
June 7, 2026
Why One-on-One Beats YouTube
Why One-on-One Lessons Beat Random YouTube Learning We have all been there. You get inspired, dust off the acoustic or electric guitar sitting in…
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June 3, 2026
How to Practice Guitar When You Only Have 20 Minutes
As an adult, time is your scarcest resource. Between work, family, and life admin, the idea of finding a spare hour every day to…
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May 27, 2026
Guitar Lessons vs YouTube: Can You Really Learn for Free?
The internet has democratized music education. Right now, there are millions of hours of free guitar tutorials on YouTube. So, the obvious question for…
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May 23, 2026
Best Guitars for Adult Beginners
How to Choose Your First Guitar: A No-Nonsense Guide for Beginners One of the biggest mistakes beginner guitarists make is buying the wrong instrument.…
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May 21, 2026
Common Mistakes Adult Beginners Make
Most adult beginners struggle with the exact same handful of roadblocks. The good news? They are entirely fixable. If you can identify these traps…
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May 18, 2026
Is 50 Too Old to Learn Guitar?
Short answer: absolutely not. In fact, some of my most committed and enjoyable students are people who started guitar in their 40s, 50s, 60s…
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May 5, 2026
The 10 best guitar songs for beginners to learn first
Start your guitar journey with these 10 beginner-friendly songs. Chosen for their easy chords and iconic sounds, these tracks will keep you motivated. The…
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April 28, 2026
How Long to Learn Guitar as an Adult? A Realistic 2026 Guide
Many people ask how long to learn guitar as an adult when they first decide to pick up the instrument. One of the most…
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April 20, 2026
Online vs In Person Guitar Lessons: Which Is Better?
Can’t decide between online vs in person guitar lessons? We compare the pros, cons, and which format suits your specific learning style and lifestyle.…
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April 13, 2026
How much do guitar lessons cost in Sydney in 2026?
Wondering about the cost of guitar lessons in Sydney in 2026? Discover current rates for private, group, and online lessons, and what factors influence…
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August 18, 2025
How to Use a Looper Pedal for Guitar Practice (And Actually Get Better)
A looper pedal is one of the most powerful practice tools for guitarists. It helps you lock in rhythm, explore improvisation, and layer ideas…
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June 4, 2024
You really can run your rig 11 ways without re-patching your pedalboard!
Today I wanted to show you how you can run your rig in 11 different ways without re-patching your entire rig. This is the…
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December 22, 2022
Guitar Chorus Effect: What It Is & When to Use It
The chorus effect is a popular guitar and keyboard effect that creates a shimmering, rich sound by combining the original signal with a slightly…
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December 22, 2022
The Best Overdrive Pedals for Guitar: A Practical Guide
What is overdrive and what are the best overdrive pedals for guitar? Here's an explainer and a look at some of the classic pedals…
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December 22, 2022
Why Learn Guitar? Six Honest Reasons to Start
People ask me this all the time — usually when they're already half-convinced and just need someone to tell them to go for it.…
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December 20, 2022
How to Find the Best Guitar Teacher For You: A 2026 Guide
Finding the right mentor can be the difference between a guitar that gathers dust and a lifelong passion. If you are searching for guitar…
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September 13, 2021
You Am I – Purple Sneakers
I love Tim Rogers. I wasn't here in Sydney in the 1990's when You Am I really were at their peak, but I've got…
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June 10, 2021
32 Remarkable Benefits of Playing Guitar
If you’ve always wanted to learn to play guitar, now is the time to start! Believe it or not, there are some seriously impressive…
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June 8, 2021
The Best Blues Albums of All Time: The Ultimate Listening Guide for Guitarists
Best Blues Album of All Time is and will always be B B King's Live at the Regal....
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May 10, 2020
How’d They Get That Sound? Studio Tricks on 6 Famous Songs
Ever wonder how the Beatles, Stones and Kinks got their great guitar sounds? Read on!
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January 14, 2020
Big amps are dead! Why you should check out 15w guitar amplifiers…
Let's talk about tube amps. Big vs small, what my experience has been and why I think you need a sub 22 watt amp...
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November 18, 2019
The Great Standby Switch Myth
It’s a long-standing debate about what the standby switches on Fender amps are used for. That’s why Sweetwater‘s own tube amp expert, Greg Bowers,…
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October 23, 2019
10 Effective Steps to Learn How to Play Jazz Guitar
Learning to play jazz guitar can be a tough task. There are many out there who claim to have the quintessential “tried and true”…
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October 8, 2019
Beatle Gear : How to Get Beatle sounds out of 3 Modern Pedals (via Reverb.com)
With the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road happening a few weeks ago on 26 September, Reverb didn't want to miss the boat on introducing…
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August 13, 2019
How do you discover new music?
One thing I've struggled with as I've got older is finding cool, new music to listen to.
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June 1, 2018
Best Guitar Warm Up Exercise Ever?
I found this great guitar warm up exercise on YouTube today and I thought I would share. It's an arpeggio style exercise over A…
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March 20, 2018
The Top 50 Jazz Guitarists Of All Time
Today it is simple - Jazz Guitarists - and a top 50 list of the best Jazz Guitarists ever. Before you say, "urrgghh, Jazz" -…
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March 5, 2018
Warm-Up Time: 11 Exercises That Will Help You Play Even Better
One thing I am always going on about during lessons is that a warm up is an integral part of your practice. Here's a…
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February 7, 2018
Does string gauge change your guitar sound?
For the last maybe 20 or so years I've only used 10-46 strings across all my guitars... until now...
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July 12, 2017
The Ultimate 10-Minute Daily Guitar Workout & Speed Drill Guide
Guitar drills work. Fact! Here is a great list to help you become a better player...
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March 6, 2017
Say Wah! 10 of the Greatest Wah Pedal Songs of All Time (VIDEO)
The wah's had a phenomenal impact on music. Here's ten of the best wah tunes...
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February 28, 2017
How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online – 2015 Remix — Information is Beautiful
I'm regularly asked, "so how does Spotify work when you are an artist? Here's the lowdown...
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September 3, 2016
How to Learn Intervals: The Secret to Training Your Guitar Ear
Intervals can be tricky to memorise, here's an easy way to do it!
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August 31, 2016
Xotic EP Booster Demo
A very quick Xotic EP Booster demo that I recorded on my phone (I know, the horror) for my friend Kitch (www.kitchmusic.com).
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August 30, 2016
Reverb.com Blog
Like you, I love reading music and especially guitar blogs around the 'net. Here's a look at a tube amp blog I loved...
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May 17, 2016
The Great YouTube Experiment
About 2 years ago, I started uploading student shot guitar lesson videos to YouTube as a resource for my private students.... and the result?
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May 16, 2016
How To Sound Like The Rolling Stones…
Part of it is in the gear choices... Potent Pairings if you will...
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May 7, 2016
Top 5 Songs of All Time
A friend of mine recently shared this fantastic website with me last week. The best thing about it however, is the forgotten tunes and…
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April 28, 2016
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Fender Stratocaster
Check out these 5 Stratocaster must-knows!
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May 18, 2015
How to get the best guitar tone
I think every guitarist I have ever encountered is on their own quest for the 'perfect tone'......
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September 24, 2014
How to Build a Budget Pedalboard for $9: A DIY Guide
Learn how to build a budget pedalboard for under $10 with this step-by-step DIY guide. Perfect for Sydney guitarists looking to organize their rig.
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May 8, 2014
The Top Ten Ways To Improve Your Guitar Playing Now
Like right now! What are you waiting for?
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December 12, 2013
Why is my electric guitar buzzing? It’s so annoying!
Here's a comprehensive (and easy to follow) video...
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December 3, 2013
How to fix sticky guitar neck
Today I'm going to run you through 'how to fix sticky guitar neck'.
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November 6, 2013
Ibanez TSA15H 15watt Tube Amplifier Review
When I first started this blog, I promised among other things some gear reviews. Here's one!
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September 16, 2013
From the Mixolydian Mode to Hendrix’s “Little Wing”: A Day in the Life of a Guitar Teacher
One of the reasons I love teaching after all these years is that it re-connects me to why I learnt to play guitar in…
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August 27, 2013
Do I Need a New Guitar? The Ultimate N+1 Gear Flowchart
You know the perfect number of guitars is the number you own plus one, right?
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August 6, 2013
Back to Baroque (has illegal downloading killed music?)
Not so much a blog about guitars this time, but I guess more a ramble about 'art'.
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February 11, 2013
The $30 Accessory Saving Guitars from Disaster | Simon Morel
It's very, very, very important. Very. Especially if you want your guitar to stay in one piece...
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December 12, 2012
How Often Should I Restring My Guitar? The Ultimate Guide
Here is a quick list to help you make up your mind...
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November 13, 2012
How do I restring my guitar?
Learn how Dave from Martin Guitars does it! Video tutorial...
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September 22, 2012
6 String Deals – weird and wonderful guitar reviews
The weird and wonderful world of small name guitars... grab a bargain!
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September 18, 2012
The Magic of 4 Chords: How Thousands of Hits Use the Same Progression
How many chords do you know? If it's 3 or more there are hundreds of songs you can play!
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September 5, 2012
Buying an Electric Guitar: The Myth of “USA Made” & Guitar Regret
I often get asked for advice on how to buy an electric guitar. Which one is the best one? How much will it cost?…
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August 23, 2012
Master Your Guitar Timing: How to Stop Rushing and Dragging
Timing has an enormous affect on how good you sound as a guitarist. Just like other aspects of musicality, timing is a skill that…
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August 20, 2012
#14 – How to get your music on the Radio
How to get your music on the radio - in a few easy steps!
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August 20, 2012
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice - the most fundamental thing about learning the guitar.
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January 23, 2012
#13 – Gigs and Clubs….
Want to support live music? It's easy, regularly go see a gig or ten...
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April 24, 2010
#11 – So you want to be a pop star?
Recently I received an email from an artist in Perth, WA who like a lot of us always seems to be one step short…
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April 15, 2010
#10 – Finished recording? Think about your release date!
Sometimes, it's better to wait...
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November 25, 2009
#9 – So I’ve recorded my music what now?
How do you get your music 'out there'? Read on...
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July 22, 2009
#8 – You’ve just got to check out this blog…Derek Sivers
I love reading this guy's words - you will too...
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July 13, 2009
#7 – I want to record my songs. How much is it going to cost?
A simple how to - including rundown of recording costs...
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June 8, 2009
#5 – 11 Things a successful website needs!
What does you site need to be successful? Start with these 11 ideas and you're well on your way...
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June 1, 2009
#4 – How to find the right producer for you
Installment 4 of the Record Factory Blog... Getting the team together!
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May 26, 2009
#3 – Strategies for promoting your music on the internet
A quick list to help you become a promo master!
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Professionalism
How to be a music business professional... Here's a how to guide.
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April 5, 2009
#1 – Relationships
A run down of the importance of relationships in music (and life)...
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