Have the basics...

When you first learned how to play guitar, chords were your first priority. Then you most likely moved onto other interests such as strumming and chord progressions. However, you soon start to find the guitar boring. Why is that? Because it is!

You may be thinking to yourself, "Who is this guy and who does he think he is telling us that the guitar is boring?" No, guitar is not boring but it can be if everything starts to sound the same. I remember when this began to happen to me roughly a year after I had started playing.

I became extremely unmotivated and didn't want to continue down the path where everything sounded so bland. Chords are wonderful to a point. After that point, it's up to you whether that chord takes on a life of its own or not.

After going to the conservatory, I soon got back on the right track. Save yourself the money and read this article. You don't want to miss out on learning a few key steps you can take to make your music more interesting.

I relate it to the pallet an artist uses to paint a picture. It's you, the pallet of paint, and a blank canvas. You have the tools at your disposal to make beautiful art with vibrant colors that speak to your audience, or you can paint the canvas red and leave it like it is. Which would you prefer?

Regardless of skill level, you can make the most mundane chords sound extraordinary. In the case of the guitarist, there's you, the guitar with notes (the paint), and chords (the canvas). By adding or subtracting notes you can add color to your music and discover many new sounds. Let's get started.

Expand your chord vocabulary...

The more chords you know, the better. Whether you play rhythm or lead, it will enhance your ability to play the guitar. While there are numerous chords that you should know, we're going to focus on a few specific chords you form when you add notes to a regular chord.

If you want to add color to your chords, learn how to play 6th, 7th, 9th, add9, sus4 and 11th chords. Sound complicated? They really aren't. What are they exactly? These chords are Major chords with a few extra notes added on.

You can do a lot to manipulate a major chord to give you something a little bit different. Take these chords for example, C6,C7,C9,C11 :

...Sus4 and add9 chords look like the following:



Notice how most of the above chords has the basic C Major chord shape within the chord? All of the notes around the chord are what changes the quality of the chord. The notes that surround the usual C Major chord add color and depth to your music.

Are you still playing a C Major chord? No, because you are adding notes, which changes the intervals. However, the tone of the C Major chord is still heard quite clearly. Here are some more popular chords for you to use, .E sus4, G9, A sus4, A add9

I encourage you to look up new chords that have the different extensions we have listed. The minor chords follow the same basic principal. What is seen above is only a fraction of what's available to you. Once you know them well, you'll wonder why you didn't learn them sooner. They are worth the time!

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Everybody who picks up a guitar has the ultimate goal in mind of being able to just pick up their guitar and blaze a solo, leaving impressed friends and family in a state of speechless shock. The problem is that most people don’t put in the effort that is necessary in order to master their instrument because they desire instant results. Guitar is one of the most difficult instruments to master, yet anyone can do it if they put in the effort and time and have a true passion for creative musical expression. 

There are a few tips that are the key to unlocking success when it comes to mastering the guitar. One of the most basic tips to success playing the guitar is to put in the time that is necessary to practice. As elementary as it may seem, a lot of people fail and give up the guitar because they expected instant results without putting in any work. Practice takes time, effort, passion, and work. There isn’t a single great guitar player in the history of music that didn’t sacrifice a lot of time to practice their guitar. Some would practice for five to eight hours a day. This doesn’t mean that you have to practice that long every day, but you have to give more than five minutes of your time if you want to see any real results.

Another great tip for mastering the guitar is to take it slow at first. This means that playing fast is put to the side for awhile. Take your time perfecting your chords and learning them. Learn all your scales, commit them to your mind, master these fundamentals first, and then you can begin to build on your speed. It’s important to remember that playing fast is not as important as playing with accuracy.

One tip for mastering accuracy and clarity in your playing is to play your guitar clean. Playing your guitar clean means no distortion and no effects. By practicing your scales and chords without distortion, you will have to play the notes clean and accurately in order for them to sound good. This will push your style and accuracy to the next level as you’re learning new techniques and scales.

An excellent tool to help you put into practice all that you’ve learned is to use guitar backing tracks. These are great for helping you take what you have learned and use it alongside other musicians. These guitar backing tracks are like practicing with an entire band, and will help you develop timing and rhythm. They are excellent for helping you tap into your creativity and apply what you have learned to creating excellent lead parts.

Take a look with us now as we delve into tips and tricks for improving your guitar playing speed and for some practical knowledge on effectively using metronomes and other helps to improve your practice sessions.

Most aspiring guitar players today fill their heads with dreams about moving their fingers effortlessly across their fretboards with lightning quick speed and accuracy that leaves minds rocked and speakers blown. There have been a few guitarists throughout the ages of rock that have been born with an almost supernatural understanding and talent for the guitar, but that isn’t the case for most musicians. Learning to be a master of shred requires a lot of hard work, dedication, sweat, bloody fingertips, and patience.

There is a lot more to mastering speed than having a good sense of rhythm and a well-trained ear. You have to be willing to put in the time to practice, and to practice hard. If you want to learn how to blaze solos and belt out face melting guitar solos, you have to be dedicated to learning and putting into practice all you learn.

One method of improving your guitar playing speed is to use guitar backing tracks. Guitar backing tracks can help you improve your speed by playing along with other instruments in a set tempo. This can help you to take what you already know and work on perfecting those particular skills.

Another great tip for improving speed involves practicing with a metronome. It’s important to remember that before you can practice with a metronome to help you develop speed, you must first learn the technique or scale at your own speed. After you have mastered how to do the technique or how to play the scale, you can now move on to practicing to a metronome, set at whatever tempo you’d like.

It’s important to remember that a crucial aspect of developing speed is to first develop accuracy. Learning to play fast means nothing if you aren’t playing the right notes, and if you aren’t playing the right notes cleanly. If you can train yourself through much practice to be as flawless as possible in your accuracy, you will be able to easily improve your playing speed.

Many guitarists desire to be able to master the guitar and to shred along side some of the legends of rock music history. If you have the determination, the drive, and the willingness to dedicate yourself to practicing and learning, you will go pretty far, and may even accomplish your dream.