Guitar Lessons in Bed Stuy Brooklyn

Guitar Lessons in Long Island City, Queens & Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

Category: Technique

  • How to Play To a Metronome? Do it Wrong!

    How to Play To a Metronome? Do it Wrong!

    How To Use a Metronome to Practice GuitarNo joke. Try it:

      • Set the metronome to a slow, comfortable pace.
      • Play just one note on each beat.
      • Then speed up just a tiny bit WITHOUT CHANGING THE METRONOME…. Feel that tense, rushing feeling.
      • Slow back down to the beat… Feel that smoothness.
      • Now slow down just a tiny bit… Feel that sluggish pull.
      Speed up just enough to get synchronized again… Feel that smoothness again.

    Playing in time is a matter of constantly feeling for this anxious or dopey energy and then adjusting until you feel that sense of relaxing into the beat. It’s not a thinking thing. It’s a feel thing.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Why Use a Guitar Strap?

    Why Use a Guitar Strap?

    Star Trek Guitar Strap - guitar lessonsSo you can bring the guitar into your comfort zone.

    We often approach the guitar as something we need to wrap ourselves around. We end up in awkward positions because we’re trying to hold it and play it at the same time, sidelining a lot of our energy and attention.

    With a strap you can find what’s most natural to you and bring the guitar into your space, bringing it to you. Strumming, picking and fingering becomes simpler, easier and smoother and your sound gets much more expressive.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Guitar Pull-offs Were Named Wrong

    Guitar Pull-offs Were Named Wrong

    a guitar pull-off should be a POP-off

    They should have been called “pop-offs”.

    I don’t mean any disrespect to the great Pete Seeger who brought us modern tablature and named the pull-off, it’s just that if you only pull your finger off of the string, it may not ring. If you pop the string with the edge of your fingertip, you’ll hear it ring out.

    Try it.

    Play a note on the first string (bottom) and instead of lifting your finger up and away from the string, pop the string by pulling down and away, sort of plucking it with your fingertip.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • We Don’t Really Play Guitar With Our Fingers

    We Don’t Really Play Guitar With Our Fingers

    Brooklyn-Guitar-Lessons-FingertipsWe play with our finger TIPS.
    I know that seems obvious, but we often don’t do it. If we spend some time getting used to this weird use of our hand, playing guitar becomes easier. The reason is this:

    The bone does 70% of the work.

    When the finger gradually curves to come straight down onto the string, much less energy is needed. The bones of your finger form an arch, which taps down onto the string like a C-clamp with half the effort than if we use the padded bottom of our finger.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Playing Tough Chord Changes on Guitar, Method 2

    Playing Tough Chord Changes on Guitar, Method 2

    Difficult-Guitar-ChordsYeah, it’s a killer. Try this:

    Don’t strum all the way to the moment that the tough chord should be played and then changing chords (that’s like pressing pause while you’re playing, and even the tone-deaf know that ain’t right).

    When you’re headed straight for a tough chord, say Q#minor14 (see pic), only play on the first beat of the easy chord before it (G). Use the next 3 beats to change to Q#minor14. You’ll only hear G on the first beat beat, but if you keep the count going in your head while you change, you’ll play Q#minor14 right on time, keeping the song together.
    This is a lot better than the “Wait just a, I’ve almost..I’ve…” approach.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Looking at Hands While Playing Guitar = Thinking

    Looking at Hands While Playing Guitar = Thinking

    Looking at Hands Playing Guitar = ThinkingAnd thinking is often too slow for playing.

    Now, obviously, we have to think and occasionally look at our hands when we play. But we often watch our hands because we lose confidence in our memorization or technique. We end up analyzing our playing, which distracts us from directly playing.

    When we stop relying so heavily on sight, we begin to trust our muscle memory, allowing us to listen to what we are playing. Feeling and listening are instant, much more accurate and direct than sight. You are more connected to your instrument.

    You can do it with some training & guts

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC