Practicing vs. Playing

Hope your guys weekend is going as well as mine. Today I'd like to tell you guys about building a system of guitar playing that works for you. First, let me ask you two questions. How many hours do you spend a day playing guitar? Now, how many hours do you spend practicing guitar? From the way I presented these questions, it is apparent that there is a HUGE difference---practicing is when you learn new material, whether it be a new lick, a new song, or a new pattern. Playing guitar is retreading the information you already KNOW about guitar---the continous act of reinforcing what you already know. While it is important to maintain your past knowledge of guitar, it is also important to develop techniques and skills that will allow to be come a master of the instrument. The great thing is that you don't need to practice ad nauseum until guitar becomes utterly void of any pleasure. Practice can be learning a new scale or a new song----as long as you have specifically defined goals as a guitarist. Here's some sound advice: write down three specific goals--somewhere highly visible---that reflect your goals for guitar this week. A specific goal is not "learn to shred guitar" but might be "learn intro riff to "Master of Puppets" by Metallica". I highly recommend downloading the "Power Tab" editor as it provides full tablature and allows you to slow down licks to practice at a speed you learn correctly and ACCURATELY (WHICH IS KEY). Practice with a metronome and, if you routinely play the same licks over and over, at least "practice" them by performing them at a higher speed on the metronome or with a different feel ( delaying the articulation). THE MAIN PART IS HAVE FUN, but like anything in life, DON'T BE AFRAID TO SUCCEED and REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO GET THERE.

Playing guitar for the Right reasons: Lesson 1

My name is Brandon and I am 22. I've been playing guitar from the time I was 10 years old and I absolutely love it. Having taking lessons for numerous years and performing for six or 7 years, I have some knowledge on becoming a better guitarist, whether that is from a perspective of learning guitar from scratch, upgrading your gear, scoping out gigs, recording music, and networking with individuals. I want every aspiring musician to know that there is someone in their corner.
Like you, I once started guitar, not knowing how to play a single chord. I would dabble on a string here or there, and learn licks from my favorite artists. I slowly learned guitar chords from some friends, and in high school, soaked up every piece of information I could gather online from playing in a wide variety of styles on the internet. After developing my style, I moved into teaching lessons to my friends so they could impress their girlfriends. However, this slowly became a minor obsession because I love learning and teaching allowed me to show those around me how easy it is to learn guitar. As I have found out, the catch to becoming a great guitarist is perservence and an upbeat attitude. Simply put, I have definitely had my downs as a guitarist. I've had those moments where I felt like EVERYONE knew the same licks that I did. I even had dreams of battling middle schoolers who could shred compared to me. In fact, thats probably the case today because I don't practice guitar 8 hrs a day like some kids do. What I am to teach others is that guitar players will get callouses on their fingers, their fingers will stretch, and they will build mechanical skill as they practice little by little each day. However, I have years of experience sifting through numerous methods and teachers, and I can definitely get my students learning very quickly because I have had so much experience absorbing. Becoming a good guitarist is alot in the feel of the music. As Miles Davis once wrote, "it has taken me my life to figure out what notes not to play". Music is a vehicle for your emotion, and to be a great guitarist from DAY ONE, you need to set goals for yourself but at the same time enjoy the experience and not get caught up in playing the most technical piece of music. I have a video lesson for guys I posted on youtube where I demonstrate the 5 different positions of a guitar chord on the neck of guitar. You can get totally different sounds playing the same chords all of the neck. This has great application for songwriters as learning these positions and alternate tuning of guitar can get you thinking quite differently on the same chord patterns.

Introduction to the CAGED system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC2oJWJbk_8

Great Resources for All Skill Levels

Jamorama is a great resource to learn the CAGED system
and to quickly build skill. Yet, it is also important to have a
relative good ear to actually develop skill and not learn a random
collection of songs with little to no usability
in your daily guitar training.Pure Pitch is a great source
that I have used to develop my ear training and, with so many
different training options and applications to many instruments,
this will make you a better musician PERIOD.