Some players you can just passively “enjoy” as you watch them. Then there are others that you can’t help but very actively say “HOLY SMOKES” when you watch! And...
If you Google “G, C, D Songs” you get 325,000,000 results. Now I don’t know if that has anything to do with how many songs there are out there comprised of just...
Bluegrass is raw, earthy and authentic, while at the same time sounding extremely precise with tight harmonies and amazing instrumental technique! To walk this ...
hen you think of NYC Jazz, you think of gritty, yet polished - cutting edge, yet steeped in tradition.
If you were a rock musician in the 80’s you might have...
TrueFire’s Next Top Guitar Instructor (TNTGI) contest has one goal in mind: Find amazing guitar instructors that deserve exposure to our amazing students. The f...
When you first start playing guitar, there are usually two tracts of study you will encounter. Playing Chords. This is of course where most players start as it ...
It’s 1972 and you’re driving across the United States in your Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible with the top down. FM radio stations come and go, but you can pick ...
Austrian-born bassist Ariane Cap is a busy musician! And that is just the way she likes it. From gigging with multiple bands and teaching, to sitting on the boa...
I often get asked about picking when teaching a student a lick. As in “what is the best way to pick that?” Many times the answer is, “it depends.” I know that s...
One thousand years from now, musicologists will have had ample time and perspective to refine the short list of musicians and composers from our times, whose wo...
Fareed Haque has been voted the “Best World Guitarist” by Guitar Player Magazine. Of course, that made total sense, but it also got me wondering…what exactly is...
Jon Finn is a lucky guy. Well, that is according to him. However, when you dig deeper, it isn’t just luck that has kept him on the guitar faculty at Berklee Col...
In the world of music, musicians in bands typically occupy one hemisphere, while the DJs occupy the other. However, for Freekbass and DJ Logic, the fusing of th...
You hear that familiar “click” as a tube amp turns on. Then, just a single A chord, followed by a simple blues lick. But that’s all it takes to make you think, ...
So you have had a few gigs and now consider yourself a “road warrior.” Before getting the tattoo, you might not want to compare your grueling gig schedule with ...
Captain’s Log: Stardate 4813.7 - A large black monolith has been discovered on a far away planet. It’s contents are being scrutinized, and seem to include a tim...
I hear that from students often. It usually goes something like this, “I already know my pentatonics and am tired of just bluesy licks, so I need to learn other...
I grew up in the country in the middle of Iowa. Not a real music mecca. I decided I wanted to learn how to play guitar, and set out to look for an instructor. Y...
You’re watching a popular singer onstage in front of a crowded room. They get out of the second chorus and look to their side to watch the guitarist lay down a ...
We all love a feel-good movie where our hero seems to have no chance, but against all odds comes out on top. Rocky comes from rough circumstances, but overcomes...
Jeff McErlain is a gritty guitarist with a long history of playing and teaching. His blues trio can be seen pouring it out on the stage in clubs in NYC, and his...
Sometimes an artist comes along who just plays…well…differently. They not only have their own voice, but they have a unique way of reaching deep down into their...
Being a jazz virtuoso is no easy task. But for Sheryl Bailey it’s all in a day’s work. Whether she is sharing the stage with jazz luminaries, or doing her much ...
I remember the first time I saw Andy Timmons live. It was at a NAMM show, at the Ibanez booth. Frank Gambale was doing a demo and asked Andy to get up...
Jeff is the Director of Education at TrueFire, has released 8 music CDs, and 6 video instruction courses. He’s been a teacher for over 30 years and brings his own method and style to students from around the world. He has written guitar columns for many magazines and conducted workshops and clinics throughout the US, Europe and Mexico.
