Teaching music lessons for a while is a great way to get insights into human psychology. Everyone is all smiles and sunshine on their first lesson, sometimes even the first few. Sooner or later, though, it sinks in that learning to play this thing just might be a tall order. This also happens with students who have played for a while and are now trying to pick up new skills or knowledge like theory or music reading. In both cases, the reality of what they are doing hits them square in the face and knocks…
Read moreINTERVIEW: Di Kulka of WLUW 88.7 FM!!
Di Kulka is a friendly and familiar face to anyone who has spent any time at all around the Chicago music scene. Along with her husband Razor, she co-hosts THE RAZOR AND DIE SHOW on Chicago radio station WLUW (88.7 FM and www.wluw.org and owned by Loyola University) on Friday afternoons from 4 to 6pm, spinning a cool, eclectic, and eccentric mix of music and personality that has kept her and her hubby on the airwaves in a major market for over a decade. She is a true music super fan and brings an… Read more
LEARN SONGS, NOT TECHNIQUES!!
I have spent just about all of my life playing, learning, living, and loving the guitar in all its forms. In that time, I have seen, tried, or encountered just about every possible way to learn or teach the instrument that’s out there. I started out as a kid taking lessons in a music store like so many of us do and went through many different levels of teachers in both private and class situations, culminating in college-level theory classes and private lessons. After that, I became a teacher and REALLY… Read more
BUYING A SPARK: THE INSPIRATION OF NEW GEAR
I love getting a new piece of gear. I bet you do, too. Nothing feels better than New Guitar Day, or any variation on that theme, to many of us. All of sudden, there is wind in the sail and all hands are on deck. I don’t know who loves their gear the most, guitarists, drummers, or recording guys, but we are all prone to gear-related flights of fancy bordering on the obsessive and unhealthy at times that lead a lot of us to amass rather large piles of musical equipment, large enough piles for our spouses and…
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10 TIPS TO HELP YOU RECORD LIKE A BOSS!! 
A lot of less-than-experienced musicians are really not sure what to expect the first time they have to participate in an actual recording session. I don't mean putting up a couple mics in your rehearsal room and going to town. I am talking about a real session in a studio that may be unfamiliar to you, with an engineer that may be much the same. Very few of us get through our first few sessions without at least a little nervousness or unpreparedness, as tracking, like most of music, is a learn-by-doing…
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RULE #1: WRITE GREAT SONGS!!
I am going to keep this one short and to the point. It’s your songs that matter. Nothing else. Not an expensive guitar, a cool studio, premium cables, boutique pedals, or anything else. None of that is even remotely important. Songs are what connect with people, become part of their lives, and, if they are good enough, allow part of us to live forever. Spend your time, money, and effort becoming a better musician, a better lyricist, and a better person. Those are the investments that matter, because… Read more
THE TEN ALTERNATIVE COMMANDMENTS OF GUITAR PLAYING!!
STREET LEVEL GUITAR: THE SECRETS OF GUITAR PLAYING EXPLAINED!!
The best thing I have figured out over a lifetime of teaching guitar is the right order in which to teach the basic skills we all need to develop in order to play. The trademark of Street Level Guitar is the way that each lesson connects to the next. It is never a random, scattered approach. I put students on a good path for their level and musical interests so that they continually improve and expand in both skill and knowledge. To be honest, I teach the same information that all guitar teachers do.… Read more
10 QUOTES ABOUT SONGWRITING TO GET YOU INSPIRED!!
Songwriting is the easiest and the hardest part of music at the same time. Songs can come out in a few minutes of inspiration out of nowhere or they can be elusive and hard to pin down, no matter how hard you try. The most important thing on the road to being a songwriter is to just keep writing, keep trying, and don’t give up because of a few dead ends. When I am feeling a little low on inspiration to write, I often search for it in the words and ideas of other writers. Sometimes, all it takes to get… Read more
GEAR REVIEW - G&L Tribute Fallout Guitar!
GEAR REVIEW - G&L TRIBUTE FALLOUT GUITAR! I have always had a thing for guitars that carry the DNA of Leo Fender. Most people know me as a Tele player, but I am pretty comfortable on any Fender-ish design. Of course, that means I also dig G&L guitars in a big way. The newest instrument in my working collection is a new G&L Tribute Series Fallout in fabulous Fullerton Red that I am really having a blast with. The Fallout is pretty much a modern retelling of an early 80s G&L SC-2, an axe that was popular… Read more