When it comes to learning the guitar it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become masterful and it does not happen overnight. Everyone from Hendrix to Slash had to start somewhere and along the way even the greats would have needed a hand or a few tips to keep their progression going. Remember that it is a massive learning curve; all the knowledge and help will do nothing but help you get close to where you want to be. Below I have included a few tips that can help you and your guitar playing throughout a journey that is tough but achievable.
Rehearse Smartly
Like anything you put your mind to, you will not get there without hard work. It is so important however not to burn yourself out, the last thing that you want to do is sicken or even frustrate yourself. It is not just the amount of time you need to consider when it comes to rehearsing smartly; you also need to factor in the areas you focus on. There are going to be areas that you excel in more than others so finding the right balance is extremely important. Try to give yourself more time on the areas you feel you are lacking in the most, this is only going to benefit your overall progression as an artist.
Visualisation
The technical side of your playing will always be the thing that you focus on the most, surely that is the only thing you should be thinking about? Not entirely, you need to have a strong mind set if you want to succeed. Visualisation is important, you need to believe in yourself entirely and picture yourself shredding like you have always wanted to. Once you have prepared yourself mentally half the battle is already won!
Lessons
You can practice as much as you like and don’t get me wrong you may even find some success with self-teaching, it is certainly not impossible however it is a hell of a lot harder. You hear the stories of some of the greats mastering the guitar with self-teaching but with the facilities we have available to us today lessons for me are a no brainer. Long gone the days of slugging your instrument to music studios, schools or community centres for lessons. With the technology we know possess you can take lessons whenever and wherever you like. I was speaking to an old friend of mine Tom Hess about this and quite frankly the amount of options that are available is staggering. Trust me too; Tom knows what he is talking about. Whilst still touring and recording, Tom has taken his success and experience from playing with the likes of Rhapsody of Fire and Holyhell and developed his own online tutoring courses.
Have Fun
Learning the guitar is a huge self-achievement and times whilst learning you will get frustrated however you must never forgot why you started learning for in the first place. Whether it is because of your favourite band or type of music, you do it because you enjoy it and you must never let that slip your mind. There will be times when you feel like dropping it all together but never give up, have fun with it and you will get there.