The electric guitar is an icon around the world. Learning how to play electric guitar is a dream for millions and a reality for few - largely because of how many people underestimate the amount of time and dedication that needs to go into learning this complex and rewarding instrument. To help you along in our endeavor, here are some tips on how you can start playing your own electric guitar more effectively as you strive to master this elusive instrument.
1. Ensure Your Strings Are Correctly Fitted - A lot of the time when playing the guitar you will be bending and stretching the strings. In order for this to be possible, your strings must be fitted correctly. Poorly fitted strings can lead to all sorts of tuning problems, which can be a nightmare if you're in the middle of a song.
2. Know YOUR Guitar - Your guitar will be different than any other electric guitar so practice with it regularly and don't switch around. You need to know your specific volume and tone controllers and how to play certain parts of certain songs and solos with your specific instrument.
3. Get Good At String Muting - When you play the electric guitar, it is very important to mute the strings that you are not playing. When you play through an amp, any unwanted string noise will be magnified, making everything you play sound terrible. Threfore it is very important to learn to control this by the correct muting of strings while you are playing. One effective way of doing this is to rest the palm of your picking hand lightly on the strings just enough to stop them ringing.
4. Scales and Licks - Learn the scales and licks that go along with electric guitar so that when you're playing you can add a bit of flare to your songs. You need to know the scale notes and how they interact to replicate the sound you have in your mind at any given time.
5. Bending and Vibrato - One of the keys of learning how to play electric guitar is being able to bend strings and apply vibrato between notes. If you can effectively bend up a high note and then apply that little bit of vibrato, the sound is simply amazing. You'll quickly learn these concepts, but will spend years if not your whole life mastering them.
The tips given in this article are intended to provide a bit of guidance for anyone learning to play the guitar, but there is so much more to learn. Anyone serious about learning to play the guitar should try to find a private tutor, or if you can't afford it, or just don't want one, there are plenty of great guides out there which can be just as effective, and a lot cheaper.
1. Ensure Your Strings Are Correctly Fitted - A lot of the time when playing the guitar you will be bending and stretching the strings. In order for this to be possible, your strings must be fitted correctly. Poorly fitted strings can lead to all sorts of tuning problems, which can be a nightmare if you're in the middle of a song.
2. Know YOUR Guitar - Your guitar will be different than any other electric guitar so practice with it regularly and don't switch around. You need to know your specific volume and tone controllers and how to play certain parts of certain songs and solos with your specific instrument.
3. Get Good At String Muting - When you play the electric guitar, it is very important to mute the strings that you are not playing. When you play through an amp, any unwanted string noise will be magnified, making everything you play sound terrible. Threfore it is very important to learn to control this by the correct muting of strings while you are playing. One effective way of doing this is to rest the palm of your picking hand lightly on the strings just enough to stop them ringing.
4. Scales and Licks - Learn the scales and licks that go along with electric guitar so that when you're playing you can add a bit of flare to your songs. You need to know the scale notes and how they interact to replicate the sound you have in your mind at any given time.
5. Bending and Vibrato - One of the keys of learning how to play electric guitar is being able to bend strings and apply vibrato between notes. If you can effectively bend up a high note and then apply that little bit of vibrato, the sound is simply amazing. You'll quickly learn these concepts, but will spend years if not your whole life mastering them.
The tips given in this article are intended to provide a bit of guidance for anyone learning to play the guitar, but there is so much more to learn. Anyone serious about learning to play the guitar should try to find a private tutor, or if you can't afford it, or just don't want one, there are plenty of great guides out there which can be just as effective, and a lot cheaper.
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For the best advice on all aspects of guitar playing, visit How To Play Electric Guitar for all you need to know.
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