Ian, I spoke to you and Sean on a radio spot last year. I told you my wife gave me the go ahead to purchase a new Strat. This was mainly due to my improvement because of your lessons. While improving on my new Elite Strat, my family said, "You sound like you know how to play!" LOL I can not thank you enough. Keep up these wonderful lessons. Your friend, Jerry.
I’ve watch them all on You Tube teaching guitar and you are in the cream of the crop. Your method of teaching is so clear and precise. I’ve learned so much from you….. THANK YOU!!!
I take a lesson from you everyday.What I like is you seem down to earth.You’ve taught me is if you make a mistake laugh it off and try it again,it will come. Michael from Orillia,Ontario.🎸😊🎶
I'm 61, I met my first Ampex MM1000 when I was 13. My first job was to listen. I was bitten by a Telecaster. You are the best guitar teacher I've ever heard. The importance of singing, humming, and whistling, is under appreciated. Aces, you are Aces. I liked it so much I am going to subscribe. I am a brutal percussive guitar player. I'm a framer with a 24 oz hammer. I hear what you're saying. Bravo.
Clicked on this on a whim and am pleased that I did. I really appreciate what I guess I would call your wholistic approach to the instrument. Keep it up!
I have found that recording myself and immediately listening/watching back allows me to catch what needs work better than listening just listening while playing.
That’s very helpful to be more aware of smooth and appropriate transitions with singing the melody. I find I’m immediately more aware of the music, the coordination with left and right hand, the clarity of the note due to focus on the right string pressure /fingering. Hey it sounds better.
Thank you for the scale practice, it helped me to notice some of my finger work issues and after practising a few minutes it did improve my finger pressure on the strings as well (more fluid).
man, i was thinking about those concepts yesterday, and today you uploaded the exact trouble i've been struggling with... masterful teacher indeed, Ian
Yes! How not to sound choppy and clunky ~ that's what I need. Thanks for explaining and clearly demonstrating how choppy/clunky happens (sometimes it's hard to figure out what you're doing wrong) and how to play legato correctly. "Ba" vs "Do" ~ very helpful to me. Such a good lesson.
Hello Stich, although I don't play a Guitar it's so lovely to see and listen to a professional playing and explaining as you go, brilliant Stich 👍👍. Best wishes Geoff Lewis Wales UK 🏴.
Simple, but spot-on as usual... Love Take 5. Another similar type song to practice on is Spooky or The Story in Your Eyes, both with cool bass runs, then staccato notes. Thanks Ian.
A couple months ago I took a lesson and the instructor noticed when I soloed I was leaving a note slightly before I played the next note, leading to a lot of choppiness. I got that all cleaned up and my playing has improved a lot just since then. I'm 5 years into the guitar and I'm starting to sound really OK.
Please keep up the improvisation lessons, I'm a lot more interested in learning that than note for note copying. With your help I finally feel like things are starting to click.
This is such a great and important Practice tip. As an old coffin dodger, my fingers don't quite work like they used to, so I'm sure this will help and keep me from getting lazy in my playing. Kevin O'Rourke
Great lesson!!! Thanks!!! Your lesson on the linear pentatonic pattern made then light bulbs go on for me!!! I am playing solo riffs and melodies on my electric ukulele, now!!! This is a great lesson, too. I will definitely work on these skills on my ukes.
Great lesson Stich. I did subscribe. You seem to have some good ideas that I haven't heard covered before. You make sense. I'll be working on this stuff because I think you pointed out some weak spots in my game. Thanks so much.
Gosh some of those things I had done but didn't know what I was doing and you help me improve it and that beautiful melodic that thing you came up with that about at the 8:50 maybe 9 was spectacular that was really good. You helped me a lot I enjoy your videos thank you very much for making these and taking your time to teach us guitar players to enjoy it more and get diverse and not stuck in a rut thank you.
Thanks Ian. Been struggling to get into the practice mode lately. Just been playing along to rock smith. It’s fun but it doesn’t really push me to work on technique. Will be jumping into the Patreon channel soon.
Great lesson! Stumbled into it. I really like the main exercise in the backend that's almost sweeping; the legato finger run that cycles nicely. You know it! Anyway, while it's great for the smoothness exercise as you taught, it's also a great finger exercise. I expect I'll be playing this to TV all week and by next week I'll be sweep picking it, shredder style, just from sheer repitition! It's nice to have something to noodle with that's not pentatonic. Edit: P.S,I subscribed just so I don't lose you in Utube land!
Thanks for this great lesson on technique/practice Ian! I can do them all, but still need practice on the 1st one--that was the hardest for me. Also, love the legato over Gmin that you taught!
After years of playing it as a Barr chord I found it difficult to play the one note and then add the other notes. What I learnt after playing this was my nails were too long LOL, and much biting had to be done to solve this problem.
Great lesson. The I IV V minor VI progression (with variations in the order) is a classic. There are so many songs that use it, "Let It Be" by the Beatles being one of the best known. There's a great video by Axis of Awesome on here about it. I don't usually have problems playing legato (my problem is speed but that's an age thing!) but I'll certainly try out your ideas.
wow, very cool. 2 years late to the discussion. I really think the point about being able to "sing" a part in your head is something worth a good ammount of self-study. For smoothness, but also for melody ideas and improv, and so much more. I do often use vocal lines as a starting point as I explore more lead work....but piano or keyboard lines are great too, horn lines....even percussion.....being able to sing these or play them in my mind has been a key that unlocked a lot of stuff and I'm willing to bet there is a ocean of learning there that I've not even considered. Great content, again. thank you! peace-- mtgirl
If anyone else out there is incredibly thankful for Ian’s lessons and your curious about the patreon thing, do it! There is so much more extra content he is doing for each video. Plus you get the handouts etc. I’m not affiliated with stitch. Just a guy who was frustrated with not finding a teacher who could make sense of things the way I need to be taught.
THE MISSING PART OF THE JIGSAW PUZZLE! . Took me ages to work this out when I was first learning. REALLY important in making your playing sound musical.
Smooth indeed. I just like your methods of muscle memory and detail between the left and right hand. I mean I don't expect much because I've had two forms of arthritis since 21, I've had severe carpal tunnel, tendonitis and a chronic painful left thumb and ball joint. But I'm too stubborn, however I don't expect a whole lot since i didn't start this until the age of .....a young 52 - 53 yr. As long as I can not be disappointed by my own playing and I can play around my fire pit, I'll be a happy camper.
Can establishing legato be considered in terms of establishing, "ionization" among sounds? "Ionization" would be all those little nano-electric particles that make a silky connection among notes.
Hi, Stitch. I found your videos two days ago. Really enjoy them. I'm being a bit nit-picky here, but in this lesson you are stopping notes with your fretting hand. But, in another lesson you explain why that is a common mistake made by guitar players. Do you think a discussion on the difference between stopping notes with the fret hand (or fretting fingers) vs palm muting with the picking/strumming hand, might benefit your students? Also, I tried to explain the difference between legato, staccato (which you have shown extremely well in this lesson), and spiccato on guitar. I have a few guitar students and had a violin player ask me how to play spiccato on guitar. After thinking about it, I told her that legato is "la, la, la"; staccato is "dot, dot, dot"; spiccato is "bop, bop, bop" and played with a hard strike by plucking/strumming hand, and with a quick and forceful stop with both hands (lift fretting fingers, while palm muting with strumming hands. Any chance you have a better way to explain spiccato on guitar?
The C-Am-F-G progression is the Ionian mode correct? So would I use the major scale or major pentatonic for soloing improvisation? Or a combination of the two? There are so many great songs from the 50s and 60s that use that chord progression. Stand By Me and Last Kiss instantly come to mind.
Hmm, I can do this easily ...but I still don't sound smooth ; ) The first exercise made me come up with a slightly harder version, play the bass note, the chord ...and then release the rest of the chord and have the bass still ringing, I still find it rather easy but it's a very good exercise and I wouldn't have thought of that myself, thanks!
yup.. my playing is not smooth. .right now it sounds like my old Buick, squeals and bad timing.. an all around bumpy ride.. thanks for the tune up with these tips:)
This is great! I love that you teach the students to know to sing, hum, or think the melody! One thought I had while watching was... instead of "da/du" sound for legato, maybe a "la." The "la" seems even more legato (softer without the percussive sound of the d. But either one is better than the Ba :)
Stitch you're starting to tap into treys sustain secrets. I think alot of folks credit treys sustain to his hollowbody and gear, but i also believe you NEED to have this clean guitar playing technique infused into your muscle memory. I mean how else does trey hit the YEM note so well all the time, divided sky etc. Thanks alot for these lessons!
I’ve been watching yours/ Sean Daniel modal videos; can the modes start on the Dorian note on the A string? I’m thinking that as long as the notes following are in the scale, everything is good? Or does matter? Because of dissonance created by note off key, And as long as I play tonic after? I like your smooth video, ty
This is crazy hard because my index finger pokes above the fretboard in order to get the B string to stop buzzing with barre chords...what should I do?
Ian, I spoke to you and Sean on a radio spot last year. I told you my wife gave me the go ahead to purchase a new Strat. This was mainly due to my improvement because of your lessons. While improving on my new Elite Strat, my family said, "You sound like you know how to play!" LOL I can not thank you enough. Keep up these wonderful lessons. Your friend, Jerry.
I’ve watch them all on You Tube teaching guitar and you are in the cream of the crop. Your method of teaching is so clear and precise. I’ve learned so much from you….. THANK YOU!!!
That’s really kind. Thank you
I take a lesson from you everyday.What I like is you seem down to earth.You’ve taught me is if you make a mistake laugh it off and try it again,it will come.
Michael from Orillia,Ontario.🎸😊🎶
When i first started guitar i hated watching vids like this but after about 8 months of learning, this stuff is interesting and fun to watch.
I'm 61, I met my first Ampex MM1000 when I was 13.
My first job was to listen.
I was bitten by a Telecaster.
You are the best guitar teacher I've ever heard. The importance of singing, humming, and whistling, is under appreciated. Aces, you are Aces. I liked it so much I am going to subscribe. I am a brutal percussive guitar player. I'm a framer with a 24 oz hammer.
I hear what you're saying. Bravo.
You are by far one of the best improvisation teachers on YT. I am trying at impro and the way you teach is connecting...Thanks 😊
Clicked on this on a whim and am pleased that I did. I really appreciate what I guess I would call your wholistic approach to the instrument. Keep it up!
I have found that recording myself and immediately listening/watching back allows me to catch what needs work better than listening just listening while playing.
That’s very helpful to be more aware of smooth and appropriate transitions with singing the melody. I find I’m immediately more aware of the music, the coordination with left and right hand, the clarity of the note due to focus on the right string pressure /fingering. Hey it sounds better.
Self taught off youtube. Played for over 12 years. Your lessons are some of the best on youtube.
You’re so good at your job Mr. Stich. If I can get this stuff, anybody could.
Absolute beginner here. Thanks for the video.
You are one of my RUclips guitar playing guides.
Thank you for the scale practice, it helped me to notice some of my finger work issues and after practising a few minutes it did improve my finger pressure on the strings as well (more fluid).
man, i was thinking about those concepts yesterday, and today you uploaded the exact trouble i've been struggling with... masterful teacher indeed, Ian
Stitch, you're wonderful guitar teacher. Thank you
Yes! How not to sound choppy and clunky ~ that's what I need. Thanks for explaining and clearly demonstrating how choppy/clunky happens (sometimes it's hard to figure out what you're doing wrong) and how to play legato correctly. "Ba" vs "Do" ~ very helpful to me. Such a good lesson.
Hello Stich, although I don't play a Guitar it's so lovely to see and listen to a professional playing and explaining as you go, brilliant Stich 👍👍. Best wishes Geoff Lewis Wales UK 🏴.
What a great lesson! I know my playing often sounds choppy, sloppy even. This gives me a great way to start cleaning up my playing. Thanks!
This is a good follow-up to the Arpeggio-like playing of the scale and chord-tone options as discussed during the live workshop.
What was the video called
Simple, but spot-on as usual... Love Take 5. Another similar type song to practice on is Spooky or The Story in Your Eyes, both with cool bass runs, then staccato notes. Thanks Ian.
Fundamentals man- Great video.
A couple months ago I took a lesson and the instructor noticed when I soloed I was leaving a note slightly before I played the next note, leading to a lot of choppiness. I got that all cleaned up and my playing has improved a lot just since then. I'm 5 years into the guitar and I'm starting to sound really OK.
Hello, I just wanted to thank you personally for all your advice, it really helped stitch all those theory lessons together for me. You're amazing 👏 💖
Feels like I was sweep picking arpeggios there for a minute!!. Damn I make more progress with your videos than any other YT channel out there!
Please keep up the improvisation lessons, I'm a lot more interested in learning that than note for note copying. With your help I finally feel like things are starting to click.
I'm following along on acoustic :) Kind of tough :) Thank You for teaching us.
If you can't do these things, then you don't sound Grammy-Award Winning 1999 Hit Smooth By Santana Feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty on guitar.
i think it features c.santana on guitar and rob on vocals...ya think?
@@steveburchfield5576 LOL...thats a perfect response to a really stupid comment....
Great lesson. Your analogies crack me up.
AMAZING! Thank you again Stitch.
This is such a great and important Practice tip. As an old coffin dodger, my fingers don't quite work like they used to, so I'm sure this will help and keep me from getting lazy in my playing.
Kevin O'Rourke
I'm dodging coffins myself brother! It's all about the head fake
Coffin Dodger 🤣
Great lesson! Thank you so much for making and sharing this!
Great lesson!!! Thanks!!! Your lesson on the linear pentatonic pattern made then light bulbs go on for me!!! I am playing solo riffs and melodies on my electric ukulele, now!!! This is a great lesson, too. I will definitely work on these skills on my ukes.
Great lesson Stich. I did subscribe. You seem to have some good ideas that I haven't heard covered before. You make sense. I'll be working on this stuff because I think you pointed out some weak spots in my game. Thanks so much.
You are the best YT guitar 🎸 instructor,
Gosh some of those things I had done but didn't know what I was doing and you help me improve it and that beautiful melodic that thing you came up with that about at the 8:50 maybe 9 was spectacular that was really good. You helped me a lot I enjoy your videos thank you very much for making these and taking your time to teach us guitar players to enjoy it more and get diverse and not stuck in a rut thank you.
And you're a very personal man when you teach these lessons that makes it fun, you can really relate to us out here thank you.
Great lesson and nice choice of material. Thank you, you’re awesome!
Great lesson really makes u listen to what's being played and how it's played.
Those are really, really good exercises. I haven't been in so much pain for years!
as always stich you are the best teacher thank you!
Never thought about this. So very helpful. Thank you.
Thanks Ian. Been struggling to get into the practice mode lately. Just been playing along to rock smith. It’s fun but it doesn’t really push me to work on technique. Will be jumping into the Patreon channel soon.
Great lesson! Stumbled into it. I really like the main exercise in the backend that's almost sweeping; the legato finger run that cycles nicely. You know it! Anyway, while it's great for the smoothness exercise as you taught, it's also a great finger exercise. I expect I'll be playing this to TV all week and by next week I'll be sweep picking it, shredder style, just from sheer repitition! It's nice to have something to noodle with that's not pentatonic.
Edit: P.S,I subscribed just so I don't lose you in Utube land!
Great lesson as always, Mr. Stich!
Thanks for this great lesson on technique/practice Ian! I can do them all, but still need practice on the 1st one--that was the hardest for me. Also, love the legato over Gmin that you taught!
I am so grateful for you Stitch...B.K.M
After years of playing it as a Barr chord I found it difficult to play the one note and then add the other notes. What I learnt after playing this was my nails were too long LOL, and much biting had to be done to solve this problem.
Great lesson and timely. BTW love that guitar. I have a ‘79 LP natural grain.
Another great lesson thank you!
Great lesson 👍thanks for sharing your knowledge with us 👏👏🤠
Wow this is Great thank you for showing us this guy.
Great lesson. The I IV V minor VI progression (with variations in the order) is a classic. There are so many songs that use it, "Let It Be" by the Beatles being one of the best known. There's a great video by Axis of Awesome on here about it. I don't usually have problems playing legato (my problem is speed but that's an age thing!) but I'll certainly try out your ideas.
wow, very cool. 2 years late to the discussion. I really think the point about being able to "sing" a part in your head is something worth a good ammount of self-study. For smoothness, but also for melody ideas and improv, and so much more. I do often use vocal lines as a starting point as I explore more lead work....but piano or keyboard lines are great too, horn lines....even percussion.....being able to sing these or play them in my mind has been a key that unlocked a lot of stuff and I'm willing to bet there is a ocean of learning there that I've not even considered. Great content, again. thank you! peace-- mtgirl
Dude you are a zen master of guitar instruction! You might also mention to use a guitar/effects with a little sustain.
Awesome analogy! It’s the STICH STRETCH METHOD. :)
I watch your videos twice.. First without guitar second with..thanx Mr Stitch B.K.M
One of my favorite guitar teachers. Where were you when I was first learning?
Nice lesson and useful practise!
If anyone else out there is incredibly thankful for Ian’s lessons and your curious about the patreon thing, do it!
There is so much more extra content he is doing for each video. Plus you get the handouts etc.
I’m not affiliated with stitch. Just a guy who was frustrated with not finding a teacher who could make sense of things the way I need to be taught.
THE MISSING PART OF THE JIGSAW PUZZLE! . Took me ages to work this out when I was first learning. REALLY important in making your playing sound musical.
So simple, so useful and so well explained. Awesome and Thank You!
Smooth indeed.
I just like your methods of muscle memory and detail between the left and right hand. I mean I don't expect much because I've had two forms of arthritis since 21, I've had severe carpal tunnel, tendonitis and a chronic painful left thumb and ball joint.
But I'm too stubborn, however I don't expect a whole lot since i didn't start this until the age of .....a young 52 - 53 yr. As long as I can not be disappointed by my own playing and I can play around my fire pit, I'll be a happy camper.
Can establishing legato be considered in terms of establishing, "ionization" among sounds? "Ionization" would be all those little nano-electric particles that make a silky connection among notes.
Hi, Stitch. I found your videos two days ago. Really enjoy them. I'm being a bit nit-picky here, but in this lesson you are stopping notes with your fretting hand. But, in another lesson you explain why that is a common mistake made by guitar players. Do you think a discussion on the difference between stopping notes with the fret hand (or fretting fingers) vs palm muting with the picking/strumming hand, might benefit your students?
Also, I tried to explain the difference between legato, staccato (which you have shown extremely well in this lesson), and spiccato on guitar. I have a few guitar students and had a violin player ask me how to play spiccato on guitar. After thinking about it, I told her that legato is "la, la, la"; staccato is "dot, dot, dot"; spiccato is "bop, bop, bop" and played with a hard strike by plucking/strumming hand, and with a quick and forceful stop with both hands (lift fretting fingers, while palm muting with strumming hands. Any chance you have a better way to explain spiccato on guitar?
Absolutely great.
The C-Am-F-G progression is the Ionian mode correct? So would I use the major scale or major pentatonic for soloing improvisation? Or a combination of the two? There are so many great songs from the 50s and 60s that use that chord progression. Stand By Me and Last Kiss instantly come to mind.
Yes and yes
As a bass player I know exactly what you mean when you’re talking about staccato and legato. You’re lessons are fantastic 👍🏻
Excellent!!
Great stuff. This is very useful.
Thank you so much for the lesson.
kick ass lesson! thanks
so awesome! Thank you for the tip! See you on Patreon as i need more tips just like this!
10:34 You Enjoy Myself! Just before Boy, Man, God, Sheeeeit...
Perfect timing I`m practicing right now. Thanks brother. Hopefully we all inspire each other.
The wife has great art skills!!!
I didn't realise Tom segura played a mean guitar
Just riffin
Hey jeans
You are mistaken sir! Its David Cross in hinding.
This man follows proto
StichMethod keeps his jeans high and tight
Hmm, I can do this easily ...but I still don't sound smooth ; )
The first exercise made me come up with a slightly harder version, play the bass note, the chord ...and then release the rest of the chord and have the bass still ringing, I still find it rather easy but it's a very good exercise and I wouldn't have thought of that myself, thanks!
Great lesson!
yup.. my playing is not smooth. .right now it sounds like my old Buick, squeals and bad timing.. an all around bumpy ride.. thanks for the tune up with these tips:)
Very good lesson
This is great! I love that you teach the students to know to sing, hum, or think the melody! One thought I had while watching was... instead of "da/du" sound for legato, maybe a "la." The "la" seems even more legato (softer without the percussive sound of the d. But either one is better than the Ba :)
Stitch you're starting to tap into treys sustain secrets. I think alot of folks credit treys sustain to his hollowbody and gear, but i also believe you NEED to have this clean guitar playing technique infused into your muscle memory. I mean how else does trey hit the YEM note so well all the time, divided sky etc. Thanks alot for these lessons!
I just like what ur doing there..even if i dnt knw i like the sound 😉
thank you for explanations
Hey man huge fan of your work from Utah! Keep up the great advice friend
"go have fun watching another video..." then immediately gives you the finger. 6:48
😂
Pleeeese just tell me what the riff is from???
Ok what song is the arpeggio riff from? Not the Take 5 sequence...
If someone doesn’t answer. I’ll announce it on my live feed on Thursday evening
@@StichMethodGuitar YEM- Phish
Is that how one should do scale exercise?
*So much more valuable than the "Guess what's funky about this Strat!" clickbait type of video that is our usual fare on the Utube algorithm!
How many “o’s” do I need in “smooth” for this to work? 🤔
NICE voice!!
Mary Ann
Thank you
I’ve been watching yours/ Sean Daniel modal videos; can the modes start on the Dorian note on the A string? I’m thinking that as long as the notes following are in the scale, everything is good? Or does matter? Because of dissonance created by note off key, And as long as I play tonic after?
I like your smooth video, ty
Wonderful 🙏🏻
That Les Paul is stunning. Do you have a vid specifically talking about it?
HT Looks like a Gibson Custom Shop Blond 1967-68 reissue.
This is crazy hard because my index finger pokes above the fretboard in order to get the B string to stop buzzing with barre chords...what should I do?
Can you please tell me what that scale riff is at 10;30 is. I can't find it anywhere
You Enjoy Myself by Phish
Thanks
This is such a great lesson. I love your Patreon channel. I know that riff, but cannot place it. It is a classic. Any hints? Is it a one hit wonder?
Take Five
Really digging your house plants, and especially your 🍄