In the early 1800s, a little girl named Mary Sawyer was followed to school by her pet lamb. A young man named John Roulstone witnessed the incident an wrote a poem about it, which was published in 1830 by Sara Josepha Hale. It has become one of the world’s most loved nursery rhymes and an […]
Standard Notation, Fake Sheets and Tablature for Guitar
Guitar music is typically written in one of three formats: standard notation, fake sheets (also called chord sheets) or tablature. Each of these has their advantages and disadvantages. Standard notation: the most information, the hardest to read. Standard notation gives the most detailed musical information of the three formats, utilizing the five-line staff, key signatures, […]
Happy Birthday
Wikipedia.org quotes the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records as identifying “Happy Birthday” as “the most recognized song in the English language”. It is probably the most well-known song in three-four time. A simple three-chord song using I, IV and V, “Happy Birthday” is an easy learn that can be pulled out over and over […]
How to Read & Write Strum Notation
Playing rhythm guitar means playing a pattern of strokes known as a strum pattern. This pattern repeats itself throughout the song and often remains unchanged. However, it is not uncommon for different sections of a song to have different strum patterns. Rhythm guitarist can determine the strum pattern of a song through a series of […]
Amazing Grace
The paramount Christian hymn, “Amazing Grace” was written by John Newton and published in 1779. The story of the song’s origins is quite interesting. Most folks, even if they do not share the Christian faith, are familiar with this iconic melody. The song is written in three-four time, though most people try to force it […]
Changing Time with The Beatles
Across The Universe Two of Us Here Comes the Sun We Can Work it Out All You Need is Love
Time Signatures: The Big 3
Signatures are important. Think about the significance of signatures in history. We know about John Hancock because of his gargantuan signature on the Declaration of Independence. A baseball that was signed by Babe Ruth is extraordinarily valuable. Signatures are important in our daily lives, too. The bank won’t cash a check that hasn’t been signed. […]
Tips for Using a Capo
You want to use a capo to change keys, play familiar chord shapes or find cool voicings. There are a few things you need to know to make the capo work its best for you. Choose the right capo. All capos apply pressure to the strings in order to clamp them down. However, they use […]
What is a Capo and How Do I Use It?
The capo is one of the guitar player’s favorite accessories. It is a clamp that holds all or some of the strings of the guitar down across a fret. Some capos are spring-loaded, others apply pressure by using a lever or strap. The capo can be placed across any fret of the guitar. Why would […]
How to Practice
News flash: there are seven days in a week, twenty-four hours in a day and sixty minutes in an hour. Do the math and you come up with ten thousand and eighty minutes in a week. Most music students only use thirty of those thousands of minutes in a lesson with an instructor. That still […]