No one’s going to practice the guitar for you. And there’s no magical button to press that will make you into an enchanted guitar elf with magical guitar elf skills. (Sorry, been playing too many video games). Ahem…
Learn to play your guitar by actually practicing. What a thought. Everyone else will tell you that all you have to do is this “trick” here, or just subscribe to my “I’ll Make You A Guitar Hero In 10 Minutes” blog.
Oh, Please.
That kind of advertising may have worked on our parents, but not us. We know better. Yes, Yes, we KNOW it actually takes work to get good at something. Just look at the Karate Kid. Man, did that guy have it rough for a few months. But you know what, that Crane Kick move was pretty epic, and he got the girl. How?
Practice.
Alright, so, here I am, yelling it from the rooftops, and there’s only one thing left for you to do. Stop surfing the mindless web (except of course for when you read our fabulous blog to get a kick in the, well, motivational area…) and go practice for a half an hour.
You’ll get better if you do.
Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox
Wow, that sounds really wise, like an old Chinese proverb or something. Well, it might be, but it’s the starting point from which you will really start to see progress. Here’s the practical side of practicing “better.”
1.) Where you practice is important, so limit your distractions. If you’re not concentrating, you’re not going to make progress.
2.) It’s better to practice 15-30 minutes a day for 5-6 days a week than it is to practice 2 hours only one day a week. Why, you ask? Because it’s the repetition that builds confidence, muscle memory, and accuracy.
3.) Use a metronome or a drum loop of some kind while you practice your warm-ups, scales, guitar chords, etc. Learning to keep a consistent beat will take you far, and you can’t do it with just your imagination.
4.) Keep your guitar tuned at all times. Don’t be lazy with your tuning! Why, you ask? Because you’re building your listening skills as you practice whether you know it or not. Train your brain to hear the notes in tune! Your band will thank you later.
Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox
If you are a beginning guitar player, no matter what your age, your main challenge is pressing your fingers down with enough pressure to get a good sound. It’s incredibly frustrating to hear your guitar clanking, buzzing, blipping away while you practice. You may be tempted to just smash your guitar into a million pieces, but hang on, there’s a simple solution.
1.) Slow down.
2.) Make sure you press your fingers down close to the metal fret, and press firmly and HOLD your finger down for a split-second longer.
3.) Use the tips of your fingers.
Concentrate on being accurate, not fast. This will build your muscle memory and will in turn improve your tone.
Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox
You can “learn” a lot on the internet. Seriously, that’s not tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. You can learn a hundred lifetime’s worth of information. This is especially true when it comes to music and learning the guitar, guitar chords, scales, whatever.
However, on a more, philosophical level (metaphysical?), we are humans and we need interaction. And that’s a cliche for a reason. It’s true.
No where in life could this be more true than in music. You need to get out there and experience music with other people. Take some music lessons, ask around your neighborhood, your apartment complex, whatever, go find people that enjoy what you enjoy. Not on Twitter, not on Facebook, not on YouTube, but in the flesh. Learn from other people face to face.
It’s this combination, learning stuff on the internet for free, or for a few bucks, and then going and applying what you’ve learned in real life that will give you real satisfaction.
Much Respect,
The Musician’s Toolbox
I’ve been working on a workbook and curriculum to accompany the Learn Guitar Chords DVD. Home school families and charter schools will be able to use the workbook as a resource for learning, applying, and testing the knowledge from the DVD.
I expect it to be finished within the month, and it will feature high quality photos and graphics like the DVD. It will be available for purchase along with the DVD for a reasonable price, probably no more than $10.00.
Andrew Wonacott, President
