March, 2025 I posted my first YouTube short demonstrating my new Furch Little Jane guitar. I was testing the waters to see how to do this. I’ve made a few videos here and there but never really went all in. I posted a short here and there after the March post and started getting the hang of it. Late summer, I was on a mission and I posted one short every day for about 4 months. Sometimes it would be two or three videos. I was absolutely obsessed with getting content made. Funny thing was that it has never felt like work. I’ve enjoyed it immensely and still do.

Here are some of the insights that I have gained from developing my YouTube channel.

Playing Covers is Still King

The same rules apply to YouTube as they do when playing live. If you want people to listen to your original music, you need to get their attention with a solid cover song. My best performing videos are covers and the compromise is that I make it my own. How? Many of my covers are of 80’s/90’s rock/metal songs but I do them on the acoustic. One example is my arrangement of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush”.

Keep the shorts short

A mistake that I have made is thinking that the listener will want to watch 40 or 50 seconds of me playing the guitar. It might be good but the attention span of a YouTube swiper is not that long. I’ll be honest, if I see Paul Gilbert shredding up a storm, I’m good for maybe 50 seconds and then I move on. I limit myself to under 20 seconds and it’s even better if its between 12 and 15 seconds. A good example is a video amply named, “Quickest Quick Lick on My Larrivee” It was 8 seconds long, got 1.3K views and some subs.

• If a video is performing well from the start, you can always edit it to be a bit shorter within YouTube Studio. I have done this many times and saved my shorts from having fast death. Instead some ended up with 2k views!

EQ your videos

You might be a great musician but if you don’t clean up the audio, it won’t matter. I’ve went back and listened to some of my early videos and cringe. Sounds muddy and the mids are hiding and can’t be heard. I use VideoMaster for my EQ work. I like it because it lets me import the whole video instead of extracting the audio, EQ, and the sinc it back up with the video. It’s solid and its quick. Make sure to see how it sounds on different speakers. I made the mistake of only doing it on my iphone and my guitar sounded like it was stuck in mud. So just like mastering a CD, you need different speakers to reference.

Use Related Videos and Info Cards to Promote Your Long Form Videos

Shorts will get you subs but they will not get you to monetization unless you are able to go viral many times over. By viral, I mean millions of views. You need 3 million shorts views to qualify for the first tier and 10 million for the second. For a guitar channel, it’s just not realistic. Creating long form is a better investment because those videos will get watched more over time. This will get you to the 3k and 4k hours of viewing for you to monetize. You will get your thousand subs way before you get your views is what I’m seeing.

Good content is still the key

In the end you have to put out quality content. If people like what you are putting out, they will come. For me, I make sure my playing is top notch and I won’t settle for something that is half ass. I wasn’t so picky at first but I’ve learned to hone and polish my content. Almost 300 videos posted and I still have a lot to learn but it’s a lot of fun and can’t wait to post another tomorrow.

500 subs is not too shabby and I’m just getting started. On to the next 500 and start getting more views on the long form.

If you get the chance, please visit my YouTube Channel and subscribe. Every little bit helps!

I’ve been playing guitar for close to 40 years and have played many arrangements of popular songs, but I had never fully created my own arrangement until now. The process came naturally once I dove in. The song I chose was White Lion’s “When the Children Cry,” and after many months of working out the arrangement, changing voicings, and practicing it over and over, I finally posted it to my YouTube channel. Along the way, I uncovered some insights about arranging for guitar that I thought I’d share with you.

My Steps in Arranging Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar

1. Know the song forward and backward

• Listen to the piece over and over until you can play the whole song in your head. It helps with arranging/voicing and gives you the ability to work on it without having a playback device with you; you won’t always have your phone handy when inspired.

2. Learn the chords first

• Just stick with the base chords and recognize what they are and where they go in the songs. This is the foundation of your arrangement. Learn the root. Once you know the base chords, then you can move to alternate chords like adding a 6th, 11 or a borrowed chord, etc.. to add some color.

3. Be able to play the melody in more than one way

• This is the essential part of your arrangement so the listener will be able to identify the song. It’s a good idea to learn it in different positions as well; more options for when you bring it all together. Once you are know the melody forward and back, you can then add your own flair to the song and make it your own

4. Mess around and keep it simple at first

• I’ll go through the chords and start to incorporate the melody. Kind of like a jam session of sorts; playing it by ear and along with the original song.
• Playing the melody with only the root of the chord as the accompaniment. Keeps it simple and a good base to build from there.
• Once I get that base I’m happy with, I start building upon it; different chord types, variations on the melodies, etc… I want to make it my own without taking away or losing the vibe of the original. Tommy Emmanuel is the king of arranging a song that you recognize but when he plays, you know it’s him and the song stays true to the original sogwriter.

This is just a small list of what I’ve found useful in tackling guitar arrangements. As I continue developing this skill, my approach will evolve—but the key to creating original arrangements is consistent practice. Arranging is a craft that must be honed and polished over time. I know I’ll look back someday and cringe at my earlier work, but that’s okay—each arrangement represents the best I could do at that moment. Keep playing, and let me know what you’re working on right now!

My First Complete Guitar Arrangement:

Making the switch

Was thinking about using cradle style capos instead of the Kyser spring loaded ones. I liked the aspect of being able to move my capo above the nut when I’m not using it; easy access and storage. I saw that Billy Strings does the same thing and it made sense. I found out that he uses Elliot Capos and I’m sure they make a fine capo but I’m not going to spend 200+ dollars on one. Settled on the D’Addario cradle capo and so far so good. I noticed that my intonation with this capo is better than with the Kyser.

Ditch the Kyser capo?

I won’t be ditching my Kyser capos. I love them and for the amount of guitars I have, they are more economical than the cradle capos. I will be using the D’Addario for my upcoming shows and the Kyser will be the backup. The biggest lesson is to always have a backup!

Note: I was able to fix my Kyser capo after comparing it with my others.

My YouTube channel for guitar is back!

I’ve resurrected my YouTube channel and started posting videos again. So far so good. I get a decent amount of views and some thumbs up/likes as well. With my last video, I got a couple of dislikes and I gotta say, I’m stoked!! I feel like it’s a right of passage to get a dislike or two. Don’t get me wrong, I still want the majority of the feedback to be good but there’s just something about that dislike. haha!

Reaching a larger audience?

Maybe I’m getting onto more screens and with that, a larger chance that someone won’t like it? Who knows and nobody gets 100% likes on any social media platform. I still have a long way to go to build my channel but I’ll take this little win.

If you would like to extend some support, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. More videos to come and currently working on a solo acoustic album and clips of my new stuff will be featured.

I recently saw an add on Youtube claiming there is a secret guitar scale that no one knows and the pros won’t show you. Of course this add will lead you to their website and for a “small fee” you can get access to the secret and unlock your playing!

Snake Oil Salesman

New methods and contraptions that will get you playing the guitar in 24hrs like the Guitar Buddy. This guitar buddy is device you put on your neck and by the push of the button you’ll be able to play basic chords; I’m assuming most major chords and minor? For $34.95 you get this and for just a bit more, you get a song book.

Hell no!

Is this really playing the guitar?

A gadget like the Guitar Buddy doesn’t make one a guitarist anymore than Guitar Hero does. Truth be told, there isn’t a quick way to learn the guitar. Anyone who bought an Esteban guitar on QVC can attest to that notion.

I’ll have to admit that I’ve tried a few “programs” that I thought would miraculously unlock my talent, like a magical “aha!” moment. Unfortunately, that scenario only exists in the movies and maybe if one is a savant. You can have all the gadgets, programs and subscriptions in the world but they all amount to nothing without one thing….

Practice

It’s that plain and simple, you will need to practice. Playing the guitar is not just an art but also a craft and in order to master a craft, a player needs to put in the hours. The one thing these programs don’t say in the click bait is that you’re going to need to practice everyday. It can be a great blue print or guide to becoming a better player but you’ll need to practice it for hours. It can be hard work and it’s a grind, it’s necessary and worth it. I’ve been playing since I was 10 and I hope that I will continue to get better each day, each week and every year. Guess what I’ll have to do to achieve that goal?

Yup, practice.

My brother was my hero:

He would tell me stories about his time playing in bands and how it felt great when the people in the crowd would start dancing. It was a sign you had won them over and the night is going to go well. My band, “Alias Smith and Jones,” played a gig the other night and when some couples started to dance to what we were playing, I felt my brother strongly. So strong, I barely kept it together.

My brother passed away almost two years ago and he was my inspiration for playing the guitar. I remember watching him go to gigs, loading his gear all dressed up (this was the 80’s mind you. It’s not a coincidence that I wanted to do the same. Took me a little bit longer get on stage but when I did, he was my biggest fan. I would call him after every gig and we would talk about it and dissect it like a professional football player goes over game tape. We now had this in common and it was no longer him telling me stories but us both going back and forth. I relished having those conversations with him. Now that has been taken away from me and I struggle coping with his death.

Healing since my brothers death

The conversations still occur but now it’s a one way deal, but I talk with him everyday. I swear I could feel him last night and for a brief instance we were sharing that moment when the couples were dancing. Like I said, it took everything I had to not break down but once i composed myself, I smiled and relished in the time we had to talk about playing guitar and being in a band. Life will never be the same and I’m not sure how to heal or how to cope but I will. Billy Bob Thornton said it best when he said that you never really get over a siblings death, your “half happy and half sad” at anytime. But a he said, if that’s the burden of honoring him, I gladly take it. on.

My brother was and always will be my inspiration and everytime I see someone dance to live music, I think of him; Love my big brother and I’m grateful he got to see me play and I miss him dearly.