Is anyone really self-taught?
Plus, some minor guitar repairs you can start with today
This week’s issue has a great mix of different links - everything from Stevie T being a maniac right at the top, to Guthrie Trapp going in on CAGED, a boost of confidence to fix your own guitars, why no one is really “self-taught”, and a lot more.
I wanted to ask at the top here, where do you guys typically go for backing tracks? Is it YouTube, a website, some form of AI/app that you use, maybe even a piece of hardware? Let me know by replying or commenting (if you’re reading this on Substack).
This was also a big week for me, because I finally got a Martin guitar! I’ve always been more of an electric player, but have loved players like Tommy Emmanuel, Al DiMeola, Mike Dawes, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle and others. I’m also of the mind that if you write a great song on acoustic, nine times out of ten it’ll relate even better when you bring it over to a full band setting using an electric guitar. I posted a photo of the guitar at the top of this email. Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
This Week’s Guitar Links!
Stevie T Crashes the Joe Rogan Podcast! - Stevie T is a lunatic, and I love him for that. This video made me laugh, and I gotta give him credit for how long this must've taken him to make.
Don’t Practice, Just Play! Connecting Chord Shapes With Major Scale Double Stops - Guthrie Trapp is a huge fan of the CAGED system (I'm actually going through his new Brett Papa course on the topic). His latest video talks about how to connect CAGED shapes for various scales, and how important it is to learn the fretboard not only vertically, but horizontally. And if you watch the whole vid, he also gives some great advice on not comparing yourself to other players, trying to make actual music rather than practicing, and a lot more. One of Guthrie's best vids in a while.
Why You Can't Pick FAST (and how to fix it...) - If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you'll know I love Ross Campbell's lessons. His latest lesson focuses on ways you can start developing speed in your playing. A lot of the lesson comes down to your touch - both in the picking and fretting hand, and practicing in a way that might be counterintuitive to what you've heard other teachers suggest in the past. Check out the video and let me know what you think.
Igor Paspalj - Guitar Workshop in Bangkok - Excerpts - I enjoyed this video where Igor Paspalj took some clips from a masterclass he recently did in Bangkok. If you love shred guitar, you should check this out. There are a handful of questions answered in the 30 mins or so, but my favorite parts were seeing the performance clips (especially when he brought up Nott Sanpeth, who's a great guitarist too!)
The FIRST George Benson Technique You Should Understand - Chase Maddox has a George Benson course that focuses on a number of his techniques. He broke out one of these techniques that focuses on an even amount of notes per string, which has been a staple of Benson's playing. He also gives a sneak peek at the other 4 techniques he discusses in the course. Whether you like jazz or not, this is an interesting way to think about phrasing, and understanding where you are on the fretboard. If you want even more great content on phrasing, you should check out this awesome video from Jack Ruch, which came out this week.
4 Minor Guitar Repairs Anyone Can Do Without a Tech | DIY - It might be nerve wracking, but it’s also very rewarding when you fix your own guitar. I often think of Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop when I’m fixing my own guitars. Also we have a great bunch of people in our Discord (hi Simon!) who are super knowledgeable about repairs - make sure you stop by! This video from Premier Guitar shows you 4 easy repairs you can start with to get your feet wet with repairing your own stuff.
What NO ONE Teaches You About Arpeggios! - This video by Corey Congilio is super helpful if you’re looking to add some variety to your arpeggios. The lesson centers around a dominant chord, but it’ll work with any four-note arpeggio. By incorporating these “pivot arpeggios” into your pentatonic scales and even modes like Mixolydian, I think this technique will make your lead lines sound awesome.
The Myth Of The "Self-Taught" Musician - We all learn from someone in some form or fashion, right? Jon MacLenan makes the case that it’s not often that anyone is actually “self-taught”. I don’t think it’s ever lame to learn from someone - whether that be a teacher, a song, a video on YouTube, etc.
Chordplay - The Chords Of Cream - I've been getting back in to Clapton in a major way - both his acoustic and electric work as a solo artist, but also his incredible playing in Cream. Like clockwork, David Brewster put out a Chordplay video on the chords of Cream. Brewster talks a bit about Clapton's tone and the gear he used at the top (while getting a great tone himself), and then moves on to chords from classics like “White Room", “Strange Brew”, and much more. This is one of my favorite Clapton eras ever, and I think learning this stuff would be beneficial for any guitarist. And if you want more great pentatonic style licks, check out this lesson from Chris Sherland - a great way to get into everyone’s favorite scale.
Mike Stern's Top Five Tips for Guitarists - Mike Stern is one of my favorite jazz guitarists, so I loved this post where he shares five tips for guitarists. All of the tips are worth incorporating into your life, but number 2 might be the most important. Also..I have to work on number 5 more.
Guitar Basics: How to Play Melody and Chords Together - I had to include a lesson from Acoustic Guitar, as I’ve been going crazy playing the Martin this week. In the lesson, Jeff Rodgers shows us how to combine melody and chords at the same time. This lesson paired up with Trapp's CAGED lesson above go really well together. If you're just getting started with this technique, check out the lesson's tabs - super helpful starting points.
My 3 Basic Guitar Warm-ups - I'm always looking for new ways to warm up my hands before a playing session. I should start making a playlist of these types of videos! This one is from Rick Beato, where he shows us three different warm ups he uses before getting into more demanding playing.
SATCHVAI Band Rehearsal 🤘#SurfingWithTheHydra - Having listened to these songs for a couple of decades, it is very cool to see both Satch and Vai play them together. Cannot wait for this tour(US dates in the fall?) and whatever music they're cooking up!