Be a Better Guitar Player

To become a better guitar player and to push your playing up a level or two there are some habits you need to get into. Here are 5 things you can do to become a better guitar player.

Guitar Lessons

If you are happy with what you play, or if you are a natural guitarist who finds learning easy, you may manage without guitar lessons for a while provided you play enough different music and learn from other players. However, lessons are almost essential if you want to play properly and really, really well. A good teacher will help you progress far more quickly than you could on your own. Online guitar lessons are a good start and there are plenty of really good lessons to choose from. If you want to take private lessons, choose a teacher who is an expert in the style of music you would like to play. Your local music store or guitar shop should be able to recommend someone and give you a good idea of the cost of lessons.

Practice

Continue to follow a practice plan and practice every day. Each week try to learn something new or really polish up something you are still learning. Work on technique and playing a song right, not just playing it fast. Set aside a few minutes every time you play to go over anything that you find difficult.

Polish Your Playing

Always try to make your music flow. Pick the strings smoothly so each note sounds loudly and clearly. Practice right-handed techniques until you can play evenly, smoothly and naturally, without thinking about what you are going. After playing each note, keep your left-hand finger in place on a string until you are ready to play the next note. ‘Walk’ your left-hand fingers from one note to the next, so there are no gaps between notes. Try playing with your eyes closed and let your ears tell you whether your fingers are in the right places. This will help you to feel more confident and natural with your guitar and make it easier for you to read music without looking at your fingers all the time.

Read Music

The more you read music the easier it becomes, so practice reading music whenever you can. Look for new music to read. It doesn’t have to be guitar music, anything with a melody on the treble clef will do. Every new tune will help you learn to read more quickly and play better. Choose simple music at first and tunes that are not too long, without too many sharps or flats in the key signature. Look up any notes you may have forgotten.

Learn from Other Guitarists

Listen to guitar music often and listen closely to all types of music and different styles of playing and try to imagine how you would play those songs. Watch videos of other people playing. Many guitarists will post video tutorials on how to play certain songs or a particular guitar solo. You can learn a lot by watching other people play, but be careful not to pick up on someones bad habits. Make sure you always play with proper technique that you’ve learned from earlier lessons.

Follow those steps and always remember to play every day and you’ll become a better an more talented guitar player.

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