Guitar Tricks Blog

Posted March 14, 2022

A Beginners Guide to Pedalboards Pt. 1: Choosing Your Pedals

Everyone learns in their own way. Some don’t want to be told how to go about certain things and leave lessons learned in exploration and experimentation (myself included). Others may want to skip the long hours filled with headaches due to an overabundance of coffee and trust in what they already know and are comfortable using. With this guideline, I hope to convey a sense of where one might begin when piecing together their sonic arsenal in the form of the ever so popular and no longer elusive pedalboard.

Posted February 18, 2022

10 Ways to Beef Up Your Barre Chords

Do you struggle to nail a crisp-sounding barre chord? If so, you know firsthand how frustrating it can be to play one of these beauties without buzzing or dead strings. Getting barre chords to resonate brightly can be a real challenge, especially on an acoustic guitar. But with a little elbow grease, or rather, finger grease, and a whole lot of dedication, YOU can conquer the barre chord.

Posted February 11, 2022

Power Chords Explained in 5 Easy Steps

Power chords are the backbone of rock music. They're often used in rock music, and are also known as fifth chords. They're called fifth chords because they're made from the root note and the fifth. They’re beefy, often crunchy and are super simple to play because it takes only three notes to make these types of guitar chords. Here are 5 easy steps to learning and practicing these powerful chords.

Posted February 4, 2022

10 Legendary Left-Handed Guitarists

When we stop to consider the challenges that face us as a people, rarely, if ever, do we count lefties among the disadvantaged. But southpaws, those 10% of the population who are left-handed, live in a world that caters to the right-handed. Things like spiral notebooks, scissors, car radios, computer keyboards, and handheld can openers are all designed with a right-hand bias. So are things like guitars.

Posted February 1, 2022

How to Toughen Up Your Fingertips

One of the top things we hear from beginning guitarists is... "my fingers hurt!" Fingertip sensitivity when playing guitar, even just when playing basic guitar chords, is totally normal at first. Don't worry, fingertip sensitivity is only temporary and will go away once you build up some calluses on your fingers. Here are some tips to help with callus building. Keep in mind that although these tips may be useful to developing nice, thick calluses, none of them can substitute for actual playing.

Posted January 31, 2022

5 Jimi Hendrix Guitar Techniques

The playing style of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix has been analyzed quite a bit over the years, and as a result, there's a huge list of things you can do to replicate his distinctive guitar playing. However, you should always start with the following 5 core concepts that are absolutely fundamental to his playing.

Posted January 25, 2022

How to String a Guitar - 6 Super Easy Steps

Guitar strings get worn overtime so it’s important to change them about once per month, or if you’re actively playing, once every two weeks. Even brand-new guitars need their strings changed because by the time the instrument gets to you, the strings may already be months old. Whether you're a beginner or experienced guitar player, you'll have to inevitably change guitar strings. Here are 6 simple steps on how to string a guitar.

Posted January 25, 2022

Barre Chords Explained! They're Super Easy!

Barre chords are difficult because, when you first learn them as a beginning guitarist, you have to hold down all of the strings. Holding down all the strings is tough because there’s a lot of tension, and playing barre chords closer to the headstock is even more complicated because the strings are tighter and the frets are more spread out.

Posted January 20, 2022

7th Chords Explained

7th chords are triads but with the addition of one more note, the 7th. Common 7th chords are major 7th (Cmaj7), minor 7th (Cmin7) and the dominant 7th (C7). These chords are used in all genres of music including blues, jazz, rock and more.

Posted January 15, 2022

3 Minor Chord Progressions and How to Find Them

Minor chord progressions are very similar to major chord progressions but of course, we’re looking at the minor scale! It’s important to know how to find chords within a minor scale so that you have a number of options when it comes time to create your own song or if you simply want to know how your favorite hits have come together.

Posted January 10, 2022

Learn These Classic Bob Dylan Songs

Extremely prolific, and regarded as one of the best songwriters of all-time, Bob Dylan has been a commanding influence in the music world, and pop culture in general, since the early 1960s. His work is deeply personal, yet anyone can relate to it. With themes surrounding civil rights and the anti-war movement, many of his classic songs are now more relevant than ever. With a troubador-like singer-songwriter feel, many of his songs are quite simple to learn and get comfortable playing quickly, making them perfect for beginner-to-intermediate guitarists looking to get their sea legs playing some iconic folk tunes.

Posted January 5, 2022

10 Famous Songs with Three Chords or Less

When learning to play guitar, it can be a little daunting to open a chord book only to see hundreds of chords you think you have to know in order to play a just a few songs. In reality, the opposite is true: You only need to know a few chords to play hundreds of songs. Many of the most famous songs in the world are made up of three chords or less, and many even share the same three chords. Harry Nilsson, for one, prized simplicity in his songwriting so much that he used a single chord (an arpeggiated C7th) to brilliant effect in his 1972 hit, "Coconut."

Posted January 5, 2022

Guitar Tab Symbols Explained!

Guitar tab symbols tell a guitar player what to do when reading guitar tablature. The symbols may represent a bend, a palm mute, a hammer on, pull off, vibrato, and more. Even if you do have a key for all of the guitar tab symbols, it may be confusing when it comes time to actually play a tab. Let’s take a look at some common guitar tab-reading questions.

Posted December 20, 2021

Last-Minute Guitar Stocking Stuffers

We've all been there: The clock is running out and you still haven't gotten that little something for everyone on your list.

This year, skip the socks and scratch-offs and hook-up the guitarist in your life with a gift they'll appreciate and actually use. We've compiled a quick list of stocking stuffers that should be available at the last-minute and will be a welcome addition to any guitar player's gear collection.

Posted November 12, 2021

How to Finish and Release Your First Song on a Budget

There’s nothing more satisfying than writing your first song. All that time spent learning chords, writing lyrics, structuring your song and composing melodies has paid off. Now it’s time to record your track, mix, master and release it into the world for your friends, family and hopefully some new fans. With a few tips, some basic tools and a little bit of learning, getting your first song finished and released is easier than you think.