| So you've played the game (guitar hero, rock | | | | following what your teacher says, you will break |
| band). Think you're a Guitar Genius already? | | | | through the music hump, and have an "ahh" |
| Maybe you've got an itch to learn guitar, or | | | | moment. |
| maybe you've been playing for years and you | | | | One thing to remember in these moments of |
| want to become the next Guitar Legend! | | | | frustration is to enjoy the journey. You will spend |
| The following are some essential tips to becoming | | | | the rest of your life continually learning and |
| a Guitar Hero and I'm not talking about the ps3 | | | | growing, so just enjoy it. |
| xbox Guitar Hero type. We are talking real life | | | | 5. Surround yourself with better guitarists |
| Guitar Hero. Think of legends like Jimi Hendrix, Eric | | | | There is a quote that says, "Who you hang |
| Clapton, Jimmy Page, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie | | | | around, you will become like". When playing with |
| Van Halen and "The Edge". | | | | other guitarists, try to find someone who is |
| Maybe you have what it takes, maybe you don't. | | | | better than you. This will help inspire you to |
| But lets start the journey and see what happens... | | | | practice and become better. |
| 1. Get Inspired | | | | There is no better inspiration than watching a |
| The first step to growing as a guitarist is to get | | | | really good guitarist play. You will realise just how |
| inspired. | | | | much more you can improve. |
| Try something new. Go to a concert, listen to | | | | 6. Be Precise |
| some new music, watch some good music dvds. I | | | | One thing you'll notice in a really good guitarist is |
| often post a weekly update of guitar videos on | | | | the attention to detail. They will hit the exact |
| this blog for your inspiration. | | | | notes with just the right strength, and it just |
| One of the best ways to get inspired as a | | | | sounds amazing. |
| musician is to play with others. You can learn so | | | | If you practice very slowly with 100% |
| much just from jammin' with other people and it | | | | concentration, you'll become ten times faster and |
| will inspire you to grow. | | | | better; so when you practice, do it slowly and |
| 2. Educate Yourself | | | | concentrate. |
| Read books, research online and get lessons. | | | | 7. Learn Chords & Theory |
| There is no better way to grow than to educate | | | | Learn as many chords and inversions as you can. |
| yourself. You'll need a balance of both practical | | | | Become familiar with how they sound and why |
| and theory. | | | | you use them. Even if you aren't playing jazz, |
| The internet is a great learning tool for guitarists. | | | | (where you would typically hear many of these |
| You can find help on all styles of guitar playing and | | | | chords), knowing the notes and sounds of these |
| there is a multitude of videos which demonstrate | | | | chords can make your soloing more interesting. |
| how to play almost every song 'under the sun'! | | | | Some of the greatest rock guitar solos are |
| When educating yourself, nothing beats an actual | | | | actually very jazz-influenced. |
| 'face-to-face' guitar lesson. You can grow so | | | | Also, guitar tab is a great skill to learn, as it is the |
| much faster when someone is there to show you | | | | guitarist's form of sheet music. Becoming a great |
| the way. Make sure you choose a good and | | | | guitar player means learning the ins and outs of |
| recommended guitar teacher. It may cost you | | | | quite a few famous guitar parts. You can search |
| more, but you will become a far better guitarist | | | | Google for tabs for basically every well known |
| because of it. | | | | guitar solo. |
| 3. Practice until your fingers bleed | | | | 8. Play with emotion |
| There really is no other way around it. In order to | | | | The last tip is to play your guitar with emotion. |
| grow, you need to practice, practice, practice! | | | | As a guitarist you should aim to get to a level |
| If you are getting lessons, your teacher will love | | | | where you know the theory, but don't have to |
| you if you practice everything they give you, and | | | | think about it when playing. Often, the more you |
| come to the next lesson ready to learn more. | | | | think while playing, the less emotive your guitar |
| There is nothing worse than turning up for your | | | | will sound. |
| next lesson without practice, and your teacher | | | | Music is a form of communication. You should be |
| has to take you through the same thing that | | | | able to explain what you feel through your guitar. |
| they taught you last week. | | | | Remember, the greatest musicians of all time, the |
| 4. The famous music hump | | | | ones who are most deeply respected, are the |
| Almost every guitarist will go through a stage of | | | | ones who could move others emotionally with |
| frustration where you feel like you can't break | | | | their music. |
| through. Trust me, if you keep practicing and | | | | |