FOR THOSE ABOUT TO LEARN, WE SALUTE YOU.
This is a section devoted to the quick tips that people sometime take for granted and think that everyone knows. It is also devoted to the mind game of the guitar, and a little technique and theory to boot! So read on young grasshopper, and hopefully some of these will help you out!
1. Practice
2. Practice
3. Practice. Yes youʼve heard this all before, but learning guitar is not a magical process for most people. It is not a super easy thing initially; you have to learn the basics and build on them. Remember, you have to learn, wax on, wax off, sand the deck and paint the fence before you learn the crane technique!
4. Keep the guitar out where you see it and play it! THIS IS IMPORTANT. I am guilty of this as much as anyone. I put my guitars away, or they are in their cases from teaching lessons, and I get lazy and do not pick them up! Keep the guitar out and you are more likely to pick it up and play it.
5. When you pick up a guitar and goof around on it, it is practice. Chances are when you are goofing around on the guitar, you are trying something we covered or that you have seen done. I do not think that anyone picks up a guitar and tries to sound terrible. You are trying to make music! Go ahead — pick your axe up and goof around for 5 minutes! It all helps!
6. Use your guitar as a vent. Feel your creativity has been bottled up? Had a bad day at school or the office? Just need to get your mind off of things? PICK UP YOUR GUITAR!!! It has been one of the most therapeutic devices for me. When you pick up the guitar, it hits your mental reset button. Music starts filling your brain where all those bad things once were. And best of all you are learning to play emotionally, which seems to stick in your grey matter more!
7. Chord changes are a mental thing. Yes there is finger positioning and all that, but when you are first learning chord changes, your nerves rise and you get scared that you are going to do something wrong. Let’s face it, you probably will, and that is okay! You have to make the “jump” from one chord to another. Ignore the fear and just do it. If you sound bad that is okay! The Cool-aide man will not burst through the wall and clobber you! Do it over and over, and then all of the sudden “CLICK!” you can do it! And then the opposite is true in that it is hard to do it wrong!
8. It is more important to play a chord correctly than fast. Especially in the beginning.
Play a chord so that you can play each string individually and hear the note ring out.
9. When you are learning chords you are developing muscle memory. Pretty soon your
fingers will know what shape to make on the basic chords and others will come more naturally.
10. There are 5 first position chords that all other chords are based upon. C,A,G,E, and
D. Learn these chords first, and others will come easier.
11. Take a break if you are getting frustrated trying to learn a chord. “F” is a huge culprit. Either put the guitar down and take a break, or play something you know well. Do not discourage yourself!
12. Every time you play something hard or difficult, you take one step closer to mastering it.
13. It is good to learn scales. Yes they can be boring, but they open up worlds of potential creativity.
14. Pay attention to your fingers at first. Sometimes if you move the bulk of your hand instead of individual fingers, it can make the difference between reaching a note and playing it comfortably, and stretching to hit it and not playing it well.
15. Guitar is not an easy thing. Practice and remember you do not play like Eddie Van Halen, you play like you, and that is good.
16. Need something new and fresh sounding? Getting tired of the sound of your guitar? Get some new strings, and or picks. You will be surprised in what a difference this can make.
17. Experiment with string gauges. Thicker strings sound much different than thin, but
thin are easier to play and bend.
18. Know your goals in relation to guitar and share them with me. If they change, that
is fine! Let’s keep on the same page and work together!
19. When purchasing a new guitar, it is not about the brand, it is about the sound and comfort. Try everything out! You might be surprised by the sound of some lessor instruments compared to some high end ones.
20. Amps should be tried out with your guitar, because every guitar has a unique voice in
an amp. Try all of the amps you can out. DO NOT get stuck on one because it is the cool looking one or the popular one.
21. If you hear a song you really like on guitar, write it down. See if you can figure it out.
Share it with me, and we can conquer it and add it to your guitar arsenal together!
22. Watch TV with your guitar. You can fiddle with it and practice a little during those boring commercials, and put it in the background for the funny parts of Sponge Bob.
23. There is no such thing as a “bad” style of guitar. They all have merits and resons why they are fun to play!
24. In the winter keep your guitar in its case as much as possible (but readily available)
with a humidifier of some sort in the case. You guitar is almost a living breathing thing, especially acoustics and classicals. They need moisture, otherwise they can crack or warp. NOT GOOD!!!
25. Cleanliness is next to GUITAR GODLINESS!!! As much as you love cheesy poofs, your guitar does not! Wash you hands before you play guitar and wipe down your guitar after playing it. This will get rid of oils and dirt that came from you, and it will prolong the life of your strings and finish of your guitar.
26. It is a proven fact that the more you play your guitar, the better it will sound. SO
PLAY IT!!!
27. The more and more you play, your body starts making things easier. Besides remembering what to do, it develops calluses, which make fingering much easier and less painful. It increases your strength so those chords and those bends are now much easier.
28. Keep your guitar in tune. Not only will you sound better, but your ears will also learn the
correct notes, and tuning will be much easier.
29. When you are in one of your messing around sessions, listen to the guitar and its
differences when you play fret to fret. This will develop your ear and help you catch mistakes.
30. Change strings more often than not. If you feel the strings getting gritty, change them. If you see fret marks on the strings, change them. If your guitar just does not sound the same, and is harder to tune or keep in tune, change your strings.
31. Learn how to change your strings.
32. Treat your guitar nicely. Donʼt rip jacks out of it, keep it clean and shiny, and respect it. And most of all do not use it as a bat, sled, or paddle, unless you are in a survival situation.
33. It is okay to name your guitar. I do!, Elizabeth, Bumble Bee, Black Beauty, and Zoe.
Judge not lest ye be judged!!!
34. Donʼt worry about developing your style — it comes out naturally.
35. Donʼt pigeon hole yourself! Learn the basics, and learn everything you can related to the guitar. If you want to be a shredder, learn bluegrass. If you want to play folk, learn flamenco! You would be surprised what you can learn from other forms of music!
36. Given the opportunity, learn other instruments. I play clarinet, drums, banjo, ukulele, harmonica, bass guitar and a bit of piano/keyboard. Guitar is my number one, but playing these other instruments has only helped my guitar playing.
37. While stage presence is an important facet to showmanship, do not go overboard with it, unless you have a good dental plan and can cover up extreme pain in front of a large crowd. (When I smile I can show you why this is important!)
38. Donʼt stick to the text! Books are great! They give you a method to learn from, and show you things that might be harder to understand otherwise. But push the limits and try to expand on the lessons on your own.
39. Write your own songs. It is highly rewarding, and a lot of fun. It also may show you some areas where you need practice.
40. A great philosopher, named Jonathan Bobbe, once said “When a student asked what they need to do to become great? “A musician is only as good as the quality of what they are made of.” I can show you all of the greatest techniques in the world and push you to practice. The only way that you will become a better guitarist is if you put your heart into it, practice smart and often and have a thirst to learn everything guitar.
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