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When you learn to read guitar sheet music it will be crucial in expanding your guitar playing skills. Playing by ear will only get you so far and I am here to help take it to the next step. I will show you some basic tips and tricks to help you learn to read guitar sheet music and that will make you a better and more versatile guitar player.

I will now give you a list that will show you it is not hard to learn to read guitar sheet music.

Setting your self up

You will need to be in a small quite room where you will not be distracted by anything when you learn to read guitar sheet music. The only way to know when you get it right is if it sounds right and it can be difficult do that if you have screaming kids in the room with you or loud street noise outside. Concentration is key and this will make it easier to learn how to read guitar sheet music. If you are distracted you may find a whole day can be wasted trying to focus.

Finding the right material

Most guitar books will have some basic sheet music and songs in the front pages that are designed to help you learn to read guitar sheet music quickly. Once you have basic guitar knowledge it is relatively easy to learn to read guitar sheet music. Start in small sections, one chord at a time. Use your guitar and play the chord out loud until you know it sounds correct.

Getting started

Remember what I said, be free from distraction! I cannot stress that enough. Now you’re alone and it’s quiet, find a music book with sheet music, try to pick something easy but also try to pick something you are familiar with. It makes it much easier to learn to read guitar sheet music if you are familiar with the tune. Make sure you are confident with one piece before you move on to the next.

Continue practicing

Be sure to practice as often as you can, you will find that the better you get the more you will practice. When you really enjoy something you will usually apply more time to it. Learning to read guitar sheet music is easy as long as you practice! Once you have mastered reading sheet music then you can start to write you own music and that is where the real fun begins! It is critical to make sure you are confident or you will only have to go back and learn to read guitar sheet music all over again.

Get “The Beginners Guide To Unlocking The Guitar!”

Randy Bachman Interview

by Rick Landers.
Before Randy Bachman’s show at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, this past summer, Modern Guitars dropped by backstage for a brief chat. Randy and crew were relaxed and easy going giving me an opportunity to ask him a few questions about his guitars and music, as well as Vinyl Tap, his coast-to-coast radio program that’s broadcast across his native Canada. Resting next to a wall was Bachman’s gold top Gibson Les Paul, his axe of choice and one that he said nailed the Guess Who sound, better than any other guitar he’d played for years. The LP’s a sub-eight pounder that he can play night after night without irritating the rotator cuff that he had repaired in 2007. But, it was clear that Randy loved the guitar and its gritty crunch…

Yngwie Malmsteen Interview (2008)

by Matthew Mills.
During the 1980s, guitarists were stunned by the innovative riffs of a new herd of guitarists, including those with their pedal to the metal playing that entailed ripping fretboards to shreds. But, no single guitarist of the time had more shock impact on the guitar world than the Swedish sweep accelerator, Yngwie Malmsteen.

In late 1982, Mike Varney, owner of Shrapnel Records, brought the demon shredder over to the U.S., touting Yngwie’s amazing grip on sweep picking arpeggios and high velocity harmonic minor scale runs. Having listened to a tape Yngwie had given him, Varney pushed to have Malmsteen play solos with the group Steeler. The guitarist eventually left Steeler and moved in with the group Alcatrazz. It didn’t take him long to roll out on his own to record 12 studio albums and two live albums that serve as inspiration to guitarists who aspire to not only shred, but to play the guitar with turbocharged melodic intent…

Slash Interview

by Rick Landers.
Slash…the name alone conspires to attract and enthrall a cult following of guitarists and fans. Add the nonchalant tilt of a black top hat, a skull and bones talisman, a classic Les Paul, exotic good looks and voodoo charm with monster music talent and you’ve mixed the cauldron with a roll of the dice to conjure a rock god. Oh, okay, so during our interview I suggested he joined the “soccer mom” league, not with disrespect, but to highlight the tectonic life altering shift he’s experienced from that of a singularly focused rock star to husband and father. Life changes and Slash [Saul Hudson] is now the father of two boys, London Emilio and Cash Anthony, and married to the lovely Perla Ferrar. His paternal love shone bright in his recent autobiography Slash, and it seems he’s handling the father-rock god balance with finesse…

Wayne Henderson Inteview

by Rick Landers.
Modern Guitars had the good fortune to catch master bluegrass guitarist and guitar builder Wayne Henderson while at a gig in Maryland. Henderson has played all around the globe and getting an opportunity to see him in an intimate setting was something we didn’t want to miss. Bluegrass and guitar lovers sat quietly in a church, while Wayne and his long-time partner, Helen White, pulled out their instruments for a delightful set of bluegrass. Henderson guitars are superbly and painstakingly built by hand in Rugby, Virginia, a speck of a town in southern Virginia with a population of 7. Wayne’s lived in the Appalachian region his entire life, but his his guitars are considered masterpieces throughout the world. Guitar players lavish praise on their craftsmanship and tonal qualities and ache over the ten year wait to own one. Wayne’s guitar building craftsmanship gained worldwide interest in 2005 when Allen St. John’s book, Clapton’s Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument, was published…

John Petrucci Interview

by Brian D. Holland.
Guitarist John Petrucci calls it fate that he and bassist John Myung happened to run into drummer Mike Portnoy at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in the mid ’80s. Though the convergence led to the formation of Majesty, the name was eventually changed to Dream Theater because of legal issues. Enduring the typical yet untimely inconveniences that many rock bands go through, creative differences leading to member changes in particular, these three have sustained that common bond for almost twenty-four years. Add into the picture Canadian vocalist James LaBrie, who joined in 1991 for the recording of Images and Words, and Julliard-trained keyboardist Jordan Rudess, who replaced Derek Sherinian in 1999, and it’s the Dream Theater brew of excellence that fans have come to respect and adore…

Behind the Lens: Randy Jennings

by Rick Landers.
Modern Guitars caught up with photographer Randy Jennings a while back to check out his inventory of rock and other live-music photography. His body of work includes photos of major rock guitarists that have grippped our imaginations over the years. His Captured Live Photography website gallery attests to his ability to click at the right moment to get the shot. Jennings’ work can be found in Rolling Stone, Hal Leonard Corporation publications, Guitar Player, Hot Licks Productions, VH-1 Music Television, Goldmine, Genesis, Alligator Records, and Taylor Publishing. His photos have been featured on several TV stations’ music features, high fashion clips, sport news and other hot spot assignments where dynamic photos are essential to tell the story. Randy’s artistry can be found in books like Keri Leigh’s Stevie Ray - Soul to Soul, and Craig Hopkins’, outstanding biography,The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan. He’s also a Strat player and given his SRV inventory of shots, we expect he’s a fan of the Texas guitar slinger. His photo “fix” offered him opportunities to get close to a slug of hot guitarists and other musicians including: Albert Collins, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Warren Zevon, Gregg Allman, Lonnie Mack, Rod Stewart, Albert King and other icons of music…

Pat Martino Interview

by Rick Landers.
This past spring, jazz guitarist Pat Martino kept the crowd mesmerized at Blues Alley, a club that can be found in the heart of Georgetown, Washington, D.C. During the evening, Pat held the spotlight as he coursed his way through a steady stream of very cool jazz guitar. The day had been a busy one for Pat and his wife, Aya (Ayako Asahi), with Pat starting the day in conversation with a local D.C. radio host and an interview with Modern Guitars. Washington-based photographer Michael G. Stewart and I met with Pat and Aya Martino in their Georgetown hotel. Aya was busy on her laptop when Pat opened the door and greeted us with a smile. Across from a leather sofa sat two fine Gibson archtops that we would end up talking about. We would later learn that one belonged to Aya, who is also a fine guitarist who oftentimes shares the stage with Pat. The harmony on stage further deepens what is obviously a rich and rewarding…

Greg Howe Interview

by Mark Rabuffo.
Mention the name Greg Howe to an aficionado of contemporary electric guitar music and aural visions of smooth legato runs, wah-laden solos and funky, syncopated rhythms will run through his or her head. Greg has garnered a well-deserved reputation as a guitar virtuoso with one of the most recognizable voices in the instrumental electric guitar pantheon. Greg has been making records since 1988 after Mike Varney heard the Howe demo submitted for Varney’s Spotlight column in Guitar Player magazine. The album, Greg Howe, featured drummer Atma Anur and bass phenom Billy Sheehan, and marked the beginning of a long and fruitful solo career. Greg has also lent his guitar prowess to well-known pop superstars such as Michael Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, *NSYNC and Justin Timberlake. Howe’s most recent CD, Sound Proof, on Varney’s Shrapnel/Tone Center label, features a new band and further cements his position as one of the electric guitar’s most unique voices. I spoke to Greg on July 6, 2008, about Sound Proof and a number of….

Steve Lukather Interview

by Matt Baamonde.
Steve Lukather has been called “the best musician on the planet.” Though most often associated with the Grammy-award-winning band Toto, Lukather’s association with Toto is simply the tip of his massive career iceberg. Over the past 30 years he has amassed credits on over 1,000 albums in every genre as a session guitarist, arranger, singer and composer, and has worked with a spectrum of artists that ranges from Miles Davis to Chet Atkins. Simply put, Lukather’s discography is mind blowing. Quincy Jones’ favorite guitarist, “Luke” has contributed to so many classic albums and tracks his name should be household fare. On June 5, 2008, Steve made it official, “The fact is, yes, I have left Toto. There is no more Toto. I just can’t do it anymore and, at 50 years old, I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own. Honestly, I have just had enough. This is not a break. It is over…”

Judy Collins Interview

by Rick Landers.
Modern Guitars met with Judy Collins at the Willard International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the day of her show at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. As one would guess, the artist that prompted the writing of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” has a captivating gaze and an elegance and intellect that have been nurtured by her life’s journey. Many of us know that Judy was among the early folk artists during the ‘60s who thrived on the rich camaraderie among musicians, poets and street artists in Greenwich Village. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs and Jim McGuinn all roamed the local clubs to find their voices and hone their performances in that era where folkies and beatniks found their roots in traditionalism and strength in avant-garde expression. But, to Judy Collins, they were not only fellow artists, but friends. And today, the bond remains among those early folk revivalists who are now well known artists that the world has enjoyed and honored, over many decades…

Kurt Neumann (BoDeans) Interview

by Skip Daly.
Line-up changes, manager difficulties – you name it, the BoDeans have dealt with it. Of course, they have also done extraordinary things, including supporting U2 on the Joshua Tree tour, and scoring a breakthrough mainstream hit with the ubiquitous “Closer To Free” in the mid 1990s. In the process, they managed to largely define quality American roots rock in the eyes of many a music fan. It was sometime around 1990 when my cousin first turned me on to this great little band from Milwaukee. I was at his house when he said, “Check this out. I think you’ll like this band,” then played the BoDeans’ first album, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams (1986, Slash/Warner Records; reissued 1990, Reprise/WEA). By the time “Still The Night” came on, I was hooked. The track called “Angels” clinched it…

Sam Andrew Interview

by Mary Shaver and Michael G. Stewart.
Late last year, Big Brother and the Holding Company performed at the campus of Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. D.C. Photographer Michael G. Stewart and I met guitarist Sam Andrew, who talked about the group, Janis Joplin, the band’s history and about Sam’s latest ventures. Imagine being a guitarist in one of the most successful rock blues bands of the ’70s with your days filled with limos, women, drugs and the other temptations that go along with rockdom. Some hard hitting performers didn’t make it through the ’70s. Most, though, managed to steer clear of the cliffs and by sheer luck not only did they survive, they now find themselves thriving on the music that continues to energize each new generation…

Joe Trohman (Fall Out Boy) Interview

by Matt Baamonde.
During the past few years, Fall Out Boy has literally exploded over the pop music landscape. They’ve earned their keep by spending hard time on the road, building their music, giving it muscle and gathering a global network of fans. They hit pay dirt in 2005 with their breakout CD, From Under The Cork Tree. That early Fall Out Boy album ramped up to #1 on the Billboard Charts, gained momentum and went triple platinum, earning the group a 2006 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Next up for the goup was, Infinity on High, released in 2007. Infinity debuted at #1, before going platinum a month later. Beyond their music, Fall Out Boy is recognized as a brilliant marketing team. Their strategy included rolling out a plan to show up in Antarctica for a show, but was stalled due to stormy weather…

Eddie Van Halen Interview (1983)

by Steven Rosen.

The year is 1983. Six albums ago (including the one yet to be released), Van Halen, the group, released its first record - Van Halen. It was dramatic, intense and bold. Within the 11 tracks was a feeling of “This is an important statement.” It was. The energy, passion and technique of guitarist Edward Van Halen set the band apart from hordes of others, and now with the Pasadena-raised quartet about to release its sixth record, it is obvious that Edward stands as the main catalyst of the electric guitar’s ascendancy in the ’80s. Still staggering from the effects of the US Festival (1983), Van Halen sits in his home nestled in the Hollywood Hills feeling bitter about the performance. Ultimately, the show will be viewed as one of the grandest rock ‘n’ roll fests in history, but in the following conversation guitarist Van Halen clears the cobwebs, sheds real light on the concert, and describes the work thus far on the band’s upcoming album. This one will be called 1984…

Robin Trower Interview (2008)

by Matt Baamonde.
Nearly all of today’s blues-rock guitarists are Hendrix influenced to some degree. Few, however, are capable of developing a destinctive, ethereal, almost ‘otherworldly’ tone combined with the tasteful phrasing that characterizes Robin Trower’s body of work. Once considered the heir apparent to Jimi, the ex-Procol Harum, Strat-wielding, English rocker blazed his own path over a long career. Trower has pulled his weight as a band member and on many occasions served as a band leader to plow new territory in the blues-rock fusion genre. Trower’s sweeping and lush riffs on such masterful albums as Bridge of Sighs, Twice Removed from Tomorrow, Passion and other world-wide attention-getting albums have offered him a place alongside such luminary guitarists as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and others who have inspired guitar wannabes to pick up their guitars and play. Robin’s signature sound is identifiable and unmistakably his own…

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