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.

For every guitarist there is a solo that is totally theirs. It is that one solo that reaches into their soul. That singular solo that actually turns the world into a better place. It is that one and only legendary solo.

For me personally, that solo is Comfortably Numb, done by Pink Floyd. When I am listening to David as he dives headfirst into that most flawless, melodic solo, my day becomes more beautiful in an instant.

I am tremendously moved by the power, and tone, and the meticulous phrasing. Do you ever wonder how David, and a multitude of other great rock guitarists, composes what becomes their legendary solo? Let’s examine a few of the finest guitar solos ever known and find the secret you can start to use to create your own solo today.

Step 1 – Tempo is a lot more essential than you know!

Back when I was one of those “wet behind the ears” kids, I remember all I wanted was to play fast. My thought process to this was when I could just play it faster than everybody else, then I BE better than the rest of them.

What I’ve discovered is how absolutely untrue that attitude was.

Now I’ve realized there’s just one thing in my mind when I’m playing – how diminutive can I really play.

They say that music is the very language of life, and to honestly live your life as a musician, you’ll have to know how to really listen.

Stop and consider this – exactly what is it that makes a conversation “good?” Is it the person who is talking non-stop, or the one who sits quietly and just listens?

That’s why you’ll want to sit back in that moment, get into that groove. Allow the music to breathe into you, then start your solo. Begin by play a couple of notes, then take a break. What do you hear the music saying back to you? Then you can respond with a couple more of the notes. Then once again, rest.

Yes, I’m aware how kooky this sounds, but I promise you it’s the secret to achieving greatness. Remember, the ability to pay 300 notes a beat, and never repeating the same lick, just tells me you are really fast, but it doesn’t mean you are great. For an example, if you’re in a relationship, would you prefer to be known as great or fast? Ah, never mind, we’ll just move on from that one.

So how do you go about adding space, and making your solos be so remarkable?

Step 2- When you realize what helps catch the largest fish, you realize how important hooks really are.

Without the audience (fish) a musician is really nothing, so the larger your audience will mean the larger the musician. It comes down to your writing hooks (sizes) in your phrases are the true keys to having a large audience.

For that reason it’s vitally important that you make the effort of learning the melody of any song you plan to play. That’s how Jimi Hendrix did it. Because he was able to play each of the notes he was singing, there was an element to his music that other performers just couldn’t accomplish.

For the majority of guitarists they just want to know what key they are to play in so they are able to pull some recycled licks from their bag.

Remember, you need to learn those melodies first thing. Once you do that you are able to use your knowledge or licks to continue expanding on a melody, plus it provides you with that base to do your solo around. By being willing to stick with that melody, and create those hooks, people will remember you.

Step 3 – Tone, Tone, Tone, AND Tone!

You need to put the time in to craft your tone. Distortion will definitely kill the mood! This is one thing that seems to have been lost over time. If you look back over a list of the all-time best solos you’ll find even the giant of hard rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, played clean tones. A lot of people mistake the emotion of their music as distortion.

These people played with such raw intensity, a pure passion and power, and that’s what put them on many lists as one of the greatest rock bands ever.

When you are concentrating on creating great music, not just a great solo, you want to play with everything you’ve got. Just make sure to use those hooks, melodies, and spaces when crafting your solo, and in the process you’ll end up composing music that will be remembered forever.

Please feel free to take a moment and add your favorite solos, or any other personal tricks or tips you know in the comment section below.

You may not know it, but your tone goes a very, very long way. Any great tone will earn you a monument of respect, even if your technique isn’t the greatest in the world.

Every guitarist is always looking for their defining tone — that perfect tone that speaks to them.

You may not know this, but even your favorite legends like Eric Clapton are constantly changing their guitars and hardware (amps, pedals, etc.), all to fine-tune their tone and improve it just a little more and make themselves happy.

With the right rig, a single note with that perfect, sublime tone has the power to outdo and overshadow as many notes as a guitarist can play with any rig with a less-than-perfect tone.

This post was made to give you a few winning tips to achieve the perfect tone, even on a limited budget.

Number One: Wood

One of the most important factors in a guitar’s tone is the wood used for the body and for the fretboard. Unless you intend on going high-shelf with ebony, you are most likely to find fretboards made out of maple (lighter, “blonder”, lumber-esque color wood) or rosewood (darker, muddier, browner-colored wood).

Now, naturally, maple woods have a brighter appearance. But just as the wood is brighter, maple produces a brighter tone. A maple tone has a very clear, clean tone that can cut through almost any mix with an almost chipper sort of sound.

Maple woods are highly versatile; you can find them on many guitars, and they’re suitable for many different sounds.

Country guitarists can get the signature twang from a maple wood, for instance. Or if you’re a reggae player, maple woods will help you achieve a poppy, crisp tone. And don’t forget the good ol’ Fender Stratocaster: a Strat with a maple neck hooked up to a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp will produce a gorgeous, heavenly tone that makes for one of the best rhythm tones a guitarist can ask for.

But just as the bright maple fret board produces a brighter sound, rosewood fretboards create an earthier tone. You can expect more raw, fatter, grittier, and richer tones from a rosewood fretboard — my personal favorite sort of tones.

Imagine Stevie Ray Vaughn playing Lenny, or Number One, as he wailed on “Texas Flood”. Those Strats had a growl that could give you goosebumps. Rosewoods, in general, give you that very fat tone. Rosewood fretboards became very common in 60′s eras Strats and Gibson-model guitars.

If you’re looking for that SRV growl or bite, you’ll want to go with a Rosewood neck. But just as with any guitar, you have to be ready to shell out the good bucks for the good stuff.

Typically, maple necks are finished, which will allow your hands to move across the neck/frets smoothly and easily.

Rosewood fretboards are unfinished; and if you buy a cheap guitar with a rosewood neck, expect the neck to be very dry. No guitarist wants to go through the frustration of moving their hands through irritating friction.

But on a high-end guitar, a rosewood fretboard will provide a smooth playing experience and a tone worth dying for.

Number Two: Pick-Ups

Pick-up variations are limited: at least 70% of manufactured guitars come with passive pick-ups standard — and to that end, you only have two choices. You can go with a single coil pick-up, or a double coil — also known as a “hum bucker”. Single coil pick-ups are versatile; they give you a very blues-oriented clarity to your playing, but hum buckers provide a fatter, richer, fuller tone.

Essentially, the hum bucker is two single coil pick-ups stacked side-by-side. The signal going to your amp is doubled, to provide a fuller and fatter tone — as well as offering the benefit of negating possible feedback or unwanted hums.

Hum buckers are only second to active pick-ups (EMGs, mostly) in big, rich, full tones. Hum buckers are excellent from anything from jazz to heavy rock — any style that demands oomph from your guitar and tone.

Single coil pick-ups should not be underestimated for blues or rhythm tones — though they have trouble holding extreme high gain situations.

If you want single coil pick-ups to shine, hook your guitar up to a Class A amp like Vox or Marshall — or even through a Class A/B tube amp (like Fender amps).

Number Three: Amplifier

There’s only one way to go with an amp: tube. Don’t even consider other solid-state or modeling: go with tube. Any guitar with a tinnier, blues-oriented tone (such as the Strat) would work very well hooked into a Fender Series amp.

I’m not a big fan of hooking hum buckers or P-90s (Les Paul-style pick-up) into a Fender amp, because I find the sound very brittle. For guitars using anything more than a standard single coil pick-up (your Gibons, Ibanezes, ESPs, Paul Reed Smiths, etc.), go with a Vox or a Marshall (though be warned that the quality of Marhsall amps has declined significantly in recent years).

Don’t rely on effects to help your guitar tone. You’ll find many guitarists using effect pedals to get tones — but effects aren’t designed for chasing tone. Rather, effects are meant to enhance the tone you’re using. Find the perfect guitar for you first, then go shopping for amps.

Relying on effects to reach your tones is the same as buying a cheap steak and dumping salt on it to make it taste like a t-bone. Naturally, with a better cut of meat, you’ll probably end up getting a t-bone taste without the need for seasonings.

When it comes to great soloing, the pentatonic scale is something you must master. The pentatonic is the easiest scale to learn, and it’s the basis for 90 percent of the licks you can do.

There are only five basic notes in the pentatonic scale, and you don’t have to know them to play them.

This particular scale is movable — it can go all over the fretboard, be used in any key and in any playing situation. But that’s not all.

The pentatonic scale has a “box” shape that guitarists are familiar with, but it’s the pentatonic modes that I want to tell you about.

Essentially, no matter where you are on the fretboard, you can launch into a solo using these modes. Once you get control of the pentatonic’s various shapes, you will have unlimited soloing ability, and your fretboard will take you to brand new places.

I will guarantee that if you practice these shapes every day for a week, your guitar skills will improve.

If you aren’t accustomed to reading tabs, do this: imagine that your guitar is laying face up in your lap. You’ll have a bird’s eye of the fretboard, and you’ll know which fret to play based on the numbers on the strings.

Let’s get started.

In the key of G, for example, the minor pentatonic standard box shape would look like this:

-

E|———————3-6—————————————–|
B|—————–3-6———————————————|
G|————-3-5————————————————-|
D|———3-5—————————————————–|
A|—–3-5———————————————————|
E|-3-6————————————————————-|

Continue to practice and expand your understanding, getting to know the modes of the G minor pentatonic. As soon as you master the fingerings, it will be easy to transpose the modes to other keys.

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

E|—————————–8-10——————————–|
B|————————8-11————————————-|
G|——————7-10——————————————-|
D|————8-10————————————————-|
A|——8-10——————————————————-|
E|-8-10————————————————————|

E|——————————-10-13—————————–|
B|————————-11-13———————————–|
G|——————-10-12—————————————–|
D|————-10-12———————————————–|
A|——-10-13—————————————————–|
E|-10-13———————————————————–|

E|——————————-13-15—————————–|
B|————————-13-15———————————–|
G|——————-12-15—————————————–|
D|————-12-15———————————————–|
A|——-13-15—————————————————–|
E|-13-15———————————————————–|

And when you do that you’ll be back to the first “box” shape octave, on the 15 fret.

With these patterns in your skill set, you’ll find that you can play better and faster than you ever have.

As a budding guitarist, this may be the most crucial choice you make in your playing career. How to choose the ideal rock guitar for under $500.

This purchase should be carefully considered because your first guitar may well outlast your first marriage, several bands and or pets.

Having owned a very nice collection of guitars in my time, I wish to pass on the accumulated knowledge to help you with your purchase and pass on some tips that will ensure that you’ll be happy with whatever you decide to buy.

Here we go:

Step 1 to choosing the perfect guitar. Tone will always trump looks!

Newbie or old pro, it is easy to get sucked in by a guitar’s shiny plate or sparkly finish but believe me, there is no point to paying good money for an axe that sounds like trash. The love affair will die away fast.

Tone is everything. Even the world’s greatest guitarist, like Jimmy Hendrix, will sound awful playing a lousy sounding guitar. There are the blatant reasons, it doesn’t sound good, but even a great guitarist won’t feel comfortable playing on a bad guitar, it just won’t sound right.

The licks and fingerings you should be able to play with ease sound like they’ve been put through a grinder and that will destroy anyone’s confidence no matter their experience.

No confidence means any player will hesitate. Hesitation will make your playing sound uneven and haphazard which will lead to a further lack of confidence. It’s a vicious circle.

If your guitar budget is $500 or less then you should steer away from the following; Jackson, Ibanez, Danelectro, or any of the SG, flying V or explorer type bodies.

These companies/brands have some very nice and sought after models in the higher price range, the less expensive equivalents have second rate electronics. (Which means lousy tone)

Step 2 to choosing the perfect guitar – Inexpensive guitar shouldn’t equal cheap or lousy craftsmanship.

Thing number one, tune up the guitar, with an actual tuner. The store should have one available. Play the guitar. Play it like you would play it normally. If you play hard, play hard! After about 10 minutes, recheck the tuning. If it has gone drastically out of tune within that time, there’s a good indication that the guitar is poorly made.

It’s common for a guitar, even the high end ones, to lose tune hanging in a music shop. Old strings, many different people playing them, being hung in sunlight, (which is very bad) temperature changes and various other things will cause this.

But if you have tuned it up and after playing for 10 minutes you it sounds like you may have entirely changed key, or can’t even hear a key, then please step away from the guitar!

Causes of this could be defective hardware or frequently cheap or improperly installed tremolo systems.

You could easily end up paying as much to repair the problem as you did paying for the original price of the guitar.

My recommendation: A good entry level guitar that will have great long term holding power, sound wonderful, and play well is the Jimmy Vaughn Signature Fender Strat.

This would be my best suggestion for a good entry level, under $500 guitar any day. It’s well built, has great tone and whatever style you’ll be playing in you will be happy sliding up and down the fret board of this guitar.

Now if your budget is a bit larger, then we can talk about a tailor made axe, which is a whole different deal but will also involve another post

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.