Hey, it’s Johnny

How’s it going? It’s been a while so I thought I’d check in.

Let’s talk about how you can avoid a HUGE problem when it comes to learning the guitar.

Most people fall into this trap. And don’t even realize it.

You see, what I wrote in the subject is sad, but surprisingly accurate…

FACT: Most people who try to learn the guitar will fail.

That’s just a fact. Most are doomed from the start. BEFORE they even pick up a guitar.

Even people who practice a lot. And you’ll see why in a minute.

But keep in mind…

It has nothing to do with their “natural” abilities or… their “talent.”

Like I once said, “talent” is not a requirement to become great at playing guitar. It’s not.

This has been proven time and again, by thousands of people (myself included). It’s been studied, tested, dissected, and analyzed a hundred different ways.

Entire books have been written about it (Talent is Overrated, The Talent Code, etc)

So we’re almost 100% positive that:

Talent or not — you can learn the guitar and even master it.

Got it?

OK…. so let’s see…

Could it be because most guitar students don’t have access to a great teacher?

Nope. That ain’t it either.

Some of the greatest guitarists were 100% self-taught.

Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, BB King, Marty Friedman, Zakk Wylde… all self-taught.

Having a good teacher is NOT as big a factor as we’d all like to believe.

Sure it helps, but you definitely can’t deny that some of those guys above did pretty well without one.

So I think it’s safe to say…

Not having a guitar teacher is NOT the reason most people fail.

Then the question still remains…

Why do 9 out of 10 still fail to learn the guitar?

If it’s not lack of practice, if it’s not lack of talent, and if it’s not lack of a teacher…

Then what the hell is it?

The answer might surprise you.

And it’s this…

The chances of finding the RIGHT information today, are likely less than 5%.

Lemme explain…

Go to a music store.

Go to Amazon.com.

Go do a search on Google.

Look for all the courses, DVDs, videos, and books on “how to learn the guitar.”

What do you find?

95% of it is absolute junk.

Why?

Because the vast majority of guitar “lessons” you’ll find focus on showing you TECHNIQUES… rather than teaching you a SYSTEM for learning any technique you want on the guitar.

Most guitar learning DVD’s are just some guy showing off his guitar skills for 60 minutes, while you stare in envy.

Or if it’s a book, you’ll find 100 different scales or finger exercises that will take years to master, but never sound like music when played.

And no amount of techniques, theory, or exercises will ever make you a great guitar player since…

That is NOT true learning.

What is true learning?

I’m about to show you exactly that…

Click to continue →

Hey No-BSers!

Johnny here, and I’m pretty damn excited about today’s post.

You see, sometimes I wonder myself if I’m full of shit, or do I really know what I’m talking about. No really, I do.

So as you might imagine, it’s a pretty good feeling when I find other guitarists (amazing ones) who talk about the exact same ideas I do, almost word for word.

It goes to show that I might know what I’m talking about after all.

And one of the questions that I get asked about is…

How do I learn to improvise?

It’s a goal a lot of guitarists have. To be able to play freely and express themselves creatively on the guitar completely on the fly.

Anthony from Stevie Snacks has just put up a KILLER lesson. I’m not even kidding when I say this is one of the best lessons I’ve seen on the process of improvisation.

In a nutshell, he talks about his process. How he learned to do it, and what he is thinking about as he is doing it.

The crazy part?

It’s the same exact shit I’ve been talking to you guys about in the free No B.S. Guitar subscription.

That’s right. And what it all comes down to is learning songs, and learning melodies (Anthony prefers to use “licks” but it’s the same really). But not just learn them… OWN EM. Learn them so well, it becomes a HABIT that you don’t have to concentrate to play anymore. He talks about this EXACT thing in the video too.

The reason is because music, for most pursposes, can be thought of exactly like a LANGUAGE. Anthony breaks this down in detail when he compares paragraphs, sentences, and words to their musical equivalents (solo chorus, licks, notes).

I won’t go into the explanation here. He does an awesome job of breaking it down for you.

If you’re at all interested in learning how to improvise, YOU NEED TO SEE THIS.

Check it out and lemme know your thoughts below. For a full nuts and bolts break down on why this method works, sign up for a free membership to No B.S. Guitar below as well.

Hey yaaaa…. guys,

Been wanting to learn a four chord song that all the young girls will know?

I got you covered baby.

Just check out this lesson posted by YourGuitarSage for the “Hey ya” song by Outcast.

The song uses 4 chords that everyone should no… no make that 5 (one chord appears in 2 flavors):

G, C, D, E (becomes Em during the chorus)

It’s a pretty simple little tune that you can definitely sing along to if you’ve got the voice. Heck, sing it even if you don’t. What else are you gonna do to liven up those 4 chords, right?

Anyway, check out the lesson below and then hit me up with your thoughts in the comments.

Check here for more beginner guitar songs.

~Johnny

Here’s the original Outkast Hey Ya video

Additional Resources:

• Hey Ya Outkast lyrics
• Hey Ya Outkast information at Wikipedia
• Hey Ya Outkast tab at Ultimate Guitar

Hey guys,

Johnny “No-BS” Lee here with you again

Alright, let’s get to it.Technique.

I’m not exaggerating one bit when I say that a lot of you are freakin’ OBSESSED with technique, above everything else. I can tell you that it ain’t healthy to think like that as a musician, if that’s even your goal.

Technique without melody, feel, emotion, discretion = Nothing.

It won’t automatically give you “music” just because you play a bunch of notes in the right key really fast and clean.

Yes, some people might be impressed by it for a few minutes, but tell me….

Would they pay to listen to that on their iPod? I really doubt it for most people.

Swedish guitarist Fredrik Pihl agrees. Here’s what he had to say in a recent interview at Guitar International:

I was really into the shred music stuff in the early 2000s. I was almost obsessed with technique, and I spent hours and hours working on that. Nowadays I prefer a strong melody over technique, even though I still enjoy shredding once in a while. I guess I’m growing old.

But technique isn’t worth anything if you can’t use it in a musical context. It’s like using bad words in a language once in a while, to get a message through. But if you use profanity all the time when talking, people usually grow tired of you. I think it’s the same thing with shredding. You should use it sparingly to get a “wow-effect.” Some players tend to just play fast, and seem to miss out on the music itself. It’s more of a technique exhibition than music.

Interesting ain’t it. As a guitarist “matures”, he realizes just like Fredrik did that technique without being musical, ain’t worth a goddamn thing. Keep in mind this is coming from a hardcore shred student who idolizes Yngwie, Vai, and Satriani.

And the truth of that goes double for guys who use shred exclusively all the time. It’s like cursing. you gotta use it once in a while to maintain the impact of the words. Use it all day and it becomes meaningless.

Kid’s got some more insightful things to say. Check out the entire thing here.

Lemme know if you’ve got something to say about this below!

~Johnny

Hey it’s Johnny,

Scales. They’re a big part of guitar, right?

And technically, you “should” learn them. Knowing the scales helps you come up with your own solos and melodies. But I still think you ought to focus mostly (like 90%) on learning licks, solos, and melodies that are already being used in your favorite songs. This way, you’ll have FUNCTIONAL intuitive understanding of what notes sound good together.

If you ask me, that’s way more useful for creating music than any theoretical knowledge of scales.

That being said, you can still benefit from learning a scale or two. Anyway, today’s question…

Question:

Should I learn the pentatonic scale first or the major scale?

My Answer:

I’m gonna go with pentatonic here. And there’s LOTS of reasons why.

One big reason is because the pentatonic scale contains no “sour” notes, and is 5 notes versus 7 for the major scale.

It’s easier to remember. You can easily play it without screwing up in terms of hitting a bad note. So that’s one less thing to think about. Meaning you sound half-decent and are more likely to wanna continue.

It’s a LOT harder to sound half-decent when learning a major scale. It’s littered with “land mines” that you can accidentally hit at any time and blow up your whole solo.

However, (and here comes another benefit of learning your favorite solos) a good way to avoid stepping on a land mine would be to internalize lots of solos that use the major scale. This way, your hands automatically know what notes sound good without any thinking involved.

You’ll practice the scale, and do so in a musical way at the same time. 2 birds, 1 stone.

Actually, it’s 3 birds, because you’ll also have more fun. Running up and down scales can be insanely boring if you don’t enjoy self-torture. When it comes time to improv, you’ll have actual licks under your belt you can use!

So I recommend this route, but be sure to tie the solo back to the scale so you get practice with theory as well.

But wait, there’s more

More advantages of the pentatonic scale… I’m gonna get somewhat theoretical here…

There is no “tritone” or “devil’s interval” or diminished fifth because that normally happens between the fourth and seventh of the major scale. Pentatonic scales eliminate that.

The Tritone is considered to be “dissonant” interval, and is difficult to sing. It creates a lot of tension and needs to be handled more carefully, or avoid altogether. Which is why beginners should stick with the pentatonic scale.

Lastly, there are also no half-steps, which are typically more difficult for the human voice to sing than other intervals. All these things taken together have contributed to the minor pentatonic scale being probably THE MOST recommended scale for beginners (specifically the Am pentatonic starting on the 5th fret).

So there you have it. Learn the pentatonic scale first and you should be able to rip out a few Jimmy Page guitar riffs with it.

For a more in depth look at scales and music theory, check out Desi Serna’s Fretboard Theory program. It’s a lot more comprehensive.

Have fun and lemme know what you think below

~Johnny

Metal fans, rejoice!

The Big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax) are adding one more show to their US tour. This time in New York City at the new Yankee Stadium. The official news came from the Metallica website:

A huge thanks to everyone who came out to the desert this past weekend . . . we felt the enormous love and support, so we just had to find a way to make one more Big 4 show in the States happen. Enter New York . . . that’s right, the Big 4 of Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, and ‘Tallica will be in the new version of the famed Yankee Stadium on September 14, 2011! We can’t wait for a night in the Bronx as our second American show and for those of you who love fun facts, this will also be the second live music event hosted at the new ballpark.

ALL seats are reserved for this show and tickets go on sale Friday, May 6 at 10:00 AM via www.ticketmaster.com. Met Club members should log in for more information about a special pre-sale starting on Wednesday, May 4. Yankees season ticket holders will have their own pre-sale, also on May 4, starting at noon.

Tell me you guys aren’t excited

This is crazy. I wonder if I can snag some tix…

~Johnny

[photo: nico_photo]

Um… Hey…

So remember that crazy dude singing in a bathrobe last time? Yeah that one.

Well, that guy’s back. And oh yeah… he brought along a friend: Asian Shower Page. That’s right. The Jimmy Page to go along with Asian Shower Robert Plant. And dude, it’s insane.

You have GOT to see this (particularly about 3 minutes in when all hell breaks loose)

Incredible.

See folks. That’s the kind of power you will have at your fingertips when you become a guitar lord. You heard me. Guitar lord.

~Johnny “guitar lord” Lee

Hey guys,

Just got an email from Guitar World again about their 2 DVDs for $20 deal with coupon/promo code. Today is indeed the last day.

If you’re waiting to decide, you might want to hurry. Just a heads up.

~Johnny

Hey No-BS-ers!

Welcome to the first in a series of ongoing questions and answer posts.

You ask em, I’ll answer em.

Question:

Should I get a guitar teacher and do I need to practice daily?

My Answer:

The best way to learn guitar starting out: Learn songs.

Now you can do this with or without an actual teacher.

That said, having a teacher is usually good in the beginning because he can make sure you’re doing things right, and answer any questions you might have.

But once you learn HOW to practice correctly (sign up for your free No BS Guitar membership to learn everything you need to know)…

The rest is up to you. You need to just practice consistently with new songs while reviewing stuff you’ve already learned. That you can do without a teacher at all if you want.

You should practice DAILY consistently for best results.

You can still learn without practicing daily, but the progress is dramatically slower. Thats the honest truth.

Pickup the theory later on and do so slowly. 80% of your focus should be on songs.

Songs have everything you need to grow as a guitarist, but you need to constantly choose songs slightly above your current skill level. This will make sure you progress.

For the theory side, you need to pick that up separately, possibly by buying a book like fretboard theory… and then GO BACK to the songs you’ve learned and see how the theory was used. Connect theory to songs.

That’s the fastest way to learn theory.

Just spotted this neat lesson by Marty Schwartz of GuitarJamz for Adele’s “Someone Like You“.

Although the chords are all correct, it sounds quite a bit different. The original was done on piano and the difference is noticeable.

That said, the song is perfect for those just learning. It’s not too difficult and only contains a few chords: G, D, Em, C. Marty uses a capo on fret 2 to make it easier.

After the initial strumming for the intro, Marty goes into a picking pattern that highlights a moving bass line. It sounds pretty good. You can think of it as one of those “guitar tricks” you always hear about.

Check here for more beginner guitar songs.

Enjoy and lemme know what you think! (below)

~Johnny

More Resources:

Someone Like You guitar chords and lyrics