Learning how to play the guitar can change your life. You may well find yourself being invited to play at parties and special occasions, you will also have a hobby that you can use to get rid of your frustrations when you are tired or anxious. It's simply a wonderful thing to know how to play acoustic guitar. But maybe you already know some simple chords and now you want to move into the realm of learning how to play licks and riffs. If so, this article is for you.

Learn Your Scales

When you can become totally familiar with a variety of popular chords and keys, you're on your way to mastering those rock guitar riffs. The need to master scales is the next thing you will need to do. You can get a poster from the local discount department store, and spend a few minutes each day learning the scale names and diagrams that are represented..

Learn The Variations On The Chords, Also Called "Voicings"

If you look at a book of guitar chords, you'll see that you don't have just one "G" chord, but several "G" chords, for instance G7, and G9, and G major 7, and G minor 7. . . well, you get the picture. Each voicing has it's own unique feel. For instance, the major 7th chords have a soft misty feel to them, while a series of 7th chords makes you automatically think of blues. If you want to play modern guitar music, especially jazz and blues, you will need to be familiar with these variations. Many of the older songs don't use them as much, and if all you want to play is classic bluegrass or country, you may not need anything fancier than a couple of minors.

Pay Attention To Your Picking Hand

It would be natural to think that you only had to concentrate on the hand thats shaping chords. The fact is, you need to be able to find the string you want with your right hand. (Left for you lefties). The left hand might have the riff all figured out, but if your pick lands on the wrong string, you're not going to get the sound you want. Explore different ways of picking as well, to figure out what works for you. Some guitarists never pick up a pick, as they would rather feel the strings with their fingers. Others have several picks on various fingers. many guitarists use a standard flat pick, Why not try some different methods and you might discover your own personal style for playing sizzing guitar licks and riffs.

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