Guitar Is Easy – 7 Must See Tips
Hello again everyone, today we are dealing with practice tips for beginners or intermediate guitarists.
I remember being a kid practicing away and by sheer will, I would make myself able to play most of the stuff I wanted to learn, but over the years I have learned how to streamline this process which will hopefully help you with your practice returns.
Below the explanation is the video demonstration.
1. Verbalize Time
This is one of the single best ways to grasp whatever you are trying to learn. Learn to count out the rhythms of the lines you are playing. Be meticulous. There is something to be said for playing by feel but for those phrases that you just cannot seem to grasp (for example, intro to Take It Easy by Eagles or bridge before the solo in Stairway To Heaven), learning to count and play them will allow you to completely master them.
2. Consistent Motions
Doing this will allow you to learn faster. I see students that use different fingers or picking motions when they play the same phrase, and I always give them this advice. Keep it the same, it cuts a lot of time out of the process of mastering something.
3. Verbalize Note Names
Who doesn’t want to know every single note on the neck inside and out? If you say what you play out loud while simultaneously looking at the fretboard, before you know it you will have every note on the neck at your fingertips. It really takes the mystery out of the neck.
4. Start Slow And Build Speed
This seems obvious, but I still see people trying to play things way too fast which are beyond their current ability level. If you give yourself time, you will be able to master faster phrases much better by being very patient when gathering speed.
5. Work On Small Fragments
If you have a 12 note lick to learn, just work on the first 4 notes, then add 2 notes, then add 2 more and so on. Learning licks in this manner allows you to build on a foundation.
6. Repetition
Repetition, lots of it, is the order of the day when learning something new. It is easy to get frustrated and think you will never get it, but if you are very workmanlike in your approach, repetition will be one of your greatest weapons in the fight to learn. Keep in mind that studies show we are able to focus for about 3 minutes intensely on something specific. What that means is, you could focus for 3 intense minutes repeating a lick or chord progression, move to another for the next 3 minutes, and come back to the original. As long as we keep mixing the reps up with other ideas, our brains will remain focused on the task at hand.
7. Schedule A Daily Practice Time
This is last but not by far, the least, on this list. If you make a date to play every single day, you will find that you progress much, much faster than just randomly grabbing your instrument when you have time. Daily practice time is one thing all those proficient at guitar have in common.
Thanks for reading/watching, I hope this helps you in your journey to become a better musician. See you next week!