What Do You Do to Learn A New Song?

How to go about learning new material

Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they don't remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what it's supposed to sound like.

 Don't practice mistakes. When you're just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you can't make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.

Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.

Be patient and don't try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast.

Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.