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Author Archives: Tom
Baritone Guitar: How to Transpose on the Fly
To transpose on the fly with a baritone, knowing a little music theory goes a long way. This is different than slapping on a capo or imagining your guitar with a capo that can lower the notes, all of the notes are in different places. Even tuning takes on a slightly different meaning. Let me […]
The Magic of Practice: How to Super-Charge Your Progress
Practice is the way to get better, nobody doubts this and everyone pushes it in one form or another. I was thinking about this as I sat through a series of mediocre players at a local open mike night. I wrote about this in my last post, Going Live: How to Make Open Mike Memories. […]
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> Encouragement, Performance
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Going Live: How to Make Open Mike Memories
I attended an open mike night recently and have a few observations that will help should you decide to try one. Having played in a number of bands, played acoustic music at coffee houses and led worship for many years, I see some common things to look out for. Most are easy things to fix […]
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> Performance
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Cleaning Your Guitar: What is the Right Chemical?
It is high time you cleaned your guitar. You use the typical window cleaner or some light furniture polish but some parts need something different. Using the right cleaner is important for a couple of good reasons: make the job easy and avoid damaging the finish. Here is an explanation of the best chemicals to […]
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> Guitar, Maintenance
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Can Your Guitar Be Collectible? How to Add Value
If you have a collectible guitar, this might not be the post for you. It is likely you already know what makes a guitar valuable in the eyes of collectors. However, my wife asked the question, “What makes one guitar so much more expensive than another?” and I really had to think about it for […]
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> Commentary
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MIDI for Guitarists: How to Unlock Infinite Potential
MIDI for guitarists seems like an oxymoron that only a moron would actually consider. However, I have been hard at work getting the latest addition to my home rig configured – a MIDI pedalboard. Back in my post entitled, Do You Have G.A.S?, I mention my virtual studio. It is one of many paths to […]
3 Problems You Didn’t Know You Had and How to Fix Them
Recently, I was shopping for a 12-string electric guitar and found a great deal on one. A floor model D’Angelico Premier in transparent red. Nice wide neck for my fat fingers and sounds like a dream. I played a Danelectro 12 and had a Fender 12 but found my fingers bumping up against adjacent strings […]
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> Maintenance
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Chick Corea: How to Honor the Masters
Chick Corea, one of the greats in the fusion genre and a jazz keyboardist extraordinaire, is an inspiration not just for his compositions but for who he employed in his various projects. Like me, you may not play keyboard or piano but you can get inspiration from Chick Corea. A great way to honor him […]
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> Commentary
<span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links">Tagged</span> history, legacy
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Feedback: How to Crush It or Sing With It!
Feedback is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it is the sweetness of sustain, while other times it is killing your performance. Let’s a take a look at what it is and how to channel it for musical nirvana. Feedback: Understanding It Before we can really know how to either defeat feedback or use it, […]
Creating Unique Music: How to Have Staying Power
If you want your music to have staying power, i.e. music that will stand the test of time, here are some things to consider. Lately, I have been hearing about modular synthesis and it reminded me of groups that became studio bands such as The Beatles and Steely Dan. The question I ponder is: If […]
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