As a punter at a gig the other night, I was reminded of just how debilitating nerves can be. This guy was a really good singer and a great songwriter, but, his complete lack of responsiveness to the audience and his consequent nervousness, killed my enjoyment. So, here are a few tips on how to wrestle with, conquer and transform those nasty noives from ‘possum in the headlights’ paralysis to an excited focused form of energy! ...more

All guitar players need a good legato (smooth) playing technique for single note lines, but it is a major downfall of many players. While many top players make it look easy, it is a technique that takes a lot of practice to really make it flow. One of the ways you can gain a good legato technique is to be very good at hammer ons. ...more

Oh no! Not the dreaded ‘p’ word I hear you say. “Do I have to?” Well yes, if you want to get any better on your instrument, you are gonna have to. I have never heard of a great musician who doesn’t practice, and if you have, I bet they’re lying. What I find is that if I stop practising, my playing soon starts to suck. It’s that simple. Super-guitarist Steve Vai has a 10 hour practice schedule and meditates in a special pyramid thingy. Since most of us don’t have ten hours a day to practice or have a room with a special pyramid to sit in, we’re instead going to design a personal practice schedule based on one hour per day. If you stick to it for at least two months, you’re playing will improve, I guarantee. When I was taught this simple practice schedule technique, I couldn’t believe how much stuff I learnt in a small amount of time. Right, let’s do this – I promise it won’t hurt! ...more