Motivation Archives - Page 8 of 31

10 Reasons to Learn (New) Scales Now and How

Most beginner and even some intermediate guitar players try to avoid scales. They don’t see the use of it. A scale doesn’t sound cool. It can be tough and boring to practice.

But once you know the truth and potential behind scales a whole new world of possibilities will open up for you. The truth is “Scales is Everything!” If you practice and study the scales regularly, you will soon reap the benefits of this immense musical working tool that has the answer to all your musical questions and controls everything you play, whether you like it or not. ;)

So let’s take a look at the 10 reasons to learn scales Now and How.

LEARN NEW SCALES TO:

1 – Analyse chords.
Knowing scales means you have the ability to analyse and figure out chords and chord structure. You will understand from what notes a chord is made up, why it is played and named a certain way, and why it sounds the way it does. The chord theory gives you the knowledge to calculate and analyse every single chord that is put in front of you. Knowing and understanding scales and chord theory will make everything easier to grasp. You will learn to see the bigger picture.

2 – Create chord progressions
In the same way, scales give you the notes and formulas to build your own chord progressions. You will find the chords that match and sound good together and create beautiful sounding chord progressions. You will learn the relationship between chords and scales and how they interact. So, if a lead guitar player asks you to play a chord progression in the key of G to provide a jam track for him/her to solo over, you can feel confident to do that.
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How A Metronome Will Improve Your Playing

By Klaus Crow 3 Comments

Practicing with a metronome seems like a boring and useless thing to do, but the opposite is true. Practicing with a metronome will develop your ability to keep time and become a tight and solid guitar player. This is one thing that your really want to be good at if you’re aiming to becoming a good musician.

It will also develop your dexterity, improve your accuracy and increase your speed. Enough reasons to check out the metronome. You can look for a metronome online, an app on your phone, or get yourself a real quality metronome that keeps you focused on your practice without getting distracted. You can also choose a good digital metronome which is really accurate and easy to set up.

The metronome practice below consists of two parts: Rhythm (chords and songs) and Lead (scales and licks). Practice everyday for 20 to 30 minutes and your playing will really shape up.

Let’s get started!
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The 1 Hour Essential Guitar Practice Workout

By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

We all lead different lives and are at different stages of our lives. This means some have more time to play and practice guitar than others. Today we’re going to set out a 1 hour practice workout for those who have time to practice one 1 hour a day or every other day.

If you have only one hour to play over the entire week, it is better to practice every day for 5 to 10 minutes than get it all done in one hour on a Saturday morning.

This workout combines the most important elements of practice, but you are free to alter it to suit your specific needs, change the duration of each section or add some additional elements to different days of the week to make the workout more fun and playful.

The 1 hour workout is a guideline to keep you focused on a good practice routine that moves your playing forward without getting distracted.

Grab your phone and set a timer for each section to keep your eyes on the ball every step of the way. Attention, Concentration and Action is the key to steady progress.

Make sure you got your guitar and gear (amp, cables, picks, capos, music sheets, music stand, laptop, cappuccino or tea) all set up before you start practicing.

Let’s check out the essentials for a one hour workout:

How to Make Guitar Playing Really Work in 2017

By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

A fresh new year is coming and is yours. A great time to set new goals, quit bad habits and becoming determined in what you want to achieve. Of course guitar playing, practicing and improving your musical skills is on top of your priority list. How could it be otherwise?

Guitar playing gives you peace of mind, stimulates the fingers and the brain, makes you and the listeners really happy people (provided that you practice) and attracts the opposite sex ;) Besides that, guitar playing is an amazing musical life time experience that will keep surprising you over and over again. A habit of regular practice will grow your excitement and make you want to keep improving and become a better player all the time.

Okay in theory that is all true, but in real life things are busy, messy and you are constantly distracted. So you need a plan that works and make 2017 a year where you get back to the game of solid guitar practice and real improvement. Let’s get this baby rolling!

Here are the keys:

– Create Room
Make more time available in the new year. Take out a notebook right now and create a not-to-do-list. Write down all the things that seem important but are really not. Be honest and ruthless here! Are you watching too much TV? Unplug your TV or put it in the basement for a few months. Spending too many minutes/hours on Facebook or Instagram? Delete your account or announce a sabbatical.

Are you doing things just to prove others that you are not a quitter, but deep down inside you know better? Listen to your heart, be true to yourself and stop doing the things that don’t feel good. A burden will fall of your shoulder. Write everything down that you need to reduce, stop, quit, disconnect, remove or eliminate. Now take the spacious room in time that will unfold before you and use it to play your guitar in 2017.
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