The Journal.

“All my solos sound like scales being played up and down.” I hear it every day. So let’s fix it, because there’s actually a very easy way to overcome that problem. It’s something every guitarist should know – maybe even before playing scales.

Most guitarists spend years mastering standard tuning. Tom Strahle has spent decades finding ways to escape it. As a session guitarist whose work appears in countless films, TV shows, and video games, Tom has built a career on alternate tunings that create sounds impossible to achieve with EADGBE.

I just got back home from seeing Paul McCartney play in Paris – absolute legend. And walking on the Champs-Élysées looking for a croissant and a coffee, well, it reminded me of a song. Growing up, I loved punk rock, and “Champs Elysees” was one of my favorite NOFX songs at the time.

“Les Feuilles Mortes” (The Dead Leaves), better known in English as “Autumn Leaves,” has to be one of the prettiest tunes to play on guitar. This jazz standard is beloved by musicians worldwide, and for good reason—it’s sophisticated enough to sound impressive, yet accessible enough for intermediate players to tackle with a bit of practice.

Four years ago, a guitar with built-in effects seemed like a novelty—something that might compromise the purity of acoustic tone for party tricks. Now, Yamaha has released an updated version of their TransAcoustic guitar with improved reverb, chorus, delay, and most notably, an onboard looper.

Music theory doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, understanding just a few key concepts can completely transform how you approach the guitar, opening up creative possibilities you never knew existed. These aren’t abstract academic ideas—they’re practical tools used constantly across all styles of music, from pop to jazz to rock.