Although the guitar’s origin dates back over 3000 years, its status as a serious musical instrument was questioned by the vast majority of studious musicians for centuries. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the guitar’s role as a concert instrument started to rise. Respectable compositions for the instrument…

WHAT DO I MEAN BY A PRO GUITARIST? I mean you can sit in on any musical setting and feel comfortable and confident. You have professional gear. You know about the history of the guitar and of music in general. You don’t have a problem sight-reading sheet music and transposing…

Have you ever seen a performing band get up on stage and just not have their stuff together? They are either out of tune, drunk, don’t know the correct chords, say weird stuff on the mic, smell, or just don’t seem to realize people are there to hear some great…

Does your band setup load in and set up in 15 minutes? Most bands don’t because they extend this part of rehearsal to include the hanging out part of being in a band/friends ((yes, load-in and setup are part of a scheduled rehearsal). I get it, you guys are friends…

“They Sang of waves, sailboats, flowers, blue skies, and, most of all, women.” Rio de Janeiro was a gorgeous place in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1956 to 1961, President Juscelino Kubitschek put the country on a course to modernization that sent Brazil into the spotlight. In 1958, the Brazilian…

01. SET UP A DISTRACTION-FREE PRACTICE SPACE It’s important to create a designated practice space where you can focus and minimize distractions. If possible, leave your phone in another room with the ringer off. …

Joe Pass could play solo guitar as pianistically as Bill Evans and burn lines like a true master. He was a pioneer for Jazz guitar and is an artist that every aspiring guitarist needs to be familiar with. Here is my transcription of Pass’ solo on, ““There Will Never Be Another You,” from the Pacific Jazz Quartet Recordings.

Wes really knew how to develop an idea and say something. His signature right-hand thumb technique was a product of trying to be quiet while practicing at home. In the following solo transcription of “Old Folks,” you will find great examples of the use of the Melodic Minor (aka Jazz Minor) scale and octaves as he develops the solo in a fashion that is very much indicative of his mastery of the guitar.

In this solo excerpt of How Deep is The Ocean, Kurt Rosenwinkel manages to play extremely melodic lines that weave seamlessly through various modes of Melodic Minor and float over bar lines.