Tag Archives: technique

On the guitar there are a number of techniques that are fundamental to playing the instrument. Slides are one of those techniques. While it’s a basic technique, there’s nuance to getting it clean and crisp as you move between notes. In this lesson we cover some basic guitar sliding exercises that will level up your technique.

Legato is a guitar technique in which notes are connected together in a smooth manner. On the guitar, this is achieved with hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides while minimizing picking of the strings. At face value, it might seem like a simple technique to pick up. However, it can be quite challenging as it requires ample finger strength and exceptional timing.

To me, there’s no guitar technique that’s more satisfying to the ear than bends, which explains why I gravitate to guitar players like David Gilmour, Slash, and Warren Haynes. The subtle nuances of a player’s bending technique capture more emotion and feeling than any other technique by far.

With so much attention given to the left hand when playing guitar, right hand technique is a frequently overlooked. With little or no dedicated attention, the right hand seems to be dragged along for the ride with the progression of left hand technique. What can happen over time is the development of left hand technique becomes limited by the slower developing right hand, and progress as a whole slows to a crawl.

When first starting out on guitar, simply fingering guitar chords is quite the challenge. Some fingerings are super awkward, making it feel impossible to achieve smooth chord changes. But the good news is with the right exercises and a little practice your hands and fine motor skills can adapt quickly. The exercises in this lesson will help you iron out any chord fingering issues you have and develop smooth, fast chord changes.

A Pedal point, or pedal note, is a sustained or repeated note. They’re used in rhythm playing as well as leads and you hear them often in rock, metal, and neoclassical music. In this lesson, I’m going to give you 5 examples of pedal point licks that also make great lead guitar exercises.

David Gilmour is known for his melodic guitar solos and epic bends. Having described his intention when playing the guitar as wanting to make the guitar “sing”, he’s taken his bending technique to another level. So, why not learn from the master himself?