It happens every time…I am the assistant director for a guitar orchestra (with about 25 players) here in San Diego. We have been together for several years, played 5 concerts and recorded 2 CDs. For each concert we rehearse for twelve weeks. During all of those weeks of practice I can’t recall one broken string. But just about anytime we do something big, record or perform, someone breaks a string. I don’t know what it is, but strings tend to break when important things happen. Like the first concert I played when I was a kid playing in a bluegrass band, SNAP! It’s almost as if the strings know you don’t have a spare with you. So bring a set of extra strings whenever you play, or even better…bring two.

These tips will help you make the most of GuitarGames.net, our sister site.

Tip No.1: Reading music on guitar is best done by approaching it from several angles.

Here is a practice routine that will help you succeed.
1) Start by reviewing the notes on the staff, (Every Good Boy Does Fine, FACE, etc.) This can be done at Note Squish , I suggest playing the game 2 or 3 times.
2) Then review the names of the notes on the guitar neck. Play Birds of Fretopia several times. And then
3) Put it all together by playing Fret Tester for ten minutes .

This three-fold approach will strengthen your reading chops in no time!

Tip No. 2: Premium Members - Work on small sections.

Are you just starting to learn the notes on the Bass strings? Or maybe you just can’t seem to remember the notes above the staff. Premium Members have access to the settings section of the games and can isolate areas of the neck, staff, etc. By isolating areas you will learn quicker. Or take ear training Can’t tell the difference between a perfect 5th and a perfect 4th? Go to the settings page and choose just those two types. Learning music is like eating an elephant (or how about a rice field for you vegetarian types). If you try to do it all at once you are in for a sore stomach. But start with one little piece at a time and you’d be surprised what you can accomplish!

I came across this tip in a guitar forum and thought it was worth passing on. It helps players learn the notes on the bass strings (6th, 5th, and 4th) It works especially well for electric guitarists who have dots on the neck at the 3rd, 5th, and 7th fret. But, it will work for anyone. It goes like this:

1. Memorize the note names on the 6th string for the 3rd, 5th, and 7th fret. They are: G, A, B

2. Memorize the note names on the 5th string for the 3rd, 5th, and 7th fret. They are: C,D,E

3. Memorize the note names on the 4th string for the 3rd, 5th, and 7th fret. They are: F,G,A

4. Notice that the notes are alphabetical and always on the 3rd,5th, and 7th fret.

5. Remember that to use sharps or flats you simply go up one fret for sharps, and one down for flats.

That little exercise will help you remember a lot of the notes on the neck. Practice this with Birds of Fretopia from GuitarGames.net and you will have the notes on the bass strings memorized in no time!

This site is so great I just had to share it with you. It has tons of resources on how to play Gypsy Jazz for the guitar. The main author Michael Horowitz just released a book called Gypsy Rhythm, not only is one of the best books on Gypsy Jazz I’ve seen, it is one of the best books on guitar I have seen period. Check it out at www.djangobooks.com.