If you’re just learning guitar, getting started with playing solos might seem daunting. It’s a big change to go from strumming chords to your favorite songs, to playing lead lines. The best thing is to start out easy, but not too easy. The more you challenge yourself, the better a guitarist you’ll become. Just remember to take everything in bite size chunks as you’re learning. To help you get started with solos, I’m recommending a couple that I’d learn if I was just getting started - one from three different genres. The feeling of learning and playing lead is amazing. Let’s get into it.
I’ve observed hundreds of guitarists over the years from all different skill levels, and the ones who are making a lot of progress often share a lot of the same traits - they have a plan when they sit down to practice, they know the people to go to when they’re facing a hurdle in their playing, and they’re endlessly curious about guitar and music in general.
But outside of all of that, there’s one habit I’ve seen that all of my favorite guitarists have - they practice active listening.
It’s cliche, but everyone has a mini recording studio in their pocket with them at all times. Not only is it stupidly simple to record your audio ideas, you can record yourself via video as well and see everything you were working on at the time, to truly pinpoint issues in your playing. But that’s not the only reason you should record.
Let's dive into three ways guitarists can use recording to see huge improvements in their playing.
The last time we talked about guitar books, I gave you some great recommendations that work whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced guitar player.
Today I’m back with 6 more recommendations for books that are sure to help you along your journey in becoming a great guitarist.
Books are one of the best values out there, because they contain lifetimes of knowledge for about 20-30 bucks.
When you buy a book, you're tapping into what makes that particular author tick and their years of experience, all without having to go through the hassle of "maybe" being able to talk to that person and ask them questions in person. The value of books is really apparent when it comes to learning guitar.
Like any other subject though, it pays to know what books are great to begin with, so you learn the best stuff first. I've collected a list of some of my favorite guitar books, from beginner to advanced. These books focus on not only making you a better guitar player, but a better musician overall.
It is crucial to warm your hands up before you play a show or get into your full practice routine (this can be on your own, or during a guitar lesson). I liken it to a runner stretching before they go out, so they don't get hurt.
Doing these warm up exercises gets your hands ready for the rest of the awesomeness that you're about to get into.
