Klaus Crow, Author at GUITARHABITS

8 Tips How to Wake Up Early That Do Work

Sunrise in Machu Picchu by thecsman
sunrise-in-machu-picchu-by-thecsman Since a year now I have been waking up early. Going from 6 a.m to 5 a.m. My life has changed because of it.

Finally I have the time to do everything that I love to do: practicing guitar, running my business, writing a blog, writing songs, working out, reading, spending a lot of time with my wife and children.

It’s the greatest reward and reminder for waking up early.

I wake up early at least 5 days a week. I like to wake up early two or three days in a row and then one day sleep late. (7.30 a.m.) At night I go to bed at 11 p.m. Not a minute later. If I go to bed at 12 p.m. and try to wake up early it won’t work. I tried many different ways and figured out the one that worked best for me. I think this is different for everyone so you have to experiment with this.

Originally I am a night owl and waking up early is not something that came naturally for me, but it has become a habit and it’s the best thing ever!

Here are the 8 tips that do work:Continue Reading

12 Tips on What Guitar You Should Buy

By Klaus Crow 96 Comments

photo by Orin Zebest
afbeelding-1 It took years for me to find out what guitar really suited my taste. It’s a process that you go through. Your taste changes as you grow.

When I was young I mainly wanted to shred. My world was all about Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dime Bag Darrel and all the other Shred Gods.

Obviously I bought myself a Joe Satriani Ibanez signature guitar and a Frank Gambale Ibanez signature. I also got myself an Ovation semi acoustic guitar, which sounded great plugged in.

Now 20 years further down the road I am more into singer songwriters like Ryan Adams, Damien Rice, John Mayer, Jack Johnson to name a few. My guitars have also changed. When I’m into acoustic I play my Santa Cruz OMPW Model and when I want to play blues, jazz or rock I prefer my Epiphone Dot, Vintage Sunburst, which I totally love.

It’s difficult to choose the right guitar, because there are so many. Nowadays there are a lot of great guitars for beginners, but then again there’s also a lot of crappy stuff as well. Before you go out and buy a guitar talk to fellow guitar players, your guitar teacher and people with experience. Take your time to listen and observe before you open your wallet.

To help you out on some key issues here are 12 tips on what guitar you should buy:

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16 Good Reasons Why You Should Practice

By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

photo by cesarastudillo
practicing-guitar For me practicing is something that I just love doing. It has become a passion. I have learned that the better I get, the more fun I have.

Guitar practice is really the building block of developing, maintaining and expanding your talent. This is something many musicians tend to forget.

A lot of guitar players practice with a lot of enthusiasm the first few years when they start out. Then they find themselves playing in a band, touring, getting loose, dating, getting married, having children, just to name a few. It’s all a part of life but it’s also a time where musicians can get stuck in a guitar playing rut.

They tend to play the same few chords, licks and riffs they have known for years. They have stopped challenging themselves. That is a pity, because it’s the continues growing process that will fuel you, inspire you and keep you fresh and original as a guitar player and songwriter.

I have also been stuck at times as well, that is why I want to tell you this beforehand.Continue Reading

12 Keys How to Write Better Songs

By Klaus Crow 26 Comments

photo by pedrosimoes7
writing-by-pedrosimoes7-1 Song writing is an evolving process. I learned that with every song I write there is improvement.

It is just a matter of writing and playing, writing and playing and so on. You learn while you practice doing what you love most.

Like everything else in life it is all about enjoying the path you walk on and not so about arriving at a certain destination.

The destination must not be your main goal. Don’t focus on success, focus on a beautiful song.

The success you achieve or the happiness you experience from arriving at your destination isn’t lasting, the path is. So make sure you have fun and create a passion for writing while doing it.

It is important to live life, listen and read a lot. Be aware of what you experience and take notice of the things around you. Figure out what is still lacking in your writing and where you can improve.

There is always room for improvement and that is the beauty of it. Then again don’t aim for perfection, but aim for completion. Better an imperfect song finished that a perfect song unfinished.

If you are already familiar with the basics of how to write a song then here are 12 keys to improve your skills to write better songs: Continue Reading

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