Share Your Tips
Below is a page for you to share your guitar playing tips with other members.
- Made a cool discovery and want others to know?
- Want to help others avoid things that can hold them back?
We are all here to learn and share.
Share your tip in the comment section below!
Note – If your tip is a rather large one, in-depth, let me know and I will create a separate blog post for it and link to it here (that will help keep this area clean).
How long did it take you to get comfortable on guitar? For me, it was at least 18 months to feel reasonably comfortable playing but about 3-4 years before I could play a song well.
Would love to know your story? If you’re feeling like it will never happen, have faith, you will get there. Realise you are not alone and you can get help from me and the others, any time.
I am 53 and picked up a guitar for the first time, March 16th, the day everything shut down here in CA. (pandemic). I messed around on youtube daily and was at the point of stopping because nothing was coming together and I felt no satisfaction playing the darn thing. Then one day somethings just clicked… muscle memory kicked in, chord transitions happened, strumming patterns were recognizable… boom! I was motivated and excited to keep going. This happened about nine months into my attempt to learn. Going on a year now I won’t say that I can really play but… Read more »
You are not limited to minor keys only while writing ‘sad’ music: the order of the chords can create a sad feel even in major key. Here’s an example: C G F Am. Compare the feeling with the much ‘happier’ progression C Am F G.
Nice tip, thanks, Gordon. Great point, its not just the chords you use, but what you do with them (including the order) that counts.
Impress your friends with one string melodies.They are fun to play.
The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black on a single high E guitar string.
1-3-4-6-4-3-1-1-0-1-1~3-1-0
1-3-4-6-4-3-1-1-0-1-1~3-1-0
Cream – Sunshine of Your Love on a single guitar string
Play on the fourth «G» string
(in parentheses play on the third «D» string)
7-7-5-7–2–1–0–(0-3–0)
7-7-5-7–2–1–0–(0-3–0)
Chris De Burgh – The Lady In Red on a single B string
Play on the «B» string
1-3-4-6—8-8-6-4-3—3–1-3
3-4-6-8–6—3-4-6-6
Game of Thrones
Play on the «e» high string
7–0–3-5-7–0–3-5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
5–0–3-2-5–0–3-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
7–0–3-5-7–0–3-5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
5–0–3-2-5–0–3-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
So fun thanks for sharing!!!!
One way to learn the open strings ( strings 1-6 ) is to keep on the “ Eddie theme” I use the following nemonic. Give it a go, let me know if it helps
Eddie
Broke
G string
During
Another
E tuning
Ah, yeah, a great method for learning the strings in reverse order from high E to low E – which is very useful and can save time. Thanks, Gordon.
My top tip for Barre chords.This is also a great gentle finger stretch when your warming up.
Lay your first finger behind the nut when you play the A minor and Eminor chords, using fingers 2,3, and 4,without muting any chord note.If your thumb is placed on the middle of the neck, the stretch will become easier.
Once you have mastered the above.Switch between A minor and E minor at 50 bpm on the metronome, then speed up as the stretch becomes more comfortable.
Hi all. I am Gordon aged 61 years old and have played guitar for several years now. I have known Dan through over projects and could not wait to join his site. Every time I read about guitar 🎸 theory, I realise that I am only scratching the surface of this rewarding instrument. Here is my article on Pareto Law which I hope you find useful.