Having the ability to pick up a guitar and play a tune looks incredibly simple but the reality is that it is far from easy. Sure there are some people to whom music comes naturally and they can pick something up in no time at all, for us mere mortals however, it is a bit more complicated than that.
Whether you are just starting out or you can already play a little, there is always room for improvement. Started playing about a year ago and to be honest it took me a long time to really get going, at first I was all fingers and thumbs but after a while it started coming a little easier and now I can play a tune or two and am loving life with the guitar. Here are a few tips that helped me to improve and hopefully they can do the same for you.
Practicing
As simple as it sounds, regular practice is the only way in which you can truly improve as a guitarist, if you aren’t prepared to put the hours in then you simply cannot expect to make any kind of improvement. As a minimum you should be practicing an hour per day, every day if not more. The best way to do this is to create a routine for yourself where you practice at the same time each day or each night. You will soon see the benefit of the practice and your fingers will feel much looser and more fluid.
Online Lessons
Guitar lessons can be a costly affair especially if they are one on one, a better way to get lessons and help if you are starting out is to go online, there are literally hundreds of videos and how to guides for you to follow with ease. Tom Hess Music Corporation offers great lessons for all different ranges of guitar abilities, the man himself is a successful guitarist in his own right having performed in bands like Rhapsody of Fire and later as a touring musician. Lessons like Tom’s can help all guitarists to improve with consummate ease.
Look for Tablature
there are some who can listen to a song and immediately work out which chords are being played, these people usually have quite a bit of experience and a well trained musical ear, not everyone can do this however and if you can’t read music either then tablature is for you. Tablature can teach you how to play songs with ease, it has a simple music bar and each finger has a number, the numbers show where on a guitar that you should put your fingers and then you simply need to strum along. These tabs are brilliant for learning any type of song or blues licks which can help you out. With just a quick search online you can find thousands of guitar tabs for free that people have uploaded for almost any song in existence, a great way to improve your skills.
