Beginner Guitar Academy

In this weeks episode, I answer the question 'Where can I expect to be after six months of playing guitar?'

This is a really common question I get from beginner guitarists and there are actually two things you need to make fast progress on the guitar.

Have a listen to find out what they are.

In this weeks episode I go through my tried and tested list of 10 best beginner guitar songs.

The list includes:

1. Under Pressure by David Bowie & Queen
2. Horse with No Name by America
3. Pretty Women by Roy Orbison
4. Petter Gunn by Henry Mancini
5. Elenor Rigby by The Beatles
6. Smoke on The Water by Deep Purple
7. Songbird by Oasis
8. Love Me Do by The Beatles
9. Knockin' on Heavens Door by Bob Dylan
10. Sweet Home Chicago by Eric Clapton

In this week's episode of the Beginner Guitar Academy podcast, I am answering the age-old question Is 'Electric Guitar More Beginner Friendly Than Acoustic?'

In this week's episode of the Beginner Guitar Academy podcast, I am discussing why practice practice practice is terrible advice and what you should do instead.

This weeks episode is part two in a two-part series looking at 10 AWESOME female guitarists. Below are links to all the music featured in this weeks episode. 

Joan Jett

https://youtu.be/_uOcx10o6Yg

Bonnie Raitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT-FoZt95D4

Jennifer Batten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dauaFizBu0c

Larkin Poe 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuxCP5ehYkk

Joanne Shaw Taylor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIh8sz9pTkc

Don’t forget to subscribe to make sure you do not miss out on future epodes of the podcast, See you next week.

This weeks episode is part one in a two-part series looking at 10 AWESOME female guitarists. Below are links to all the music featured in this weeks episode. 

Sister Rosetta Thorpe 

Didn't It Rain? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9a49oFalZE

Nita Strauss

Guitar solo from 2017 with Alice Cooper in Stockholm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc9Ojq04P6s

Samantha Fish

I Put a Spell on You live from 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9rBAjut2g

https://samanthafish.com/

Orianthi 

Light of Manos 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcDl5iurD_c

https://iamorianthi.com/

Kaki King

Teek July 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWIqQ5ueUm8

http://www.kakiking.com/

Don’t forget to subscribe to make sure you do not miss out on future epodes of the podcast. See you next week for part 2!

In this episode, I discuss a few ways to get the most out of your practice when you are short on time.

The most important thing is what you practice. Instead of playing the same riff or song, you have been playing for the last 20 years. Make sure you have structure and are practising the seven essential skills which are:

• Picking
• Chords
• Arpeggios
• Scales
• Rhythm
• Notes
• Aural

Break up your practice into four different sections:

1. Picking/Warm-up
2. Skill One
3. Skill Two
4. Song

For skill one and skill two choose from the list of seven essential skills and rotate through the remaining skills every time you practice. The goal is to get to the end of the week having practised all seven skills.

You can spend as long as you like on each section such as 5 minutes on each section totalling 20 minutes or if you are short on time even just one minute on each section.

A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.

Have a clear goal when practising, I want to get my G to C chord change quicker is not clear whereas I want to change between G & C 10 times in 30 seconds is clear.

When coming up with a goal make sure it is a smart goal:

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.

Here are a couple of apps to download to allow you to practice when you do not have a guitar:

Tenuto - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/tenuto/id459313476

Ear Master - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/earmaster-music-theory/id1105030163

Hope you enjoyed this episode! see you next week.

In this episode of the Beginner Guitar Academy podcast, we take a look at the chord of the month.

Chord of the month is where I focus on a particular chord or chord type with the goal of helping you better understand what it is, how to use it and finish with a few songs so you can put your new shapes to use.

This month we are looking at Dominant 7th chords.

One of the most common complaints I hear from beginner guitarists is they find up strumming hard especially when using a pick.

In this episode I breakdown the mechanics of your strumming hand and give you a few tips on how to improve your up strumming.

In this episode of the Beginner Guitar Academy podcast I answer the question 'What Would Be A Good Guitar Practice Routine?'

I tell you exactly what should be included in your practice sessions and give you a 30, 20 & 10-minute routine to follow as well as deep dive into an example routine showing you how it all fits together.

After listening you will have a clear plan on how to improve your practice sessions and make the most of your practice time.