How to Keep Getting Better on Guitar

Making steady progress.

Everyone wants to make steady progress on the guitar, but be prepared for times when it doesn't seem to get any better. We all reach plateaus, and sometimes it can be very frustrating. A plateau is just a temporary setback, so try to accept it as that. When I was first learning guitar and later banjo, I remember sitting there wondering if I just ran out of talent or skill, and that was as good a player as I was capable of being. Over the years many students have told me "I think I'm getting worse instead of better." Here are some ways to help you get off the plateau and back to making progress.

Work out the details.

Whether you're a beginning guitar player, an intermediate player, or even a guitar teacher, there are times when it's easier to play what you know and not work on the hard parts! I'm as guilty as anyone, with a list of songs that I've never finished for whatever reason. Sometimes it's a physical problem, sometimes it's mental, and be honest with yourself, sometimes you just don't like the song well enough to finish it.

Physical problems.

I've had students who will complain about not being able to execute a particular fingering, complaining that either their fingers aren't long enough or that the pinky doesn't work. Before giving up, you can try using different fingerings or playing the passage on a different part of the fingerboard. The nice thing about the stringed instruments is that you can play the same note in different places. Maybe you can find the same notes higher up the neck where the frets are closer together. Most students don't take the time to strengthen the pinky, they just chalk it up as not being able to get it to work. Practice some stretching and strengthening exercises and you just might be surprised at the difference.

Mental problems, or, don't think.

Self-fulfilling prophecy time. Here comes that part I can't play. I always screw this part up. I can never get this part to sound right. Sound familiar? Almost any one of those problems can be solved by not over thinking the problem, thereby building self confidence. Guitar is a lot like sports. While talent is important to some extent, the ability to play the part perfectly has a lot more to do with how you perceive it. Get rid of those negative thoughts. If you think the part doesn't sound right, listen to recordings, get your teacher to help you make it sound right, then move along. I have students who can play passage perfectly, but they still come in convinced it "just doesn't sound right when I play it."

Secrets To Overcome Stage Fright

How to you get to the point where you can relax when playing on stage?

You will be nervous the first few times, no doubt about it. Learning to relax is a skill that you develop over time by playing in public when you can. My very first solo performance came when a friend who thought he was being funny signed me up for my high school talent show. I did a Jonathan Winters stand-up comedy routine, and was as nervous as I could get. After a few performances, when I realized they weren't going to boo me off the stage, I got to where I could relax and enjoy myself. There's doubt when you're up there by yourself, so confidence in your ability is the key.

Performance experience, practice, and passion are the keys.

The hardest part for me, even now, is when I play a song in public for the first time. I practice it until I'm confident that I can play it flawlessly, but there's still that tiny bit of self doubt in the make of my mind somewhere. After I've performed it in public a few times it becomes part of my song list and I don't really think about it.

Warming up helps too.

Some songs give me trouble even after I've performed them live, so then what I'll do is practice them a few times before I go on stage. I try to play the song faster than usual, so it seems easier to play it when the time comes. Difficult passages get played a few extra times, making me feel more confident about my ability to play them correctly. I start out playing chords, doing some stretching exercises for the left hand, and rolls or finger picking patterns with the right hand.

Sometimes you're just going to have a bad night.

The other thing I've learned is that sometimes the harder you try, the worse you get. Once you can accept that, it will help you relax and things will get better. I'd like to tell you that it never happens, but it does. Sometimes there's a reason, maybe your day didn't go well, or you got bad news about something, but other times you're just having an off night.

Don't get discouraged.

This last piece of advice is simple, you just have to keep trying. The more you perform, the easier it will become, and that's a fact. In my case, I'd say that I've replaced being nervous with being excited about playing. There's still adrenaline flowing, but now it's positive energy.

Everyone goes through it.

Whether you're a beginning guitarist, or a more advanced player, your experience will be the same. So go to some low pressure open mics, jam sessions, and musical gatherings. You'll always find someone who's in the same situation and you can help each other get over being nervous. I start my guitar and banjo students out with a controlled, slow jam, with no pressure. You don't have to play a solo unless you want to, you don't have to sing, you just get used to playing with others.

Give it your best shot, practice a lot, and get out there and mingle. Before you know it you'll be over your beginner's fears, you'll be relaxing, and best of all, you'll be enjoying music!

Avoiding Information Overload

Are you suffering from TMI? (Too Much Information)

There are literally thousands of resources for learning to play guitar. Beginning guitar players are being bombarded with information, opinions, learning methods, DVDs, you name it. There's really way too much to choose from, so your progress stops because you don't know who to listen to.


What should you learn first?

Some guitar teachers advise you to learn notes, some think it's chords, other think it's songs, and still others think it's technique. Here's how I approach teaching a beginning guitar student. Keep in mind that I don't engage in "cookie cutter" lessons where I teach the same way whether you're 8 years old or pushing 80.


There are things you should think about.

Even though you're just starting out, you should give some thought to what you're trying to do. For example, if you goal is to play and sing, you should probably start out by practicing chords. As soon as my students can play 4 or 5 chords I get them working on a song. It's a lot more fun to practice chords when they end up sounding like something. Don't buy a chord book with the intention of just memorizing all the chords. Unless you have a use for a give chord you're not likely to remember it.

Note reading, tabs, and chord charts.

While it's easy to find tablature, or tabs, for songs, it's still a good idea to learn at least a little about standard notation. Reading music is not as difficult as most people think it is, and there are lots of times when it's more useful. Tabs are not standardized, so most of them don't indicate rhythm. To use a guitar tab you'll need to have a recording of the song and preferably a way to slow it down. The program we use to slow songs down is: RiffMaster Pro. (Affiliate link.) The advantage to tab is that it's a number system so it's easier to read sometimes. Most songbooks come with the chords listed at the top of the 1st page and placed over the correct words.

Find yourself a teacher, at least in the beginning.

A professional, experienced teacher can help you sort through the choices available as well as answer questions. One of the problems with teaching yourself to play guitar is that it can take a long time to learn what a teacher could show you in a few minutes.

The main thing is to get started doing something!

After reading this post, I'm hoping you're ready to get started. Another negative from too much information is not knowing where to start, and putting off learning the guitar completely. Once you're on your way to playing you can make educated decisions about what to learn and in what order.

Any questions or comments? Post them below this article and I'll be happy to reply to them.

Tips For Using An Electronic Tuner

Getting in tune and staying in tune.

Lots of people buy electronic tuners which look easy to use, but then they have trouble getting in tune. I've had students tune to the wrong notes, not be able to figure out which way to turn the tuning knobs, or my favorite "that's close enough." Here are some tips to help you get in tune.

• Know which notes your instrument is tuned to. Standard guitar tuning from the 6th string, (the thick one), to the 1st string: 6=E, 5=A, 4=D, 3=G, 2=B, 1=E

•  What kind of tuner do you have? Chromatic means it has all the notes on it. A guitar tuner has just the guitar notes. It's worth the slight extra cost to buy a chromatic tuner. Many guitarists use alternate tunings and/or tune lower than standard pitch. A chromatic tuner enables you to match these tunings.

•  What the symbols mean. A sharp, the one that looks like a pound sign # means the string needs to be tuned lower. A flat, the one that looks like a lower case b, means the string is too low and needs to be tuned higher. Pick the string so you can tell how much it changes when you make it higher or lower. The thicker the string, the less you have to turn the tuner to change it. By playing the string you can also be sure you're tuning the right one. A common mistake is to play one string and tune a different one, resulting in a broken string.

• How to get an accurate reading. There's a tiny microphone built into the front of the tuner, so you need to be fairly close to it with an acoustic guitar. Electric guitars can be plugged directly into the electronic tuner. For best results, pluck the string every few seconds so the tuner receives a steady signal. Sometimes an adjacent string will vibrate sympathetically, so if the needle bounces around, stop the other strings. I usually use my left hand to deaden the strings and the right hand to pick with.

• Clip on tuners. Tuners that clip on to the peghead work by vibrations. If the tuner doesn't respond just try moving it a little. Most of the time that fixes the problem.

• How often should you tune your guitar? I highly recommend that you tune each time you play the guitar. Weather can affect the tuning, and the strings do tend to stretch, so tuning each time you practice is a good habit to get into. This also makes it less likely that your guitar will be way out of tune.

By following the tips above you should have a much easier time keeping your guitar in tune.

Still Trying To Learn To Play Guitar?

It's a trick question!

What's the difference between I'm going to learn to play guitar and I'm going to try to learn guitar? Trying implies that you're not sure about your decision to play, while going to shows more determination.
When a beginning guitar student signs up for lessons and then tells us they're willing to give it a try, or that they're going to try it for a couple months, a red flag goes up. Like any other pursuit, you need to commit to it. We have students that "don't want to spend much money in case I don't like it," or will buy an el cheapo instrument until "I get better." What message are you sending to yourself? It screams maybe I'll be lucky and be able to learn guitar.

Go in with a can do attitude. 

Music is something you can enjoy for a lifetime if you keep at it. I have a parent who keeps telling his child she needs to become more passionate about music, yet he's been telling me for a couple years about how he loves music and hasn't done anything to pursue his so-called love. So when you decide you're serious about learning and when you commit to learning, that's when your success rate increases.

I'll leave you with 2 of my favorite quotes:

Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. 
Henry Ford

Do, or do not, there is no try.
Yoda 

Memorizing Difficult Passages

What's keeping you from playing the song perfectly?

Beginning guitar students often hit a plateau where they wonder if they'll ever get any better. This usually happens after a couple months, when they realize what they've gotten themselves into. A mental block forms, and pretty soon they've convinced themselves that "that part doesn't sound right." Sometimes that's true, but a lot of times it's their perception of what it's supposed to sound like.

How to get over it and get on with it.

• Listen to a recording of the song. By listening to a correct version of the piece, you start to understand exactly what it should sound like. The best time to do that is when you're not trying to play the song. I had a banjo song that I learned wrong, and the way I corrected it was to listen to the recording over and over until I knew what it was supposed to sound like.

•  Slow down. I know, it sounds better fast. I also know if you can't play it slow you can't play it fast. Slow, deliberate practice is how you get over the hump and polish up the song.

• Have your guitar teacher play it with you. Learn the phrasing, the correct fingering and the correct dynamics. Practice the trouble part, then the parts before and after it, then build up speed.

• Be patient. Too many beginners try to do too much too soon, and then can't understand why they're not making enough progress. Take the advice above and you'll find that your progress will be slow but steady.

If you have any questions, comments or subjects you'd like to have me address, leave a comment and I'll be happy to help.

Bob Lucas
www.blguitars.net