The best guitar tips seem obvious when you hear them, and Rob Chapman's 'secret guitar hack' here is something that's very easily overlooked. It's a valuable lesson in making your notes count for more.
"There is a technique to get the most from every note that you play and let them to turn into melodies," explains Rob in the video below. "This is the trick and I stole it from country guitar players, who have a bit of a technical edge.
If you have the ability to mute the unwanted crap from your playing, you're going to sound so much nicer – so much cleaner and sweeter
It's about using your picking hand, not just your pick; country players will often have their digits touching strings they aren't playing. "This gives you an edge," reveals Rob.
When you play a note, all the strings resonate "sympathetically" with it. You'll get noise you probably don't want. "If you have the ability to mute the unwanted crap from your playing, you're going to sound so much nicer – so much cleaner and sweeter."
In the video above Rob shows you an A/B example of a note being bent, played with and without the muting technique to prove the difference it makes. He then shows us how to incorporate it into your playing and then build that into "liquid, beautiful legato". Spoiler: includes the Top Gun Anthem.
It's a great lesson and Rob is a natural teacher. Check out and subscribe to more of his tutorials on YouTube.
