Practicing the Guitar

I was going to write about good practice habits, but realized that I don’t have good practice habits.  So instead, I’m linking to a few of my favorite guitarists, who do have good practice habits.

Adam Levy is probably best known for being the lead guitarist for Norah Jones.  He’s also worked with Tracy Chapman and Amos Lee.  On top of all that, he’s a gifted singer and songwriter himself.

He wrote a few tips/lessons, they are thoughtful and instantly applicable to guitarists of any skill level.  I’m trying to get better at pretty much everything he mentions.

Tuck Andress is an immensely talented guitarist.  He’s written extensively on every imaginable way to pluck a guitar string.  His thoughts on pick and fingerstyle technique are worth checking out.

Charlie Hunter changed the way that I see the guitar as an instrument.  I’ve met him a few times, and, because I’m a huge guitar nerd, I asked him about how he developed his technique.

His response?

“Play drums. Do you play drums?”

I was puzzled, because I was pretty sure I had asked him specifically about the guitar.  After a brief moment where I was thoroughly confused, we ended up having a conversation similar to this one, where he expanded a bit on what he meant.  Oh, Charlie also co-wrote this song with John Mayer.

Happy practicing.

– Caleb