These days there’s tons of advertisements on the internet and in guitar magazines asking if you’d like to become a guitar hero in ‘no time’. Well, the truth is this makes for sensational advertising, but unless you’re Eric Clapton, you’ll need some time to harness those skills. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re practicing.

Unlike those adds, your motto for practice should be slow and steady. When you play through a song quickly frequently what happens is you’ll muddle a little segment, but it doesn’t stick out in your ear because you’ve already moved on to the next part. Playing slowly ensures all the parts of the song are clear, and if there’s a spot that’s difficult that’s ok! You’re practicing, you’re not playing at Carnegie Hall yet. You’re supposed to make mistakes, but you can identify them better when you slow down.

Also, and this surprises beginners, it’s harder to play a piece slowly! Time and rhythm is what separates people who can kind of play and good musicians, and you can’t be considered a good musician if your timing is off. Learn to play a song slowly and gradually you can speed it up as you improve. Always begin slowly! Count out loud, stomp your foot, have your teacher count for you, do whatever you must but make sure that the timing is good and consistent!

Beginners are often confounded when they put their finger down and it doesn’t make a clear sound. This can happen for a few reasons. Make sure your finger is near the fret, but not on it. Sometimes this can create a buzz. Next, make sure you’re playing with the tips of your finger, not the flat part. This ensures that only a minimal part of your hand is touching the string, meaning you’re less likely to be inadvertently touching another string. Sometimes another part of your hand is touching another string, resulting in a buzz. The key is to remember that your fingers may feel like they’re making an impossible stretch, but in time they become more flexible, and the position becomes a lot more comfortable! It’s discouraging at first when the position seems difficult to maintain and to remember, but after repetitive, slow practice it becomes second nature. But don’t rush! Patience is the name of the game.

Having a teacher or an experienced player around is always a terrific idea if it’s possible. It ensures you don’t pick up any bad habits. When you internalize a bad technique it can be hard to expunge. Frequently the hardest thing for beginners, after they’ve got their notes clear, is strumming. Stick to one simple, consistent pattern that works well with a number of tunes. Once you practice it over and over again you’ll want to do something more advanced, and you might even be adding to it on your own! This is good. A good example is down, down, up, up, down. It works with nearly every 4/4 song and it’s a good place to begin. And most importantly, have fun!!

Author Bio: Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers professional guitar lessons for all different skill levels. Learn how to play Gibson guitars today at Long & McQuade!

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