favorite lyrics ‘n stuff

There are many philosophies when it comes to practicing guitar.
Some people don’t practice at all, others practice for 10+ hours
per day! Steve Vai’s legendary 10-hour guitar workout comes to
mind. But consider this…who do you think is the better guitar
player? The person who hardly practices, or the person who
practices on a regular basis? Of course it’s the person who
practices regularly!

I’m a strong advocate of practicing on a regular basis because
with good guitar technique, you can play anything! If you think
about it, it makes perfect sense. If you can alternate pick most
any any lick or picking pattern, then any time you’re trying to
learn something new you’ll be able to pick it up much more
quickly then if you don’t have good technique.

Obviously you want to practice things that you have difficulty
playing, or create your own exercises that are similar to those
things you struggle with. By focusing your practice time on
these things, you will improve much quicker. Then in the future
when you encounter things you previously used to struggle with,
you’ll breeze right through it!

Think about it.if all you practice are power chords, you just
really limit yourself as to what you can potentially play. By
focusing on certain techniques, you’ll be able to do so much
more. But you can still play power chords if you choose. I
don’t know, maybe some people are happy only playing power
chords, but I digress.

Now I’m not saying that you should go out and start practicing
for 10+ hours per day. I never practiced for more then 3-4
hours per day. I think that what you practice is more important
then how long you practice. Of course it’s ultimately up to you.
This is just how I view the guitar.

About The Author: Chris Thomas writes articles and does reviews
of the top online guitar lessons at
www.guitarlessoncomparisons.com

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There are many opinions and points of view (pro and con) about studying with a private guitar teacher. No teacher can teach anyone how to play. This must be learned through experience and a lot of playing.

However, let’s not underestimate the great value of a good teacher. A teacher can help the student in many ways. The teacher can accomplish the following if the student is willing.

1. Help the student develop good technique.

2. Help the student learn how to read music.

3. Help the student learn to listen (ear training)

4. Help the student prepare for contests, auditions and work situations.

5 Provide encouragement and support.

6.Offer criticism and re-evaluation when the student begins to over-estimate their accomplishments.

7. Suggest players for the student to listen to that otherwise might be overlooked.

8. Help the student develop an awareness and understanding of different styles.

9. Discuss the students problems in confidence. Some of the best lessons are this type.

10. Help the student learn the fundamentals of music as well as guitar.

Now, here’s a few guidelines on choosing a teacher which might be helpful:

1. Try to set up an interview with the teacher or talk with some of his/her students. This will give you some idea of what the teacher specializes in and what you can expect to learn. Not every teacher can offer what you are most interested in. it will depend to some degree on the teacher’s experience in music and what he or she feels is important to emphasize with students.

2. Avoid teachers who spend a lot of time criticizing name guitarists or other teachers.

3. Avoid any teacher who constantly plays more during the lesson than the student. There may be times when this is necessary to make a point, but it should be the exception and not a regular occurence.

The best teachers stress the fundamentals of music and guitar playing. They strive to help the student develop the tools and knowledge he or she will need to develop their own style. By sharing their experience they can save a young guitarist lots of time by avoiding obvious pitfalls and bad habits.

The most important person in the learning process is the student. In the final analysis, each one of us determines to a great degree how much we will learn. Attitude, desire, willingness to work coupled with natural ability are the key ingredients for learning. Your most important tools are your mind, your ears, and the drive to succeed.

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Mike Hayes is a guitar teacher, author, performing musician and session guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience. Mike’s methods are legendary and have earned the praise of top authorities in guitar instruction. He reveals his guitar secrets at www.GuitarCoaching.com

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