It being the first post of the new year, I suppose I ought to be talking about practicing resolutions, or guitar playing goals, or something like that. In theory, I'm certainly a fan of the reboot, the dramatic plan, the epic self-styled makeover,...

Blues In C, Blues In E, Blues In The Back Of An Odyssey

Happy 2018! Personally, I decided to celebrate the new year by moving Studio Fretboard to new premises. Well, perhaps "decided" is not exactly the mot juste. The building I'd been working...

So I'm trying to learn how to play the piano. I tried once before, my sophomore year in college, and one semester was enough to send me scrambling back to the guitar. "At least," I thought, "my two hands are both focused on doing one thing...

Western Swing Chords On The Blues

I was listening to Leo Sidran's podcast The Third Story this week, in particular his interview with pianist and harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy. It's a great interview, including, among other things, Levy's...

Jazz Algebra

The little mom 'n pop music store where I took guitar lessons in high school is a real estate office now. And Jeff W., my high school guitar teacher, is still around but, as continuing evidence of the immense aura of wisdom that...