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The music theory behind neoclassical guitar is the theory of what is known as “The Common Practice Period”, often abbreviated to CPP, of music. 

The CPP spans roughly from 1650 - 1900.

In terms of music theory, this is what we know as “tonal music”.

CPP gave us:

• a framework for the order in which chords can be played and exceptions for those rules, known as functional harmony
• guidance on how each note within a chord should move to the next chord (this is known as voice leading)
• structures for composing music, from the sentence / period, up to the sonata
• musicians pushing the limits of virtuosity

Practices such as counterpoint, 4 part voice leading, complex forms such as sonata form and multi movement forms such as concertos were well developed in this period.

What is Lead Guitar?

Lead guitar is when a guitarist plays a melody, usually in a higher pitch range. 

In most rock, pop and metal music, the main melody of the song is performed by the vocalist. 

You can think of lead guitar as replacing the vocalist, for supplying the main melodic material of the song, at that point in time. 

You often hear lead guitar playing at guitar solos, intros and outros, and sometimes as breaks between sections in a song. 

Sweep picking is a popular technique amongst shred guitar players, and cracking the technique is often seen as an important milestone for guitarists interested in that genre. 

But is sweep picking a technique that is only useful for those who want to shred, or is it worth learning for all lead guitar players?

That is what we are going to discuss.

But, before we do so, we should take a minute to think about what sweep picking is and is not.

You may have heard of the 10,000 hours rule to becoming a master at any skill, and in this article we are going to talk about how this applies to practising and improving our guitar playing.

Simply put, the 10,000 hours rule states that in order to become a master at a subject, you have to put in at least 10,000 hours of practice. 

In this article we’ll talk about the rule, where it came from, it’s consequences and  how we can apply it to becoming better guitar players.

When it comes to music theory, there is a myth that some people like to subscribe to, which goes along the following lines: Learning music theory will make me less creative as a guitarist and composer.

In this article, we’re going to look at why this is a myth and why learning music theory will help you become more creative guitar players, not less.

What is the purpose of music theory?

Let’s start with a brief look at what music theory is.

Guitar Pro is the most popular guitar tab program in the world.

And it is easy to see why - it’s easy to use to write your own tabs and is packed with useful features for writing and learning songs.

I’m sure every guitar player that has discovered it remembers the moment they did!

For sure, Guitar Pro is great for learning songs, but… are you using it to its full potential?

Different people learn to play guitar for different reasons. 

Some people want to learn their favourite songs, some people want to play in bands and play guitar solos…

and some people want to be able to compose, record and perform their own songs. 

This article is going to look at the different topics that you need to study in order to be able to compose neoclassical instrumental guitar songs. 

So, if you’re into players like Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony McAlpine and Joe Satriani; and you want to write your own instrumental guitar songs, read on! 

When it comes to learning the minor pentatonic scale on guitar, a lot of guitar players seem to make similar mistakes.

If you have ever found yourself feeling bored or frustrated when learning the scale, you are probably making one (or more!) of these mistakes.

If you have every found yourself wondering “What’s the point in learning this?” when practising the minor pentatonic scale, then hopefully this article will give you some ideas on how you can have fun learning the minor pentatonic scale and do something musical with it.

Doing your first studio recording is an incredibly fun experience. 

At least… if you are prepared for it, it will be fun.

If you are not prepared, it will be stressful and embarrassing. 

After doing 2 professional albums and a handful of EPs with various bands over the years, I’ve (unfortunately) experienced both sides of the spectrum when it comes to recording in a studio.

Here are some of the best tips I’ve learned when it comes to preparing for recording in a studio - if you follow these, you will be completely prepared and have a lot of fun in the process. 

Every guitar player knows that they should be using a metronome to practice… and chances are, they (by which I mean you!) are not using them enough.

Metronome’s are a vital tool to improving your playing, especially if you are wanting to play more technically advanced pieces of music. 

However, quite often, even if guitar players are practising with a metronome, they are not using them as effectively as they could be.