My Top Tips on Guitar for Beginners
It’s really hard when you are at the beginning of something to imagine yourself not being a beginner and to comprehend how much you are going to learn. In this blog, I wanted to tell you about the top things I wish I would have known when I was starting guitar so you don’t make the same mistakes I did!
My Grand Pacific Taylor is just perfect!
It’s really hard when you are at the beginning of something to imagine yourself not being a beginner and to comprehend how much you are going to learn. I distinctly remember sitting in the attic at my house trying to learn barre chords (!). At the time, I was looking at my bright pink pointer finger and was like I cannot imagine EVER getting these effing barre chords to not sound awful and muted ( we have all been here though right?). I think it’s really important to have people spurring you on and making sure you don’t lose hope in the beginning of your guitar journey because it’s a time that you don’t love the sound of yourself playing, but you don’t know how to sound better. It’s also a time of curiosity and also (typically) being kinder to yourself.
Watch my YouTube video of what I wish I would have known starting guitar here!
In this blog, I wanted to share with you what I wish I would have known/ thought of/ taken more seriously when I was first starting guitar so hopefully you can feel better about your improvement with guitar and stay inspired!
Tip #1: Be Positive About Your Progress
I put this at the very top of the list because I think it’s most important! I don’t love when I am looking for advice on something and it’s super vague like this… but really if you can make the thoughts in your head positive about your practice time and progress, it will make you want to spend more time with your guitar and therefore get better. One way I do this is if I’m frustrated or can’t get something down, I’ll go back to playing a song that’s just pure fun and makes me pumped (AKA classic rock for me!). Also, not reviewing my progress too much and focusing more on creativity, rather than specific accomplishments. When I compare myself to other people’s progress, I tend to get more in my head about things, If this is a problem for you (I learned this technique lately) try working backward and thinking about everything that person has given up, and every detail that got them where they are. It’s easy to think that other guitar players might have a talent/magic dust that you don’t have, and then you don’t take into consideration the time you aren’t seeing that they put into practice. Working through exactly what they had to do to get there makes things feel more logical, and can help you be motivated that if you take those steps, you can get there too!
Tip #2: Sign Up For Group Lessons
Here were some of my first group lessons students! We had so much fun!
A lot of people say they don’t prefer group lesson and I have no clue why! They are the perfect test band scenario to get you out of the house and playing with other people. You can mess up and not feel like you are throwing off a band, and learn tips from peers who are more on your level or maybe just a step ahead. Also, helping other people might help the knowledge/ concepts sink in better for you.
Tip #3: Work On Your Bends
Bends took me a second. For them to sound good, you really have to get them up to an exact note. If you know all the theory in the world but have sloppy bends, it’s really going to mess up the emotion of your playing. Practice playing up to an exact note, and getting that muscle memory strong right off the bat!
Tip #4: Don’t Get overly Focused On Theory and “Rules”
It’s easy to think if only you knew more scales, then you would be better at guitar, but you can do SO much without knowing everything. So many great songs and licks are simple but hold a lot of emotion, have cool timing, or maybe use an interesting or creative technique. Obviously, theory is great and can be super helpful, but in the beginning as a guitarist, it may be more beneficial to practice having flow in the notes you are comfortable with.
Keeping your guitar out where you will see it everyday is a great way to set yourself up to remember to practice!
Tip #5: Pay Attention to Your Technique
As a beginner guitarist, you are in luck because you can start your technique off strong and it sets you up for the rest of your guitar career! Try to get your fingers bubbled around the fretboard, have clean right-hand technique, and have good timing!
Get lessons and tips on my YouTube!
Tip #6: Learn About Tone
I never thought tone was THAT important until I started playing out more. Your tone can really set the whole vibe of your guitar playing and determine who exact you get a part of a certain song. You can play really simple chords and licks and if you have awesome tone, they will sound great! Tone is something that is difficult for me because everything can sound different with one small change. If you are not a “gear nerd,” get someone you trust to help you set up your pedal board/ choose your gear.
If this article was for you, I hope you embrace the excitement of learning something totally new, and that you also learn more about yourself and what inspires you!
Chord Chart Bundle
Have all your chord charts organized in one place.
Bring Your Guitar Skills Back from Vacay
Lost your guitar skills on vacation? Find out how to get them back here!
Photo by Ethan Robertson
I don't know about you, but this summer has been crazy! You may be the type of person who practices on vacation (if you are, go you!), but when I was in Mexico, I was sharing a hotel room with friends, constantly at the beach/pool, and wasn't able to pack my guitar. While spending time at the beach drinking pina coladas and soaking up sunshine is essential to mental health, it's not always conducive to making me a better guitar player...
It also makes it really easy to keep missing the practice train because I 1) am scared maybe not thinking about guitar for a week has somehow made me terrible 2) I can't completely remember what I had been listening to and practicing before I left and 3) My fingers always become weirdly slower. Because all these things are the literal worst, I thought I would make you a little guide to you can skip the vacation hangover and get back to your passion for playing guitar!
1) Play a song you already know and love
It never hurts to build the old guitar confidence back up! Starting by playing a song you like rather than trying to play something really hard right of the bat is going to help revive your muscle memory and start getting those creative juices flowin' again. If you have someone to jam with, even better. Whenever I sit down and start jamming with my husband (he's a bass player), it always helps me remember why I love playing so much and it's nice to have someone to bounce creative ideas off of!
2) Start your real practice with some finger exercises
Love this beachy tank from Walrus!
S-L-O-W
If you try to start your finger exercises off too fast, you are going to feel sloppy and discouraged (yay...). So just start slow and don't worry about proving to yourself that your fingers are still speedy!
3) Choose a solo
Once you are all warmed up and feeling great (I'm convinced sometimes playing guitar is half confidence!), choose a new solo or lick and dive into copying it note for note. This is the main way I practice all the time. Reviewing your scales can only take you so far and then it becomes all about the finesse and the feeling you can put into your sound!
4) Find another human with an instrument
Lastly, schedule a jam, gig, or ask a friend to come play with you! Nothing gets you back into playing like another person-it's the main factor that forces you to play whole songs through and try to sound as professional as possible. :)
I hope this helps you if you are coming back from a full month of vacation like I am! Obviously none of this is rocket science, but sometimes a little outline can just help give you the little push you need to start!
I would love to know if there is anything that's been helpful for you getting back into playing when you've felt a little rusty- please comment below with your thoughts!
Songwriting 101 with The Listening Room Cafe
Get the inside scoop on successful songwriting from the guys behind the Listening Room Cafe.
If you want to consistently hear amazing “Made in Nashville” songs, The Listening Room Cafe is your spot. I was able to sit down with Chris Blair (Listening Rooms' Owner/General Manager) and Chase Armstrong (Listening Rooms’ Music & Booking Manager) and talk to them about their experiences at the venue that plays host to some of the best songwriters in Nashville. You can read more about why the venue was started here.
I love their emphasis on authenticity and story telling in both performing and songwriting—this is so necessary in the country music industry, where it’s easy to fall into writing songs that fit into the stereotype. I wanted to share with you their insight on the music industry and songwriting (and note that I paraphrased their answers into my own words).
Best Things You Can Do When Performing at a Writer’s Round
Be real (starting to see a theme here?). They said people love when writers tell the backstory of what inspired the song (this is especially great if the song’s a little more out there). The connection people feel with a song is why they are so drawn to writers' nights, and they especially love to see the person who experienced these stories play. They said you can really tell the difference between someone who is writing a song because they want it to fit with other songs on the radio and the songs that songwriters write out of life experience.
Photo: Music City Mike
When you are on stage, confidence and being comfortable with the audience (or at least pretending you are!) is crucial. One way you can show your confidence is in your reaction to forgetting the words to your song. The Listening Room has a lot of songwriters who forget the words to freshly written songs all the time, as they will use the venue almost as a practice for trying out new songs. Owning it, laughing it off, and starting over is definitely the best way to go about forgetting your words. Just don’t make it weird and try to pretend it never happened. And definitely don’t start trying to make up your own words (but props to you if you can do that).
Chris jokingly mentioned you should also try to bring a crowd that can buy drinks to your show- this is super important though! When you as a songwriter think about who is fueling your career, it’s places like the Listening Room. They can’t pay you unless people are coming to their venue and buying food or drinks. I once heard money is the fuel that makes your car go—though this isn’t the why behind songwriters or venues, both need to make money to keep doing what they are passionate about (that’s some of my personal input anyway)!
If you could give advice to someone trying to be a professional songwriter right now, what would it be?
Though they said it’s not IMPOSSIBLE right now, it’s no longer a realistic career goal for about the first 10 years of trying to be a songwriter. The royalties (the money the songwriter and publisher make when their song is bought or played) a writer gets are just so small since Spotify and other streaming services have become popular. Even if you write a hit song on the radio, you won’t necessarily get a lot of money. They said the top 10% songwriters in Nashville are the only ones who are making a full time living off of writing, and you will probably see their names on a lot of the songs on the radio. If you want to be one of these people you need to:
1) Be writing constantly with anyone and everyone.
Don’t be selective and don’t stick to writing in a clique (this has proven to be successful for only a handful of writers in Nashville). Also don’t write alone— this is the worst thing you can do for your career!
2) Be gritty.
You need to keep hanging in there and writing what you want to write about. Don’t take the seemingly easy path of writing what you think fits with current radio hits. Not only will the radio trends probably change before your song could have a chance of being on it, but people won’t connect as much to your song if it’s written just to be popular. Also like I said earlier, it takes a lot of time.
3) Think about being an artist
Being an artist there are more revenue streams available in which you can make a living. Obviously, this is not easier, but through touring, merch, royalties, etc. it makes doing music full time a bit more feasible.
A lot of people move to Nashville and start playing writers' rounds to “get discovered.” Do you see this happening a lot after performances/ what are your thoughts on this?
Neither Chase or Chris have ever seen someone “get discovered” or play one great writers’ night and have their song become a hit. Though that’s the stereotype of Nashville, times have changed a lot with the music industry and the dream of being scouted at a bar on Broadway isn’t really realistic anymore (this doesn't mean you shouldn't still pursue this career if it's your dream!). If you do get discovered on Broadway it will more likely be for your talents riding a mechanical bull.
What is your passion behind partnering with the Song Suffragettes? Are there any challenges in particular you see women having to work harder to overcome?
The Listening Room partners with Song Suffragettes, hosting a Monday night series of only women songwriters called “Let the Girls Play.” Not only have these Monday Nights sold out every week, but they are also helping to beat some of the stereotypes of women in country music. Chris and Chase commented that they see it can be a little more difficult for women in the country music industry because of the constant challenge to not be put into the “good girl” or “the bad girl” categories, or be compared to other female artists. Being your own person can be difficult, but is also completely achievable by writing songs true to who you are and sticking with writing for a LONG TIME.
However, if you are a woman writing songs that are different and real, it ends up being so worthwhile as it is these writers who draw the crowd in, and get people to relate and engage with the content in their songs. The Listening Room hopes that hosting “Let the Girls Play” serves as a platform to help women do this.
What’s the funniest/ most unexpected thing you have seen happen on stage at the listening room?
You are Guaranteed a great show when you see JT Harding (left) and Phil Barton (right) at the listening room
They’ve weirdly seen quite a few proposals happen… so if you want to get hitched, the Listening Room may be a good place for you to start hanging out.
Final Thoughts
The Listening Room gets about 100 submissions to play EACH WEEK! Because of this, they have to put a lot of thought into choosing songwriters who they feel are consistently writing amazing songs and who will help their venue be the spot that you can always hear extremely well crafted songs, no matter the night. Playing the wrong venues in Nashville (usually the venues that have no selection process but rather operate on a first come first serve basis for writers' rounds) can actually hurt you as a songwriter!
After hearing the attention to creativity and songwriter performances Chris and Chase prioritize in the Listening Room, it’s no wonder this venue is unique and attracts so much talent. It’s inspiring seeing people in the music industry who so clearly care about preserving the craft of songwriting. I hope you all are able to swing by if you’re in Nashville to have a few beers and listen to some of the best songwriters in town!
