Blog Entries for jeremylaursen

Chord Progs Cntd

jeremylaursen

I hope every had a chance to check out the SAMI Chord Progressions map. If not, it is right on the front of the home page.

To those maybe a bit unfamiliar with chord progressions I can offer a simple idea for you. Open up the chord progression map to the key of C. Take the C chord and another random chord and start strumming those two chords back to back. Getfamiliar with the sound. Do the same thing with all of the chords. The point is to use t [...]

STUCK IN A RUT?

jeremylaursen

Have moments where you feel like you just keep playing the same thing? Here are some tips to help you to break the monotony:
Break your typical scale patterns. Many of us can get stuck in certain scale patterns that seem to lead us to dead ends. Change them. Try changing your scale patterns.
1 note per string scale2 notes per strin 3 notes per string4 notes per stingChange your chords. Do you always play the same barre chords or open chords?&n [...]

Rhythm

jeremylaursen

As a guitar teacher I am faced with many guitar-only issues but when it comes to rhythm I can offer a broader perspective.

Rhythm is just as important to a guitar player or a horn player as it is to a drummer.

A drummer must use his sticks or hands to beat a drum in rhythm. A guitar player uses picks or fingers and hands to strike the guitar strings in rhythm. I sax player has to press [...]

Writing A Song

jeremylaursen

Whether you are a newbie or a veteran, there is always a trick to be learned with your guitar. With this blog I want to touch upon a songwriting trick.

To get acquainted with songwriting I would like you to take a few steps.

1. Pick out a song that you really like. For the purpose of this exercise pick an easy one. Listen to it a lot. Get itstuck in your head. You should be able to play this song in your head while you are away from [...]

Listening

jeremylaursen

Hey everybody. I wanted to touch upon something that I think is very important to development. I play in many groups and there is usually an initial period where I need to learn their material and then often there are special occasions where many different songs are needed for a certain gig. Looking at 50-60 new tunes can be a pretty daunting task but there is a way that you canmake this easier on yourself.

Learning any new song, let alone ma [...]

How To Use The Site

jeremylaursen

Hey guys. I want to say a few words about using the site. To really get the most out of the site you really have to use all of your available resources for learning. They are:

Video Lessons

PDF Lessons

The Jambox

Live Teacher Chat

Email with a teacher

Posting and Answering Blogs

Posting and Answering on the Message Board

Casual playingaway from the site.

Learning guitar is just like riding a bike. You d [...]

Learning One Thing At A Time

jeremylaursen

Hey guys. Something I felt like mentioning. Sometimes I get to where there is maybe 5 or 6 things that I want to learn at once. When I have tried this in the past it may take a few weeks to really get this stuff to sink in. If I take on 5 things in maybe an hour then I really never get a good amount of time with anything. Lately I have been sticking to one thing andreally working on it. I try and incorporate it into my normal playing as well as my practice [...]

Your Songbook

jeremylaursen

Hello fellow musicians. I wanted to talk a bit about building your songbook. As you gain experience and knowledge on your instrument, you will need to gain your own list of songs that you know how to play, and play them correctly. This will make it easier for you to be able to play with many more musicians. Also, it just so happens that those who havea ton of songs under their belt also know others who have a ton of songs under their belt. Bei [...]

The Practice Of Performing

jeremylaursen

Are you gigging? Why not? To jam in your room with yourself or with a group of musicians is one thing. But if you ever have performing in mind then you should become used to it asap. The spirit of playing can often take on a different attitude when you play for an audience. This allows you to begin to hear the difference between what you hear yourselfplay in the comfort of your own home and what you play when you are in front of a crowd. [...]

Songwriting: A Few Methods

jeremylaursen

Hello fellow musicians. This week I want to talk a bit about songwriting.

Songwriting is obviously a creative endeavor. If you have ever tried to write some music, then you may notice that sometimes your pen is flowing and other times there is a complete stall in the process. Here are some tips that I have stumbled upon. I surely welcome all sorts of tips. Pleaseleave some comments back.

1. Record yourself trying to find that new chord or that n [...]

FOR BEGINNERS AND/OR THOSE WHO ARE STUCK...

jeremylaursen

For beginners and/or those who are stuck I would like to offer some insight into the nature of guitar playing. Lets do a kind of history of your involvement with music.

1. You heardit for the first time. Some people remember when they first heard it or not. For some peopl [...]

Memorization

jeremylaursen

Hello. Today I want to say a bit about memorization. Often without realizing it you can easily get in the habit of playing stuff off of the paper or computer screen and not really commit it to memory. How much do you really know if the stuff has to be right in front of you? What I can recommend is that you often take the time to flip the paper over or turn off your computer monitor and play the things that you are working on. Get this stuff in your head. Start [...]

Rhythm!

jeremylaursen

Hey Guys. I hope every one is enjoying the new year. I want to talk about rhythm.

Did you know that a drummer may never have to play a Bb?

Did you know that you are going to have to play rhythms?

Rhythm often gets overlooked by many guitar players. I always ask my students if they are playing with a drummer. If they are I congratulate them. If they are not I ask them if they would be able to play along with a drummer and not get confused. [...]

Use a metronome

jeremylaursen

An important tool to use when practicing is a metronome. This is basically a drummer in a little hand held device. A metronome can give you a click or a beep in tempo. You are able to speed it up or slow it down and play along with it. Here are some very good ways to use a metronome.

1. Learning to switching between chords2. Learning a new scale3. Learning how to read rhythms4. Learning new licks5. Learning to solo
These are [...]

The Ear

jeremylaursen

Hey everybody. I wanted to make a general note to build upon the instruction on the site. SAMI has so much to offer. We have core lessons and music by different artists and tons of different techniques. It is easy to go through all of this stuff but none of it will ever work if you don't use your ear. The reason that there is so much great music in the world today is because of our ears. Musicians create music for the ears. Fans l [...]