Practice Archives - Page 22 of 32

10 Vital Tips to Get Your Chords Sound Clean and Clear

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The biggest challenge for the beginner and sometimes even the intermediate guitar player is to make chords sound clean and clear.

I still remember the frustration struggling with the C and F major chord. Like it would never gonna work.

I kept practicing every day and then all of a sudden there it was. The chord sounded perfectly clear. It felt like it happened out of the blue, but I knew it was the result of lots of practice. It was my first guitar victory.

To get a good sounding chord there are several things you need to pay attention to, observe, apply and check repeatedly.

Good sounding chords is not an overnight thing. It’s also not the hardest thing in the world but it takes time, regular practice and perseverance.

If you implement these 10 tips during practice you will definitely get there. Practicing will be a lot more effective and results are just around the corner.

Here are they keys:

1 – Bend your knuckles
Make sure to bend all your knuckles (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th). Avoid any straight fingers, they can cause your chords to sound muffled. The only time you can straighten your finger is when you need to bar a chord. (barre chords)

2 – As close to the fret as possible.
Place your fingers as close to the fret as possible. Don’t place your fingers on the fret (metal fret wire), it causes buzzing. Not every chord allows all fingers to be placed right behind the fret (for example: A major chord), but try to place them as close as possible.Continue Reading

How to Play Guitar and Sing at The Same Time

By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Learning to play and sing at the same time can be challenging in the beginning, but this is a skill you can definitely learn. Once you know how to play some chords and strum a few songs, the next step is to sing along with the rhythm you’re playing. It’s a great feeling being able to play and sing at the same time.

Developing this skill will open up a whole new world for you. You can entertain friends and family or learn to perform and play for an audience. For me it’s also a feeling of freedom. Whenever I feel like it, I pick up my guitar and start playing and singing my favorite songs. It makes me feel good instantly.

Learning to play and sing at the same time is tough in the beginning, but if you follow the tips below and practice regularly you will get the hang of it.

Work hard, have fun and reap the benefits!

1. Start easy

First things first. Pick a song you like and something that is easy to play. A familiar song with easy chords and an easy strumming pattern.

2. Listen first

Before you start trying to play and sing simultaneously you first need to listen to the song quite a few times. Listen to the song on your iPod, iPad or whatever device you prefer, until you know the song inside out. Listen to the melody, listen to the lyrics, listen to the guitar and listen to the beat of the song. Try to count the beats. You can do this by listening to the kick (bass drum) and snare of the drummer.

A Golden Productivity tip for Practicing Guitar

By Klaus Crow 7 Comments

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Sometimes you can feel like you’re stuck in a rut and wish you would make more progress with practicing.

It seems there’s always something else coming up in the midst of practicing.

You get distracted, you think of an idea while you play something and you go along with that idea and that idea leads to another idea and so on. No progress in what you actually should be practicing.

Another time you feel like this fast lick is too challenging, so you throw in the towel and decide to play something else that feels good instantly. No progress there.

Or you feel absorbed by everything around you and stuff that is on your mind and as a result you lack focus. Progress? Nope.

So how do you change this?

You set time limits for practice.

If there is a time limit and the clock is ticking, you know there’s no time for your mind to wander and think of other things. It’s easier to focus because you don’t have that much time to squander and you want to go straight to work and practice that riff, solo or song. It makes it more manageable.Continue Reading

Practice Guitar Improvisation using Different Drum Beats

By Klaus Crow 3 Comments

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Okay, you know your blues scales inside out and are confident improvising with these scales.

But you might not be aware that you always practice improvisation with a drum backing track using the same drum beat over and over again.

You tell the drummer of your band to play a slow blues shuffle because it feels so good. Or could it have anything to do with the fact that it feels safe? Does it sound familiar to you?

Then the day arrives you have to play in a new band or with a different drummer and this lunatic starts playing an uptempo country blues. Huh? What’s this? Suddenly your phrasing doesn’t work, it doesn’t fit the groove and you have a difficult time keeping up and putting it all together. That’s a hard truth to be confronted with.

It’s because blues (as any other genre) can be played in many different styles, variations and tempos. Something you may not have focused on. This is a scenario you want to avoid. You want to build the confidence to handle every common drum groove that is being dished up.

You want to play in a band and feel free to solo over every blues, rock, country, pop song like a real pro. It’s something a lot of guitar players struggle with and it’s good to work on this and make sure you get this under your belt.

To make sure you do, take on a 30 day challenge to keep yourself at it! Here’s what to do:Continue Reading

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