When you are practicing, make sure you use the same fingers consistently on whatever it is you’re playing.  This will make sure that your brain does not get confused, and that your muscle memory will develop faster.

Practically what this means is, slow down.

Make sure that you’re doing things right.  Consistent.  The only way to know is to go slow enough for your brain to “self-check” what you’re doing.  If you play too fast or just don’t care, chances are you’re struggling to get faster and improve your accuracy.  If you develop consistency, you’ll get better, no question about it.

Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox

When you see a curvy arrow pointing up and away from the number on the string, it will either say 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 or 2 above the arrow.  This arrow tells you to bend the string so that it sounds higher.  Make sure to use either your pointer or middle finger to bend the string as they are stronger fingers.

If you see a 1/2, that means that the bend should sound the same as if you pressed down the fret above the written note.  For example, if the TAB tells you to bend 12, then your bent note should sound the same as the 13th fret (as if you pressed it down normally).

If you see a 1, that means that the bend should sound two frets higher. So 12 would sound like 14.

If you see a 1 1/2, that means that the bend should sound three frets higher.  So 12 would sound like 15.

If you see a 2, that means that the bend should sound four frets higher.  So 12 would sound like 16.

Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox

Playing music by ear (without any music, just figuring it out by how it sounds) actually isn’t too complicated.  Well, actually, it’s hard, yes, but it’s not impossible.  Here’s how, in a very simplified but practical way:

1.) It will help if you know how to sing.  You don’t have to be American Idol material, but hopefully you aren’t in the “reject singers” category either.  Simply put, singing helps you to hear the difference between notes going up and notes going down.  This is the essential part of learning to play by ear.

2.) The hardest part is figuring out the first note.  Play just a second of the first part of the song, and then sing that note to yourself.  Then try to find that note on your guitar.  Ask yourself, is it a high sound or a low sound.  Once you find the first note it gets easier.

3.) From the first note, all you have to do is ask yourself, is the next note higher or lower than the first note, and then keep refining the process as you go until you get the note.  Again, if you can sing yourself the note first, it will help you find it on your guitar.

This is a VERY simplified way to approach playing by ear, but the concept would be the same even if it were described in lots of technical detail.

Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox

If you’re trying to learn any instrument, you’ll need some time to set aside to practice.  Playing music and becoming a musician (of any sort of standard) is not just about absorbing information or how much you “know” about music.  You have to build actual muscle memory, and train your hands, arms, feet, (whatever your instrument is) to OBEY what you “know” in your brain.  The only way to do this is to put in the time and practice.

So, practically speaking, the first thing you should do is set aside some time specifically for practicing.  It sounds obvious to say, but many people skip this crucial step.  Simply make up your mind, write it down on a giant piece of poster board and hang it in your room.  It could say, Monday’s at 4:00 Practice Warmups and bla bla bla for 20 minutes.”  The point is that you make your goal obvious to your brain, because your brain WILL rebel against you and try to distract you with other less important things, like….food….Wii…..sleep….you get the point.

Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox

Something that’s not necessarily obvious when you’re first learning guitar is that you can use different picks for different styles of music.  For example, if you’re trying to shred “Through the Fire and the Flames,” you’d want to use a thicker pick, because it will give you a nice, controlled sound.  In other words, the pick won’t flop all over the place as you’re shredding your strings into oblivion.

Alternatively, if you’re strumming a chilled out song that’s slower, or just not as crazy rhythmically, then you could use a thinner pick.  The thinner picks will sort of blend the sounds of the strings together as you strum, and you’ll get a warmer sound.

In either case, just make sure you keep your wrist relaxed and that you’re holding the pick between your thumb and index finger.

Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox