guitar

Guitar Triller

Guitar Triller is an innovative handheld accessory that re-introduces the art of string striking – a technique which has been around since the Bronze Age, Guitar Triller has now reinvented and optimized this technique for playing guitar and bass. Carefully designed for striking strings in a powerful and expressive way,

Rock House Method Learn Guitar Master Edition

Designed by John McCarthy, this master edition combines all three levels of this series in a complete course. Learn all the essential techniques needed to play all genres of music. Start with how to hold the guitar for comfortable playing and fast, effective learning.

All Jazzed Up with Nowhere to Go

Directors Really Do Make a Difference

The year was 1982 and I was a high school sophomore. I had been playing guitar since I was nine years old, almost entirely self-taught. I didn’t really read notation. I understood rests, repeats, basic things like time signatures, and the difference between a treble and bass clef, but the ebony notes dancing along the staff were a mystery to me. I could, however, read guitar chord charts, and if I could hear a song played while looking at a chord chart, I could generally tackle it within one or two passes.

The one thing that made me eager to start my sophomore year was the opportunity to audition for the jazz band. Jazz band was typically reserved for juniors and seniors. I knew the band director wanted a guitarist, but the odds of a sophomore passing the audition were dreadfully slim. I’d asked around and learned that there were no other guitarists in the high school who were interested in playing in jazz band, let alone capable of passing the audition. I contacted the band director and arranged for an audition before school started, and to my delight, I passed it.