Curt of The Rock House blog proves you don't have to have rock star hands to play a mean guitar.

For news and information on The Rock House Method, Rock House Artist/Instructors and Learning to Play Music, please visit the site and make sure to check out its amazing feature.

I see the subject of having small hands and playing guitar come up quite a bit on many message boards and forums. Being the owner of a pair of small hands I have looked for many cures to the age old problem for myself. Luckily there are a couple things that can be done.

Now many young starters on the electric guitar ask me about what to get as their first real guitar and amp and one of the most often asked questions is if they should get one with a Floyd or not.

Disclaimer: For simplicity I will call any double locking tremolo a Floyd that derives from the original Floyd Rose Design, like Edge, Edge Pro, Schaller Double Locking etc.

Now they ask of course because most of my guitars have one. Actually all my guitars have one except the Les Paul, which I rarely play.

Well here is the plain and simple truth (please read on before flaming):

There is no other trem system (at least none of which I tried) that will keep your tuning as good as a Floyd, period.

There is a downside of course. You Floyd has to be adjusted right, has to be a quality product and not a cheap rip off and you need to take care of it. Now can a young beginner do so? Well the initial adjustment probably not. But you can have a Pro do the initial setup. It is then very easy, if instructed right, to upkeep that setup. Very few adjustments are needed if you keep it in constant shape. If you do so, you are rewarded with the most stable tuning available.

Of course there is a second side to the story:

"If only I had more guitar practice time, I'd..." "I wish I could practice guitar more." Are you a guitar learner that wishes for more practice time? If you are you're not alone, it is a wish I hear frequently from learners of all levels.

But do you know exactly what you would actually do if you had more time? If you don't then more time probably won't help you after all. Here's a way to work out exactly what you would do with extra practice time, and it might help you discover you don't need more after all...

I love guitars. I love the creation of music. I love to entertain. I love the arts. I love being a musician…

When I was in high school, and all my friends took wood shop, metal shop, or auto shop, I was in chorus, art classes, drama class, and took honors poetry classes. Everything I studied or attempted to become was all leading me down one path…The one of a musician/artist. That’s all I ever wanted to be from about 12 years old on. I never got into fixing things with my hands, or repairing automobiles. I always got more girls with music than with the knowledge of how pistons worked.

At some point during the past five years I fell in love with a version of guitar often falls under the radar.  Like every other high school kid in the USA, I started with electric guitar. When it came time to go to college, I decided that instead of going to school for something "legit" I would just play my guitar.  I had a problem, though.  I was supposed to play "classical" guitar.   The school where I auditioned wanted a piece by Carcassi, Sor, Giuliani or Aguado, and I couldn't even pronounce their names. Despite my awful rendition of a Giuliani piece, I managed to get into a school.

Learning a bit of classical guitar can have a powerful influence on your playing, but it can also open up opportunities (gigs) otherwise unavailable to the typical electric guitarist.  And like learning any new technique, classical is another tool in the box.  I'm here to talk about what the classical guitar is, and how you can get started playing it.

This Christmas...I'd like a ukulele please!

Hey, it's in the guitar family! 

Ok, maybe not.  But if I really was to get a ukulele, I'd also have to make sure I get a copy of the mini e-book being offered by Woodshed over at Ukehunt.co.  This book has everything the newbie uke strummer could possibly want to know!

I suggest hopping on over to Ukulele Hunt right now and ordering a copy of the book. 

How much is it going to cost you? A measly 0 dollars!!! Yes, you heard me right.  It's free for signing up to the mailing list.  So I suggest getting one NOW!

But seriously, folks.  Care for a guitar that's more your speed?

Check this out! 

Care for a splurge? 

You Jemsite fans out there may want to give yourself the gift of Ibanez!

The Ibanez RG370DXGP2 Electric Guitar is a bit of hefty price (in the $500 range,) but it's a bit of a hefty guitar and in my opinion, worth the moola! 

 Happy Holidays!!!