Learning something new was always a bit hard for us. But it is not harder than it seems to be. With a strong routine and hard work, anyone with enough dedication can learn something new. Learning the guitar is also not an exception.
Many people have a strong fear for guitars. They think guitar as a complex musical instrument. They think the guitar is much harder to learn and begin with. Actually, that’s not correct at all. With some basic tips and dedication, any hard-working person can be a great guitarist. Here are top ten secret qualities to boost your guitar skills.
#1 Practice & Dedication
The first thing you need is that extra spare time to practice with your guitar. Without any spare time to practice, you will not be able to improve any skills. With a strong dedication and practice, you will be able to amplify your guitar skills very easily. You have to visualize yourself as a more dedicated person. You have to practice harder than before if you want to see the result. You have to practice more than the last day to boost your guitar skills.
#2 Ditching chord book
Ever seen any professional guitar player moving around with his guitar chord book? Nope, cause they have memorized chords in their brains. If you want to boost your guitar skills, then start memorizing your chords. You have to memorize all the basic major and minor guitar chords. Sooner you get rid of that chord book, is better. Just let go… let it go…
#3 Choosing the right plectrum
Choose your weapon correctly warrior! In this case, that’s your trusty guitar plectrum. There are many choices to go with. There are woods, metals, fibers, silicon plectrums in the market. Plectrum material does not vary with the sound quality at all. What is more important that, the outer form of the plectrum. There were the edge smoothed plectrum, there are the slightly larger “V” bottom plectrums. In the good old days, plectrums were mainly was made of bone, shell, wood, cuttlefish bone, metal, amber, stone or ivory. But after 1922, most guitar plectrums were made out of cheap plastic. So for a better result, chose a good batch of plectrums and stick with it.
#4 Hand posture
Solid Hand posture is the one the key ingredient for a successful musician. You have to hold your guitar correctly. Move all your entire hand as a movement of flow. As many guitar professionals advise that you should not use your entire hand for the movement around the fret board. Use your wrist to move your fingers around the fretboard and swing.
#5 Make a good schedule for exercise
Every professional guitarist has one thing in common. Everyone does have a solid exercise schedule for guitar practice. Doesn’t matter your one the best guitarist from your home village or town, you have to keep grinding for a better result. Make a strong exercise routine at least for four days in the week. You have to exercise for each chord, rhythms.
#6 Sticking with the beat/Metronome
Beat and rhythm are two undivided sections of any kind of music in our society. You have to prepare your ears for perfect beats. You have to get the perfect knowledge about the Metronome and BPM (Beat per minute). Many beginner guitarists fail to catch the beat and stick with it. If you have a clear knowledge about the good old Metronome, then you’re good to go.
#7 Listen to yourself
You have to hear your playing for a clear view. You have to visualize your playing with your ears. Don’t keep faith in others opinion. You have to record your own sound and listen to it. So you could figure out what you missed, and how you could boost your skills more. You don’t need a studio like a recording session to find your mistakes. Even a crappy mobile recording may work well too. You just need a decent clear recording to listen.
#8 Following professionals/ Taking lesson
Let’s talk about professional guitar players. They sound great and they play so smoothly. They do seem to have a higher personal confidence level and they have a great amount of experience in their pocket. That’s right, they have more experience than any amateur guitarist in town. Feel free to ask any guitarist for help. If you have trouble with any complexity, ask them for more details and fluid answer. Also, if you could afford, start to take complex guitar lessons from professionals. Worth every single penny.
#9 Using the correct finger
Many beginners and amateur guitarist use a random set of fingers for every guitar chord which is not right. Every guitar chord does have a preferred finger sets. You have to learn and use the correct finger set for each specific chord which is much more optimized and faster than the random strokes with each chord.
#10 Learning something new
You have to expand your territory knowledge. You have to learn something new each day. Take a part in jam sessions. It will help you to learn new and fix your faults. Try to learn a complete song. Don’t stick with a single genre or single type of beat. Try out different genres like swing, raggy, folk and jazz. With a larger collection in your armory, you will be ready for bigger battles. Don’t stay ideal in your butt. Learn a new tune each day. If not possible, check out for different possibilities in your area. There always will be a something new and interesting to us.
As they say in Japanese 練習は熟達の道 which roughly means “Practice makes perfect”. With strong dedication, anyone could master the form of a guitar. So get healthy, set your mind for a better image. To get better, you have to focus on every little detail for the desired result. You have to feel the harmony of music with your soul.