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Already I'm a better player. Yesterday was amazing. I have renewed enthusiasm for practicing and playing. What I really like about this chatper is that John points out several instances where one shoudl take care not to injure him/herself while practicing and he suggests stretching exercises, etc. That is critically important and shows he really cares about his students. This book is exactly what the doctor ordered. Following is a quick summary of my observations.

Chapter 3 - Expanding my techniques

Example 15-Intervallic Slides

I've been really wanting to improve my improvising skills and sliding is a big part of that. I've been just sliding notes without any real purpose. This exercise help me to learn a practice routine to improve my sliding accuracy.

Example 16-More melodic slide exercise

As John often does, he builds on a concept he just introduced. I like how he shows a basic example of what to do, and then builds upon that.

Example 17-Diatonic sixths

As a self-taught guitarist (using instructional aids like this), I'm finding that I'm becoming more of a musician! I now know really what Diatonic sixths are and have a way to apply this concept to my playing. Thanks, John!

Example 18-Diatonic Octaves

This builds upon the previous exercise in octaves, rather than a diatonic scale. Very Cool!

Example 19-20 - Even more sliding techniques

Example 21-26 - String Skipping!

One of the challenges I've been having is really skipping around on strings making accurate clean contact. These exercises already have helped me make tremendous advances in this area. Can't wait to see how good I get after a few weeks of applying these exercises specifically.

Examples 27-35 - Arpeggios

These were very challenging. John covers all sorts of arpeggio techniques from diatonic through sweeping. I've got the basics down, but it will take me some time to really get the hang of it. These exercises are really making my practice time more fun and interesting. I can't wait to show off these skills to my friends!

Examples 36-39 - Using Open Strings

This exercise was a lot of fun. I've always liked adding open strings whenever possible. It just adds an interesting feel to whatever I play. These exercises cover some great practice techniques. I found myself drifting away from the exercises and improvising a lot. I find myself discovering new sounds, licks, and original content that I did not know was waiting inside of me!

Example 40 - The Open String Etude.

Trust me - buy this book and do this exercise!