Category
Technique & Practice
Playing is one thing, practicing with focus is another. In this category you read how to plan your practice time, how to train rhythm and timing with a metronome and how to master techniques such as fingerpicking, alternate picking, bends and tapping. There are also articles about improvising and playing solos, and about staying motivated when progress stalls for a while. The topics run from simple daily exercises to sweep picking for advanced players.
Just starting out? Then first read how to make an effective practice routine and then pick a few daily exercises for beginners. Mostly play acoustic? Continue with learning fingerpicking. Play electric? Then the guide learning electric guitar is a good next step.
Start here
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Easy Riffs to Train Your Fingers
Easy riffs for training your fingers are short, recognizable lines on one or two strings, such as Smoke on the Water, Seven Nation Army…
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How to Learn Rhythms With a Metronome
You learn rhythms with a metronome by using the click as a fixed grid and playing a different subdivision inside it each time: first…
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Practicing Rhythm by Clapping and Playing Guitar at the Same Time
The easiest way to practice rhythm by clapping and playing guitar at the same time is in steps: first you clap the rhythm while…
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Scale Exercises for Speed on Guitar
Scale exercises for speed on guitar work best if you pick one pattern, play it slowly and cleanly with a metronome, and only raise…
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How to Learn to Improvise in Different Styles
How do you learn to improvise in different styles? Start with one style, usually blues or rock, and get to know one scale and…
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How to Make Playing Guitar Part of Your Day
How do you make playing guitar part of your day? Link a short practice session to a moment you already have, like after breakfast…
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Famous Guitar Quotes to Inspire You
Looking for famous guitar quotes to inspire you? Below you will find sayings about music and the guitar, with an explanation of what they…
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Finding Inspiration to Keep Playing Guitar
Finding inspiration to keep playing guitar works best when you bring something new into your playing: a different genre, a song you really want…
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Motivation Hacks for Daily Guitar Practice
The best motivation hacks for daily guitar practice make getting started so easy that you no longer have to think about it. Keep your…
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Learn to play slide guitar for beginners
Short answer: Slide guitar, also called bottleneck guitar, is a playing style in which you slide a tube of glass or metal over the…
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Learning Guitar with Backing Tracks
Learning guitar with backing tracks means playing along with a recording of, for example, drums, bass and chords, where the guitar part or solo…
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Learning Guitar on Vacation: Tips and a Practice Plan
Learning guitar on vacation works fine with a lightweight travel guitar or a rental, a tuner and a short practice session of 15 to…
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How to Play Harmonics on Guitar
How do you play harmonics on guitar? Rest a fingertip lightly on the string, directly above the fret wire at fret 12, 7 or…
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How to Learn Tapping Solos on Guitar
How do you learn tapping solos on guitar? Start with one simple pattern on one string: tap a note with your picking hand, pull…
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Sweep Picking Exercises for Advanced Players
Sweep picking exercises for advanced players come down to three things: larger arpeggios across five or six strings, clean muting so notes don’t ring…
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Learning Economy Picking Techniques
Economy picking is a pick technique where you keep moving in the same direction when you change strings: a downstroke when you move to…
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Hybrid Picking Technique Explained
Hybrid picking is a technique where you hold the pick between your thumb and index finger and at the same time use your middle…
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Ways to Play More Dynamics on Guitar
You play more dynamics on guitar by deliberately varying how hard, where and with what you strike the strings: soft and loud, close to…
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How to Make Your Guitar Playing More Expressive
How do you make your guitar playing more expressive? By deliberately varying how you play: louder and softer, short or flowing, with vibrato and…
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How to Memorize Guitar Solos Faster
How do you memorize solos faster? Break the solo into short phrases of a few measures, sing each phrase first and then play it…
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How to Improvise on Guitar
How do you improvise on guitar? You pick a scale that fits the chords of a song, usually the pentatonic scale, and use it…
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How Counting Rhythm on Guitar Works
How does counting rhythm on guitar work? You divide every measure into fixed beats and count them out loud while you play, for example…
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10 Daily Guitar Exercises for Beginners
With these 10 daily guitar exercises for beginners, you train everything you need in a short time: finger exercises, chord changes, strumming patterns, a…
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How to Make Faster Progress on Guitar
How do you make faster progress on guitar? Practice a little every day with a clear focus, play difficult passages slowly and in small…