Guitar Nine Columns: Guitar Technique

Not all exotic scales are used exclusively by extreme metal players.

Searching for interesting chords to put before a dominant chord.

Steve discusses melody writing, phrasing, dynamics and more using his track "For The Love Of God".

The differences between regular and scalloped fretboards explained.

Write dissonant but delightful music using the Neapolitan minor scale or chord.

Dan Hawkins' masterclass focuses on pentatonics for bass.

A method to move freely around the fretboard.

Start incorporating bends more fluidly into your playing.

McRocklin's masterclass covers his track "New Beginnings" (B minor) in great detail.

An exercise that you can use to build a powerful picking hand.

Exercises that will challenge you to build a deeper connection with your guitar.

Don't neglect your hands. Tips for hand health.

Learn to make music using exotic scales.

Dozens of articles on the subject of scales, scale patterns, scale connection and more.

A little technique can go a long way if you know how to apply it creatively.

All it takes is knowing the correct exercises to get your hands working properly.

Adding first inversion chords gives you 7 new sounds to work with.

Moving the Phrygian Dominant scale in a more horizontal fashion across the neck.

Appreciating how different this music sounds from typical guitar music.

A wealth of information about chords and chord progressions for you to learn and master.

Get the most you can out of the rehearsal time you have scheduled.

Here are three ways to advance and progress in the area of finger independence.

Here is a minor cadence used in hundreds of Real Book tunes.

Is it something that is necessary for your specific musical path - or not?

Tips on recording some of the greatest classical pieces for electric guitars.

Examples that will help strengthen your picking, constructed in a more musical fashion.

A good guitar riff drives the song, and is often one of the most memorable parts of the tune.

Can your hands actually be too small to play?

How to avoid getting discouraged.

Less is more, more is more - which is it?

A great way to connect the five basic major scale patterns.

Tell a story with your music by the way you phrase notes on guitar.

Ways to change your guitar tone without touching an amp or pedals.

Improvise to Darth Vader's Theme by John Williams.

Improvise to Darth Vader's Theme by John Williams.

Great when learning modes - hear the sound of each mode over a tonal center.

Muting your guitar with tape or a hair band!

The word chromatic in music means two or more consecutive notes that are a half step from one another.

3-dimensional phrasing - as opposed to 2-dimensional (flat, lifeless) playing.

The perils of an out-of-balance guitar practice.

Learn all the little tricks that are easy to underestimate but make the difference.

Strengthen your upstrokes so they are as strong as your downstrokes.