Sunday, November 30, 2008

7 Tips To Help Improve Playing Lead Guitar

By Joss Schuyler

For you to learn how to play lead guitar you need to know that it not only takes natural talent but you also need to understand the theory and technique with regard to playing the instrument. There are many people who already play the lead guitar and would like to play it even better. For some people this is easier said than done. Below we provide a few tips which can help improve your playing lead guitar in the future.

Tip 1 - In order for you to become a great lead guitarist you need to learn the basics of playing it first. You may think that it is worth avoiding the boring stuff but when it comes to playing this instrument if you don't it will prove even more of a challenge.

Tip 2 - Okay so the great lead guitarist will stand up and jump around the stage when playing, but this is not the best way to learn. It is much easier if you actually sit down in a comfortable chair when carrying out your lessons or when you practice. If you are relaxed you will find it much easier to retain information and you won't tire so quickly when you need to practice for some time.

Tip 3 - It is important that you discipline yourself to keep up with your practice. So if you make the decision that each day you will spend 45 minutes practicing playing lead guitar you should and not slope off early just because you feel like it.

Tip 4 - Although economy picking is easier it is far better if you also learn alternate picking. If you do not learn this technique then you are going to find it more difficult to learn more complex techniques or faster pieces of music. With alternate picking you are learning how to alternate between the down and up strokes as you pick the guitar strings. It takes time but you will soon be playing these picks in an automatic way and the speed at which you pick the strings will increase.

Tip 5 - You need to spend plenty of time on learning the various lead guitar playing techniques. Which means practicing how to play slides, bends, pull offs, hammer ons, vibratos and other techniques used by lead guitarists today. If you can learn and master these techniques not only will your playing become more colorful but more expressive as well.

Tip 6 - To play certain lead guitar solos you will need to learn how to repeatedly play scales. The types of scales that are most commonly used by guitarists today to help them with their playing and which they learn are the Pentatonic and E Blues scales. If you can master these scales then you will find that they make a good framework for your playing and can help you to then start creating your own music.

Tip 7 - This final tip for playing lead guitar is of course for many the most important and is the one that says that you should practice, practice, and practice. The more time you spend on practicing a piece then you will find it much easier to remember and over time you will find them much easier to play. It is best when you start learning to play each piece you do so slowly at first and then build up the speed of playing them using a metronome. - 15634

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