When it comes to learning how to play the guitar, everyone needs guidance and help. That’s why it’s great to follow a well-structured course where you’ll learn the basics. Afterward, it will be easier to incorporate other interesting activities and learn to play your favorite songs.
In this article, we will share some of the most useful tips on playing guitar. What’s more, if you try to incorporate this advice into your daily routines, you’ll see a significant improvement in a short amount of time.
Practice Every Day
Most guitar instructors are very opinionated about the amount of time every beginner has to spend practicing. But from AllStringed.com, you can learn that it’s necessary to practice every day. It might sound like it’s too much, but if you want to see tangible results, even 15 to 20 minutes is enough to create new playing habits.
Of course, when you have more time to dedicate to your practice, you’ll be able to shorten the learning curve. And once you’re done with basics, you might feel like practicing once a day is not enough.
Create a System
Since time is our greatest asset, we should use it wisely. The same system applies when you organize your gym training and guitar learning sessions. We’ll offer two ways to schedule a productive 25-minute session.
In the first session, try to spend 10 minutes on finger drills, and when you’re ready, spend 10 minutes on the lesson or a piece that you’re working on with your teacher. In the end, spend five minutes paying for your favorite song or a cover that you’ve come up with.
The second session also has a total of 25 minutes, but here the focus can be on the exercise itself. Start with a short 5-minute warm-up and spend 20 minutes playing the composition of your choosing. It will give you time to play it up to four times and notice the toughest part.
Play Easy Songs
YouTube guitar videos are not the best source of learning materials for guitar beginners. However, they’re a major source of inspiration and practice beyond the class. With an abundance of easy songs that are ideals for inexperienced players, you can choose a new one every day and build your self-confidence, as mastering one of those pieces shows how far you’ve come.
Since a lot of students want to give up after a few months, when they realize how to play their favorite songs, it will motivate them to continue. Some teachers even ask their students what they would want to play and create a curriculum around those artists or music genres.
Let Practice Become a Part of Your Life
When we think of practice as a special event that has to happen in a specific part of the room, with the light pointing into the notes, it will never happen. Just like everything else in your life, you should embrace that practice can happen while you wait for your rice to boil or sit outside while your dog is running around.
If you don’t transform guitar playing into a daily activity, it will become a burden rather than enjoyment. Sometimes, only one song is enough to see the progress you’re making.
Stop Playing Music from the Beginning
Most beginners tend to play something until a certain point and then get back to the beginning. Instead, try to turn things around and continue playing even after you stumble or make the worst mistake.
The biggest downside of playing music from the beginning is that you’re practicing the parts you’re good at instead of focusing on something that actually demands your attention. That’s why it’s better to repeat that segment several times and once you’re ready, play the whole song.
A good guitar program should help you learn how to deal with difficult sections. Only when you understand that it’s normal to have weak spots and how to work on them. Those issues are usually connected with the lack of neuromuscular development, and by drilling them, you’ll find a way to move forward.
Enjoy the Process
Learning how to play an instrument is more than just a physical movement of fingers. It employs our brain to learn new patterns, sounds and acquire new motor skills. For some people, it will take only a few days to create new synapses, while for others, it will be months. It’s easy to get discouraged when your mind wants you to do one thing, and your fingers do something else.
Luckily, with enough practice, you can get around the frustration and speed up your success. With the tips we’ve shared, you’ll know how to make guitar playing more than a simple hobby and let it boost your musical creativity.