Things I’ve learned about guitar:
* Start playing early in life—it’s therapeutic.
* Get as good a guitar you can afford. You will quit if you get frustrated so why chance it?
* Get a teacher. Scrape the money up. Do whatever it takes. You will learn twice as fast and likely play better.
* Play with friends as soon as you have 3 chords down. Playing with others motivates you more than practicing in you bedroom alone.
* Get a metronome and USE it. I feel it should be required with your first guitar purchase. Just me.
* Don’t think all tabs/songs off the Internet are right. Use them as a reference. To get better stuff, get actual authentic guitar tab books of your favorite bands. The authors are pros and get paid to write that stuff. Think NoteBoat at GN.
* Try to digest a little theory every day even if it is only 5 minutes at a time it will take awhile, but you’ll learn faster than otherwise.
* Write down (on paper, not just in your head) a rough idea of your practice schedule. How can you get somewhere without a plan or roadmap?
* Practice using very slow motions with anything new. If you rush it you’ll mess up and learn to play messed up.
* Speed comes with time, practice slowly with the metronome and proceed in small increments. It works.
* Playing guitar is not a race. Don’t be the guy who learns 30 songs in 3 months only to forget them a day later. Guitar is a life-long deal--take it easy.
* If something hurts, take a break (especially if you are new to guitar). I took breaks about every 10 minutes when I first started.
* Get a good equipment. Guitar stand, cables, amps, whatever. You’ll have them a long time. They are investments in your hobby. I’ve killed 4 cheap cords before I wised up. Don’t be cheap, sacrifice something else.
* Tune your guitar every time you practice/play and that doubles when playing with others. Why sound bad playing the right thing the right way when it’s just your guitar being out-of-tune?
* Change your strings! If you are young and poor this does not apply. A pack of strings costs $3-4 a pack if you buy them in 3-packs. Can you afford a dollar a week to have a better sound? Why go six months and have funk hanging on your strings killing your sound?
* If a string breaks, change them all. If you apply to the aforementioned suggestion you can just change a single string. If you don’t change your strings at least once a month change them all when one breaks.
* Get organized. Don’t have billions of papers you printed off the Internet all over your coffee table, desk, computer, or floor. Buy a 3-hole punch, punch all the sheets and put them in binders.
* Have everything you may need when you need it. Get your graphite pencil, string winder, string cutter, peg puller, cotton cloth, extra picks, extra (full packs) of strings, a toothbrush, toothpicks and other accessories in a small plastic container. Bring it whenever you go jam with others so you can fix things if you break strings or something goes wrong.
Ah, I can hear the words of Ryan Spencer in the background, “Rock on!” Can you hear that?
If you follow every one of these you are too regimented. I actually don’t because I picked up some bad habits along the way. Yet I think I know what should be done to be a better player and get more out of it all.
Here is one last thing that I’d like to add is something I read at the library months ago. This is for everyone who thinks they aren’t born with it.
“Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.” – Former president Calvin Coolidge
Comments? I hope everyone drops by here to add some of their teachings, discoveries, or tips. Everyone needs help.
