1

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

Thank you for purchasing this guide. Dont just read this handbook-take action and make these habits your own. May you always improve in your guitar playing, and may you fill this world with beauty and harmony.
Art is never finished, only abandoned.

-L eonardo d a Vinci

2011 Matt Coffman all rights reserved

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION 2. ATTENTION is the name of the game Attention Action Steps 3. PAY THE PRICE, every day Daily Practice Action Steps 4. SLOW DOWN, speed racer Slow Practice Action Steps 5. REPEAT AFTER ME, I love my metronome Metronome Action Steps 6. HONE YOUR TECHNIQUE, master your method Technique & Method Action Steps 7. DONT BE A DABBLER Mastery Action Steps 8. LIGHTS, CAMERA, PROGRESS! Progress Action Steps 9. GET BUSY LIVING! pg. 4-5 pg. 6-7 pg. 8-9 pg. 10-11 pg. 12-13 pg. 14-15 pg. 16-17 pg. 18-19 pg. 20-21 pg. 22-23 pg. 24-25 pg. 26-27 pg. 28-29 pg. 30-31 pg. 32-33 pg. 34-35

The Seven Habits of Great Guitarists

key behaviors distinguish the guitarists who reach the heights of guitar playing.
few

These

key habits of great guitarists are available to anyone at any level willing to pay the price required to master these habits.
seven

from feeling out of control--we like the changes that bring us joy and pleasure and abundance, but we dislike the changes that bring us pain and panic and catastrophe.

humAn beings often fear change. The fear comes

e Ac h

is ver y power ful on its own, but all seven habit s wor k together to pr oduce exponentially explosive results.
hAbi T

if

are a guitarist, then youre in the business of positive change. Music is possible only because of the continual change from this note to the next.
you wouldn T

the guitar comes down to a few good habits practiced every single day.
on

s ucc es s

you

who you are, no matter what your background, these seven habits can carry you wherever you want to go on the guitar.
mATTer

no

be reading this if you didnt want to push the limits of whats possible for you on the guitar. And so, these seven habits are your magic ticket to the heights of Guitar Mountain.
AlwAys

seen them work wonders in my own playing, and I have seen them work for my students, friends, teachers and guitar idols.
h Av e

in life, it all comes down to knowing what to do and then actually doing it.

As

The s even Habits of Great Guitarists work. will

you?

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

The guitar, by its very nature, the nature of its sound, by the soft nuance of its powerful and ancient voice, by the magic of the tone, goes directly to the part of oneself where love is felt. When I hear the sound of the guitar, it goes to some part inside of me that opens the door that holds feelings of love and everything that is beautiful which lives inside of me. - Pepe Romero

ATTENTION is the name of the game

if
want to get better at playing the guitar, the first thing you need to do is pay attention.
you

Th e n ,

acknowledging this likely fact: what you currently consider paying attention likely isnt enough.
by

s TArT

to f ind additional sounds that are happening underneath the most obvious noises in your environment.
T ry

e ven

you need to cultivate incredibly sharp awareness

in order to notice the tiny details that af fect your ability to make music on the guitar.

seemingly quietest moment conceals a universe of sounds to explore. Dont make the mistake of assuming that youre experiencing everything wherever you are.
The sAme

The

b uT h ere s The P roblem: O ur r ighT

now,

holds true for the music you learn and the movements you make on the guitar. more that we can sense if well only stop and pay very close attention.
AlwAys geT

mode of attention is very dull and sleepy.

usual

There s To

wherever you are, take a moment to notice all the sounds happening all around you. Listen for every little noise that you can hear.

better at the guitar, the most important ingr e dient you br ing to your playing is the sharpness and intensity of your attention.

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

The guitar is a small orchestra. It is polyphonic. Every string is a different color, a different voice. - Andres Segovia

Attention Action Steps:

1. P ick Up Your Guitar and Form a Chord.
Then, marshall all your attention to scan the fingers of your fretting hand. Notice how your fingers are tensing or fighting to press down the notes. Notice any tension in your arm from the hand straight up to the shoulder. Notice your entire body. Feel your breath and your heartbeat. Theres always more to pay attention to.

3. e very time you pick up your guitar, strive

to become MORE aware.
your

when

hands touch your guitar, notice the temperature of the wood. Feel the guitars weight. nicks and scratches that ripple across the surface of the soundboard.
The

s ee

b ecome

present, centered and grounded with your guitar in your hands.

ex Tremely

2. n ow, strum across the strings to play the

chord youre holding. Notice how your strumming hand reacts to the strings as it strums through them. After youve done it once, go back and pay even more attention as you strum the strings a second time.
yourself To wAke uP And become hyPer - AlerT whenever you Are holding your guiTAr .

c ondiTion

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

It was

my

16Th

birThdAy

my mom And dAd gAve me my

g oyA clAssicAl guiTAr ThAT dAy. i sAT down , wroTe This song , And i jusT knew ThAT ThAT wAs The only Thing i could ever reAlly do wriTe
songs And sing Them To PeoPle .

- Stevie Nicks

PAY THE PRICE, every day

r emember in
The

childrens story about the race between the tortoise and the hare?
The

power of small daily efforts. These efforts multiply over time.

The

A PPreciATe s o,

guitar world, the hares are those players who dive headlong into learning to play the guitar by going from zero to an hour of practice a day or more. a number of these folks quit out of frustration, burn-out or injury after just a couple of months.
seen TorToises ,

Pick A number . iT

whAT s
30?

going to be? 5 minutes a day? 15?

ive

30

The

on the other hand, are in this guitar thing for the long run. They start small with maybe 10 or 15 minutes of practice a day, but they build. staedy, for 10 or 20 or 30 minutes a day, they pick up their guitar and practice.
And

a day is the amount I encourage my beginning students to practice. Its a manageable amount of time, but its enough time to see some solid progress really quickly.
minuTes

whATever

s low s ix

of daily practice time you pick, just commit to it and make it happen. Every day. Day in, day out. If you miss a day, dont sweat it. Just get back after it tomorrow.
AmounT

g uiTAr m ounTAin takes a while to climb.

knowing that youll make it to the top one day and one practice session at a time.
eAsy

later, these tortoise types are making all kinds of music on the guitar.
monThs

r esT

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, youll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, youre gonna be rewarded. - Jimi Hendrix

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Daily Practice Action Steps:

1. f ind
you can practice guitar regularly.
A

Time i n your s chedule when

In the beginning, do what you can and aim for 30 to 45 minutes of daily practice. 5 minutes of practice a day every day is better than an hour of practice every other Sunday. Consistency is your friend.

Early mornings are often the best because fatigue, busyness or socializing are less likely to spring up unexpectedly. Stick to your regular practice time as consistently as you can. If you miss a day, dont sweat it--just pick yourself up and get back at it the next day.

3. k eeP a P r AcTice j ournAl .

Simply write down when you practiced, what you worked on and any relevant benchmarks like the speed you played at and any breakthroughs that occurred. A practice journal makes your progress more visible, which will help you feel excited about learning to play the guitar over the long haul.

2. s TArT

ouT

s mAll

And

b uild.

How much you can practice depends on all sorts of factors. Decide on a minimum amount of time that youre going to practice each day. Then, stick to your minimum practice commitment and grow it over time.

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

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If I can get out of the way, if I can be pure enough, if I can be selfless enough, and if I can be generous and loving and caring enough to abandon what I have in my own preconceived silly notions of what I think I am and become truly who in fact I am, which is really just another child of God then the music can really use me. - John Mclaughlin

SLOW DOWN, speed racer

you we
have to take a nasty little pill to be addicted to speed.
live don T

in a fast-paced full-time society. Every single beginner I have ever taught has tried to play too fast right from the start.

you that every minute you spend practicing in super slo-mo will be worth 30 minutes of mindless too-fast practice.
Promise

A fTer

The

map out a tough move or transition or measure with super slow practice, then slowly bring that piece of music up to speed.
you

AbsoluTe besT Thing you cAn do for your guiTAr Pl Aying is slow down.

A gAin , e ven

e very

guitar player will sing the praises of slow practice. But that doesnt mean you get what theyre saying.
greAT besT

SLOWLY.

The

name of the game here is

The

starting point to take is the idea that YOU DONT KNOW WHAT SLOW MEANS.

you can play a piece of music full speed, it will always behoove you to practice that same piece very, very slowly.
when

The

f or

slow can mean actual slow motion. As in: Super Slo-Mo. You barely even look like youre moving when you do this kind of practice.

sTArTers ,

slower you Pr AcTice , The fAsTer you geT beTTer . one

iT s

of guitar playings most powerful paradoxes.

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

Practicing something fast rarely leads to perfection, but working on accuracy always leads to the ability to play faster.- Jody Fischer

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Slow Practice Action Steps:

1. P ick a small chunk of some music you
find challenging. Dont take on more than a measure or a few notes.

h ere

Are some good sTArTing PoinTs To focus on As you Pr AcTice :

Play that chunk of music in super slow motion. If what youre playing sounds like music, youre going too fast.

Are my fingers (and the rest of my body) relaxed? Are my fingers coming down perfectly right on the fingertips? Do my fingers all stay low to the strings as they move from note to note? Those are some good general guidelines for great guitar technique.

2. A s you practice in super slow motion,

Make all your movements perfect.

tighten up everything about your playing.

(Find a great teacher if youre not sure what perfection looks like on the guitar.)

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

If you play music for no other reason than actually just because you love it, the skills just kinda creep up on you. - Nuno Bettencourt.

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REPEAT AFTER ME...I love my metronome

h ere
some powerful ways practicing with a metronome will help you:
Are

1. The steady click of a metronome enforces

slow practice. Set the metronome to 50 or 60 BPM and stay with it. sense of rhythm.

students Ive known resist the metronome. Its natural to prefer playing without the annoying click of the metronome revealing all the inaccuracies in your playing.
guiTAr

m osT

u lTimATely,

2. The metromome reveals your natural 3. working with a metronome helps you
develop your ability to play in time.

will want to alternate between periods of practicing with the metronome and periods of practicing without it.
you The

in

beginning, however, err on the side of having the metronome on. It will force you to slow down and concentrate more intently.
you

4. u sing a metronome allows you to

measure and track your progress.

5. P r AcTicing with a metronome forces you

to pay closer attention to what youre doing.

learn how to hear whether youre playing with the metronome or not, it helps to have a friend or teacher sit with you while you work with the metronome. They can let you know whether youre on or off the beat.

As

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

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The guitar is a meditative tool to touch God and find love within yourself. Look for the perfect truth in the pieces you play. Playing a piece too fast is betraying the truth to ourselves and the universe, producing more garbage sounds and littering the universe. Nerves never attack a person in love. - Pepe Romero

Metronome Action Steps:

topic.

P r AcTicing
you d

wiTh

a metronome is a deep

2. A s you get more familiar with metronome

practice, resolve to use the metronome for a good chunk of every practice session. practice your music over time. Notice your progress and celebrate! metronome isnt clicking, you probably arent practicing.

if

like a thorough presentation of how to make the most out of your practice time with the metronome, check out Jamie Andreas fantastic book The Principles of Correct Practice for the Guitar. The Basic Practice Approach at the back of that book will give you a valuable and extremely effective framework.

3. k eeP track of the speeds at which you

4. i regularly remind my students: if the

h owever ,

are some nuggets to get you started practicing with a metronome.

here

1. AT first, its easiest to go slowly and try

to play with the click. Set the metronome to a slow speed like 50 or 60 and work through a passage of music while only playing on the click.

Be prepared for some resistance when it comes to using the metronome to practice. Push through whatever resistance emerges and make sure you use the metronome for at least half of the time youre practicing.

(i f

you don T yeT hAve A meTronome , i recommend The s eiko sQ50-v. A mAzon sells iT for Around $22)

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

One day you pick up the guitar and you feel like a great master, and the next day you feel like a fool. Its because were different every day, but the guitar is always the samebeautiful. -Tommy Emmanuel

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HONE YOUR TECHNIQUE, master your method

Two
form the foundation of every great guitarist the world has ever seen: Technique and Method.
essenTiAls

The

cArdinAl rule of TechniQue is : m ove As liTTle As Possible for mA ximum imPAcT. is

TechniQue m eThod
you

what your hands do to make music spring from the guitars strings.
is is

m eThod
guitar.

how you learn new things on the

you

how you go about learning new things on the guitar.

if

combine a versatile technique and a powerful method, you can master any piece of music written for the guitar (with enough time!).
is

will develop your own unique method, which will include bits and pieces of things you learn from other guitarists as well as from your own trial and error.

e venTuAlly,

The mosT important thing to say about Method is: d on T leAve iT To chAnce .
arent even aware of Method as one of the keys to learning to play the guitar. Dont make that mistake.
Pl Ayers

TechniQue

how your body interfaces with the guitar. The technique you use will depend on the kind of music you play and who youre learning from.

m Any

h owever ,

goal of any technique is to help you play music effectively and efficiently.
The

approaches and strategies that work to help you get better at the guitar. Refine and improve your Method over time, and notice how your confidence grows.
The

f ind

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

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Ive looked at photographs of myself during concerts and it sometimes looks as if Im in a fencing move, with a guitar in my hands instead of a sword. - Neil Diamond

Technique & Method Action Steps:

1. f ind a teacher who can help you get clear
on the technique that will work best for the music you want to play. some aspects of my Method that Ive learned and discovered over the years:
Are

h ere

Then, get to work mastering that technique and its many applications.

P l Aying The P icking h And A lone wiThouT The f reTTing h And P l Aying A PAssAge while c ounTing o uT l oud s inging Along im P l Aying
wiTh The iT

2. g eT a copy of The Principles of Correct

Practice for Guitar by Jamie Andreas. Read it carefully, and pay special attention to the Basic Practice Approach. This is the most powerful method Ive yet seen in print.

PAssAge
in

3. c onsciously create the Method you use

to learn new things on the guitar. Write your Method down and keep refining it as you discover what actually works to help you get results in improving your playing.

visuAlizing A Tough PAssAge d eTAil And Then P l Aying iT P l Aying P l Aying

A

e xQuisiTe

PAssAge

AT

f ull volume

in

s uPer s low m oTion

TAking A Tough PAssAge from s uPer s low m oTion A ll The wAy To m y ToP s Peed

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

iT s been very imPorTAnT ThroughouT my cAreer ThAT ive meT All The guys ive coPied , becAuse AT eAch sTAge They ve sAid , don T Pl Ay like me , Pl Ay like you . - Eric Clapton

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DONT BE A DABBLER
The
reserves its secrets for the stalwart few who traverse all the way to the top of Guitar Mountain.
guiTAr

f or

playing below the level of Mastery can be enough. Its fun to play and sing and have a good time making music on the guitar.
in

some ,

effort and intensity that it took you to learn a piece from scratch to about 50% of perfect, itll take you that much work again to go from 50% to 75%.
much

h owever

my experience, playing guitar at the highest level you can manage is so fun you wont believe it til youre there.

h owever ,

To

from 75% to 90%, itll take as much work as it took you to get all the way to 75% in the first place.
go

The

of mastery starts with a single piece of music. Draw your line in the sand and decide to push hard until you can play a single piece at as close to perfection as you can manage.
PATh you

from 90% b uT
Those

another big batch of Super Effort.

To

95%? You guessed it--

when

finally 4.999% to go from 95% to 99.999%? Thats the hardest stretch of all.

get that one piece of music polished as close to perfect as possible, youll be hooked on Mastery as the best game in town.

There s

lot of talk these days about the 80/20 principle and doing things well but not necessarily at the level of Mastery.
A

a dabbler--rise to the challenge of your guitar and push yourself to play at the level of mastery!
be

d on T

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

Caption

The guitar is your first wings. Its assigned and designed to unfold your vision and imagination. - Carlos Santana

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Mastery Action Steps:

1. P ick
one of The Pieces of music you re currenTly leArning .

5. P l Ay

your mAsTered Piece in Public for An Audience .

Commit to learning this piece all the way to mastery.

Play your heart out, and knock it out of the park. Do this once, and youll never be the same. with one piece of music, pick another piece and go through those four steps again. Congratulations! Youre now officially a master-in-training!

2. Then , geT busy APPlying every one of These 7 h AbiTs of g reAT g uiTArisTs To This one Piece of music . 3. g eT b usy
And enjoy The ride . ThAT

6. o nce youve completed steps 1 through 4

4. d on T sToP unTil you re uP inTo 99.999 PercenTile of mAsTery.

Recognize that the path to perfection is neverending. Theres always more to learn and perfect.

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS e very

Time you Pick uP your guiTAr To Pl Ay, Pl Ay

As if iT s The l AsT Time .

- Eric Clapton

P l Aying

guiTAr is like Telling The TruTh .

you

never hAve To worry AbouT rePeATing The sAme lie if you Told The TruTh . PreTend or cover uP. AbouT iT.

you

don T hAve To

if

someone Asks you AgAin

yo u d o n T h Av e T o T h i n k A b o u T i T o r wo r ry

iT s

you .

- B.B King

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, PROGRESS!

dont notice the actual, tangible progress you make in your guitar playing, youre much more likely to quit trying.
you

if

month and watch yourself improve over the course of months.

ive

this over and over again--someone will be making genuine progress learning to play the guitar, and yet theyll completely ignore and deny that theyre actually getting better.
seen

if

have to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to where you used to be and notice how far youve come.
you mAke

iT s s o,

easier to feel frustrated if you dont actually see your progress.

much mAke your Progress obvious . A

the grave mistake of comparing yourself against some ideal in your mind of where you think you should be. best each day and document what your best is as you move forward.
your

d on T

do

k eeP

journal of everything you practice and make a ritual of taking note of how far youve come over the past few months...

Then ,

a habit of stopping on a regular basis to look back and really notice how much progress youre making.
mAke your

OR r ecord yourself playing something once a

A PPreciATing

progress as it unfolds is one of the most important things you can do to ensure you continue enjoying your journey on the guitar long into the future.

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

Caption

Youre always learning about this thing every time you pick it up - Keith Richards

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Progress Action steps:

1. c hoose the medium youre going to use to
chart your progress. Will you keep a written journal? Audio recordings? Video? arent making progress, go back and look through the records youre making of where youve been and what youve learned on the guitar. ARE making or, if you really dont see any progress whatsoever (though this is highly unlikely), go back and figure out which of the previous habits of great guitarists you arent applying. Bring the new habit into your practicing and playing and get on the fasttrack of guitar progress.

4. e sPeciAlly when youre feeling like you

2. A rr Ange the details of how you will

document your progress using your chosen medium.

5. Then , either celebrate the progress you

Buy the journal and keep it handy. Figure out your recording setup. Make your progress documentation process as easy as possible.

3. AT the beginning of every month, take a

snapshot of where you are. Play something you are working on. Then, a month later, play that same piece again. Document your performance and appreciate the progress youve made in the last month.

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS A PProAch your guiTAr inTelligenTly, And if There Are limiTs , don T deny Them . work wiThin your resTr icTions . s ome Things you cAn d o b e T T e r T h A n o T h e r s , s o m e T h i n g s yo u c A n T d o A s w e l l . s o AccenTuATe The PosiTive . - Chet Atkins

iT

20 yeArs To leArn i couldn T T u ne To o we ll . A nd by Th AT T ime i wA s Too rich To cAre . - Chet Atkins

Took me

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GET BUSY LIVING!

There
literally nothing you cant accomplish on the guitar if you will apply these principles consistently over a long enough period of time.
is

the reward for successfully incoporating these habits into your guitar playing life.
is

h Armony

your friend when it comes to learning to play the guitar as well as you want to be able to play it.
is

PATience

iT

easy to read an idea, but it is hard indeed to put an idea into practice.
is

d on T m Ake The

if

apply these habits to your guitar practice and playing, you will absolutely see results that will blow your mind. I promise.
you

read this manual for guitar success. Live it.

jusT These

playing.

habits come alive in your guitar of Mastery begins anew each day.

These

present the laws of nature that govern how we learn to make music on the guitar.
hAbiTs hAve

journey dAy, dAy,

They

worked for me, for my teachers and for the many students I have helped on their way to playing their favorite music on the guitar. They will work for you too.

you have another chance to show up as who you really are.

e Ach e Ach

you have a chance to take bold strides in the direction of mastery.

luck And

g ood

g odsPeed.

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

35

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

I wish you much joy and beauty in the process of discovering the music you were born to make. Always remember that true success is 10% theory and 90% Practice! Pour yourself into your music and into your practice, and you will be amazed at the sounds that will flow forth from your fingers. If I can help you, encourage you, or assist with tips or pointers, do not hesitate, contact me at www.stringloveguitar.com

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