by Glen McCarthy | Jul 17, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Gear, Principles, Tips + Tricks
If someone were ever to ask me, “what tool can you not live without in your classroom?” …. My number one answer would be guitars, but my close second would be capos. I’d like to share three different articles on the marvelous capo. Today...
by Glen McCarthy | Jul 8, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Some electric guitars have an apparatus called a string lock or lock down nut; this is a metal clip that screws into the guitar with allen wrenches to lock down all six strings at the nut of the guitar. The locking nut keeps strings from going out of tune when using a...
by Glen McCarthy | Jun 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
In the course of becoming musicians, we develop “fingers that play.” There are guitar (fretboard or string) fingers, keyboard fingers, woodwind fingers, brass fingers, and percussion fingers. Students who develop “fingers that play” have opened a lifelong doorway to...
by Glen McCarthy | Jun 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Keep a nail clipper in your guitar case, it is impossible to get a good tone if the left hand nails are not kept short. When you evaluate a student’s tone, observe the left hand nail length, and make sure a nail clipper is available for students to use in the class if...
by Glen McCarthy | Oct 19, 2012 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Just as a professional athlete will stretch his or her muscles to warm up before a practice session or the main event, have your guitar class get into the practice of stretches and warm up exercises before beginning their music performance and study. The following...
