Posts by Kevin Downing
11 Things I Learnt From Carl Verheyen
Carl Verheyen (pronounced Ver-high-in) is the number one session guitarist in Los Angeles, a member of the band Supertramp, and runs his own band, the Carl Verheyen Band. In June I was in Los Angeles and caught up with him at Village Recorders in Santa Monica where he was working on and producing an album…
Read MoreTravis Picking
Here is an introductory lesson into Travis picking, made famous by the legendary country guitar picker Merle Travis. The difference between Travis picking and regular finger-picking is the use of alternating and/or descending bass notes played by the thumb. Click here to learn more about Travis Picking.
Read MoreGuitar Necks – 14 frets
Here is a great page of guitar necks to write out your favourite chords, scales, and other stuff you need to remember quickly. Print some Guitar-Necks here.
Read MoreJingle Bells
The festive season is here again and a great way to celebrate is to learn a traditional Christmas song. Jingle Bells was written around 1850 by James Lord Pierpont, and at around 150 years old is still one of the most popular festive songs around. I have arranged this song as a chord melody –…
Read MoreKeeping Things Simple
Many music teachers out there tend to make the learning of music and guitar very complicated, but the legendary teachers are the ones who can make even very complicated concepts and practices simple. Many music students tend to complicate things as well, and think that if it is not complicated it can’t be good. It…
Read MoreThe Lead Guitar Role
Great guitar players can play the rhythm or lead role easily depending on what is required for the gig or jam session, but sometimes you are the only guitarist so you have to do a bit of both. Click here to see the rest of The Lead Guitar Role article.
Read MoreThe Rhythm Guitar Role
The rhythm guitar role is often misunderstood, and undervalued among many bands. Not many guitar players actually understand what the role entails either, but in this article I will explain some of the things you need to equip yourself to become a better player now. Here is the The Rhythm Guitarist’s Role article.
Read MoreCoping with Pressure & Stress
Have you ever wondered why you can’t perform under certain types of pressure? Then you get all stressed over it? There are many different levels of pressure and stress you will encounter over your music career. Proper preparation is the key that helps with confidence, and certainly lowers the pressure and stress levels. To see…
Read MoreTechnique – Have You Got It?
Does it mean you have to play fast and flashy to have technique? No way. That is what it means to many guitar players, but it means much more really. Much more than many players realise. To find out click the Technique – Have You Got It? article to find out.
Read MoreUsing Movable Chord Shapes
Guitar players face numerous challenges when starting out and three of them are 1/ knowing your chord shapes, 2/ how they fit together, and 3/ how to make music with them. To learn how to do the three things all at once have a look here at the Using Moveable Chords lesson
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