Little tricks that make big difference

ALWAYS practice guitar with a metronome/drum machine/sequencer. The reasons for this are too many to be mentioned here.

- Never push yourself to playing speeds that make your hands cramp. A controlled and relaxed technique is always the result of patient practicing at "comfortable" metronome speeds, in other words you should practice a long time with a slow/comfortable metronome speed, instead of a short time with a fast/uncomfortable speed.

- Always strive to minimize left and right hand motion, if you goal is to play faster.

- If you like to play with distortion you should also pratice with a distorted sound, or else you will get a sloppy technique.

- The opposite is also true: Even if you hate the sound of clean guitar you should practice with it once in a while to make sure you're note missing any notes in the faster runs.

Practicing 20 minutes every day is much more effective than 2 hours once a week. The best is, of course, practicing 20 hours every day ;-) .

- If you are tired of the way you play you should throw your standard repertoire out of the window and focus on learning as much new material as you can, may it be new licks, songs or guitar styles, even if it feels very uncomfortable in the beginning.

- For fast progress, you should mainly practice the things that are the hardest for you. Trust me, it's worth effort.

- If your goal is to increase your soloing skills, you should spend an equal amount of time on metronome practicing, improvising and transcribing ( = playing other's, more experienced, player's solos).

- Making a practice schedule is a good idea if you practice regularly.
Stop playing if you feel any pain.

SLASH Biography

SLASH was born in Hampstead (London), England on July 23, 1965, and he was raised in Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, England. His given name is Saul Hudson. His mother is a Black American, and his father is a white Englishman. Both parents are artistic and work in the entertainment field. His mother is a clothing designer for entertainers. She designed some of David Bowie's unforgettable costumes. His father provides art direction for record albums. Two notable clients are Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.
At age 11 SLASH moved to Los Angeles with his mother while his father remained based in England. Born in the UK, SLASH was an immigrant in the United States and was to remain one for many years. The family eventually lived together again in L.A. where SLASH had a rough transition to conservative Southern California. The long hair, jeans and t-shirts that he wore even then didn't exactly fit with the other kids. An outsider at school, he lived a bohemian life at home. Surrounded by artistic friends of his parents, SLASH grew accustomed to the moods and eccentricities of those in the music world. Frequent visitors at the Hudson household included Joni Mitchell, David Geffen, David Bowie, Ron Wood and Iggy Pop. SLASH has said that these surroundings prepared him for coping with the stress of the music industry, the conflict between artistry and business.

Blues Scale

These scale charts are written from the same prospective that tablature is written. The bottom line is the 6th string (lowest sounding), and the top line is the 1st string (highest sounding). The numbers are the the fingers that you should use.
= The root of the scale ( make sure you know where the roots are) = Optional notes that are below the root on the 5th string


Scale formula - 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7
Notes in a C blues scale - C Eb F Gb G Bb C

Beginning Lessons - Open Position C Major and minor guitar scale

In this guitar lesson you will learn the C Major and C minor guitar scale - two of the most basic, open position guitar scales. Llearn the shape and sound of each one slowly - it will pay off in the future!
Let's begin with what is the Big Daddy of all scales - The C Major Scale. There are 12 keys in music as we know it . The key of C major, which is created from the C major scale, is special because it has no sharps or flats. This makes it a very easy scale to learn - C D E F G A B. These are the 7 notes, just like every major scale.The C melodic minor scale is just one note different from the C Major. The 3rd note of the C Major scale is lowered by a half step (1 fret) to create a C melodic minor scale.Here are the scales:

Practicing Tips
Concentrate on your left hand finger technique - Curl your left fingers and play on the fingertips
Play the guitar scale with a steady rhythm and let each note ring.
ALWAYS PLAY EACH SCALE SLOWLY AT FIRST!
Start using the metronome when you feel more comfortable with a scale. Guitar Picking patterns
All downs
Alternating (down, up, down, up)
Repeat every note using alternative.
Repeat every note three times using alternating (begin each group of 3 with a down pick)

How to hold a pick

• Relaxed hand

• Index finger across the back of pick

• Pad of thumb holding front of pick

• Wrist relaxed and not arched back

• The pick should be held at a slight angle downward ... this helps it slide across the strings more easily.

Guitar Maintenance tips

Steps

Step One

Dust under the strings and under the bridge with a feather duster, soft cotton cloth or a clean, cotton diaper.

Step Two

Wipe the strings after playing to prevent the buildup of grime. Otherwise, the natural oil and sweat on your fingers will cause the strings to become dull over time.

Step Three

Use a small, camel-hair paintbrush to dust the bridge and pickup areas.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not touch the pickups of an electric guitar with anything other than a dry cloth if you don't want to risk upsetting the pickup's sensitive magnetic field.

General Maintenance

Steps

Step One

Store your guitar in its case whenever you are not playing.

Step Two

Keep your guitar out of direct sunlight.

Step Three

Keep your guitar in a room with 45 percent to 55 percent humidity, a level that is also comfortable for humans.

Step Four

Avoid exposing your guitar to extremes of temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not attempt any major repairs unless you know exactly what you are doing. Go to your local guitar shop instead.

why it s necccesary to keep patience in learning guitar?

if u want to start a learning guitar u need to have a high urge of patience because its a work of concentration and hard work many people think that its easy if u practice couple of months and
practicing at a learners home that is not possible at all if u want to play it u have to start imagining because guitar playing is not possible from mind it is a game of heart .