How Bluegrass flatpicking, alternate picking and crosspicking develop a different dimension of the lead guitarist With the release of Blackberry Blossom, following our earlier performance of Free Born Wild, and with more repertoire in the pipeline, Bluegrass music finds its place within the Guitar Excellence Program (GEP). But why Bluegrass? Why would a guitar program… Continue reading Why Bluegrass Guitar Finds Its Place in the Guitar Excellence Program
Category: Interviews
Building Indian Lead Guitar Through Ragas: Expanding a Melody Through Alaap
How the transition from Gat → Alaap → Gat transforms a composition into a long-form musical journey For many guitarists, learning a melody is the destination. You learn a composition, memorize the phrases, perfect the technique, and perform it exactly as it was written. Once the melody ends, the performance ends. Indian classical music offers… Continue reading Building Indian Lead Guitar Through Ragas: Expanding a Melody Through Alaap
From Guitar Lessons To Musical Careers: Building The House of Guitarmonk
Can Guitar Learning Be More Than Classes? For more than three decades, my life has revolved around music. Over 21 years have been spent officially building Guitarmonk, preceded by many years of learning, exploring and growing with music as a student. Through Guitarmonk, I have spent years teaching guitar, developing structured learning systems, exploring Indian… Continue reading From Guitar Lessons To Musical Careers: Building The House of Guitarmonk
Beyond Scales: My Discovery of Alaap on Guitar
For many years, my guitar journey followed a path familiar to countless musicians. Scales. Chords. Songs. Technique. Repertoire. These are important parts of a guitarist’s development. They certainly shaped mine. But somewhere along the way, I became fascinated by a different question: Why do some musicians create a powerful experience with only a few notes?… Continue reading Beyond Scales: My Discovery of Alaap on Guitar
Why Music Learning Spaces Fail — Lessons from Guitarmonk’s First Center (2007)
What building a complete learning environment taught us about commitment, structure, and real outcomes ## The Beginning: Building the First Space In 2007, we built our first Guitarmonk space in Krishna Nagar. A 3-floor setup designed for music learning. * Recording studio * Performance area * Guitar classrooms * Music galleria (albums & books) *… Continue reading Why Music Learning Spaces Fail — Lessons from Guitarmonk’s First Center (2007)
Ragas on Guitar: Level 4 Ahir Bhairav Composition by Kapil Srivastava
At Level 4 of our Ragas on Guitar journey, students reach a pivotal milestone: when practice becomes performance. I’m very happy to share this — because this is not just a lesson. This is repertoire. A series in the making. It’s built for students to step onto the stage and present a raga with clarity,… Continue reading Ragas on Guitar: Level 4 Ahir Bhairav Composition by Kapil Srivastava
Indian Tremolo — The Language Behind Indian Lead Guitar
Indian Tremolo is not just a guitar technique — it is a language, a craft, and a legacy shaped by generations of Indian musicians. Growing up, I was deeply influenced by Indian folk music, Indian film melodies, and the way Indian musicians expressed emotion through ornamentation and rhythmic intensity. Among many musical elements, tremolo picking… Continue reading Indian Tremolo — The Language Behind Indian Lead Guitar
Raga Bairagi Composition on Guitar, KaalNaad – राग बैरागी, कालनाद
My new music on Raga Bairagi. Named it #KaalNaad (the Sound of TIME). Accompanied by Yash Soman on Tabla. This piece made me imagine the wheel of time reaching its end. Feel free to share what you imagine. 🎸 Raga Club – https://guitarmonk.com/indian-classical-music-ragas/ and discover Radio, Raga Videos, Sheets, and Learning of Ragas along with my… Continue reading Raga Bairagi Composition on Guitar, KaalNaad – राग बैरागी, कालनाद
Ladki Hai Ya Shola – Silsila Movie – Guitar Cover – Tremolo Picking Technique
Glad to share with you my new #tremolopicking guitar arrangement of Song Ladki Hai Ya Shola from Bollywood Movie: Silsila (1981). Music by Hari Prasad Chaurasia & Shiv Kumar Sharma. This is one of good examples of #Tremolo #Picking melodies on #guitar merged with Indian folk rhythms. Heartiest Thanks to Yash from #Pune, who volunteered… Continue reading Ladki Hai Ya Shola – Silsila Movie – Guitar Cover – Tremolo Picking Technique