Music has a unique way of freeing the soul. Not only is it cathartic to create music, but it is also extremely satisfying and rewarding. The piano is perhaps the most versatile mainstream musical instrument that we have. But a close second is none other than the six-stringed masterpiece that is the guitar. There’s nothing like mastering the guitar; ask any musician. Some of the greatest musicians of all time have shown us how diverse the instrument can be. Make it cry, make it sing, and make it growl and rage the way Stevie Ray did.
Learning guitar is extremely rewarding, and you should give it a shot if you have the chance. Music does not discriminate based on age, so whether you are middle-aged or a child, pick up a guitar and express your inner guitar hero today. Here are five tips to consider to become the next Hendrix, Clapton, or Page!
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Learn To Read Tabs
Tablature is an extremely important aspect of learning guitar. It’s considerably easier than reading sheet music and the grand staff, and it’s specifically made for a fretboard! The benefit of learning to read is that you can learn some of your favorite songs by downloading tabs. However, it’s not all that easy to learn online. It’s better to find a teacher or music center in your area that can help you. For example, you may find yourself wondering, “where can I take music lessons in Colorado?” Well, we might have the perfect place for you.
The Center for Musical Arts in Lafayette can help you unleash your true potential and rock the guitar like the greats. You can learn everything from tabs to sheets and everything in between to finally grasp the guitar and play it like a pro.
It’s always a good idea to start with a teacher and then fill in the rest on your own. Learn how to read tabs, and then feel free to learn whatever you want on your own.
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Don’t Ignore Rhythm
Becoming a guitar hero and playing lead guitar are somewhat synonymous. We often think that shredding through solos and throwing in cool licks are the best way to stand out. However, you need to remember that rhythm support is critical to make a solo pop!
Learning rhythm guitar gives you a better musical sense, understanding of timing and generally teaches you to play well with others. You cant play a solo if you don’t have a rhythm section playing behind it. It would be best to learn lead and rhythm both and weave in and out of them.
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Practice Speed. Cleanly
Anyone can blaze through legato’s and fancy arpeggios with the distortion or drive channel on. Do you think you can do the same thing when running it cleanly? Probably not. Distortion tends to hide some of our mistakes and make them inaudible over other notes. The entire point of playing the lead is that you highlight notes and let them ring out distinctly.
A great way to practice is by doing speed drills but through a clean channel. It may sound boring and underwhelming, but we guarantee that it’s going to work wonders for your technique.
Start slow and build it up. Slow down again and build it up again. Play through the speed drill a couple of times on a clean channel until you perfect it. After that, crank up the gain, and feel free to shred it out once you’ve learned it properly.
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Learn To Alternate Pick Early
First, you need to learn how to hold the pick. After that, you can work on alternate picking and stop that god-awful beginner picking thing. Alternate picking is a better way to play solos; it makes you faster, and it’s generally a better way to conserve your picking hand’s energy.
It’s very rare to see people doing anything other than alternate picking these days. Hybrid picking is another way to go about playing, but that’s an advanced picking style that requires a fair deal of practice. Down picking needs to stop unless you play a lot of Metallica.
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Improvise
There are far too many people out there who copy their favorite solos for years but can never come up with anything of their own. That’s fine if it makes you happy, to each their own. However, if you plan to become a guitar maestro and stand out, it’s best to learn to make your own music and improvise. It would be best if you could learn a thing or two about music theory and the scales. Start with the basics, learn how to use them, and then apply them to different musical situations.
There we have some of the best tips to help you release the beast of a guitarist within you. This article is loaded with tips that could help you go a long way if you give them a chance. Pick and choose what you think seems interesting and work on your technique. It will be hard at first, but if you think the greatest guitarists start as professionals, you are starkly wrong. We all start somewhere, and now it’s your turn. Keep rocking!
Read More: 5 Essential Tips for a Long and Lucrative Music Career
