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DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH

Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.

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Left-Hand Technique Tips

  1. Bar Chords. The Secret ("Little Jennifer's Secret") of How to Play Clear Bar Chords. Many guitarists have trouble with bar chords. This guitar lesson will help.
  2. More on Bar Chords. How to Learn to Play a Bar Chord in Under 2 Minutes. Plus, watch Doug's video spoof, "Bar Chords--The Ginsu Knives of Guitar Playing." Sorry, subscribers only.
  3. Chord Changes. The Little-Known Secret of Connecting Your Chord Changes Smoothly. When you're changing guitar chords and it sounds disjointed, use this secret.
  4. Guide Fingers. More than you ever wanted to know about guide fingers.
  5. Slurs. ("Hammer-Ons" and "Pull-offs") When you learn how to play the guitar, your slur technique must be top notch. It's an important part of classical guitar technique. This tip contains high-def guitar videos.
  1. Playing in High Positions. Conquering Guitar Acrophobia: Playing in the High Positions Past the 12th Fret.
  2. Nasty Habits. Top Ten Nasty Habits of Guitar Technique Part 1: Allowing Left-hand Fingers to Help a Bar Chord. If your bar chord technique is weak, this is what happens.
  3. Nasty Habits. Ten Top Nasty Habits of Guitar Technique Part 2. Allowing the Helpless Pinky to be Pushed Around.
  4. String Squeaks and Romeo and Juliet. How to get rid of string squeaks. Sorry, subscribers only.
  5. Vibrato. Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On: How to Execute Vibrato, Part 1. These are advanced guitar lessons on this essential classical guitar technique. Very few guitar lessons go in depth to this degree. This series on vibrato contains many high-def guitar videos.
  1. Vibrato. Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On: How to Execute Vibrato, Part 2 (subscribers only).
  2. Vibrato. Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On: How to Execute Vibrato,Part 3. The stunning conclusion--includes what to do if confronted by a HIPPLF. A must read! (subscribers only)
  3. Shifting. Hey Bud, Look Where You're Going or, Look Before You Leap. Here is a guitar technique tip that is very simple but has the potential to improve your playing a lot. It is one of those things you think, "Wait, that's too simple. There has to be more to it than that."
  4. No Girly-Men Guitarists Here. Develop your hand strength by practicing Macho-Monster Bar Chords.
  5. Stretching exercises. Good for everyone. And they make life easier for the player with short or stiff fingers.
  1. How to Use Hinge Bars as Guide Fingers.. This technique will enable you to play difficult passages containing consecutive bars securely and accurately with less hand fatigue and less string noise. Subscribers only.
  2. Specialty Bars Part 1: Hinge Bars.. There are more types of bars to master than just the basic bar. I call them specialty bars. This tip tells you everything you need to know about hinge bars. Subscribers only.
  3. Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars.. There are more types of bars to master than just the basic bar. I call them specialty bars. This tip tells you everything you need to know about cross-fret bars. Subscribers only.
  4. Specialty Bars Part 3: Partial Bars.. There are more types of bars to master than just the basic bar. I call them specialty bars. This tip tells you everything you need to know about partial bars. Learn the valuable lesson I learned from the Rolling Stones about playing partial bars. And find out why I give thanks to the Rolling Stones every time I play Francisco Tárrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Subscribers only.
  5. The Left-Hand Position. This month it's back to the basics: the left-hand position. This is an all-video tip. It is a nearly one-hour comprehensive guitar lesson on positioning your left hand. I explain the parallel and slanted hand positions, pros and cons of each, when to use them, and how to use and position the left-hand thumb. But this isn't just for beginners. Even if you've been playing a long time I think you will learn something new. Subscribers only. April 2013



Right-Hand Technique Tips

Tremolo

  1. How to Master the Tremolo Part 1 of 4. This is the most complete information you will find anywhere on mastering this wonderful technique. But you really have to read all four parts to learn the technique. Reason enough to subscribe.
  2. How to Master the Tremolo Part 2 of 4. Subscribers only.
  3. How to Master the Tremolo Part 3 of 4. Subscribers only.
  4. How to Master the Tremolo Part 4 of 4. Subscribers only.

Fast scales, Arpeggio Technique

  1. Arpeggio Exercises. Want to DRAMATICALLY improve your classical guitar right hand technique on arpeggios? Forget the Giuliani 120 studies or the Carlevaro 230—they're for people who enjoy root canals and filling out income tax forms. This is a much better way to improve your basic classical guitar technique.
  2. Fast guitar scales with "ami". Do you dream of one day being able to play lightning-fast guitar scales like nobody's business? Well,lucky you, your day has come!
  3. Right-Hand Planting Technique for Arpeggios.

Tone Quality, Fingernail Care

  1. Fingernails. How to Shape, File, and Polish Your Fingernails. The most complete and detailed information anywhere on determining the correct nail length and shape for you, and how to file, shape, and polish your fingernails.
  2. Best Artificial Nail System Yet. You say you broke a nail? Can't grow nails? You have bad nails, period? Man up. It isn't a big deal any more.
  3. How to Produce a Beautiful Tone, Part 1 of 4. How to Produce a Good Tone on the Treble Strings with Rest Stroke. This tip has fantastic video and text explaining seldom-explained details on producing a beautiful rest-stroke tone.
  4. How to Produce a Beautiful Tone, Part 2 of 4. How to Produce a Good Tone on the Treble Strings with Free Stroke. This tip alone is worth the price of a subscription. Subscribers only.
  5. How to Produce a Beautiful Tone, Part 3 of 4. How to Produce a Good Tone with the Fingers on the Bass Strings. When you use the fingers on the wound basses is your tone thin? Getting lots of scratchy noise? This tip explains how to get a full tone and get rid of the "scratchies". Subscribers only.
  6. How to Produce a Beautiful Tone, Part 4 of 4. How to Produce a Good Tone with the Thumb on the Bass Strings. Subscribers only.
  1. Right-hand Position. How to Find a Good Right hand Position for the Classical Guitar.
  2. How to Roll a Chord, Part 1 of 2. How to properly execute this commonly-used but tricky technique.
  3. How to Roll a Chord, Part 2 of 2. More in-depth detail on how to properly execute this tricky-to-learn technique. Subscribers only.
  4. The Tambor Percussion Effect. Watch the high def video demos of this multi-faceted classical guitar technique.
  5. Rest Stroke Follow-through.. Basic classical guitar right hand technique.
  6. Right-hand String Crosses. Good String Crosses Gone Bad. Setting up your right-hand fingering to produce good string crosses.
  7. The anchor-finger technique. More than you may want to know about this classical guitar right hand technique.
  1. Interval and Chord Balance Part 1 of 4. Part 1 describes how to learn to control the relative volume between two notes played simultaneously as an interval. A crucial element of classical guitar technique.
  2. Interval and Chord Balance Part 2 (of 4). Part 2 describes the guitar technique of how to bring out an individual note of a three or four-note chord. Subscribers only.
  3. Interval and Chord Balance Part 3 (of 4). Part 3 describes techniques using the thumb to bring out an individual note of an interval or chord. Subscribers only.
  4. Interval and Chord Balance part 4 (of 4). Part 4 shows how to use the guitar techniques described in Parts 1-3 on Luis Milan's Pavane No. 1. Subscribers only.
  5. Right-Hand Finger Alternation. To Alternate or Not to Alternate--THAT Is the Question.

Performing Techniques

  1. What Do Yo-Yo Ma, Christina Aguilera, and The Pussycat Dolls have in common?. Performing With Energy, Passion, and Excitement: It's All About Communication.
  2. Pre-Planting At The Beginning of a Piece. Want to have a boffo beginning? Prep the fingers AND the brain. This one is obvious, but VERY useful.
  3. Adrenaline and Altered Perception of Tempo. Reading this tip should improve your performances nearly 100%. A major cause of performance difficulties is playing too fast--and not knowing it.
  4. FOR MEN ONLY. No hairy arms or ankles.
  1. Using Dynamics in Performance.. How to be sure your dynamics come across in a concert hall or other performing space.

  2. Where Do I Put The Darn Dynamics? This is a follow-up to the previous tip. Sorry, subscribers only.
  3. How to Give a Performance Without Making a Complete Fool of Yourself. This tip has a large amount of practical information for the aspiring performer. Sorry, subscribers only.
  4. How to Stabilize Scordatura Tunings. It can be difficult enough to tune a guitar in standard tuning, especially during a performance. Here is how to handle altered tunings.
  5. How to Play Loud on the Guitar. Want to add more drama to your playing? Increasing your dynamic range (the range of volume from soft to loud) is the way to do it. Playing the classical guitar quietly is easy. Playing loud without distorting the tone quality is difficult. In this tip, I tell and show you how to do it with text and a dozen riveting videos to help you out. Sorry, subscribers only.

Practicing Strategies

  1. Memorizing Music. How to Never Ever Forget a Piece of Music Again. Subscribers only.
  2. Keeping Yourself on the Practicing Track. An inspirational essay to help you get on track with practicing the guitar every day.
  3. Practice Goals. Practice smart. To get great results out of your classical guitar practicing routine, it must have focus. Here's how to set goals for every practice session.
  4. Practicing in Altered Rhythms. Learn how Itzhak Perlman's accompanist practiced. Practicing In Altered Rhythms will turn your playing around!
  5. Practice With Your Eyes Closed. There's a reason people close their eyes when they kiss. Sorry, subscribers only.
  6. "The Old Kleenex Trick". A very LOW-tech solution to hearing yourself better.
  1. Talent is NOT the Answer. This month I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that if you follow all my tech tips and do everything I recommend, you can master the guitar. The bad news is that it will take 10,000+ hours of focused, deliberate practice to do it. Face the brutal facts of reality here.
  2. Sight-reading. How do you get a guitarist to be quiet? Put a piece of sheet music in front of him. Not good. Develop your sight-reading skill. This is a must for every guitarist.
  3. "I've Practiced That Spot A Hundred Times. But when I play for someone, I still mess it up." Heard yourself say this a few times? This may be the missing element in your classical guitar practicing routine. Sorry, subscribers only.
  4. How to Use Reflex Bursts to Learn a Fast Scale. Learn to play scales effortlessly at warp speed with this great practice technique. Sorry, subscribers only.
  5. How to Use Reflex Bursts to Master Fast, Difficult Passages Other Than Scales. Use this wonderful practice technique to master a variety of difficult passages. Sorry, subscribers only.

Miscellaneous Topics

  1. Marsha to Doug: "You need a bath." Hand Contrast Baths. Having problems with muscle or tendon pain? Try this.
  2. Put An End To Your Guitar's Lap Dance Now. A great way to keep your classical guitar in a stable playing position.
  3. Should I Listen to Recordings and Performances of Other Guitarists?
  4. Metronome Tempo Markings. File under: "Lies My Classical Guitar Teacher Told Me." Or, more charitably, "Things My Classical Guitar Teacher Forgot to Mention--Or Assumed I Knew."
  5. Connecting A Single Melody Note To A Strummed Or Arpeggiated Chord. Not too many guitarists do this classical guitar technique correctly.
  1. Doug's Rule of Life #17. This rule can be applied to your entire life.
  2. Transcriptions and Arrangements. What is essential, is invisible to the eye.
  3. Harmonics. These high-def videos show you all the ins and outs of playing natural harmonics, right-hand harmonics, and artificial harmonics. A very fun guitar technique.
  4. Cascading Harmonics for Classical Guitarists. This is probably the best tutorial to found anywhere on cascading harmonics. Thirty musical examples and 14 video clips demonstrate in great detail how to execute this wonderful guitar technique. Sorry, subscribers only.
  5. How to Read Harmonic Notation. This 28-page guide will help you navigate the murky world of harmonic notation and its contradictions and inconsistencies.
  6. How to Nail Harmonics Past the 19th Fret. It's really simple.
  7. How to Tune Your Guitar. The best way to tune your guitar. Plus, lots of facts you never knew. Why you can never be in tune with a piano. Why you should never play in a room with a fan. And more. For the intermediate and advanced guitarist. Sorry, subscribers only.
  8. How to Buy a Guitar. How do you choose a guitar? What do you look for? This article tells all. Sorry, subscribers only.
  9. How to Count the Rhythms in Songs Written in Multiple Parts. Most of the music we play has a melody, accompaniment, and bass part. In other words, it is written in multiple voices. I find that many beginners and even intermediate guitarists sometimes have difficulty counting pieces written in multiple parts. This month’s tip explains how multiple voices work and how to figure out how to count them. You may especially be interested in the video towards the end of the tip. I explain how the voices work in Fernando Sor’s very popular Study No. 5, a piece many of you probably play or want to learn. Sorry, subscribers only.