Jan 24 2010

Discover How To Have An Easy Guitar Lesson – 5 Must Do Steps

Having an easy guitar lesson by definition needs to be easy; particularly for you. Whether you are engaging in a basic guitar lesson or cranking out an advanced guitar lesson, such a lesson needs to be done with ease so as to keep your motivation high.

Too many hopeful guitarists want an easy guitar lesson but go about it all wrong. They become bored or frustrated with their lead guitar lesson or acoustic guitar lesson, and they quit.

Well it doesn’t have to be that way if you follow some basic steps:

1. Location

Choose somewhere to learn the guitar that’s convenient to you. No point in tramping across town in peak hour traffic to have a 30 minute basic guitar lesson. That’s definately not an easy guitar lesson. If you are going to learn guitar with a teacher, choose somewhere close. Better still have the teacher come to you or learn via online guitar lessons.

2. Having The Right Instructor

It’s difficult in choosing who will be the right instructor for you. Personalities play a big part of your learning process. Now you may need to test drive a couple of different teachers to see who you click with and who delivers the right teaching method for you. Alternatively you can tap into an online learning facility where you generally get taught by a range of different teachers. And this online guitar lesson is conveniently located at home. Now that aids for an easy guitar lesson, don’t you agree.

3. Viewing Material In Your Time

Visiting a teacher for 30 minutes on the otherside of town is not only inconvenient but also doesn’t give you the option of viewing what you learnt that day at a time convenient to you. Repetition is the mother of all learning and ideally if you can view your lesson over and over again, you’ll have a much better chance of moving from the basic guitar lesson to an advanced guitar lesson.

4. Tools And Materials

Not only do you have to contend with selecting a good teacher but also hoping he/her delivers the training material in an easy way for you to learn. People learn in different ways. Some like reading material. others respond better to visual aids like video or dvds. Others are audible learners and prefer to listen to material to grasp a topic.

If your teacher is in tune with you then he/she will be able to provide the best mix for you. But when you are starting out this option may not always become apparent.

Online training options generally provide for all of these different training methods and can be a good alternative to learning the guitar.

5. Cost

What are you prepared to invest to learn to play the guitar. You need to have a budget in mind when you are choosing your preferred teaching method. Personal teachers are great but at $30 – $50 per 30 minutes of tuition, you’ll need to have a reasonable cash tidy to reach a good standard of playing.

There’s a ton of online options out there that you could engage as a much cheaper option; provided you don’t need that one on one personal touch. but with technology today, some of these online programs make you feel like there’s somebody right next to you in your own living room.

No matter which path you take, if you want an easy guitar lesson adopt the above and you’ll soon be cranking out some awesome material of your own.

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Nov 18 2009

How To Fake Being A Better Guitarist In Five Simple Steps PART 1 Of 2

You spend five hours a day playing your guitar. You run your scales, master your legato, your two hand tapping would make EVH blush. So why is it that every time you see a band playing at a bar with a guitarist with only a smidgen of your technical ability he is the centre of attention, garnering the praise of all the punters in the crowd?

Wait a minute. Isn’t that the band that you tried out for the other week? The same band that said “don’t call us, we’ll call you”? The same band that was witness to your smoking 32nd note Lydian masterpiece solo?
Yeah it is, and you got smoked because the guitarist on stage knows how to fake being better than they actually are.

It’s not a hard thing to do. I should know, I’ve done it for years. I’m the first to admit to being an “average” guitarist (actually, I’ve been practicing a lot lately and now would call myself an “above average” player, but that is another column in the works). Despite being average, I would get a lot of people, drunken punters, other musicians, women, all approach me after shows proclaiming how good I am. Like most of my ex-girlfriends, I’ve been faking it all along. And now I am going to teach you how to do the same.

Over the next two weeks, I will share with you my five secret tips to help you Fake Being A Better Guitarist. We’ll start today with tip #1 an #2.

1. Decent equipment is a must and look professional

Sorry boys and girls, it’s time to spend some money. A picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to music your image is worth a thousand notes. There is nothing quite as satisfying showing up to a guitarist cattle call with your Marshall half stack on a trolley as you pass all the little Peavey Bandit combos and the like. Straight away you give the impression that you know what you are doing.

But this is not just about your amp. Guitars, effects, leads, the whole lot. This means guitar cases, if you have multiple effects a decent pedal board system set up and ready to just plug in. You need to look somewhat professional without looking like a complete tosser.

It’s even more important on stage. Standing on stage with a nice looking guitar and a cool backline is confidence building to say the least. Plus it makes you look damn sexy to boot.

This doesn’t mean spending a fortune though. I have an amazing sounding Fender Twin, but it stays at home while my Marshall AVT150 half stack hits the road with me. The half stack with my Epiphone Les Paul with classic tri-tone sunburst finish and some decent threads make me look the business.

2. Learn to sing

I can’t stress this enough. An average guitarist who is an average singer will get more gigs than an awesome guitarist who sounds like a dying dolphin. It makes you are more versatile, worthwhile musician for any band if you can step up to the mic and sing as well. It makes you look like a musician, rather than just a guitarist. It’s also a hell of a lot of fun.

Of course, some people just cannot sing, and this is you then don’t try to. Be honest with yourself on this one. If you can’t sing and you try to then you just look like a fool. And looking like a fool will not make you look like a good guitarist.

A good way to improve your singing is start singing along with your favourite artists. It’s a cliché, but start in the shower / bathroom with a small stereo cranking out some of you favourite songs. The natural reverb will make your voice sound better and give you some confidence (it’s an old studio trick to feed a wet mix back to the singer as they are recording). Then progress to the car while you’re driving. It’s private and you can just belt it out while you are in between your normal routine. Then the hard part comes. Listen to some music with harmonies and try to sing the different parts. I found Alice In Chains is especially good for doing this. And finally add harmonies to songs that don’t have them.

When you are confident you can do that, then, and only then, try to sing when you are playing. When you can do that (and that will take a while) you can start to think about doing it with your band.

Wrap Up

So there are the first two tips, looking the part and learning to sing. These two things alone will make you look more like a real musician and come across as a real guitarist. Remember that being a guitarist is more than just playing well, it is a persona, a way of being. By rounding out these other facets of your guitarist personality, the way others will perceive you skills will rise dramatically. Next week I’ll look at the next three tips and by then you’ll be able to fake it just like that guitarist on the stage.

To learn how to play guitar, visit this site: jamorama. jamorama acoustic is a complete set of lessons for playing the guitar. If you interested in improving scales and other technical details of guitar playing then visit this site: guitar scale mastery.

Nov 18 2009

Stop The Pain: Guitar Book Overwhelm.

You’ve probably noticed that there is an almost infinite number of guitar tuition books that you can buy. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably bought dozens of them. You’ve also probably noticed that some of the books would take SEVERAL lifetimes to master! And would it be fair to say that sometimes you don’t know where to start? So much information, so little time! Don’t worry, you’re not alone…

I used to get totally overwhelmed by my guitar book collection. I used to pick up a book and not really know where to start. I usually would play around with a book for a week or two, and then move onto another book…even when I hadn’t mastered what I had learnt from the book. End result? A feeling of frustration! The good thing about this though was that this frustration inspired me to create a system to get the most out of my books. Let’s take a look at it now…

***Step One: Quick Overview***

Find a guitar book that you would like to work on. Read the front and back covers only. What are some things that you think the book might help you with? Please write these down now.

***Step Two: Define Your Purpose***

Have a quick think about your musical goals. With your goals in mind, write down your purpose for studying the book. What EXACTLY would you like to get from the book? Make it specific. If you feel that the book is not totally relevant to your goals right now, then DON’T study it. It will be a waste of your valuable time. Instead, find another book that is more relevant.

***Step Three: Preview The Book***

Read the table of contents. As you read it, ask yourself…”What ONE section of this book will help me the most with my current musical goals?”. Once you’ve finished reading the table of contents, choose the ONE section that you feel will help you the most.

***Step Four: Detailed Reading***

Read the section that you chose in Step Three. Do you still feel that it will really help you achieve your musical goals? If you do…great! If not…just repeat Step Three and choose another section.

Once you’ve read through the whole section, choose the ONE thing in it that you think will help you the most. It could be a specific lick, theoretical concept, chord progression etc. The idea is to choose the one thing that will benefit your guitar playing the most. Life is too short to practice things that aren’t INCREDIBLY important to your musical development!

***Step Five: Get To Work***

Practice the thing that you chose in Step Four. Practice it like a maniac! Really work hard to integrate it into your playing or knowledge. Keep working on it daily until you feel that you have mastered it.Depending on what you chose, this could take hours, days, weeks, months of even years!

I hope you find this method works for you. Dust off those books now, and get to work!

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Nov 18 2009

Guitar Lesson: The Power Of Guitar Speed Goals.

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re not progressing at your fastest possible rate? Do you ever feel overwhelmed? How about the feeling that you’re not really 100% sure if you’re improving or not? If you do…you’re definitely not alone!

Learning guitar can be a bit overwhelming at times. There are literally enough things to learn to keep anyone busy for MANY lifetimes. This can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because you’ll never run out new and exciting things to learn. It can also seem like a curse because you’ll never get to the bottom of your “to do” list! So how do you keep motivated and constantly have the feeling of progress? That’s where speed goals come in…

I’ve been using speed goals for about the last 15 years. They are one of the most powerful weapons in my guitar practice arsenal. Let’s take a look now at what they are, and what benefits you’ll gain by setting speed goals.

***What Are Speed Goals?****

A speed goal is a goal that you set to reach a particular metronome setting. For example, you might say that your speed goal for a particular sweep picking exercise is sixteenth notes at 160bpm (beats-per-minute). You would practice that exercise daily until the target speed has been reached.

An effective speed goal has these qualities…

1. No Deadline. Unlike traditional goal setting, there are no deadlines with speed goals. This is because you must allow your technique to develop in a relaxed and natural way. If you set a deadline, you may be tempted to increase your metronome speeds at too fast a rate in order to meet the deadline. Result? You’ll basically program tension into your muscles and most likely get frustrated.

2. Challenging. Your speed goal must be challenging. It should be fast enough to make you grow as a player. For example, if you can currently play an exercise at 120bpm then something like 144bpm would make a good goal. Once you reach 144bpm, then you might set another speed goal of around 160bpm. See how this works?

3. Realistic. Don’t set your speed goal too high. If you can currently only play an exercise at 120bpm, then 240bpm would probably be too high. I generally set speed goals that I think I can achieve within a month or two.

***Benefits of Speed Goals***

A few benefits of setting speed goals include…

1. They give you something to work towards. This helps you to stay motivated and enthusiastic about your guitar practice.

2. They give you a feeling of progress. You’ll feel great each time you reach a speed goal. These small wins help you feel like you are progressing steadily towards the larger goals that you have set for your guitar playing.

3. They tell you when you can STOP practicing an exercise. Once you’ve achieved your goal you can then move onto something else. The speed goal stops you from mindlessly practicing an exercise that you have already mastered.

4. They give you measurable results. If your speeds are increasing then you have quantitative proof that you are improving. You KNOW for sure that you are getting better. This helps you become more confident about your guitar playing.

I encourage you to set a few speed goals now. If you set them consistently, I think you’ll be amazed at how fast you’ll progress.

If you interested in improving scales and other technical details of guitar playing then visit this site: guitar scale mastery. guitar scale mastery helps improve your technique, speed, improvising and musicality. Read our guitar scale mastery review and make the smart choice!

Nov 18 2009

How To Restring An Electric Guitar

For a newbie, this may seem a little intimidating. But with the right tools, a little knowledge and some practice, you’ll be able to restring an electric guitar like a professional guitar tech. When I was gigging regularly, I would restring my guitar every week. My body chemistry is acidic and the sweat and oils from my hands would tend to dull the brightness of the strings as well as make them feel “dirty”. For me, the bright sound and smooth feel of a new set of strings would inspire my playing. It became a ritual for me the night before the weekend’s gigs started. I would sit in front of the TV and restring my electric guitar; my acoustic was much less frequent.

OK, so you’ve decided you don’t want to pay the guys at the music store and you want to know how to restring an electric guitar yourself. Here is the list of tools and supplies you will need:

· A new set of strings (naturally!) Click here for info on string sizes
· A string winder (not required but very handy)
· A pair of wire cutters
· A guitar tuner (again, not required but helpful)

You will need to set aside about an hour of time to do this correctly, but like I stated earlier, with practice you will know how to restring your electric guitar in about 20-30 minutes.

First thing to remember, do NOT remove all six strings at the same time. The guitar neck is designed to withstand the tension of the strings and if all of the tension is removed for any significant amount of time you could damage your guitar.

Also, there are some guitars that are literally held together by the string tension. I remember reading a story about a guy who had recently gotten hired as a guitar tech for the Ramones. Wanting to make a good impression on Johnny Ramone he decided to restring his guitar for him right before the show. He removed all six strings and Johnny’s Mosrite guitar literally fell apart in his hands. The string tension held the whole guitar together! What’s worse, the bridge of the guitar bounced across the floor and fell down the air conditioning duct.

If I remember the story correctly, they spent quite some time using a coat hanger and chewing gum trying to rescue the bridge from the duct. He retrieved it and managed to keep his job, living to restring the guitar another day. But not all six strings at once!

But I digress. Some people work in pairs of strings at a time, I prefer to work on individual strings. You will quickly decide what works best for you. Use this article as a guideline to get you up to speed quickly.

OK, let’s get down to it. I always start with the high E string (personal preference); it helps keep me organized.

If your guitar has a locking nut tremolo (whammy bar) system you will have to unlock it. It works best if you remove the clamps completely and work with just the nut until the restringing process is done and the strings are stretched and tuned. Then replace the locking clamps and fine tune using the tuners on the tremolo bridge.

· Use your string winder and loosen the string until there is enough slack that you can unwind the string from the tuning post by hand.

· Use your wire cutters to cut off the curled end of the string and discard. Do this to minimize the chance of scratching the finish of your guitar. Push/pull the string back through the bridge slowly making sure it does not drag across the body. You don’t want restringing your guitar to result in refinishing your guitar!

· Next, unwrap the appropriate new string. Insert it through the bridge of the guitar, over the saddle, up the neck, over the nut and into the hole in the tuning post. Again make sure the trailing end of the string doesn’t drag across the guitar body.

· Start turning the tuner by hand making sure the string wraps over the top of the tuning post. Ideally you want to have 3-4 wraps of the string around the tuner, but this in nothing to stress over.

· Turn the tuner until the slack is out and the string is properly seated in the nut and over the bridge saddle.

· Next clip the excess string off close to the tuner and use your string winder to bring the string up to pitch.

· Use your digital tuner and tune to pitch.

· Next, grab the string with your picking hand halfway between the bridge and the nut and lightly tug the string away from the fretboard. Do not pull real hard, just hard enough to pull the stretch out of the string and tighten it around the tuner post.

· Tune to pitch and repeat the stretching process until the string stays in tune.

Now repeat the entire process for the remaining five strings. Know that the pitch of the new strings may fluctuate as you work on the remaining strings. This is especially true with a Floyd Rose or similar type floating bridge. When you have replaced and stretched the last string make sure all six strings are still in tune. If you have a locking tremolo system, replace the clamps for the
locking nut, tighten, and use the bridge fine tuners to get the proper pitch.

The final step is the best one; sit back, crank up your amp and enjoy. Make sure you play something with lots of note bending in it and make sure the stretch is all played.

Take satisfaction in knowing that you now know how to restring an electric guitar.

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Nov 18 2009

How To Fake Being A Better Guitarist In Five Simple Steps PART 2 Of 2

Last time I talked about looking the part with good equipment to come across professionally, and ways to get up to speed on your singing. This week, I’m going to share some simple but often ignored pieces of information that can really push the impression you make from just a guitar player, to a fully fledged musician.

3. Be in tune

This is possibly the most obvious tip but you would be surprised how many people don’t follow it. NEVER EVER trust your ears for tuning when you are playing with or in front of people. You may think you sound perfectly in tune and at the same time you are sending someone (most likely me) up the wall. A floor tuner like the Boss TU-2 is a necessity. And don’t skimp on a cheap one. They usually have little to no shielding and introduce noise into your rig.
There is more to tuning though than the open strings. Your guitar’s intonation needs to be accurate as well. There is no point being in tune until you solo and then you are out of tune up the neck because your guitar’s intonation is shot. Check it now. Hit a string open, and then do the harmonic at the 12th fret. Is it the exact same note (only an octave higher)? Chances are it’s not and it will be noticed. There are plenty of guides on line that show you how to intonate your guitars, but it is worth getting it done properly (something that even I still do).

Another thing that having a tuner can help you with is something I call pitch pressure. It’s like the Doppler Effect you hear when a siren is approaching or passing you. This is the effect that some musicians experience (myself included) at various times. Basically what happens is that due to the acoustic surroundings, whether excessive volume, frequency reflections, distance from sound source, sometimes your sense of pitch gets put out a few cents. There was one venue in particular that I used to play that I would swear my guitar was sharp compared to everyone else. But when I would tune, I was perfectly set. It was just that my ears were not hearing the true frequency spread.
When you are in tune, you sound good. When you are not, you sound like a looser. It’s simple to do so make sure you do.

4. Learn Pinch Harmonics

This sounds so dumb it has to be true. The most boring of licks can be livened up and turned into an ear catching line with the addition of a simple pinch harmonic. The sudden dynamic shift that is created by the pinch harmonic will grab everyone’s attention, and is the sort of thing most people only hear on record. It is instantly associated with being professional, and professional is associated with talent.

To perform the pinch harmonic, simply follow your picking stroke on the string with the slightest edge from your thumb, in the same motion. It may take a little to get used to, but when you nail it sounds fantastic. Keep at it and soon enough you will be able to do it without thinking. Be warned though, muff it, and it will sound terrible. So make sure you can get it right every time before you pull this trick out in front of anyone.

I remember one night in particular, I had fresh strings on and the harmonics were really just popping out with ease. Being in a venue with a great in house PA, the notes would just feedback perfectly for infinite sustain.
That night on stage, I was a god. All because of this one simple trick.

5. Learn One Solo Really Well

It doesn’t matter what you do, but if you impress someone once at any given task, they will remember. And that goes especially for lead guitar. All it takes is one great solo rendition and you will always be thought of as a great guitarist.
Choose a recognisable solo, one that people will know. It doesn’t have to be flash, but that does help. Learn the solo note for note as best as you can. Try to mimic the solo as much as humanly possible. All the bends, the vibrato, the feel and mood. Learn it so well you can play it without thinking.

Then let it rip.

Hear me playing it live one night right here. And if you listen carefully, after the fast descending run towards the end you can just hear the crowd in the background cheer. That is the greatest feeling in the world.
The other advantage of this is the confidence that you can play that well. And being a good guitarist is all about confidence.

Wrap Up

That concludes my guide on How To Fake Being A Better Guitarist in Five Simple Steps. I hope that now you have the tools to at least get you some respect and hopefully fool the average and not so average Joe you are better than you are. These are no substitute for real practice and hard work, but they all work hand in hand. If you want to be a good guitarist, it will take time, but at least you can spead up the appearance a bit.

To learn how to play guitar, visit this site: jamorama. jamorama acoustic is a complete set of lessons for playing the guitar. If you interested in improving scales and other technical details of guitar playing then visit this site: guitar scale mastery.

Nov 18 2009

Guitar Lessons – Review

Guitar Lessons can be fun and easy. The most important thing is the approach and additude that you have and use when you begin. If you are just starting, you can master the the art of playing the guitar.

So you have finally decided to learn guitar. You have come to the right place. I will be offering advice and give reviews on good places were you can get guitar lessons. Learning guitar can be fun and easy. You can even learn how to play guitar right in the comfort of your own home. There are so many different programs that help you learn guitar. One site you can check out for now.

Some people learn how to play guitar on their own, however the majority of people are not able to learn guitar on their own without any help. At the top of this site I have posted a link that will take you step by step in learning the guitar. I have found many of my students say the guitar lessons really excelled them in their ability to learn guitar.

In the beginning it is good to have patience. Start out learning a few cords and then practice them. Weather you want to play country or rock knowing simple cords is the key to getting started.

Once you have mastered a few cords keep learning more and more. Then you can begin to use variations of these cords to play songs you know or write new ones. This is some of the steps in learning how to play guitar.

I have had my students try different course programs that help them to learn guitar. One good thing about the courses you can take from home is that you decide when you want to take you guitar lessons. You can also decide how many times you want to repeat a guitar lessons.

This gives you flexibility and now time is on your side and learning guitar fits into any schedule. Most of my new students learn guitar basics and are already playing songs by the end of a weekend. Learning guitar is always easer than the person thinks. People of all ages can achieve many different levels when they decide to learn how to play guitar.

You can learn electric and acoustic guitar with this course. I am will reviewing another course for those people who really want to get the most out of their guitar lessons. For now I have found at least one very good course.

So remember you can learn guitar and knowing how to play guitar is easy. Just work on those guitar lessons a few times a week to improve on your skills.

Please feel free to come back and check for new reviews and tips. I will be adding new posts as I discover new ways to learn guitar.

Please visit some of my sites Learn Guitar and Guitar Lessons

If you interested in improving scales and other technical details of guitar playing then visit this site: guitar scale mastery. guitar scale mastery helps improve your technique, speed, improvising and musicality. Read our guitar scale mastery review and make the smart choice!

Nov 18 2009

Playing Guitar Is Quite Easy

If you have a passion for music and you have got all the instruments with you such as the guitar or piano but don’t how to initialize then here are certain tips that shall help you in learning your new skill.

First of all , you need to have on hand, is a guitar and then hold it on your lap with your left hand holding the neck and the right hand draped over the body of the guitar. We are going to use a six string guitar and play it with the right hand. Each string correspond to a musical note and starts with the thinnest string and working our way down to the thickest string – E, B,G,D,A and E again. You should not confuse yourself with the two E strings that are the same note and they differ in the way that the top E is two octaves higher than the bottom E if the guitar is tuned correctly.

The individual strings make up the chords and these chords are accomplished by playing certain notes or strings together at the same time. There are number of simple as well as complex chords but you need to learn A, D and E to play a part of the song.

The major A chord is played by placing the fingertips of the first three fingers on your left hand directly behind the first fret on the guitar. Frets are the bars on the neck of the guitar. When you count for finger positioning, you should ignore the first or largest fret bar. This might seem to be uncomfortable but later you shall accustom of the same. Press the strings down firmly and hold them one string per finger. Next use your right hand to strum the guitar strings from the top to bottom. Perform this act several times and listen to the sound you are producing.

The next major chord D should be played by using the same fingers. Place the index finger on the third string behind the first fret. Place the next finger on the first string behind the first fret. Again, hold the strings down at once and strum the guitar. Again do this and try to listen to the music being produced.

The third chord you need to learn is the E major and for this you have to place your index finger on the third string on the front of the first fret. Place the next finger on the fifth string behind the first fret and place your third finger on the fourth string behind the first fret. Again, hold the strings down at once and strum the guitar and listen to the sound that is being produced.

The last step is the tricky part and therefore to play a simple song you have to switch the positions of your fingers from chord to chord. This shall take some time to learn but if you practice you can do it surely.

For more information, log on to music-future.com

To get an independent and honest review of jamorama acoustic then visit this site: jamorama acoustic review. guitar scale mastery review is your source for honest review of guitar scale mastery that will give you the skills you need. Read our team method guitar review and make the smart choice!

Nov 18 2009

Learn To Read Guitar Sheet Music

When you learn to read guitar sheet music it will be vital in expanding your guitar playing skills. Playing by ear will only get you so far and I am here to help take it to the next step. I will show you some basic tips and tricks to help you learn to read guitar sheet music and hopefully that will make you a better and more versatile guitar player.

I will now give you a list that will show you it is not hard to learn to read guitar sheet music.

Finding the right material

Most guitar books will have some basic sheet music and songs in the front pages that are designed to help you learn to read guitar sheet music quickly. Once you have basic guitar knowledge it is relatively easy to learn to read guitar sheet music. Start in small sections, one chord at a time. Use your guitar and play the chord out loud until you know it sounds correct.

Setting your self up

You will need to be in a small quite room where you will not be distracted by anything when you learn to read guitar sheet music. The only way to know when you get it right is if it sounds right and it can be difficult do that if you have screaming kids in the room with you or loud street noise outside. Concentration is key and this will make it easier to learn how to read guitar sheet music. If you are distracted you may find a whole day can be wasted trying to focus.

Getting started

Remember what I said, be free from distraction! I cannot stress that enough. Now you’re alone and it’s quiet, find a music book with sheet music, try to pick something easy but also try to pick something you are familiar with. It makes it much easier to learn to read guitar sheet music if you are familiar with the tune. Make sure you are confident with one piece before you move on to the next.

Continue practicing

Continue to practice as much as you can, you will find that the better you get the more you will practice. When you enjoy something you will generally apply more time to it. Trying to learn to read guitar sheet music is easy as long as you practice! Once you have mastered reading sheet music then you can attempt to write you own music and that is where the real fun begins! It is essential to make sure you are confident or you will only have to go back and learn to read guitar sheet music all over again.

To get an independent and honest review of jamorama acoustic then visit this site: jamorama acoustic review. guitar scale mastery review is your source for honest review of guitar scale mastery that will give you the skills you need. Read our team method guitar review and make the smart choice!

Nov 18 2009

Guitar Lesson – How To Practice Guitar

If desire is the most important part of learning guitar(without it you wouldn’t have even started), then concentration is the most important part of practicing guitar.

I often say to people that 20 minutes of focused practice can beat, hands down, 2 hours of ‘normal’ practice, or just goofing about.

Many people are discouraged when they are told how much time they must put into practice. The truth is, you don’t have to practice all the time to be a good guitarist.

(I’m not saying you shouldn’t have time to goof off and play around. But if you want to improve quickly, you must keep playing guitar and practicing guitar separate.)

Let me tell you now…

It isn’t how much time you put into practice, it’s the quality of the practice that matters.

When I play guitar, I play to have fun, I play to perform for people, and I play for the fun of playing! That’s why I started learning guitar in the first place.

But when I practice guitar, I focus and concentrate on what I’m trying to achieve, and I work on the goals that I want to complete.

You see, if you completely focus on one thing you are more likely to do it well.

This may sound simple too to some. Some of you may be thinking “this is great, I only need to practice 20 minutes a day and ill improve more than I would if I practicing 2 hours a day”.

Well that’s not exactly true.

Its how focused your practice is that counts, not how long you practice. Can you really focus for 2 hours?

Let me give you this small example to illustrate my point.

Picture a red triangle inside a black box.

Close your eyes, and keep that image in your mind for 5 seconds without letting a single thing distract you – no other thought must enter your mind for that 5 seconds…

How well did you do? Be honest with yourself.

This isn’t an easy thing to do. Most people find this difficult at first. Its difficult to keep a focused mind like this.

I hope this example has shown you that it’s not that easy to keep focused attention & concentration for look periods of time.

But still, you must always remember that its quality and not quantity of practice that makes the difference between a great player and an average player.

This is a perfect time to tell you that you shouldn’t be spending hours and hours ‘practicing’, because you simply can’t focus for that amount of time.

If you are practicing for a solid 2 hours or more you are probably not helping your development as a guitarist that much.

A much better way of using this time is to practice in bursts.

A good idea would be to practice in bursts of 20 minutes or so. You can vary it depending on what you feel like doing, but try not to practice for long periods of time in one go. It’s not helping as much as you think it might be.

Also, it’s important to take breaks from what you’re practicing. You can do something else for awhile, go for a walk, watch TV, or maybe just play around and have fun with your guitar and loosen up a bit before you start focusing on practice again.

It is important for you to have a definition in your own mind of ‘practicing guitar’ and ‘playing guitar’.

This will keep you more focused and allow you to reach your goals as a guitarist much easier.

An exercise for you to try to help you further develop concentration is to sit silently and count slowly from one to ten in your mind.

If anything should interrupt your counting, whether it is a noise, a stray thought, or the awareness of your own breathing, you must start over from one.

Again, it’s unlikely you will be able to achieve this straight-away. It’s a hard thing to do. However how out and ‘Zen’ this exercise may seem, it will re-focus your mind on the task in hand, and it’ll help you learn faster if you can stay focused on what you’re practicing.

You should try this exercise whenever you start to feel like you’re loosing your focus.

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