So, You Want to Learn How to Play Guitar?

By | Beginner Guitar Lessons | 4 Comments

In talking with a lot of my non-musical friends about music, it’s not uncommon for me to hear them saying something like, “Oh, I wish I knew how to play guitar. It’s such a cool instrument.”

At my university, all students, regardless of your major, are required to take two applied arts courses. Some will take voice, others piano, and the really weird ones will take theatre (kidding of course!). However, most people take at least one guitar class.

What I’m noticing is that there is just something that draws people to want to play the guitar. I’m not sure if it is because everyone and their mother seems to know how to play and they feel left out, or if it’s because it seems cool. And to be real, playing guitar tends to be seen as a cool thing.

I’m not sure what it is, but if you find yourself drawn to learn how to play guitar, there are a few things to keep in mind before you get yourself into it.

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Engaging Your Mind in Guitar Practice

By | Practice Tips | Leave a Comment

I have had some real difficulty lately motivating myself to learn new material on guitar. I’ve also had a hard time figuring out how to go about making progress with what I’ve already learned. As a practicing guitar player, it’s important to have a sense that you are progressing–but I’m not feeling that lately! It seems like whenever I sit down and practice I’m playing the same old licks, chord progressions, or scales. Maybe you can relate? What’s one to do?

Fortunately, I’ve been able to put into practice something that’s really helped me to have a sense of progress. I’ve talked before about how to practice guitar and get the most out of it, and those are all very good tips, but something I failed to mention was the importance of engaging your mind in your practice times.

What do I mean by this?

Just recently, I was practicing some scales and triads up and down the fretboard. I found it to be really easy to play a scale pattern or a triad pattern without much thought. And this is good in a certain regard because you are committing these scales and triads to muscle memory, but what I’ve been wary of is [...]

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How to Practice Guitar and Get the Most Out of It

By | Practice Tips | 1 Comment

I think everyone has heard the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.”

Let’s be real. If you want to become a better guitar player (or better ‘anything’ for that matter), you must practice! While this is really important to understand, I’d say it’s equally important that we have productive practices. Here are some ideas for the way you approach practicing guitar:

1.) Schedule it

If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that the busyness of life won’t be sensitive to my music. In other words, if you don’t schedule a time to practice guitar, it probably won’t happen! Try to find consistent times in your week (half hour or hour blocks) that you can dedicate to practicing guitar. Personally, I’ve found that if I do this, I end up practicing a lot more than if I would otherwise.

2.) Create a practice space

Don’t just find a time to practice, but also find a place to practice. Get away from distractions. Lock yourself away. Get to a place where you won’t feel self-conscious about making mistakes or [...]

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