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Ever strum a chord and feel like the whole room started vibrating with you? That’s the beauty of  open tunings —they turn your guitar into a cathedral of sound. If you’ve ever wondered why songs like She Talks to Angels (Black Crowes), Rain Song (Led Zeppelin), or Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones) sound so lush and resonant, it’s because they were built on open tunings. So, what’s the deal? Why do guitarists twist their tuning pegs into such strange configurations?  Its an inspira

If you’ve ever tried to play along with certain songs and thought,  “Hey, why does this sound off?  I’m in tune!” — congratulations, you’ve just met the mysterious world of half-step detuning. It’s one of those things’ guitarists do that seems small, but it changes everything: tone, feel, and even attitude. So why do players like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Guns N’ Roses all tune their guitars down a half step? 1.     It Feels Better Under the Fingers Standard tunin

You’ve probably heard a guitarist play a song so full and rhythmic that you swear there must be two or three people playing. Spoiler: it was one person with a thumb, a few fingers, and a touch of magic. That’s  fingerpicking —the art of playing bass, rhythm, and melody all at once. And when it’s done right, it feels like you’re conducting a mini orchestra on six strings. 1. The Thumb is the Bass Player In fingerpicking, your thumb is the unsung hero. It keeps a steady alterna

The other day I met a new friend who happened to play guitar. When he stepped into my guitar room, his eyes went wide as he saw the rows of instruments hanging on the wall—electric, acoustic, odd balls and classics.  When he reached my acoustic guitars, he noticed something curious: every single one had a capo clipped to the headstock. He gave me a puzzled look and said, “You use a capo? Isn’t that cheating?” I was stunned. “No!” I said. “It’s not cheating.” My first thought

Nobody wakes up excited to use a metronome. Nobody says, “Wow! A clicking sound! My favorite!” But every great guitarist —  every one  — uses one. The metronome isn’t there to torture you. It’s there to help you develop the skill that separates amateurs from professionals: Time 1. Timing Is More Important Than Notes You can play all the right notes, but if your timing is off, the music collapses like a Jenga tower made of wet cardboard. Great timing = great feel. Great feel =

Guitar picks are the most deceptively important piece of gear you own. They cost 25 cents, you lose 2–4 per day, and they multiply under couch cushions like gremlins. Or, they can cost $35 each (yes, I did buy a couple), and the difference is incredible.  Expensive or super cheap, they can completely change how you sound. Let’s talk about the big question: Does size matter? Short answer: yes. Long answer:  also  yes — but with nuance. 1. Thickness Affects Tone (More Than You

Every beginner does it. You sit down with your guitar, place your fingers on the strings, and stare at the fretboard like it’s a bomb about to go off. You look at every chord. Every shift. Every note. You look so hard your eyes practically tune the guitar for you. And then someone tells you:“Stop looking at the neck.” It feels impossible — like someone saying “Drive home tonight with your eyes closed. You’ll get the hang of it.” But learning to play without staring at the fre

12/12/2025 Here we are in Week Eight of my Essays on Guitar and Music. This week we discuss the "Battle" between using a Pick or playing with your Fingers... Somewhere in the great guitar universe, a mythical battle has been raging for decades. It’s not Les Paul vs. Strat. It’s not Tube vs. Solid State. It’s not “Do we really need 12 different overdrives?” (We do.) No — the most absurd war of all is this: Pick players vs. fingerstyle players. The funny thing? There is no war.

Or: How to start a friendly argument at any guitar shop. If you ever find yourself in a room full of guitar players and want to watch them turn into philosophers, scientists, and amateur lumberjacks, just say: “Tonewood doesn’t really matter.” Then step back and enjoy the show. The tone wood debate has been raging for decades. Some players swear different woods have different tonal characteristics. Others insist tone wood makes about as much difference as the color of your so

Every guitarist remembers the day barre chords entered their life. It usually happens around Month 3 of playing—right when you’re feeling confident, strutting around with your first few open chords, maybe learning “Wish You Were Here,” thinking,  Hey, I’m getting pretty good at this. Then your teacher, YouTube, or some sadistic chord chart says the words that change everything: “Now let’s learn F major.” Suddenly the joy drains out of the room. Your hand cramps. The guitar fe

AKA: Why string gauge choices are basically personality tests with steel wire. If you ever want to start a heated debate among guitar players—one that makes people talk with their hands and pretend not to be offended—just say this: “I think lighter strings are better.” Then step back. String gauge is one of those wonderfully nerdy guitar topics that sounds simple, but quickly turns into a TED Talk. Some players swear by heavy strings. Others use ultra-lights so thin they coul