For the Guitar Players...

Given that I've been playing guitar way less than I've been playing piano, I'm always looking to further refine and develop my skills on the six-string. So whenever I come across a helpful article I want to pass it along to my fellow guitar playing brethern.

Bob Kauflin recently posted an interview with Greg Hagan, a session player and worship leader. The article was posted in two parts:

http://www.worshipmatters.com/2011/01/25/interview-with-greg-hagan-on-becoming-a-better-guitarist-pt-1/

http://www.worshipmatters.com/2011/01/26/interview-with-greg-hagan-on-becoming-a-better-guitarist-pt-2/

Take a few moments to read over Greg's comments...without stealing his thunder, there was a few things that really stood out to me:

• The importance of keeping good time - we tend to think of this as more the drummer's role, but anyone playing a rhythm instrument needs to keep the groove steady. You'll tire of me saying this, but working with a click is THE best way to keep it locked in.
• This is a great quote: "If you play acoustic guitar, you really need to make sure your strumming pattern very closely resembles the kick and snare pattern of the song and make it your goal to not get ahead of the drummer. Ease up on the intensity of your strumming and focus on groove."
• Record (audio and/or video) yourself playing - we grow through intentional evaluation and adjustment