10 Tips For EVERY Guitarist

Regardless of where you are at in your guitar playing, here are 10 tips to help you out!

1. Wipe your strings and guitar after you play. This will prolong the string life and help prevent everything from getting dirty, dusty and sticky.
2. Use a metronome. So simple. So necessary. And yet hardly any one does it. Metronomes will tighten up your playing and allow you to accurately measure your shredding speed.
3. Play with other musos as much as you can (or play along with the music if you live in remote areas). Jamming is the lifeblood of a musician.
4. Listen to a wide range of music, with a focus on guitar based songs. All music has something to offer, so why not learn from what others are creating!
5. Work hard on your skills. Become the best you can be by practicing lots of exercises every day.
6. Train your ear as much as possible. Use listening exercises to help you improve at a fast rate.
7. Don’t give up! Persist, even when you plateau. Whatever you’re struggling with, someone else out there has been in that situation before. A great quote is “The difference between a Master and a Novice is that the Master has failed more times than the novice has even attempted”.
8. Learn how to read and play your songs from memory, tab, chord chart and music notation. You’ll be surprised at how much each one will improve you.
9. Play electric and acoustic. Even if you’re strictly a classical guitarist, get some experience on both styles of guitars. I used to have a “Clean Day” each week, where I wouldn’t play with distortion or any other effects. This will bring out some sloppiness in your playing and allow you to fix it up!
10. Write. This may also include improvising for those inclined (which should be everyone).

So, did you find these tips useful and inspiring? Have questions? Let us know!