Hey there! I just wanted to share some things with you that have been super helpful for my guitar journey so far. These are things that I believe stand the test of time and can benefit anyone who’s interested in developing their skills on the guitar. Let’s dive in!

1. Transcribing

Transcribing has been a game-changer for me. Years ago, I spent an entire summer transcribing solos and guitar music for hours and hours on end! I would play them over and over again at half speed, then write them down in tablature or notation to the best of my ability. Looking back, I realized that about 30–40% of those transcriptions were actually wrong 😛! However, the process of learning how to transcribe and notate really helped me a lot!

2. Recording

Recording my playing and musical ideas has also been invaluable. When I was in my teens, I used to carry around a Sony Walkman everywhere I went, so if an idea popped into my head, I would just sing it into the recorder! The same goes for when I was practicing and playing the guitar. And you know what? Several of those ideas actually ended up on my Rock/Fusion CDs — 15 years later!

3. Tablature

Another thing that has been incredibly helpful for me is writing down my own musical ideas in tablature. I kept a detailed Lick Diary (on actual paper) of any lick or idea that came to mind. Later, I would go back and see how to develop those ideas. For example, if I came up with a cool arpeggio with string skipping, I would try it out in different positions or inversions to see what sounded interesting. This approach helped me discover several things that really sparked my interest.

I know these things may not sound like a big deal, but they’ve helped me develop my style and musical identity over time. And the best part is that they can help you too! So give them a try and see how they can enhance your guitar journey. Keep strumming and keep rocking!

I hope this was helpful. You can watch the video below, where I explain this topic in more detail. If you’re interested in developing your guitar skills and reaching your music goals, please check the different Elite Guitar Coaching Academy packages and how you can get private coaching from me.