Using simple rehearsal recordings to improve arrangements
A phone recording is not a mix, but it is an excellent arrangement mirror. It reveals sections that feel too long, vocals that disappear because every instrument is busy,…
GUITAR
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Reducing stage volume without making the band feel small
Bands often treat stage volume as a choice between excitement and control. Either the amplifiers move air and the show feels alive, or everything is turned down until the…
How do you make barre chord changes feel less like a hand workout?
I can get through open chords fairly comfortably, but the moment a song has repeated barre chord changes my fretting hand starts to tense up. It is especially noticeable…
What is your simplest songwriting trick when you are completely stuck?
Some days I can come up with riffs or chord loops easily, but turning them into a full song is another matter. I often get stuck after a verse idea or a chorus hook and e…
How do you record guitars at home without them sounding thin?
Home-recorded guitars can sound exciting while tracking, then surprisingly thin once they are in a mix. I am mostly recording direct and using amp sims, so I am wondering…
What gear purchase actually changed how you play?
Some gear is fun for a week and then becomes just another thing on the shelf. Other bits of gear genuinely change how you write, practise, record, or perform. What purcha…
Please recommend some decent new bands
I’m happy that a lot of my favourite bands from the 80s and 90s are back together and touring, but PLEASE direct me to anything that’s decent and actually new…
How much theory is enough for a working guitarist?
Theory can be incredibly useful, but it is easy to get overwhelmed by modes, chord substitutions, extensions, borrowed chords, and all the rest. I am trying to separate u…
How do you decide when a song is finished?
Finishing songs is a different skill from starting them. I can keep tweaking lyrics, guitar tones, structure, and little arrangement ideas forever if I let myself. How do…
How do you practise improvising without just running scales?
Scale practice is useful, but improvising can still sound like scale practice if that is all I do. I want phrases that breathe, repeat, answer themselves, and connect to…
What is your best fix for a song that feels too repetitive?
Repetition can be powerful, but sometimes a song crosses the line from hypnotic into flat. I am trying to find small arrangement moves that add development without turnin…
What makes a pedalboard practical rather than just exciting?
It is easy to build a pedalboard around fun sounds and then realise it is awkward to use in an actual set. Tap dancing, volume jumps, power issues, and unreadable setting…