Tag: guitar practice

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Become a Great Guitar Player from the Beginning

Become a Great Guitar Player by Slowing Down
You’re flying through the new tune you learned. I mean, really playing at rapid speed, imagining yourself as a truly great guitar player – the wind in your hair and a roaring crowd. Then, Plunk! A mistake. Plunk! Another mistake. You end up really struggling to get through the rest of the song.
I’m sure we all have had this experience time and time again. We have the urge to play fast, but we are doing harm to ourselves. We are doing harm in the short run because it will take longer to master the song or new technique, and harm in the long run because we are building up very bad habits of playing sloppily. I don’t let my guitar students play more than a measure of music if they are playing it faster than their ability. This requires a lot of consistency on my part, but the results are worth it. In order to become a more precise player from the beginning, be sure to slow down. Here’s why.

It’s Easier

This is the most obvious and straightforward reason. If you are a beginner, think about all of the new activities your brain has to process for every note you play. What is the pitch? What is the Rhythm? What is the left hand doing? What is the right hand doing? Is the guitar being held correctly? If you are playing really quickly, you simply can’t process all of this. You are essentially moving your fingers in hopes it will be correct. As you might imagine, this is not the way to advance your skills correctly.

You are Building a Habit of Precision

From the very first notes you play on the guitar, you should be focused on precision. Although the material is new to you, let’s face it, it’s pretty simple stuff. (If you are just picking up the guitar and what you are playing isn’t simple, please consider choosing easier material or a method book.) Spend this time really focusing on playing everything correctly. Only move forward when you feel confident that what you are playing is precise.

In doing this, you will be setting yourself up for success as the material gets more complicated. This is because you are developing the skill of practicing. This is one of the best skills you can possibly learn.

You Have a Stronger Connection with the Rhythm

Try this: Count 1, 2, 3, 4 at a very fast pace. Tap your foot along while you’re counting. Now try counting again, but much slower this time. Notice how your voice really connects with the tapping of your foot. Maybe your head will subconsciously start to nod along with the beat. Slowing down gives your entire body an opportunity to feel the beat, which means you will really connect with the rhythms you are playing on the guitar.

Success on any instrument relies on rhythmic proficiency. Since guitar is a plucked string instrument, it is extra important to have a very solid sense of rhythm. By playing fast, you are missing the opportunity to connect with the beat. Think about all of the music you listen to. What would it be without a good beat? Especially consider pop music. The songs that show up in the Top 40 usually have a moderate tempo.

It Strengthens your Fingers

One of the hardest parts of learning how to play guitar is learning how to play legato. (Italian for connected, it is the musical term for smooth playing) Many beginners hold the string down for long enough to get a note, then move on to the next note. This is because playing guitar requires left hand finger strength and mobility. By playing at faster speeds, your fingers are not spending enough time pressing down on the strings. This will cause your playing to sound choppy and disconnected.
During your practice. Play slowly and play the notes for their full duration. This means playing a whole note for 4 full beats, a half note for 2, etc. Your fingers will learn to connect with the strings and the rhythm. As music starts to get more complicated, your fingers will have the ability to move forward.

Play with a Metronome

The metronome is one of the best tools a musician can own. Nowadays you can get one for free on a smart phone or tablet. I definitely recommend getting a simple digital metronome because they don’t have Facebook. (Using apps for practicing can be great, but smart phones are practice session killers. I say this from an enormous amount of experience.)

Many guitarists associate playing with a metronome to building up speed. I find one of the best uses of the metronome is to make sure you don’t build speed. When you are learning a song on the guitar, especially as a beginner, set your metronome at a low tempo so you don’t have the urge to play any faster. Is playing along with the metronome very difficult? Work with it a little every day, when you have the ability to play along with the metronome you will have achieved a new level of mastery.

Metronomes are great for building your skills on the guitar. For more advice on building your skills, please check out my blog post on this topic!

My own Experience

When I was studying a very complicated Bach piece, I would essentially blow through it as a show off piece. During my performance, I would make a decent number of mistakes but shrug them off because I was getting most of the notes right. When I played the piece for my guitar teacher, he downgraded me to practicing it at 40 BPM to the 8th note. It was unnecessarily slow. The 6 minute piece would take 20 minutes to play through, but I played every note with the perfect right and left hand fingerlings. I also focused on the tone of every single note.
The process was tedious, but after putting the time in, the slow playing had done its job. I breezed through the piece flawlessly with perfect tone. The improvements I made to how I played the Bach piece immediately found their way into the other pieces I was performing. In other words, I had become a much better player.
My message about playing slowly applies to the most basic beginners to concert professionals. It is so easy to lose self control and start playing at top speed. Cut the speed in half or more during your practice and you will see your playing improve exponentially.
For more advice on developing your practicing skills as a guitarist, please check out my post on “Climbing the Mountain” and “Loving the Plateau.”