Welcome back to part four of how to play guitar - discover
20 tips to play like a pro...
Most guitar players desire to become a better guitar player.
Guitarist ask me quite often why they are not at the
level that they desire and what can they do. In the past
I have asked myself the very same question. Soon I began
to understand the answers.
Just as you have probably done, I have read a lot of how
to play guitar interviews and articles from great guitar
players. I often found it frustrating whenever the subject
of how to play guitar came up or when advice was offered
on improving someone's playing. With a few exceptions,
little time and space was ever devoted on this.
It is not uncommon to see a guitar player give advise to
learn to play the guitar summed up in as little as three
words: Practice! Practice!! Practice!!!
I remember when I first was learning how to play guitar I
would practice on some days so long that the ends of my
fingers would be tender to the touch and hurt for days.
We all know that practicing is the main ingredient. Does
a football player practice a few times and then is able
to play up to the caliber of an NFL football player?
Rarely are we told anything more than on how to play the
guitar then to just practice. In my long quest to become
an excellent player I carefully took note of what worked
and what did not - which parts conventional wisdom are
accurate and which parts are (at least in my opinion)
are not. I believe the following twenty tips have proven
to bring great results to those who use them:
16. Play with others in a band or some type of ensemble.
It is important to have experience playing with others.
It can be in a band or some other ensemble setting.
Formal or informal. The main thing is to be doing it, at
least once a month if at all possible. Some things you
just can't fully practice alone. Besides the fact that
this can be really fun, it will also help you overcome
stage fright if you have it.
17. Measure your progress. Document your practice time.
Keep a record of how much you practice each day. For
technique things, use a metronome to see how fast you
are able to play a particular scale, exercise, lick,
arpeggio, etc. cleanly. Write down the result, practice
it all week and see if you can play it one or two beats
per minute faster by next week (or next month). Keep a
record of all the technical things you are currently
working on. You will clearly see if you are progressing
and at what rate. For other items that are not so
easily recorded with a metronome, paper and pencil,
record on yourself tape or your computer each week.
Keep the tapes for a long time. Listen back in one
month, three months, six months, a year, two years,
three years, etc. Listen to how much you have grown.
18. Do not pander to your strengths while ignoring your
weaknesses. It is not necessary to be able to play all
styles of music or every technique to be a good player,
but certain aspects are universal, such as: technique,
ear training, knowledge of theory, creativity,
improvising, etc. Some musical styles will rely more
heavily on certain aspects than other styles.
Regardless, it's important to be balanced. If you are
a heavy metal guitarist, chances are sight reading
won't be as high on your list of priorities as
technique. Likewise, a strict classical guitarist won't
have much use for improvisation (unfortunately). But
make sure you don't avoid weaknesses that you should
be paying attention to because if you do - you will be
sorry, sooner or later.
19. Discipline yourself. Unlike a sport, you do not
have a coach or a trainer to work with you all the time.
Nobody is there to make sure you are practicing the
way you need to, when you need to, and how often you
need to. You need to be totally self reliant. If this
is not a normal part of your personality, fortunately
there is help for you. Only you can stop yourself from
procrastinating. Take the initiative now to go forward.
20. NEVER GIVE UP! Never say can't. Never say I can't.
Never say someday. Never say if... If your IQ is higher
than room temperature, if you have all of your fingers
and if you really want to succeed, you can.
Remember that it's okay to daydream and fantasize about
where you are planning to go, but it can't stop there.
Don't wish without planning! Don't dream without doing!
And always, always, have a strategy. You may need to
revise certain aspects of your strategy as time goes on
and that's okay, but don't try to go forward without one
if you want the maximum results in the shortest amount
of time. In my early days learning to play guitar, I
wasted a lot of time aimlessly desiring to get better
without having a clue as to how to plan for it. Sure I
practiced a lot, but without direction and without an
efficient path to follow. Most of my substantial progress
as a musician came only after I developed a strategy and
worked with it.
Each of us has some natural ability of some kind. You may
already know what yours is or you may not yet discovered it.
If being a better musician is not coming easy for you that
simply means you are like the rest of us.
Jason owns a few blogs on
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