In this video
A shorter session this week, coming to you slightly worse for wear after Bloodstock Festival. The theme is something that comes up a lot, especially at this time of year: what can you actually do to keep progressing when you're on holiday, in hospital, or just too unwell to pick up the guitar?
This one is more of a Q&A and discussion session, prompted by a great question from a member in hospital who wanted to know how to keep the guitar learning flowing without being able to play.
Topics covered include:
Guitar Scientist — a fretboard visualisation tool demonstrated live, showing how to map out chord shapes, CAGED positions, scales and pentatonic patterns all in one place, with colour coding for different shapes
Soundslice — how the tab and video player used in the Andy Guitar courses can be used independently to slow down, loop and study any guitar part, and how it compares to static tab
Active listening — why downtime is the perfect time to really study recordings, including Dan Hawkins' tip of spending a year just listening to the Angus and Malcolm sides of AC/DC tracks separately
Reading — a run through of recommended music books, with David Hepworth's Uncommon People and Hope I Get Old Before I Die highlighted as personal favourites
Coming back after a break — reassurance that skills do come back, why starting on electric rather than acoustic is easier on the fingertips after time off, and the 70-80% rule for knowing when to move on between course levels
There's also chat about a possible Marshall JCM 800 studio amp on the way, Gareth's upcoming band trial and some advice on band mix and how to find musicians to play with.