15 Simple Tips to Sound Pro on Guitar

[@cineblazer]

I love Rob on his own. I love Andrew on his own. But when the two of you collaborate, it's really next level every time. Probably my favorite kind of video on either channel, y'all just work so well together!

[@lexx.wangmusic]

Hell yeah

[@bricelory9534]

Agreed!

[@ajh.7]

I don’t like either of them by themselves so together it’s just awful

[@cineblazer]

@@ajh.7 out of genuine curiosity, why leave this comment? while you definitely have a right to have a negative opinion, what benefit do you gain by sharing it here?

[@bricelory9534]

@@ajh.7 so why would you click this video at all?

[@robscallon]

❤

[@theovergoat]

I've always looked up to Andrew as this musical wizard who can just do anything he wants and play whatever he wants. I've been kind of jealous, wishing that I could do what he can. Seeing him struggling and learning things in this video reminded me that he's just human, and he got to where he is through years of hard work. I better do the same

[@andrewhuang]

Yeah I spent a lot of time not being good 😄

[@shitmultiverse1404]

@@andrewhuang it's kinda comforting knowing that people that are really good weren't always good

[@FaanaMusic]

I love this comment. We can so easily forget how much of the hard work goes into it only seeing the final product. I absolutely agree being able to see these videos is absolute gold mine! Is there something you're working on right now?

[@caseyhamm4292]

would love just an entire playlist of rob x andrew collabs. would be many many hours long. would watch it so many times

[@FizzyK-45]

Watching Andrew and Rob together is always a joy. 😁

[@LegendaryMuffins]

I would happily watch a like 3 hour video of them just hanging out with no goal in mind just to watch them interact, the energy there is just so fun!

[@MRVIDEOMASTER-yw1qw]

God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen! God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen!!

[@MRVIDEOMASTER-yw1qw]

@@LegendaryMuffins God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen! God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen!!

[@SoCalGuitarist]

I've been trying to get Rob's guitar flamenco hybrid style slap strumming for several years now, without much luck. The way he broke it down for Andrew in excruciating detail was exactly what I needed to finally break through the barrier. Fantastic! This was a lot of fun to watch, and reminds me a lot of when I would interact with my own guitar teachers

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

that's a long as name for a guitar technique lol

[@thedude7726]

100% me too

[@cking1340]

​@@unacuentadeyoutube13For how long it is, it works lol. Maybe just Flamenco Slap Strumming

[@ananassharikopodshipnikovi9308]

Honestly I still don't get how he does triplets. If I move fingers at all, I'm not able to do triplets fast. If I don't move fingers and move my wrist, it's hard to find comfortable position for my middle and ring finger in which the strums by these fingers are separate. If I bend first strumming up finger too much (I tried both orders) it just gets stuck between strings. If I don't bend it enough, first strum doesn't finish by the time second starts. If someone figured it out, help me please!

[@ananassharikopodshipnikovi9308]

The only way I found that works without moving fingers is bending my wrist so my first strumming finger is pointed more towards the bridge instead of into fingerboard. But once again, I can't bend and unbend my wrist fast enough and I'm pretty sure that's not healthy for my wrist

[@lema1337]

please make this a series where you teach each other and us your fans something new, like you can teach rob ab stuff like production and more synths!!!

[@futur_sunds]

+1

[@kyleh1127]

Watching andrew teach rob about modular synthesizers got me hooked and sent me down an amazing path discovering and learning vcv rack and synthesis

[@xyzyzx1253]

Big yes pls

[@Ritefita]

lol + Adam

[@seedmole]

No joke, if this video existed 15 years ago when I was constantly on the ultimate-guitar forums, I'd be soooo much better at guitar than I currently am. Absolutely wild how far things have come from the early days of finding this stuff out online.

[@jdestrada6281]

I've been playing guitar for 18 years and no one's been able to explain pinch harmonics better than Rob.

[@kernelle4]

One of the greatest signs of mastery is being able to deconstruct complex techniques into understandable bits. Rob is truly a master of the guitar, maybe not in the traditional meaning of the word, but a master nonetheless.

[@nicholasparker.970]

we need a petition for a guitar masterclass from both of them together.

[@GregGallagher]

This video is a freaking crash course on guitar and bass techniques, Rob is such a great musician and teacher, and Andrew is such a talent as well. Please make more videos like this!

[@williamrandolph5476]

I didn't know I needed this, but seeing Andrew learning from someone else and not teaching us something was really refreshing, and shows he is always ttying to improve, as all music makers should

[@douglasboyle6544]

You two together are why the internet and music were invented. I also love that Rob starts out by saying "I started wanting to learn tabs of Megadeath but instead here's something I learned from watching Chico Marx" Inspiration comes from everywhere!

[@Bravo-Too-Much]

Yeah such an edgelord thing to say by referencing some obscure piano technique from 100 years ago.

[@douglasboyle6544]

@@Bravo-Too-Much Actually it's "comedic juxtaposition".

[@anarmadillowithagun]

@@Bravo-Too-Much what are u talking about lmao

[@igorsadowski761]

Seeing Andrew struggle at anything musical is such a bizarre experience

[@joesretrostuff]

Ikr

[@_Grimblewedge_]

I'm in my 50s and used to play guitar back in the 90s. Life happened and I got rid of all my gear. This year, all the kids left for college and I decided I really missed playing. I bought a guitar and amp and have been watching a ton of videos. This has been more helpful and fun than any other single video I can think of. Thank you!

[@LegendaryMuffins]

It's interesting hearing Rob talk about what got him into music, funny enough it's because of him that I found Andrew's channel and that's what got me into making music (saw the colab between them on the OP-1 several years back) and it's just been a whole new love of music ever since!

[@Andy-up5fc]

I think I found both of their channels during the one hour song challenge era. Which now that I think about it, is probably not even a challenge for the duo who keeps managing entire albums in a single day. It's kind of bonkers how much the channels have changed over the years.

[@hoebare]

I also found Andrew through Rob. I saw Rob opening for John Green (of John and Hank fame) in Seattle and was so impressed I saved his name in my phone and looked him up later. Then Andrew got me into Ableton and I'm learning to drum.

[@harryf9885]

Same, I got into music after coming across Rob’s videos with musicians of instruments, and found Andrew and Brandon Acker from there. All 3 are very inspiring musicians, Brandon more classical and early music focused, Rob does metal and introduces me to various genres through those instrument showcase videos and Andrew does electronic music and music production combined with everything else.

[@w-hisky]

This was an unbelievably valuable and condensed crash course. 😎👍 Thank you both!

[@MarySpender]

Not first. But close. Love you both!

[@lonelyfloat2582]

woah, caught in the wild, nice

[@BajaShouta]

Straight up, I’ve been playing guitar for like 17 years now, and the harmonic section of this video is the first time I’ve genuinely learned a NEW technique in like the last ten years LMAO this is incredible

[@tomhead]

This is a super underrated method of sharing techniques. Watching someone else learn is soooo helpful! Instead of the instructor setting the pace, the student sets the pace!

[@oldmanzen6682]

Rob is such a fantastic teacher. Not only can he segment complicated principles into easily managed lessons, but he’s super encouraging and fun. Great video guys.

[@infn8loopmusic]

Watching Andrew learn pinch harmonics for the really takes me back to recall how much time I spent practicing and practicing it to get it right. It's definitely not easy and it was really cool to see this concept take flight and he really was a natural and seemed to get the hang of it quickly, which says a lot about Rob's teaching as much as it does the natural talent here.

[@gabet3514]

I got my first guitar a few months ago and this is the most helpful video I have seen

[@juaniferritto165]

I've been playing guitar for 10 years and this is the most helpful video I've seen

[@whong09]

This is amazing. Slap bass finally makes sense to me. One thing I noticed while messing around with tapping is that the strum hand can bend much easier than the fret hand can but I don't see a lot of guitar players tapping and bending. So much respect for being a digital music producer that understands the value of instrumental skill.

[@Terrariex]

Always love a good Andrew Rob video

[@sebisoymus2807]

First the hundred riffs in a day, and now this - I can't imagine how great album 5 is gonna be now that FOO is (inconspicuously) rehearsing through the year!

[@sebisoymus2807]

The danger of commenting while watching the video is that now I want a FOO song where both you and Rob play guitar 'cause MAN those harmonies at 11:05 were cool

[@HighEnergyPessimism]

It's such a relief to hear someone who's been playing a long time to talk how difficult pitch harmonics are. It took me so long, legit years to play that one riff in laid to rest consistently

[@TheGuacoTaco]

That pinch harmonic feeling they described immediately took me back to the first time I successfully nailed a pinch and that was all I wanted to do for days. It made me feel incredible. To this day a "nasty" well placed pinch will give me goosebumps. I still love adding them to songs that don't otherwise have them. Got me in trouble when I played in a country band.

[@teriscallon]

two of my favorite people, sharing what they know and having fun with it

[@peterelfman]

Rob and Andrew together is such a joy to experience. I love it when you guys make videos together!

[@RunicSigils]

It's always interesting to see how different people do things slightly differently when playing and yet achieve similar results musically.

[@TomLumPerson]

Rob and Andrew always know the Best questions to ask and always have the Best explanations to answer them. As a science communicator, this and the Modular Synth video are some of my favorite explainers ever, period.

[@dandtintennessee7675]

No internet when I was a kid. We had to learn it all by ear. Now that I'm 50 and started over I love these tips like this.

[@gavinbridwell9551]

I'm sure people have already said it but the word for Rob's "sprinting" is rasgueado. It's a spanish guitar thing... the spanish kinda mastered the guitar in a lot of ways.

[@floating-brain]

Andrew's blue bass is one of the coolest instruments i've ever seen

[@krysidian]

Seeing you two together is always such a joy. I never played a guitar or knew a lot about it but even I think I picked up some really cool techniques and feel like I understood how they worked. Have been rewatching your collabs recently so this came at the perfect time, always love to see more!

[@williamflahive]

These videos are always so helpful for artists looking to better themselves in production or instrumentation. My go-to for advice if I'm stuck on anything, Very good videos and these two just work so well together.

[@FreshFindsPod]

Rob is so good at demistifying things and making them so much more accessable.

[@lonovvevega5198]

You two have a magic together, it's great to be able to observe it

[@garethniles6152]

The bridge pickup harmonic node thing just blew my mind. I’ve been playing guitar for 14 years now too…

[@joesretrostuff]

Oh he was saying node! I thought he was mispronouncing ‘note’

[@meinbherpieg4723]

A note to my fellow tappers and slappers - the "magic" is the compressor pedal, which evens out (compresses) the volume of the low and high notes. That's how a twelfth fret high E can be heard while also tapping a low note.

[@NintenDub]

The best music duo on youtube

[@scottnorem]

The ‘WHAT?!’ After the pickup change was incredible!

[@ManuCel_]

This video shows how important it is to have a teacher dude. You can learn on your own, but a teacher really helps to learn and to know what you're doing wrong

[@Felek5917]

I only just now realized how much Rob influenced my playing. So thank you Rob!

[@DrJeebles]

Watching you pick up even the basics of slap bass as quickly as you did is impressive. My brain was hurting just watching. Nice.

[@daylebluegrassprodigyhurn7904]

The way Rob said about seeing slap for the first time and thought to himself "I have to learn that". I felt exactly the same with flat picking (bluegrass style), I see it I fell in love, taken 2 years, and still not up to speed

[@P_dude_007]

I have a few question for the strumming section! 1: I need to keep my thumb stiff right? 2: how do I use my ring finger like you guys did in the video? 3: do I mute strings I’m not wanting to play with my left hand? 4: Are there any more tips that would be helpful for me Thanks guys!

[@nickhaldin8674]

Honestly, these days I feel a lot of music youtube guys are kind of annoying and out of touch. I really like both of you and together you guys are really fun to watch👍🏼

[@ExplosiveDisregard]

i dont even play an instrument but it is so satisfying to watch people understand concepts. just having this common language that you can build on is so fucking cool.

[@justinjohnston8729]

13:27 I think harp harmonics actually refers to alternating flageolets/harmonics with open or fretted strings. There is an old Lenny Breau video where he covers this technique. Ted Greene was also good at it. It's a bit more compilacated than just playing arpeggios with harmonics and sounds sooo much cooler.

[@Sanelora1]

As a classical guitarist, I find the artificial harmonics with a fretted fundamental is much more easily done plucking with the middle finger of your picking hand rather than how Rob demonstrates with his thumb on the picking hand. Muting the fundamental is still done with the index finger. This gives you a bit more control over the dynamics of the note as you don't have to "push through" the string to sound the string and it also allows you to setup for another pluck while (ideally) not changing the structural set of the hand as this technique really requires it. Its also a bit more comfortable in the long term if you do it a lot, mostly due to the existing curvature of your fingers. I don't think there is any risk of injury using the technique demonstrated in the video so definitely do it like this if it works for you but because you have to set your hand muscles to control it and make it clean, I find that it can cause quick fatigue/cramping in the plucking/picking hand and forearm. This is used a lot in the more complex and modern classical pieces and I personally find it much easier to do using my middle finger to pluck. Great video otherwise, lots of good information here!

[@nstrug]

Late answer but the reason that rock guitarists usually use the thumb/index technique for artificial harmonics is because they are palming a plectrum so they can quickly swap back to picking.

[@choimdachoim9491]

In a condensed amount of time this had the most information and least wasted time of hundreds of videos regarding guitar playing I've watched over the past 3 years.

[@tysoncurtis2646]

i feel like this should be the epitome of music, sharing techniques and allowing others to learn how they can make amazing music for others and pass the techniques on

[@chrisallen5855]

Holy cow, was not expecting Rob to drop a Marx Bros reference!!! I'm a big fan of the Marx Bros, and I always loved Chico's piano playing. Thanks for dropping some real old school knowledge on the kids.

[@LordChevonlier]

Andrew actually introduced me to music theory and as a result it's both increased my passion for music and got me to pick up my guitar again. Now we both get to increase our guitar knowledge from the 8 string master himself

[@andrewusher1033]

I love how happy they are together 😊

[@doofs]

yo!! i just started learning guitar a few months ago and im at that phase where my finger strength isnt quiet there yet to accurately change chords quickly. because of that tapping with the fret hand technique i discovered its a great way to build muscle strength and memory! freakin thanks!!

[@Famed-Mimic-Gogo]

Super duper cool tips on techniques that aren't immediately obvious when learning! Weird story: I struggled with pinch harmonics until I broke my index finger on my picking hand. While in a splint, I held my pick with thumb and middle finger. My ring finger brushed the string and made a perfect pinch. Now I do pinch harmonics by resting my ring finger on the string to "pinch" it with the pick itself and move my hand to let it ring out. Totally wrong way to do it but I've gotten compliments on them and done them onstage, on command, so I guess I lucked out!

[@violet__butterfly]

Andrew and Rob are such a wholesome duo

[@kungfuseadog]

Wow I wasn't expecting much from a title like that but this was an increbily entertaining and educational video. Rob is such a kind and competent teacher! Thanks for this one, I learned a lot. I liked how rob was so nice the whole time except for when the Noise gate cut off his pinch harmonic. "I think that got cut by your noise gate" had this undertone of disgust, disappointment, and vengefulness that is hard to achieve. That man loves his pinch harmonics and won't let anything or anyone get in the way of him and them.

[@RobUttley]

The first 4 minutes of this just lit me up like a christmas tree, how come I never thought of trying to do it like that? Brilliant, thank you.

[@_trashvis_]

this was so awesome. seeing you two together is the best combo. i would like to see you teach rob some things. rob has been my main inspiration and this video has even helped me so much

[@NicholasAndrewLouie]

Both of y'all consistently remind me why I subbed to you both in the first place with every upload. Love it. Keep up the good moooosic 👍

[@Yuki-rh1ie]

we could watch you two for literal days just doing your thing in that studio

[@KevinMerinoCreations]

Love this! Entertaining and informative! Thank you!👏👏👏

[@davedavem]

You got me at tip 1! Every time I've tried tapping for the last 30 years it's sounded like that noise you get if you bend off the end of a fret. This works for me!

[@steves6565]

I spent megabucks on Guitar Magazines and hit the library for books to read and learned nothing :\ 25 years I’m really enjoying these videos and learning a metric heck ton. Thank you guys very much!

[@DustDragon]

Imagine just jamming with those two... Best experience ever

[@Grid21]

I learned so much today and I plan to come back to this video again and try to practice everything I saw in it! Thanks Andrew! And I hope we can see more videos like this in the future! :D

[@oscarscholten2059]

pinch harmonics are my favs, and every show we play with our metal band, i hope i dont screw up the important pinch harmonics exactly because of all the things named in the video. love when andrew and rob makes video's together!

[@ThePoiper1997]

A series of you learning and experiencing what your audience does in every one of your videos would be fantastic

[@icarusgaming6269]

Rob and Andrew are the "early 2000s Saturday morning cartoon" kind of best buds

[@bricelory9534]

I love the two of you together sharing the unique expertise each of you have with one another! I hope to see a lot more of these sorts of videos! Thank you!

[@s970cc]

I started practicing Laquer Head after watching this and it has helped me a lot, my slap bass is already improving so quickly!

[@Colcalebcat]

Holy crap... I've done a good amount of work with a lot of instruments for a long time... But this was super eye-opening. Thanks you guys so much.

[@Hadiplaysmusic]

One of the best duos on the KZbins

[@Mr_Fourshot]

Rob dude you are a great teacher. Been playing over 20 years and been in a little bit of a block the past few years, but this has really opened my mind on ways to progress. Great stuff man thanks. :)

[@Mathmannohyeah]

So glad to see you guys collaborating 🎉❤

[@awndermusic]

this friendship is so wholesome

[@shiftybat7318]

Oh boy do I remember those days - going to a friend's house with a printer or the school library to get They Might Be Giants tabs to practice accordion to or getting frustrated with Guided By Voices guitar tabs cause it sounded 'off' and it took me a while to realize in the old days that band may have been in tune with each other but not quite in standard tuning so it all sounded like blue notes. The kids have it easy when it comes to self-teaching, and good on 'em. Use whatever tools you've got.

[@ace.of.space.]

love when Rob is going "yeahhh!!" and Andrew's face is giving a strong maybe

[@jaceyp.8457]

That tapping technique where you play the chords is fucking incredible sounding

[@felipelotas5609]

What an amazing class!!! This is GOLD!!!

[@isaacthecorncob]

"I'll try my best" Then nails it. Classic Rob

[@TheAbsolyte]

That first lesson was insanely easy to digest! More people need to see this!

[@Nenes001]

You two are the best bromance in youtube , everytime u guys made a colab video is a awesome and fun , pls more ! 🎸⚡

[@mirage809]

Rob's breakdown of pinch harmonics made me really respect Zakk Wylde. That dude pretty much brought the whole idea to the forefront.

[@PugCuber]

9:03 I love how Rob just ALWAYS goes to the _Ravioli_ riff when doing slap bass still won’t pay those high prices btw

[@woodybob01]

With the amount of invaluably helpful tips in this video it's like striking gold!

[@hndhldmusic]

Rob definitely makes me feel better about a guitarist when when he was talking about pinch harmonics

[@usejustonce2386]

Rob is such a great teacher

[@whatskraken3886]

it’s funny seeing Rob play Ravioli and andrew’s like “we wrote that song together”

[@funk1ll3r7]

Yooo 09:38 gives me Rayman 3 vibes. such an amazing and nostalgic game for me with incredibly funky music.

[@jayo3453]

is he playing an actual song or was that improve

[@smhill818]

2:40 This was such a beautiful moment 🥲

[@palethorn]

I remember hearing pinch harmonic for the first time and thinking: "What is that sound? How is he doing that?" Had to do a research on the internet just to figure out how the technique was called. And I made it harder for myself when practicing to try and produce them consistently by using only clean sound.

[@nick.raptis]

Featuring the blue Aerodyne P. I'm always in love 😍

[@hirudo881]

I think seeing an already good musician struggle is one of the best ways to encourage people. Keep on slappin'!

[@Bramhallthefifth]

im a bassist but when i do artificial harmonics, such as the ones heard on weather report's "birdland", i actually pick with my first finger and create the harmonic with my thumb. i dont know if anyone finds that easier on guitar but that hand mechanism is also kind of where pinch harmonics stem from as well from my observation

[@SMAAAASHTV]

Rob makes pinch harmonics seem a lot harder than they are by stating you HAVE to stay in a certain location over the pickups. You can get them by swinging you thumb knuckle to touch the string for a split second after picking the note, but you can move your hand up and down the string to get different harmonic frequencies, so it doesn't have to be perfect.