Transcription
I've been playing guitar for more than 20 years, and if I had to start over, this is exactly what I would do to get good at guitar as efficiently as possible. So, let's make sure we set ourselves up for success right off the bat.
No matter where you're at with your guitar playing right now, if you haven't had your guitar properly set up to suit you and your playing style, you're going to need to get that done. It's going to have a massive impact on how efficiently you can improve. You can pay to have it done by a local shop or someone you know, or I'd really recommend learning to make some of those tweaks yourself. You'll find that every guitarist kind of likes something a little different. So, being able to make those quick adjustments to fit what you like can be a total game changer.
Now, let's get into the things that I would just completely ignore. The first thing, reading sheet music. I played bass guitar in middle school band. So, I did learn how to do it back then, but for the majority of guitarists, it's just not necessary because since those days, I've never needed it, not even once. There are some very specific reasons you may want to learn to read sheet music, but for most of us, it's just not worth spending the time required on it.
The other thing that you really shouldn't worry about at all, at least for a while, are modes. For most music styles, you're going to be sticking to the major, minor, and pentatonic scales. Once you master those, then you can start looking into Dorian or Mixelyian. But really, for now, don't even worry about it until you're really solid.
Now, there are a few big rules that I would set for myself. The first would be that I'd set up my guitar right by my desk, out of the case, and on a stand, just so it's right in plain view, and easy to grab whenever I have a spare second. Another rule would be that I'd have to pick it up at least twice a day. It can be for 5 minutes or 5 hours, but a minimum of twice a day.
Next, I choose a few specific players that I look up to as examples of how I want my playing to sound and develop. I realize I'll probably never quite get to that level, but it gives me some form of direction, something to aim at. Finally, I'd pick just a few good teachers to guide me. There are so many great teachers and resources to learn from out there, but I don't want to be learning the same thing a bunch of different ways. I'd pick one or two that really resonate with me and my learning style and stick with them.
Okay, let's get into the good stuff. The things I would actually be focusing all of my time and efforts on. First thing, I'd start learning to play by ear, which is something you can begin to develop at literally any skill level. And I'd start very simple with just being able to recognize the difference between major and minor chords like this. and then work up to putting a massive focus on being able to find the key and chords of the song completely by ear. Those basic skills unlock a whole world of opportunities for your playing long term. And in my view, they are the things that bring you from just being a guitar player up to being a true musician.
My next point of focus would be on developing my rhythm. Something that gets massively overlooked, especially when your goals revolve around soloing and being a lead player. Rhythm is the most universally important skill you can have. And that spans every genre and every style, too. So, every single time I'd sit down to practice, I'd be doing at least one thing that focuses on building my sense of rhythm and timing. My favorite and the most accessible rhythm exercise that I'd use is muted picking along to songs like this.
Next thing I get into is improvisation as early as possible. My goal with this would be to start training my brain to think creatively about the instrument. I know that one of the biggest things that holds players back is being stuck just playing the same generic songs over and over. So to make sure that doesn't happen to me, I would take just the most basic scale ever, like a small major scale or pentatonic scale, and noodle around with it over some songs that I like. I'll give you the example that I used many years ago. If you pull up the song Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer, you can use this major scale here or this pentatonic scale here or any combination of both of them over the song like this.
One thing that resulted in me wasting literally years was refusing to learn any music theory whatsoever. Now, the truth is I'd probably still ignore most of it, but there are three key things that I would definitely learn as soon as possible. The major scale and why it's so important, how major and minor keys work, and how chords are made. With just those three things, you'll understand most of the magic behind music and what makes it sound good or less good. I have a great lesson that you can check out that covers all the truly essential music theory that I'll link down in the description for you.
Next, I'd learn a few fretboard navigation systems. Now, I understand that different things work for different people, but we need some way to break the fretboard up into more than just a grid of notes. What I found really worked for me are many of the systems I teach here on my channel. So, things like octave centers, the home base, and the horizontal and vertical cage system. I put a good bit of time into building up my fretboard understanding by learning systems like these. And that's because they allow me to play comfortably in any key at all times, which is incredibly important. I actually have a free printable ebook called the Fretboard Navigation Guidebook where I have all of this stuff laid out for you. So, if you want it, I'll put a link right at the top of the description. Again, it's 100% free, so make sure you go grab it. I'm sure you'll find it super helpful.
Now, my final big area of focus would be on jamming or playing with others. If you talk to literally any experienced player, they will all be in agreement on this one. As soon as you can play some chords to a beat, you're ready to team up with other musicians and start jamming. One of the easiest ways to kind of get your feet wet is to find another guitar player or piano player, choose a set of like four chords, pick a tempo, and start cycling through those chords together. Then once you're feeling good, take turns improvising a little bit with some simple scale. For example, C major, A minor, F major. Now, I'm just one player here, so I'm going to kind of play both parts. But the idea would be to use something like the A minor or C major pentatonic and just noodle around over those chords. If you're not lucky enough to know other musicians to play with, I'd recommend searching for some groups online because they are out there.
So, to recap, I'd work on playing by ear. I'd spend time developing my sense of rhythm. I'd learn and practice improvising, even if it's just super simple. I'd make sure I know those three basic music theory concepts. solidify my knowledge of the fretboard using the systems that work best for me. And finally, I'd apply my skills to the real world by jamming with others.
Something you might have noticed is that learning songs wasn't really on my list. I think most people would choose to include that, but for me, it wasn't as much of a differencemaker, especially since my focus is on creativity more so than being able to repeat what someone else has already played. But that's going to change based on your goals. So, I think it's still worth considering.
From here, I'd recommend you check out this lesson up on the screen. Don't forget to grab that free fretboard navigation guide book linked at the top of the description. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.