Get 5 Guitar Playing Tips to Help You Play Better Guitar.

In this helpful article, you will get <i>guitar playing tips</i> designed to help you improve your playing skills.  So let's get started... 

<b>1) The first guitar playing tip is to use good posture while playing the guitar</b>

You should sit up straight in an armless chair. If the chair has arms, you will not be able to hold the guitar properly for playing.  Sit up straight to protect your back.

If you get a backache after a bit of playing, you will realize how having good posture while playing the guitar is so important.

<b>2) The next guitar playing tip is to hold the pick firmly but not too firmly.</b>

If you do not grip the pick firmly enough, you may lose it during a vigorous bout of strumming!  But if you grip it too tightly, you may find your whole arm getting tired.  Middle of the road is the best guitar playing tip I can give you where pick grip is concerned.

<b>3) Choosing the right pick is another guitar tip that is important.</b>

Picks come in finger and flat styles.  Most guitarists use a flat one.  They also come in three different levels of flexibility.

Several professional guitarists have given me the advice of getting the softest, flabbiest pick I can find for learning to keep up with fast strumming.  It's easier on the arm.  Flabby picks are harder to use, however, if you are trying to pick out individual strings, as in adding a bass line, or flat-picking.

After some practice with a soft pick, you will probably want to move on to a firmer one.  A final guitar playing tip about picks is that the firmest picks make the richest sounds.

<b>4) Here is a guitar playing tip - learn to play arpeggios.</b>

It's fun, great for old folk songs, and sounds beautiful!  You won't be able to use a pick, though.  Finger the chord.  Now, pick the bass note of the chord with your thumb. You can use a thumb pick for this, however, it works just fine to use your thumb.  You will grow a little callus there which will make it easier.

Now use your index finger to pluck the third string.  Next, pluck the second string with your middle finger.  And then pluck the top string with your ring finger.  You've picked four notes.

If you repeat the sequence, giving each note the timing of an eighth note, you will fill a measure of a song written in four/four time.  This guitar playing tip will make people sit up and take notice, but it does require practice, and calluses, to play this way.  Try playing the strings in different order, and alternate bass strings.

<b>5) A final guitar playing tip involves the chord D.</b>

While playing the D chord, try adding your pinkie finger to the chord at the third fret.  This new chord is often called "D-suspended" or "D-sus."  Then play D again.  Now try lifting your middle finger so that the top string of the chord is open.  And back to D again.

You can do the same thing with the A-chord, but have to do the change on the second string.  Up one fret to the third makes A-sus, and you can also lift that finger to go down a step on that second string.  C-suspended requires you to go up a half step on the fourth string.  G-suspended requires you to do it on the fifth string.  Learning suspended chords is a guitar playing tip you'll find yourself using when you play contemporary songs.

I hope you've found these guitar playing tips helpful. It's important to remember that the best way to improve your guitar playing skills is to practice, practice, practice. Good luck!

Best Ways To Improve Your Guitar Playing

What grooves you? Why do you want to improve?

Regardless of your intentions - whether to get started playing, learn a few licks of your favorite tunes, or want to expand your repertoire to include blues, funk, or rock and roll music, on your way to recording yourself, there are resources out there that can help you.

Here are a few ideas that may help you better understand your guitar playing and some solutions you can consider.

Guitar videos
You can purchase guitar playing videos, either for home or computer watching, that include hand position, strumming technique, rhythm and timing, and finger exercises that take through various type of songs. Essentially these become a mirror for you in learning to play as you mimic what you're watching on screen and then reproduce this on your own. With commitment and determination, this can be a good one to go - especially for the visual learner who likes to learn primarily on their own.

Guitar lessons
You can find a community of guitar instructors in your surrounding area who are either private tutors or work through a community college. You'll want to consider their expertise, the type of students they work best with, their flexibility with your schedule, success stories, and of course their fees, in considering working with them. In pursing guitar lessons, you can either do one on one or group - both have their plusses and minuses but either can work for you.

Playing partners
Find someone in your local community who plays. You can do this through asking the local community college, posting online to a resource like craigslist, or asking the guitar shop. The idea is to develop a friendship with someone who is a bit better than you who wants the accountability of practicing weekly. What you can provide is the commitment to meet up with them weekly and practice. In return, you can learn from their techniques or methods what works. Of course, you always need to be aware of learning bad habits in situations like these, which is why it's important to have a foundation in guitar technique before starting.

Guitar theory
Related to guitar technique is developing a basis in guitar theory. Chord patterns, minor and major chord progressions, note scales, and overlap with piano and percussion instruments can all give you a basic structure upon which to layer in the knowledge and technique you gain in your guitar playing.

Playing guitar can be a wonderful expression of one's musical and creative talent. And with a commitment to constant improvement, it can provide a lifetime of enjoyment for yourself, friends, and family.

Beginning Acoustic Guitar

So you have decided the acoustic guitar is the instrument for you. What are the first steps to take to get your guitar playing off to a flying start?  How about we cover the really basic stuff here, like what kind of music will I be playing? Am I aiming to be a professional guitarist? What type of amplifier do acoustic guitar players use, and what strings are best for which genre of music?

After we have covered these topics you will have a clear idea of the way ahead in your guitar playing career.
Right, so what is your acoustic guitar repertoire going to consist of? Which music attracted you to the acoustic guitar should really be your guide here. The most obvious acoustic genre for many people is folk music. This genre really took off as a form of popular music in the 1960's and now there's a tremendous volume of material for you to choose from. A lot of musicians who are interested in singing ballads go for the acoustic guitar because it's so easy to pick up the instrument and go ahead and sing. Providing your guitar is in tune of course. But in general the acoustic guitar is a great companion for the ballad singer because it won't compete with your vocals.

While we are on the subject of repertoire, don't forget the acoustic guitar is ideal for singing your own simple arrangements of popular songs from many styles of music. Two examples of rock and roll songs that were hits all over again as acoustic ballads are "Layla" by Eric Clapton and "Light My Fire" originally recorded by The Doors, and reworked by Jose Feliciano.

To let your audience hear your playing, you can choose to amplify your guitar by simply playing into a microphone as classical or flamenco guitarists do, or make use of a pickup and an amplifier. The question of which amp to use is a matter for experimentation and talking it over with more experienced guitarists. Generally speaking you wouldn't need any kind of effects for acoustic guitar music; it just needs to have the volume to reach your audience in a restaurant or hall. So just bear in mind you are looking for a nice clear sound from your amp to help carry your vocals rather than set up shop in competition with them.

The choice of strings for the beginner acoustic guitarist is a no-brainer. Learn on nylon strings till your fingers are toughened up. You will form callouses on the tips of your fingers during the first few weeks of playing, after that you can start on a steel string guitar if you wish without slicing your fingers. Regarding the sound of the different kinds of strings, nylon will give you a mellow, unobtrusive sound, and steel strings have a sharper sound which demands attention from the audience. This can augment your vocals and enable you to do solos if you want to.

Now you have got the basic topics covered all that's left for you to do is enjoy your journey as an acoustic guitar player.

7 Tips for Effective Musical Practice

The quality of your practice is much more important than the quantity. The old saying "practice makes perfect" is only true if the practice itself is perfect. Here are 7 tips to help make your practice more effective and efficient.

Practice motions slowly

The muscular memory of our bodies allows us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little or no conscious involvement. Examples of muscular memory include walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and of course playing a musical instrument.

In order to develop this memory, the muscles require training in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. First the mind must learn the pattern. Then the mind must "teach" the pattern to the muscles.

The mind initially must control all the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle memory.

Slow practice also allows the mind to teach "antagonistic muscles" to relax. Antagonistic muscles are those that move in opposite directions. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and facilitate faster and easier performance and avoid potential injury.

Practice in small cells

A "practice cell" is simply a finite series of motions. Musical cells can correspond to anything from a few notes to an entire work. When practicing, it is important to practice small cells of just a few notes. Practicing small cells limits the amount of information the muscles have to learn at one time. It also facilitates the mind's focus and concentration.

Link the end of one cell to the beginning of the next

To help the muscles develop a sense of continuum throughout the piece of music, the last motion in a cell should be the first motion of the following cell.

Practice each cell in bursts

Once the muscles have learned a pattern, they will be capable of executing it without conscious control. Initiate the pattern through a conscious command and allow the muscles to execute it in a burst.

Don't practice mistakes

For every repetition required to learn a pattern of motion, it takes 7 times the number of repetitions to change the pattern. If in the course of your practice you make an error, stop. Review in your mind the pattern. And further reduce the speed of your motions.

Pause between repetitions

When dealing with repetitive activities, the mind is better able to focus when the repetitions are broken up by short pauses. After two or three repetitions, pause for about 30 seconds to regain focus.

Take frequent breaks and don't "over-practice"

B.F. Skinner and other experts have found that the mind's ability to learn drops significantly after prolonged intense concentration. Research shows that studying too long (i.e. more than four hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain necessary for learning. Therefore, it is best to take frequent breaks (a 5 minute break about every 20-25 minutes) and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.

By applying these techniques, you can dramatically improve the quality of your practice. You'll be able to use your time more efficiently and increase the effectiveness of your practice.