Category Archives: Guitar Tips and Tricks

Guitar Slides – Choosing The Right One For You

Guitarists have been using guitar slides for over a century to produce crying, wailing sounds, chunky rhythms, and sweet, vocal-like tones. These little tubes of glass, metal or ceramic that slide onto your finger open up a whole new world of sounds and techniques on both acoustic and electric guitars.  As you’ll soon find out, […]

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Can Amplification Impact Repetitive Motion Issues?

Introduction Ken Donnell, a lifetime musician and master luthier, is the foremost authority on “close-mic” applications for stringed musical instruments. (The field of using “close-mics” involves placing miniature microphones directly on to, or inside of, an instrument for amplification or recording.)Ken holds the original patents in this field of audio engineering, and continues to manage […]

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Performance Anxiety, Part 6: More on Creating Durable Memorization

A series of articles beginning with Part 1. Introduction Veteran performer, Strings By Mail owner, and guitar teacher for 15 years at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, John Wunsch presents a series of articles on alleviating performance anxiety. Controlling Performance AnxietyPart 6: More on Creating Durable Memorization by John Wunsch (Originally published in Mel […]

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Performance Anxiety, Part 5: Creating Durable Memorization

A series of articles beginning with Part 1. Introduction Veteran performer, Strings By Mail owner, and guitar teacher for 15 years at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, John Wunsch presents a series of articles on alleviating performance anxiety. Controlling Performance AnxietyPart 5: Creating Durable Memorization by John Wunsch (Originally published in Mel Bay’s Guitar […]

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Performance Anxiety, Part 4: Reducing the Likelihood of Anxiety

Performance Anxiety, Part 2: Building the Bridge

Introduction Veteran performer, Strings By Mail owner, and guitar teacher for 15 years at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, John Wunsch presents a series of articles on alleviating performance anxiety. A series of articles beginning with Part 1. Controlling Performance Anxiety, Part 4: Reducing the Likelihood of Anxiety by John Wunsch (Originally published in […]

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Performance Anxiety, Part 3: Reasonable Expectations “Taking the Long View”

Performance Anxiety, Part 2: Building the Bridge

Introduction Veteran performer, Strings By Mail owner, and guitar teacher for 15 years at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, John Wunsch presents a series of articles on alleviating performance anxiety. A series of articles beginning with Part 1. Controlling Performance Anxiety, Part 3: Reasonable Expectations “Taking the Long View” by John Wunsch (Originally published […]

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Performance Anxiety, Part 1: Setting the Stage for Success

Performance Anxiety, Part 2: Building the Bridge

Introduction With colleges and universities convening nationwide, October seems the appropriate time to begin a new instructional series for the Strings By Mail Articles page. Veteran performer, Strings By Mail owner, and guitar teacher for 15 years at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, John Wunsch presents a series of articles on alleviating performance anxiety. […]

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Learning and Remembering the Notes on the Guitar

My Struggle & How I Triumphed:  Learning and Remembering the Notes on the Guitar – without the Struggle  by Philip Glaser     Editor’s note – Solid reading skills are the key to using the many fine available Etudes, these cards will jump start anyone’s efforts to establish excellent reading skills, as Philip’s story makes […]

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