Have you tried learning guitar with a friend? You might see the difference on how quickly you learn the instrument. It’s unlike learning it from a teacher or classmates – a friend gives you different perspectives and other benefits. Skim through the points below and you’ll see how great it is.
Finding one
A friend who has the same aspiration of learning guitar is someone you’ll greatly benefit from. You can find this in your group of friends or someone new. You can start by asking them if they love to play the guitar or not. If anyone turns out to be as enthusiastic as you, then be his or her friend. Tell them that you want to learn guitar together, may it be with classes or not. Put in your mind the thoughts of having a friendly rivalry with them, this is one of the “key” factors of finding the right friend. Just like what you see in the movies or cartoons, getting a rival gets you to great heights. Also, in this process the goal is shared. Remember that learning guitar is not a lonely habit (and should never considered as a task). In fact, it’s a very productive habit that gets you to meet new friends.
Make challenges
Yes, I’ve mentioned about rivalry earlier. This is not about getting jealous or aggravated with your friend. What this means is to make a healthy kind of challenge between the both of you. Let’s say, for example, a challenge on who gets to play a certain song first. This way the two of you will try your best to learn the song. In the end, you’ll both show to each other how you get the song or how you failed on getting it. In this example, it’s evident that learning is shared.
Sharing is vital. Remember that the point here is to grow as fine guitarists together. Sharing the new materials you’ve learned and giving your partner the same resources even makes the friendship last, and not to mention the enhancement of your skills. As the same way you give, your friend may also have some great stuff to share. This kind of give-and-take relationship begets further fruitful result.
Aid
Sometimes when you are stuck in lessons or parts of guitar playing, you can easily refer to your friend and ask for aid. They always have some good advice and tips to offer (in short, they always have something to say). This does not just apply in specific guitar playing lessons, you can also ask tips on what to get next for your gear or what resources to get. Get a reliable second opinion from them.
Motivates you
A friend can motivate you. Hating the fact of being left behind in terms of your guitar skills compared to your friend’s, actually motivates you to act. Depending on the situation, simple gestures or actions from your friend may already boost your morale. I know some friends of mine who shared that just seeing their rival/friend’s face already makes them want to train hard. It’s funny but it’s seems really productive.
Play together
One of the best benefits you get from having partner is the chance to play together. You can bring your axes (guitar) and probably spend an afternoon to play songs, exchange lead roles or guitar licks, and show off some skills. To be honest, in guitar playing, it’s always great to have an audience to show off your newly learned skills. Guitar playing can be quite a lonely experience if you don’t have someone to show your skills off.
This relationship can even go farther. You can easily start a band together. Think about it, you’ll just have to find a bassist, drummer and vocalist and you’re on. The both of you can also apply for some bands, if you see it the other way around.
As you can see, learning guitar together with a friend greatly benefits you. If you are still starting out and you think you need some inspiration or challenge added, then stop for a bit, and look for friends who are interested. Hopefully you get one!
Did this ever happen to you? You’re on stage and the cords you brought just didn’t work. Well, you manage somehow by borrowing cords from another band, which kind of look ridiculous. Anyhow, later on, while playing, you suddenly had a broken string! A total mess, isn’t it? Having trouble on your gears while on a gig can really destroy your mood and even your playing. You can avoid this! Here are some things to consider every time you go out for a gig.
A checklist
If you are like me who forgets things easily, then a checklist of the essential things would be really useful. It doesn’t matter how it looks like, what matters is what you place in it. Try to write the things you think you truly need in a gig. Picture yourself in worst-case scenarios or even fine ones. Hey, even fine gigs need some preparations. Check the other things below that I think are really important.
Prepare your guitar
Prepare your guitar as much as you can. Try to check the strings if they still sound fine, the tuner, the action of the bridge and certainly a lot more. The most important thing is you should set up properly the parts of your guitar. If you have a heavily used string for over a month already and has some rust and heavy dirt in it, then it might be a good idea to send the whole set of strings. Now don’t be thrifty on this one and buy the full set, this means you replace all the six strings. It would affect the sound of your guitar if you just replace one or two strings. Also, you are rest assured that new set of strings won’t break during the gig.
Check the neck and the action of the guitar. Make it perfect for your playability. You may want to check the intonation of the guitar too. You may sound lousy and out of tune if you didn’t setup the guitar’s intonation properly. Also, it is best to tune your guitar prior to the gig and see if it still tunes well. You want to find another guitar if it doesn’t.
Lastly, if you are like me, I’ll pay special attention to wiping the guitar clean. At least give it a chance to look good in front of the people. It deserves to look nice especially if you are the one playing it.
Don’t forget your strap and picks
Check your guitar strap. It’s a pain if you forget to bring your guitar strap in a gig. During gigs, to save time, you may want to setup the height of your strap prior hand. Set it to one that is perfect for your playing. If you are fond of showing off your guitar spins, then you better check your strap locks if they still hold tightly.
Bring two or three guitar picks. It’s always great to bring extras. Keep your guitar picks handy. Put one in your wallet or pocket and one in your guitar case.
Check your cords and connection
Make sure you have your gadgets all prepared. Try to bypass and check the connections of your cords. Bring an extra cord if needed. Check for some buzzing and hissing in your setup. That turns off a lot of people.
Bring extra strings
Once again, you’ll never know what will happen in a gig especially when you ought to play long sets. Try to keep one more set of guitar strings handy.
Practice and warm-ups
A good warm up practice is great to have before gigs. It helps in your performance and it helps avoid injuries.
A bottle of water
A bottle of water is great to have prior and during a gig. Try to have access of them to hydrate you. In longer stage playing, you easily lose water in the body through sweating. So have them near, you can place them near the amp or whatever. Just make sure you have a sealed-bottle water to avoid spills.
A bottle of beer
Some guitarists just can’t play without the influence of alcohol. Well it could be because of the “rock star image”. Anyhow, if you are one of those who love to drink prior to a gig, the best advice is to try to keep it in moderation. Your performance is your priority and your audience deserves a great show. Not a drunk guitarist who doesn’t know what he or she is doing. So keep it cool and have just one glass or bottle. Drink all you can after your show.
Your “looks”
You want to look your best. Sometimes guitarists need to focus on their overall appearance as well. Make sure you get your look in the right party. Don’t look “old school” or wearing some inappropriate attire in a gig, unless if it is really your style or signature. Either way, try to be the guitarist audience would die for.
And that’s just about it. You might have something else in mind so add them in “your list.” More importantly, it’s quite obvious that checking these minor things prior to gigs actually make a difference, so don’t forget them. Have great gig!
Wondering which guitar lessons to take? Well, all over the net, you’ll certainly find a lot of information regarding this. You can be confused with the rumble and you may not truly know if they work or not. The thing is, there are basic learning guides that you may want to check first before starting learning from different sources.
What to find?
Needless to say, knowing what you are looking for in guitar lessons is very important when you are just setting out. You should know by now that the guitar-playing world has a lot of variations, styles, techniques and genres. If you want to learn the “blues”, then you will have to focus on learning blues guitar style. If you want metal shredding, then learn from metal lessons and some related scales such as melodic and harmonic scales. It’s evident that knowing what you want plays an important part in finding guitar lessons to take. You can’t just learn everything in one grasp, you have to be more specific of your needs.
Finding guitar lessons online
I know that you can always go to Google and search the net for the things you want, but it’s always great to know which sites are most likely decent. Find ones that are informational and easy for you to understand. A site becomes a good resource when you get valuable lessons and tips that you can readily apply in your current state of playing.
You might also want to go for free guitar lessons online. There are lots of them. Don’t go compulsively paying for any lessons or programs in the net. Not everything that requires payment is a good resource. Dig deeper and find more information and your efforts would surely not go to waste. If you are patient enough, you may come across sites that offer free downloadable programs or images that help you learn. The chord chart is always handy to have around in case you haven’t mastered or familiarized all of the chords yet. You also want to have the basic guitar scale diagram and as well as other scale breakdowns.
Other options for you are how-to sites and some good videos found in YouTube. It’s always good to find free lessons. There are also guitar covers that help you learn some songs that you love. Hey, if you won’t mind learning songs from someone else, go ahead. This is especially helpful when you are starting out. Eventually, once you go through a good learning process you will be the one giving tutorials real soon. So stay positive with it.
Guitar lessons on magazine
Magazines are great sources to learn guitar lessons from. There are famous guitar magazines out there like Guitar World and Guitar Player. They’ve got some fine lesson portions that are usually taught or discussed by famous guitarists. You also get up to date with the latest guitar realm news. One problem you might encounter is that there could be no publication in your area and you may pay extra for deliveries and other shipping costs. Though you can go to their sites and find additional options, perhaps a newsletter?
Guitar classes
Of course, one of the best ways to learn guitar lessons is through joining classes. You either learn through a one-on-one tutorial from an experienced teacher or have a small class of aspiring guitarists. You may have higher chances of learning the instrument faster through guitar classes due to a conducive learning environment. Furthermore, the sessions are scheduled, whether you like it or not, you will have those classes. This is one vantage point over self –learning guitar. It’s rather hard to manage your own time.
Today, some teachers attempt to teach their guitar lessons online via different online communication media, like Skype or video conferences. Though this somehow defeats the purpose since you are already learning without a physical teacher, some people are fine with it. Some even prefer this than having a teacher with them. It all ends up to individual preference. In my opinion though, beginners who are really having difficulty learning may best have some first hand teaching. The physical presence of the teacher may really matter on that point.
Other sources of guitar lessons
You can also teach yourself to play guitar. This is one of the common things people do. It’s a good point to consider that you don’t have to go to classes or sessions to become a master. Basically, what you need to do is to have the valuable resources mentioned earlier. You can even go learn from a friend who underwent classes with a real teacher. That’s one totally smart thing to do. It goes to show that you don’t have to be afraid if you ain’t have the money for classes. Having classes doesn’t guarantee that you can truly play the guitar. Moreover, you don’t learn everything about guitar through several sessions or tips.
In the end, it’s all about learning the guitar and finding the lessons that you truly love. It’s somehow a personal thing. Find lessons that you feel comfortable with. Those are the lessons that usually work for you. Make it as fun as possible and stop if you are unhappy with what you are doing, you can always find better lessons and resources out there.
That’s about it. Good luck on finding the guitar lesson that best suits you and don’t stop learning!
