33 tips to learn blues guitar

All advanced musicians know the sensation of pleasure playing an improvised blues guitar solo will cause. It is one of those activities in your life, which simply must be experienced, it just can’t be described.

In case you are thinking of learning blues guitar, I have good news for your. Blues is one of the easiest genres to learn on guitar, especially with the help of quality blues guitar lessons like these.

Picking up your guitar and performing a blues tune whenever you feel like it is comparable to nothing else. As with all things rewarding in life, it will take practice, but will certainly lead to an experience that’s undoubtedly worth it.

Here are several helpful tips about how to play the blues

  1. blues-guitar-lesson-tipsStay enthusiastic, through learning how to perform songs from the start! Learning to play fun music tends to make all the difference, and can cause you to practice more.
  2. You are able to practice silently whenever you want, even while you’re watching TV.
  3. Study the fundamentals of blues, and build on them.
  4. Teach yourself guitar chords. These will be open chords to start with.
  5. You aren’t focusing on speed, rather precision.
  6. Learn a number of guitar songs. You can easily literally start playing tracks in the beginning. Needless to say, they’ll certainly be simplified tunes, but hey, Slash needed to get started someplace as well.
  7. Choose a reputable instructional web site, and stick with it. Don’t skip a lesson, when it gets harder.
  8. Practice those harder chords as well, to be able to learn more tunes.
  9. How to teach yourself guitar chords is slowly in the beginning. You need to teach your hands exactly where to move, before speeding up.
  10. When fretting a given chord, make sure to not bend any of the strings out of place. This would alter the pitch of this string, so your chord will sound wrong and the instrument will sound out-of-tune.
  11. Tune in to a lot of guitar music, watch other individuals playing the instrument, and have fun.
  12. Record yourself, and pay attention to the music you made. It might be painful, but will allow you to identify where you will need to progress.
  13. Never stop developing. Perhaps the greatest musicians uncover a new challenge, and practice 3 hours each day.
  14. Learn guitar & theory. This is very important in the future, and is necessary before you could really embark on playing your very own solos and improvising.
  15. Find out about all areas of playing electric guitar, not any single one. Learn rhyhtm guitar, strumming, solos, etc.
  16. The sole secret to getting great at the guitar is frequent practice.
  17. You can try to keep your guitar out in the open where you could see it. Please don’t keep it away from sight, it might merely stay there forever.
  18. Teach yourself barre chords. It’s hard initially, but it becomes a lot easier with time.
  19. Learn your favorite blues songs from your favorite blues artists.
  20. Do more rhythm exercises, by simply tapping your hands. Rhythm is quite important, & most guitar players get it wrong.
  21. Get into the practice of shutting your eyes and looking aside every now and then.
  22. Regular training is more important as compared to amount of time in every training session.
  23. Learn to strum your stringed instrument in rhythm. This is very important, since rhythm is everything in the blues.
  24. You’ll learn more by playing with other people. Have fun with other guitarists once you can.
  25. Obtain a good guitar book, which will instruct you on chords, scales and guitar theory.
  26. Learn the actual physical facets of the classical guitar.
  27. Get out of the box. Learning new scales, solos, songs, progressions, riffs, etc. is the best way to advance.
  28. Aggravation is actually normal, in particular when you’re a newbie. Train even more, and you should get better.
  29. Upload a few guitar applications onto your iphone. The most crucial apps you will want to get are a metronome, a guitar tuner and a chords application.
  30. Experiencing difficulty with a blues chord? Play it again and again, and your fingers will remember the shape better next time.
  31. Try out guitar strings of different gauge, to have experience with more strings, also to find the one which you love the most.
  32. Make sure you tune your guitar before, and during each practice session. There isn’t anything worse than trying to play an out of tune guitar.
  33. Ones fingertips will hurt until such time you develop calluses on the fingers. The more you practice, the quicker your calluses will form.
  34. Your fingers should be arched above the other strings, which means you are not inadvertently touching any strings.

Read these tips again if you need to, I know there are a lot.

Can you learn blues guitar without a teacher?

Any time students ask me whether or not it’s possible to learn how to play the blues online, my reply really will depend on the mood I’m just in.

Being a self-taught guitar player, my straightforward response is normally “certainly”, since I trained myself to play without teachers guiding me. However, in the old days while I was initially figuring out the guitar, it was not as simple as it is nowadays.

I learned from books as well as VHS instructional videos, and it took way too much time, as the info accessible was not as plentiful as it is nowadays in the modern world of the world wide web.

If you love the blues, you’ll love playing it even more!

How long it takes to learn guitar – 5 real stories

Most people toy with the idea of learning to play guitar at one time or another. And who can blame them? Music is intertwined in society, and the guitar is a cool instrument.

Here are 5 real guitar journeys from guitar players of various levels, as they discuss how long it took to learn to play guitar at an acceptable level, what they had difficulties with, and what they would do differently looking back.

Lukas

how-long-to-learn-to-play-guitar-5What age did you start playing the guitar and why?

I was 16, I just thought it was cool.

How long did it take to learn it?

Well I never really stopped learning, but I started playing in my first band about 2 years later.

What was the most difficult aspect of learning guitar?

Oh there were lot’s of difficult things. Where to begin. Barre chords, rhythm, chord embellishments, learning the notes. But it’s all doable.

What would you do differently?

Maybe I would have bought a 2nd guitar sooner. I played on an acoustic for over a year before I got an electric guitar as well.

Martzel

What age did you start playing the guitar and why?

About 8, my father played guitar, and he wanted me to play as well.

How long did it take to learn it?

I didn’t start taking it seriously until I was in my 20s, but from there it came pretty quickly. I started learning and practicing a lot at that time, and I got better quickly. I had a great teacher, my dad.

What was the most difficult aspect of learning guitar?

Technically I learned everything early on, so I don’t really remember. Later on in my 20s, I had a hard time with the theory.

What would you do differently?

You can probably guess. I should have taken it more seriously when I was a kid.

Karoline

how-long-to-learn-to-play-guitar-4What age did you start playing the guitar and why?

12. I like the sound of the acoustic guitar.

How long did it take to learn to play?

That’s hard to answer. It took quite a while I guess. I’ve been playing for 13 years now, so I’m ok. I sing as well, so it’s a split show between the 2.

What was the most difficult aspect of learning guitar?

Definitely bar chords.

What would you do differently?

Actually I don’t know, I’m pretty satisfied with how everything went.

Aldric

how-long-to-learn-to-play-guitar-1What age did you start playing the guitar and why?

When I was 28. I always thought it was cool, but never learned. I quit my job at 28 looking for other opportunities, and with that, I just went into a guitar shop and bought my first guitar.

How long did it take to learn to play guitar?

Probably about a year before I started enjoying it, so that’s when I could play songs. It took a while from there on until I really started understanding what I’m playing, so the theoretical part of it all.

What was most difficult aspect of learning guitar?

I am self taught, I learned online. I was bouncing in between youtube lessons a lot, so I didn’t have any direction.

What would you do differently?

If I would have actually paid for lessons, I’m sure the length of time it took me to get to a solid level would have been reduced by a lot. That’s what I would do differently. Not be so stingy.

Adam

how-long-to-learn-to-play-guitar-2What age did you start playing the guitar and why?

I was in college, so I was about 19-20. My roommate had a guitar, he was pretty good, and all the girls were in love with him. So naturally I wanted to learn the art of guitar seduction, haha.

How long did it take to learn guitar?

By the end of college I was OK.

What was most difficult aspect of learning guitar?

Well for me it was balancing college life and getting enough practice. I knew from my roommate that practice was key, and I had to make time in between classes and studying and parties. But I always squeezed in at least an hour a day, and usually much more on weekends.

What would you do differently?

Considering the circumstances, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. I know many guitarists now who took much longer to learn guitar. It all depends on how much time end effort you devote to it.

 

 

Cheap acoustic guitars for beginners

Purchasing a beginner acoustic guitar is a fantastic experience as well as one that may end up being life altering! Therefore when looking to buy your very first beginner acoustic, don’t rush. Look at a great deal of online videos, study other articles on beginner acoustic guitars, and get in touch with seasoned guitar players, before making your ultimate pick.

How much do beginner acoustic guitars cost?

Obviously you can visit a nearby big-box retailer like WalMart and then get a starter guitar for one hundred dollars, but i will wager you’re not going to get particularly far along with it before you’re considering another guitar. The musical instruments introduced in the following paragraphs are high quality acoustic guitars from leading brands, that will give you years of fun.

Anytime you are shopping for a guitar, you should know that it’s a prolonged undertaking, not at all something that you can do in just one day. Precisely what will make a guitar stay miles ahead of its competitors? Does a guitar that costs $600 have to be better than the ones that cost $200 or even $100? Remember, you get what you pay for. The cheapest won’t be good quality.

Cheap beginner acoustic guitars

Play lots of different acoustic guitars before choosing one. Even though you may have no idea as to how you can play, hold it to check out just how it feels. Analyze the construction and finish for any marks, break, spots or other issues. Your nearby music shop is a wonderful spot to take a look at instruments.

Although it’s difficult to withstand jumping right in and purchasing the first beginners guitar you find, it is essential to think long-term when you make your choice.

Here are a few great, yet affordable beginner acoustic guitars:

Yamaha FG800 beginner acoustic guitar

The FG8xx collection boasts a louder and more powerful sound in the lower towards mid-ranges, thanks to modern acoustic research technology created by the Yamaha R&D unit. Yamaha’s technicians have attained this particular sound through the use of testing as well as simulation to get to the optimal bracing design.

Fender CD-60S beginner acoustic guitar

A dreadnought size beginner acoustic guitar that provides Fender’s traditional design appearance with high quality engineering, created to provide fantastic performance at an incredible price tag. Although the CD-60 definitely will not substitute a Martin or Taylor, the blend of cost, build and audio quality mean this is the ideal “camp fire” guitar, a great acoustic you’ll never be reluctant to carry along on excursions or perhaps a buddy’s apartment.

Epiphone Dove Pro

The Epiphone Dove Pro beginners guitar is actually a remarkably cheap guitar which has a lot to offer. The sound is definitely awesome, the construction is excellent, and it performs just like a guitar which costs lots more.

Alvarez Artist Series AD30 beginner acoustic guitar

The AD30 is a great entry-level instrument in Alvarez’s awarded Artist Series. Even though it might be the least expensive of them all, it nevertheless competes quite nicely with its bigger siblings in terms of sound.

Martin LX Little Martin ¾ scale beginner acoustic guitar

The Little Martin acoustic guitar may be a smaller guitar, but it can be a good-sounding beginner guitar, even to travel with or just play around the campfire. Martin lovers are going to be pleased with the deeper sound plus for people who would like to plug in they’ve got a great deal of options that are offered with electronics on the guitar. Being a Martin, this one isn’t as cheap as the others, but it’s good to keep your options open.

What kind of acoustic guitar should you get?

Everyone knows that you don’t empty your wallet of cash on your first guitar. However, there is loads of temptations, but don’t forget that the instrument might appear to be glossy and gorgeous, however it does not really imply that it will be the most beneficial on the market. Select a guitar that will be appropriate for your body size, and begin with one which is quite lightweight.

$300 is a good budget to have for your first acoustic guitar.

This can get you a quality instrument, at a nice price.

When you are only beginning to learn to play guitar, your budget is unquestionably destined to be an issue when choosing the ideal acoustic guitar. Still, it is additionally important to play a high quality guitar in order to ensure you are really getting the most bang for your dollar.

Considering the variety of different beginners guitar brand names these days and lots of cheaper options to choose from, it can be challenging selecting the proper acoustic guitar to begin with.

JamPlay.com or GuitarTricks.com?

As a result of all the hype around e-learning nowadays, we decided to do an evaluation of Jamplay, an online guitar lessons site, and compare it to GuitarTricks.com. We just wanted to see if a novice could learn how to play the acoustic guitar at the sites.

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GuitarTricks.com Review and GuitarTricks Discount Coupon

Making music by playing an instrument is among the most pleasing things you can do. The sense of self satisfaction that is felt by making tunes whenever you would like to, cannot be compared with just about anything. Among the best instruments to master if you want to play music may be the acoustic guitar. It’s comparatively low priced, doesn’t use up much room, you’ll be able to perform a huge selection of songs, and it is cool as well!

Guitar Tricks

Because of all of the hype around e-learning nowadays, we thought we would conduct a review of GuitarTricks, an online guitar lessons site. We just wanted to check if a newcomer would be able to learn how to play the electric guitar at the site, plus what a more advanced guitar student would be able to learn.

During our review of GuitarTricks, we were very satisfied. The website gives video guitar lessons for a very affordable price of $10.75 monthly (with their yearly membership), which is a joke since a private instructor costs about $ 35 by the hour. Actually, it’s safe to state that GuitarTricks is better than a private instructor. The teachers at GuitarTricks will respond to your emails personally, and so absolutely no loss there, but they also provide 1000’s of video lessons addressing just about all styles of music.

Discounted Membership Price

To make a good offer even better, you can save some money with this Guitar Tricks discount coupon code.

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Military discount on learning guitar

military-guitar-discountAre you in the military, and thinking about learning how to play guitar? We have very good news for you. TheGuitarLesson.com is providing a large discount to members of the military, 68% to be precise. Learn about the discount on military.com.

Are you wondering about what steps to take to start learning? Listed below are my thoughts. Before I picked within the guitar, I became operating under plenty of false assumptions on how difficult it really is to be a musician.

You simply need time. Playing guitar is fundamentally about teaching your fingers to accomplish weird things they aren’t familiar with doing. That’s it. It does not take a genius. It requires some hours. Put aside 10 hours with all the guitar and you’ll be playing some good songs. Promise.

Be patient and don’t get frustrated. Understanding how to play guitar may be a lengthy process. If you stay patient and practice you may improve eventually regardless of if it feels as though you aren’t. Bear in mind this, The slower you choose to go, the faster you’re getting there.

I started playing guitar once I was 20 – trumpet first, then guitar. I became keen and enthusiastic, and constantly asked every musician I met for advice concerning the best and fastest option to learn.

Every person provided me with only one word of advice: “Practice!” It drove me crazy as hell – i desired more – however it was helpful advice.

Exactly how much should you practice, and certainly will it squeeze into your military schedule? I still the stand by position the advice I was given:

  • at least 30 minutes just about every day, but better yet,
  • 2 hours each and every day should your really want to get good.

Practice each and every day. One three hour session per week seriously isn’t planning to cut it. Remember we have been attempting to develop finger memory, and that comes by regular, constant practice.

You might like to set small short-term goals that will not take such a long time to achieve. You should visualize yourself onstage having fun with a band. You might like to reward yourself somehow after every practice. You might like to find a guitar buddy that is also learning, and cry using one another’s shoulder. You should remind yourself that a lot of people find learning very hard in the first place. You do so, maintaining motivation is vital, or perhaps you may indeed call it quits.

One-on-one private lessons really enable you to grasp the concepts of learning at a faster rate and invite one to understand more effectively. But obviously, some people in the military can’t get private guitar lessons, and so the internet may be the next smartest thing. This, though, will probably imply that you’ll be learning all on your own.

TheGuitarLesson.com is the best source for online guitar lessons to military members. In the last 10 years, the website has taught thousands of beginners to play guitar.

GuitarTricks now has Soundgarden lessons

GuitarTricks, one of the largest online guitar learning websites signed an agreement with yet another band, to create guitar lessons on their songs. The band this time around is Soundgardenhttp://soundgardenworld.com/

If you are a paying member at GuitarTricks, you’ll be able to play learn classic Soundgarden songs, such as:

  • Spoonman
  • Outshined
  • Black Hole Sun

This is of course in addition to the more than 500 song lessons GuitarTricks has at the moment, twice as many as it’s main competitor, JamPlay.

JamPlay looks to be concentrating on getting artist teachers on their website, while GuitarTricks is more into signing more big name bands to create lessons on their songs. Which strategy will win? Probably both. There seems to be demand for both good lessons on popular songs, as well as more advanced lessons by real artists. But you can read more about this in our comparison of the 2 sites, as well as this youtube video.

GuitarTricks free trialSo getting back to the topic, here are a few more popular songs GuitarTricks teaches:

  • Hitch A Ride – Boston
  • Strutter – KISS
  • Peace of Mind – Boston
  • Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town – Pearl Jam
  • Let Your Love Flow – The Bellamy Brothers
  • Whiskey In The Jar – Metallica
  • Guantanamera – The Sandpipers
  • Rock & Roll – Band Boston
  • The Thrill Is Gone – B.B. King
  • Burning Love – Elvis Presley
  • I Fought The Law – The Clash
  • Little Red Rooster – Howlin’ Wolf
  • Guitars, Cadillacs – Dwight Yoakam
  • Hoochie Coochie Man – Muddy Waters
  • The Boys of Summer – Don Henley

JamPlay compared to GuitarTricks on YouTube

Hello to all my faithful readers out there, just wanted to let you know that Tom Fontana from TheGuitarLesson.com just published a really detailed and insightful video comparing the 2 big guitar tutorial sites, Jamplay.com and Guitartricks.com.

We have a reviews of both of these sites on LearnMusicEasy as well, here is the one on Jamplay and the other one on GuitarTricks, but this video does a great job of explaining the differences between the 2 sites.

The method Tom chose to carry out the review is very interesting, he actually placed the 2 websites side-by-side, and compared their similar features, so you can really see the differences between them. Make sure you put in on full screen and choose HD, otherwise everything will be a bit too small.

It’s really interesting to see the similarities and sharp differences between the 2 big sites as the video progresses, I think the most dramatic point was when the 2 video screens were compared towards the end of the video. JamPlay obviously looks much better, but Tom correctly states a few interesting points on why design won’t win over educational value.

GuitarTricks has a couple of things going for it for sure, but then again, so does JamPlay. Watch the video and decide for yourself, and make sure to visit our reviews on both of these sites, where you can pick up a coupon to save a few $ off your membership.

Guitar learning guide

Learning to play guitar is a truly wonderful endeavor, and if you persevere, you will in return, develop a truly great and unique skill that’s your’s to keep for life.

BB KingThere is just one problem with learning guitar. It isn’t easy, and by no means is it quick.

Some guitar guides promise to teach you guitar in 30 days, 60 days, 2 weeks, etc. Those are simply lies, created to sell more things to aspiring guitarists. This actually creates a false illusion in beginners, that they’ll be playing like BB King in 60 days. And of course, when this doesn’t happen, they get demotivated, and either:

  • stop learning guitar all together
  • move on to the next magic bullet product with good marketing

You want to know the secret to learning guitar?

Practice effectively for a few years.

Guitar learning guide

Here is what you need to do to learn guitar:

  • Practice for at least an hour per day. In the beginning, you’ll only get about 15 minutes per session, since your fingers will be hurting a lot. That’s ok, just aim to increase your practice session time as you can.
  • Be consistent in your approach, don’t jump from on YouTube video to the next. You will never learn anything like that. When you watch an average beginner guitar lesson on YouTube, be prepared to work on it for maybe even several days, before you can do what the teacher does in the 5 minute video.
  • It’s best to find a teacher you like and find motivating, and stick with a course outlined by the teacher. Here are some great online guitar courses for beginners:
    Beginner’s guide to learning guitar by TheGuitarLesson.com (free)
    The Core Learning System at GuitarTricks.com (paid, find coupon here)
    Guitar courses at JamPlay.com (paid, here is a coupon)
    Justin’s Beginners Guitar Course by JustinGuitar.com (free)
  • Practice, practice and practice some more 🙂

I know a lot of guitarists, and guitar students. I would say on average, it takes about 5 years for someone diligent to become an acceptable guitar player. The quickest students I’ve seen learned guitar in 3 years to a level that I achieved after 10, but he basically locked himself in his room for 3 years, and practiced non-stop. Most people won’t do that of course, but it’s good info for you.

The point is that learning guitar is not a quick process, but with the right guidance and well maintained guitar learning material, you can make it as quick as possible. Granted, you can start enjoying it fairly quickly, but don’t expect to be Slash anytime soon. Oh, Slash actually sleeps with his guitar, the first thing he does in the morning is play, and the last thing he does is….. Well, you figure it out 😉

Learning guitar tablature

All beginner guitarists have to learn to read guitar tablature, it is a very important skill. You’ll be using tabs for the rest of your guitarist days, learning hundreds of songs through tabs, so it really is important.

At first sight, tabs may seem complicated. All those lines, numbers, what’s going on?

It’s really easy actually, here is a great video tutorial on the topic, and make sure you download this tablature symbol reference guide.

Once you know how to read tabs, a brand new world of opportunity comes your way. Read more