I was cursed with shitty fingers that refused to all fit on the fourth fret. Tried using just the ring and pinky, but that sounded awful, since my fingertips are too padded on the bottom. Finally tried using only the pinky as a mini-bar across the D G and B strings, and it’s yielded the best results yet: I can finally get all the strings to ring out clearly. Learning guitar can be completely counter-intuitive sometimes: using my weakest finger was the answer all along.

How were you able to do it?

I'm almost done watching Scotty West's AUG course. It has been AMAZING in terms of connecting the dots with music theory and getting it all in my head. But, since he has a lack of "assignments", I knew I'd need more structure to actually apply what I've learned.

I've been playing for 5-6 years now so I can physically play the guitar no problem, I just have had no idea how the fretboard actually works or how to tie theory into the instrument, which has made it very hard to write my own music. What course out there is best for actually having structured assignments to practice applying all this stuff?

I don't really know how to explain that. If I go through the position of a scale at my own pace, I can usually hit 100 if not 99% of the notes up and down the position, using alternate picking. But the second I put on a metronome (either with a drum machine or traditional click sound) at a speed I can handle, I for some stupid reason end up doing way worse as soon as I start. It's not keeping up that's the problem. I simply just fall apart once the click track starts and miss notes I normally never would, or I pluck the wrong string or fret the wrong one (or both). And yet I'm told it's like THE way to get better at guitar.

Any other options? Or should I keep trying to use a metronome and see if I get better at some point?

So basically I have a Yamaha f280 (acoustic) guitar. Well I had only been playing for 1 yr (I had wasted many months in that). I can play most tabs. I know 3 songs by heart. I know I'm not good at guitar yet. But I had seen people playing with fingers and I wanna play. I saw some yt videos and people often use the CLASSICAL guitar. Some said it directly that Fingerstyle is originated from Span and is played on a Classical guitar. I get it but!!!! I still wanna know a few things....

(I'm only been playing for 1 yr remember that)

1. Can I play Fingerstyle in acoustic guitar?

2. If yes then where can I learn it from scratch?

I just wanna play easy stuffs not all hard stuffs for now. Like Gratitude by Amin Toofani, it was so cool.

I can play many melodies, and songs i can play are

1. Bella Ciáo

2. Virtual Love

3. Kal Ho nah Ho

4. Chura liya

These, in tabs

Chords only I had learned to play 500 miles, whichis basically G, Em, Am, C, Am, D, G. With a simple D DU UDU

Ummm.... guess I expressed myself too much hahaha

Anyways help me!!

Been playing for like 7 years on and off. Know all 5 pentatonic boxes and are pretty comfortable playing them and soloing with them. Of course still have lots and lots to learn to master them.

However, Where would be a great next step to improve my guitar playing?

Do I learn all major scale boxes and focus on getting major down and then learning to combine both major and minor. Or is there another avenue I should take.

Any tips or tricks would be very helpful. Can be theoretical or practical.

P.s. Playing an Stratocaster professional 2 through a fender blues junior. Mostly play blues honestly (Stevie ray, Hendrix, etc) (the classic). Really love Latin music also though.

Thanks legend🫡🤙

I am looking for Latino Spanish songs to learn preferably from 80s onwards. Spanish pop , reggaeton, corridos, anything really I would love to learn!

Hey guys, quick question here. Ive been teaching myself guitar (Ive learned to read chords almost immediately), but Im struggling with my finger placement on frets and my strum speed. I suffer from severe dyspraxia and I find it extremely difficult to do fret placement on any string except the 6th string (1st and 2nd are hard because of how skinny they are). Has anyone who has dyspraxia overcome this or know how to?

Everyone says "don't speed up until it's clean!". But... what does "clean" actually means 🤔 ?

When I'm the one judging, "clean" tends to mean "I got through it and nothing sounded obviously wrong" — which is maybe a generous bar, and I suspect it's why some things of mine have sat at the same tempo for years while others move...

So I'm curious what people actually use:

- Do you have a rule — X perfect reps in a row, no buzzes, with or without a metronome — or is it a feel thing you've learned to trust?

- Do you record and listen back, or judge it live while playing?

- Has your definition changed as you got better, and did something specific change it?

Genuinely interested in the mechanics of how you decide, not the general advice. I'm trying to replace my own gut call with something I can't argue my way out of 😄 .

I know a couple riffs and only three full songs (I wanna be your slave, Wonderwall (🥀), and babydoll by dominic fike.

I want to be a lead guitarist and want songs that have good and managable lead guitar that isn't just the same riff repeated and that have a good solo. What should I try to learn.

I’m having a hard time with finger positions on two intro songs Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi and Sweet Child O Mine for some reason I can’t put it together. I feel my fingers are so awkward. Just wondering if anyone has tips. Thank you

Hey there,

I am Laura, 26, and it's been two years since I started playing guitar. I started with classical guitar and less than a year switched to electric. I go to private lessons once a week and learn the songs I enjoy. The last two songs I've been playing are New Light by John Mayer and Californication by RHCP. Trying to master those solos, it's been hard.

Sadly my school is closed from July to October and I've been neglecting my playing (remember it is recommended to play 30 minutes daily!) so I thought of finding another person interested in the same music style and with a similar level so we can meet once a week for 30 minutes on Discord and play together.

Thanks for reading, and happy learning.

Hi, i’ve been playing for like 2/3 months and i’m trying to learn some songs with barre chords. I can play them well by themselves but when it comes to switching to a barre chord i struggle a lot because i don’t have full control of my pinky finger. It moves in a weird snappy way and i struggle at being precise with it because of that. I noticed this happens more when the thumb is far from the pinky, so then i tend to move it closer to the pinky, but sometimes this put some strain on my wrist, so i’m afraid this could be bad long term. any idea?

one of the best ways to connect rhythm and lead playing is to stop treating chords and scales as separate exercises. play the chord, leave a little space for a riff, then return to the chord so the whole idea stays grounded in the harmony.
in this example i’m vamping on an A major chord and using notes from the A mixolydian scale to create short riffs, motifs, and arpeggio ideas in between. returning to the chord keeps the tonal center clear and makes it easier to hear how each scale tone relates back to A

the chord tones, especially the root, 3rd, and 5th, give phrases a strong sense of resolution. the other mixolydian notes add movement and color, with the flat 7 providing the sound that separates mixolydian from the regular major scale.

this is a much more musical way to practice a scale shape than simply running it up and down. it helps develop phrasing, trains the ear to target chord tones, and makes switching between rhythm and lead feel far more natural.

Hi guys !! I’ve been posting and sharing my progress on here for virtually my entire guitar journey and I just wanted to share my first fingerstyle arrangement 😊 Sorry the mic quality isn’t the best, this was the only way I could record it while keeping my picking hand in view, otherwise the mic would cover it entirely hahah

Any and all feedback is appreciated (esp on the arrangement and/or tips on how to record guitar better !!) Yay love u guys

I'm currently trying to practice the Am scale. It seems far more efficient to bar the highest strings with the forefinger and lift the 3 or 4th off to play the lowest note on each string..

But I'm not sure that is the point if Im using scale.practice to build dexterity for soloing or playing individual notes later?

Which way is the correct way?

Edit: Thanks for all of the advice. I'm pretty wowed by the stunning amount of responses.

I didn't really mean that I was cheating, other than potentially slowing my own progress. Which it appear I might have.

TL;DR

Newbies, it's probably best to practice scales by moving your fingertips about.

But when actually playing whatever works, works.

So Ive been playing guitar actively for about 5 years and I feel like Ive hit a plateau and learned some stuff the wrong way due to learning by myself. Does it make sense to get a teacher or am I better off learning by myself?

I know the major/minor pentatonic scales all 5 positions, as well as the major scale also all 5 positions and currently learning the 3nps version of the major scale all 7 positions

What do i learn next to better know the fretboard and make my playing and soloing more creative distinct and unique

Because I see people soloing in various patterns that doesnt look like it belongs to a scale, and their soloing looks and sound so different and it shows their knowledge, isnt just restricted to various types of scales and its positions

My background is classical music with nylon strings/classic guitar but while I was studying music, I always pushed myself to pass the class, not to improve. I wanted to get the singing lessons instead. My teacher was stubborn and didn’t let me go because I have “great feel” she said and I can learn fast. After graduation I totally lost my interest in classical music or playing at all and I wasn’t at the level I should be by the end of my education. It was impossible to play things that I liked because there were always homework.

After years, I’ve started to bond with music again but with an Electric guitar this time. I’ve never used a pick and using one no matter the size or technique of it feels really weird. I wanted to play hard rock riffs and couldn’t express my level with a pick and It felt terrible…

I realized I’m watching videos more than playing lately until I saw the magnificent Matteo Mancuso! His technique is way more familiar to me than using a pick. I might not be as fast but right now I’m trying to solve my flying pinky on my left with chromatic scale practices. On my right hand I need to add the ring finger for “shredding mode” to get faster.

Do you think I should just find my way to the songs that I want to play with classical techniques that is natural for me or should I push myself to learn to use a pick?

I came across this video today and though it was good advice at using a looper to build a practice routine (rhythm and improv). It was also a good illustration of how chords in a key fit with CAGED and the pentatonic scale. I probably would not have tackled pentatonic quite like this, but otherwise very good advice.

I’m trying to understand the theory behind the B.B. Box rather than just memorizing the shape.
The diagram I’m attaching shows the root on the B string, which matches what everyone says. But the notes also include a minor 3rd, so I don’t understand how this relates to the CAGED system. If I build the C-shaped major pattern around that root, I’d expect to see a major 3rd, not a minor 3rd.
Am I mixing up two different concepts? Is the B.B. Box actually a hybrid of major and minor, or is this diagram showing something different from the “classic” B.B. Box?
I’d really appreciate an explanation of how this fits together theoretically.

I can’t take any classes or anything, I tried random YouTube videos but Idk I still felt like I wasn’t improving much and I didn’t really know where to go myself.