If you’ve ever been to a live show or even set foot in a guitar store, you’ve likely seen a guitar pedal. Guitar pedals are little metal boxes that are arranged in a circuit formation on what is appropriately dubbed a “pedalboard.” Each guitar pedal is wired to create a special audio effect. In this article, I’ll be talking a little about pedals generally, different types of pedals, and how to assemble a pedal board.

Having played guitar for the past twelve years of my life--literally more than half my life--I’ve had to do my fair share of navigating the world of musical equipment, what’s worth it and what’s not, red flags, and more. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way that you might want to keep in mind when buying your first guitar.

Writing original music is scary, so scary in fact that it took me nine years of playing guitar to write a single song. But no need to fear. Songwriting can actually be a very casual process. In this article, I’m going to be talking about some of the basics of songwriting that will help you get started.

Chances are, your guitar isn’t going to arrive perfectly set up, nor will it stay in that condition. Even if it’s not right away, your guitar will probably need maintenance work at one point or another. Here is a basic overview of what your guitar will probably need done at some point and how to handle it.