September 3rd, 2009
I’m better at the games than on the guitar. What should I do next?
Learning the guitar is both a physical and mental activity. Our motto at GuitarGames.net has always been, “It’s time for your brain to practice too.” meaning don’t neglect the mental aspect of playing. And many have headed our call, but..Neglecting the physical is not good either! It’s important to follow up the games and courses online with some good old fashioned sight reading. This will connect the mental to the physical. I recommend flute and violin music as a great supplement to reading guitar music. And I recommend learning songs in different positions to challenge your knowledge of the neck. Happy practicing!
Photo by Laineys Repertoire
Posted in General | No Comments »
July 8th, 2009
Posted in CAGED | 4 Comments »
July 1st, 2009
The winner of our Birds of Fretopia competition is Michael Moore with a score of 1196! No doubt a fretboard master after all those games. He’ll also be receiving our fashionable T-shirt. Look for another competition soon.
Posted in General | No Comments »
June 25th, 2009
One of the best ways to improve performance ability is knowledge of the fretboard. By knowing the fretboard guitarists are able to learn a piece at a deeper level, not simply muscle memory. Combined with a basic understanding of music theory mistakes can be overcome in more graceful manner. Truth be told, most guitarists make mistakes during performance. But, the good ones are able to move through the mistakes. I always say that if you don’t stop or swear most people won’t notice.
Here’s one way to do it:
- Figure out what key a piece is in. (Hint: check the key signature at the beginning)
- Find all the notes in that key all over the neck.
- Practice making mistakes (Yes, you read that correctly). Pretend to make a mistake at any given point, or have a friend yell out “mistake” as you play for them. Work your way out of the spot by relying on the notes from the key your in. Make something up to fill in where you made a mistake until you find a place to jump back in.
For more tips on how mental practice can can make you a better player see page 6 of our Secrets of Successful Practice Course.
Posted in Tips | No Comments »
June 18th, 2009
The competition is off to a great start! We have Michael Moore out front with an amazing 1196. I came up with a few tips on how to maximize scores. Good luck!
- Get more points per click. By changing the range in settings and using a larger section of the fretboard you will get more points for every bird.
- Learn the fretboard. If you are going to use the whole fretboard, you better know it well. Try our guitar notes mini-course and our Learn the Guitar Neck in 10 Easy Lessons (members only).
- Don’t waste the Wilds and UFOs. When you see a wild or UFO don’t click it right away. First check to see if the correct answer is already somewhere on the page. Hit that bird, then move right away to the wild / UFO to maximize points.
If you have some other great ideas, let us know! And remember, be careful, you might learn something.
Posted in Tips | No Comments »
June 9th, 2009
Nothing like a little heathy competition to get you motivated. For June we’ll have a competition for Birds of Fretopia. We’ve reset the high scores to level the playing field. The previous high was 1092 by Michael Moore (A very good score indeed!). The person who has the high score on June 30th, 2009 at 3pm PST wins! What do they win you ask. Our new T-shirt! And their name will appear in our monthly newsletter. So get in there and have fun. Be careful though, you might learn something along the way.
Posted in News | No Comments »
June 4th, 2009
Just finished our first T-Shirt. Proclaim your abilities to play a real guitar to the world. See if they have one in your size at Zazzle.com.
Posted in News | No Comments »
May 26th, 2009
Our new mini-course on music theory is out. In it you will learn about intervals. But, not in the usual boring way. We found a new boring way to teach it. Um, I mean a great exciting approach never before tried. Most theory texts start with explaining a concept and having you figure out notes on a page. As an afterthought they have you do some ear training on the subject. We’ve turned this proccess on its head and introduce intervals first by ear and then by theory! Why? Two reasons. First of all this is music we are talking about, sound not dots on a page. So theory should be at the service of sound and not the other way around. Starting with training your ear helps in this process. Secondly, our way is the original way theory developed. Theorists heard music they wanted to emmulate and came up with theory to explain it. First they heard, then they explained. Try out the new course and see what a difference it makes! (Hey, it’s also more fun this way)
Posted in News | No Comments »
May 19th, 2009
I’m busy adding a progress report feature to Super Scale Trainer. It will keep track of how you are doing on every scale, arpeggio, or interval in quiz mode. I thought I would give letter grades for various categories, like major Scales for sharp keys, major scales for flat keys, minor scales, triads. Also I wanted to put down your best 5, and the 5 that need the most work. Some additional stats like how many questions you have answered total, how many mistakes made, and the number answered on guitar versus piano or note names. The reason I’m writing about it is that should you think of anything you would like included along those lines, now is the time to let me know!
Posted in General | No Comments »
May 12th, 2009
I put together a new chart which shows the names of the notes and their locations on the staff for the first position. Should be helpful for those who are new to reading. Click on the image below to download.
First Position Guitar Notes Chart
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
