5 Habits That Will Make You A Better Guitarist
While practice can make perfect, there are more than a couple of habits you can learn to make you a better guitarist. Of course, you would be instructed to practice if you are a beginner at anything but keep on playing once you begin to learn a few chords. There are other habits that would help you improve and some of them are simply changing your mindset. You are not going to be the next Eric Clapton overnight or through practice alone but keep at it and you can become a great guitarist over time.
Daily Practice
It is an obvious habit to keep up yet daily practice will improve you as a guitarist. That could be as little as ten minutes a day though you should eke out a half an hour slot to make your daily practice worthwhile. That daily practice soon adds up and it could be even more beneficial than a two-hour practice once a week. By practicing every day you improve your muscle memory and pick up more skills, more quickly.
That practice should involve a warm-up, then some simple exercises before you focus on what you want to achieve. That could be a new chord, practicing a melody, or working out a difficult section of a song. If it’s adapting to an Electric Guitar then visit our website to find out which one could work for you.
Jamming With Other Musicians
If your end goal is to join a band then you should feel comfortable playing with other musicians. That can help you improve as a guitarist by helping you show how your playing can stand out or help develop an ensemble sound. You should also learn a lot from how other people become better musicians, even if they do not play a guitar.
By jamming with other musicians, you can find out how to learn new music skills or help each other out with different sections of music. Even by riffing with other musicians, you can have fun and learn at the same time. If you cannot find some individuals to play with, try jamming along to your favorite song or use virtual backing tracks. The aim is to fit in seamlessly and then work on your improvisation skills with a riff or a guitar solo to stand out.
Learn Something New
The best musicians always strive to learn something new, pretty much every time they pick up their instrument. That yearning for learning could mean learning a new chord or a new melody as a guitarist, maybe even a new tuning or a new amp. You could work out that you need to improve your riffing, your musical discipline, or even reading music. Try to set yourself a goal for every time you pick up the guitar and watch your playing develop.
Track Your Progress
Just as a sportsperson may check their form by checking over a video of them performing, you should consider recording yourself and tracking your progress. That can be via your smartphone or with a camera so you can see how your fingers are moving and listen intently to how you sound. It may be with your posture or how you hold the guitar. You can also use the audio recording to layer up different pieces of music together and form a single track.
One part could be the rhythm, another part could be the melody, and another part could be the guitar solo. You can also learn about composition and music production by putting it all together.
Invest In Some Lessons
Finally, if you need some true insight into how you can improve as a guitarist then invest in some lessons. By enrolling in guitar lessons, you are investing in the knowledge of someone who knows how to play. Your guitar instructor can help show you which areas of playing you excel at and which need improvement. There are different ways to learn from different types of lessons; whether that be in-person with an instructor, online via a tutorial, or from private guitar lessons.
Summary
You should be committed to becoming a better guitarist and it starts by picking up the guitar on a daily basis and practicing. There may also be some investment to be done; either in some lessons or some equipment to properly track your progress. A keenness to learn is a good habit to get into as you should be versatile enough to play with others or create a guitar solo to stand out. Above all, learn to enjoy playing the guitar and you should enjoy becoming better at it.