Many parents would like to introduce their kids to music. Music is a great outlet, a chance to develop creativity, and has a slough of well-documented health benefits. And on top of it all: Music is enjoyable for the players…
Author: Jeff
Jeff Feldman is a guitar instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in teaching beginners and songwriting development.
Hugh Laurie Rocks Out In San Francisco
As a long-time Hugh Laurie fan, I’m very sorry I missed this performance at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in Golden Gate Park last Saturday. I like Hugh Laurie’s recent release, Let Them Talk, but I have to admit that after years…
Singing while Playing Guitar: Divide and Conquer by Eliminating Variables
Singing while playing the guitar is a perennial headache for beginners. It seems to be this mysterious multitasking ability that the pros have and effortlessly throw out during performances. In reality, it just takes a bit of practice—and the best…
5 Books that Changed My Guitar Playing
Everyone has their top books that changed the way they see things and go about their lives. Here are five books that not only changed my viewpoint, but also my approach and course of guitar playing—and none of them are…
Gary Moore & Playing with Feeling
Gary Moore – The Stumble I was very sorry to hear when Gary Moore died in February. If I made a list of guitarists who convey the most raw emotion, Gary would be near the top. I don’t know how…
Teye’s Gorgeous Guitars
Many moons ago I stumbled across Teye Guitars. Teye is a luthier in Austin, Texas (originally from the Netherlands) who hand-makes custom guitars. I thought his site might be worth sharing because… the guitars are gorgeous. Combining ornate inlays and beautiful…
Avoiding Scams and Snake Oil Salesmen
While looking for some helpful resources online, I found another example of something that really bugs me, yet keeps cropping up: Hacks. Not hackers; snake oil salesmen. It seems to be a law of the market that these people will…
The LXM – A Great First Guitar
The first guitar I ever played was an enormous musical brick that had been sitting behind our couch for untold ages. Awful sound, awful resonance, body like a wax-museum figure, strings like high tension wires… I probably could have heated…
Discomfort and the Secret of Guitar Mastery
Becoming a decent guitar player is surprisingly easy. You just have to play for many hours—whatever music you enjoy—and after a while you’ll turn some heads. You’ll probably enjoy playing on your own or for friends, and perhaps have some…
15 Ways to Write a Song (Part 3)
And now, the final installment of songwriting ideas. Click here for #1-5. Click here for #6-10. Here are #11-15: 11. Collaborate: I’d venture the majority of well-known songs have been written by more than one person. Collaborating is excellent because as…