I Need Your Help Guitar expert or newbie !

Hi Boys and Gals!

I have some projects that needs to be done, and I need some feedback or inputs!
I have not written, like anything, before so this is a challenge, but its fun when I can focus on guitar stuff!

In another thread I've got some real good stuff from great GuitarNoise Members!
look here: http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=51556&p=454405&hilit=regret#p454405
feel free to join that conversation, its turning out to be more like a philosophy discussion, which I absolutely LOVE !!
All good comments and insights will be in that project, a not to long little ebook! so if you have something cool to say just go for it.

But this is another little book I just written, its hard but fun and now I need your feedback! if you think something should be added/removed/edited/clarified and so on I would love to here that! (the formation is a bit weird now coz I just copied it from word)
here it is:

How to Play a Guitar Like a Pro

Rob Paris © All Rights Reserved

 
Contents
Introduction 3
Be your Own Person 4
Tips that will Help you Play Like a Pro 5
Exercise Techniques to Build your Stamina 8
Cultivating the Right Rocker Attitude 11
Choose your “Moments” Carefully 11
Have FUN! 12
10 Benefits of Reading this Guide 12
Conclusion 14

 
Introduction

Do you know what it feels like, to have the crowd in the palm of your hand when you take center stage? Wouldn't it be great if you could make a crowd of loyal rock and rollers go wild the moment you start “strumming” your stuff with your rock guitar? Do you want to know what it feels like? This guide will help you get a step closer to your rocker dreams!
Contrary to popular belief, when it comes to guitar solos, the trick to getting a crowd's attention doesn't mean that you start banging the strings in the hopes of getting out a tune or two and smashing your guitar at the end of your “routine.”
Rock and roll might seem to be the most aggressive of musical art forms. However the fact still remains that it requires great discipline and the right techniques to make any form of music something to look forward to. Your rock guitar solo should be no different.
In other words, a certain level of skill isn't the only thing that you will need. It takes technique and a lot of persistence if you are planning on making it big as a guitar solo player.
Playing any musical instrument to perfection isn't a cakewalk. However, some perseverance on your part will be all that will help you take your talent to new and unfathomable heights! It might be tempting to throw caution to the wing and bang it up on stage on your own but it won't help your prospects if you do not take the time to take a lesson or two on how to properly handle your instrument. Even the pros were amateurs first, that is, before they perfected their art and became rock legends.
Why play a Guitar Solo At All?

Because a solo means putting yourself out there and making the world acknowledge your talents as an independent artist. A good solo has the potential of setting the tune for his/her entire band.
In other words, a revved up solo is the one high point of any gig that is sure to bring the crowds to their feet. Your job will be to steal the entire show, not stand behind the lead singer and strum to a few tunes! In other words, the spotlight should be on YOU! The crowd will go wild as you take center stage! Don't you want to know what that feels like?
Be your Own Person
Of course, it won't be a guitar solo if you don't wing it on your own once in a while. Remember, the aim of any solo is to assert your own unique personality. Sure it's important to keep the rest of the band in mind but if you don't take the liberty to tweak the track once in a while you might as well be a fly on the wall. The crowd must know that it is YOU that has managed to ruffle up their feathers so easily. You have to make sure that it's YOU that they call out for!
This does not mean that you start plucking the strings every which way in the hopes of getting out a tune or two especially in the middle of an important gig especially if you are not good at improvising. Sure, you might get a rush as your band takes center stage but it won't help matters if you get carried away. There are limits to how far you can go in your performance especially during a live show. There is nothing that puts off a crowd more than a solo gone wrong. Your band is liable to get booed within the first 5 minutes of the song. The last thing your band would need is a bad review because you are the trigger happy lead guitarist can't contain him/herself. Needless to say it is better that you practice any tracks you decide to implement beforehand.
Remember, you do not need to be perfect guitarist from the get go. All you need to do is to FEEL it in your gut. Got it? Okay let's get you started!
 
Guitar Techniques and How to Use Them
You can start off by making your own jam tracks. Before you decide to make your lead debut, it is best that you keep the following tips in mind –
Tips that will Help you Play Like a Pro
STEP 1 – HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION
It is easy to fall into the same white washed routine as you practice especially with jam tracks. You could end up playing the same tunes countless times and overlook the most important aspects of your training.
Just make sure that you do not start off with anything fancy. Just make sure that you determine how much time you will give your practice sessions, what keys you will play and with what tempos. Remember, the key to super stardom is persistence and timing. You will want to make sure that you land all the right tunes on stage without missing a single beat. Trust me! The crowds will love you for it!
The key to incorporating any beat, and one that will help you on your way to super stardom, is timing.

STEP 2 – THE BEAT
Music sheets will only get you so far. What will really set you apart is hearing the beats by ear and by modifying them according to your own tastes. Remember, you could be hearing the same beat as your crowd but you might be creating different tunes in your own mind as you play over it.
In other words, you need to be susceptible to how the beats turn out as you play them by observing where all the main notes land and by hearing the accents.
You need to imagine that a beat is there even if you do not hear it at the moment. Picking up where a beat leaves off and landing on it is what timing your beats is all about. For example, say that you want to play a 4:4 beat by playing a scale over it. The scale itself will include both the notes that will land on the beat as well as those that will be in between it.
STEP 3 – TIMING AND PICK ATTACK
After you have determined your beats it's time to work on your pick attack. In general terms, a pick attack is simply the level of speed and the consistency of which the pick strikes the string. Pick attacks are fairly easy if you are casually strumming out a slow tune. A basic chord progression means that you are applying a loose hand on the string which means that timing your strums won't be an issue.
The real test will come when you are jamming it up on stage on your own.
When it comes to guitar solos, you are expected to pick up the notes fast.

Your pick attacks need to be sharp if you are soloing with single notes and with more speed than what you are used to. In other words, the faster you want to play, the tighter your pick action needs to be to get the crowd on their feet.
This also goes for slow tunes. Having deft fingers is integral if you want to dish out tunes that are nice and clean. So it is best that you master such techniques before blending your own tunes to the mix.
However, it doesn't matter if going fast isn't your style. You have to train your fingers at your own pace if you want to grow as a solo guitarist. The more you assert yourself during play, the more unique will your tunes be. So it's better that you play from your heart. Trust me! You will be more adept with tunes that you are up to speed with rather than with those that you can't keep up with at all. Who knows? This might just separate you from the amateurs.

 
Exercise Techniques to Build your Stamina
Remember, it pays to iron out those kinks beforehand. One of the last things you would want is for your fingers to lock or cramp up during a gig and cramping your style (no pun intended). So make sure that you stretch out those fingers once in a while. This will make you better suited to play any type of solo no matter how complicated it is. The aim of such exercises is to develop your playing techniques but most importantly of all – the strength of your fingers. Not everyone is equipped with agile fingers that are capable of plowing through notes at the speed of light. Pros, like Jimmy Hendricks, weren't born with this gift either. It took years of nurtured care and the right attitude that made them great. You can start off by keeping the following tips in mind –
• If you are new to playing solo, you will find that you fingers easily get tired as you play a tune. Even professional lead guitarists have the scars to prove their greatness. You will have to play through the pain if you want to belt out consistent tunes. Your perseverance will make this easier to bear over time. The only way you can do that is to practice playing scales on a regular basis.
The best thing about playing scales is that it gives you a “feel” of where the notes on your guitar are positioned. This will not only prevent you from hurting yourself but will also improve the speed and dexterity by which you play. The crowd loves a show. Your job would be to make sure that they expect it from you!
You can also play trills to exercise your playing fingers. Try fretting a note with your ring finger and trilling the next highest note with your fourth one by playing hammer-ons and pull offs. It's also better that you use a metronome to keep time during this exercise. As you feel your finger strengthening, try increasing your speed.
Give your fingers a five minute workout for each practice session
• So why do your fingers need to go through this routine? You have to remember that the little finger of your fretting hand is the most important one you can work on if you want to play better. A buffed up fourth finger will also allow you a greater reach as well as a large number of vibrato techniques. However, it also happens to be one of the weakest of all your fingers and one that cannot work independently like the rest. A short 5 minute workout each day will gear it for some killer tunes.
• Remember to stretch your fingers out before going through any warm-up exercise. Before stretching your fingers out, play a few scales to get the blood flowing through your hands. You don't want your finger cramping up before a gig!
• Clichéd blues licks might be a good way to warm up but make sure that you stay away from them when you are actually on stage. Such popular tunes are a combination of pitches and rhythms that have withstood the test of time and work great in starting a band off. They might come in handy if you want to get rid of the jitters. In fact, they may actually make for good practice especially before a major live performance.

However, just because they have been around for a while doesn't mean that you belt them out at every performance. Your fans are liable to get bored of the same tunes in time. The trick to making them stay put is to come up with your own melodic bag of tricks. This will all be part of building up your own musical vocabulary.
• Learn to play by ear. This will come in handy when you do not have a guitar handy at the moment. Improvisation and creativity will help you interact with the rest of the members in your band as well.

Cultivating the Right Rocker Attitude

Of course, when it comes to rocking it out on stage, it is the crowd that really matters. Don't be afraid to strut your stuff on stage. You will want to make sure that the fans are hooked the moment you start your solo. A few antics won't do you any harm.
However, it's best that you perfect your solo techniques before you decide to amp your antics up a notch. There is nothing worse than a guitarist that prefers clowning around on stage rather than keep in tune with the rest of the band. In other words, make sure that you don't leave the band behind. This doesn't mean that you don't do anything to rev up your fans at all. Just make sure that you don't get carried away as you ham it up on stage.

Choose your “Moments” Carefully
Make sure that you time your tricks appropriately. This will work best if you take action according to the music. One of your “cues” can be before the beginning of an explosive chorus. Tricks have what it takes to get the right kind of attention. They usually work best if a guitarist wants the audience to focus on him/her.

Have FUN!
Always try to have fun with whatever you decide to work on whether your jam sessions include finger exercises or making up your own tunes. Your efforts will be in vain and will start to sound dull if you don't. Remember, the audience will sense that something is wrong the moment you get bored with it all. Being professional doesn't mean that your happiness takes a back seat.

10 Benefits of Reading this Guide
1. It will make your playing blistering fast and accurate. Needless to say, you will definitely see an improvement in your playing ability once you are through with this guide.
2. You might consider yourself a pro guitarist but that doesn't mean that you do not learn the basics at all. Even the great Jimi Hendrix started his road to stardom by practicing on a one string ukulele before he got an actual instrument to play on. Who knows? This guide might just be your first step to super stardom.
3. Once you're playing ability reaches new heights, it will also give your band's rep a boost and rack up fans faster than you could ever have imagine. People will comes from miles to get into one of your band's gigs once they find out that their favorite guitarist will also be making an appearance.
4. It is always better that you have a plan of action when you decide to train yourself instead of strumming up whatever you feel like. This will give you an idea of where you are and where you need to be when it comes to gauging the level of your playing abilities.
5. There are always music scouts that are on the lookout for budding talents. One might just decide to “pop” in for a minute to check out the band. This is also why you should try and stand out as much as you can. This guide can help you get there.
6. One thing that this book emphasizes on is to go with your gut. Practicing on your own will not only boost your own confidence in your playing but will also make the rest of the band look good.
7. You can get through the basics on your own through these techniques. You don't need a private instructor to tell you the ropes. Plus, anything beats having to dole out the cash for private lessons.
8. Nothing beats coming up with your own tunes as you are cruising to the next gig in the van. Proper ear training techniques can have you creating your own ear melodies in your head even if you do not happen to have your guitar with you at the moment.
9. You will feel better and more confident about your playing abilities. The techniques outlined in this guide might be simple but there is no doubt that they will keep you focused and on the right track.
10. You will learn how to tune in to your fans by giving them what they came for.
11. Having fun while you jam it up on stage.
12. You will be more in tune with the rest of the band.
13. It will help you refine your guitar skills to the next level on your journey to super stardom.
14. You would want every eye to be on you don't you? The tips will come in handy as you strut your stuff on stage.
15. The gigs will be all about you!
16. You will know what it feels like to have the crowd at the tip of your fingers (pun intended).
17. This book will help you realize what being a hardcore rocker actually means – to connect with your fans by keeping your professional attitude intact.
18. You will start playing better.
19. If you are not planning on going solo after you are through with this guide you should leave right now. However, if you are willing to do all it takes to becoming a stellar solo guitarist in the near future this guide can take you in the right direction. YOU have to make sure that you never let go of your dream of becoming a solo guitarist in your band.

 
Conclusion

It doesn't take much to play a guitar solo in a band. What will truly set you apart from the rest of the crew are your own unique techniques. Taking the time to hone your skills will not only get you a step closer to the audience but will also serve you well during the long run especially if you plan on going solo in the future or making a living through it. A few bucks on the side would be great especially if you want to broaden your skills by playing other types of guitars like bass.
Make sure that you keep these tips in mind whenever you plan on taking the stage by storm. They won't take long to go through. Once your body gets used to them you will start applying them like its second nature. One thing is for sure, they will take your playing skills on a whole other level.
Remember, you have to make sure that the crowd chants your name before the band preps up and takes the stage by storm. Sure the band is important too. But your debut should set the bar for other stellar performances to follow.