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There’s a massive difference between “the best” and who was the most influential. Tommy Emmanuel, for example, could possibly be ranked #1 on the best list. Few would argue. Well, I might… I’d probably say; shared with Bob Brozman, Django Reinhardt, and Michael Hedges....

The Most Influential Acoustic Guitar Players

There’s a massive difference between “the best” and who was the most influential. Tommy Emmanuel, for example, could possibly be ranked #1 on the best list. Few would argue. Well, I might… I’d probably say; shared with Bob Brozman, Django Reinhardt, and Michael Hedges....

The first tip you’ll come across when you start learning guitar is to use songbooks. These will have the lyrics with chords printed above certain words. These days, most find this stuff online on websites such as e-chords.com. In some books and on some...

The Biggest Beginner Mistakes on Acoustic Guitar

The first tip you’ll come across when you start learning guitar is to use songbooks. These will have the lyrics with chords printed above certain words. These days, most find this stuff online on websites such as e-chords.com. In some books and on some...

There are so many elements to consider when learning to play guitar… You got all the scale and harmony stuff to understand and map out the fret board with as well as songs to study and learn. I’ve spent years teaching this, writing college...

Improve your fretting speed – Learn to play guitar faster

There are so many elements to consider when learning to play guitar… You got all the scale and harmony stuff to understand and map out the fret board with as well as songs to study and learn. I’ve spent years teaching this, writing college...

After launching the new version of Spytunes just a couple of days ago, I sent an email to all my current subscribers as I immediately had to switch them over to this new login, members system. This was off course my first, top priority....

New Spytunes – First Testimonial

After launching the new version of Spytunes just a couple of days ago, I sent an email to all my current subscribers as I immediately had to switch them over to this new login, members system. This was off course my first, top priority....

Watch This Video John Mayer – Someday I’ll Fly In Someday I’ll Fly John Mayer himself talks about his early years, how he signed his first record deal and everything that happened following his instant success. In his own words, Someday I’ll Fly is...

Someday I’ll Fly

Watch This Video John Mayer – Someday I’ll Fly In Someday I’ll Fly John Mayer himself talks about his early years, how he signed his first record deal and everything that happened following his instant success. In his own words, Someday I’ll Fly is...

Watch This Video B.B. King – The Life Of Riley I’ve seen many documentaries and films based on artists life. Ray, the story of Ray Charles or What’s Love Got To Do With It about Tina Turner first coming to mind. I’ve also read...

The Life Of Riley

Watch This Video B.B. King – The Life Of Riley I’ve seen many documentaries and films based on artists life. Ray, the story of Ray Charles or What’s Love Got To Do With It about Tina Turner first coming to mind. I’ve also read...

My guitar playing journey went like this: Classical Acoustic Guitar – Electric Guitar – Acoustic Steel String – Electric Guitar – Bass – Electric Guitar. During that journey, I bought a lot of equipment. I also sold pretty much all of it. When I...

Why I sold the Axe-Fx

My guitar playing journey went like this: Classical Acoustic Guitar – Electric Guitar – Acoustic Steel String – Electric Guitar – Bass – Electric Guitar. During that journey, I bought a lot of equipment. I also sold pretty much all of it. When I...

Watch This Video Paco De Lucia, John Mclaughlin, Al Di Meola – Mediterranean Sundance According to The Independent, A legend leaves us Paco De Lucia died of a heart attack when on a beach in Cancun, playing with his children. By many seen as...

Paco de Lucia dies of heart attack

Watch This Video Paco De Lucia, John Mclaughlin, Al Di Meola – Mediterranean Sundance According to The Independent, A legend leaves us Paco De Lucia died of a heart attack when on a beach in Cancun, playing with his children. By many seen as...

Watch This Video Guitar Repairs Brighton – Pedro Martins Brighton’s Best Guitar Repairs Well, it’s not actually a new service, but Pedro of Guitar Repairs Brighton have finally gotten himself a website! I’ve used Pedro’s services for many years now and I’m happy to...

Guitar Repairs Brighton

Watch This Video Guitar Repairs Brighton – Pedro Martins Brighton’s Best Guitar Repairs Well, it’s not actually a new service, but Pedro of Guitar Repairs Brighton have finally gotten himself a website! I’ve used Pedro’s services for many years now and I’m happy to...

Watch This Video Carol Kaye – Interview Carol Kaye on Jazz and simplifying in the studio Regular Spy Tunes student Jeff from the Caribbean Island Grenada just sent me this 1 hour 10 min interview with Carol Kaye. It’s so brilliant I felt I...

An Interview with Carol Kaye

Watch This Video Carol Kaye – Interview Carol Kaye on Jazz and simplifying in the studio Regular Spy Tunes student Jeff from the Caribbean Island Grenada just sent me this 1 hour 10 min interview with Carol Kaye. It’s so brilliant I felt I...

There’s a new Guitar Conspiracy available, I’ve updated it. When I do this to one of the eBooks I always send it out to everyone who bought it, as a free update. Here’s one of the emails I had back from Frédéric: “Thanks a...

A Spytunes Method Testimonial

There’s a new Guitar Conspiracy available, I’ve updated it. When I do this to one of the eBooks I always send it out to everyone who bought it, as a free update. Here’s one of the emails I had back from Frédéric: “Thanks a...

Here are 7 iconic amps you might wanna try out before you spend your hard-earned cash on a new electric guitar amp. Fender Super Reverb Strat lovers look no further! If you and your bandmates can cope with the volume and your playing isn’t...

7 Iconic Guitar Amps to try before you buy

Here are 7 iconic amps you might wanna try out before you spend your hard-earned cash on a new electric guitar amp. Fender Super Reverb Strat lovers look no further! If you and your bandmates can cope with the volume and your playing isn’t...

Watch This Video Cells – A Time And A Place New Brighton band I’ve said it before, I try my hardest to not promote bands I like, I want to keep my focus on teaching you how to learn guitar, not telling the world...

Cells – A Time And A Place

Watch This Video Cells – A Time And A Place New Brighton band I’ve said it before, I try my hardest to not promote bands I like, I want to keep my focus on teaching you how to learn guitar, not telling the world...

Watch This Video House Of Hats – Live House Of Hats at the Brunswick It’s not every Saturday that I’m gig less, so when House of Hats played the Brunswick last night under their themed night the Harvest Sessions, I had to go and...

House Of Hats at The Harvest Sessions

Watch This Video House Of Hats – Live House Of Hats at the Brunswick It’s not every Saturday that I’m gig less, so when House of Hats played the Brunswick last night under their themed night the Harvest Sessions, I had to go and...

Watch This Video Bruno, Sting, Rihanna – Grammy Awards Is Bruno Mars Cool? One of the most pleasant musical surprises of 2012 was that Bruno Mars is actually really good. Maybe even cool. In hindsight, if Mars planned his career, released all those first...

Bruno Mars – Sting – Rihanna and Ziggy Marley

Watch This Video Bruno, Sting, Rihanna – Grammy Awards Is Bruno Mars Cool? One of the most pleasant musical surprises of 2012 was that Bruno Mars is actually really good. Maybe even cool. In hindsight, if Mars planned his career, released all those first...

Watch This Video Eric Clapton – Fender Stratocasters Eric Clapton and Fender guitars “It’s like a restaurant. If there are lots of people there, it’s gonna be good food,” says Clapton when explaining why he would always go for a worn out guitar neck...

Eric Clapton Guitars

Watch This Video Eric Clapton – Fender Stratocasters Eric Clapton and Fender guitars “It’s like a restaurant. If there are lots of people there, it’s gonna be good food,” says Clapton when explaining why he would always go for a worn out guitar neck...

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 4 Part 4 In this final part of the How To Play Guitar video series, I take a super simple I – VI – II – V progression and apply the modes accordingly. The I...

How To Play Guitar part 4

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 4 Part 4 In this final part of the How To Play Guitar video series, I take a super simple I – VI – II – V progression and apply the modes accordingly. The I...

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 3 Part 3 In this part of the How To Play Guitar series, I talk about how to turn pentatonic shapes into modal shapes. This means that those open position chords, which turned into barre...

How To Play Guitar part 3

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 3 Part 3 In this part of the How To Play Guitar series, I talk about how to turn pentatonic shapes into modal shapes. This means that those open position chords, which turned into barre...

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 2 Part 2 In this video, I first talk about how the open position chords become barre chords. As you learn how to do this using the cycle of 4th exercise, you will also learn the...

How To Play Guitar part 2

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 2 Part 2 In this video, I first talk about how the open position chords become barre chords. As you learn how to do this using the cycle of 4th exercise, you will also learn the...

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 1 Part 1 In this video series, I explain how to play the guitar using chords that eventually become barre chord shapes, pentatonic and modal scales. This all starts with just ten simple open position chords....

How To Play Guitar part 1

Watch This Video How To Play Guitar – Part 1 Part 1 In this video series, I explain how to play the guitar using chords that eventually become barre chord shapes, pentatonic and modal scales. This all starts with just ten simple open position chords....

Watch This Video Acoustic Addicts – Guitar Wood A nice problem to have For those of you shopping for a high-quality acoustic guitar, you will find yourself having to face the wonderful dilemma of which wood to go for. You’ve got, for example, Mahogany,...

Guitar Wood

Watch This Video Acoustic Addicts – Guitar Wood A nice problem to have For those of you shopping for a high-quality acoustic guitar, you will find yourself having to face the wonderful dilemma of which wood to go for. You’ve got, for example, Mahogany,...

There are plenty of sites out there that can download a video guitar lesson from YouTube. Keepvid is one example. It’s easy, free and puts you in a place where you have video lessons on your computer. This is all great stuff but what about looping and...

Loop and Slow Down Video

There are plenty of sites out there that can download a video guitar lesson from YouTube. Keepvid is one example. It’s easy, free and puts you in a place where you have video lessons on your computer. This is all great stuff but what about looping and...

I get a lot of emails from students that sometimes turn into long interesting discussions. These can be anything from what guitar to buy, to questions about modes, arpeggios or general practice routine recommendations. These discussions have led to both my products developing as well as the...

Picking Technique

I get a lot of emails from students that sometimes turn into long interesting discussions. These can be anything from what guitar to buy, to questions about modes, arpeggios or general practice routine recommendations. These discussions have led to both my products developing as well as the...

There are many great books about being a musician and practising out there, in the past I have recommended Tonal and Rhythmical Principles by John Mehegan and The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten. By recommendation from a Spytunes student, I’ve just finished another one....

Effortless Mastery

There are many great books about being a musician and practising out there, in the past I have recommended Tonal and Rhythmical Principles by John Mehegan and The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten. By recommendation from a Spytunes student, I’ve just finished another one....

In the last couple of blogs, I’ve been talking about triad substitution and chord substitution. In this blog post, I’d like to talk about the king of substitutions – The tritone substitution. Here’s how it works: The purpose of a tritone substitution is to create...

Tritone Substitution

In the last couple of blogs, I’ve been talking about triad substitution and chord substitution. In this blog post, I’d like to talk about the king of substitutions – The tritone substitution. Here’s how it works: The purpose of a tritone substitution is to create...

In the last blog, I spoke about how to substitute triads when composing melodies or improvising. To make a long story short, the trick was to play three different triads off a chord. In G major, G being chord I, we get G B...

Chord Substitution

In the last blog, I spoke about how to substitute triads when composing melodies or improvising. To make a long story short, the trick was to play three different triads off a chord. In G major, G being chord I, we get G B...

This is a guitar lesson about how to substitute triads when soloing. If you feel that this is all over your head but want to find out more, please visit these links before you attempt the lesson. Arpeggios Chords around the major scale shapes...

Triad Substitution

This is a guitar lesson about how to substitute triads when soloing. If you feel that this is all over your head but want to find out more, please visit these links before you attempt the lesson. Arpeggios Chords around the major scale shapes...

Following on from my last blog about Guthrie Govan scales, I’d like to clear a few things up about what it means to “play modally”. I see a lot of communication breakdown over this so I thought I’d share some light on what playing...

Playing Modally

Following on from my last blog about Guthrie Govan scales, I’d like to clear a few things up about what it means to “play modally”. I see a lot of communication breakdown over this so I thought I’d share some light on what playing...

Watch This Video Guthrie Govan – Scales A message from Guthrie Guthrie Govan is an old tutor and later, colleague of mine, at Bimm we worked alongside each other in 2005/06. During 2006 when I wrote the guitar manual for Bimm, I designed the...

Guthrie choose Spytunes way

Watch This Video Guthrie Govan – Scales A message from Guthrie Guthrie Govan is an old tutor and later, colleague of mine, at Bimm we worked alongside each other in 2005/06. During 2006 when I wrote the guitar manual for Bimm, I designed the...

Watch This Video Scott Henderson – Pentatonic secrets More Tips From Scott Following on from my last Scott Henderson blog, Scott Henderson Melodic Phrasing, let’s take a look at some scale tricks that Scott use. If you are a keen Spytunes member you know...

Scott Henderson Pentatonic Secrets

Watch This Video Scott Henderson – Pentatonic secrets More Tips From Scott Following on from my last Scott Henderson blog, Scott Henderson Melodic Phrasing, let’s take a look at some scale tricks that Scott use. If you are a keen Spytunes member you know...

Watch This Video Scott Henderson – Melodic Phrasing One of the greatest lessons One of the greatest guitar lessons I’ve had came in the form of an instructional video by Scott Henderson called Melodic Phrasing. This is one of those videos that marked a...

Scott Henderson Melodic Phrasing

Watch This Video Scott Henderson – Melodic Phrasing One of the greatest lessons One of the greatest guitar lessons I’ve had came in the form of an instructional video by Scott Henderson called Melodic Phrasing. This is one of those videos that marked a...

SWR have a great reputation as bass amp manufacturers. They took the experience from building high headroom clean bass amps since 1984 and adapted the concept for the acoustic guitar market already back in the 90s. The California Blonde II hit the shops around 2006....

SWR Amps Review

SWR have a great reputation as bass amp manufacturers. They took the experience from building high headroom clean bass amps since 1984 and adapted the concept for the acoustic guitar market already back in the 90s. The California Blonde II hit the shops around 2006....

Watch This Video AER – Acousticube Best Tiny Amp German AER (Audio Electric Research) showcased their initial product at a music fair in Frankfurt already in 1992. This marked the beginning of the Acousticube that was set to appeal to the boutique market of acoustic...

Aer Amps Review

Watch This Video AER – Acousticube Best Tiny Amp German AER (Audio Electric Research) showcased their initial product at a music fair in Frankfurt already in 1992. This marked the beginning of the Acousticube that was set to appeal to the boutique market of acoustic...

American Taylor started making guitars in sunny California back in 1974. They rapidly made a name for themselves in the industry by being the new kid on the block. A worldwide distribution ensured most guitar players have played a Taylor making them a household...

Taylor Guitars Review

American Taylor started making guitars in sunny California back in 1974. They rapidly made a name for themselves in the industry by being the new kid on the block. A worldwide distribution ensured most guitar players have played a Taylor making them a household...

Family owned Martin Guitars date back to 1833, making them a veteran among guitar manufacturers. Amazingly they have actually kept it in the family. The current chairman and CEO, C.F. Chris Martin IV, is the great-great-great-grandson of the founder who was born in 1796!...

Martin Guitars Review

Family owned Martin Guitars date back to 1833, making them a veteran among guitar manufacturers. Amazingly they have actually kept it in the family. The current chairman and CEO, C.F. Chris Martin IV, is the great-great-great-grandson of the founder who was born in 1796!...

Jean Larrivee studied classical guitar but soon turned to building them instead after meeting Edgar Monch (German Luthier) in his early twenties. Jean became Edgar’s apprentice and built a few classical guitars in his workshop before moving on to continue his passion from his home...

Larrivee Guitars Review

Jean Larrivee studied classical guitar but soon turned to building them instead after meeting Edgar Monch (German Luthier) in his early twenties. Jean became Edgar’s apprentice and built a few classical guitars in his workshop before moving on to continue his passion from his home...

Watch This Video Andy McKee – Rylynn What is a capo? A capo is a device you fit on the guitar neck in order to use open position chords and open strings in general, starting at any given fret. Most people use a capo...

Guitar Capo Review

Watch This Video Andy McKee – Rylynn What is a capo? A capo is a device you fit on the guitar neck in order to use open position chords and open strings in general, starting at any given fret. Most people use a capo...

If you got your perfect guitar and perfect amp you might find that whatever overdrive pedal you add, it sounds like a pedal added. You start looking at clean boost pedals but may find that what they promise is never actually what they deliver,...

Klon Centaur Review

If you got your perfect guitar and perfect amp you might find that whatever overdrive pedal you add, it sounds like a pedal added. You start looking at clean boost pedals but may find that what they promise is never actually what they deliver,...

These cases are superb, you pack your guitars in one super light flight case, drag it to the gig (yes wheels are included) put it on stage, take the lid off and you are ready to go! If you bring more than one guitar...

Scott Dixon Cases Review

These cases are superb, you pack your guitars in one super light flight case, drag it to the gig (yes wheels are included) put it on stage, take the lid off and you are ready to go! If you bring more than one guitar...

Vox amplifiers started their production in 1957. The AC15 and AC30 quickly took the world by storm as they were the choice of most bands part of the British Invasion. The Beatles even used Vox amps in their legendary last American gig, football-sized stadium...

Vox Amps Review

Vox amplifiers started their production in 1957. The AC15 and AC30 quickly took the world by storm as they were the choice of most bands part of the British Invasion. The Beatles even used Vox amps in their legendary last American gig, football-sized stadium...

Jim Marshall started out in the early 60s selling drums and giving drum lessons in his own shop in Hanwell, west London. As well as having Keith Moon as a regular customer, Jim got visits from London guitar players like Pete Townsend and Eric...

Marshall Amps Review

Jim Marshall started out in the early 60s selling drums and giving drum lessons in his own shop in Hanwell, west London. As well as having Keith Moon as a regular customer, Jim got visits from London guitar players like Pete Townsend and Eric...

Fender might have become most known for their guitar and bass models such as the Telecaster, the Stratocaster, and the Precision but Leo actually started out repairing amps. In 1938, Leo Fender set up his first company Fender’s Radio Service where he repaired radios, phonograph...

Fender Amps Review

Fender might have become most known for their guitar and bass models such as the Telecaster, the Stratocaster, and the Precision but Leo actually started out repairing amps. In 1938, Leo Fender set up his first company Fender’s Radio Service where he repaired radios, phonograph...

Dennis Cornell built a name for himself by repairing and modding classic amps for many years. This led him to start building custom amps for clients and eventually developing his own range of amps. These days, Dennis combine his time between repairing high-end boutique amps...

Cornell Amps Review

Dennis Cornell built a name for himself by repairing and modding classic amps for many years. This led him to start building custom amps for clients and eventually developing his own range of amps. These days, Dennis combine his time between repairing high-end boutique amps...

Almost two decades before the Broadcaster, Telecaster, Stratocaster and Les Paul defined what an electric guitar was, another company had already invented the electric guitar. It was indeed Rickenbacker that invented the electric guitar and the body used Bakelite, not wood! The road leading...

Rickenbacker Guitars Review

Almost two decades before the Broadcaster, Telecaster, Stratocaster and Les Paul defined what an electric guitar was, another company had already invented the electric guitar. It was indeed Rickenbacker that invented the electric guitar and the body used Bakelite, not wood! The road leading...

Watch This Video Gibson – Factory Tour Since 1898 Orville Gibson started making mandolins in his own way and patented the design in 1898. The design Orville invented was the Archtop, enabling the mandolin to become a much louder instrument. On the back of...

Gibson Guitars Review

Watch This Video Gibson – Factory Tour Since 1898 Orville Gibson started making mandolins in his own way and patented the design in 1898. The design Orville invented was the Archtop, enabling the mandolin to become a much louder instrument. On the back of...

Leo Fender bore Rickenbacker and Gibson‘s concepts in mind when he built his solid body Broadcaster in the late 40s. A cheaper to build instrument than the Gibson models, and no bakelite as with the Rickenbacker. A few years on and fender had developed the...

Fender Guitars Review

Leo Fender bore Rickenbacker and Gibson‘s concepts in mind when he built his solid body Broadcaster in the late 40s. A cheaper to build instrument than the Gibson models, and no bakelite as with the Rickenbacker. A few years on and fender had developed the...

Just had an email from one of our members who has been with Spytunes for a year and a half now. This is what she has to say: “Dear Dan and Spytuners, I wish to share with you something really nice that has just...