Here’s another Mini Guitar Lesson by Mike Jones from Killer Guitar Tips.

Great guitar players do not just happen out of thin air. Great guitar players have practiced their art and practiced on a regular basis! But be WARNED… Many people practice the wrong things. They actually practice BAD habits. In order to progress you need to practice the right things. I know this sounds blatantly obvious but many, many people get this wrong. They practice things that they actually like which could be reinforcing their bad habits they have already acquired.

YOU’RE in the minority! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You’re in the select 5% of people who will be practicing the CORRECT methods and techniques that will catapult your guitar playing into hyperspace.

So stay tuned…

Let’s get straight on with this mini guitar lesson…

We will start with a really cool chord progression that’s great to play pentatonic riffs over when you are jamming with a friend, it will make you sound like a great player with no effort whatsoever!

So here it is, it’s real easy… Play one bar of each chord A, G, D, and A. Now keep on playing these chords over and over while your friend makes up a solo using the Am pentatonic scale at the fifth fret!! It sounds great.

Why not swop parts and get your friend to play the chords while you solo over this sequence in Am. Just listen to yourself sounding like a top pro player!

Now now have a progression you know that will fit in at any jam night or venue. You will be able to get up with a friend and sound like a real pro guitarist. It just takes a little practice ideally with your friend.

Another great little progression that goes along with this nicely and is the backbone of many great songs is a 4 bar sequence that repeats itself over and over again and is commonly known as the ‘turnaround’.

Lets take a closer look at this so here goes:

Play the 1st bar G, the second is Em, the 3rd is C and the last is a bar of D.

Play the rhythm of 4 beats to a bar and repeat this turnaround to your hearts content.

Again this is a superb jam sequence. Why not get your friends to jam along to it in the key of G. You play the rhythm and they solo over the top then change around, you solo they play rhythm.

Oh, and dont forget that my full guitar audio/video program is loaded with lots of amazing chord sequences that will allow you to lay down great sounding rhythm guitar that will astound your friends and rock your audience.

Death metal guitarists really have a way with flying all over the guitar neck during a brutal song. They can give you a lesson in going between chords and riffs effortlessly while putting on a great show too.

Even though some of the methods and tricks for playing death metal guitar chords are challenging, they are important to learn since most of the skills are easily transferable to rock and jazz playing. If you want to develop better skills of pounding out awesome chords for metal, try these 6 effective tips to play metal guitar chords.

1. Put your fingers near the frets when pressing on strings. When you first started playing the guitar, you may have learned to place your fingers in between the frets on the fret board. Something you may have not learned is that your chords are more effective when they are nudged up against the lower fret marking of the fret your finger is occupying.

2. Put your fingers in a position that prepares them for the next riff. Throughout a death metal song, you’re going to encounter chords and riffs of varying difficulty, so you need to be prepared. Be mindful of where you play each chord so that you can be in the best position to execute the next riff that’s coming.

3. Transition your chords smoothly by sliding. As brutal as metal might sound to the audience, it is still an action of creating a very continuous sound between a group of musicians. Help that consistency along by sliding between each chord in a very smooth style.

4. Prepare for more calluses. If you’re playing death metal guitar, you’re most likely playing in one of the drop tunings of ‘D’ or ‘C’. With these tunings you’ll be laying your index finger across three strings at a time to create power chords. You’ll find out soon enough that more calluses will begin to form along the length of your finger.

5. Play your chords ugly and proud. Contrary to other lessons you may have learned about other guitar genres, death metal is as ugly and evil as it gets. Don’t be afraid to create dark chord progressions of only three chords that are adjacent to each other. If you can get them to grind, then you have made something brutal.

6. Partially palm-muted chords make the guitar growl. If there are sections in a song that seem like they need to strike hard but with some eerie reverberation, then maybe you want a partial palm mute. Get into a palm-muting position with your strumming hand, release the pressure by 25%, and then strike a chord for a hard hit followed by a low hum.

Death metal has a very rigid and brutal style about it, and mastering its characteristics is how you truly master the genre. Put these tips to some good use and see if you can really amp up the power and control of your chords.

Kyle Hoffman has performed in a number of successful bands as an experienced guitarist with enthusiasm in the rock and metal genres. To learn his valuable tips on learning fast electric guitar for FREE, visit his popular guitar blog, How To Guitar Tune!

There will always come a time when a guitarist gets a little frustrated with their progress and can’t seem to improve their skills. It’s at this point you might begin looking for the real guitar playing secrets that can change the way you play forever.

I hate to break the news to you however, but any powerful secrets to turn you into a guitar master in minutes or seconds just doesn’t exist. It really takes hard work and concentration to master the guitar. Try out these effective tips for good guitar playing to try to turn your slump around.

1. Gain some guidance in a band. A good way to gain a lot of information that you couldn’t get by yourself is from other musical individuals. By joining or creating a band, you can learn valuable secrets about responsibility, working on music with others, and playing the guitar with better technique and sensitivity.

2. Try out another guitar. A lot of the time when you can’t pull off a lick or riff that should be simple, the guitar might not be right for you. Try to research what kind of instrument is best for the genre that you’re attempting and buy at the best price.

3. Practice with other people for a change. If you can’t learn any new riffs and licks by yourself a good way to learn is with other guitarists. Make a schedule of guitar practices with a friend where you both play together and you maybe you’ll discover the secret to a couple riffs that you couldn’t play before.

4. Turn easy songs into challenging ones. When the songs you play become just too easy, maybe you can put some critical thinking and song-writing abilities to the test. Try to remake them into something more challenging and appealing and in the process you might pick up some new skills.

5. Open mike nights can break you out of your shell. Take a little more focus on important skills by signing up for an open mike night performance. Not only will you develop your live-playing skills, but you can learn new techniques by watching other performers in action.

As much as you might wish that there were some quick guitar playing secrets to solve all your problems, you’re out of luck. Try out these simple tips, along with your own discretion, and start improving and playing better.

Kyle Hoffman is known as an experienced guitarist that has been performing in popular musical acts for years. Learn his important tips about playing fast electric guitar FREE from his acclaimed guitar blog, How To Guitar Tune!