Physical relaxation Relaxing is probably one of the most important guitar techniques you can develop for playing guitar. But it is also one of the most difficult to master. It’s not normally a part of anyone’s guitar lessons either. But it is important. You only play guitar your best and are able to improve maximally [...]

“The right hand is what brings life to your playing. It allows you to build, to soften, basically to add a lot of techniques that make your music more interesting.” Later on when we talk about dynamics (in the Songwriting section) we’ll take some of these attacks and apply them with variations to melodies to [...]

As always: thumb = t, index = i, middle = m, ring = a Bass picking: Click for bass picking example 1 music Click for bass picking example 2 music Click for bass picking example 3 music In bass picking, you use the same patterns as before but the bass line plays a more active [...]

Reverse Rolls These fingerpicking exercises are the exact opposite of the rolls. Your fingers should move in the same manner as if they were tapping the table, rolling up the strings. Click for fingerpicking example 1 music Click for fingerpicking example 2 music As always: thumb = p, index = i, middle = m, ring [...]

“It is here that we begin to train our fingers to move independently of each other. Arpeggios finger patterns are limitless and should be a part of every guitarists’ arsenal of techniques.” Fingerpicking and arpeggio tips Remember to keep your right hand in correct position when fingerpicking. Don’t reach to do an arpeggio, move your [...]

Enhancing guitar technique with right hand position Everyone tends to focus on the left hand when they talk about guitar technique. But in reality, the right hand is just as important. This page is dedicated to teaching you the correct right hand guitar technique when it comes to position. It’s not just the right hand [...]

Stretching is very important if you want to increase fluidity in your movement. This in turn will increase your speed. Make sure that you warm up thoroughly before doing these. And as always, if it hurts, stop. You should stretch, not damage your tendons and muscles. Guitar fretboard stretching exercise 1 For this exercise the [...]

In this study we’re going to change the old standby, DCG, to not sound so much like what you hear on songs all day long on the radio. We’ll use hammer ons and pull offs to do this. Now this exercises is only a few measures long, but practice it and expand upon it. It’s [...]

Here a few ways to make chords a bit more interesting than normal using chord slurs. You have many options to choose from when hammering on and pulling off. Take a look below. D slur A slur G slur E slur C slur F slur D chord slurs |———2——–0h2——–2h3——–2h5p2—————-| |——-3——–3———-3———-3——-3————–| |—0h2——–2———-2———-2———–4p2———-| |-0———-0———-0———-0—————–0h2p0—-| |————————————————————-| |————————————————————-| A [...]

What is a pull off? The pull off is a common left hand guitar technique that can really make you sound fast and add interest to your playing. A pull off is just the opposite of a hammer on. You pluck a note, then lift the playing finger off of the note to let another [...]

What is a hammeron? Hammer ons are another cool guitar technique that flavors your guitar playing. A hammer on is when you play a note. Then you use another finger on your playing hand, hammering down onto another note on the same string (usually 1, 2 or 3 frets up the string) without actually picking [...]

“Position, relaxation and attack all have to be taken into consideration and have to be trained in order to achieve your desired guitar speed but there are other techniques that help as well. Guitar speed should never take priority over purpose. Use it only to enhance melody.” To begin with, let me give you a [...]

There are a lot of left hand guitar techniques. Below you will learn how to improve your left hand technique by using the correct left hand mechanics when you play guitar. Keep in mind these are hard and fast rules. They’re just guidelines you can use to enhance your guitar techniques. Fingers Okay guitar mechanics [...]

“Playing guitar with your left hand should be effortless, or at least approaching effortless. There’s no need to strain when you play.” There are four different left hand guitar positions that tend to happen. It’s important to your guitar technique that you understand each of these left hand positions when playing guitar. The four positions [...]

“There are 2 main ways to hold your guitar, the classical way and the casual way. We’ll take a look at both in depth and compare them. In my opinion in comes down to comfort and accessibility.” Casual Style Benefits There are no benefits of one style over the other. It’s a matter of choice. [...]

Avoid paralysis by analysis. Remember is that the guitar should conform to you. Not you to it. You shouldn’t have to contort your body to find the right way to hold it. Move the guitar to get to the position you need. Don’t move yourself to get there. This makes for more efficient playing, less [...]

“Just focus on loosening and warming up, nothing more. These exercises aren’t to build technique, just to get warmed up.” Options for doing the warm-ups Option 1: Complete the pattern on one string, every fret then down a string. Option 2: Complete the pattern on one fret position and all the strings, then move up [...]

Below are some stretching exercises to keep you warm and loose during your guitar lesson. Just take 2 minutes before you practice and you can save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run. The can help your guitar technique by keeping you loose and relaxed. I borrowed these exercises from Aikido but they [...]

Why warm up for guitar? Sorry about the melodrama. But seriously, warming up properly can really reduce the possibilities of you developing injuries because of your guitar playing, specifically tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive stress injuries. (over many years of course) Not to mention that warming up will make playing all the guitar [...]