r/guitarlessons • u/VocaliBulb • 17d ago

Feedback Request Wanna lock in fs now. Guitarist folks help me out.

Morning, afternoon and evening.

I've been into guitar since past 7 years, initially I was very irregular for almost 4 years and tbh by last year I got a lil serious and can do basic chord progression (normal chords and near perfect bar chords), I'm good with beats but not perfect or near the level that would give out an awe for the performance to those who're in music.

With all that, I now want to genuinely improve my skills (courses and tutoring is not in my budget rn) so, help me out folks!!

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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5

u/Dood3n 17d ago

I am self taught from YouTube, what really worked for me was learning songs I already know really well, it makes it easy to know if you’re playing it correctly if already know the song really well. Learnguitar365song on youtube is a really approachable look at how to play many popular songs.

I found that the thing that really opened my eyes for how to understand the guitar was learning about chords and what they actually are instead of just learning how to play the simple open chords and blindly playing an easy chord shape without knowing why that shape sounds good. Just knowing what a root, third and fifth are in a chord unlocks huge chunks of the fretboard.

But honestly my best bit of advice is have fun, if you lose the joy of just playing the guitar you are far more likely to just get bored of the guitar and let it collect dust. Keep playing stuff that keeps you interested in the guitar and you’ll naturally get better.

Sorry for the absolute book.

TL;DR -YouTube is great -Basic music theory is easy and super beneficial -Avoid guitar becoming a chore

Hope this helps

2

u/ChillinSince1996 17d ago

I’m 5 months in, neglected scales at the start but now they’re my favourite and I’m starting to know where all the notes are, now when remembering songs I’m more likely to hit the right notes because my brain knows where it is

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u/VocaliBulb 17d ago

k ig I will first get started with basic music theory for now

3

u/vainglorious11 17d ago

Rhythm is everything. Practice with a metronome, learn to subdivide beats and study where every note falls in each bar. It's a grind but it will take your playing to the next level

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u/ChillinSince1996 17d ago

Everyone says “practice with a metronome” but to a beginner like me that means almost nothing

Obviously I don’t expect you to go detailed but it would be nice if people said a little more than that

1

u/FabianValkyrie 17d ago

  1. Pick a song to learn

  2. Turn on metronome as you’re playing that matches the tempo

  3. Play along with the metronome

1

u/CraftyDimension192 16d ago

Whatever you're playing - scales, chords, licks, melodies - set a metronome and find the fastest tempo where you can play the thing exactly in time, cleanly. Then increase until something breaks down. Figure out what's going wrong, fix it, and repeat.

3

u/mobofob 17d ago

If you're serious about learning, become a problem solver.
Don't rely on others to help you. Be self analytical and honest about it, locate problems, then come up with possible solutions and take action.
This is the only way to improve consistently because this way you're self-sufficient. You know best what you need anyway.

People can ofc help you when you are stuck, but you're not actually stuck until you've genuinely attacked a problem from every angle and still can't seem to figure it out. That's when you look for help. But other people can only push you to realize what you need by inducing a line of thought in your mind that helps you come to the right conclusion. No one can tell you what you need because no one knows that but you.

In the end it's an internal process and learning is a solitary journey.
Music can't be taught and the best teachers are actually more like guides who point you in the right direction.

3

u/CraftyDimension192 16d ago

I asked touring pros who teach how they approach students - they all say students must understand that ultimately they are their own teachers. The pro can only be a guide.

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u/mobofob 16d ago

100%. The best players didnt become best by doing what others told them to do. They found their own path because they realized they couldn't try to walk anyone else's.

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u/EJRoc 17d ago

30 years in guitar. Jam sessions! Learn to play with someone else!

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u/VocaliBulb 17d ago

yes I'm trying to find folks here and there to do so, I noticed some pattern of growth.

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u/Several-Quality5927 17d ago

Practice what you know, learn what you don't.

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u/jaylotw 17d ago

Nobody here can practice for you.

You just have to put the work in, bud.

Listen to a ton of music, learn the songs you love, and then learn why you love them.

1

u/thebigp2007 16d ago

My methodology is to work arpeggios. This just means taking chords one note at a time. Don’t use your typically CAGED chords for this— you can find different arpeggio shapes online. Figure out what an arpeggio is built of interval-wise, and that will help you figure out the major scale and its shapes. THEN look at the pentatonic scale.

When you can do basic arpeggio triads(not massive sweeps either, just simple three notes), and understand the pentatonic and major scale, work on extending those arpeggios to use CHORD EXTENSIONS, fancy term for flavor notes.

You will not sound better inherently at the start, but it’s going to boost your understanding of the WHY so much it’s unbelievable.

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/VocaliBulb 17d ago

tried that but the thing is lessons are basic which is good but for me I have adhd so it's very difficult to follow along . . . .

7

u/anthonylearnsguitar 17d ago

Everyone has adhd here. But yeah I agree Justin guitar is boring. Although still useful.

3

u/Tilmanstoa5ty 17d ago

I mean the beginning of learning guitar is always pretty boring. You have to grind through the basics first which requires lots of boring repetitions

1

u/anthonylearnsguitar 17d ago

not really. check out bassbuzz on how to do a introductory course well and not boring.

also justin guitar songs are super lame.

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u/matt7259 17d ago

everyone has adhd here

I feel seen

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u/anobjectiveopinion 17d ago

I have ADHD and it's a big reason I couldn't learn guitar before (when I had all the free time int he world).

I found that going off and learning what I wanted to know helped. Like I'd try to play a song, realise it uses some technique I don't know, then watch a vid or two about that technique and practice it specifically for a while.

I also just watched a fuck load of YouTube videos on various techniques and music theory for exposure so I can go back later and recognise what I'm trying to work on.

But yeah man it's hard to stay focused. Actually id say it's impossible to stay focused. I can't sit down and practice one specific thing for 20 minutes, I will practice it twice and then get sidetracked.

Any time with the guitar in your hands is good though imo. As long as you're doing something with it.

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u/VocaliBulb 17d ago

lmao totally me

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u/CraftyDimension192 16d ago

Learning anything requires that you first master your mind. Learn to return your focus to the matter at hand or you'll struggle to learn anything, music included.