Guitar Nine Columns: Guest Columnists

Do you have MP3 music files in your future? Christopher Knab is here to give you some really great reasons why you should.

Insightful thoughts on the precious gift of music from one of today`s hottest guitarists.

You don`t have to be a shredding, virtuoso guitar player to learn proper phrasing, and your solos will stand out from the pack.

A no-holds-barred look at a common problem between band members.

Sweep those old sweeping techniques under the rug! Marshall Harrison`s got some great ideas in store for you.

The second installment of practical advice from Tonya`s new book "Hidden Secrets To Making And Promoting Your Music Revealed".

Systematically deaiing with our musical need to improvise.

If you thought playing gigs was the only source for good `story material`, wait until you visit Mr. Bochar`s personal lake of fire. Don`t get burned.

Music industry consultant Christopher Knab contributes his knowledgeable views on the current state of affairs.

Peter Neri on how to get those fingers (and thumbs) flying.

Don Lappin discusses the endless possibilities of the 5-tone tapping technique.

A few words of practical advice from Tonya`s new book "Hidden Secrets To Making And Promoting Your Music Revealed".

Gerry Magee continues his multi-part series on expanding your mind, as well as your fretboard, with an article on focusing your mental energy.

Paul Abbott discusses the phenomenon of sound.

Putting yourself in the shoes and sticks of the drummer.

Highlighting the ways that other instruments and their players can profoundly effect us.

Gerry Magee begins his multi-part series on expanding your mind, as well as your fretboard, with the benefits of thinking like a composer.

Kick-start your musical development with these essential tips from Curtis.

Learn the essentials of the swept arpeggio from one of the masters of the technique.

Guitarist Paul Kuntz is back with some thoughts on how to avoid that feeling of being `lost without a map`.

The beautiful part about the tempered music scale lies in it`s flexibility. One of Ken`s favorite tricks is to take one shape, and use it to move up or down the fretboard in a linear way. The similarities in chord shapes will allow you to do the same.

Guitarist Paul Kuntz is back with some fresh ideas on getting out of playing `in the box` and save untold wear and tear on your frets.

British guitarist David Knopfler recalls the days when the Stratocaster was held in esteem as the instrument of choice--if you could afford one, that is. A tale of how dreams can come true, and how old feelings never quite die.

Instrumentalist Joe Bochar serves up a thinly disguised look at chromatics.

Jason Pruett offers his light-hearted yet insightful views on getting the most from your guitar and busting a playing rut.

British guitarist David Knopfler has a few words to say about the separate lead guitarist vs. rhythm guitarist identities.

If you`ve got the urge to explore jazz after a background in rock, you`ll need to understand the differences between the two styles. Guitarist Sean Gill gives you the keys to unlock the door to jazz.

Houston guitarist Rusty Cooley figures that with ten fingers, there`s got to be times when you can use over half of them to express your ideas.

Just can`t get enough info about modes, can you? Guitarist Tony Young relates modes to chord progressions.

New Jersey guitarist Paul Kuntz is back and aside from a ravenous appetite, he`s got plans to teach you all about tuplets and fitting the notes to the rhythm.

New Jersey guitarist Paul Kuntz takes time out from lunch to give you his assurance that there is life beyond the blues scale.

Do you still think the Aeolian mode is a ship from Star Trek? Are you comfortable discussing Mixolydian and Phrygian modes in mixed company? Tony Young cuts to the heart of modes.

An original work (part one of two preludes) composed for solo electric guitar, in tabulature and standard notation.

Don`t let your current concept of reality dominate your guitar playing.

An original work composed for solo classical guitar, in tabulature and standard notation.

Learn some substitutions for those tried and true barre chords. How the knowledge of triads can help you come up with original sounding guitar parts.

An arrangement of the Tchaikovsky piece for solo guitar, in tabulature and standard notation.

Some creative uses of digital delay when writing or recording.

Tips for playing arpeggiated chord progressions using string skipping.

Arnold Schulman discusses lyric writing for the beginner.