In regards to soloing, A common routine for many guitarists to get into is to want to play everything they know at any given chance. I guess I have not been completely guilt free in this department,but I have learned over trial and experience to compose, build a solo, keep a solo interesting……I hope…… maybe I can offer a few tips to help break this habit.
I’ve seen it time and time again that a guitarist will start to solo and after a couple ‘bloopers” or slightly errant choices of notes or phrases, begins to shut out the rest of the world and tries to get to the “magical feeling of playing a great solo” by spewing everything he or she can think that might work. And 9 times out of ten it only gets worse. And they seem to think just one more time through the form of their solo they might get it. “ooops, left out one lick that I know will work”….
Then again maybe its just the learning process, a process every guitarist goes through, and maybe I see more of it in a more concentrated form since I teach every week at Musician’s Institute. After all, music school is that time in your life when you “are” trying to cram everything you have just learned into every solo. Got to figure it out at your own speed, in your own time.
But there are a few things to help make those solos a bit more musical…immediately….I hope…
a. Start your solo slow…I mean really slow. Realize that whole notes and rests are “your friends”……the best solos in history are great not because of how many notes were played, but WHAT was played…..(I mean there are exceptions where speed is cool and that’s all that is needed, but for the other 98% of the musical spectrum……..)
b. sing along, make sure the melody, the simple motifs are coming from your heart, not from practiced scales….
c. Build on those simple motifs…..I learned long ago, and I still practice now, to take a small idea and work it everywhere I can on the fret board…..hold the interest of the listener..take them on a journey, build it to the fast stuff at the peak of the solo….
d. try to get outside yourself….I mean do what ever it takes, a deep breath, make eye contact with your audience…often when you close up and turn inward…you tune out the crowd….but you need that connection with the listeners, that “feedback loop” with the audience to get to that next level…you can still be focused, “in the zone” and connect with other people in the room…..Keith Jarrett is a great example of focused genius…..introspective,inspired,passionate…..although it seems like he is blocking out the entire world, I think it is the opposite. He’s pulling everyone listening through a musical journey, and totally feeds on their energy.
From my experience…as soon as I tell a student to sing along, slow down, build…..they immediately are more musical. And this is nothing you have to practice….at least not with scales or a metronome…it’s a mindset that can make soloing a lot more musical, meaningful and fun…..In this sense…more than not…’less IS more”….
Allen Hinds

The value and satisfaction of performing your original music live….

I think a landmark event in my life was when I played my first gig of my own music. And what a learning process it has been over the last several years. I will guarantee that if you are a guitarist, in this competitive world today, playing your own music is one of the most satisfying things you can do. More than just a gig here or there with someone else’s music, or more than just playing a good solo, performing your own music will teach you a lot about yourself and mean more to you and the listener in the long run.
It took me years to finally get the courage to perform my music live. Why? I have been playing professionally for 30 years before.I  definitely was not afraid of performing on stage…no, I think, looking back, it was the fear  of possibly failing that kept me from doing it for a long while. I remember thinking to myself…”what if nobody likes my music”. I believe this is a familiar fear many guitarists have. They sit on their music and never finish it, or never play a live gig with their original music, for fear no one will like it. It’s much safer to just dream about it, and let people wonder….  But believe me, knowing that your own music can excite a crowd full of people has to be one of the most rewarding feeling ever. Hey, you are never going to please everyone, that is for sure, but I will bet that no matter what you think of your own music, there will be someone out there who wants to hear it. But once again, you will never know until you put it out there!
You learn so much….like, which songs work, which songs don’t, and why. How can I arrange this song better, how to book the band… who is appropriate on drums…, bass, etc. I have learned that just because someone is the “hottest” guy around doesn’t mean he or she is right for the gig. Talking on a microphone can be scary at first. But you just have to go for it. After a few times it gets easier and easier, believe me.! This introspection is a healthy process. You can overcome fears by taking them on..
But what I want to say is…..and it sounds simple…”just do it”……for all the reasons….Organizing your music…writing charts, putting them in the appropriate order,rehearsing the band, booking gigs, all this can tell you a lot about who you are. And is the best way to improve in a  lot of ways.

I have had the privilege to go to Japan several times to play my own music. And I perform regularly in Los Angeles at the Baked Potato. Usually I perform to a predominantly “guitar based” audience. But a few weeks ago I was able to play a Jazz festival in Portland Oregon, to a mixed crowd, probably 99.9% NOT guitarists. I was really concerned that we may not be able to reach many people, especially since they were mostly not musicians. But soon after we began we could tell that the audience really liked it. We were a big “hit”. Nothing beats that remarkable feeling of reaching people through music. And to do it to a mostly non-musician crowd was an extra rewarding feeling.
And besides all this….there are a thousand guitarists who can play a great solo, or who are really funky, or get great sounds..whatever……..but to write a song and see it come into fruition and then see it accepted by people of all walks of life, now that to me is something. A real feeling of accomplishment. Again, everyone is not going to like everything, but I think if you are one of the many hesitant to put your own band together, you will be surprised at how many people willreally dig your stuff.
Sometimes you can analyze things in life too much..maybe the fear of failing is one. You have to just get out there and play your stuff…dont wait until you are 50 years old. It will teach you a lot about yourself, make you a better musician, and at the end of the day, make you a better person.

Allen Hinds

“Staying positive”….keeping confident without being arrogant…
If I was to point to one factor that all successful guitarists have in common, it’s that they are all confidant. Not necessarily  “cocky” or “arrogant” but, very sure of themselves. How can you the guitarist become more confident. Well, that can be more difficult from person to person, for sure. But, here is a start.
I have so many students that are decent players, but when they come in to play with me, or when they perform in front of others, a common bad habit they fall into is, to make a bad face when they think they mess up.
notice I said when they “think” they’ve messed up.
How many times have you thought you had a bad night playing guitar only to hear a recording and realize it wasn’t so bad..or the opposite, thinking you had a great night and cringe while listening back to a replay.
We often think that just because we aren’t creating exactly what we hear in our head at the time of performing, that it must not be so good. And the first way we let the world know we feel this way is by making a face that says..”oh that was bad i am no good”…
I see that face  everyday…A student will be playing, then maybe falter a bit, maybe a shakey note…but then he or she automatically makes a terrible face.
Now I have always been bad about this myself, so I know what’s at work here….
a few things..
#1. 95% of the audience listens with their eyes as well as their ears…don’t convince them of something that they wouldn’t have noticed had you not made that face.
#2. Habits add up.. if you make this face every time you mess up, every day,every week, at the end of 12 short months you have a year of negative actions..that only hurts your confidence level. think if it had been all positive faces…that adds up too….
#3. The good news is, this is something you dont have to practice..this is not music theory or a melodic minor scale….it’s an attitude that you can change today, that will make a huge difference in the long run..
Like I said, I have had many students become successful through the years… the one thing they all have in common…they stay positive, they don’t make a bad face when they mess up…..this is the first step to staying positive, and believing in yourself…….everything is connected.
everyone messes up…..everyone……but instead of getting mad at yourself…..smile, laugh it off, its over and move on in a positive way…
this will pay great dividends in the long run….believe me…
Allen Hinds

photo by Shu Kitada

How much and what should I practice??….
people ask me quite often, “how many hours a day do you practice?”.”what do you practice?”…
I think this is all a very important balance. I’ve read before that Jeff Beck doesn’t practice that often, or I remember reading about others who would practice for 6 or 8 hours a day and have a very strict schedule of what to practice.
I think everyone’s approach is different, but one thing is for sure is to make sure the “quality” of your practice time is productive.
It’s very easy to sit down and play  around with the same ideas or the same licks you’ve been playing for years. Be aware of what you are practicing. I think for the first 20 minutes or so it’s okay to “noodle” or just run the same ideas that you already know, but after you are warmed up, push yourself to try something new.
Even on a live gig, if I find myself running the same ideas over and over, I try to utilize a different part of my brain. Just do something different, use a different pickup, use my fingers and no pick, use 2 note double stops..or a shot of tequila..(not for everyone) but..ANYTHING to shake your senses and get the “creative juices” flowing.
I play my best when my technique is up, but not practiced too much to burn me out.
My balance is sometimes kept just by doing a lot of gigs. Sometimes that is enough to keep my “chops” up. But if I am not working much, then I have to practice at least a few hours every couple days..at least…….but the key is balance. I use the game of tennis as a balance for my music world. When I play tennis I forget about guitar..so when I do pick up my guitar I am fresh. I read that Jeff Beck works on his Hot Rod cars. I believe it is important to have something to take your mind off of guitar to balance and to keep the fresh ideas alive.
So although everyone is different, I would recommend some other time and mind consuming hobby. Reading is a great way to escape.  Or try this, I sometimes try odd tunings. open tunings. This helps me approach guitar in an unorthodox way. When you tune your guitar to a new tuning (open E or G chord) you can not form the same chords you have come to play automatically.
So find a balance. There is a saying..”all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
Really is true for guitar players too..
till next time…..
Allen Hinds

It don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got that swing)” although first written ( Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, sung by Ella Fitzgerald) in 1931 is still relevant in today’s modern playing.
I remember when I was first out of Musician’s Inst.  way back in 1986. I got a call for my first recording session. I was all ready, I had my Alan Holdsworth type legato licks, I could play over “Giant Steps” pretty well then too….so I thought I was ready..
In 1986 drum machines were a bit crude,  so it really sounded like a “machine” … I went to the studio,they turned on the song I was to play to…it was a hip hop groove…I had no idea what to play….after this embarrassing moment, I went straight home and started listening to rhythm guitarists…Paul jackson jr.Wah Wah Watson, old Rufus albums, James Brown..anything that was funky i tried to learn, just like I had learned single note solo lines the year before.
I think my funkiest friends on guitar, are the guys who started playing funky with bands early in their career. A lot of my black friends in Alabama or even in Los Angeles, had begun playing in churches when they were little kids…so.. it was built in, a natural thing for them to play “in the pocket” to play “funky”……and here is an interesting point…
99% of what you will play as a professional will be rhythm guitar. Whether you are playing with Stevie Wonder,Maroon 5, or Garth Brooks..one thing their guitarists all have in common is that they all play great rhythm guitar…….
The best way  to improve your rhythm playing is, once again, transcribe…..just listen to different things…listen to funky players… and RECORD yourself when you practice with a drum machine….
the best way to get rid of bad habits is to be aware of them. I compare it to hearing your own voice on your telephone answering machine…always sounds strange and bad……….so listen back to your practices…make notes on what gives you problems…you will immediately begin to make changes for the better….
see you next blog
Allen Hinds

me in 1975

I have learned by watching and listening that some players seem to have a great “touch” ….More than others. By “touch” I mean a good feeling, a good pleasing tone, attack, musical release of each note… It’s not about technique, or choice of notes, but some players can just simply take a few notes and make so much with them. I think that often a major factor in this is the left hand. (if you are a right handed player). Wether it is Scott Henderson or Jimi Hendrix, Robben Ford or Pat Metheny, I believe one contributing factor is the strength and control they possess with their left hand. It is the hand that is constantly on the fretboard, Constantly on the note….
1. for an exercise, try playing the same scales you always play, but try not to pick at all with your right hand. Try to articulate the scale notes only hammering on. This can help develop the strength in your left hand.
2.  Try applying vibrato to each note,but not by bending laterally across the fret board in the conventional way, but rather try squeezing the notes in between the frets horizontally… pressing on any note, squeezing towards the headstock and then squeezing the same note towards the bridge. This gives a violin or a vocal type of vibrato because the pitch goes above and below the principle note. And it builds strength in the left hand as well.
or also,
3. try singing along with your playing. many of my students learn the correct scales but still have a hard time creating a good feeling melody. As a student it’s understandable that they often are concentrating on scales and technique rather than melody and feel. But when I ask them to sing along with themselves. they often immediately begin to phrase better.
4. Transcribe..Transcribe..Transcribe……. and not only to learn what notes were played, but try to emulate, copy the feel, tone, and the touch of expressive players….compare yourself, listen to your recordings of yourself….do you sound exactly like “Robben ” or whoever…..the end result is not to mimc another player the rest of your life,, no, only to understand how great players can say so much with so few notes. That is what you want. If you take from one it is “stealing”….take from many it’s “research”..
Allen Hinds

We should talk about tone for a minute.. I must get 10 emails a week asking how I get my tone…
a few observations…….
#1…”it’s mostly in your hands”
I’ve had other guitarists sit in with me, play my guitars or use the same gear…and we all sound so different…how can that be..same guitar, same amp………So SO much can be tweaked by little things…..how you pick, the angle of the pick, the material of the pick, where you strike the note..near the bridge? near the neck?…how hard do you squeeze the note, (with your left hand, if you are right handed)……it’s mostly in your hands……

#2..”little adjustments add up”
…….my little brother used to race Bicycles…and he used to shave his legs…for less wind resistance… I asked him once…”does that really make such a difference?” he said “no, not by itself….but with everything combined…..the proper posture, the suit, the helmet, the spokes…on down the line….all together the whole package makes a difference…
I think guitar is similar…you may have a nice brazilian fretboard, and good pickups….but if you put a “floyd Rose..or similar locking system on it…it might negate the fine wood….
everything makes a difference..maybe by themselves…minor.(of course installing a floyd rose type vibrato is a MAJOR change)…maybe titanium or “raw vintage” saddles, or tuning keys, or nut saddle material…all make a small difference individually… but when you add them all together with…….good wood, nice pickups, a good setup…then you get the accumulative effect…..small things add up…….

Amplifiers of course matter too…but if you haven’t produced a decent tone before it gets to the amp, there is a small chance the amp will make a big change.

good luck, remember small things make a difference yes, but added up , many small adjustments can make a BIG difference to your tone…experiment!!…..find out what your favorite players use..then go from there…………..
until you find your “sweet spot”

Allen Hinds