Ben Woolman: Fingerstyle Guitarist

What is technique? I like this Merriam-Webster definition the best:

A method of accomplishing a desired aim.

Developing and refining one's guitar technique is a lifelong evolution and absolutely essential to becoming a proficient player. Every day I am reminded…

Practitioners of American finger-style guitar very often use alternate tunings, that is, tune the guitar strings to pitches other than what is known as standard tuning (EADGBE). Alternate tunings can be realized by changing one string or all six. In…

The rules of the road for writing and music composition

1. Get to the point.
2. Speak the truth.
3. Real emotion will carry the work.
4. Focus.
5. You can never be too specific.
6. Read out loud.
7. Listen.
8. Think rhythmic flow and variation.
9. Ask…

It was the great Benjamin Verdery who said (paraphrasing), "Never ever be afraid to go back to the basics of playing the guitar." I have been ruminating over this comment ever since I heard it during a master class at…

For the concert guitarist, a background gig is a grind. They are a work of necessity, well paid functional playing, essentially, music as a service. Period. Whether it be a restaurant, wine bar, cocktail party, etc. it is no place…

Remember what it was like when you first started playing the guitar and experienced those first doses of success? Everything was so exciting and new, and you just wanted to play, constantly! You didn’t need to be taught how to…