Guitar Nine Columns: Guitar Technique

Don`t ignore your picking hand in favor of the almighty fretting hand - you`ll pay the price.

Ysrafel`s got tips on transferring tapping ability from one string to the next.

Topics as guitar players we tend to forget, but that are very important as far as making music.

Technique is very important, but worthless if you don`t know how to make your guitar groove.

8 finger tapping opens up a world of new musical ideas, giving you the ability to play things that would normally be considered impossible.

Dunnett offers some insight into his rendition of "Paint It Black", the Rolling Stones classic.

Applying the melodic minor scale to rock music with Mike Campese.

Digging a bit deeper into phrasing in a quest for greater self-expression.

Paul Tauterouff expends on the flash lick concept in Part 2 of the series.

The first step in improving your playing is to understand the concept of phrasing.

Ysrafel`s here to focus on the different types of sweep picking available to the modern guitar player.

Great exercises to keep your hands in shape from Mike Campese.

You don`t always have to fret every note to achieve flashy results.

Paul Kleff shows you how to create interesting phrases using basic arpeggio shapes.

Taking a much closer look at the `diminished` sound and its theoretical sources.

How to use a metronome for maximum effectiveness.

Neo-classical guitarist Tom Hess talkes about two components that you must balance in order to enjoy the process of practicing and see consistent progress.

Dave Issacs is here to help you get back to the basics and improve your playing.

Exploring a less common approach to two-handed tapping.

How to approach the chromatic scale on the guitar.

Virtuoso classical guitarist and instructor Jamie Andreas believes it`s easy to memorize pieces, and has even more tips to help the uninitiated.

Even the simplest idea can be rekindled with the help of little embellishments.

Can you sound musical, creative and original using the same scales as everyone else? Michael Shouse says yes.

You can make your own scales with these tips from Mike Campese.

Here`s a second look at playing 3 note per string scales as 16th notes.

Virtuoso classical guitarist and instructor Jamie Andreas believes it`s easy to memorize pieces, and has some tips to help the uninitiated.

Part four of Scott Allen`s exploration into the wonderful world of arpeggios.

Nick Kellie helps you to improvise through this standard chord progression.

Develop both dexterity and versatility with these fretboard exercises.

Here`s a closer look at playing 3 note per string scales as 16th notes.

Here`s how you can go about creating a whole host of chords quickly and effectively.

Part three of Scott Allen`s exploration into the wonderful world of arpeggios.

Use the entire neck of your axe with these three octave ideas.

Part two of Scott Allen`s exploration into the wonderful world of arpeggios.

Mike`s ideas will help you move up the neck very quickly.

Kevin Buck tackles the most technically challenging piece ever written.

Exploring the best use of swept arpeggios in a rock guitar player`s bag of tricks.

Simple knowledge of pentatonics is all you need to utilize the modes in your lead guitar playing.

If you`re sitting there with a pick in your hand, throw it away, you won`t need it.

The Mad Scotsman is here with the first in a series of lessons featuring cliche busting musical ideas.

What does it mean for one`s playing to be considered original? Let`s find out.

Here are seven common problems guitarists encounter when learning to sweep pick, and what you can do about them.