by Joseph Brenna | Aug 24, 2015 | Chords, Technique
Open Chords Learning basic open chords, those that contain some fretted notes and some open strings, is a fun and important early step in every guitar player’s journey. The ring of an open chord is magical, and few instruments create a similar experience. But along...
by Joseph Brenna | May 20, 2014 | Technique
Previously I gave you a beginning alternate picking exercise to practice on each individual string of your guitar. In this guitar lesson I offer an exercise to help you master alternate picking combined with string crossings, so that you can use alternate picking to...
by Joseph Brenna | Apr 30, 2014 | Technique
Mastering alternate picking on guitar is one way to develop fluidity and ease when playing melodies and arpeggios. In this lesson I offer an exercise to introduce to you alternate picking on one guitar string at a time. First some background on picking techniques....
by Joseph Brenna | Dec 3, 2013 | Chords, Technique |
Barre chords can be the breaking point for many beginning guitarists. Everyone who has learned them knows that they can cause a lot of frustration and discomfort. One issue is that every guitarist’s hands and fingers are shaped a little differently, so it can be...
by Joseph Brenna | Aug 2, 2012 | Practice Tips, Technique
Success in learning guitar comes down to this: strapping it on and playing. Half the battle is just getting started each day. Most students are familiar with warming up – doing careful exercises for both hands, simple fingerstrokes or slow and precise scales...
by Joseph Brenna | Jun 23, 2012 | Improv & Lead Guitar, Technique |
One of the simplest, most useful, and most intuitive areas of guitar – playing on single strings – happens to be one of the most neglected. Most guitar methods and teachers emphasize position playing (i.e. learning scales and chords on all 6 strings in one...
