Everyone who is a musician has, at some time or another, heard the phrase “Practice Makes Perfect”, but this is a complete falsehood.

While guitar practice is vitally important to improving your playing, it should not be practice makes perfect, but rather, practice makes permanent. The fact is that if you have always practiced something incorrectly, then you will always play it incorrectly as the habit becomes ingrained.

My primary objective is to provide you with effective practice tips that will help you improve your guitar playing style while keeping you safe.

You are probably wondering what could possibly be unsafe about practicing your guitar.

That is an excellent question.

I have noticed a common trend among veteran players that I am familiar with. Many of them suffer from hand and wrist fatigue. Many have had to endure wearing braces while playing because after years of playing the wrong way, they have developed carpel tunnel.

Anyone who has ever held a guitar can understand how playing the instrument can create strain on your hand and wrist. Therefore, taking the necessary time to practice the proper way is something you should strive for sot hat you can avoid this painful condition. Your musical abilities will benefits, also, but the main goal is to get your hands into the right shape.

After all, if you were a brand new weight lifter you wouldn’t go straight for the five hundred pound weights. You would begin with much lighter weights.

You wouldn’t take the chance of serious injury by starting any other way. The same is true of playing the guitar, proper training, conditioning and warm up are necessary to stay in top playing shape so that you can enjoy playing for many years to come.

Exercise 1 – Stretching is key

Before you play the first note, or even think about touching the guitar, you should spend five minutes simply stretching your hand. Stretching will prepare your hand for playing as it gets blood flowing to your hands and will help your muscles and tendons to relax. You will be amazed at how much endurance you will have for playing when you take the time to stretch. Blood moves oxygen, and your muscles are hungry for oxygen. Take the time to stretch your entire hand from your fingers, to your wrist and forearms.

Exercise 2 – Timing is everything

A metronome should be your constant companion when you are practicing. Timing is everything in music, and playing to the steady tick of a metronome will help you develop your timing. Great timing is the single most important aspect that all musicians share. Having a great sense of timing is what sets great guitarists apart from amateurs.

It’s foolish to think that you would not benefit from the use of a metronome or do not need one.

Exercise 3 – Chromatic scales serve a purpose

Chromatic scales are done automatically, with little thought behind them, but they will condition your hands. Using chromatic scales is simply the easiest way to improve dexterity, and increase speed because they will make hitting the right note a very natural action.

At one time, I could spend hours doing nothing more than the following chromatic exercise, and it improved my speed a agility greatly.

If you want to be able to rip through your music accurately and quickly, make a point of practicing these scales on a daily basis.

E|—————————————–1-2-3-4———-|
B|———————————1-2-3-4——————|
G|————————-1-2-3-4————————–|
D|—————–1-2-3-4———————————-|
A|———1-2-3-4——————————————|
E|-1-2-3-4————————————————–|

Reverse it after you play it

E|-1-2-3-4——————————————|
B|———1-2-3-4———————————-|
G|—————–1-2-3-4————————–|
D|————————-1-2-3-4——————|
A|———————————1-2-3-4———-|
E|—————————————–1-2-3-4–|

When you are practicing, be sure to use alternate picking.

Once these exercises are completed, move everything up on fret and practice some more. Continue moving up the frets and practicing them for speed, accuracy and agility.

Try to work your way up through all 11 frets, and then move back down again.

When you start feeling a burn, complete the exercise you are on then take the time to stretch your arms, wrists and fingers thoroughly before you continue practicing.

Following these tips will improve your playing, prevent painful carpel tunnel, and give you the confidence you need to play any venue.

The subject of music theory continues to intimidate even the best musicians, but that should not be the case. I used to believe that I would need to learn to sight-read sheet music in order to become a professional player.

But I found out that is untrue.

Having a basic knowledge of music theory is necessary, but it is possible to earn a full time income as a musician without knowing how to read music.

That is because most leading music producers and studios do not use sheet music.

Instead, they use the Nashville System, which is known as the number system.

Music theory actually boils down to numbers rather than notes. Even today, I cannot tell you what note I am hitting at any time. If I look, I can quickly tell you, but I only think about the numbers as I play — not whether I’m playing a C, D, or E.

This number system is very popular since it allows you to transpose music fast. Unlike using traditional sheet music, you do not have to spend hours re-charting notes.

The number system gives musicians performing live a way to communicate quickly, which leads them to create impromptu compositions.

Just what is this number system, and how is it used?

The number system works from the major scale.

Based on the C Major key, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C.

You should play it that way on the guitar:

E|————————————————–|
B|————————————————–|
G|————————————————–|
D|——————-9-10—————————|
A|———-8-10-12———————————|
E|-8-10-12——————————————|

Forget what the notes are for the moment, and play the notes in the order listed, counting to 8.

Instead of thinking C, D, E, F …

Simply refer to each note as its number. For example, the octave would be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

You only need to know the key to be able to improvise as you go.

But learn the major scale, because the 2 chord, 4 chord, etc. is always in the same position regardless of the key. Then you can both play and transpose music any time.

So, instead of telling you to “play C-F-G,” I would say “Hey, we’re in the key of C, and we’re doing a 1-4-5 progression.”

I may say “switch the keys to Eb” unexpectedly. And if I do, you don’t have to scramble to figure out which chords to play. You will know where the 1 chord, 4 chord, and 5 chords are.

Then I might suddenly decide to change the music by going to the 6 chord. To do so in the key of G, I would only have to say the number 6. With the conventional method, I would have to tell you to go to E minor.

By mastering the number system you can better communicate with other musicians, and that means you’ll be making better music.

Anyone who has spent a lot of time playing solos knows it is quite easy to find yourself in a pentatonic rut. There is a reason why the pentatonic scale is referred to as a box scale.

There are only five core notes, which have been being played in every combination thinkable, so there is no wonder why finding fresh solo ideas is so difficult.

Due to this, many people try to find other scales or modes to use for a fresh approach. Unfortunately, it is hard for a guitarist to learn something new.

In my opinion there has never been a class of people more devoted to their art, yet so unable to change.

It is very hard for a person who knows how to play great to be able to go back to the basics and start over again. This is what is required to learn a new scale and a new theory.

This is the precise reason I developed my style of playing.

As I have said over and over again, a person will learn more from a one hour jamming session they he/she will in an hour of practicing alone.

With this in mind, I do the following anytime I want to play outside of the box or learn new playing styles and techniques:

I find a master.

I locate someone who already plays the way I want to learn, and I copy how they play. I take time to fully understand their solos.

Doing this helps me in two ways. First, it helps you to build a collection of songs you are able to play; and you can use this to widen your musical horizons.

Anytime you find yourself in a pentatonic rut, try the following:

1. Obligate yourself to playing melodic. Only allow yourself to play the melody of your song. Doing this makes you concentrate on writing a solo that is angled toward the tone of your piece, and not simply a replica of all your other solos.

2. Put some music on that you have never heard before. Find some music that has never been played around you before. You may even want to find some that is in a totally different genre than you typically listen to. Go to a music store and look through the world sections of music. This will give you the opportunity to find a piece that makes you think outside your music box.

It is true that what you listen to has an effect on what you play. Every song you hear is stored in the back of your mind as a musical idea. With this in mind, make yourself listen to a totally new and original song at least once a week.

Don’t limit yourself to simply listening to it, try to play it. This method can help you to break through your typically thought process when playing your guitar.

Anyone who is new and desires to have a new element added to his/her play quickly, it is wise to take the time to listen to and learn to play the two songs listed below.

I advise people that if they want to become a great guitarist, it is vital to learn these two songs. They will allow you to learn how to use melody, timing, and careful phrasing outside the normal pentatonic scale, while allowing you to fully master playing the pentatonic scale.

The two songs I am referring to are:

1. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd and 2. Europa by Santana.

Anyone who can learn to play these two songs accurately is on the right path to becoming a wonderful guitar player.

The last time we posted we discussed methods for adding the Aeolian scale to your pentatonic that were easy and how to apply your new knowledge of scales. As you may recall, the Aeolian scale a naturally occurring minor scale. It is a fact that minor scale and chords give music a darker and sadder tone.

We will now discuss the Dorian scale, which will allow you to incorporate a happier feel. This scale can be used in funk, jazz, and major based chord progressions. I truly enjoy using this over good jump blues or using it to put some new kick into some funk music.

It is important to understand that you do not have to give up what you already know, simply add these to your repertoire.

When you continue to use a pentatonic base and add these new modes, you will discover you have a lot more flexibility and spice in your playing style.

A good song to listen to the Dorian in use is Black Magic Women by Santana. You may even want to listen to Planet Caravan by Toni Lommi.

With this in mind, let’s discuss the key of A.

Below you will find an A Minor pentatonic scale:

In order to keep this post short, I am only going to discuss the D, G, B, and high E strings. You can play the other strings as octaves of these notes.

E|——————————-5-8—————————–|

B|————————-5-8———————————–|
G|——————-5-7—————————————–|
D|————-5-7———————————————–|
A|—————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————-|

A closer look at the Dorian Scale:

Do incorporate this scale, you only need to add 3 notes to the pentatonic scale above.

E|———————————–5-(7)-8———————|
B|————————-5-(7)-8——————————-|
G|——————-5-7—————————————–|
D|———(4)-5-7———————————————-|
A|—————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————-|

A note in brackets are the added notes.

When you add all the notes together, the scale will look like this:

E|——————————– -5-7-8———————–|

B|————————-5-7-8——————————–|
G|——————-5-7—————————————-|
D|———–4-5-7———————————————|
A|—————————————————————|
E|—————————————————————|

Now you can solo just like always, only now you have new notes to use as passing tones, which will allow you to rock with new modes that only took a short time to learn.

Commonly used in today’s modern world of contemporary music are two modes of the major scale. Sometimes these modes can seem quite difficult to grasp. Have no fear, though, because you have come to just the right place!

If you learn to include them as you play your guitar, soon you will find that playing them can be easy and enjoyable.

Of course, anyone who plays regularly understands that your greatest solos are derived from the pentatonic scale. Well, jazz and classical hard-cases may disagree … and we’ll let them be wrong! Simple fact!

It seems that as people reach and intermediate guitar playing ability, they tend to look for some cool riffs away from the pentatonic scale. This is a mistake.

Just like ripples in a pond, so it is with intertwining music. You need not look away from the pentatonic scale to play new music. It’s simply not necessary.

In this blog, I’ll explain the two most frequently played modes. I’ll go into more detail about the Aeolian here, and save the Dorian for part 2. I’ll show you that you can pick up these pentatonic scales in no time, and with minimal effort, to start incorporating them immediately into your style of play.

Branching out into a more dynamic and compelling sound is a piece of cake as long as the pentatonic remains as your true center.

We’ll begin now with the A key.

Let’s take a look at the pentatonic A Miner scale -

E|——————————-5-8—————————–|
B|————————-5-8———————————–|
G|——————-5-7—————————————–|
D|————-5-7———————————————–|
A|——-5-7—————————————————–|
E|-5-8———————————————————–|

In the interest of simplicity for this blog, I’ll go over strings G, B, and high E. All the other strings will play off these note’s octaves anyway.

E|——————————-5-8—————————–|
B|————————-5-8———————————–|
G|——————-5-7—————————————–|
D|—————————————————————-|
A|—————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————-|

So, we begin by taking a deeper look at the modes – the first one of course being the Aeolian. Many musicians see it as the normal minor scale. We’re going to simplify things even further buy utilizing the pentatonic.

We’re just going to put in three new note to the pentatonic scale shown above.

E|——————————-5-(7)-8————————|
B|————————-5-(6)-8——————————|
G|——————(4)-5-7————————————-|
D|—————————————————————-|
A|—————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————-|

Notice that the new notes are shown in brackets.

Now, by playing all these notes in unison, you attain this scale:

E|———————————–5-7-8———————–|
B|—————————5-6-8——————————-|
G|——————4-5-7—————————————-|
D|—————————————————————-|
A|—————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————-|

So play your solo as you usually do, but now try the new notes mixed in as passing tones. You see … now you’re rockin’ out with modes without hardly any effort at all.

The ultimate superstar in making this scale work fantastically is David Gilmour. He displays how it applies famously to any rock music built in minor.

Whether you are taking a book, video, a real live human teacher, or online lessons, keep these pointers in mind in order to get the most out our your studies.

1. Acomplish and master each section before going on to the next: As you progress through your studies make sure you have each new method or idea conquered before moving on to the next. Lessons are planned to build upon each other and trying to rush through without fully understanding one will just lead to frustration and wasted efforts.

2. Study as if you were in school. Do some homework every night. If all you have is 15 minutes then use those 15 minutes. If you dont have time to read/watch and apply then do the application of your last lesson or drills such as scales and chords. Reading/watching and not having the opportunity to apply immediately will usually mean you have to relearn your lesson. Take notes. Especially if youre watching a video or working with a human. Also dont be afraid to write all over your workbooks and sheet music.

3. Apply what youve learned: Perform for and in front of others. Your church, your family, that spare piano sitting in your favorite department store (ask first). Nothing drives a music lesson home better than a recital. It will also magnify what you need to work on.

These tips work whether your a child or an adult. Studying to play an instrument is a great activity and pleasure time.

You can now also produce your own Hip Hop tunes yourself with the world’s best music production machine called SonicProducer. You may create thousands of beats and you don’t even need to be an experienced musician or have any experience. It has been made super easy to produce your own beats and you won’t believe the quality of the sounds they packed it with.

SonicProducer is an incredible current edge music sequencer with mp3 export capability. SonicProducer also features music production tutorials with several keyboards, studios as well as tutorials on how to use the Sonic Producer software. All this is available online through the “members area” and contains everything including the software, sounds and the system of video lessons and documentation.

Click here to learn more about SonicProducer.

Michael Bell has been in the music industry for more than ten years and is very into historic evolution of Rap and Hip Hop as we know it today. He is Hip Hop producer himself and recommends Sonic Producer as a very sophisticated music production machine to newcomers, who want to get their first music production experience and are eager to get fast results. Click here to learn more about SonicProducer.

Through this article you are provided an overview of the opportunities that are available to you when it comes t learning the guitar online, including learning finger picking. The fact is that finger picking is one of the more basic techniques that a person interested in guitar can learn. Therefore, lessons online are rather easily accessible.

And where did the first bluegrass guitar album come from? Dan Crary. Dan, if not the father of bluegrass guitar, is at least one of its uncles. Many bluegrass standards were recorded with the guitar for the first time by Dan Crary.

To get some insight into the evolution of flatpicking guitar playing, it might help to look at how Doc Watson, whose guitar playing career began in the nineteen fifties, contributed to the use of flatpicking guitar in bluegrass music. It was simply that the band he was working with did not have a fiddle player and Doc was not able to become a good fiddle player himself. So because he enjoyed fiddle tunes, he simply learnt how to play them on the guitar.

Sit down and play new things on the guitar that you do not know how to do yet. Whether you are trying out new chords, scales, reading an article or guitar magazine, taking lessons; you have to at some point sit down and apply what your head has read, seen, and heard, and actually do it for yourself. This can be a lot more challenging than it seems, because once you sit down and start practicing you will begin to realize just how much there is to learn on the guitar.

In the brick and mortar world, you might want to turn to one on one lessons if you really are intent at improving your ability to play guitar. While these types of guitar lessons can cost you more than other types of guitar lesson options, for many people one on one lessons are ideal ways to learn guitar initially and then to master the instrument to a greater degree on down the road.

Don’t turn your guitar practice time into extended guitar solos. If you have a track of say, six minutes at your disposal, use it to practice licks and short solo breaks, the age of the twenty minute solo is long gone. Also, make use of your backing tracks to improve the basic aspects of your guitar playing like your timing.

Add your heartbreak to that guitar, you’re on your way to sing the blues. Blues Guitar Lessons THIRD rule: Learn the blues scales.Surprised this isn’t the first rule? This is the technical side of things.

Classical Gas by Mason Williams might be a little challenging if you don’t think of yourself as a “real” guitar player but it is surprisingly easy to play. Of course if you are not likely to be playing for strangers, you will have some idea of the kind of music your friends like, so just let their tastes be you guide with a little of your own style thrown in.

If you’ve never attempted to play the guitar before, it can seem very intimidating to learn. When you see an expert play, with their hands moving quickly across the strings and frets, it can seem almost impossible to learn how to do that. However, with the internet it has now become easier than ever to play the guitar. You should begin to learn guitar scales first. When you learn guitar scales, you are learning how to create individual notes using the strings along with your fingers on certain places on the frets. Once you learn guitar scales, you can then move on to guitar chords, which is using combination’s of notes to actually create melodies used in songs. You can learn all of this on the internet. Get ready for lots of practice because that’s what it’s going to take to learn how to play the guitar.

Finding a Site

There are many sites online that will teach you how to play the guitar. Again, start to learn guitar scales first. Once you get the scales down, you’ll have no problem finding those scales to use them in combination with each other so that you can begin to play actual music. There are many free sites on the internet that will teach you how to play the guitar. The one major downside to learning from the computer instead of learning from one on one instruction from a teacher is that you can pick up bad habits if you’re not monitored. That’s why you must read the instructions carefully and make sure you’re practicing perfectly. Just one finger out of place, or your hand positioned wrong on the fret bar can create a bad habit that will hinder your guitar playing progress.

Practice Makes Perfect

When you first pick up the guitar and learn to hold it, it can seem very awkward. Then, when you begin to learn guitar scales, you’ll see that it takes a lot of getting used to in order to get the notes just right. You should prepare to practice a lot, such as an hour or two a day, if you hope to grasp guitar playing. Don’t worry if you mess up at first. As long as you practice and keep at it, you’ll be playing guitar in no time. Just don’t go to fast in your training. Start to learn guitar scales first and then progress from there.

Soon, you’ll be playing the guitar and you’ll think back to how awkward the guitar felt in your hands and how intimidated you were with learning how to play that all of those feelings will seem silly.