Guitar is one of those things that comes more naturally to some than to others.
Not only does playing the guitar require a sense of rhythm, like playing any other musical instrument, it also requires a fair amount of dexterity. (This is one of those times bigger hands can really come in handy. Heh. Handy.)
But even if you’re not as naturally inclined to the guitar as other players might be, you can always get a little bit better.
It’s just a matter of putting the time in and practicing the right way.
Here are our main tips for improving your guitar playing.
1 – Get those basic chords down.
All of us who learn to play guitar want to jump headfirst into our favorite songs. Of course, we do! That’s why we’re learning to play!
But, when first starting out, we simply have to accept we have a long, long way to go before we’re going to be picking through our music catalogs.
If you know all the beginner chords, but don’t necessarily have them down to a smooth technique (easy transitions, nailing the chords every time you hit them), you should go back and start there.
These chords are the fundamentals of playing guitar, used in tons of songs, and the chords more complex chords build upon.
Don’t try to move forward until you can play them like a pro.
2 – Practice scales.
I know. But, speaking of fundamentals, this is where they live.
Scales are the first things you’ll likely learn if you take a guitar lesson (or study any musical instrument with a teacher). For a reason. They offer insight into how notes and chords go together.
When you practice scales, you will start to “hear” how the frets and strings manipulate the sound and get a feel for moving between the notes or chords in the same key.
Since songs are composed in specific keys, practicing scales basically gives you practice at transitioning between commonly paired chords, making it easier to learn songs that contain these transitions over time.
Knowing your scales is a good basis for all music. It can not only help you play, but to pick up on the keys and notes in the songs you hear.
It can also help you write music.
3. Practice a little everyday (or every other day).
Learning to play guitar is like learning anything that takes muscle memory. The more (and more frequently) you do it, the easier it becomes.
While, ideally, you would find a few minutes everyday to work on your guitar, I think telling people to practice everyday without fail can be counterproductive. People have other things to do (I’m sure you do) and fitting in daily practice may not be that easy.
So, the point isn’t necessarily to wedge daily practice into your already tight schedule, but to practice guitar regularly.
It all goes back to those muscles, and you can think of playing guitar like a form of exercise. You don’t have to do it every single day to reap the benefits, but if you go days or weeks between practice, you will lose the gains you’ve made.
4. Add onto the chords you already know.
When you first start playing guitar, there are numerous relatively simple chords you should learn first. (These chords give you a good basis for practicing transitions and let you play quite a few popular songs.)
But there are also numerous variations of each of those chords.
So, when you know how to play a few chords, you actually know how to play dozens of them.
If you’ve gotten stuck trying to learn new chords, try going back to the basics and building off of those. You’ll build a more solid foundation… and confidence.
5. Get lessons (or find a few on YouTube).
Not everyone needs guitar lessons to learn how to play guitar, but everyone can benefit from a lesson or two. (Even the most successful pros can pick things up from other talented guitarists.)
If you hit a wall, a lesson (even a simple video tutorial) can help you find your way around it.
Some of guitar is intuitive, but proper fingering, transitions, and picking patterns are skills that lots of people have developed in exactly the same ways for hundreds of years.
Why try to reinvent the strum? If you need help, there’s no reason not to rely on the expertise of those who have already gotten it down.
6. Consider replacing your guitar.
If you have been practicing regularly, working on scales to improve your transitions, and you still find there are chords you simply cannot make sound good, the problem may not be you, but your equipment.
Yes, we all want the sexy guitar we fall in love with in the guitar chapel of our local music stores, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for us.
If you are struggling, you may need a new piece of equipment.