We’ve discussed tips before to help jazz up your improvised solos, but there’s even more preparation that can be done to help with your overall skillset when it comes to this technique – particularly for guitar players.  Before you start showing off, consider the behind-the-scenes work that should get its due time.

These suggestions from Ultimate-Guitar.com will help you get even better at guitar improvisation:

1. Thorough knowledge of music theory. Why? When there’s a chord playing, you need to know which notes sound good over the chord and which ones don’t. You need to know which scales you can play over the chords, chord theory to construct your own chords and inversions as you are playing, modal theory so you can open up hundreds of new scale options, intervals, inversions, and much, much more.  Knowing music theory massively expands your options.

2. Memorizing the fretboard. Why? When you know which notes you can play over which chords, the next step is knowing where they are on the guitar so you can instantly find them. This will make guitar playing easier for you if you can see the fretboard clearly as you are playing. If you can’t, then it’s a lot like driving along a road you’ve never been on before, in pitch black darkness, without a map.

3. Mastery of phrasing. Why? Guitar playing is like a conversation. You need to be able to phrase your licks in such a way that is interesting and doesn’t ramble on forever. Phrasing means targeting the right chord tones at the right time, “speaking” with your guitar, spacing your licks and using various techniques.

4. Understanding the basic 7 elements of music. Why? When you understand rhythm, harmony, melody, dynamics, texture, timbre and form, it becomes much easier to improvise a guitar solo and create an interesting sound in real time while playing. You can sense when there is an imbalance in the music, and try to correct it so that you and the listener can enjoy the music more.

Of course, working with a guitar instructor can give you even more hands-on tips if you’re struggling with specific techniques.  Search for a guitar instructor near you here.

Ready to try your hand at improvisation?  If you’ve learned other tips or techniques, share them with the TakeLessons community!  Leave a comment below or stop by our Facebook page and join the discussion. Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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Just as pianists should learn the theory behind scales, beginner guitar players should review individual chords to ensure a well-rounded foundation.  After all, chords are the basis of guitar playing, so the more you know, the easier time you’ll have learning songs.  Instead of just memorizing each chord, go the extra mile to really understand which notes are involved and why. Check out a few of these great tips from the Not Playing Guitar blog and you’ll be dominating those guitar chords in no time:

1. Become an expert.
Your love of chords and what they can do for you should push you to learn as much as you can about them. For example, learn all about chord inversions and extensions, or how to alter chords by moving just one note.

2. Learn how chords are made.
Your first step to becoming a chord expert should be to learn how chords are made. You can learn the notes of each chord and their relative scale positions. Your knowledge will help you learn how to find or create fingerings for any chord, play chord extensions and inversions and enrich your playing.

3. Practice in all keys.
Whenever you learn a new chord progression or a song, practice it in as many keys as possible.

4. Integrate each chord you learn with those you know already.
Make sure you understand how each new chord you learn relates to the others you already know. What is its place in progressions and songs? What other chords does it work well with?  Remember to practice the new chord with the chords you know already, and learn how to change to and from all of them with the new chord.

5. Integrate new chords into your repertoire.
When you learn a new way to play a chord, try out the new form in your existing songs and progressions. This will grow your playing options and also allow you to hear how different chord forms sound.

Ready to take your guitar playing to the next level?  Find a private teacher near you and sign up for music lessons here!

What other strategies and exercises do you use for learning and practicing chords? Share your own expertise with the community – leave a comment below, or stop by our Facebook page!  Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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You will have to commit some time to really mastering your instrument, but don’t let that stop you from learning!  Even if you only have ten minutes to get away from work, school or other responsibilities, that ten minutes can help!  The trick is to practice with purpose. We’ve discussed effective practice here before – setting specific goals, slowing down and using a metronome, and improving your sight-reading skills, for example.  Heck, you can even practice without your guitar, when you’re out and about.

So even on your busiest days, set aside that practice time.  And as you sit down, consider these 10 quick guitar exercises perfect for those short practice sessions, as suggested over on Fretterverse.com:

1. Chord Inversions - Take one string group and one chord quality (m7, Maj7#5, etc.) and play all of the inversions for that chord in as many keys as you can on that string group.
2. Position Scales - Pick a scale and play it in all 12 keys but only in one position.
3. Sweep Picking Control - Choose an arpeggio and slowly work on keeping your picking hand consistent throughout the sweep so all of the notes are even in tempo and dynamics.
4. Intervals - Pick a scale and play it in 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, or whatever interval you choose.
5. Sing and Play - Sing a melody out loud, and then try to reproduce it on the guitar. Great ear training!
6. String Skipping - Choose a simple major scale. Play every other note one or two octaves higher, which forces you to skip strings and concentrate on fingering and accurate picking.
7. Intonation - Play a scale very slowly, and concentrate on getting your finger to nudge up against each fret every time. Make sure your pick strokes are clearly articulated and full.
8. Name That Note – Without looking, place your finger on any note on the fingerboard. Then look at the note and see how quickly you can identify the note name.
9. Commercial Jam - If you happen to have the TV on while you are waiting around, you will inevitably hear music in the commercials or the show. Try playing along with it; learn the melody or figure out the chord progression and play along with it.
10. Name That Key - Choose a key and name all of the notes. You can also do this with scales, modes, and chords.

What other exercises do you practice when you only have a few spare minutes?  Share your tips with the TakeLessons community – head on over to our Facebook page and leave a comment! Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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Before you get too far ahead of yourself, it’s important to evaluate your playing style and make sure you have good practice habits.  No matter where you’re at in your guitar studies, bad habits have a funny way of getting engrained in our minds.  If you’re not working closely with a private guitar teacher, those habits can be detrimental to your success.  Here are 5 common mistakes that beginners tend to make, as originally posted on The Punch-In Blog from TrueFire.com:

1. Not practicing correctly.
When you pick up your guitar to practice, do you just play what you already know — or do you work on new riffs and techniques? Often the best way to progress it to find a balance between playing what you already know and working on something new. Divide up your practice time between mastering the techniques you already know and challenging yourself with new learning material.

2. Trying to play beyond one’s ability.
You cannot expect to be able to shred out Steve Vai licks if you haven’t mastered Mary Had A Little Lamb yet (the nursery version, not the Stevie Ray Vaughan song). Trying to play far outside of your current ability will only bring frustration. You have the entire rest of your life to build your guitar playing up to a level of mastery — take your time and find your own path.

3. Choosing the wrong gear.
When you’re first starting out, it is easy to get caught up in what a guitar looks like or how much it costs. These days, well-made instruments are available at virtually every price point. The best thing to do when going shopping for that first guitar is to bring someone who knows the ins and outs of guitar shopping. Let them help you choose the best guitar for your budget and the playing style you’d like to learn.

4. Playing an out of tune instrument.
Learning to tune is your first job as a budding guitarist, and you should tune your instrument every time you pick it up. If you are always playing a guitar that is out of tune, your ear never really gets to learn what each of the notes and chords should sound like. Plus, an out-of-tune instrument will always sound bad no matter how well you’re playing.

5. Learning in a vacuum.
These days there’s an abundance of online guitar lessons, videos, guitar books, DVD’s and other materials that allow you to learn at your own leisure. Given all the available tools, you could gain a ton of chops and know-how. But someone who spends all his time learning in isolation can be at a total loss when it comes to performing or to playing with other people.  Everyone can benefit from constructive feedback, so taking private guitar lessons is a great way to ensure your success from all angles.

Do you make any of these mistakes, or have you made them in the past?  If so, how did you correct the bad habits?  Share your own tips and thoughts with the TakeLessons community on Facebook! Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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We couldn’t have said it better. Passion, inspiration, motivation – that’s what it’s all about.  Forget flashy performances and shock value – you can do great things with just an acoustic guitar and well-crafted lyrics.  Yet for some reason, many of us out there still think up excuses for not picking up the guitar.  We say we’re too busy, it’s too hard, we don’t have any other musical training, and it hurts our fingers.  In actuality, it’s really quite simple.  If you want to learn the guitar, do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re ten years old or sixty years old – anyone can learn to play, and anyone can make time to practice.

As Grohl said, you don’t have to be perfect.  Just start simply.  Take it one step at a time.  And for a little extra guidance, here are 10 guitar tips for the absolute beginner:

1 – Make sure you choose the right guitar for your size. Guitars come in different sizes from classic to jumbo. It is very important that you find a guitar size that you are comfortable playing.
2 – Learn how to change your guitar strings.  The dirt and oil on your fingers and hands builds up on your strings over time and will ruin their sound. It is therefore extremely important that you learn how to change your strings.  How often you change them will depend on how often you play.
3 – Build up those calluses. Many beginners complain of pain in their fingertips when first starting out. This is normal and will go away after you have been playing for a little while and start to form calluses. The more often you practice the faster you will build up calluses.
4 – Learn how to tune your guitar. Make sure your guitar is in tune before you start every practice session. Tuning your guitar is really quite easy. You can either purchase one of those small battery powered guitar tuners, or you can easily find a tuner online.
5 – Find a good guitar teacher. While it is possible to learn at your own pace at home using free guitar lessons online, books and guitar home study courses, nothing can really replace a guitar teacher. A guitar teacher will help keep you from forming bad guitar playing habits and praise you when you are making progress.
6 – Stretch and warm up your hands and fingers before each playing session. This is important. Proper warm up and stretching exercises are essential in helping you avoid injury and improving your guitar playing.
7 – Learn about the parts of your guitar. Spend as much time as possible familiarizing yourself with all the various parts of your guitar and how it is constructed.
8 – Don’t overdo it. If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort during your playing or practice session, stop and take a break.
9 – Try and learn something new. If you continually do the same thing, day after day, then your guitar playing will become stagnant and you will not progress.
10 – Go to live performances. This will give you a chance to get up close and personal with the musicians, enabling you to see first-hand how a professional plays.

See what we mean?  Start out simple, and pretty soon you’ll be working your way up to the more complicated chords and songs.  Do you have your own tips to share?  Leave us a comment!

Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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McCartney has had 32 number-one hits in the US, 24 in the UK, and was even named the Greatest Composer of the Millenium by BBC Online News readers.  Let’s see today’s top artists rack up a list of accomplishments like that!

With the growing popularity of dance music on the charts these days, rock seems to have been pushed a bit to the side.  The Grammy Awards will even be featuring a dance-focused segment this year, for the first time ever.  But there’s nothing like the feeling of picking up a shiny new guitar and strumming your first chord.  Rock music isn’t dead – we promise.

Yesterday we discussed some common beginner instruments for children, and guitar is definitely a popular choice.  But one issue that young beginners and many adults run into is learning to play the guitar with small hands.  If you’ve experienced the frustration of not quite reaching a certain finger placement, it doesn’t mean you need to give up your future star on the Walk of Fame.  These tips for playing guitar with small hands should help:

Choose a Guitar with a Comfortable Neck
Every guitar is different. Some have broad necks, others have narrow necks. If you have small hands, a guitar with a narrow neck will make playing more natural and more enjoyable. Some guitars even come in 3/4- or short-scale models, making the instrument more compact and accessible to those with smaller hands.

Get Your Thumb in Position
Many players let the thumb of their fretting hand go lazy when playing chords or individual lines. Try positioning your thumb directly center under the fretboard and use it as a guide as you play.

Stretch Those Fingers
Even guitar players with large hands can benefit from “stretching out” and working on exercises to increase one’s span across the fretboard. Work on stretching your fingers by incorporating into your practice routine exercises that demand distance leaps. Start on the low E-string and play an F (first fret) with your index finger, then play a G# (fourth fret) with your ring or pinky finger – whatever works best – and follow this pattern across all six strings.

Don’t Fret over Barre Chords
Without question, the most difficult chords to play for folks with small hands are barre chords, where the index finger is required to fret sometimes all six guitar strings, acting as an anchor for the placement of other fingers to fill out the chord. If your hands are too small to span the entire fretboard, try using your thumb to hold down the low bass string to form a barre chord. To play an F-major chord this way, you’ll bring your hand around the neck, almost wrapping it. Then, get the fingers in position: Fret the high E- and B-strings (first fret) with your index finger; place your middle finger on the second fret of the G-string; your pinky on the third fret of the D-string; your ring finger on the third fret of the A-string; lastly, put your thumb on the first fret of the low E-string and strum.

Your guitar teacher is a great resource as well, and can help you determine the best exercises for you.  (Need help finding a teacher nearby?  Click here!) Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

Photo by Roblawol.

1. Keep your fingers as close to the fret board as possible.  When that pinkie and third finger start flying out in space it takes longer for them to come back down.

2. Build your chords from the bottom string up.  For some reason a lot of us get in the habit of building our chords from the top down.  Like in an open C major chord, starting with the 2nd string, then 4th, then 5th.  The problem with that is your pick is going to hit the bottom strings first, so get those notes placed first.  That extra split second will give you a chance to get the last top bits of the chord in place.  I know it seems like a negligible amount of time, but you’ll be surprised how it can improve your guitar playing.

3. When moving from one chord to the next, move the finger that has the farthest to go first.  For instance, in moving from G major to C major in the open position, your first finger has to move all the way from the 5th string to the second.  Lead with that finger and you’ll find that your other fingers naturally pull along behind to end up close to their intended frets as well.

4.  Stay relaxed and let the natural movement of your hands help you get to the chord.  Believe it or not, the guitar is actually designed very well to accommodate the natural movement of the human hand.  When you use tip #3 and lead with the farthest finger, your other fingers will follow along behind it naturally and you can get them to settle in the right place.  If you tighten up they won’t move as naturally, so stay loose.

5. Keep your right hand moving.  The way your brain works has a lot to do with how your hands react.  As a beginner, your brain is giving you permission to stop in between chords and rationalizes it as “we’ll get it eventually.”  It’s normal and happens on a subconscious level.  You can easily change that by setting up a dissonance in your brain.  That means presenting your brain with a problem it needs to fix.  Here’s the way it works:  You brain loves when your hands are moving together.  So if you force your right hand to keep strumming, no matter what happens in your left, your brain will want to solve that dissonance by making your left hand move faster to keep up with your right.  Exactly what we’re looking for.

Looking for a guitar teacher who can help you master chord transitions even faster?  Search for a guitar teacher near you here.

Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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What makes a guitarist a genius, exactly?  With previous winners like Dave Grohl, the Clash, and the Cure, Gallagher has some big shoes to fill.

Don’t have hours upon hours to commit to practicing?  That’s ok.  In fact, there are ways of practicing your guitar skills without actually having your guitar with you.  Check out these great tips from Jemsite.com about how to practice sans guitar:

1. Learn The Fretboard
The better you know your fretboard, the better you know your instrument and the more easily you can move around it. Here’s one technique to try: slip a small fretboard diagram into your wallet so you’ll carry it around with you everywhere. When you have two spare minutes, you can pull out your chart and name notes to help memorize them. If you don’t have the slip of paper handy, you can use visualization exercises. Picture a fretboard in your mind, pick some notes, and “see” where they occur on the fretboard image.

2. Learn About Chords
No matter how long you’ve been playing, there is always something new to learn about chords. Look around for sources of new ideas or information, find yourself some chord theory books, or study the chords used by great songwriters.

3. Visualization
Use visualization to work on all kinds of guitar skills. Visualization is the process of picturing a situation in your mind as if it were real. It has been proven that visualization stimulates the same nerve paths as actually performing actions, so it helps to reinforce your learning.  Use visualization to practice chord changes and progressions, scales and licks, picking patterns, and whole songs.

4. Develop Your Ears
As you listen to music and other sounds in the street, try to pick out the sound of certain intervals or notes. For example, you can designate a “major thirds day” where you try to spot major third sounds around you.

5. Study Music Notation
Many self-taught guitarists neglect music reading and writing skills. Carry around some sheet music and you can practice reading it during your lunch break or on the bus.

And there you have it – now having a “day job” is no excuse to forgo practicing!  Even if you’re strained for time, you can find a way to make it work.  What do you think of these tips? Anything you’d like to add?  Sound off below – and don’t forget to share with your friends if you liked these ideas!

Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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There will always be rivalries in the music industry, but whomever you side with, one thing is for certain: they all started out as complete beginners at one point.  So if you’re just a beginner now, it will be up to you to determine who you’ll want to end up like.

But first, you’ll need some important tools.  Take a look at this great list from ultimate-guitar.com for the most essential tools for beginner guitar players:

Essential tool 1: Metronome

A metronome is crucial to developing many skills. Most players already know this, but if you haven’t used one yet then get your hands on one. There are a few different types you can get. You can get a software version (normally for free) for your computer or iPhone (most phones can get one). The second type is the physical pendulum type you see with a metal arm ticking back and forth. The third type is a digital version. This type could be as basic as providing a simple click or as complicated as generating a stack of rhythms and loops.

Things you can do with a metronome:
• Develop your rhythm abilities
• Practice fast/complicated licks or solos
• Improve your speed picking/playing
• Master techniques such as tapping or sweep picking
• Develop your strumming patterns

Essential tool 2: Rhythm generator/drum looper

There are many different names and labels for this tool. Basically, it is a little box where you can choose a style of music (such as blues, rock, metal, swing, etc.) and it will play a drum beat that fits that style, at a tempo you choose. The better ones will also allow you to choose a key and it will play a progression in that key with the drums for you to jam over. They normally have hundreds of different options and you have full control over how everything sounds. Instead of buying a digital metronome, if it’s in your budget you may want to get one of these instead. All of them will have a metronome option to give you a simple click.

Here are some things you could try with a rhythm generator:
• Learn how to jam in a style you have never tried before
• Write solos and licks in different keys and different styles
• Write song ideas and riffs that fit with different drums patterns
• Practice scales and learn what sound or ‘flavor’ they give your playing

Essential tool 3: Flash cards, chord charts, and chord dictionaries

These three tools will all help you learn a range of different chords in different ways. Chord charts are normally a poster or page with a selection of chord diagrams. You can buy ones large enough to stick on your wall or they sometimes come with books. Chord dictionaries are just like they sound – a dictionary full of chords. Chord dictionaries can contain up to a couple hundred different chords. Flash cards are like a pack of playing cards where each card displays a chord diagram and other information.

Using these tools will help you develop your chord vocabulary. The more chords you know, the more options you have. More choices of chords will give your songs more interesting sounds and will have a big impact on your songwriting or improvising. The average beginner will know about 10 basic open chords, whereas the expert guitarist will know over a hundred different options all over the neck. Don’t underestimate how important it is to learn more chords! Even expert players continue to learn new chord shapes.

Here are some things you can do using chord flash cards, dictionaries and charts:
• Learn more chords
• Write interesting chord progressions and songs
• Improve chord progressions by finding more interesting chords
• Learn the notes behind the chord types (eg: major, minor, seventh, etc)
• Understand music with chord theory

Looking for a guitar teacher near you!  Search by zip code and find one here.

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Image courtesy of http://fretterverse.com/2010/04/20/practice-with-a-metronome/