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Articles from Tom Hess | Selfgrowth.com
- 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: 953 - How To Play Great Guitar Solos Without Playing Fast - by Submitted on Apr 22, 2013 from Tom HessThink that you have to play highly advanced, technical and lightning fast guitar solos in order to get the attention of your listeners? Think again. The truth is, you can play truly eye-popping guitar phrases that demand the attention of others ‘without’ playing fast… if you know the right ...
Views: 1760 - How To Play Great Lead Guitar Licks (Continued) - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2013 from Tom HessHow To Play Great Lead Guitar Licks (Continued) By Tom Hess Think that creating great lead guitar licks is hard? Fact is, it is much easier than you might first expect. All you need to do is follow this fundamental principle: “Get as much expression out of every note as you ...
Views: 1509 - How To Play Guitar Amazing During Real-Life Situations - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2016 from Tom HessWhat is the most effective way to see how well you can play a certain thing on guitar? Answer: see how well you can play when in live situations – This is what I call “real life guitar playing”. Real-life guitar playing can best be described as the ...
Views: 1289 - 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: 500 - How To Play Guitar Faster & More Clean Using Great Two-Hand Synchronization - Part 1 - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2015 from Tom HessDoes it seem nearly impossible for you to play both fast AND clean on guitar? A lot of guitar players have this same issue, and try to fix it by moving their hands faster. However, this will not help you play guitar both fast and accurate. To do this, you must identify the most fundamental cause ...
Views: 1309 - 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: 1060 - 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: 384 - How To Play Intense Blues Guitar Licks As Clean As Possible Part 2 - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2014 from Tom HessHow To Play Intense Blues Guitar Licks As Clean As Possible Part 2 By Tom Hess This article is the second part in a two part series on creative blues guitar playing. It is crucial that you understand the concepts in part one before you read any further on this page. For a quick review of ...
Views: 1293 - 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: 1125 - How To Play Lead Guitar With Excellent Guitar Phrasing - Part One - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2014 from Tom HessHow To Play Lead Guitar With Excellent Guitar Phrasing - Part One By Nick Layton Wish you knew how to make your lead guitar playing and improvising sound totally killer? You’re not alone. Many guitarists struggle with this and never truly learn how it’s done. Contrary to ...
Views: 1241 - How To Play Powerful Sweep Picking Arpeggios - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2013 from Tom HessHow To Play Powerful Sweep Picking Arpeggios by Tom Hess Think sweep picking is all about memorizing arpeggio patterns and playing them as fast as possible? Fact is, the greatest sweep pickers are not only ‘fast’ but understand how to use sweep picking to express themselves in their guitar ...
Views: 1217 - 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: 721 - 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: 930 - How To Play Tremolo Picking Guitar Technique Faster Than Ever - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2014 from Tom HessHave you just about given up on playing with faster tremolo picking technique? Don’t quit just yet! You are probably making the common error of thinking that faster hand speed leads to faster picking. This is not how it works! Let me tell you why... A huge amount of guitarists already ...
Views: 2318 - How To Play With Better Metal Rhythm Guitar Technique - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2015 from Tom HessWant to know how to play with awesome rhythm guitar technique? Stop trying to “learn random guitar riffs to play” and get started learning how to make ANY guitar riff sound totally killer. Remember, it’s not WHAT you play – it’s how you play it! Here are five ...
Views: 799 - How To Play With Clean & Articulate Legato Guitar Technique - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2015 from Tom HessHow To Play Clean & Articulate Legato Guitar Technique By Tom Hess Wish you could play legato guitar licks with much better technique? Well, you don’t have to seek out any special licks to do this - you need to learn the best way to practice legato efficiently as the great ...
Views: 1320 - How To Practice Guitar To Quickly Get Your Skills Back After Being Away From Guitar For A Long Time - by Submitted on Dec 26, 2014 from Tom HessIf you are just now getting back into practicing guitar after being away from your instrument for a while, you probably noticed one thing: your guitar playing skills have dropped a lot! Don’t worry, I understand exactly how you feel...several years ago I finished a world tour, and decided ...
Views: 2339 - How To Practice Sweep Picking In A Way That Improves All Of Your Guitar Playing - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2014 from Tom HessIs sweep picking a technique that you constantly struggle with? It doesn’t matter how hard sweep picking may SEEM to you right now because I’m going to show you how easy it can be when you do it right. Furthermore, I’m going to show you how learning to effectively practice this technique can ...
Views: 1664 - 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: 523 - How To Prepare Your Guitar Playing For A Performance - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2015 from Tom HessIf you’re tired of making mistakes or being nervous about performing live, I have some good news for you. ALL guitar playing mistakes come from a lack of practice (or ineffective practice). “Wait, Tom. How is that GOOD?” It’s good because knowing this gives you all of ...
Views: 1328 - 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: 532 - 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: 911 - 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: 1178 - How To Quit Your Current Job & Teach Guitar Instead - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2015 from Tom HessHow To Leave Your Day Job & Teach Guitar For A Living In The Least Risky Way Possible By Tom Hess Are you sick and tired of working at your current job? As a guitar player, you already understand that this type of job prevents you from spending as much time as you’d like with ...
Views: 801 - 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: 884 - How To Stop Wasting 40-70% Of Your Guitar Practice Time And Become A Better Guitarist Faster - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2017 from Tom HessHow To Stop Wasting 40-70% Of Your Guitar Practice Time And Become A Better Guitarist Faster by Tom Hess The greatest challenge you’ll face when it comes to attaining your guitar playing goals is NOT “too little practice time” ...nor is it “not knowing ...
Views: 862 - How To Teach Guitar More Effectively By Spending Less Time Creating Teaching Materials - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2018 from Tom HessHow To Teach Guitar More Effectively By Spending Less Time Creating Teaching Materials By Tom Hess Teaching guitar becomes easier and less stressful when you avoid spending extra (unpaid) time creating lesson materials for your students. These are 3 key ways to do it: 1. ...
Views: 669 - How To Train Your Guitar Students To Become Excellent Guitarists - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2017 from Tom HessHow To Train Your Guitar Students To Become Excellent Guitarists By Tom Hess The best guitar teachers do much more than simply teach guitar. To become a great guitar teacher, you also need to: *Help your students make progress and gain motivation to practice by training them on how ...
Views: 821 - 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: 951 - How To Write Awesome Guitar Solos And Play Guitar With A Lot More Passion - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2016 from Tom HessMost guitarists can’t make their guitar playing sound emotional for these reasons: Reason One: They have not tried to improve their creativity as an actual skill. Instead, they can only be as creative as the licks they have memorized. Reason Two: They don’t know how to ...
Views: 837 - How YOU Can Earn 6-Figures Per Year Teaching Guitar & Transform Average Guitar Students Into Killer Players - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2015 from Tom HessI don’t care if you’ve been teaching guitar for 30 years or if you are just getting started teaching lessons – either way, you have the same awesome potential to achieve success and make insane money teaching guitar. Guitar teachers who earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per ...
Views: 703 - 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 - 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: 405 - 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: 526 - 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: 459 - 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: 472 - 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: 1131 - 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: 543 - 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: 430 - 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: 1096 - 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: 486 - Seven Guitar Teaching Mistakes That Reduce Your Income And Limit Your Guitar Students’ Progress - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2016 from Tom HessTo grow a successful guitar teaching business, you should understand: *The correct action steps you must take in order to grow your business and effectively teach your guitar students. *How to take every step in the most efficient manner. *The correct order to take these steps in, in ...
Views: 737 - Seven Questions Not To Ask As A Guitar Teacher - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2013 from Tom HessSeven Questions Not To Ask As A Guitar Teacher By Tom Hess As you advance your guitar teaching business you will have many questions about how to become more successful. However, until you understand the ‘right’ questions to ask, you will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes ...
Views: 1309 - 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: 1059 - 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: 646 - Start Playing Blues Guitar Licks More Creatively Using Double Stops - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2014 from Tom HessStart Playing Blues Guitar Licks More Creatively Using Double Stops By Tom Hess Wish you could play lead blues guitar licks that sound highly expressive and creative? One of the best ways to begin is to look into mastering blues guitar double stop technique. This technique is used ...
Views: 1346 - 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: 502 - 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 ...
Views: 550 - 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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