top of page



3 tips to improve your improvisational guitar skills
Hi, how are you doing? Today I want to give you 3 simple tips on how to better up your improvisation skills. This is going to be rather short because I'm probably going to expand on these tips sometime near the future. Okay, let's start! Tip#1: Be rhythmically interesting Ever wondered why you know the minor pentatonic scale (and all 5 positions on the fingerboard) but playing them sounds so bad? Well, if you primarily run the scales up and down - the result will be bad sound

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 72 min read


Is the Mark Holcomb PRS SE electric guitar a good choice for metal?
Today I would like to make a review of my PRS Mark Holcomb SE guitar. Here's a picture of it: My PRS Mark Holcomb Signature Edition electric guitar In case you haven't heard, Mark Holcomb is a guitarist from the modern metal/ djent band Periphery. Now, understand that this is the 2023 (or something near this year) edition from PRS. It means that the pickups are not Alpha & Omega (which had a little more output). My guitar has a newer set of pickups called Seymour Duncan Scarl

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 62 min read


Really usable djent (rhythm) tone for Yamaha Revstar guitars
If you are looking for a quick way to get a cool djent rhythm tone FREE preset (using Archetype Misha Mansoor X plugin) then you are at the right place. This guitar tone preset is great using my Yamaha Revstar 820 CR guitar. Why good for my guitar? Because the humbucker pickups are sort of average output for something like DJENT or metal in general. The Yamaha RS was made for genres with blues, jazz, rock or country not progressive metal or djent. Here are the pickup outputs

Ralfs Bendrāts
Dec 17, 20251 min read


Is EZdrummer 3 any good?
EZdrummer 3 home screen Is EZdrummer 3 worth the price? Is it even useful for you as a developing guitarist? My short answer is "YES" to...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jun 10, 20254 min read


Playing guitar needs to be fun
Rocking out with pure joy, a guitarist beams with excitement while strumming vibrant chords. I want you to remember one thing very clear....

Ralfs Bendrāts
May 2, 20251 min read


Metronome is essential for guitar practicing and improvisational improvement
Have you ever heard online that someone recommends practising your guitar with a metronome or click track? Yes! And I'm not different...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Mar 24, 20251 min read


A little Jackson SL3 guitar noodle over a G7 vamp in the funk/fusion genre
Here's a quick Jackson SL3 (Made in Japan) demo over a G7 vamp. I'm using the fusion preset I shared in my previous post. It is an...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Mar 18, 20251 min read


FREE Neural DSP Cory Wong X Preset - Jazz Rock (Fusion) Soloist Tone
Are you a beginner or intermediate guitarist looking to expand your tonal palette? Look no further! I am excited to share a FREE preset...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Mar 17, 20254 min read


My review of my guitar Jackson SL3 (Made in Japan)
Hello! Today let's talk a little about my guitar I've owned for many years - the Jackson SL3. Close-up of my Jackson SL3 (Made in Japan)...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Mar 16, 20252 min read


Listening to your body when playing guitar
A young musician deeply focused on playing his guitar, with a hunched posture indicating the need for ergonomic adjustments....

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 25, 20252 min read


Why you need to practice rhythm every day too!
Many aspiring guitarists don't understand how to improve both hands simultenously. That's where hand synchronization comes into play....

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 25, 20252 min read


Finding your own unique guitar sound
Every guitarist dreams of finding that perfect sound—a signature that sets them apart. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 4, 20253 min read


My thoughts/ review of Jackson Pro Series Juggernaut HT7
Let's talk today a bit about the Jackson Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7. Now, this is a guitar I own at the moment. I've got the neon...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Nov 24, 20242 min read


Make every note you play on guitar count!
Have you noticed that your hands get tired after an intensive 1 hour or 2 hour practice session? Everyone may be slightly different but...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Nov 3, 20241 min read


Taking breaks can help your guitar playing too!
Did you know that creativity is a strange thing? Yes, we as guitarists are not creative all the time at the same level. Sometimes, quite...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Aug 24, 20241 min read


Is there a ceiling on how much/ often to practice guitar?
Have you ever thought about this? I have thought about this quite a lot. The question is: "How much to practice guitar daily?" A quick...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Dec 24, 20232 min read


Are Neural DSP plugins worth buying?
If you have an electric guitar, chances are you need a tone! Duh! Today we are narrowing the spectrum of PC plugins into just Neural DSP....

Ralfs Bendrāts
Dec 23, 20232 min read


How to get a good jazz tone on a Neural DSP plugin - Plini X
For some people getting a useful/ great guitar tone is a nightmare. But it doesn't have to be. Actually, these days guitar plugin...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Dec 22, 20232 min read


Soloing using simple A triad and D triad
Today let's improvise using only triads - A and D respectively. Here's the track and my solo take Let's use only triads on the first 3...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 18, 20231 min read


Chill Soulful Groove Guitar Backing Track Jam in D
Today here's a cool backing track to jam over. Here's the track and my solo take It's in D major and I basically use the D major scale...

Ralfs Bendrāts
Jan 5, 20231 min read
bottom of page



