Sound Like a Pro Without Playing a Million Notes

Sound Like a Pro Without Playing a Million Notes.

When guitarists think about sounding “professional,” the mind usually jumps straight to flashy techniques—blistering speed, impossible stretches, and exercises that demand monk-level dedication. While it’s true that many pros can pull those things off effortlessly, that’s not actually what makes them sound pro.

The real magic happens in much simpler moments. Even when playing something technically easy, great players have a way of pulling you in. Every note feels intentional, expressive, and alive. In this article, we’ll look at a few deceptively simple ideas professionals rely on—and how you can apply them immediately, regardless of your current skill level.

Spoiler alert: this isn’t about learning more notes. It’s about using the ones you already have better.

Let the Note Breathe Before You Shake It.

Vibrato is one of the most expressive tools in your entire guitar toolbox. It’s also deeply personal—no two players execute vibrato in exactly the same way, because it’s shaped by subtle hand movements unique to you. That’s great news, because it means vibrato is a huge part of developing your own voice.

That said… vibrato abuse is real.

One of the biggest differences between amateur and professional-sounding players is when and how vibrato is used. Slapping the same wide vibrato on every single note is the fastest way to make your playing sound forced or overcooked.

Instead, practice delayed vibrato. Let the note ring out cleanly first, then add vibrato after a moment. This instantly adds intention and maturity to your phrasing. From there, vary the vibrato itself. Wider and faster vibrato works great for climactic moments, while slower, shallower vibrato suits calmer sections. When things really heat up, sustained, intense vibrato throughout the note can hit hard.

Think of vibrato like seasoning—use different amounts depending on the dish. Master this, and your tone alone will start sounding far more professional.

Silence Is Part of the Solo.

Another hallmark of pro-level playing is the intelligent use of space. Watch any great guitarist and you’ll notice they don’t fill every second with notes. Space creates contrast, tension, and release—things that nonstop playing simply can’t achieve.

Imagine someone telling a story without ever pausing to breathe. Same speed, same intensity, zero breaks. You’d tune out pretty fast (or fake a phone call). Guitar works the same way.

Leaving space between phrases allows intense moments to feel more intense and relaxed moments to actually relax. It turns your solo into a conversation instead of a data dump. These rises and falls keep the listener engaged—and just as importantly, they keep you interested in what you’re playing.

Remember: silence isn’t emptiness. It’s punctuation.

Make Fewer Notes Do More Work.

When we’re put on the spot—jam session, rehearsal, or improvising over a backing track—it’s tempting to unload every technique we’ve ever practiced. Sweep this. Tapping that. Sprinkle legato everywhere. But great players know one crucial thing: everything you play must serve the music.

You don’t need to use everything you know. In fact, you shouldn’t.

“Doing more with less” means keeping phrases simple and squeezing as much expression as possible out of fewer notes. When you can make four or five notes sound compelling, everything else becomes a bonus—not a crutch.

This is why so many legendary solos are built around memorable motifs and hooks, gradually building toward a climax where the flashier techniques finally appear. The advanced stuff hits harder because it’s surrounded by restraint.

If you can make a small number of notes sing, you can make anything sound great.

Final Thoughts.

These ideas are simple, practical, and powerful—and they work no matter where you’re at as a guitarist. More importantly, they help you sound better now, not after another six months of drills.

Have fun with your playing at every stage. Focus on expression, intention, and storytelling. When you do, sounding professional stops being about showing off and starts being about connection—and that’s where the real music lives.

If your guitar solos sound scale-y and like a bunch of exercises, you need to fix that ASAP. Contact me and tell me all about your challenges and goals here: Get Help Now!

Or, click this link: https://guitarkl.com/your-skill-level/

April 16, 2026April 16, 2026

Staying Fired Up: Keep Your Guitar Motivation Alive

Staying Fired Up: Keep Your Guitar Motivation Alive.

Becoming the best guitarist you can be isn’t a finish line—it’s a lifelong jam session. Players who truly take the instrument seriously usually share one thing in common: they never stop being students. If you look closely at your guitar heroes, even the ones who’ve melted faces for decades, you’ll notice something interesting. Despite their insane level of mastery and legendary status, they still feel there’s more to learn. They’re still refining, tweaking, and chasing better tone, better feel, better phrasing.

That mindset—“there’s always another level”—is a huge reason they’ve stayed relevant and inspired for so long. And the secret fuel behind that mindset? They actively look for inspiration and ways to stay motivated. In this article, we’ll break down practical ways to keep your motivation strong and train your mind to think like the greats—without losing your sanity or love for the instrument.

Stop Competing, Start Learning

Guitarists are naturally self-aware creatures. That’s great—until it turns into unhealthy comparison. When you watch someone who’s ahead of you technically, your brain usually chooses one of two paths.

The first path is the dark one: intimidation. You start stacking their strengths against your weaknesses and suddenly you’re questioning your entire existence as a guitarist. “Why am I even practicing when this person can already do everything I can’t?” That spiral of self-doubt is one of the fastest ways to kill motivation and make your guitar collect dust in the corner.

Here’s the reality check: your guitar journey is uniquely yours. Comparing yourself to another player without considering how long they’ve played, how they practice, or what their goals are is completely pointless. Different inputs, different outputs.

The second—and far more useful—path is inspiration. Instead of tearing yourself down, ask better questions. “What do I need to work on to play like that?” Or better yet, ask the player directly how they practiced that technique or phrase. Most guitarists love talking shop and geeking out over practice methods.

This is exactly how elite players think. When they hear someone better than them, they don’t get discouraged—they immediately notice gaps in their own playing they hadn’t seen before. That awareness fuels motivation and keeps progress moving forward.

Practice Hard, Play Harder

Taking guitar seriously doesn’t mean sucking the fun out of it. Yes, discipline matters—but let’s not forget why we picked up the instrument in the first place. It’s called playing guitar for a reason.

When you’re deep in technique mode—chasing speed, accuracy, or a stubborn lick—it’s easy to get tunnel vision and forget the joy of simply making music. That’s when burnout sneaks in.

The fix? Make your practice more musical. Turn robotic exercises into real music. Take a boring chromatic drill and adapt it to a key. Practice scales over backing tracks. Break massive goals into smaller wins you can actually celebrate. Even something as simple as nailing a cleaner string change deserves a quiet fist pump.

And if you’re really fried—step away from “practice” altogether. Just play. Pretend you’re on stage in front of a sold-out crowd, strike a ridiculous pose, and rip into your favorite riffs. Anything that reconnects you with excitement will reset your mindset and remind you why guitar is worth the effort.

Think Beyond the Struggle

Mastery is never smooth sailing. If it were easy, it wouldn’t mean anything. Struggles are part of the deal—but they don’t get the final word unless you let them.

When you hit a wall that feels impossible, zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Instead of saying “I can’t do this” or “my fingers just aren’t built for this,” picture a future version of yourself who already can. See it clearly. Feel the movement under your fingers. Hear how clean and confident it sounds. Notice where you are, how your hands feel, and the rush that comes with finally nailing it.

This kind of visualization isn’t wishful thinking—it’s a powerful mental tool used by top performers in every field. The more detailed your vision, the easier it becomes to push through the hard parts knowing they’re temporary.

Let Your Heroes Light the Way

Your guitar influences play a massive role in your motivation. Watching your heroes do what they do best sparks that internal fire that makes you want to be better—whether that means emulating their style or carving out your own voice.

Go deeper than just copying licks. Learn how they practiced. Read interviews. Study their habits. Look at who their influences were and how that shaped their sound. This lineage of inspiration is how unique styles are born.

And remember—no matter how much you study others, you can’t help but sound like you. Once you start noticing your own quirks and tendencies on the instrument, lean into them. Exaggerate them. That’s how your personal voice develops—and when that happens, inspiration stops being something you chase and starts becoming something you generate.

Final Thoughts

Staying inspired and motivated isn’t about talent, experience, or speed. It’s about mindset and habits. No matter where you are on your guitar journey, these approaches can keep you moving forward, enjoying the process, and growing consistently.

Keep learning. Keep playing. And most importantly—keep loving the instrument.

If you’re stuck with your guitar playing and need help, get in touch with me and tell me all about your challenges and goals here: Get Help Now!

Or, click this link: https://guitarkl.com/your-skill-level/

April 13, 2026April 16, 2026

Turn Your Weaknesses Into Exercises

what if the fix is smaller than you think?

A smarter way to analyse your guitar playing and make real progress.

When you start analysing your guitar playing, you’ll quickly realise there are a lot of different areas to look at. Some are obvious, like speed or accuracy, while others are more subtle—the kind that quietly hold you back while you wonder why your playing still doesn’t feel solid. Real, consistent improvement comes from identifying where your weak spots are, working on them in isolation, and then integrating them back into your actual playing. Simple idea… not always a simple process. Almost everything we do on the guitar is made up of multiple actions happening at the same time. Some of these were fully aware of, and others are running on autopilot. Understanding this is the
first step to practicing smarter instead of just practicing longer.

One Note Is Never Just One Note.

Even something as basic as picking a single note and letting it ring out involves a surprising number of elements. You need to fret in the right spot (not right on top of the fret, and not halfway across the fretboard either), apply the correct amount of pressure, decide whether to add vibrato—and if so, how wide or fast it should be—set your picking-hand position, control your pick angle, choose the picking motion, and decide where on the string you strike it. That’s a lot going on for something we usually describe as “just play the note.” A good teacher can often spot weaknesses you might not even realise are there. But for long-term progress, it’s crucial that you learn how to break down and analyse your own playing. Once you do, the specific areas holding you back tend to become much clearer—and usually easier to fix than you expected.

Find the Exact Moment Things Go Wrong.

Another important question to ask is when a problem actually happens. Many issues only show up at certain tempos. Slow things down and everything sounds fine. Speed it up, and suddenly your playing starts to fall apart. That’s not random—it’s information.
If you want to fix a problem, you need to know exactly when it appears so you can recreate that situation and isolate the motion causing it. For example, in three-notes-per-string scale patterns, a very common issue is switching cleanly from one string to the next.

Instead of practicing the entire scale and hoping it improves, isolate the exact moment where the change happens: the last note on one string and the first note on the next. That’s the transition that usually causes trouble. By isolating that motion, you can build entire exercises around it. Practicing just that one movement repeatedly will drastically shorten the time it takes to fix the problem.

Isolate, Fix, and Integrate.

When practicing isolation exercises, focus is everything. Avoid the mindless practice trap—where your fingers are moving, your amp is on, and your brain is thinking about literally anything else. That kind of practice is inefficient and usually leads to slow or inconsistent results. Break your practice time into smaller, focused sections. Work specifically on things like picking-hand efficiency, string-to-string transitions, fretting-hand tension, and clean string changes. Make sure you stay relaxed while practicing by regularly checking for unnecessary tension in your hands, shoulders, or anywhere else that decides to lock up without permission. Spend at least five focused minutes on each area before moving on. As these isolated movements improve, they’ll start to feel more natural and effortless. That’s your signal to integrate them back into real playing—licks, riffs, solos, and improvisation—rather than leaving them trapped in exercise mode. The key takeaway is simple: turn your weaknesses into exercises. Do this across all adjacent string pairs, and don’t be afraid to create your own ideas that focus exclusively on the motions you’re working on. This keeps your practice musical and your mind engaged. While this article uses string changes as the main example, the same approach applies to messy chord transitions, unwanted string noise, bends that don’t quite hit pitch, inconsistent vibrato, slides, and almost any technical challenge you’ll face on the guitar. Apply this approach consistently, and you’ll spend less time guessing what to practice and more time
actually improving!

If you’re stuck with your guitar playing and need help, get in touch with me and tell me all about your challenges and goals here: Get Help Now!

Or, click this link: https://guitarkl.com/your-skill-level/

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025

Practice Note Functions, Not Intervals To Improve Your Ear

Practice note functions, not intervals to improve your ear

By Janus Buch

In my years as a full time guitar teacher it baffles me, that teachers keep emphasizing the importance for singing and hearing intervals in music. My teachers did it at the university that I attended and they continue doing it in music schools and highschools all over the country. I spend countless hours trying to lean it and after leaning it, I haven’t really used it all that much. In my opinion there is a better and easier way to improve your ear. And this is backed up by all the students that I’ve taught through the years. This article aims to explain why intervals is a waste of time and what you should do instead to improve your ear faster and become much more proficient in the musical use of your ears.

Why intervals such.

First of all intervals takes a lot of time and effort to learn. This fact in itself is enough to hate practicing the intervals. But the main reason it is so hard is that when we’re training intervals we’re actually doing ear training in a non-musical context. When we listen to the music we like we are actually doing ear training all along so we wanna train our ears in a way, that complements this and uses the skills that we already have. Let me ask you a rhetorical question. Have you ever listened to a song live and been in doubt when the song was finished and it was time to applaud?

No, neither have anybody else. You can gather 30.000 people in a stadium and everybody instinctively know, when the song is over and when to clap. The reason for this is that everybody has an intuitive feeling of where “home” or the tonics-chord is in a particular song. This is the way music is heard and we wanna use this instinctive feeling in everyone of us to train our ears in the easiest and most effective way possible. In the next passage, I will tell you how.

How to train your ears.

The way you develop a super ear is to train your ear to recognize particular note functions. In other words, what does a root note sound like? What does a major seventh sound like and in which direction does it wanna resolve? The way you do it is to play a backing track consisting of a root note only and and then play, listen to and internalize the sound and feel of all the twelve cromatic notes. The major scale is simply a combination of seven of these notes and the minor scale is another combination of notes. But once you know how all the cromatic notes sound and fell it is much easier to associate the scale with a sound. Or if you wanna make a melody with a specific feel this becomes much easier as it’s just a matter of what note functions to use. Train this method for a month and you will never go back to training intervals again.

About the author: Janus Buch is the owner and head teacher at Bredballe Guitarskole located near Horsens in Denmark. Here he’s offering different guitar programs for the serious guitar player, who are ready to take their guitar playing to the next level. If you are frustrated with the current state of your playing and you are teaching for the best guitar lessons in Horsens, Bredballe Guitarschool is the only place you need to look. Go to our webpage and book your first guitar lesson NOW!

April 3, 2025April 3, 2025

Fending Off Writer’s Block

By Tommaso Zillio

If you ever tried to compose a song or write any kind of music, then you probably experienced writer’s block. This is when you just stare in the void desperately trying to come up with an idea, but nothing comes to your mind.

No matter how hard you stare, the piece of paper in front of you is going to stay blank. No matter how hard you will your mind to be creative, nothing comes to you. This is writer’s block.

It’s not a fun situation to be in.

And if you’ve never tried to write a song… tell you what, you will probably experience the same whenever you want to improvise on your instrument, or do something creative in general.

Now, here’s the thing: the easiest way to fight writer’s block is to do it BEFORE you have it. Hey, if it has happened to you already, no problem: there ARE ways to eliminate it (see below)… but it’s much easier if you start working on it before it happens.

Like an illness, prevention is easier and better than the cure. An apple a day and all that…

So here’s a few short points that can help you:

Either you are writing, or you are judging your writing. Do not mix the two activities. There is a little part of your brain that will criticize EVERYTHING you do, and if you give it an inch it will take a mile. And guess what’s going to happen if you let it run free and criticize everything you write? That’s right: your brain will stop giving you ideas.
Write a little something every day. This could be just a chord progression, or a couple of lines of lyrics, or a short melody. You do not have to remember it, you do not have to record it down… you don’t even have to LIKE it. Just write something until it becomes an habit.
Also (very important): watch the video below where I answer the questions of a young composers regarding inspiration and writer’s block. You will find many things that do apply in your situation.

And if you haven’t written anything today yet… just go do it now! (It’s easy once you get started)

About The Author

Tommaso Zillio is a professional prog rock musician, and enjoys writing helping aspiring composers by writing columns about songwriting.

April 3, 2025April 3, 2025

Sometimes wrong notes are right… if you know what to play after

Sometimes Wrong Notes Are Right… If You Know What To Play After

By Tommaso Zillio

When you start to learn lead guitar, you are (usually) introduced to the concept of “good” notes and “bad” notes. Even if your teacher does not do that (and let’s be clear here, he may have some very good reasons for not explaining this to you at first), it’s quite plain that when you try to play a solo, some notes sound good on a backing track, and other simply sound “off”.

That’s a good “first approximation” to have. Yes, it is perfectly true that some notes sound better than others on a given backing track, and your teacher will help you learn (in case he didn’t already) everything about scales and keys and scale patterns and chord notes. That will help you sound better.

But then again, this is only an approximation. As someone said (this quote was attribute to every other past musician…) “there are no wrong notes, only wrong resolutions”.

But wait, didn’t we say that some notes sound bad on a backing track? So how can there be “no wrong note”?

Yes we did say that. Here’s the point: some notes sound bad on a backing track if you play them BY THEMSELVES. But – and here’s the ‘secret’ – if you play them together with other carefully chosen notes, then they sound good.

In short: one note ALONE may be right or wrong. But add a few other notes around, and the wrong note may just become right because now it makes sense in context.

Now the curious thing that happen when you are able to make the “wrong” notes sound “right” (and I’m going to show you a trick for that below) is that your solos now sound much better for two reasons:

You have more notes available to play, because you can use not only the “right” notes but also the “wrong” ones. This allows you more control and more power of self- expression.
By learning how to make the “wrong” notes sound “right” you learned how to control your soloing better.

These are both two very desirable things to have as a guitar player. And I guess at this point you are itching to see how it’s done. I explain a very simple example in the video below where I show how some metal riffs use “wrong” notes to sound more exotic:

About The Author

Tommaso Zillio is a professional prog rock musician and a regular writer of columns about Music Theory for Guitar.

February 27, 2023April 1, 2025

What It Takes To Release An Album

What It Takes To Release An Album

Are you a musician, looking to release an album or an EP?

If the answer is yes, then roll up your sleeves, because a lot of things will have to get done before the release will actually happen.

First off, I am by far not a music marketing specialist. But I am a part of two active rock bands, who regularly release their music. And I am writing from our first-hand experience about what was needed from us, before the album was actually released.

The choice to be a musician can be scary to some people, especially because most musicians over-dramatize the effort you need to put in to make it work on even a smaller scale.

But music is a business, just like any other business, where – believe it or not – you have to put in the work.

To not turn anyone away: the work itself can actually be very much FUN. The fact is that most of the stress is caused by: over-thinking, no planning and confusion. Write things down, have it all planned out beforehand, and stick to the plan. If you don’t have 8 hours per day to work on your music career, that’s okay, plan your work to get it done in the few hours per week you actually have.

Photo by Ron Lach

From experience, I can tell you that the most stress for us was caused by not having things laid out in front of us. That made us forget important things, and chase last minute solutions.

And trust me, when you need a designer to create an awesome album art, or a filmmaker to make your music video in the last minute, everyone is busy working on other projects. Most of them do not even pick up the phone. It’s like the universe is working against you.

That being said: write things down. This action itself will put your mind at ease and lower the stress. Then you simply start working on it and enjoy the work. Every task you complete, will bring you closer to your goal.

Yes, there will be days, when you will have to shoot music videos for more than 16 hours, but it’s going to be a thrilling experience. You could be at home watching TV, but no, you are actually creating something awesome that will last a lifetime. With that mindset, it’s very easy to get things done and feel good about it.

Masters

Before you release an album, make sure you have the last versions of master tracks on your hard drive. As obvious as this one is, it’s very easy to be chasing after any last minute improvements, run late or miss the deadlines. Remixing, mastering and exporting tracks takes time. And if you are working with professional studio personnel, they might not be available at all times.

To ease the stress, have the tracks in your hand at least 3 weeks before you plan to release your album.

Names of the songs

Have all the names for the songs figured out, including the syntax. You might want to capitalize each letter in the name, or write everything capitalized, or maybe do something more creative in between.

Plan to have this figured out at least 3 weeks before the release.

Name of the album

Again, an obvious one, but plan to have this one ready beforehand. You will probably need the name of the album for your cover art and PR.

Have this one ready at least 4 weeks before the release.

Order of the songs

Order of the songs is important. It will make your album flow seamlessly, or make it sound repetitive and dull.

One good idea is to try to break similar songs apart. Listen to the end of one song, and the start of the next song. It’s good for them to have different tempo, key, rhythm, and instruments.

Also think about the energy you want the album to have throughout. You usually want to start with some bangers and sneak some slower songs later on. More complex songs work best in the second half of the album. But you can do whatever you want here, it’s your creation. Just think about how the order of the songs will improve upon it.

If you are planning only a digital release, have the order figured out at least 2 weeks before the release. But if you are also doing physical copies, you will probably need the order of the songs printed on the cover, so keep that in mind.

Length of silence between the songs

The silence between the songs is very important for the flow of the album. Once you have the masters, simply listen to the songs in the correct order and think about how shortening/lengthening the silence can improve the flow.

If you want to make any changes, you can do them by yourself using a DAW. Just make sure you export the same format as the files you have received to avoid lowering the sound quality.

Have this done at least 2 weeks before the release.

Album art

You should start working on this as soon as you get the resources you require (album name, song names, order of the songs). This is how your album will be presented to the audience on digital platforms as well as physical copies. Have this one ready at least 2 weeks before you plan the release.

Other resources

Here are also some things you might want to think about before releasing the album. These resources help you promote your album and make online distribution complete.

Photos of you or your band
Singles (pick your singles and plan your release before/after the album)
Music videos accompanying single releases
Lyrics written out (these are usually uploaded to online music platforms)
PR text to send out to the media
Other content for promotion (interviews, reviews, remixes, different song versions – use these to promote the album)

Timeline

Now that you have thought about all of these things that need to get done, put them on a timeline, and stick to the plan. Simply put the deadlines into an Excel file and share it with your crew if you have one.

And that’s it. I hope this gives you a better idea on what needs to be done before you release an album. The key here is to plan your work and work your plan.

About the author

Janez Janežič is a creative guitar teacher, songwriter, and guitarist from Novo mesto, Slovenia. If you are looking for quality, fun and effective guitar lessons in dolenjska region, be sure to look up his guitar school: kvalitetne lekcije kitare v okolici Novega mesta.

September 9, 2022January 18, 2024

Why your music teacher can’t tell you what guitar to buy

Why your music teacher can’t tell you what guitar to buy

As a guitar teacher I teach a lot of beginning guitar students. All of these students are eventually faced with the decision of witch guitar to buy. Maybe it’s their very first guitar or they started out on some cheap crappy guitar and now they want something better. The question of “can you recommend a guitar for me to buy” is sure to pop up sooner or later from these students.

Basically, they want me to recommend a specific brand and preferable also a specific model. Most beginning guitar students don’t feel, they possess the knowledge or skills to pick out their own guitar. This question is fear based at its core. Fear of making a bad purchase, loosing money and not getting a good guitar, but it’s also a fear of simply being in a guitarshop and “exposing” that they are newbies on the guitar. That is the real reason, they want me to recommend a guitar, but the problem with recommending a guitar is twofold.

For one, we are all different individuals so the guitar that fits me in terms of size, sound, playability and so on, may not be a good fit in any of the categories for you. And secondly, even though a brand has a good reputation and creates a lot of quality guitars, there is always the risk, that the specific guitar you consider buying is flawed in some way. So even if I did recommend a guitar, there is no guarantees, you wouldn’t buy a bad guitar. The real value for you as a student is to learn how to evaluate a guitar and this article will give you the main points.

Objective and subjective criteria

The objective criteria are simply “does the guitar live up to standard” meaning, does the guitar work as it’s supposed to. There is a ton of easy accesable knowledge on this online. Simply go to yourtube and write “how to buy (insert whatever guitar you consider buying)” and you will get a lot of help. You have to learn what to check for and how to do it. Then you have to go practice it on real guitars without actually buying anything yet. This will boost your confidence, when you eventually are going to go buy a guitar.

The subjective criteria

This is all the “difficult” questions. Do I like the guitar?, does it sound great? play well? and so on. These are all the questions, that beginning guitar players feel, they can’t answer. The truth is, they are the only ones who CAN answer that, as this guitar is for them. We are only judging what you think of the guitar and not how it compares to some kind of arbitrary standard. You are the one who are buying the guitar, you are the one who will be playing it and therefore, only your opinion matters. Start assessing guitar and ask your self three question. Do I like the way it looks, do I like the way it sounds and do I like the way it plays. Rate the guitar on a scale from 1-5 in all cases and you will slowly begin to pinpoint what you feel about a certain guitar and this is what builds your confidence. What you feel, is the truth about that guitar for you and the only difference between a newbie and a pro buying a guitar, is that the pro has learned to trust in whatever they feel or think about a guitar. This is what you need to develop as well. When you have done this, you will never have to ask advice on buying a guitar again.

About the author: Janus Buch is the head teacher and founder of Bredballe Guitarskole in Denmark. Bredballe Guitarskole is located near Horsens and we offer a wide verity of programs to take your guitar playing to the next level. A lot of guitar players find them selves stuck in a rut when it comes to their progress. Even though they do practice and spend a lot of time on youtube lessons, they don’t feel like they are getting anywhere. If this sounds like you, we are able to help you. If you are native to the area, seek you Bredballe Guitarskole for the best value for money guitar lessons in Horsens.

September 9, 2022January 18, 2024

Essential Items You Need When You Buy Your First Guitar

When you purchase your first guitar, you should plan on buying a few other things too. These essential items make starting to play and care for your guitar much easier.

1. Pen and Paper

Pen and paper is a simple thing that is often overlooked. As you learn, you want to get in the habit of writing everything down. You will learn much faster if you write out chords and scales yourself instead of just printing diagrams you found online or constantly looking at books.

Notebooks are also a great place to keep a list of what you would like to learn to play or any musical ideas you have. Keeping a practice journal will also help you see all your progress.

2. Picks

You can never have too many picks. Losing and misplacing picks happens to everyone who plays the guitar. Beginners should try picks with different thicknesses. Most beginners like the feel of medium picks. Many guitar players like thicker picks once they have some experience playing. It is OK to try picks made from different materials and different sizes. Finding a pick you like using usually takes some time and comes down to personal preference.

3. Tuner

You will want to tune your guitar every time you play it. An out-of-tune guitar sounds awful and is no fun to play. There are many different tuners, but all you need to get started is a cheap clip-on tuner like a Snark.

4. Extra Strings

Strings will break. It is not a big deal, but you want to be prepared and have extra strings handy. Even if you are lucky and don’t break any strings, you will want to get in the habit of changing your strings every three or four months. A fresh set of guitar strings will make your guitar sound fantastic.

5. Metronome

Learning how to play in time is essential. The sooner you learn how to use a metronome, the better you will sound. A trained teacher will be able to help you learn how to use your metronome properly.

6. Case

You want to have a safe place to store your guitar. A hardshell case is the safest way to transport and store your guitar. A case allows you to control the environment for your guitar, protecting it from drastic temperature changes, humidity, and dust. You can keep your guitar on a stand or wall hanger, but make sure it is not stored in direct sunlight or by a heat source.

7. Cleaning Cloth

You can buy a cleaning cloth or use a soft material like a t-shirt. Wiping down your guitar after using it will help it look better and make your strings last longer.

8. Amp (optional)

As a beginner, all you will need is a small practice amp. You want to be polite and play at a reasonable volume initially. Many of the sounds that a beginner guitarist makes are not pleasant, but that is just part of the process. Playing through an amp will help you learn how to mute unwanted noises and control what sounds come out of your guitar. You can always buy a bigger amp once you are ready to start playing in a band or doing solo performances.

About the author: Brian Fish is a professional guitarist living in Northeast Ohio and is an expert guitar instructor at Guitar Lessons Geauga.

February 9, 2021January 18, 2024

How To Stay Motivated To Play Guitar

How To Stay Motivated To Play Guitar

Everyone who plays guitar will at times lose motivation. To some this sounds depressing, but this is a good thing. We all go through it. If we are ready for it, we can use it to our advantage.

You are making a mistake if you’re waiting until you feel motivated to actually take steps to get better on guitar. We can not control whether we wake up one day and feel ready to do all the things we’ve been thinking about doing. It doesn’t work that way. Don’t feel bad about not feeling motivated. It is not possible to feel motivated every single minute of every single day. It is difficult to maintain motivation by yourself.

Find An Expert

It’s challenging enough to try to figure out what you should be playing in order to actually get better. You just don’t know what you don’t know. So, what do people do when they are serious about getting better? It is the same as any area of life. They get a coach, a mentor, or a trainer. They hire a pro with experience getting people results who can lead them down the path to success.

When you have a pro level guitar teacher, you can rely on them to help you on the days when you’re not “feeling it.” An experienced guitar teacher helps you re-focus on what is important, on what you should be doing. Part of their job is to remind you of the reasons why you started taking lessons in the first place.

You’re Not Being Challenged

What I’ve seen in my students is that the problem isn’t a lack of motivation. The problem is that we easily get stuck in a counterproductive thinking pattern. This keeps you trapped in the same place even though you feel motivated to want a different future. A great guitar teacher should deliver playing breakthroughs and change the way you think. A good teacher helps you achieve your goals as well as develop and maintain a healthy mental state. They understand that negative beliefs about your playing will hold you back. If you’re feeling stuck right now, you’re not being challenged in your skills or in your mindset. They help you see what you can become.

It’s About You

If you need motivation, look for a teacher to train you according to YOU and not the same old curriculum used on everyone. Playing scales for an entire class is boring. Playing classic rock music when you don’t care about that style is boring. Learning becomes fun when it’s specific to your needs and musical desires. You see yourself making progress because you feel like playing more and more. With an experienced guitar teacher, there is no end to how much you can learn when you are ready for it. If they are good, they will constantly have more for you at each level and it never gets boring!!! Why? Because they know you. And because they are always going to challenge you to do better. A good teacher will help you see things in a different light so you can apply it to your playing.

All in all, how do you stay motivated with your guitar playing for the long term? Finding and sticking with an excellent guitar teacher is half the battle. They will be coaching you and supporting you every step of the way. Whether you have a bad day, you have a busy work load and any other reason that cause you to just not feel like it. Consistency over time is the key. So when life happens, lean on your guitar teacher for the motivation you need to keep moving forward.

About The Author: Ryan Duke is a professional musician, songwriter, and owner of Supertonic Guitar serving up guitar lessons in Franklin, TN.