Guitar Nine Columns: Guitar Technique

Hit the 'EASY' button - ear training ideas for the rest of us.

What we are being told by traditional music theory, is a load of crap.

A basic skill you need to have - here's how to get it.

Learning a tune by heart - where to begin and how to make it sound natural.

Stuck inside? Take advantage of the time and challenge yourself to get to the next level.

The more you get to know chords the better time you will having using them.

Control your dynamics by controlling the force of your picking.

You'll sound “outside” once you have mastered the “inside sound”.

When used correctly, guide tones outline the flavor of the chords you’re improvising over.

Creative ways to move around the fretboard at a blazing fast speed.

Creating unlimited licks using the pentatonic scale.

The pentatonic scale contains 5 notes; the melodic combinations you have to work with are endless.

A complete primer on these amazing scales.

Creativity takes practice, just like anything else.

It’s really not about how fast technically advanced it is, but rather how it is phrased.

This scale is most common in jazz, but can be applied to any style of music.

How does anybody know what key they’re in? Let's find out.

Let's get those creative wheels turning, shall we?

Taking the diminished scale and incorporating it with a basic blues scale box.

Koto on guitar - let's get exotic, shall we?

More about the chords, triads, and arpeggios that are built from the major scale.

Systems and ways to organize large clumps of knowledge in the area of chord construction.

Even more ideas to spice up your arpeggio sequences by altering the order of the notes.

Let's see what we can do to overcome our hand's size.

Time to build technique and spice up your arpeggio sequences by altering the order of the notes.

Gaining knowledge of all the chords, triads, and arpeggios that are built from the major scale.

Did you know? Professional guitarists may spend at least 30% of their time refining this skill.

Now, Mike mixes up the rhythms when practicing scales to make things that much more interesting.

Remember: your unique intuition is the most important asset you possess.

Building your chops while making practice time more interesting and even, fun.

Consider taking your playing to the next level - and melt some minds.

Altering the sound of the pentatonic scale by plugging in an additional note.

Identifying and accurately defining each of the main guitar types.

Tommaso compares and contrasts CAGED and pentatonic scale systems.

Mike digs a little deeper into the Altered scale, aka Super Locrian.

Simon takes a close look at the use of chords in this popular tuning.

Check out the 12-string guitar, as well as the songs you could practice and learn from using this instrument.

An endless variety of melodic phrases can be derived from the permutation of chord tones.

Mike teaches soloing over chord changes with a track from his album, "The Fire Within".

Avoiding these crippling mistakes will eliminate frustration and lead to satisfying arrangements.

A way of playing your guitar where you can sound full and complete without needing someone else to play with you.

Mike has a new album, "The Fire Within". and breaks down a few of the notable tracks.