Journal Entries

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Creative Spark Guitar Instruction! Who doesn’t love a holiday built around candy and dressing up—which is also very rock and roll. To celebrate, here are the masters of “Halloween rock”, Oingo Boingo, with “Dead Man’s Party”. The riff…

Pirate Guitar[rrrrrrr]!

Many months ago I did a post on Teye’s gorgeous guitars—unique handcrafted instruments made by a craftsman and guitarist who puts a lot of love and inspiration into his work. And now, it’s even better. He’s introduced “The Scallywag”, a…

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass & More Fun

Hopefully you made it to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass last weekend, but if you were too busy with Fleet Week, the America’s Cup World Series, watching the Giants, and all of the other obligations in life, you’d be forgiven. I managed…

New Deals, Specials, and Discounts Available

Hey all, If you’re interested in saving a bit of cash and spicing up your lessons, check out my new Gifts, Deals, & Discounts page. There you can find information on buying gift certificates, saving money, getting rebates, and getting…

Which 12-Necked Guitar is Right for You?

Japanese artist Yoshihiko Satoh has a love of multiplying mass-produced objects—including guitars. FYI, I’m not sure what the correct posture is for playing the giant guitar wheels. • An article and guitar image gallery on Yoshihiko Satoh • Yoshihiko Satoh’s Website

Mysteries and Health Benefits of Music

  Music is endlessly fascinating. It’s a phenomenon that is so simple and quintessentially human, yet one which we still struggle to understand. How did it come about, and why? Why does it interact with our brains and bodies in…

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…

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…