Guitar
Country Guitar Lesson: Advanced Rhythm Techniques
For many, the approach to guitar is often divided into two camps: lead and rhythm guitar playing. Throughout the lifetime of the electric guitar, in particular, and the course of pop culture history, there has become a prominent perception that lead guitar playing is the more complicated of the two approaches to the instrument, and that rhythm playing is simpler, more straightforward, and easier to perform. However, that is simply not the case, especially in the context of the country music genre.
Bluegrass Guitar Lesson: Rhythm with Crosspicking
As bluegrass guitar players, it’s important to be able to perform single-note lines, execute intricate melodies, and improvise fluidly across the strings. However, believe it or not, it is far more critical to be able to support the other musicians in the ensemble with well-oiled rhythm guitar chops and stable foundational patterns.
The Virtual Classical Guitar Roundtable with Jason Vieaux & Colin Davin
On Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 1:00 pm PT / 4:00 pm ET, ArtistWorks will host a free virtual live-streamed event featuring world-renowned classical guitarists and educators Jason Vieaux and Colin Davin.
Bluegrass Guitar: Sicily with Bryan Sutton & Chris Eldridge
We’re excited to announce that world-renowned flatpickers and ArtistWorks master guitar instructors, Bryan Sutton and Chris Eldridge, will be traveling to Sicily, Italy during the summer of 2024 to lead a four-day bluegrass guitar experience. Hosted in the beautiful city of Siracusa on the island of Ortigia off the coast of Sicily, the retreat will feature four days and four nights of immersive bluegrass guitar music and fun-filled Italian vacationing from August 12-16, 2024.
Country Guitar Lesson: Two-Note Harmonizing
One of the most important musical elements that contributes to the aesthetic of traditional country guitar playing is the use of two-note harmonizations. These two-note harmonizations, often called double-stops, can be heard in almost every classic country recording ever produced.
Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Lesson: An Introduction to Polyrhythms
Andy McKee is widely considered to be one of the most prolific artists in the world of modern acoustic guitar playing. Alongside guitarists like Michael Hedges, Preston Reed, and Billy McLaughlin, Andy has pioneered countless techniques on the acoustic guitar that have taken the instrument to new heights and completely reshaped the way in which the world perceives the role and capabilities of the acoustic guitar.
Blues Rock Guitar Lesson: Phrasing
When first learning to play the guitar, oftentimes our primary focus is on hitting the “correct notes,” whether they be in the context of a song or riff, or within an improvisation or solo. However, crafting a truly musical and emotive performance requires much more than simply playing the “right notes.”
Bluegrass Guitar Lesson: Tony Rice Rhythm Fill Sweeps
As guitar players, oftentimes when we think of “sweep picking” techniques, the first stylistic associations that come to mind are heavy metal and shred guitar playing. However, sweep picking methods are used in a variety of different guitar styles, including, but not limited to, flatpick and bluegrass guitar playing.
Jazz Guitar Lesson: Basic Jazz Scales
For most aspiring jazz musicians, one of the more intimidating elements of the genre to learn is the art of improvisation. When first learning to improvise, it can feel daunting, and understanding where to begin can often feel like a mystery.
Rock Guitar Lesson: String Skipping
One of the most critical elements of the shred guitar aesthetic is the quick and fluid transition from notes in the higher registers to those in the lower register and vice versa. Oftentimes, rock guitarists will execute these transitions through the use of arpeggios, outlining the song’s harmonic progressions through fast melodic lines that feature consecutive ascending or descending chord tones. However, it is also very common for guitars performing in the shred style to jump directly between notes in the higher and lower registers. Executing this properly often requires a deceptively difficult technique called string skipping.