Sunday Advice Corner: 9 Critical Musical Tips
Added 2019-01-20 20:56:04 +0000 UTCHi guys, I'm thinking about doing this little thing weekly where I give you guys some quick thoughts on things I've been thinking about lately in relation to guitar, practice, and composition. Hopefully these little aphorisms are things you can digest and keep in the back of your head (that's what I do at least).
1) Always be playing guitar (or whatever instrument you play). Do as much as you can to play more. The best way to develop is to become really immersed in playing so whenever you have a moment, pick up the guitar! If you're just watching TV, why not hold the guitar and play something at the same time?
2) Work on your ear! Learn to hear scale degrees, spot chord progressions. Sing as much as you can and try and transcribe. Do you know what a 1-4-5 progression sounds like? Take some time to play common progressions and get familiar with the sound behind them.
3) Pretty much the same as number two, but seriously. Transcribe! This is a great way to train your ear. And particularly, try to transcribe right onto your instrument.
4) Your mechanics / technique can always be better. Have you had a check up to see how your techniques are looking? Have they slipped?
5) Work on your knowledge of the fretboard. Do you know all of the note names on the G and B string?
6) Organize your practice routine.
7) It's important to jam / improvise every now and again to help develop your ear and ability to rapidly compose ideas. Try making a playlist of tracks you like and try to jam along to those tracks.
8) Take a look at other guitarists you look up to every once and a while for motivation.
9) Can you sing the melody in your idea? If you can't then odds are, nobody is going to be able to remember it.
