Blog Entries for Eugene Walker

Lead Guitar Mastery with Logical Lead Guitar

admin@planetofrock.com — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:00:00 +0100

I want to tell you about one of my competitor's guitar courses. I'm going to give you a no-holds barred critique and tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly...(LOL)

Why am I doing this? Well, to be honest, its good for everyone. You can certainly benefit from learning from more than one teacher. Frankly, I have no ego about who you learn from. I just want you to get better.

I'm often contacted by "experts" who want me to promote their st [...]

Guitar Myth: Natural Talent

admin@planetofrock.com — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Join us as we take a look into a popular guitar myth on the subject of natural talent. We will be discussing how natural talent is not a replacement for hard work and for learning the proper skills. You will learn the benefits to perfecting your skills by practicing along with guitar backing tracks.

A pretty common phrase that’s thrown around a lot in the guitar community and just about every other style of music is the term natural talent. Some people never excel in mast [...]

'Another Brick In The Wall' by Pink Floyd

admin@planetofrock.com — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

How To Play 'Another Brick In The Wall' by Pink Floyd

Considered a masterpiece in progressive music, Pink Floyd took the world by storm when it was released in the late 70's.

I remember screaming out the chorus: "We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control" when I was going to 'blue light discos in the '90's.

Anyhow, here it is with audio and tabs...

Click the link below to view lesson (opens in [...]

5 Ways to Improve Guitar Playing Without A Guitar

admin@planetofrock.com — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

1) Draw neck diagrams and label the note names on the strings. This will improve your knowledge of the instrument, and solidify your ability to quickly jump to any note (like when a fellow musician tells you it's an A chord). Start with just one string, such as the low E string, and label every note: E, F, F#, G, G#, etc. Do this a few times for each string and you'll soon know your way around the guitar sooo much better than you do now!

2) Draw more neck diagrams and fill in [...]

Guitar Transposition

admin@planetofrock.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Every so often, we decide to dive into a new aspect of playing guitar that many are either afraid of, or just simply have no idea what it's all about. Today, we're going to tackle one of the more feared issues evolving around guitar... Transposition.

Join us as we teach you the most simplistic and easy ways to transpose your music.

With transposition in the spotlight this week, we're also going to show you some handy sites that will give you some very quick tra [...]

Thin Strings Equals Faster Playing Speed?

admin@planetofrock.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Come join us as we journey into one of the biggest myths of the guitar community and learn how the key to speed is through accuracy and clarity.

There are a ton of theories floating around in the guitar player community about the secret to improving your guitar playing speed. Most of these theories are based on some sort of half truth, but a good part of the time these theories are nothing more than myths and really offer no help to truly improving a person’s playing ability or [...]

How To Practice Your Scales

admin@planetofrock.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Scales are the key to advanced-level guitar playing. Here are the steps to mastering your scales and turning them into shreddin' lead guitar:

1) Learn and memorize each of the five pentatonic and seven diatonic scale patterns. Needless to say, this isn't going to happen overnight. Play each pattern straight from the lowest note of the pattern to the highest note of the pattern and back again. Don't do anything tricky with the pattern. Play each pattern starting as low on [...]

Playing by Ear for Guitarists

admin@planetofrock.com — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

There are a lot of different methods of learning how to play guitar, and all of them are important and crucial for the mastery of the instrument. Most people learn to play by using sheet music, or tablature, and this is definitely a necessary skill to learn for growth and development. There is something that a lot of guitarists may not take the time to learn, and that is how to play the guitar by ear.

It’s very important to develop a good ear, along with learning how to read mu [...]

Looking At Your Sound, The Other Way Around

admin@planetofrock.com — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

We have an awesome article for you that's going to blow your mind and challenge you to reach new heights with your guitar. We encourage you to try new things that you may have never thought of before!

In this edition:

Have you ever felt like you've been playing in a box and you keep getting that same old sound that everyone else already seems to have? Today is the day that you can change the way you think about playing your guitar for the rest of your life as we tak [...]

The More You Spend the Better You�ll Sound?

admin@planetofrock.com — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Come with us as we take a look at one of the most common guitar playing myths, that buying expensive equipment will give you great sound. Join us as we discover what the true secret is to capturing professional sounding tones.

There is one aspect of playing the guitar that can be quite elusive, even for the best of guitarists, and can even become an obsession for those who can never seem to find it. This crucial and pivotal aspect of playing the guitar is the tone. Every person who is [...]

Basic Guitar Improvisation Tips and Techniques

admin@planetofrock.com — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Come with us as we examine several different methods you can use to improve your guitar improvisation techniques and learn how to incorporate some basic music theory knowledge into improvisation.

Guitar soloing and improvisation is one of the most artistic and expressive types of guitar playing that a guitarist can learn. It is a showcase of precision, skill, technique, and creativity that blows the mind and leaves awestruck faces in every crowd.

A lot goes into perfecting [...]

Create Better Sounding Chords

admin@planetofrock.com — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Have the basics...

When you first learned how to play guitar, chords were your first priority. Then you most likely moved onto other interests such as strumming and chord progressions. However, you soon start to find the guitar boring. Why is that? Because it is!

You may be thinking to yourself, "Who is this guy and who does he think he is telling us that the guitar is boring?" No, guitar is not boring but it can be if everything starts to sound the same. I rememb [...]

Key Tips to Mastering the Guitar

admin@planetofrock.com — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Everybody who picks up a guitar has the ultimate goal in mind of being able to just pick up their guitar and blaze a solo, leaving impressed friends and family in a state of speechless shock. The problem is that most people don’t put in the effort that is necessary in order to master their instrument because they desire instant results. Guitar is one of the most difficult instruments to master, yet anyone can do it if they put in the effort and time and have a true passion for creative mus [...]

Lead Solo By Dire Straits

admin@planetofrock.com — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

More for the advanced player, this is a great solo to learn whom just about anyone who's familiar with the world famous Dire Straits will recognize instantly.

Using the tablature below, place your fingers on the strings as follows and strum as per the audio.

We've also included a short video clip for you to follow to make things easier.

Click the link below to view lesson (opens in new window)
Dire Straits Video Lesson

Want more vide [...]

How To Play 'Layla' by Eric Clapton

admin@planetofrock.com — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

A very popular song by Eric Clapton is on the menu for today's lesson.

More for the acoustic players, it has a terrific intro which is recognized by many the minute you start playing it.

Here's the tabs, audio and video clip to help you start playing it as quickly & easily as possible.

Click the link below to view lesson (opens in new window)
Layla Video Lesson

Want more video lessons? Subscribe to Planet of Rock VIP Newsletter n [...]

How to Improve Your Guitar Playing Speed and be a Master of Shred

admin@planetofrock.com — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Take a look with us now as we delve into tips and tricks for improving your guitar playing speed and for some practical knowledge on effectively using metronomes and other helps to improve your practice sessions.

Most aspiring guitar players today fill their heads with dreams about moving their fingers effortlessly across their fretboards with lightning quick speed and accuracy that leaves minds rocked and speakers blown. There have been a few guitarists throughout the ages of rock th [...]

How to Improve Guitar Tone during Live Performances

admin@planetofrock.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Join us as we take a look into several different methods of how to improve your guitar tone during a live performance. You can also learn the benefits of using guitar backing tracks to help perfect your skills in practice and for help developing tone live.

One of the key aspects of putting on a great live performance is having a great sounding guitar tone. There are a lot of different ways that you can improve your guitar tone during a live performance to help you achieve a professio [...]

Finding Your Tone

admin@planetofrock.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

You ask…”how do I find the perfect tone?

There is no perfect tone. The "ultimate" tone (The Tone) does not exist. "Tone" is a shifting object that varies depending upon song, emotional context, venue, audience, genre, physical environment, etc.

Some of the "best" guitar sounds are rather lop-sided when analyzed in isolation. I hear players all the time say they finally found the perfect tone or they're still searching for the [...]

Tips for Mastering Guitar Scales

admin@planetofrock.com — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

<B>J</B>oin us now as we examine a few practical tips to help you learn and master guitar scales, and the benefits of having a set practice time for learning scales. We will also be discussing the value of using guitar backing tracks to help master and perfect our scales and improvisation techniques.

One of the most essential elements of becoming an amazing guitarist is to <B>master guitar scales.</B> Without completely mastering guitar scales, it&# [...]

How to Improve Your Lead Guitar Playing Skills

admin@planetofrock.com — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0100

When most people take up learning how to play the guitar they usually have one goal in mind, and that is to be a rocking lead guitar player who sets their fans’ ears ablaze with their lightning fast solos. A lot of serious guitarists have the talent and dedication to practice and to grow as musicians and often become excellent lead guitar players. Some guitar students may not have the kind of resources available to help them grow in their techniques and to achieve their dreams of being a l [...]