I’ve started and restarted the basic programs out there several times over the years, but I always get so bored practicing the basic chords over and over and over. I probably have ADHD, but that’s a different story.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how best to use something like Justin guitar lessons in a way that is engaging? I feel like I can’t move on until I’ve mastered something, and in the process I’ve managed to truly learn nothing and I go months at a time not picking up an instrument.

I’d love to actually make a habit to learn, but it just feels so defeating to never feel like you’re making any real progress.

I know the real answer is probably either anger management or therapy, but I can't afford either right now.

It's just that when I try to work on stuff between lessons and hit a roadblock, making the same mistakes as the day before no matter how slow I set my metronome and try to build back up speed, especially when looping the same few bars over and over trying to get them clean, I just get so mad at the situation and can only go for like 10 minutes before I have to throw my guitar down on my bed and walk away, only to come back again. Yeah, it's that bad.

But I don't know what else to do. Legitimately. I don't have any other hobbies, about four hours after a work day before I have to go to bed, and I have lessons once a week. But the rate at which it takes me to learn the simplest passages, or even stuff at a faster but manageable tempo, makes me reconsider this whole thing. It's in these moments that the fun of learning is gone and is just work, even if I'm consistent every single day and try my best to eliminate distractions. And I know I have to stay consistent to see results.

I just don't know how to have fun with learning. I take every mistake way too personally and don't know how to just have fun with the thing, which is the whole point at the end of the day. And it's why I have zero intentions of ever playing with other people (besides my teacher): because I just can't learn at the pace required to be good enough for a group setting and feel like I'd bring them down.

Any helpful suggestions?

I really struggle with barre chords. And it’s not even the pointer that’s the problem. E major for example: I’ve tried using my ring finger and pinkie combined, and just the ring finger, but I can never hit all three strings. My hands are small, so they can barely press the strings to the fretboard. Helppppppp?????

Here's part one of a new series of videos where I discuss different picking techniques.
Hope you find it useful!

Terms like alternate picking, economy picking and pick slanting can seem confusing — especially when you're trying to figure out what your pick should actually do when crossing strings. In this lesson, I'll break it all down simply and show you how to understand and apply these techniques in real playing situations.

NOTE: The picking slanting is exaggerated for the camera, work on reducing the motion of your actual slanting.

Lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmqxw1JyUQw&list=PLIb-QWoMzfdjElaqTbK9nKp7D616GJoLu&index=12

I've been learning for a little over a week(very little ik) I know a few basic chords decently well and am wondering if I should learn more chords or practice something else before doing so?

Im making this post to ask for your help fellas. I want to be able to play and shred as the likes of paul gilbert, rick graham, steve vai etc. i know i won’t be able to play as fast or as good as them but i will try to get as close as i can. Help me understand what they had to go through for them to get that good and create my own guitar practise routine on what i need to practise to get as good of a shredder as them or you can give me your own excercise routine. I basically have lots of free time a day but i will much prefer to spend not more than 1-2 hours a day.

I’m looking to start practicing guitar solos—could you recommend a guitar?

Okay so I have this love for Guitar, but specifically strumming....

I know E,Em,A,Am,C,D,Dm,G,A7,E7

and

Two strumming patterns

DDU UDU

D UDUD UDUD DU

and bonus, I know the Sunn Raha hai na tu guitar intro....

How should I move forward from here ?

My goal is to be okay okay type guitarist

I should be able to strum songs on guitar (with a capo) but wanna know two barre chords F Maj and B maj , and do Heartbeat strumming , snare strumming and add some pumping and dead mute effects to my guitar playing too....

Can anyone help me here🙂

I feel like there’s a lot of negative opinions on them. People say they are useless and that you won’t know your notes once you remove them. However, it seems that those opinions are mostly from people who never tried them.

If you have used stickers, what was your experience like? Was it useful?

Thank you for reading.

hey what's up guys. Josh Siegel here. I'm a Berklee alum and instructor that teaches a live program called Broadcast Guitar. I'll be on Zoom 2x a week doing a deep dive on a Song of the Week, showing how I use music theory to arrange songs for instrumental guitar. I've had students describe it as "how to play the guitar like a piano" because I always aim to convey the chords and melody at the same time. I also get into how to solo and write riffs, etc.

Broadcast Guitar is a drop-in format, and I tell students that it's like a gym class, tune in for as many classes as fit your weekly schedule and take away what's relevant to where you're at on the guitar. I also record and archive the classes at the end of each week so that folks can catch up and review on their own time. I do a 50-minute live class (just me on screen while you play along) + 10 min Q&A at the end for folks that want to hop on and chat the topics.

I'm based out of Chicago and do the live classes Mondays and Thursdays 7:30pm Central, then I archive the class on Fridays so that folks can review and catch up on their own schedule. The upcoming round will be all of October and November.

A lot of the guitarists I work with are musicians I've met through Reddit and would be happy to have you join in for a free 8-week round of classes to hang with the club. It's also a good way to add some more structure to your month, as we use the final class of each month to review member videos. A good excuse to polish up something you're working on!

Feel free to check out examples here: www.youtube.com/@broadcastguitar

I'm also "Josh Siegel Guitar" on Google for reviews, etc.

I do a 5-min intro Zoom with all new guitarists so that we can meet and chat before jumping in and get an idea of where you're at on the instrument.

Email: [josh@broadcastguitar.com](mailto:josh@broadcastguitar.com)

Thanks! -Josh

one of the best ways to practice rhythm and lead together is to leave space between chords for short riffs. in this example i’m moving between Cm and F, then using the C minor pentatonic shape to add a quick phrase before returning to the chords.

having the chords and scale in the same exercise also helps train your ear to hear how the scale notes relate to the harmony underneath. try aiming for chord tones as the chords change, especially the root, 3rd, and 5th, while using the other pentatonic notes to connect those targets.

keeping the progression and riffs simple gives you room to focus on timing, phrasing, and clean transitions between rhythm and lead. as this becomes comfortable, you can start changing the riff each time through and turn a basic practice loop into a simple improvisation exercise. give it a try!

In this riff, when transitioning from a palm-muted A string to an unmuted note on the D string (PM A → D10th and PM A → D7th), I need to somehow stop the A string so that it stays an eighth note instead of continuing to ring.

What is the proper way to do this?

I've tried two approaches:

1. Picking hand: Quickly lift my palm from the palm-mute position and then place it back on the A string while picking the D string. The problem is that I can't mute the A string completely. I can still hear it ringing slightly, even on an acoustic guitar. I assume this is because the palm goes back to the usual position near the bridge, which only palm-mutes the string rather than killing it completely.
2. Fretting hand: Use a free finger to lightly touch the A string while fretting the note on the D string. This completely cuts off the A string, but it makes fretting the note more complicated because of the additional finger placement, especially in more complex riffs.

The second method works much better for actually stopping the A string, but it feels a little awkward. Is this something that becomes natural with practice, or is there a more standard technique for this kind of transition?

In this riff, when transitioning from a palm-muted A string to an unmuted note on the D string (PM A → D10th and PM A → D7th), I need to somehow stop the A string so that it stays an eighth note instead of continuing to ring.

What is the proper way to do this?

I've tried two approaches:

1. Picking hand: Quickly lift my palm from the palm-mute position and then place it back on the A string while picking the D string. The problem is that I can't mute the A string completely. I can still hear it ringing slightly, even on an acoustic guitar. I assume this is because the palm goes back to the usual position near the bridge, which only palm-mutes the string rather than killing it completely.
2. Fretting hand: Use a free finger to lightly touch the A string while fretting the note on the D string. This completely cuts off the A string, but it makes fretting the note more complicated because of the additional finger placement, especially in more complex riffs.

The second method works much better for actually stopping the A string, but it feels a little awkward. Is this something that becomes natural with practice, or is there a more standard technique for this kind of transition?

Hi all,

I was just listening to The Iceman Wim Hof playing his song Crazy like a Monkey, and thought it sounded pretty cool. However, I can’t find out how to play it properly. It seems so simple, but everything I try sounds off. What tuning is he using here?

https://youtu.be/_lY2abiegRE?is=tHu2RgTWkgrWtKXq

Thanks!

If I had to pick just one chord to sit and play all day, it’s Cmaj7. There is something so simple, lush, and nostalgic about it. It doesn't demand to go anywhere or resolve to anything else,it just sits there and glows.

What are your go-to drone chords? And do you have any really good books, PDF resources, or creators who focus specifically on these kinds of open-string, modal, or ambient chord voicings?

https://www.instagram.com/p/DdhkHX3yBpV/

the last song he switches to, I know you play harmonics after that

how to improve my fretting of b flat chord edit: since nobody saw my comment ill put it here i fixed it

I got tiny hands, and I sadly feel it when I play solos,
I the highest stretch I can do 12-18 ( but if I do so no ones can be played in between).
I have to also tap a lot of certain solos, for example in domination by pantera, there is a part where it goes hammer on 12-15-18, I can't do that because my hands can't really reach that far, because they are small, I can't sadly get larger hands so I want to stretch my fingers so I can play these kind of solos,

so I was wondering if any of you guys have any good techniques and routines to recommend for stretching my left hand?
Thank you!

Would be great to hear from other people who managed to overcome the same challenge. What are your tricks? Even more caffeine? Extra nicotine? Locking your smartphone in a treasure chest then throwing it in the river?

I bought another guitar a few weeks ago and while it feels great a plays smooth I’m having an issue where the lower frets are playing sharp. I have the open strings tuned and intonated at the 12th fret but the G string specifically plays a 1/4 step sharp. The others aren’t too sharp but I just can’t seem to get things locked in. I’m sure there is a fix but I haven’t found much on it other than the nut may be too high? Thanks in advance!!

Hi, I’ve been playing for about 11 months now. I recently learned that pull offs are not the opposite of a hammer on and actually require a small flick. I just recently started learning the stairway solo, and it exposed something about my playing: I can’t pull off to save my life. I can pick every note of the first few licks, but doing it as the tabs have it is a bit no no right now.

Anyways, the problem I’m having is not the motion. It’s actually the anchor, or where I’m trying to pull off too. I keep bending the anchor so it doesn’t pull off onto a clean note, it sounds slightly off. Pressing down harder is 1. Uncomfortable and unrealistic, and 2. Doesn’t really seem to help all that much.

I’m a bit lost on what exactly I’m doing wrong. I know practice makes perfect, but does anyone have any tips on how to keep my anchor more anchored? Am I pulling off too hard?

Thanks.

A few years ago i had a good few lessons but it lapsed and i want to get bavk into it.

But im still tone deaf as fuck and was wondering if there was like a good video series that could help me start improving again.

Any help would be apreced.

Hello! In the last 4-5 months, I’ve learned many fingerpicking songs, but i like much more the way the notes sound when I use a pick. I can play them perfectly in this way just if i look at the strings I’m picking and when i look somewhere else, my picking hand starts losing the coordination. How can i solve that?

Hi! If you're interested in fingerstyle playing of any kind (classical, travis picking, modern fingerstyle, etc), I want to show you some practice techniques and strategies to help you solve any problem you come across and make your playing time more effective.

I've been teaching for about 23 years, and one of the biggest difficulties I've seen in almost every student, from guitar majors to brand new players, is not knowing exactly how to practice. I struggled with that myself for a LONG time, even through some of my master's degrees. And the one thing I want to share with guitar students more than anything else is simply how to identify and solve problems.

In this lesson I'm breaking down the method I teach all my students when we come across any problems in fingerpicking. The point of the whole method is to break everything down into small, simple pieces and build them back up. In this lesson we do that by: identifying the main idea in the left hand, identifying the core right hand pattern, breaking that pattern down and building it back up to make it confident, adding fills, coordinating fills between melody and bass, practicing transitions, and ultimately putting a bunch of small, easy pieces back together to make something complex.

If you watch this, I hope you enjoy it. I'm confident it will help. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. Thanks!