like music! The best way to get fast, is to practice slow and in a musical fashion!! Once you can play it slow then begin to speed it up.

Timing

Timing can be a very challenging thing to learn. Just like we are all born with different gifts, strengths, and weaknesses some people are just born with "time". But fret not. It CAN be learned, and improved. The best way to improve time is to play with a metronome. Start with 1/4 notes (everything on the beat), then progress to 1/8 and 1/16th. To further stretch your time have the metronome act as a drummer and count every beep or tick as 2 and 4. That means you have to count the 1 and 3. So you say 1 and then the metronome beeps 2, then you say three and the metronome beeps 4 It's a little tricky at first, but when you get the hang of it, it is really cool.

Not only does a metronome improve time, it also gives a very practical way to chart progress. Example-if this week you can play a C major scale at 60 bpm and next week you hit 80 bpm that is real progress! I read once that 15 minutes of practice with a metronome equals and hour of practice without one. I believe it.

Duration of practice

Duration of practice routines varies from student to student, depending on their age and objectives.

For a young beginner I usually recomend 15-20 min practices 4-5 days per week. You WILL see progress with this amount of time if it is maintained.

If you are more advanced or have goals of being a rock star :) I would recomend between 1 and 2 hours per day 5 days per week. Remember you get out of it what you put into it!

Playing with other musicians

One of the best ways to improve your craft is to play with other musicians. There have been times where I feel I made more progress playing intense sessions over 3 days than I did with months of practice. Plus playing with people is just plain fun!!

Listen

Listen to music! Listen to lots of it! You could not learn to use the english language if you were never exposed to it. In the same way if you want to learn to play and feel music you must listen to it!

quote

2008-09-25T18:35:00.001-07:00

In Interview with Eric Johnson taken from guitar player magazine may '86

What's your relationship with the instrument on a day-to-day basis?

I try to practice every day, because if I don't, I get rusty real fast. I guess some players have it all the time at their fingertips, but I have to stay in touch with it. If I have enough time, I like to practice at least four hours a day. Some days I only get an hour; some days I do eight or nine hours.

Amazing guitar #9 Steve Morse

2008-08-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

The infamous tumeni notes. You know infamous...more than famous!

quote #7

2008-08-03T18:22:00.001-07:00

Inherently, I’m not a particularly good player. I’ve groveled my way up by learning things, and practicing them a lot. I still practice two to three hours a day, although I’m trying to practice things that are fun for me to play, such as classical music or developing songs. I work on technique inadvertently as I’m working on music.-Eric Johnson

Amazing Guitar Video #8 Eric Johnson

2008-07-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

Cliffs of Dover. Such fierce precision.

quote #6

2008-07-25T18:12:00.003-07:00

“Try to keep your playing as fresh as possible, and not rely on set patterns. When I practice, for example, I often tie off some strings with rubber bands to force myself to look at the fretboard differently. I might practice on the G and D strings only, or even the G and A strings.” —Jim Hall (taken from guitar player magazine)

Amazing Guitar Video #7 Lincoln Brewster and Norm Stockton

2008-07-20T11:28:00.003-07:00

Right on. Right on! I love Lincoln!

quote #5

2008-07-18T09:43:00.001-07:00

"I suppose ultimately I'm interested in music. I'm a musician. I'm not a gunslinger. That's the difference between what I do and what a lot of guitar heroes do."
The Edge

amazing guitar #6 Tommy Emmanuel

2008-07-14T09:49:00.002-07:00

Wow. That's Tommy Emmanuel doing a "Day tripper/Lady Madonna" Medley.

quote #4

2008-07-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

I wanted to play saxophone, but all I could get were a few squeaks.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

amazing guitar #5 S.R.V

2008-07-07T09:14:00.002-07:00

Oh yeah. It doesn't get better than this. Riviera Paradise by S.R.V.

quote #3

2008-07-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Some people talk about me like a revolutionary. That's nonsense; all I did was copy B.B. King. -Clapton

Acoustic Guitar Pick-up test

2008-07-03T11:20:00.001-07:00

If by chance you are in the market to install or upgrade the pick-ups on your acoustic you HAVE to check this site out. Doug Young's acoustic pick-up comparison.

Cool stuff. Steve

amazing guitar #4 Zelda

2008-07-01T14:42:00.002-07:00

For those of you who had an original Nintendo. Yes, that is Zelda you hear :)

quote #2

2008-06-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Where would rock and roll be without feedback?"

David Gilmour Live at Pompeii (video), Dark Side of t

he Moon Sessions, 1972

Amazing guitar #3 Stanley Jordan

2008-06-24T14:38:00.001-07:00

Wow.

quote #1

2008-06-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

If someone can relate my guitar solo to an exercise in a book ... that's no fun at all.

Joe Satriani As quoted in Guitar Player (November 1989)

Amazing guitar #2

2008-06-17T14:35:00.001-07:00

Many call Victor Wooten the best bass player on the planet. Check out this version of Amazing Grace. Peace, SPH

Amazing Guitar Video #1 Pete Hutlinger

2008-06-10T22:00:00.001-07:00

Lesson Information and Pricing

2008-06-03T12:23:00.008-07:00

Mission Statement: “I want the students to have fun playing their instrument, and to accomplish this goal, I will help them to play the style of music they love. I will customize lessons to fit each individual student so that they can achieve success at whatever level they are currently playing at.”

- Current price for lessons is $100.00 per month (as of 12/20/2011, subject to change)

- Students receive (4) 30 minute lessons per month

- Payment is due at the first lesson of each month for the entire month

- Required Materials: A guitar (acoustic or electric) in good condition, a metronome, and a folder or binder for practice sheets

- Lessons are taught in my home-based studio that is conveniently located at the intersection of the cities of Wylie, Murphy and Allen on Parker Road

EMAIL: stephenhorvath@verizon.net

Official Website - Guitarlessonswylietexas.com

About Me

2007-12-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

I am originally from California, but after I met my beautiful Texan wife, the rest was history! I have been in the Lone Star state about 9 years now. I have 7 years of worship leading experience in which I have led and directed a band, as well as 7 years of guitar teaching experience. I love working with anyone who wants to learn and is willing to put in some practice. (It is amazing what you can accomplish with 15-20 minute practice sessions 4 or 5 days per week!). I have two young boys and a yellow lab named Jake. I am also a fan of bold coffee, traveling and photography!