In this lesson, we are going to learn what can help you progress faster at your guitar playing. No matter what direction you choose to go in. That's what is great about playing the guitar: you can focus on different areas. Which we will discuss in this lesson.
Rhythm gutar
If you are learning to play rhythm, you want to work on chord exercises. Forming chords, switching chords, chord progressions, and transposing notes.
That will work for your fretboard hand. For your picking hand, you want to work on strumming, arpeggiated picking, palm muting, and how you hold your pick.
Lead guitar
You want to work on learning scales, finger exercises, hammer-ons, pull-offs, string bends, vibrato, and trills. All these concepts and techniques are associated with playing guitar solos.
You also want to work with a metronome to improve your timing, speed, and accuracy. With ear training and an understanding of chord changes and transposing keys.
Guitar theory
You want to understand the 12 notes that make up the musical alphabet. You want to learn about the 8 notes that make up the major & minor scales. You want to learn about chords and scales that come out of these major and minor scales.
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#.
Knowing in-depth about chords and scales will allow you to utilize them better in your songwriting and learning of your favorite songs. This will also give you a better understanding of your guitar fretboard.
Cater to your interest
As you can see clearly, different exercises, concepts, and techniques are needed to be learned in each of these three areas. It is just a matter of which catches your interest. If all of them catch your interest, then you learn a little from each section. I recommend you start with one section first.
If you are just starting, work on rhythm. This is the foundation of all music. If you got that down, either learn about chord theory or lead guitar. Both will do you well at this point.
Study and practice daily
If you are already at the lead leave, then work on the theory. Learn why certain notes work over certain chord progressions. This will enhance your playability as well as your musical knowledge.
If you’d like to learn more about concepts in these three areas, I recommend you check out the guitar method books I authored and self-published to help you progress faster in these areas.
Guitar Method Books
These books are written with step-by-step instructions that anyone can easily understand. Even if you have no previous music training. They are full of pictures, diagrams, and notation that make learning guitar easy and fun. All you need to do is follow the simple method, and you're on your way. As you can see, they span all topics discussed in this lesson.
Private sessions available
Sometimes, learning a new subject can be a lot more fun if you have someone to learn it with. This is why I also offer private guitar lessons. They can help you get results quicker and with a better understanding. If you feel you could benefit from this service, contact me through my website, and we'll set up a time to talk.
Thank you for your time reading.
Best of luck with your guitar playing.
Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins
