I know that there are many of you out there who have taken the chance this year to learn to play the guitar. This was a very smart move to use the lockdown to teach yourself guitar and it was something which I also decided would be a good way to spend my time. I was very fortunate that my friend Ayden Hector is a very good guitar player and he was kind enough to help me out in offering tips which have helped me to improve over the last 12 months. I am eternally grateful for his help and I wanted to share some of those tips with you guys to perhaps help you to get to the next level of your guitar playing.

Learn Tablature

One of the most helpful things that I have found since I began to play guitar was to learn tablature, a very simple way of reading music without having to learn sheet music. What this has meant is that I can gain access to the enormous range of tablature which exists online and that makes it so much easier to learn your favorite songs. If you are worried about this then don’t be, as it really is very basic to pick up.

Simple Practice

Obviously you have to practice each day if you want to get better and the only way in which you will be able to get better at all is through doing this. Even if you don’t have the time to dedicate an hour or multiple hours to practicing however it is critical that you at the very least understand the need to still pick up the guitar and play some licks which will just keep your fingers nice and flexible. If you stop, even for a couple of days, then you’ll quickly find that your fingers harden up and they will be far less supple than they were.

Play Along

Playing long with sounds, beats and songs is the ultimate way for you to improve your guitar playing and this is something which dramatically changes the way in which you play. There is a very big difference between staying at home and playing on your own, and actually playing along to music which you are hearing and listening to. If you ever have dreams of playing in a band or anything like that, this is the place for you to start.

Blues Licks

Blues licks are not easy to learn but once you have learned them you’ll find that you very quickly improve with both your chords and your finger work. Ultimately the large majority of songs have their basis in blues licks and that is why once you have grasped these, you will be able to play so many more songs and chord progressions much easier than you may be able to at the moment.

These are the tips which I have been using to increase my guitar playing and they have so far worked really well.