Playing Guitar 4: 7 Tips To Improve Your Guitar Playing By Guglielmo (Bill) F. Franco At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Whether you play for fun or professionally, keeping the following tips in mind will help you to improve your playing, stay comfortable, and have a lot of fun! Here we go:

1.Good Posture

When seated there are two ways to hold the guitar. From the right-handed point of view (no offense to the lefties), place your guitar on the right leg with a slight upward angle to the neck Letting the neck point down creates stress on the tendons and ligaments in your left (fretting) hand. The guitar shouldn’t be flat against your body; angle it roughly 30°-45°. This allows your left hand to rise straight from your side to the first fret position without twisting your arm and shoulder, which creates muscle tension. Have your right leg higher than your left (cross your legs, etc.) so that your left arm and left leg don’t touch.

You can also place the guitar on your left leg, classical-style. The guitar neck will be at a sharp angle that is favorable to playing. You may want to raise your left leg.

2.The Picking Hand

Hold the pick between your thumb and index finger. The tip should point in the same direction as the tip of your index finger, ad very little of the point should stick out. You want need to grip hard, but it will be firm, stable and accurate.

3.Relaxing

Both of the above help you be comfortable and relaxed when you play. Take a breath, chill out, now you’ll learn more and easier. We want to be physically, mentally and emotionally relaxed when we play because this makes it easier to learn. It also keeps us from getting muscle cramps while playing.

4.The Metronome

Metronomes keep perfect time, something that humans aren’t born with. Use one and you’ll develop a fantastic sense of timing and rhythm. Even more so, you’ll develop your technique to incredible levels. Play scales and exercises with the metronome set a rate at which you make no mistakes. Work on your accuracy – speed is a byproduct of accuracy. Once your comfortable at a speed, increase the rate.

Also use metronome to practice music so that they can be played perfectly and easily. It really works like magic! A metronome properly used will be your best friend!

5.The Notes on the Fingerboard

Learn all the notes on the fingerboard and where they sit on the staff in standard notation. This is invaluable! Most of guitar playing has forms and shapes that are movable, and knowing the note names means what you’re playing, which key you’re in, etc.

6.Music Theory

Learn your music theory! This is the nuts and bolts musical structure, and it will help you more times than you can imagine. It helps to know how scales and chords are made as well as how they relate to each other. Start with intervals, then chord construction and how they chords sequence in keys.

7.Lessons/Mentors

Find a good teacher that you have a rapport with to lead you on your journey. This mentorship helps you to avoid pitfalls, and holds you accountable to practice and learn the material you need to be the best player you can be.

Good luck to you and your future guitar adventures!

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