Courtesy of John Tyler Dynamic effects are often dialed in for the more subtle enhancements, whether it be a slight raise in volume for a lead part or a bit of compression for added sustain.  Dynamic effects are one of the most crucial categories of effects and are...

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 257" This Micro Lesson in the key of, "B Minor," covers the sounds of harmonies that are popular in, "Pop-Jazz," and, "Jazz-Fusion," songs, (sometimes also referred to as, "Smooth-Jazz," music).  The chord changes in this example are typical...

Courtesy of Matthew Wendler Slide guitar is one of the oldest guitar sounds out there. And, gifted guitarists can still come up with fresh musical takes on the method. If you've never tried to play this way and you are looking for some new sounds to experiment with, stop...

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 256" This Micro Lesson works through a "Pop-Rock" style of riff from the key of "F Minor."  The riff is best performed using either Hybrid Picking or Finger-picked Technique. In measure one we're working from an "F Power-Chord." The chord...

Courtesy of Metal Temple The winner of Greatest Guitarist of 2015 Award on Ultimate Guitar, Mr. Guthrie Govan, shared his take on improvisation, explaining when you should and shouldn't utilize the improvisational approach. He tells Metal Temple: "Maybe in the world of...

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 255" This Micro Lesson breaks down a rapid-fire (stylistically generic) Triad Chord Progression in, "D Major."  This progression places its entire focus upon the use of small three-note chord shapes based between the 4th through 2nd guitar...

Courtesy of Jim Kelly For guitar gods like us, the crown of our creation is the killer guitar solo. It's our chance to step into the spotlight and show what we've got – not to show off, but to come up with a solo that elevates the song to another level. Easier said than...

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 254" This Micro Lesson covers a Pop-Country style melody (with a Blues twist) built exclusively from the 5-tone scale of, "E Major Pentatonic."  This melody is set within a framework of the country /blues tonality. It applies a swing...

Courtesy of Gibson Guitar's Michael Leonard There are certain ways to clean your favorite guitar, and certain ways definitely not.  Are you doing it right? Or, are you doing it wrong?  Look into it, ask around some of your trusted guitar experts. Below are 20...

GuitarBlog: Play a Guitar Solo in 3 Easy Steps... This week on the GuitarBlog we cover how playing a guitar solo can essentially be broken down into a system that works around three main areas of study.  In order to play a lead, (within a piece of music), the guitarist...

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 253" This Micro Lesson works through an arpeggiated progression from the key of "A Minor."  The overall generic flow of the lines in this progression come together to create an interesting sound that applies several chord outlines from...

Courtesy of Matthew Wendler Improvisation is a complex beast to tackle. You can't go about the process by just "making it up."  If it seems to you like that's all Miles Davis is doing when he plays, keep in mind that the best improvisers are the ones who manage to create...

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 252" This Micro Lesson explores a modal Jazz progression based out of an "Ab Major" key harmony.  The progression moves through a relationship of tonality between the color of "Ab Major" and "Ab Minor." The modal aspect functions around...

Courtesy of Matthew Wendler Spider exercises are not only a great way to develop finger independence, but they are also essential for improving our ability for generating more speed and higher clarity. Keep in mind that going fast is not important with these drills. Go...