24 01 19

Don’t ever bother trying to learn how to play fast. Really, don’t do it. Good technique is about accurate fingering and hitting the right notes every time, especially when it comes to scales and playing tricky bar chords. Concentrate on precise fingering. The truth is, learn to play properly and speed will happen all by itself. The biggest obstacle to fast playing is poor technique. Learn good technique and fast fingering will be a chucked-in-for-free bonus. Always take your time and play slowly.

Over the centuries of guitar playing the experts have long figured out the best way to play certain chords and scales, meaning which fingers should be playing certain notes on the fret board.

Occasionally, you might discover an easier way of playing these – you’re a musical genius and never knew it. Don’t be tempted. Correct fingering isn’t just about playing that chord or scale properly. Adding variations is considered too, such as sevenths and ninths, and your custom style of fingering a chord might prove that those variations can’t be played (yep, this is one of the things I learned the hard way). Pay careful attention to the correct fingering of a chord and your hand’s position on the fret board for scales.

Some of these guys you see playing on stage and in videos are playing fast – really fast. Let’s not even mention shredding (damn, I mentioned it). So you feel compelled to practice your own playing fast, because that’s what everyone else seems to be doing. Nope, don’t walk until you can run. The best way to learn guitar chords is slowly – very slowly at first. You have to teach your fingers exactly what to do and where to go, before even thinking about speeding things up and guess what? Faster playing will come naturally. Speed and dexterity are much easier after your brain and fingers know what they’re doing.

Chord progressions are the patterns that music composers use to put musical notes and chords together. When writing music, chord progressions are critical that sound harmonious and have the desired tones. One can use four-chord progressions, five-chord progressions, two-chord progressions, or however many they’d like. It is possible for any one chord to progress to any one of the other chords in a key; However, certain chord progressions are used more frequently than others. Learn more about MP3 to chord.

Eddie Van Halen spent the early part of his career playing along with various records until the sound of what he played matched what was on the record he was playing to (Check out the example below). Doing this will boost your vocabulary and also improve your delivery, feel, stylistic awareness and sense of solo contour.