22 Mar Practicing the guitar, effectively
Beginner guitarists
As a beginner, a strategic guitar practice in a shorter amount of time is more effective than an unstructured practice over a longer period of time.
From the very beginning, you’re given a mixture of chords and scales to build different types co-ordination and build finger dexterity / independence.
You’ll be slow to begin with, but using a metronome to practice at three different speeds, is far more effective.
Practicing guitar efficiently
Whether an adult or a child, you’ll be learning how to learn independently. Regardless of age, the first year is deciding whether you like the guitar and the second is where you’ll find your motivation.
If you’re an adult who’s decided to start or re start your guitar journey, finding the time to practice can be a challenge. Practicing with structure in a short amount of time is more effective than practicing over a longer period of time, without structure.
Whether your practice routine is co-ordinating across six strings or two, you’ll want to understand the rhythm and practice at three different tempos. Once you’ve found your slowest tempo and can comfortably achieve an accurate result, increase the speed by 5 or 10 bpm.
Chord charts & 12 bar blues
Learning to switch between basic open chords and learning the 12 bar blues, is important for all beginner guitar players.
The blues provides structure and rhythm which is often a recognisable starting point because Blues progressions are familiar in a variety of genres.
The blues can be played slowly, or quickly and you can be as creative as you want once the structure is understood.
Learning to read chord charts is a useful stepping stone because it provides structure at the beginning and teaches how to transfer the music from paper to fretboard.
Practicing chord changes & riff transitions
For example, you can play the riff which is based around the ‘A’ chord, but can you transition from the riff to other chord shapes smoothly?
Whether a chord transition or a transition from’ riff’ a to ‘riff b’We’ll need to slow down the tempo and practice the transitions from ‘Section A’, to ‘Section B’.
Start at 40bpm and work your way up to the tune’s speed or about 100bpm. Remember, 60 bpm (beats per minute) is 60 seconds in a minute.