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Thursday Tip

Thursday Tip

Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) Songs For Guitar!

Cinco de Mayo* (5th of May) is not just a day of Mexican food and margaritas, it’s a celebration of Hispanic culture. On that note (ha, ha) I thought you might like to play some fun, popular and fairly easy Spanish language songs. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Cielito Lindo  chords  audio
La Bamba  chords  tab intro  video
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn more about Cinco de Mayo and these two popular songs, listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 61!

 

 

 

 

2021-04-28T10:22:16-07:00April 29th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , |

How to Change Chords While Strumming Calypso

Changing chords while maintaining a constant calypso strum* can be challenging. It’s best to first try this with 2 chords that are easy for you to play, like A & D. For example, play A with 2 full calypso patterns and then the same with D, repeat several times. Your goal is to keep the strum going while you change chords, so there are no gaps ~ and therein lies the challenge!  
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn how to successfully change chords while keeping the calypso strum going, listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 60!

 

 

 

 

2021-04-22T06:51:49-07:00April 22nd, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , |

5 Songs To Rock On Tax Day!

Try these 5 tax themed songs*:
1. Taxman by The Beatles  chords   video
2. Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks   chords   video
3. Take The Money and Run by The Steve Miller Band  
     chords   video
4. After Taxes by Johnny Cash   chords   video
5. Carnival World by Jimmy Buffett   chords   video
I hope your tax day rocks!
Play on…
Marlene

*To hear about the history of these 5 tax songs, listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 59!

 

 

 

 

2021-04-13T10:23:39-07:00April 15th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Top 10 Podcast Episodes!

One year ago tomorrow, April 9th, I launched my Tips For Guitar Playing Success podcast. So, in honor of the occasion I thought it would be fun to share the top 10 most downloaded episodes*. Were any of these in your top 10?!
10. Understanding Rhythm & Tempo
9. 5 Basic Chords You Should Know
8. How to Know if You’re on Your Fingertips
7. Learn, Play & Master Chord Progressions
6. How to Sing While Playing Guitar
5. Setting & Keeping Guitar Playing Goals
4. Getting Rid of String Buzzing
3. How to Change Chords Quickly
2. How to Alleviate Fingertip Soreness
And the #1 most downloaded episode was, strum roll, How to Set a Practice Routine
Play on…
Marlene

*To hear more about these Top 10 episodes, listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 58!

 

 

 

 

2021-04-07T10:25:44-07:00April 8th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

Tension Relieving Exercises For Guitarists

As I mentioned last week, tension can affect your playing. So, here are a few simple tension relieving stretches and exercises* to help you be a better guitarist!
1. Deep Breathing, always a great ‘go-to’
2. Arm Stretches 
3. Neck Rolls
4. Shoulder Rolls
5. Cardio: walk, run, jump, jumping jacks
Play on…
Marlene

*To hear descriptions of these tension relieving ideas, listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 57!

 

 

 

 

2021-03-31T11:06:14-07:00April 1st, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: |

How Tension Can Affect Your Guitar Playing

Tension* is good for some things, like our strings. But when our body and mind holds onto tension it can restrict muscle and tendon movements, and it can affect remembering skills like chord placements or rhythm patterns. Noticing and relieving any underlying tension can make you a better guitarist.
Play on…
Marlene

*To learn more about tension’s affect on your playing & how to notice and relieve tension, listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 56!

 

 

 

 

2021-03-24T10:40:55-07:00March 25th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , , , |

Luck o’ the Irish ~ St. Patrick’s Day Songs!

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day (3/17) ~ learn to play an Irish jig!
1. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s An Irish Lullaby)   video/audio   guitar chords & lyrics
2. The Galway Girl   video/audio   guitar chords & lyrics
3. Irish rhythm patterns   strumming & scales/notes
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Play on…
Marlene

*To hear about the history of these songs and more Irish song inspirations listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 54!

 

 

 

 

2021-03-09T11:04:26-08:00March 11th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , , , , , , , |

6 Song Inspiration Ideas

Song inspiration* can some from numerous sources, like the ideas listed below:
1. Your play list
2. Store/restaurant music
3. Radio
4. Concerts
5. Holidays, seasons, special occasions
6. Out of the blue
And, I recommend you write down the song title when the inspiration hits you!
Play on…
Marlene

*To hear details about these 6 ideas listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 53!

 

 

 

 

2021-03-03T08:50:59-08:00March 4th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

How to Play the Calypso Strum

There are several strumming patterns you can play on your guitar, Calypso (well, that’s what I call it!) is one of my favorites and the cool thing is it’s adaptable to just about any song. It’s a great strum to have in your guitar playing bag of tricks!
Here’s the pattern:
down ↓ , down ↓ , up ↑, pause, up ↑ , down ↓ ,  up ↑*

Play on…
Marlene

*To hear examples of the strum and tips to gain muscle memory for this pattern listen to my newest podcast ~ episode 52!

 

 

 

 

2021-02-23T15:07:48-08:00February 25th, 2021|Categories: Thursday Tip|Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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