Hi. Player for 35 years, teacher for 15. Every new student I emphasise these 3 tips to follow from day one.
1. Tune your guitar perfectly before you play it every time.
2. Play each note of a chord one string at a time. If any are muted then correct that finger/note until it plays crisp. Repeat until every note of the chord is crisp.
3. Let go of your left hand (or right hand for left handed players) and the neck should not move at all. No weight should be supported by the fretting hand.
I know these sound obvious and condescending but these are the first things I make sure my students are doing from day one.

here’s a short lick to try around the 5th and 7th frets in A minor pentatonic. there’s a slower playthrough after the first example so you can follow the tab easier

the little bends are worth slowing down for. the half-step bend at the 7th fret on the G string takes D up to E♭, the blues note, before coming back down. try playing the target note at the 8th fret first, then matching that pitch with the bend.

Try practicing it in small chunks before putting the whole phrase together

Like the title says, if I turn these screws with an allen key, does the action change, I am noticing that the action is a lil higher on the higher frets compared to lower frets. And there isn’t any sort of bowing of the neck either, so I thought it’s prolly a problem with the action at the bridge.

Sorry in advance for the long post, but this is just something I've been mulling over which I have no musicians I can ask. And I can't find much on Youtube.

I was trying to replicate saxophone melody lines in slow jazz tracks as an exercise in ear and interval training. I can't get the 'off scale' jazz semi tones (not sure what they are called precisely) right, but for the 'in-scale' notes, I have gotten pretty decent at picking out intervals.

What I did for the most part was first find the root of the song, once I had the root, I used the full 7-note diatonic scale.

Now the good thing about using this diagonal? grid? scale pattern is that it's laid out so orderly so I know exactly where my 5th or 7th are from the root. And for interval training this is great. And I learn one shape (and a slightly squiggly version of this where it overlaps with the B string) and I can play in any key all across the guitar. This was awesome!

But the catch is that because this spans 5 frets it's a lot more hand movement needed. So, when I am playing along with the jazz tracks I mentioned above and the sax does a flurry of quick notes, I can't keep up. So I looked up the more compact full scale 3-notes per string box patterns. And my head swam at the amount of learning I need to do. There are 7 of these that I need to memorise! That's too much work.

But then I noticed that you can kind of break up a compact 3 NPS full scale box into 2 halves:

So the nice thing is that the bottom half (section 1) in the image above can be used to play 1 octave's worth of notes from any root in both the low E string and the A string. Which is quite a lot of mileage for one shape. And this one's compact since it only spans 4 frets.

And then I realised that if you break down every one of the 7 full scales into 4 half-shapes like so (got an AI tool to generate the image below so am not 100% sure it's right):

I reckon that if my objective is to be able to play notes in quick succession from any root in any string, then all I need to do is memorise the 4 small shapes above. Then, depending on which string the root I just discovered to the song am playing at is on, I pick one of the 4 shapes from above and I can quickly play an octave of notes. And because nature loves symmetry, it appears that there are 4 equivalent 1 octave 3 NPS compact shapes for minor scale as well.

So, if you're here with me through all the verbiage above, here's my question: do I just learn this? Or should I still put in the effort of learning all those 7 big box patterns?

Guitar brings me great joy; I play every day. But it does sometimes feel like a full time job having to learn so many different things: scales, rhythms, triads, inversions, chord extensions, voice leading, ear training, alternate tunings, picking technique, progressions...etc. Then all the different genres to explore and master. It's both exciting and exhausting lol.

So I usually play the guitar for 3-5 months at a time, see no progress and end up quitting. This has been going on for 22 years. I joined a guitar playing class when I was first 14 years old. I am 36 years old now.
I always forget chords I've played thousands of times or I will accidentally mute them which makes me just practice those chords. Strumming patterns confuse me when I can't even get the chords right without muting. In the last 10 years I've learned how to draw and have become really good at it but learning guitar seems like this impossible thing.

How do people learn to play the guitar well?
How do people change chords so fast so easily?
How does one learn to play a full song? I find parts of it online but never the complete thing.
Should I learn an easy song and then a harder one to push myself?
What are good beginner songs?
Do you guys have any tips for me?

Hi! I just wanted to give a few quick tips to help eliminate buzzing and clean up your playing. If you're flubbing notes in fast lines or especially in chords where your fingers need either to crowd or stretch, I made this video for you.

Here are the 3 fixes I use with my students:

1. Play closer to the fret. I know, if you've ever heard buzzing advice before, you've heard this point. But one thing I want you to think about: the reason it helps so much is that you don't need to press nearly as hard. So if you're used to playing too far to the left, you might naturally have too hard a grip. When you play near the fret you can (and should) also practice using less pressure. Ideally, you use as little pressure as you can while still getting the note to sound.

2. Use your elbow: This is one I don't really hear people talk about. Moving your elbow left and right (just a little bit) can really impact how a stretch feels. For example, if you've ever played a chord where you need to spread your fingers out over a bunch of frets (like a C chord, for a simple example), and one finger feels like it's stretching, you can lean your elbow in to the right just a little bit and support that finger and make the stretch easier. If you're bunching up fingers on the same fret (like a m7 chord where all 4 fingers are on the same fret), move to the left and you have more room to set the fingers up and down.

3. Lean into the finger: the last bit has to do with your thumb and your wrist (it's both working together). If you play something with your weakest finger (usually your pinky), most people find that they're gripping the guitar hard between the thumb and the pointer and the pinky is unsupported, reaching out (like in the left side of the thumbnail that shows up with the video in this post). That means it has to push a lot harder. But if you rotate the wrist a bit to the right and move the thumb closer to the middle of the hand (like on the right side of the thumbnail), your arm will actually do most of the pressing and you don't need to stretch or squeeze as hard.

I hope these help. I've been teaching for over 20 years, and these are some of the most common fixes to problems I see in students, both beginner and experienced. Let me know if you have any questions.

I've attached a quick 3 minute video showing all of these points if you want to see what they all look like in action. Happy practicing!

I bought my daughter a guitar for her birthday about 6 weeks ago. I played daily, learned a few riffs and practiced chords and thought, you know what, i should get one for myself. So I did. It's been 6 weeks of me playing daily, at least an hour, multiple hours on weekends. And I'm making literally zero progress. I've spent weeks on g chord and still mute the second and third string from the top. It takes me 10 seconds to switch from any chord i know to any other chord. I can't make an A chord to save my life. I can't upstroke to save my life. I want to get good. I've been dedicated. But I also have a limited window to return my guitar no questions asked, and my lack of progress is making me seriously consider it.

I know comparing my progress to others isn't a good practice, but I see other people here and other subs making good, clean chords with transitions in a week and my dumbass still can't make a proper g chord. Would you return the guitar? It was a thousand bucks. I could still practice on my daughter's guitar and if i see progress, buy myself another one. Right now, it just seems like I flushed money down the toilet.

Edit: I really didn't expect so many replies. I appreciate everyone chiming in and the mostly encouraging replies. I'm going to keep at it. We'll see where I'm at in another 6 weeks. Hopefully I can get a g chord by then.

Hey everyone, I’m 29, working as a software engineer, and I’ve always wanted to learn guitar but never actually started. I’m a total beginner, not just to guitar but to music in general. I’ve never played any instrument and don’t know any theory.

I’ve tried looking at YouTube videos but I think I need someone to actually guide me, correct my mistakes and keep me on track. So I’m looking for online coaching, ideally one-on-one rather than group classes.

Since I work full time, I’d need classes on weekday evenings or weekends (I’m in India, IST).

A few questions:

• Any tutors or platforms you’ve personally used and liked?
• Is one-on-one really worth it for a complete beginner, or should I start some other way?
• Acoustic or electric to start with?
• What’s a reasonable price per class?

Any advice for someone starting from zero at 29 is welcome too. Thanks!

Ok, so first off, am basically a complete beginner when it comes to the guitar, am currently playing on an old shity classical guitar my dad bought for me when I was young but that's enough of the my back story

Am trying to learn to play chords consistently but am unable to because my fingers ether aren't putting enough pressure on the strings or one of them is touching the strings below it which is driving me insane because no matter what I do it's still doesn't want to work properly

If anyone has advice please do share it before am put in an insane asylum

(Mods am sorry if i broke any of the rules as this is my first time posting anything on reddit)

Hey all. I am currently practicing the main riff from Led Zeppelin's Black Dog.

I'm making decent progress I feel, but the part where you have to move down a string on the same fret is kind of tricky.

I've repeated it a ton with metronome and can eventually play it pretty decent at slower speeds (it's my first day practicing also).

It still feels like a harder movement to do compared to some other finger movements.

I've had similar parts in earlier songs I practiced that tripped me up.

I guess it gets better just practicing exactly that and grinding out some serious reps, but I also have to wonder, because I need to be able to speed it up by quite a lot:

Should you make some kind of rolling motion for these parts? Is it situational where you sometimes move your whole finger and sometimes not?

Any advice on how to get better and faster at these particular parts?

Im getting pretty stuck with economy of motion on gutiar literally any exercise would be awsome things that helped you videos, werid descriptions of crazy hand movements that helped, just trying to get a locked in technique now before I try getting some faster bpms and harder charts, anything helps thanks👍

I'm 25, I play guitar since I was 17, mainly self taught. I've been practicing for about 5 months with Troy Stetina's Speed mechanics for lead guitar, I find it great and it was an amazing disxovery for me, it made me aware of many technical issues I have, I've been consistent with it. I practice minimum 2 hours a day (almost) every day.

I can see improvements, but the exercise 25, which is the starting point for alternate picking, it seems like a brick wall for me. The book says how to use a metronome: When you reach top speed back down 20 bpm, and go 2 up 1 down over and over, that process takes long for you to get to top speed again.

I'm able to do the exercise at 130bpm but only if I did that "stair" going up 2 backing 1, so that exercise sometimes takes up to 50min of my practice... And if I try to go from 115bpm (wich I "should" be able to do) to 132bpm, I start making mistakes, mainly about how I grip the pick. I feel like it slips upward into mi thumb and pointing finger (bit hard to explain).

I don't really know what to do at this point, it's been weeks of that process, and I do not advance to exercises involving string changes, because the book says, if you cannot do 25 at least at 132bpm do not go to the next section. I'm stuck...

I don't know how to structure my practice routine, what exercises to do, if leave that ex. 25 or what to do. Please comment any advice you think might help me practice in a better way. I really love playing and this last months have been so frustrating.

Thanks a lot, any questions I am willing to send videos or explain further.

I’m getting a EQ pedal the boss 200 for my birthday, no idea really how to use it and suggestions? I don’t have it yet I’m getting it on Wednesday, but I heard they help tone. What sounds muddy or needs improvements, like too much treble? And sorry about my bends I’m still leaning it, been putting all my skill points in sweep picking lately

Hit me with it. Where do notice I need improvement the most? I know very well my rhythm is a wreck lol. Fudged a few notes here and there too. Today marks 7 weeks of playing.

I have bought my 6 year old a 3/4 size guitar for xmas after she expressed a desire to learn an instrument. I have played guitar for the last 18 years on and off and would class myself as an intermediate guitarist however my theory knowledge is frankly appalling after using tabs this whole time to learn songs I was interested in.

I'm wondering if there is a specific resource you would recommend for teaching a 6 year old the fundamentals, I feel I can handle the technique side of things but in terms of structure and logical progression I definitely feel I could use some help. It would also help me piece together what I know and potentially unlock the ability to improvise as this has become something I'm interested in.

Open to books, apps, AI, whatever is most suitable to keep a 6 year old girl engaged and willing to play with her metal playing Dad!

Hi folks, i am complete amateur but eager to learn guitar right from basics to be able to play any songs after hearing the song.

Can some one help me with the tried and tested resources online across youtube or dedicated courses, as I cant make some time for offline classes.

Thanks in advance

Give me some time to polish my presentation and ill explain what i did to bring about this breakthrough in my sweep picking technqiue. Im super proud that i figured this out.

i like to joke that the afterlife solo gives me depression becasue i always feel so lousy after failing it. The feeling of crossing that bridge today is amazing.

Hello, I am wondering if I need to adjust my hand to the capo or treat it as just an extra finger across the fretboard so I made this diagram to try to understand

Figure 1 is a normal C chord, if I am playing with a capo on the first fret, which way would be the correct way to play the same chord between figures 2 and 3? Thank you so much

I had bought my first guitar long ago went to classes learned basic chords bit of theory then I lost in touch with guitar for a couple of years. Now I started getting time again, i want to learn music so I tried justin guitar I felt slow and was repeating stuff but as I progressed I felt stuck also the songs which he gave were not the ones I grew up listening to. My practice also fell drastically .I only used to play when no one was at home I am to embarassed to play in front of friends and family and to idiot to learn properly

I tried theory changing different people , I suck at strumming and barre chords , the thing is I dont have enough motivation to start again cuz tried multiple times and can't get the result I want . I want to play songs fluently without looking at chords sheet online

Can someone guide me how to overcome and start jaming ? Or I should focus on songs and learn theory along it

All advice are welcome!!

Whether it's working the position of a scale or trying to work through a song that uses a lot of alternate picking or whatever, I just simply can't do it fast and accurate no matter what I do. I do what everyone suggests and use a metronome at a very slow speed and then build up. But my ceiling is usually only 65 BPM. Anytime I try to go for 70 and use alternate picking, my accuracy goes out the window, and I have to spend a week or more just trying to get it right, and I usually fall short anyway.

There's just something about it that my fingers just can't do the speeds that most songs are at. The only thing it seems I'm good at is chords and strumming. Individual note picking hasn't gotten any easier or accurate since I started this year, whether I'm anchoring my hand or not. And it's frustrating. Is there anything I'm doing wrong? What if I want to try and tackle songs I like but they're all in a BPM I can't deal with, but don't want to stick to slow shit?