GUITARHABITS

Free Quality Guitar Lessons

3 Cool Blues Licks To Spice Up Your Improvisation

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Today I will teach you three cool blues licks to spice up your improvisation skills. There are a lot of blues licks out there that sound a little ordinary so here are some cool blues ingredients to make your improvisation sound more alive.

The licks are all derived from the A minor pentatonic scale, so you can play the licks over an A blues chord progression or a song in Am. I wrote down the tabs (tablature) below. Check out the video to hear what they sound like and how to position your fingers.

Enjoy!

 


 

LICK #1:
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Zen Guitar Practice Workout

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photo by Tiny Froglet
music-in-the-lighthouse-by-tinyfrogletMy daughter is now 20 months old and our second child is on the way. I love spending time with my daughter and I very often do, but as parents know children have a tendency to occupy all your time.

When I play guitar, my daughter wants to play guitar also. I bought her a little guitar of her own, but she wants to play on my guitar when I play it. That is just great. :) I don’t mind, but my practice workouts become a little difficult this way. Therefore and for a lot of other reasons I designed the Zen Guitar Practice Workout.

Zen is more and more finding its way into the western world along with minimalism and new lifestyle designs.

A major benefit for all who are seeking a different and more effective way to self improvement and development.

Zen is also very good to apply when it comes to guitar practice.

Guitar practice is in itself a form of meditation. You need to stay focused on what you practice and not let your mind wander.

It is about concentrating on your fingers, your technique, letting go off tension, recapturing yourself, letting it happen, continually shaping and getting back to the essence of your practice.

Zen Guitar Practice is a way to combine the rules of Zen Buddhism and the rules of guitar practice into your workout.

Here are the steps to benefit:
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3 Ways to Improve Your Skills

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                                                                           photo from Istockphotodobroguitar
Here are the three best ways to improve your skills beyond your wildest dreams:

#1 – Practice

#2 – Practice

And last, but certainly not least:

#3 – Practice

No, I am not kidding. As the ancient saying goes: “Practice makes perfect”. If you’re still not satisfied… practice some more. It’s okay to break a sweat! As with everything in life, if you want to accomplish something you got to work on it. But it’s also important that you enjoy your work. In fact that is the key to become a great guitar player.
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Where do I Find the Time to Practice?

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photo from Istockphotoguitartime1
One of the most common problems of today is our lack of time. We all live these busy lives. We are running around doing all the things that have to be done every single day.

It almost feels impossible to find time to do the things we love most, things we are so passionate about, things that really matter.

I few years ago I changed my lifestyle and the way I handled my time. I started setting priorities, keeping things simple, to a minimal and only doing things that were essential.

This not only improved my guitar playing but it changed everything else in my life too. I now have all the time to spend time with my family and friends, write and record songs, write a blog, work out and enjoy life a lot more.

So lets give you the tools to create more time to play and practice:

Here we go:

1 – Wake up earlier.
Wake up 15 minutes earlier than usual and enjoy that precious extra time first thing in the morning.

It’s great because it’s still quiet in the house and there is no one to interrupt or distract you. Enjoy the beautiful morning sunrise while you practice your chords and scales. Waking up earlier gives you a head start and it feels great that you already have accomplished something.

Make sure you have a reason to wake up earlier. Write down the things that make you want to jump out of bed. A delicious breakfast, sunrise, private time, going to work without feeling stressed (a zen-feeling), feeling of accomplishment, etc.

You can play guitar very quietly if you need to. You don’t want to wake up the neighbors or maybe you do :) Just strum or pick your strings really soft with your thumb or play an electric guitar (unamplified). I recommend 15 or 30 minutes guitar practice in the morning. If you’ll make it a morning routine you’ll get hooked on it. I’ll promise you. Try it for a week. If it’s not your thing, you’ve at least gave it a shot. It’s worth the try.

Need some tips on how to wake up early, check out: 8 Tips How to Wake up Early That Do Work

2 – Take your guitar with you.
Take your guitar to work, school, friends, holiday, wherever you go. I know this doesn’t apply to everyone, but there are a lot of jobs out there where you have the freedom to play guitar during lunch or coffee breaks.

Maybe there are times when you have to wait for someone at work or school. There you go! Guitar time! Continue Reading