Video transcript:

Hey everybody in this video I want to talk to you about something that you have probably never been taught before when it comes to learning guitar. It’s something that I think should underlie your entire guitar career though because it has to do with the fundamentals of learning to play. Learning guitar simply has to do with two things – learning the correct methods to playing, and then practicing a lot – and that is pretty much it. If anybody tells you anything else they’re probably trying to scam you. If they tell you that you need to spend 20$/hour on a teacher that is a lie too, because many of the greatest guitarists are self-taught, although it may work for some people if they have money to burn. In this video I want to talk about the mechanics of how your brain learns, to make practicing more efficient for you. After you watch this video you’ll be able to spend much less time learning because you’ll understand how you learn and the best way to learn.

If you want to know the correct methods to playing, I recommend this guitar course at this link here, you can go check it out if you want. It is a great way to learn guitar because it will take you from beginner to advanced guitarist. It will show you how to play simple songs and it will also show you how artists like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page and Tommy Emmanuel get the sounds out of their guitars that they do. You’ll also be teaching yourself to learn, rather than wasting money on private lessons, which in my opinion also makes it less likely that you’ll get sick of it.

For now, let’s talk about how you learn.

Guitar is all about imprinting your neural tissue with patterns that allow you to play guitar. When people who have played for a long time and are good at guitar play, they do not remember individual notes. For example, I know how to play the song Bron Yur Aur by Led Zeppelin. I only learned it once – and now it is imprinted in my muscle memory. When I play, I don’t think about the sheet music or tabs, I only just let my fingers play and make sure it ‘feels’ accurate and ‘looks’ correct when I am fretting. But I don’t really have a clue what I’m playing. I couldn’t just tell you what notes to play right now, without picking up a guitar and actually going through it slowly myself.

It comes automatically – it’s like my fingers know what to do somehow. Interesting thing that you’ll find – if you screw up or are interrupted at a point in a complicated song you’ve learned, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to resume from the exact same note you left off on. You’ll have to go to a major turning point or a point in the song you remember very well that your mind uses as a kind of reference point.

When you learn a song, your mind remembers it from certain reference points and then encodes the rest of the notes in relation to those already learned. This is how the brains of most people work. Unless you are some kind of autistic savant who can remember all the names in the phone book, your mind will have consciously at hand only the most important details, and you will not be able to access the rest of the information unless you use reference points that stimulate that point of your mind.

So the point of this whole discussion is to help you get to know your mind better and how you learn, so that you can learn to play much faster with better dexterity and timing.

What you should take from this is if you come to a point in a song where a chord change is hard for you or switching to another note quickly is hard for you, simply practice it over and over until your muscle memory encodes it. Practice just the change first, over and over, then practice it with the surrounding notes, over and over. Sometimes it might be very hard and you might get tired after too much practice, but don’t worry.

If you get tired of practicing the same thing, let your hands and your mind rest. You’ll come to notice something that happens after you rest – the next time you pick up the guitar, you’ll very likely be able to play what you were practicing much better than you ever could. That is because your brain encodes the muscle memory patterns you want it to, then after you rest your mind, you are able to use them more effectively.

So find something to practice that you can’t do very well, and then practice it like I’ve described above.

Really, all you need to make sure is that you’re practicing correctly, and then practice. That is the secret to becoming great at guitar.

If you want to learn how to practice correctly from a real pro source, I’d recommend that guitar course I mentioned earlier, because it is cheap and it can take you from beginner to pro guitarist… You won’t have to waste 20$/hour or more on a guitar teacher. Click the jamguitar.com link in the description if you want to see more about the course… If you want to learn more tips like I’ve given you in this video to get an even better start on learning the guitar, check out the video link at the top of the video description. In that video I also talk more about the guitar course I mentioned apart from some more important tips for beginners guitarists. So cheers, and good luck!

How Your Mind Learns Guitar – Use it to learn guitar faster! is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

Now I have a lesson for you all about how to take a great guitar solo.

I’m teaching a blues scale with an electric guitar, but you can use this tutorial for ANY kind of music and with any kind of guitar. Just switch the scale you use… and switch the guitar. Enjoy!

Here is the ‘A minor blues scale’ pattern I am playing:

e______________________________5_8_______________ (thinnest string)
B__________________________5_8___________________
G___________________5_7_8________________________
D______________5_8_______________________________
A_______5_6_7____________________________________
E__5_8___________________________________________ (thickest string)

A guitar solo is when the lead guitar player improvises a melody (on the spot) over the rhythm section of a band.

(Carlos Santana, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, etc.)

Yup, the lead guitarist makes it up as they play it!

You are probably thinking to yourself… Hmmm, will I ever be able to do that?

Make up a solo on the spot?! The answer is YES, you can.

There are “tricks of the trade” for guitar soloing just as there are for any specialty or profession.

I am going to guide you right to the point here.

No fluff, No BS. We’€™ll discuss ONLY what you need to know to take a freakin’€™ guitar solo!

Hopefully You have a good idea about how to hold a guitar and play a note. You do not have to know what note you are playing! (ex. A, C, G, etc)

All you have to know, is how to play a note. That is pressing afinger down on a fret and strumming or picking the strings with the other hand.

Also, you will need to know how to read Guitar TAB. There are tab lessons in the first download package I sent you… here is the download link to that again:

Guitar Learning Package

Now that we got that out of the way…let’€™s learn!

I have some jam tracks for you to solo over to download:

Jam Tracks Download

Click above to download them, and read the lesson below to take your first step into being creative with your guitar and taking some awesome solos.

You will really surprise yourself when you first start to get this, I know I did. So I strongly encourage you read the lesson below!

——————————

So here is the challenge – to help train your fingers and your ears.

First to pick a scale to play along with the music. Click below to search in google images for a scale map. This link searches for the “minor pentatonic scale”, a scale commonly used in rock solos. This means that the solos would consist of these notes, which all sound good together. The key of this minor pentatonic scale is A minor.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&q=A+minor+pentatonic+scale

You can also search for ‘pentatonic scale’ or ‘minor pentatonic scale’ to get other scales.

First make sure your guitar is in standard tuning (EADGBe from thickest string to lightest). NOTE: You can search for eg. ‘A# minor pentatonic scale’ to get a scale map in a specific key.

Notes played within a given scale give the music a certain ‘feel’… for example, if you play a pentatonic blues scale (look it up, and play along with the ‘Bluesy Day’ song) it distinctly sounds like a very bluesy collection of notes, even to untrained ears. You can use this link to search for a “blues scale”.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&q=blues+scale+fretboard

Here is a map of one of the positions in this AMAZING pattern again:

______________________________5_8_______________
__________________________5_8___________________
___________________5_7_8________________________
______________5_8_______________________________
_______5_6_7____________________________________
__5_8___________________________________________

A minor blues pentatonic scale Position 1.

Practice going up and down the scale with these notes to develop your dexterity!

After you have played some of these notes without the music and take note of how they sound, try and play it with background music. If it doesn’t sound right (almost out of tune), chances are the music is in a different KEY than the scale you’re playing is. All you have to do to change the key of the scale is move the scale PATTERN up and down the fretboard. Cool huh!

The scale pattern you have searched for should show you the ROOT NOTE of the scale in several different positions. The root note tells you what key the scale is being played in.

So if you are playing a ‘minor pentatonic scale’ and the root note position is on the A note (5th fret in standard tuning on the E string), you are playing an A minor pentatonic scale. If you move it up one fret, you are now playing in the A# (A sharp) minor pentatonic scale!

Just move the pattern up and down and keep playing notes till the notes you’re playing sound like they are in the same key as the song! Be patient and you’ll get it, and over time you’ll be able to get into key really quickly.

Once you do this try to play around with it and be creative. Use hammer-ons and pull-off, bend the strings (remember, bending a string gives a higher note, so make sure that that note is also in the scale or it might not sound right!) and try to have fun with it.

The song Bluesy Day can be played with an A minor blues pentatonic scale (search ‘A minor blues scale’ – it is like an A minor pentatonic scale with the D#/Eb note added)) and it sounds pretty good! Give it a shot.

You’ll get it soon enough! Work on your dexterity and try to play chords within the scale (more than 1 note at a time) while playing and mix it up. Scales are the basis of soloing, and all music really, so commit all kinds of em to memory!

You can also search for more backing tracks that people make at home in places like youtube. You can find backing tracks to ANY type of music there.

Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to get back to you! Hope this was helpful for you.

Have a good jam!
-Steve

How To Take A Rockin’ Guitar Solo is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

Like the classic guitar, the acoustic guitar is played without any electric amplification. When getting your first guitar, you must choose between steel or nylon strings. Naturally, you will need to get a guitar that was made specifically for nylon (classic guitar) or acoustic (acoustic guitar) strings. The difference between the two strings would be the sound that you make, as well as the effect on your fingers.

Acoustic guitar lessons for beginners must start with selecting your strings. Steel strings, being a tougher string, can make deep marks on your fingers, and if you are not used to this, it could hamper your lessons.  Nylon strings use less tension and so are not as tough to play with.

The reason you should never use nylon strings on a steel acoustic guitar is because the nut that holds down the strings at the end of the guitar are narrower and will not be able to hold the wider nylon strings. Furthermore, the angle of the guitar saddle is different for steel acoustic guitars.

Overall, this means that if you want to have a guitar that plays in perfect tune, you must never switch strings.

An important factor in acoustic guitar lessons for beginners is care for the guitar. After playing on your guitar or after each session, make sure to gently wipe the guitar strings to remove the dirt and oil. If left without proper care, your guitar strings will not last as long, and could produce flat sounds in the process.

It is possible to buy an acoustic guitar designed for nylon strings but you will not be able to get the sharp acoustic sound common to steel acoustic guitars. However, for comfort and for beginners, nylon strings might be the better alternative, especially for young teens.

Beginning guitar lessons must be conducted with care. Choosing your tutor or guitar teacher is very important especially for young children and teenagers. This is because an impatient and rough tutor would not be able to sustain the interest of the student long enough for him to learn even just the basics.

Assuming you have found a good teacher, beginning guitar lessons should start with familiarity with the instrument, the music sheets and how to read the notes, and then the basic chords. It is also important to focus on strengthening the fingers as well as stretching them to reach the right notes.

For acoustic guitar lessons for beginners, the tutor must be able to emphasis the different strokes and the sounds they create. The tendency for many young learners is to strum the strings hard. However, acoustic sound is gentle and tender, not just strong and loud.

As with learning anything new, beginning guitar lessons can get tedious because of the scales and repetition. If you are the tutor, why not spike up the lessons with a short tune they can learn after each lesson. As for the student, acoustic guitar lessons for beginners is very tempting to rush through. Except without the strong foundation of being able to blend chords and strum or pluck the strings, you will never be able to strike out on your own. You could try experimenting every time you learn a new chord, and creating short tunes. This will provide you with some creative leeway, and keep you interested in learning how to play the instrument.

All things done properly, like acoustic guitar lessons for beginners, will pay off handsomely in the end. Practice and see.

Beginning Guitar Lessons – Electric/Acoustic Guitar For Beginners is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

If you are intent on finding electric guitar lessons for beginners, you might as well start with classic guitar lessons. The reason for this is it becomes easier to learn guitar techniques and chords on a classic guitar.  However, it is possible to fast track your guitar lessons and go straight to electric guitar lessons for beginners. You just need to avoid getting frustrated, and you will because playing a guitar, electric or classic is a lot of work. You have more things to remember than just chords and playing guitar; you will also need to learn how to use the amplifier and hooking up your guitar properly.

When you see guitarists in bands play, it all looks so easy, but they didn’t get to where they are without tremendous dedication and hard work. Learning their craft takes some time, so be ready to allot at least 15 to 30 minutes a day to learn to play electric guitar.

Once you have been able to hook up your electric guitar, you need to check the strings of your guitar. With electric guitars, loose strings will mean flat or out of tune notes. Give your strings proper attention.

The difference between a classic guitar and an electric guitar is the sounds produced.  To learn to play the electric guitar, you need to be familiar with tone, volume, and sound textures. You can strum your strings, and come up with different sounds, depending on your touch, the amount of pressure you put on the strings and the way you play the chords.

Electric guitar lessons for beginners will always start with the basics. There is just no way you can pick up an electric guitar and start playing tunes. This means learning the guitar chords and scales. If you have heard about playing by ear, it can happen. Some people are gifted with knowing what chord to play to get the sound they want. Just by listening to a song, they can play it on any instrument easily. Unfortunately, not a lot of people can do this.

Thus, assuming you don’t have the gift, then learn to play the electric guitar the traditional method. Practice, practice, and more practice. You will also need to know how to read music sheets. With guitar, it is much simpler than piano music sheets. This is because guitar uses letters as names for chords. Thus, it is important to know what strings, frets to press on with every chord.

The highlight of electric guitar lessons for beginners is learning how to bend strings to get that wonderful vibrato sound. When you are able to bend strings, you can produce a lot of personality to a tune – giving you that amazing rock and roll sound that everyone loves.

For the sake of the people living in the house with you, make sure to find a room that can hold the sound in with solid walls and ceilings – like your garage. This way you can practice and never have to worry about creating so much noise pollution in your neighborhood.

Electric Guitar Lessons For Beginners – Learn To Play Electric Guitar is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

Learning to play the guitar will require a great deal of dedication if you want to do it properly. After all, what’s the use of learning to play the guitar if you quit after a few weeks.

Realistically, it will take at least a couple of months to play the guitar comfortably. To make the process go faster, it would be best if you could pinpoint the reason why you want to begin learning to play the guitar. This way, you can target specific goals. For instance, would you be interested in playing for a band? If so, then you should take lead guitar lessons.

In a band, there is the lead guitarist and the rhythm guitarist. They both use the same type of guitar – there is no difference. The difference lies in how the guitar is played. The rhythm guitarist is support to the vocals and provides the structure for the song. His role in the band is very important because a weak rhythm would not be able to draw out the crowd, and make the band seem like a backyard kiddie band.

The rhythm guitarist is also most often the person who composes the song, or helps compose the band’s music. If the lead singer is also a guitarist, most often he is the rhythm guitarist as well.

The lead guitarist is your rock star. He’s the guy with the solo, and has the freedom to do a lot of improvisations during a song. While he may be the “star”, he can never work as a solo because he needs the rhythm guitarist to give him the good foundation for a song.

If you can select between the rhythm and lead guitar, then you can decide if you want lead guitar lessons or not. The difference in the lessons for a lead guitarist would be the free-flowing style a guitar tutor would encourage. The opposite is true for the rhythm guitarist. He must stick to the rhythm because the band depends on him.

One idea that you might be interested in is to learn how to be a lead and rhythm guitarist. With this kind of skills, you can be both star and singer, and this is the stuff dreams are made of – when you become recognized for your talent and ability to carry a song, re-invent it, and bring it home.

Learning to play the guitar as a lead guitarist is an awesome experience, but only after you have mastered the basics. Just like anything else in this world, it starts with basics. Spend a lot of time learning these because it will dictate the kind of guitarist you will be.

If lead guitar lessons is your objective, then make sure that you get a good lead guitarist as a mentor. If you are a minor, make sure your parents support your dream, or at least one adult member in your family.

Lead Guitar Lessons – Learning To Play Lead and Rhythm Guitar is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons