"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek. " Joseph Campbell In the basement of my childhood home there was a big, dusty, menacing piece of furniture that nobody ever went near. My first memory of it was being warned to stay away from the “monster” because it would crush my... Continue Reading →

Guitar solos have long been part of what makes a good song great. They have inspired millions of us to pick up a guitar (or a broom, or a hockey stick) and get busy learning our scales. The guitar is such an expressive instrument that is can sound like like many different instruments, not in... Continue Reading →

“The true art of memory is the art of attention.” — Samuel Johnson A good memory is the single most important skill a musician can have. If you haven't been blessed with a great memory, don't worry, it is something that can be improved and enhanced. Memories are like muscles and they can be developed... Continue Reading →

A few years ago I went to see the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven's Symphony Number 3, "Eroica". I had heard it many times before on the radio and on CD but when the lights went down and the orchestra hit those first two monster chords, I thought to myself that Beethoven was surely... Continue Reading →

"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." - Albert Einstein Mention "classical guitar" to many beginning guitarists and you will get a whole host of reactions, from "What's that?" to "Do you mean classic rock?" to "Why would you want to play that on guitar?". Despite a brief... Continue Reading →

We can thank the Internet; it is now possible to listen to nearly every piece of music ever recorded. This is staggering to think about, but it is true. Today, there are millions if not billions of recordings available for download or streaming over the Internet. I haven’t done the math, but it’s a fair... Continue Reading →

"I wish they'd had electric guitars in cotton fields back in the good old days. A whole lot of things would've been straightened out." -Jimi Hendrix Nikola Tesla, great scientist, inventor of alternating current (AC), bringer of man-made lightning, pioneer of radio, and all around electrical visionary, once described his thoughts upon witnessing static electricity... Continue Reading →

  “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson The musical instruction "adagio" comes from the Italian phrase "a dagio" which means "at ease". It's a good word, and it got me thinking. The question always comes up: “How long will it take me to learn to play guitar?” as... Continue Reading →

Image of Ancient Egyptian stringed instruments, including a lute. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) “When you learn something from people, or from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it.” - Yo Yo Ma A few years ago I attended a cello concerto... Continue Reading →

I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings. - Gustave Flaubert The ability to read music well is part of every musician's eternal quest for proficiency. If you want to improve on your current abilities (and who doesn't?) this post is for you. Two Types of Reading... Continue Reading →

This article is about how you can maximize your productivity during practice sessions. It is also about rediscovering how to enjoy practicing again. We all know that having clear goals is the most important thing you can do to accelerate your rate of learning. But what exactly does it mean to say that we should... Continue Reading →