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New Streaming Videos

Christian Guitar Streaming Video Lessons

Have posted some Free Christian guitar lessons on a new streaming video platform at WorshipGuitarClass.com/streaming-videos/. If you would like to signup for the Free Lessons or see what's included in the videos go to the Registration for Free Video Guitar Lessons here.

WGC Streaming Videos

The goal is to eventually get all of the Worship Guitar Class lessons in this format. Will the videos play on an iPad you ask? YES... they do. I've checked them on both iPads and iPhones and they play beautifully. Most of the lessons will continue to be available on DVD's, but the market is definitely shifting to videos that are viewable as streaming videos on tablets, smart phones and computers.

 

Left Hand Guitar Exercises

Here are a few left handed guitar exercises that you can practice without actually plucking the guitar. They should help you with your dexterity and guitar technique. Guitar scales and arpeggio patterns are really good to practice but these two easy to learn left hand guitar exercises can specifically help your left hand.

Left Hand Guitar Exercise 1

Place all four fingers of your left hand on the first four frets of the the first string. Lift the four fingers and hop to the 2nd string first four frets all at once. Try to land squarely on the string for each finger. This is a hoping exercise to each of the strings. If you watch the video, it can help you get into a good left hand position.  [Read more...]

Guitar Nails

Guitar Nails - How Long?Guitar Nails: How Long?

One of the Worship Guitar Class students recently asked how to get a clear sound when holding down guitar chords. I decided to make a video for everyone about guitar nails and what's a good length for guitar fingernails. If your guitar nails are too long, it's near impossible to get a clear clean chord.

On the hand that holds down chords, your fingernails should be very short. Only the pads of your fingers should be touching the strings. You want to come directly down on the strings so no other string is damped.

The guitar nails of the hand plucking the strings are best, in my opinion, when they are quite short. Watch the short video below for closeup shots of my favorite lengths for guitar nails. You can hear the difference when tapping your fingers on an object, like the music stand in the video. You should not hear the  nail sound on the hand that holds down strings.

 

Big Screen Video Of The Guitar Nails

To see a super large picture, you can click the expand button on the bottom right corner and this video about guitar nails will fill the screen. It's located between the 'HD' and 'vimeo' at the bottom of the video. I hope this video will help those of you who may be having problems getting a clean sound. Let me know if this was helpful.

(For learning worship songs, try our Worship Guitar Class video lessons.)

Walking Bass Notes

Walking Bass NotesWalking Bass Notes

A common technique used to write songs is with using walking bass notes. It's a style of writing music for literally hundreds of years. I think of the very famous Pachelbel's Canon in D that dates back to the Baroque period in the 1700's. Pachelbel uses a repeating descending bass line throughout the piece.

'As A Deer' is a well known worship song that uses a descending bass line in much of the song. There are several ways to write and make song arrangements. In the video below you can learn the walking bass notes for a number of different keys. I've filmed a 6 minute lesson for you. This is also in one of the Video Newsletters but I thought it might be easier to find on the website to have the lesson stand on it's own, too. The video shows some walking bass notes in major keys, but it also works for minor keys.

If you would like to learn and apply many ways to write songs, you might enjoy our Guitar Music Theory course. I hope you enjoy the lesson.

The Walking Bass Note Video

 

Guitar Practice Tips

Guitar Practice TipsGuitar Practice Tips

With a new year people often make new goals or New Year's resolutions. Maybe you have made one around becoming a better musician this year. Here are a few guitar practice tips to help.

1. Pray First
In Scripture it says to pray without ceasing. We can, and should pray about all the details of our lives. Why not ask Him for help in playing music and in keeping focused on Him.

2. Have A Goal

It's a good idea to have a goal. Do you want to learn a specific song, learn more chords, or play with quicker chord changes? It's easier to accomplish a goal if you have one. Do you want to become a more skilled worship leader?  [Read more...]

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Jesus is LORD!