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Articles from Tom Hess | Selfgrowth.com
- How To Make Your Lead Guitar Playing Sound More Expressive - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2021 from Tom HessWant to become a more expressive and creative guitar player? Making small adjustments can go a long way. What do I mean? Try this out: Take 5 minutes and a handful of notes. Then, focus on not ending all your guitar phrases within a single bar. Make some of your licks end in the ...
Views: 289 - Lead Guitar Playing Article - Super Octave Slides - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2021 from Tom HessWish you could make your guitar solo licks feel unbelievable and innovative? I've got a cool surprise to show you. Pick up your guitar really quick and do this: Pick any note and pick it. Without delay slide from the note you sounded up by an octave (playing it on the same ...
Views: 332 - How To Make Your Guitar Solos More Expressive - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2021 from Tom HessWant to know how to quickly insert feeling into your guitar phrases or soloing? Check this out: Adding emotion into your guitar playing like this can be done irrespective of your current guitar skills (provided that it's greater than absolute newcomer). Additionally, you don't require ...
Views: 348 - Master The Elements To Great Sweep Picking Technique - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2021 from Tom HessLove sweep picking? You're not alone! However, many guitarists never learn unique ways to practice and master sweep picking. This keeps them from getting better over time. I teach sweep picking using patterns that are a bit easier to digest. I call them 2-1-2 arpeggios (they sound ...
Views: 349 - How To Play Guitar Vibrato Technique With Excellent Rhythmic Timing - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2021 from Tom HessDo you have great vibrato technique? Here is a way to quickly assess yourself: Grab your guitar. Put a backing track on in the background at a speed of 100+. Play a single note and add vibrato to it in strict eighth notes – maintaining perfect sync with the beat. Next, try to ...
Views: 302 - Learn How To Master Guitar Tapping Faster - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2021 from Tom HessHow do you make melodic guitar licks that sound complex without needing tons of speed? Answer: By combining tapping, legato and vibrato technique together in a creative manner. Sound cool? It gets better: Using these ideas together helps you take any ...
Views: 371 - How To Easily Make Your Lead Guitar Sustain Last Longer - by Submitted on Jan 18, 2021 from Tom HessDo the notes you play on guitar end too soon or feel a bit lifeless? Getting more sustain on your notes doesn't require special pedals, just an understanding of how to use proper technique in both hands, a heavy guitar pick and an amp with the gain turned way up. Sound good? Great! ...
Views: 415 - [Guitar Speed Tips] Fix Sloppy Sweep Picking With Tremolo Picking Technique - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2021 from Tom HessEver wish you could play badass sweep picking arpeggios without making unclean mistakes that ruin them? Not a problem! A long time ago, I struggled to play sweep picking licks. Really ... I was nowhere near proficient at the technique. At shredder speeds, my arpeggios wasn't ...
Views: 444 - Learn How To Master Sweep Picking Rolling Technique On Guitar - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2020 from Tom HessWant to sweep pick like a master? You’ve come to the right place! A great first step is to put in some time into studying finger rolling. You may be asking yourself: “Tom Hess, what exactly is finger rolling?”… and I’m glad you asked. It’s simple actually: Finger rolling is where ...
Views: 392 - How To Quickly Become A Successful Guitar Teacher - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2020 from Tom HessWant to make a good living teaching guitar while getting the best results for your students? Use the following ideas to begin: 1. Create Unique Lesson Plans To Help Students Reach Their Goals It’s a frequently-made mistake to use cookie-cutter lesson plans for every student. This doesn’t ...
Views: 447 - Cool Lead Guitar Licks From The Hirajoshi Scale - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2020 from Tom HessWant your guitar solos and licks to sound amazing to anyone listening? The Hirajoshi scale is an amazing tool for this. What is this scale? It’s a pentatonic scale (meaning: it only has five notes) that originated in Japan. No, this is not exactly the same as other pentatonic scales ...
Views: 514 - Easy Ways To Get Faster On Guitar - by Submitted on Nov 23, 2020 from Tom HessWant to play guitar with blazing-fast speed? It’s probably best to forget most of the advice other guitarists give you. Why? A lot of common guitar speed advice is wrong and actually causes you to play slower! The following are some of the most common things you hear people say ...
Views: 392 - How To Get Started Becoming A Top-Tier Improviser On Guitar - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2020 from Tom HessNo, just because you do or don't have “natural talent” doesn’t mean you are more or less creative at improvising than anyone else. Creative lead guitarists are able to take phrases they already know and use their awesome phrasing and phrase adaptation skills to quickly modify any lick to use ...
Views: 413 - Why Common Guitar Practice Advice Causes Unclean Playing At Faster Speeds - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2020 from Tom HessFollowing most guitar practice conventional wisdom often leads to slower progress, formation of bad playing habits and lots of unnecessary frustration. Yes, a lot of common advice regarding playing guitar faster is wrong and actually causes you to play slower and less clean! The following ...
Views: 428 - The Key Mistakes You Make That Harm Your Guitar Playing Creativity - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2020 from Tom HessReady to play amazing guitar solos that are creative, expressive and emotional? To become more creative, you must practice just how you would practice everything else. You also need to avoid making big mistakes that stop others from being creative. The following are frequent mistakes that ...
Views: 338 - Why Self-Taught Guitarists Commonly Do Not Become Great - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2020 from Tom HessAs a guitarist learning on your own, know that your practicing habits determine if you become great or not. When you don’t have good practicing habits, you make musical progress very slowly. It’s common for guitarists who learn on their own to form bad habits that hold their playing ...
Views: 407 - Sweep Picking Mistakes That Make It Tough To Play Arpeggios Cleanly - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2020 from Tom HessAs long as you practice the right way, sweep picking is not too difficult to master. The most efficient sweep picking is based on proper biomechanics and the avoidance of common errors made by most guitarists (that lead to sloppy playing). Make it easy to sweep pick cleanly and ...
Views: 433 - The Difference Between Guitarists Who Are Excellent At Improvising & Everyone Else - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2020 from Tom HessMyth: lacking “natural talent” makes you less creative at improvising than other guitarists who were born with it. The real difference between creative lead guitarists and non-creative ones is the following: No, great improvisers do NOT think “faster” than everyone else. They are able to ...
Views: 396 - Play Better Guitar Solos By Avoiding Common Mistakes Of Boring Solos - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2020 from Tom HessYour guitar solos start becoming creative and inspiring when you avoid the mistakes most guitarists make while soloing. This happens when: 1. You do the things explained in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZIJqP7z48 2. You correct the following mistakes guitar players ...
Views: 424 - Three Ways To Clean Up Sweep Picking Arpeggios Fast - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2020 from Tom HessTired of playing sloppy sweep picking arpeggios when you turn up the metronome? Good news: You don't have to practice slowly for a long time to clean them up. Here are three guitar practice strategies to help you clean up your sweep picking at fast speeds: Guitar Practice ...
Views: 381 - How To Practice To Become A More Creative Lead Guitar Player - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2020 from Tom HessWish your lead guitar playing made people feel intense emotion? That’d be really cool, right? Doing this requires practicing creativity. (Yes, you really can practice and improve creativity.) Fact is, practicing lead guitar creativity is one of the most fun things to do with your ...
Views: 441 - How To Play Guitar Fast And Clean By Practicing In Speed Bursts - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2020 from Tom HessPlaying guitar fast and clean doesn't need to take a long time. Using speed bursts gives you a big shortcut to guitar speed mastery. Speed bursts are short combinations of notes played at or near your 100% top speed, with moments of silence in between. Why practicing guitar with speed ...
Views: 420 - 5 Simple Lydian Guitar Licks That Sound Awesome - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2020 from Tom HessLearn Cool Lydian Guitar Licks That Your Playing Sound Great By Tom Hess What is it about the Lydian mode that creates so much expressive emotion when used in licks and solos? Why do world class players like Vai or Satriani use this mode all the time? And what do you need to do to ...
Views: 516 - The Correct Way To Pick For Maximum Guitar Speed – Video Tutorial - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2020 from Tom HessThe Correct Way To Pick For Maximum Guitar Speed – Video Tutorial By Tom Hess What’s the best way to pick the strings on guitar for fast speed? Should you use your elbow? Is it the wrist? Perhaps the thumb and pointer finger? The ...
Views: 374 - 3 Tips To Help You Become A Creative Lead Guitarist - by Submitted on May 25, 2020 from Tom Hess3 Tips To Help You Become A Creative Lead Guitarist By Tom Hess Wouldn’t it be nice if you could play amazingly creative and expressive guitar licks and solos at will? No doubt about it! Most guitarists wish they had the ability to do this, but give up before they ever do. Don't ...
Views: 433 - How To Make Fast Guitar Playing Easier By Keeping Both Hands In Perfect Sync - by Submitted on May 11, 2020 from Tom Hess“I wish I could make my fast guitar playing a little more sloppy!” – said no guitar player on Earth. So why do tons of guitar players struggle to play clean when they play fast? This is the answer: Not very many guitarists understand how to keep their ...
Views: 458 - How To Master Expressive Guitar Vibrato Technique - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2020 from Tom HessHow To Master Expressive Guitar Vibrato Technique By Tom Hess I have zero doubt that: Vibrato technique is the most critical technique to develop if you want to sound like an excellent guitarist. Why is this exactly? Because notes that have no vibrato ...
Views: 445 - Find Out How To Make Your Guitar Speed More Melodic - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2020 from Tom HessFind Out How To Make Your Guitar Speed More Melodic By Tom Hess Ever listened to a guitarist who had great technical chops, but little ability to make their soloing sound melodic and memorable? …while other guitar players are able to play just as fast or with ...
Views: 471 - Master Creative Guitar Tapping Using This Tutorial - by Submitted on Mar 30, 2020 from Tom HessMaster Creative Guitar Tapping Using This Tutorial By Tom Hess Want to learn how to play with awesome guitar tapping technique? You're in the right spot to learn about it. I spent many years trying to play guitar tapping licks like my favorite guitarists at ...
Views: 456 - Learn 3 Ways To Develop Fast & Clean Sweep Picking - by Submitted on Mar 16, 2020 from Tom HessLearn 3 Ways To Develop Fast & Clean Sweep Picking By Tom Hess Want to massively increase your clean sweep picking speed? Wish you could shred jaw-dropping arpeggios anytime you felt like it? And do it flawlessly - without any unwanted sloppy sounds coming ...
Views: 438 - How To Play Awesome Guitar Licks Using The Power Of The Tritone (No Theory Needed) - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2020 from Tom HessHow To Play Awesome Guitar Licks Using The Power Of The Tritone (No Theory Needed) By Tom Hess Looking for new ways to make your guitar licks sound more interesting? You're in for a treat. You're going to learn a powerful way to create new guitar licks ...
Views: 484 - Three Powerful Guitar Exercises That Make Your Solos Sound Better Than Ever - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2020 from Tom HessThree Powerful Guitar Exercises That Make Your Solos Sound Better Than Ever By Tom Hess How do you start playing better guitar solos very quickly? It’s hard to believe it now, but I used to think the answer was: “Build a vocabulary of tons of scale ...
Views: 460 - 5 Effective Warm Up Tips That Make You A Better Guitar Player - by Submitted on Feb 03, 2020 from Tom Hess5 Effective Warm Up Tips That Make You A Better Guitar Player By Tom Hess Want to know the most effective warm up exercises to get massive results from your guitar practice time? Chances are, you’ve seen other guitarists using a variety of different ...
Views: 514 - Find Out How To Overcome A Guitar Speed Plateau In A Single Day - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2020 from Tom HessRock guitarists can all agree: Getting stuck in a speed plateau is the worst! Not being able to make improvement for years at a time is incredibly frustrating. And the worst thing is… … you start to doubt your ability to make ...
Views: 513 - How To Get Insanely Faster Guitar Picking Speed (Shortcut) - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2020 from Tom HessHow To Get Insanely Faster Guitar Picking Speed (Shortcut) By Tom Hess What if I could give you a quick shortcut to adding insane amounts of speed into your guitar playing... and it made playing fast feel easier? This shortcut comes in the form of a technique that the ...
Views: 579 - Songwriting For Guitar - 6 Easy Songwriting Tips For Guitar Players - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2019 from Tom HessGuitarists who write expressive rock & metal songs do 2 things differently than most musicians: They understand the musical skills needed to become excellent songwriters and they practice often to improve them. They make their #1 goal to create great music, followed ...
Views: 573 - Why Conventional Guitar Practice Wisdom Causes Sloppy Playing At Faster Speeds - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2019 from Tom HessWant to play guitar faster and cleaner than ever? Stop listening to conventional speed building wisdom. Tons of popular guitar speed advice is wrong and actually turns you into a slower player! Here are 3 pieces of conventional guitar playing wisdom to stay away from in order to become a ...
Views: 486 - How To Make Any Guitar Chord You Play Sound Great - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2019 from Tom HessDoesn’t it seem like many guitar players focus on lead rather than playing chords? A lot of people would say it’s because playing chords feels less fun. But here is the real reason why guitarists do this: Guitarists often don't learn how to make common ...
Views: 637 - How To Play Rhythm Guitar In Perfect Time Like The Gears Of A Watch - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2019 from Tom HessHow To Play Rhythm Guitar In Perfect Time Like The Gears Of A Watch By Tom Hess Playing rhythm guitar in perfect time makes you sound like a total pro and gives you skills that make other guitarists jealous. Good news: Playing rhythm guitar with great timing is not as hard as you might ...
Views: 652 - The Three Mistakes You Make That Harm Your Guitar Playing Creativity - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2019 from Tom HessThe Three Mistakes You Make That Harm Your Guitar Playing Creativity By Tom Hess You become a creative guitar player by practicing the integration of many skills while also not making key mistakes that other guitarists make. The following are frequent mistakes that hold guitar players back ...
Views: 493 - Why Successful Music Careers Aren’t Built Through Trial-And-Error - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2019 from Tom HessBuilding your music career through trial-and-error causes you to waste time on things that don’t matter and make poor decisions that prevent you from achieving your musical goals. When you mostly guess about what is best for building you music career, you end up believing in ...
Views: 498(1 vote) - How To Improve Your Guitar Playing With Little Practice Time - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2019 from Tom HessHow To Improve Your Guitar Playing With Little Practice Time By Tom Hess Fact: Improving your guitar playing doesn’t require practicing for 3-5 hours every day. Here’s 3 ways to get better fast with limited practice time: Plan Out Your Practice In Advance Deciding ...
Views: 504 - 3 Helpful Guitar Technique Shortcuts That Greatly Increase Your Speed & Make Playing Guitar Feel Effortless - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2019 from Tom Hess3 Helpful Guitar Technique Shortcuts That Greatly Increase Your Speed & Make Playing Guitar Feel Effortless By Tom Hess Why are shortcuts so awesome? They often get rid of hard and unnecessary work from our lives. This is why we constantly look for shortcuts (and nothing is wrong with ...
Views: 563(1 vote) - Become A More Creative Lead Guitarist Using These 3 Powerful Tips - by Submitted on May 13, 2019 from Tom HessBecome A More Creative Lead Guitarist Using These 3 Powerful Tips By Tom Hess Wish you knew how to play unbelievably creative and expressive lead guitar solos whenever you picked up your instrument? Of course you do! Most guitarists dream about this, but never make it this far... Good news ...
Views: 490 - The Right (And Wrong) Ways To Break Into The Music Business - by Submitted on Apr 22, 2019 from Tom HessYou come across two key types of people when meeting musicians in the music industry: People who gamble with their careers and people who invest into their careers. What type of person do you image yourself as? Are you a gambler or an investor? Here’s a ...
Views: 608 - Genius Guitar Practice Hacks That Make Other Guitarists Envy Your Guitar Playing - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2019 from Tom HessGenius Guitar Practice Hacks That Make Other Guitarists Envy Your Guitar Playing By Tom Hess Could you practice guitar three times longer every day? Didn’t think so… and me either. Here’s something you can do ...
Views: 477 - Why Musicians SHOULD Want To Make Tons Of Money - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2019 from Tom HessWhich would you prefer: making a good living entirely through music or being a “starving artist” who spends most of his/her time working at a miserable day job just to get by? No doubt you chose the former... However, even musicians who make decent money in music could be doing so ...
Views: 519 - The 4 Keys To Becoming A Massively Successful Guitar Teacher - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2019 from Tom HessThe 4 Keys To Becoming A Massively Successful Guitar Teacher By Tom Hess The 4 keys to becoming a successful guitar teacher are learning what to do to build your business, how to teach effectively, how to implement what you know and which mistakes you must avoid. Why You Must Learn ...
Views: 447 - 3 Common Mistakes That Make Sweep Picking Sound Sloppy - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2019 from Tom HessSweep picking is not as hard as you might think. Getting good at it simply requires avoiding the common mistakes many other guitar players make. Make it easy to sweep pick cleanly and fast by staying away from these mistakes: Mistake #1: Killing picking ...
Views: 552 - Ten Incredibly Actionable Guitar Practice Motivation Tips That Improve Your Guitar Playing Today - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2019 from Tom HessTen Incredibly Actionable Guitar Practice Motivation Tips That Improve Your Guitar Playing Today by Tom Hess You probably already understand how difficult it is sometimes to feel inspired to practice guitar. On days where you lack motivation to practice, you become much more ...
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