Learning to play guitar by ear is a very challenging thing. Natural talent and a knowledge of music and sound will help a lot. If you want learn to play guitar by ear you will need to be patient and have a quiet place to practice.

Patience

You need to be able to repeat the same chords and riffs many times in order to perfect the sound. Patience is definitely the key when you learn to play guitar by ear. His will be very repetitive and you need to be prepared.

Basic knowledge of music

If you want to learn to play guitar by ear it is always best to have a basic knowledge of music. This does not mean you need to be able to read sheet music or be a professional. It just means you need to have had some basic experience with another instrument or general music knowledge.

Using CD’s

The main key when you begin to learn to play guitar by ear is to sort through your CD collection and find CD’s with an extensive guitar section. A fantastic example is Carlos Santana or Mark Knopfler (lead guitarist for Dire Straits). This will allow you to hear some of the best guitarists in the world and help you try to replicate their sound.

Sheet music not needed

When you learn to play guitar by ear there is no need for sheet music or for long lessons of chords and riffs. Listening to a guitar set and replicating it is a way of developing your natural talent and will also help you in the future if you decide to join a band. If you learn to play guitar by ear, you will be able to cover any mistakes made by other guitarists and it will also help you improvise on stage.

Rewarding experiences

When you learn to play guitar by ear you will find your accomplishments more rewarding as you are completely self taught with no help from teachers or books. In the entertainment industry, guitarists who learn to play guitar by ear are well respected and often called upon for their expertise and experience.

Your surroundings

Ensuring your surroundings are quiet is an important factor when you learn to play guitar by ear. Silence is needed so you can hear every chord and riff on the CD’s and so you do not skip a note. A quiet atmosphere will also ensure you remain calm and patient and can absorb everything you need to when you learn to play guitar by ear.

Remember to be great you must practice, practice, practice….whith out the proper amount of practice you will always only obtain mediocrity.

Marc Canter Interview

by Rick Landers.
Author Marc Canter’s new book, Reckless Road: Guns N’ Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction, digs into the history of GNR from the inside. Canter’s been a friend of the group’s lead guitarist, Slash, since they were kids and documented GNR’s explosive rise to fame in photographs, during the ’80s. In Reckless Road, Canter, with Jason Porath, poured over a few hundred photos and interviewed friends, family and music associates of GNR to present a vivid and candid account of the famed rock band’s conception and the making of their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, released in 1987. In 2008, the album went 18X Platinum with over 28 million world-wide sales. Guns N’ Roses could trigger some ferocious rock ‘n’ roll, but just as easily slip into softer, sweet melodies. The wrecking crew of Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, and Slash, knew they wanted a life of rock havoc before they reached their teens. Fueled by the music of Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Kiss and Queen, the five young rockers would lock and load, assaulting the world with their top selling debut album…

Peter Frampton Interview

by Steven Rosen.
Peter Frampton’s musical odyssey has been graced with a series of pop hits and world-wide recognition. His career milestones have progressed from that of a mere guitar hero to a cultural icon. He has been referenced in everything from Wayne’s World to The Simpson’s. Frampton’s acting credits include: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as Billy Shears; Baa Baa Black Sheep as Peter Buckley; and Reg in the coming-of-age rock movie, Almost Famous. If you live in the States, it’s a safe bet that you’ve seen Peter recently in a Geico car insurance commercial, where he plays a black Les Paul plugged into a Marshall stack, and humorously sings his lines using his signature Framptone talkbox. Still, Frampton has never pushed to get into the limelight. Most often, he’s more comfortable retreating from it so he can focus on his first love, music…

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…

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