Music

How to Play the Guitar Like a Pro: Top Tips

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The guitar is one of the easiest instruments to learn to play. However, just because it’s easy to learn, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to master. Mastering the guitar can take an entire lifetime. If you want to commit to learning the art of playing the guitar and want to become a professional, then you’ve got your work cut out for you. You need to be motivated, determined, and dedicated. If you possess all of these qualities and are confident that you have what it takes, then you’re in the right place.

Here’s how to play the guitar like a pro:

Digital Magazines

The internet’s not short on digital magazines and blogs, focused on music. Reading digital magazines can be an extremely effective way of learning the guitar because you can learn tips and tricks from musicians of varying abilities and experiences. If you are going to take information from digital magazines, do it slowly. If you try to incorporate lots of different tips into your musical practice too quickly, then you will overwhelm yourself. Digital magazines are also a great way to learn about what’s going on in the music industry and with music culture.

Different Positions

When you are practicing, try to practice in different positions. A mistake made by many amateur musicians is to learn either sitting or standing. Learning to play both sitting and standing can make you a much more competent musician because you will never be pushed outside of your comfort zone. If you have only ever played music sitting down, if you are asked to perform standing up you might not be able to, or you could find yourself under a lot of pressure. Alternate between sitting and standing when you practice at home.

Play Slowly

The best way to learn to play the guitar is to play slowly. Don’t rush yourself. If you try to go too fast, you will end up failing or burning yourself out. Sit down, take a breath, and collect yourself. The slower you go when you are learning, the more you can absorb. It can be hard to follow and remember patterns when you are going too quickly. It also makes it easier for you to become distracted. As the old adage goes, slow and steady wins the race.

Silent Rehearsing

One effective way of learning to play the guitar is to rehearse silently. What this means is that you should practice (sometimes) without actually making noise. Gently touch the guitar’s strings, without actually pulling them. This will help you to familiarize yourself with the different cords, making you a much more effective musician. It is the best way to perfect your finger placement and control over your instrument. A big issue with many amateur guitarists is that they miss cords or their fingers slip off. Silent rehearsals can help you to master your guitar’s strings, ensuring that you don’t ever suffer from the aforementioned problems.

Correct Fingering

As mentioned previously, correct finger placement is everything. There’s no way that you will ever become a competent musician if you do not perfect your finger placement. If you are really struggling to learn proper finger placement, then the best thing for you to do is to either watch online tutors or to take a class (which we will come to next). There’s no shortage of online guides, specializing in teaching people how to perfect their guitar finger placement. Do your research and try to find the guide that’s easiest for you to understand. You could also ask anybody you know that plays the guitar for help.

Online Classes

Online classes are an extremely effective method of learning to play the guitar. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, guitar classes have mostly been taking place online. While it can be difficult for some people to learn through online classes, it is undoubtedly the safest way considering everything that’s going on in the world. There is also a lot less pressure when you are learning to play the guitar remotely because you do not have somebody breathing down your neck and scrutinizing your every move.

Physical Tutor

If you don’t like the sound of online classes or don’t think that they will be effective for you, then you can go ahead and hire a physical tutor. While some people aren’t ready yet to go out and attend classes in person, if you are ready then now’s a very good time, because the pandemic’s mostly over and lockdowns are a thing of the past. As long as you wear personal protective equipment and have your vaccinations, you shouldn’t have any trouble at all finding somebody to teach you. You can find tutors by reading magazine classified ads, asking around, and searching for people on social media.

Make Friends

Earlier, it was suggested that asking friends for help is an effective method of learning proper finger placement. Well, finger placement isn’t all that you can learn from your friends and people that have experience in the guitar. They should be able to teach you a lot of interesting tips, techniques, and tricks. If they are very experienced, then they may even be able to teach you. The best way to make friends is to network with other musicians online and attend musical events. You can also join a musical club or troupe in your local area.

Remain Disciplined

Discipline is everything. You won’t ever be able to become an experienced and learned musician without discipline. You need to be able to motivate yourself to practice if you want to become the best musician that you can be. A big problem for many musicians is that they struggle to remain disciplined, which results in them not practicing or perfecting their skills. The best way to discipline yourself is to set a strict routine, whereby you play at certain times of the day, every day. Stick to any routine that you set if you want the best chance at succeeding as a musician.

Learning to play the guitar can be difficult, but it’s definitely worth it. If you are an experienced and learned guitarist, you should be able to find work as a musician and may be able to join a band. Playing the guitar is also a great way to vent and let out stress.

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Melissa is a young and energetic writer, a mom to a sweet little boy, and a fur-mom to two perfect pooches. Before becoming the Associate Content Director for Project Female, she was a journalist specializing in topics related to women in politics and policy affecting women.

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