Even Jimi Hendrix, Tommy Emmanuel, and Brad Paisley all struggled with playing the guitar at some point but still became the greats as we know them today. Then there’s no reason you cannot overcome your shortcomings with some consistent practice to become a better guitarist.
Practice is a no-brainer in any trade. The more you do it, the more familiar and comfortable you will get with the instrument, and there will come a time when playing the guitar will turn into an effortless endeavor. Here are three simple exercises that you can begin with to get into the groove of consistent practicing.
Practice your chord shapes
Like chords on most other western instruments, guitar chords are a collection of notes that we use to create music. Understanding and playing the various guitar chords can seem like a daunting task at first. Still, it can become significantly simpler as you practice.
For instance, the barre chords seem really hard to play for every beginner. That happens because when you are a new guitar player, your hands are not strong. It is normal since you are not used to moving your fingers as you do when playing the guitar. But as you play more, your fingers develop the requisite strength, and you become more confident with the instrument.
Nevertheless, it is no hidden fact that rhythm is the basis of all music. And practicing chords help you develop that rhythm which is the most fundamental aspect of being a guitarist and a musician.
Guitar trill exercises
A guitar trill is a rapid alternation between two notes on a single string. The very first note is picked, and subsequent alternations are created through repeated hammer-on and pull-off techniques.
In simple scientific terms, this exercise’s premise might sound like ‘speed’ muscles that benefit from practicing short bursts of high speed followed by a rest, and ‘endurance’ muscles better developed by a prolonged, continuous exercise at a slower pace.
When a guitar player wants to execute a fast, smooth legato run, many things enter into the action, such as precision, clarity, and smoothness, to mention but a few. But without stamina and strength, the fretting hand won’t respond and will let you down, which makes these exercises exceedingly relevant.
Spider drills
The spider is a cross-string picking exercise that is designed to develop dexterity in both hands.
If you are having trouble with either your right hand or left hand coordination and want to see real improvement, these are the perfect exercises. It will help you work on your basic fundamentals of guitar playing and enhance your playing accuracy.
There are numerous different patterns to use for spider drills. Once you get used to a specific pattern, you should take up another challenging one. In fact, you can innovate and come up with your own patterns. Any great guitarist you’d meet will have many bizarre spider drills with equally bizarre explanations as to why they’re the best.
These are just a few of the countless practice regimes you could follow. In the end, it all comes down to what works best for and fosters the most pleasing outcome, provided you can hold on to that discipline.
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