Those who can play guitar make it look incredibly simple, I have always envied those who can just pick up a guitar and make sweet music from it. Despite it looking so simple, it really isn’t and in all honesty those who can play and make it look simple are those who have spent a lot of time and put in a lot of hard work to learn the craft.
I picked up the guitar a few years ago and to be honest I found it incredibly difficult, I just couldn’t get it right. After a couple of months I put the guitar down and decided that it wasn’t for me, then last year I fancied another go at it and decided to approach it a little differently. I am now a good amateur guitarist and I’m improving every day. I want to share some tips with you about what helped me to improve and how you can too.
Putting the Hours in
No matter how frustrated you may get that you are not yet Slash or Jimmy Page, you need to continue to put the hours in if you wish to improve. Playing guitar does come more naturally to some that it does to others but that is no excuse for not practicing. Even the best in the business continue to practice each day and if you want to improve then this is where you should start. Try to make at least an hour or two each day to practice. You’ll soon see that your fingers become a lot more flexible with more practice time.
Get Lessons
There is absolutely no shame at all in receiving lessons to help you better play the guitar, you could opt for one on one private lessons or look online where there is a whole host of lesson options available. Tom Hess, the former guitarist of Rhapsody of Fire, touring musician and music teacher offers some great online lesson plans for guitarists of all abilities, take a look at the Tom Hess reviews to see just how much he his lessons have helped people. If you do opt to take lessons online then make sure that they are structured lessons that take you from point A to point B, it can be great just learning songs but you are far better off having a comprehensive lesson plan.
Play in Company
If you know somebody else who plays then try to spend a little time with them, playing together and learning from one another. This is a great way to improve your guitar skills and it will also give you the chance to learn tips and tricks that you perhaps weren’t aware of. Being able to jam with someone is difficult but the more time that you spend with them, learning their style, the easier it will become. This also gives you the chance to have practice both your rhythm guitar and your solo work and you can take turns playing each part.
