The Guitar Journal
All about guitar.
If you're like me, you've been living in t-shirts for the last several months. As so many of us are stuck at home, with no desk jobs or fancy events to show up for, we're living in t-shirts, hats, and a dim sense of petrified wonder at what may …
Continue Reading about Show Some Love: Fresh Acoustic Guitar Shirts and Hats
Let's take a quick look at what a "fingerboard radius" is, how it effects your playing, and which radius (if any) is the best fit for contemporary fingerstyle players. A quick public service announcement: Obviously, I cannot tell you the "best" …
Continue Reading about What Fingerboard Radius Is Best For Fingerpicking?
GUEST POST - There is no denying it. A boxy and bulky piano simply does not have the same sex appeal as a sleek and slender Fender or Les Paul, and that may be enough to turn you away from the musical instrument altogether. However, you should not be …
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GUEST POST - The life span of any string instrument is greatly affected by how the player takes care of it. Just like a vehicle, it also needs proper maintenance and special attention to ensure it will sound its best through the years. It’s a …
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I’ve recently been trying out the Arturia Keystep portable USB MIDI controller. Here’s how I used it, and what worked. What is the Arturia Keystep? The Arturia Keystep is a portable musical tool combining the functionalities of a keyboard …
Continue Reading about Arturia Keystep – Ideal Guitar Sidekick
Frameworks Records and An Tran recently announced the release of the debut album from Vietnamese classical guitar virtuoso, An Tran. Stay, My Beloved is an album featuring all Vietnamese guitar music. An Tran’s debut album, Stay, My Beloved, …
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GUEST POST - Composing music on your guitar may sound like a difficult task, but it can be easier than you think, at least, with some help. Anyone with musical talent and the ability to play chord progressions can easily create their own music. It …
In this world there are a LOT of options for playing guitar. Today, we are going to present some guidance on a few of those options - the difference between a "travel guitar" and a "guitarlele". Choosing the right small-size instrument will make …
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Ian S. Port's book, "The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock" (2019), is a long-needed deep dive into the rivalry between Leo Fender and Les Paul - the fathers of the electric guitar. As a young …
Continue Reading about The Birth of Loud: Review of Ian Port’s Homage to Electric Guitar
Leo Kottke's album, "6- and 12-String Guitar", was released in 1969, clocking in at a crisp 36 minutes long. While this album was well-received in it's own time, it has grown even more loved with time. It is seen as a landmark in acoustic fingerstyle …
Continue Reading about Flashback Album Review: Leo Kottke’s “6- and 12- String Guitar”
Woodpecker Instruments is a new brand specialized in travel guitars and ukuleles. Adding to the company’s line of travel guitars, Woodpecker has unveiled the new 31” Woodpecker Travel Koa. Here at the The Guitar Journal, we love travel guitars …
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I finally finished the 175 guitar build. I learned some lessons...the hard way. Spoiler alert: Yes, I learned a lot from doing it and am glad that I did. But, no, I will not build another one. I will simply appreciate luthiers so much more for the …
Continue Reading about 7 Reasons Your DIY Guitar Kit Will Be Terrible
The STOMP Bluetooth 4.0 foot switch is a handy (or shall we say "hands-free") way to page through sheet music while you play, remotely activate the recording function in ProTools, or trigger anything else you want to while you play. What is …
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Everybody wants to break out of the standard pentatonic box. While the standard pentatonic box is a great start for learning to improvise, particularly over the blues - it can soon become limiting. Here are three simple methods you can use to "break …
Continue Reading about Beyond the Pentatonic: 3 Simple Ways To Expand Your Blues Soloing
