timmypadgett asked:


I have just started picking my guitar back up recently and I enjoy it. However I might put it down then an hour later start playing again but the tips of my fingers are hurting too much to continue? Is there anything at all I can do? I know that my fingers will harden but is there anything else beforehand?

Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Andreas Wahlstedt asked:


A lot of beginning guitar players write to me and ask for advice how to play guitar ‘fast’. I inevitably write them back to ask whether they already play guitar, and just want to be faster on the fretboard, or whether they’re beginners who want a shortcut to basic proficiency.

This got me wondering whether there might be a connection between the two. It seemed far-fetched; but, the more I thought about it, the more parallels I saw between these two seemingly different levels of training.

So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that:

1. You can learn guitar faster by studying the techniques involved making your overall playing ability ‘faster’, and..

2. You can become a ‘faster’ guitar player by re-focusing your practice sessions on the basic concepts and techniques taught to every beginner.

The reasons for this overlap and can be summed up in a handy acronym: M.O.S.T. — or, “Memorization, Observation and Strength Training.” Let’s cover each one to clarify the point.

Memorization

One of the things that slows down both beginning and intermediate guitar players, no matter how good of an ‘ear’ for music they have, is a failure to memorize:

1. All of the notes on the fretboard

2. Chords and scales for the Major and Minor Keys

It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out, or have a few year’s playing experience already. The fact is that ‘hunting and pecking’ for the right chord or note will slow you down.

You don’t have time in the middle of a song to stop so you can figure out if a Dbminor chord will work in the key of B, and then figure out where that chord is relative to your current position on the fretboard.

If you’re a beginner, then memorizing your fretboard is the place to start. This will make it easier for you to memorize chords and scale patterns, as well as understand the relationship between them in music theory.

If you’re already playing, then you should focus on strengthening your knowledge in both areas. You probably have a good part of your fretboard memorized already, but can you jump to any note or chord automatically?

Observation

Your senses of touch, sight and sound are all involved in playing guitar. As you play, you will no doubt feel the development of ‘muscle memory’ as your fingers play across familiar chords and scales. You will see patterns and relationships on the fretboard. You will hear what you’re playing and come to connect it with all of the above.

Memorization is the foundation for observation, and observation is the key to training your mind and hands to work in concert automatically.

If you want the ability to play anything you hear ‘in your head’ the moment your fingers reach the fretboard, then you must wed memorization with observation when you practice.

Strength Training

No, I’m not suggesting you lift weights at the gym! Strength training, which really includes ‘dexterity’ training, is part and parcel of everything we’ve covered so far.

Beginning guitarists often struggle to hold down chords, and to play scales with all four fingers. This is simply a matter of building strength, muscle memory and dexterity through consistent and correct practice.

Intermediate players who want to get faster on the fretboard must realize that the most likely culprit(s) behind issues with ‘speed’ will be a deficiency in strength, dexterity, correct techqnie or all three.

Beginners should focus on strength building exercises and on performing those exercises perfectly. If you’re given an exercise that requires you to hit a note with your pinky, but you decide to ‘cheat’ by using your ring finger, know that your playing will hit a wall down the line.

Likewise, players who can’t seem to exceed their current speed on the guitar should examine their own technique. Have you stopped working on your strength training because the exercises are boring? Is your technique ‘sloppy’?

There are some things you simply can not get away with at 160 beats per minute the way you can at 120 beats per minute.

In conclusion, the key to learning guitar faster – as well as playing it faster – rests in following the M.O.S.T. formula. It really is all about getting the basics right from the start!



Learn Guitar

Phil Donahoe asked:


In this article we are going to examine traditional guitar lessons and the new technologies for guitarists that present guitar lessons online we will also give a brief overview at what guitar lessons are truly the best.

Do I Need Guitar Lessons?

If you want a complete step-by-step guitar playing education that can take you from beginner to the stage, then you are going to need guitar lessons in some form. You can learn without lessons but this makes it much more difficult in the long run. Guitar lessons come in 2 forms. The traditional method is to pay for each lesson and have a tutor guide you step-by-step which can be very expensive in the long run. The alternative that the Internet has provided us with is online guitar learning.

Taking traditional guitar lessons are fun and easy to do but they also require you to put some effort into them and to stick with it and every lesson costs you. For that reason most new guitarists (and experienced guitarists) turn to online guitar lessons which are much more cost effective and provide a much broader scope of options for the aspiring guitarist. Online guitar lessons are a way of allowing a person to learn how to play the guitar in the comfort of their own home at their own pace and with their wallet still in tact. The problem is often knowing which online guitar lessons are good, and which ones are a waste of money. You can check our resource link at the bottom of this article and we go over that in more detail where we review them all for you and help you choose the best option for you.

The Advantages of Learning Guitar Online

The future of guitar lessons is here with all sorts of new online guitar music lessons being offered by many very qualified and creative guitar lesson teachers and guitar music lovers alike. The Internet has certainly opened up the guitar learning industry to guitarists all over the world and this has put their teaching skills in your home for you to learn at your convenience at any time you wish!

Almost all online guitar lessons are interactive which means you get to control the flow hearing & seeing, one fingering at a time as you learn and master each lesson. Don’t think that online guitar instruction is just for the novice, though, because many of the available lessons will teach you, not only the basics, but many advanced techniques as well including specialist styles such as blues or even lead guitar skills (any budding Slash’s our there?). The one drawback to online guitar lessons is that you don’t have a teacher right there in the room with you to help you place your fingers on the right strings and show you a specific chord. However, the better guitar courses come with instructional streaming video to show you exactly what you need to be doing and how to do it so you can accurately mimic the guitar teachers positioning and style.

With online lessons, you are able to take the lessons whenever you want without having to go anywhere, there are no restrictions. You get to learn at your own pace, as with online guitar lessons, but the difference between the books and online lessons really remains in the presentation. In addition, there are also some video lessons available online which really separated the best guitar courses from the mediocre ones.

Unfortunately, not all online courses are equal, there are online courses that are basic, hard to use with separate lessons and audio, or written by nobodies who are about as good as you are already. Luckily we have reviewed, tested and compiled the better online guitar courses on our site so you do not have to worry about wasting you money on these bad courses. We will show you the best online guitar courses to choose from and ensure you are on the right road to guitar success. You can review these guitar courses on our website listed below.

Guitar Lessons Are Useless Without Practice

Whether you have an existing guitar teacher or learning online, mastering the guitar comes down to practice! t is more beneficial for you to practice multiple times during a week than to practice for one long session. Also, if you give yourself time between practicing, even if it is just 10 minutes, you’ll find that your brain is much more efficient at turning your short term practice into long term knowledge as your muscle memory kicks in. Also a tip for parents who want to help their kids learn, you can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing and presenting what they have learned to you. Be positive and encouraging even if their performance is not that great. The building of self esteem and confidence will do as much good as the entire practice session.

Conclusion

If you have the money to spend on traditional guitar lessons, great, enjoy them and have fun learning but do not ignore these online options as a excellent supplement to your learning arsenal. If, like me, you enjoy learning at your own pace in the comfort of your own home on your schedule then learning online is defiantly an option for you! Check out our website and discover for yourself the best options available for learning online today!



Kansieo.com

Ian Williamson asked:


Most music-oriented people always have the desire to learn how to play the guitar. Those who know how to play the instrument want to explore ways to improve their playing skills. Many people do not have the patience to dedicate themselves to learn how to play the guitar.

Some old methods may teach a person how to play the guitar but these older styles of teaching are not necessarily effective today. The new method uses guitar books and visual handouts that show the hand and finger position on the chords and on the strings. This may help those who want to learn by themselves and think that they do not need any help from an instructor.

For some reason, they always end up hiring an instructor. The biggest problem is that a person may find it hard to find a good one that can teach him. There are instances one will learn little or nothing from a “not-so-good teacher’s” influence: becoming discouraged will result in the student stopping his lessons. This might cause a total lack interest in learning to play the guitar.

For a person who wants to learn, he may check the internet where he can find new updated learning tools that will help him learn to play the guitar in just a short period of time. An overnight session may just be enough for a fast learner to understand the basics and learn to play the guitar. Here are premium lessons that will help a person learn to play the guitar overnight from an internet site:

1. Find the desired listed button. This will be an audio file that will let a person hear a quality sound that is played correctly. It will also help the person have an idea if the notes that he is executing matches those of the audio file on the listed button.

2. He may go to the main tutorial screen. The interactive part of the lessons may be found here. A guitar fret board is displayed and has a guide that will enable a person ton see the proper fingering of the chords. He will also see the correct way to change chords and strum at the same time.

3. It is always recommended to see the hand’s page that will explain every detail and will show visuals on how to execute the hands and fingers.

These online lessons found on the internet can help a person to play the guitar in an instant – relatively speaking. It will help a person save time and he may no longer need the assistance of an instructor. Most importantly, passion is needed to make the learning faster and easier.



Learn Guitar

Braqs asked:


I have the entire E Pentatojnic minor scale but how do i learn the solo from it? Scale are driving me crazy. Improvising and playing at random spots to songs on the guitar is fun but then my guitar teatcher said i have to use scales and ive been working on this solo and all the smaller solos for like 5 hours.

Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Steven Broffman asked:


Almost every Learn and Master Guitar review online claims that this particular product offers a number of benefits to aspiring guitarists. I decided to take the average Learn and Master Guitar review a step further by compiling both the pros and cons I found in this DVD course, so that consumers have more information to make an educated buying decision.

Almost every L&M review shows more advantages than disadvantages. However, as with any product that carries excessive hype, there are bound to be a few negatives. I will address the downfalls I found in this course as well as the positives in my review.

Learn and Master Guitar Review Pros:

* When asking hundreds of people who have tried this product what they think, the majority agree that this is among the most comprehensive guitar learning systems currently on the market. The in-depth and easy to follow narration done by the developer, Steve Krenz, sets it apart from other guitar products.

* Ordering is done quickly and conveniently through the company website with delivery of the product within days. The price includes 10 DVDs, 5 CDs, and a huge instruction book. There is a high level of positive feedback for the customer service.

* In my Learn and Master Guitar review, I wanted to make it clear that this product contains 20 lessons, carefully divided to teach the way in which to properly hold the guitar, body positioning, finger and fret placement, and special exercises designed to strengthen the hands for better playing.

* Something that I read in another L&M review was that consumers like the slow pace of the course. This is an important benefit for students who are looking for alternatives to the “forced learning” method many private teachers followed.

* This product also has unique lessons specific to advanced chords, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, scales, strumming, finger style, in-depth chord explanation, and style techniques.

Learn and Master Guitar Review Cons:

As I mentioned, the pros outweigh the cons for almost ever Learn and Master Guitar review I read. However, a couple of factors could fall within the negative category to consider before you buy. I felt that these were important to mention.

* Many guitar learning products and programs on the market are very affordable, often costing less than $100. The biggest downfall to L&M Guitar is the price. Typically, the product runs over $200 although you can sometimes find it on sale at their website.

* Another drawback for some people is that everything included with the product is physical – DVDs, CDs, and an instruction book. This means no downloadable software is provided. The allure of “instant access” makes some products sell better than Krenz’s course. However, most people agree that the way in which the product was developed makes little difference from a learning aspect.

As you can see with this Learn and Master Guitar review, the pros do outnumber the cons but there are still some reasons why other guitar courses might be better suited for certain guitarists. Of course, I suggest you look at the aspects of guitar playing most important to you so you can choose the best “learn guitar” program for your individual needs.



Create a video blog…instantly.