wood.shed n. v. –shed-ded, -shed-ding –n. 1. A shed for keeping wood for fuel –v.i. 2. Slang to practice a musical instrument assiduously and with a specific goal in mind: He’s woodshedding for next week’s show [wood+shed] more on "woodshedding" wood.shed n. v. –shed-ded, -shed-ding –n. 1. A shed for keeping wood for fuel –v.i. 2. Slang to practice a musical instrument assiduously and with a specific goal in mind: He’s woodshedding for next week’s show [wood+shed] more on "woodshedding" n. v. –shed-ded, -shed-ding –n. 1. A shed for keeping wood for fuel –v.i. 2. Slang to practice a musical instrument assiduously and with a specific goal in mind: He’s woodshedding for next week’s show [wood+shed] more on "woodshedding"

Hi! I'm Warren Sirota, and I've been a writer and programmer in the music world for quite a while. I've written about music and music gear for Guitar Player, Electronic Musician, Musician, BAM, Multimedia World and many other publications. I'm also the author of SlowGold, the Woodshed's flagship product and the editor of Woodsheddin', our e-newsletter.

I play a lot of guitar (and have been doing so for over 30 years), yet I'm always trying to learn how to play better. Sometimes I accomplish this through physical exercises, but just as often through listening, transcription, study and ear-training. After all, it's one thing to have fast fingers, but an entirely different thing to give them something worthwhile to play.

In this column, which will be updated on a regular basis (please bookmark this page, or click here to receive the column via e-mail), I will be sharing some of the practice tips that have served me well. I also will publish your comments and letters, and inform you of updates to the Woodshed's products - both free and otherwise.