Guitar Nine Columns

I first picked up the guitar when I was around 7, then became hooked from the age of about 12 onwards. I used to wake up in the middle of the night to play as I was just so excited by it!

Music theory isn;t learning how to write down different notes, or practicing and reciting scales on a guitar. It`s about experiencing the way notes interact and the effect they have on the listener.

Mastering emotional playing will take your playing to the next level

How to carefully observe and learn from the vast library of existing unplugged acoustic songs out there.

David Sertl is here to address underdevelopment in the educational field of rhythm.

Mike Campese reminds you that if you don`t use it, you will surely lose it.

No one succeeds in the music business who doesn`t already utilize the five key elements used by massively successful pro musicians.

Here you`ll discover the three critical guitar phrasing elements that truly great guitarists possess.

My latest CD "And So It Goes..." is self released through CD Baby. It was always my intention to release it myself as the thought of trying to pitch it to people was just too depressing!

I really want to hear these songs live. I have many plans for this album, and I would love to play festivals and do guitar clinics. It would be a lot of fun.

I owe my entire career to the internet and social media sites. If Mark Zuckerberg knows how much Facebook developed my career I probably need to pay royalties to him!

I`m always looking to better myself as guitarist, not so much the speed or technique but more the touch and sound that I try to achieve.

Guitar Nine's December-January 2015 newsletter.

(An advantage of being independent is) you can be true to yourself and not compromise musically, artistically, or morally. I really see no downside to being independent.

Start learning this winter how to mitigate the usual summer slowdown in your guitar teaching business.

I am using every form of social media to promote myself and my music. I use everything from my YouTube guitar lessons and live videos, to CD Baby, MySpace, and Facebook.

Music industry guru Christopher Knab rewinds his career, providing a detailed account `then to now`.

Why general advice fails and what you should do instead.

Mike Campese will help you build on your scales with his string skipping exercises.

Any guitar teacher who achieves great success fully understands how they share a lot in common with anyone who has ever climbed to the top of Mt. Everest.

I`d like to do something with Eddie Van Halen. His ideas seem to transcend what we know about music theory and chord progressions and scales. He just has his own way of seeing things.

I`m getting an audience that want to hear my original compositions as opposed to seeing me play covers which has been flattering! All with no manager, no agent, no label, no representation, no producer - nothing!

Indie marketing guru Tim Sweeney discusses how to move on when it`s time to move on.

Guitar Nine's October-November 2015 newsletter.

Don`t be clueless about what you must do to become a successful guitar teacher.

You must figure out why these fears exist in you and what you can do to prevent them from controlling your musical future.

Sad but true: almost 100% of guitar instructors choose `mediocrity` as their standard of achievement.

Learn awesome guitar techniques in the style of Chet Atkins and how to apply them to your own acoustic playing.

Mike Campese is back to help you out of the box - the scale pattern box, that is.

To grow your music career fast, you need to understand which questions you are asking that are leading you down the wrong path.

When you use an effective guitar practice approach, you gain a lot of confidence and excitement for your improvement. However, if you are like most guitarists, this excitement fades over time.

It`s always difficult to label your own music, but I think of it as instrumental classic rock. I like to compose actual songs, not guitar exercises or improvisations which will only appeal to other guitar players.

I find that you must have constant activity to create and maintain the interest of people. Facebook is a great way to share new projects with friends and fellow musicians but it doesn`t reach people outside your circle.

Chords have the potential to bring a whole new element to your soloing providing cool, unique, and contrasting textures amongst the single note lines you play.

Guitar Nine's August-September 2015 newsletter.

Here you`ll learn several creative blues guitar techniques that will make your blues phrases sound much more expressive.

Get your music career going on the right track by following the same approach used by Olympic competitors who succeed on the highest platform in the world.

Six points that will help you understand what you must do to clearly demonstrate your overwhelming value as a guitar teacher so you can attract more students.

Most likely, your lack of progress is the result of years of bad playing habits. Let`s correct those habits.

Mike Campese will help master your triads in all 12 keys, focusing on the sharp keys for the major triads.

People tell me that my music sounds unique for this day and age. I don`t know if that`s actually the case; but I will tell you that I`ll try to sound as differently as I can, for as long as I can.

I decided to release these EPs of 5 songs every 6-8 months - it`s a big enough body of work to allow the listener to get involved in, and it keeps the people interested in my music always engaged in new songs.