![]() Here's a great video demonstrating how you can create usable riffs/licks by combining a few basic skills. Be creative about which techniques you combine - e.g. Test yourself in your next practice session by coming up with simple licks that combine these two skills. This gives you months of practice time in of itself, because you can pair up different combinations of techniques in each practice session.įor example, let's say you've learned hammer-ons and bends - two staple lead techniques. Most lessons focus on one specific technique, so it's important that, once you have a few skills under your fingers, you can tie them all together. You're not connecting your playing skills My Chord Connections course is the best place to begin with developing and connecting your theory knowledge and don't forget the YouTube Channel which covers theory in a clear and simple format. A firm grounding in music theory will reveal the big picture and open up your creative options. It gives you the foundation for applying and contextualising those physical drills and exercises that would otherwise be purely confined to reading tabs and copying other guitarists.Īs the strapline for this site goes: "be yourself on guitar". Theory gives you the conceptual road map for navigating the fretboard in a purposeful, fluid and creative way. By studying a bit of theory behind intervals, chord construction and how chords are connected to scales, you'll have opened the door to a whole new set of skills - note selection, harmony, phrasing, improvisation. It's true that some musicians, especially those with "natural" abilities like perfect pitch, can excel without much background theory, but do not underestimate the power of this knowledge in developing you as a musician.įor example, let's say you've learned a scale but can't seem to apply it creatively in a solo, or you're unsure when to use it. Many guitarists neglect the theory side of things because it's perceived as boring, pretentious or even just a complete f*ing mystery. Patience and repetition will get you there. Repeat for the remaining segments, gradually adding each carriage to the train.Īnd remember, all the above process is first done slow. ![]() Add the third segment, make it flawless, connect with first and second. You can then work on connecting the first two segments seamlessly. Sometimes all you need to do is break up a sequence into four or five notes (or to when there's a resting note or break in the action), perfect that segment and then move on to the next one. Have discipline with the metronome, try to make your progress incremental and when you look back over the year it will have turned out monumental!Īlso, more complex and drawn out sequences should be broken down into small, slow segments for practice. You should ideally be able to play comfortably, without any mistakes at the current tempo before you notch it up another 5 or so BPM. It's normal to want to get up to a decent speed with a solo, lick or pattern as soon as possible, but try not to jump ahead with the BPM on the metronome prematurely. Repeat several times more and there's nothing left to move on to. possibly doomed to repeat the same leaps of impatience. You give up, frustrated and move on to something else. What often happens is you try to play faster than what your fingers and brain are capable of at that stage, you inevitably make mistakes and, after several tries, accept the illusion that you simply can't do it, it's too hard. One of the main causes of frustration and stunted progress on guitar is the result of impatience. You're trying to play too fast/much, too soon Of course, some of the points may not be applicable to you, in which case, good job and cross it off the list! 1. Hopefully it will help you to minimise the severity of your progress slumps. This article will cover some of the most common reasons why guitarists hit roadblocks in their learning and the action required to overcome them. You never stop learning guitar, therefore you never escape the repeating pattern of reassuring progress followed by a disheartening slump. If this sounds familiar to you, firstly be assured that it's perfectly normal and, as anyone playing guitar for 20, 30, even 40 years will tell you, these occasional slumps are inevitable! They feel like they're stuck in a rut, resorting to playing the same licks and tricks over and over again, unsure how to take their playing to the next level. Every guitarist, no matter how long they've been playing guitar, occasionally runs into a slump in their progress.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |