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Articles from Tom Hess | Selfgrowth.com
- The Main Reasons Why You Aren't Improving Your Guitar Playing & What You Should Do - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2015 from Tom HessWhen you first began to practice guitar, you quickly observed that you’d need to practice several techniques and skills for a long period of time (even for years) in order to become a great player. That said, even though you've now invested a huge amount of time into practicing your ...
Views: 1206 - 5 Music Business Lies That Hurt Your Music Career - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2016 from Tom HessWish your music career was moving ahead much faster? Stop accepting these false claims about the music industry: Music Career Myth #1: You have to be generally young to get far in the music industry. Reality: People and bands in the music business don’t care much about age. There ...
Views: 1197 - Here Is Why You Are Not A Highly Successful Guitar Teacher (…Yet!) - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2013 from Tom HessTom Hess, professional guitarist, musician in the virtuoso metal band Rhapsody Of Fire and international guitar teacher shares his perspective on reaching a major level of success in the guitar teaching profession. Did you ever ask yourself why you are not as successful as your local guitar ...
Views: 1197(1 vote) - 6 Reasons Why You Struggle To Play Pinch Harmonics On Guitar - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2015 from Tom HessBeing able to play pinch harmonics will make your guitar playing sounds totally badass. With this single technique, you can add true passion, quickly and easily to your guitar playing. However, if done improperly, it can be a very frustrating technique to deal with. Look at this video to see ...
Views: 1188 - How To Quickly Play Challenging Guitar Licks And Solos - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2015 from Tom HessHow To Quickly Play Challenging Guitar Licks And Solos By Tom Hess You will have a very hard time playing awesome guitar solos if you believe this myth: “To play hard guitar solo licks that utilize various techniques, you need to practice these techniques on their own until you ...
Views: 1180 - 3 Reasons Why You Aren’t Developing Virtuoso Guitar Speed - by Submitted on May 11, 2015 from Tom HessIf you read Part 1 of this article, you already understand the tremendous importance of developing your 2 hand synchronization so you can play guitar faster and cleaner than you ever have. The next step is to learn the 3 main reasons WHY most guitar players never achieve perfect 2 hand ...
Views: 1178 - 3 Ways You Can Get More Music Fans And Promote Yourself In Them Music Industry - by Submitted on May 13, 2013 from Tom Hess3 Ways You Can Get More Music Fans And Promote Yourself In Them Music Industry By Tom Hess Are you looking for effective ways to promote your music and develop a following of fans? If so, you are not alone. For most musicians, understanding how to promote their music and gain fans ...
Views: 1176 - 5 Fundamental Elements Needed To Succeed In Music - by Submitted on Jul 07, 2014 from Tom Hess5 Fundamental Elements Needed To Succeed In Music By Tom Hess No matter what you do, you will NOT make it in the music industry until you attain the 5 key elements possessed by all successful musicians. Building a successful long term music career is a lot of hard work... and it will be ...
Views: 1173 - The Easiest Way To Make More Progress On Guitar - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2015 from Tom HessWhether you are an advanced guitarist or you are just starting, there is one thing that can help you gain massive results from your guitar practice and enhance your motivation for practicing every day. This powerful technique is: tracking each aspect of your guitar playing progress on a regular ...
Views: 1158 - Here Is What Keeps You From Becoming An Incredible Guitar Teacher - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2013 from Tom HessIf you thought about starting to teach guitar, you have probably felt apprehensions about getting started such as these: •You don’t really know what you must do (and avoid doing) in order to successfully teach guitar as a career. •You do not have highly effective teaching systems in place ...
Views: 1151 - How To Play Awesome Guitar Solos, Part 1: Vibrato - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2014 from Tom HessHow To Play Awesome Guitar Solos, Part 1: Vibrato by Tom Hess There are many possible reasons why your guitar solos and licks don’t sound totally amazing. The good news is, every problem you can think of has a very specific solution that you can implement to fix any issues and ...
Views: 1143 - Guitar Playing Test For Reaching Musical Goals - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2016 from Tom HessThink you know a lot about becoming a great guitarist? There exist tons of myths regarding playing making improvement through practice. Guitar players who believe in these myths almost never achieve their musical goals. Guitarists who learn how things really are, make fast progress and become ...
Views: 1142 - Lessons You Can Learn From Steve Vai To Become a Better Guitar Player - Part 2 - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2015 from Tom HessBy studying guitar players like Steve Vai or any other great guitarist, it can be helpful for refining YOUR own musical skills but only if you know exactly what to look for. Fact is, Vai's guitar playing greatness comes from his capability to deeply express himself with music, NOT because ...
Views: 1132 - How To Play Killer Sweep Picking Arpeggios - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2014 from Tom HessHow To Play Killer Sweep Picking Arpeggios Most guitarists have no idea how to transform their sloppy arpeggios into fast, clean sweep picking licks. I struggled with this, years ago, too. Playing clean arpeggios is one of the most common guitar technique problems I see with the ...
Views: 1127 - Why Having Too Many Guitar Exercises Slows Down Your Progress - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2017 from Tom HessPracticing as many guitar exercises as possible does NOT help you become a better guitarist faster. Guitarists who use this approach practice less efficiently, make slower progress and become frustrated due to a lack of results. Here’s 3 reasons why having too many guitar exercises ...
Views: 1110 - Why You Have So Many Guitar Playing Problems (And What To Do) - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2014 from Tom HessWhy You Have So Many Guitar Playing Problems (And What To Do) By Tom Hess Ever feel like you are going nowhere in your guitar playing? We’ve all been in that situation before, and usually this kind of stagnation comes from years of poor playing habits. These kinds of habits will ...
Views: 1103 - Nine Things That Hurt Your Guitar Playing Progress - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2015 from Tom HessDo you feel frustrated because your guitar playing progress is too slow? If you are like the vast majority of guitar players, you’re looking for the right things to do that will make you a better guitarist. However, you probably are NOT looking for the things that hurt your guitar playing ...
Views: 1100 - Four Mistakes Guitarists Make When Preparing For Live Performance & How To Avoid Them Before You Go On Stage - by Submitted on Jan 05, 2016 from Tom HessDo you get nervous when performing live in front of other people? You’re not the only one... Almost all people go through this same kind of anxiety! However, things do not need to continue like this for you. Once you understand how to practice and prepare for live guitar performances the ...
Views: 1099 - 5 Ways To Develop A Highly Successful Career In Music - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2013 from Tom Hess5 Ways To Develop A Highly Successful Career In Music By Tom Hess You will never become incredibly successful in the music industry by only copying other musicians you look up to. Why? Truth is, when musicians reach a high level of success it is not because they just so happened to ...
Views: 1083 - How To Easily Teach Creativity To Your Guitar Student - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2015 from Tom HessDo you want to have the most enthusiastic guitar students around, new students constantly knocking at your door and the envy of all other local guitar teachers? Before you can do all this you need to learn how to transform all your average students into incredible musicians. To do this, you must ...
Views: 1069 - How To Play Guitar Solos That Rock Part 3: Expressing Intense Emotions In Your Solos - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2014 from Tom HessHow To Play Guitar Solos That Rock Part 3: Expressing Intense Emotions In Your Solos By Tom Hess If you want to play killer guitar solos that are highly emotional, you must be able to identify which of the following pairs of notes sound the most similar – Do this right now. ...
Views: 1064 - Seven Things Musicians Do Out Of Order – Why People Fail In Their Music Careers - by Submitted on Apr 20, 2017 from Tom HessTo succeed in the music industry, you must learn: *The correct steps to take in order to achieve success as a pro musician. *The easiest way to take these steps to get the exact results you want. *The best order to take these steps in to grow your career fast. There are many ...
Views: 1061 - Five Incorrect Questions Guitar Players Often Ask And What You SHOULD Be Asking Instead - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2016 from Tom HessFive Incorrect Questions Guitar Players Often Ask And What You SHOULD Be Asking Instead To Become A Great Guitarist By Tom Hess A large percentage of guitarists ask incomplete and misinformed questions in order to fix the issues that prevent them from making fast progress in their ...
Views: 1059 - How You Can Play Killer Lead Guitar Licks & Solos Using Better Creativity - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2015 from Tom HessHow You Can Play Killer Lead Guitar Licks & Solos Using Better Creativity By Tom Hess Do you struggle to play creatively on guitar even though you know a bunch of licks and scale patterns? One thing is for sure – you will NOT become more creative by simply “learning more ...
Views: 1048 - How Studying Steve Vai's Guitar Playing Can Make You A Better Guitar Player - Part 1 - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2015 from Tom HessHow can studying the guitar playing of Steve Vai improve your own guitar playing? If you think learning his guitar solos or looking up transcriptions of Steve Vai songs is going to make you a great guitarist, then you are wrong. These things may help you in small, insignificant ways but they ...
Views: 1044 - How To Make Fast Guitar Playing Feel Easy - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2014 from Tom HessHave you ever thought about what the one thing is that your favorite guitarists have in common when playing fast? Here is the answer: every one of them plays in a way that looks extremely effortless. In reality, shredding on guitar not only looks easy - it actually IS easy…or, to be honest, it ...
Views: 1040 - The Crucial Factor That Determines If Your Music Career Will Be A Success - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2016 from Tom HessWhat is the main factor that determines whether your music career will be a success or a failure? The answer is: The type of mindset you have. How much success you have in music is entirely determined by the decisions you make and the specific actions you take in your life. Both your ...
Views: 1039 - 5 Important Steps For Building A Highly Successful Guitar Teaching Business - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2014 from Tom HessIf you think that making a lot of money ($100,000+ per year) by teaching guitar without holding a day job is an unrealistic goal, then you are clearly not living up to your full potential as a guitar teacher. If you want to grow your guitar teaching businesses to a high level, you must take ...
Views: 1031 - How To Play Amazing Guitar Arpeggios (Without Playing Super Fast) - by Submitted on May 30, 2016 from Tom HessHow To Play Amazing Guitar Arpeggios (Without Playing Super Fast) by Tom Hess You don’t have to blaze through sweep picking arpeggios at high speeds to make them sound great. Instead you can use creative exercises to make them sound musical (AND badass). The following video ...
Views: 1023 - How To Master Guitar Technique And Play Guitar Fast And Clean - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2016 from Tom HessHow To Master Guitar Technique And Play Guitar Fast And Clean By Tom Hess What do you need to do in order to completely master guitar technique and increase speed? Here’s a hint: you don’t need to practice for 8 hours a day. Instead, you need to practice the right things, at ...
Views: 1012 - 5 Guitar Practice Habits That Improve Your Guitar Playing Skills - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2016 from Tom Hess5 Guitar Practice Habits That Improve Your Guitar Playing Skills By Tom Hess Simply put, the kind of guitar practice habits you have determine the amount of musical progress you make. Good guitar practice habits fix your problems and help you to become a better guitarist in less time. ...
Views: 991 - How To Dramatically Improve Your Guitar Playing And Reach Your Musical Goals Fast - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2015 from Tom HessHow To Dramatically Improve Your Guitar Playing And Reach Your Musical Goals Fast Most guitarists have no idea which of their guitar practice exercises are improving their guitar playing and which ones aren’t. Consequently, they constantly struggle to get better at guitar and end up ...
Views: 989 - What General Guitar Practice Advice Doesn't Tell You About Building Speed - by Submitted on Jun 02, 2014 from Tom HessMost guitarists have never figured out the reason why they are unable to build tons of speed on guitar. This is usually because they take one of the following approaches: 1.They consistently practice at very slow speeds while believing that it will help them become faster players. Usually ...
Views: 981 - Biggest Myth About Guitar Playing (And How It Hurts Your Progress) - by Submitted on Dec 11, 2018 from Tom HessBiggest Myth About Guitar Playing (And How It Hurts Your Progress) By Tom Hess The following myth about guitar playing massively slows down your progress when you believe it: “There is no right or wrong way to do things”. Fact is, there (often) ARE. This doesn't mean ...
Views: 961 - How To Play Emotional Guitar Solos By Analyzing The Singing Techniques Of King Diamond - Part 2 - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2016 from Tom HessClosely analyzing the vocal phrasing of amazing singers is helpful for making your lead guitar playing more emotional. The first part of this article series, you were shown four ways to use King Diamond’s melodic singing style to improve your lead guitar playing. The following ...
Views: 954 - How To Transform Average Guitar Licks Into KILLER Guitar Licks Part 1 - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2013 from Tom HessAre you tired of not being able to play cool guitar licks? Wish you knew the process for coming up with your own awesome guitar soloing ideas? Fact is, a lot of guitar players have this same problem and are never able to solve it. Why is this?... because they believe that great guitar licks are ...
Views: 952 - Why You Aren’t Dominating The Local Guitar Teaching Market - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2014 from Tom HessWhy You Aren’t Dominating The Local Guitar Teaching Market By Tom Hess It’s a sad fact that most guitar teachers would rather accept mediocre results in their guitar teaching business than make a big effort to help their students become great players. Even worse, of the ...
Views: 951 - Why You Still Haven’t Become A Professional Musician... Yet - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2014 from Tom HessThe vast majority of musicians fail to achieve success as professionals. In many cases, this is because they continuously work on things that take them further away from their musical goals. Even though many musicians try very hard to make it, most of them will fail and experience great ...
Views: 942 - How To Play Rhythm Guitar Like A Professional - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2016 from Tom HessEver wonder how some guitarists seem to be able to play with excellent rhythm guitar timing while others just can’t? To do this, do you have to learn a bunch of riffs? Do you need practice with a band or get good with using a metronome? The answer is no. Excellent rhythm guitar skills ...
Views: 934 - What You Should Do If Your Guitar Practice Isn’t Any Fun - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2016 from Tom HessAre you no longer having fun during your guitar practice time? If so, you will get much slower results (if any) for these reasons: 1. When you feel bored or tired, you are going to practice less. When you spend less time practicing guitar, you make much slower progress. 2. In some cases, ...
Views: 934 - Why So Many Musicians Don’t Get A Record Deal - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2017 from Tom HessIt’s common for musicians to struggle to get signed to record deals because they base their careers on myths about how the music industry works. Don’t go down this same road. Educate yourself and begin creating personal value you can offer to record companies. Below are three ...
Views: 922 - How To Quickly Get More Music Gigs - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2015 from Tom HessHow To Quickly Get More Music Gigs By Tom Hess Having difficulty getting new gigs? You might be holding yourself back due to holding one or more limiting beliefs such as “venues aren’t looking for bands right now,” or “the competition is too great for my band to ...
Views: 915 - Three Ways To Help Your Guitar Students Make Tons Of Progress Fast - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2018 from Tom HessThree Ways To Help Your Guitar Students Make Tons Of Progress Fast By Tom Hess Use the following guitar teaching advice to help your students become better players faster than ever: Tip #1. Help Your Students Understand The Benefits Of Practicing Guitar Slowly Practicing guitar ...
Views: 910 - How To Play Amazing Lead Guitar Solos By Learning From King Diamond - Part 1 - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2015 from Tom HessBelieve it or not, singers can help you become a much better lead guitarist. The majority of guitarists never think about studying singer to improve their soloing skills... instead they attempt to get better by building speed, learning new licks or looking up new scale positions. Fact is, once ...
Views: 905 - 5 Steps You Must Take To Get The Best Guitar Practice Exercises - by Submitted on May 08, 2015 from Tom HessDo you know exactly how much your guitar practice exercises are helping you to improve your guitar playing (or if they are at all)? Most guitarists tend to think that MORE exercises will help them improve…this is false. To start seeing big improvements in your guitar playing, you need to follow ...
Views: 892 - Why Most Guitar Teachers Can’t Get A Lot Of Guitar Students - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2017 from Tom HessYou get a lot of guitar students by not making the same excuses as most guitar teachers. When you believe there is an excuse (outside your control) for your failure to get students, you never take the action needed to get them. Understanding why these excuses are wrong makes it easier for you to ...
Views: 890 - How To Record Your Music In The Studio - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2012 from Tom HessHow To Record Your Music In The Studio by Tom Hess To become an in demand musician in the music industry and attract the attention of successful bands and record companies there are many things that you need to know and do. Although the complete list of all the steps needed ...
Views: 887 - The Worst Things To Ask About Building A Music Career - by Submitted on May 05, 2014 from Tom HessYour chances of becoming a successful professional musician are next to none if you ask the same questions asked by the musicians who contact me on a daily basis. 99% of the time, aspiring pro musicians ask me all the WRONG types of questions that: 1. Are built from ignorant assumptions and ...
Views: 885 - 5 Main Parts Of Effective Guitar Practice Routines That Make Your Guitar Playing Better - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2016 from Tom HessYou become a great guitar player very quickly when you use effective guitar practice schedules. Any solid guitar practicing schedule is made up of five made elements that improve your guitar skills: Guitar Practice Element #1: Skill Progression It’s critical that your guitar ...
Views: 879 - How To Know If You’ll Become A Great Guitar Player Pt. 1: How Bad Do You Want It? - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2014 from Tom Hessby Tom Hess What is the biggest thing that keeps you from becoming a great guitarist? It’s NOT trying to play challenging techniques, playing with greater speed, understanding music theory or any other music related factors. Truth is, being able to play guitar well is not extremely ...
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