From Compassion to Crisis: How America Abandoned the Mentally Ill

The Xone Blog – Op-Ed #4

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

— Traditional Proverb

In theory, America once dreamed of a mental health system rooted in dignity, compassion, and …

Holy Loopholes: Why It’s Time to Tax Religious Entities and Unaccountable Nonprofits

“The measure of a society is found in how it treats its weakest members… not how it protects its richest institutions.” — Adapted from Hubert H. Humphrey

The Sacred and the Untaxed

A Short History of American Cults: Warning Signs, Control Tactics, and Escaping Influence

Throughout American history, spiritual seekers, idealists, and lost souls alike have been pulled into the orbit of charismatic leaders promising truth, salvation, or love. …

I experienced a lot of doubt when deciding if I really wanted to approach my passion from a professional standpoint mainly due in part to my fear of being victim of intellectual property (IP) theft and plagiarism.

After speaking with and retaining an industry …

I believe the most important thing to consider when creating content, be it a: song, lyrics, narrative/concept, or design is to have an objective or end result in mind. Start as small as possible and focus on the objective. Don’t start with an album if you don’t …

The most useful and visual tool that a guitarist can utilize when practicing improvisation is a Circle of 4ths/5ths: a diagram thats used to outline every key, it’s relative minor, and intervalic relationships (this will come in handy toward at the end of this …

We all have 5 fingers on each hand so don’t relegate your picking hand to merely holding your plectrum! As for you finger pickers out there, grab a pick to increase your attack! See the note legend I provided for clear instructions in the free attached PDF but …

Fret Hand Warm-Up: Exercises to Improve Finger Dexterity PDF 

Chromatic Warm-Up

The first exercise we'll discuss is a straightforward chromatic warm-up. Start with your index finger (1) and work your way through to your middle (2), ring (3), and pinky (4), while …

As a guitarist, warming up your picking hand is a crucial part of your practice routine but choosing the right pick is equally important to achieve your desired sound and to complement your playing style. In this article, I’ll discuss how to choose the right pick …

How to Stretch Before Playing Guitar: A Quick 3-Step Routine

Before you start playing, it's important to stretch the muscle groups you'll be using to lower the risk of injuries. Here's a simple three-step stretching routine that has worked for me since reading …

Learning guitar can be kind of overwhelming with all of the available options and resources including YouTube and free online resources like pdfcoffee but actually knowing where to start can be rough: technique? Music theory? Ear training?

First things first: …