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Learn Guitar And Improve Your Songwriting
By orlando5
If you learn guitar you can open up a whole new world in your songwriting because of the added dimension this instrument provides. So many aspiring guitar players and songwriters attempt to learn guitar either on their own with no organized course guidance or through the help of a guitar instructor, only to become frustrated and quit a short time thereafter because they lose interest.
What? Lose interest? For heaven's sake you just bought that beautiful Takamine acoustic guitar and you say you're gonna' post it on Craigslist? Now wait just one darn minute!
To learn guitar, you've got to take the tedious part out of it and make it enjoyable. What's the easiest, most enjoyable, cheapest method to learn guitar? The answer will surprise you, but here it is:
Buy a guitar tab/ chords sheet music book of your favorite guitar-based artist, learn one song at a time by learning each song's chord shapes, and keep practicing different scales for finger dexterity and note familiarity. Huh? Let me explain!
1. Start with one favorite song. It's important to choose your favorite one so you don't lose interest.
2. Practice fingering the chords with your left hand (if you're a righty) and begin slowly switching from one chord shape to another. When you feel comfortable enough, if you have a metronome, start with a slow BPM (beats per minute) and increase it as you go, challenging yourself to quickly change chord shapes. When you start to stumble, drop the BPM's back down a few then repeat the process until your significant other starts yelling at you to get off the guitar
and spend some time together. By this time, though, you probably will have become very excited---no, not about your significant other, I'm talking about the prospect of being able to really play the song!
3. Next, when everyone's asleep, go back to fingering your favorite song's chords, then use your other hand to start either strumming with a thin pick or slowly begin fingerpicking even if you use one finger at a time at first.
4. Now fire up the CD or mp3 player and play along to your favorite song, and try to keep up with the chord shapes while lightly strumming or fingerpicking with one finger.
5. With each successive practice session (try for 30-60 minutes at a time), the song will become easier to play until you have it down pat.
6. Move on to the next song and repeat the process. With each song you learn, the previous one becomes easier to play. Why? Because of finger memory (that beautiful connection established between your mind and fingers).
With this method you will not only learn guitar quickly, your songwriting will improve almost immediately as you hear different nuances emanating from an unfamiliar instrument as well as the new chords learned!
You can supplement these free tips with a solid online guitar course to really put your learning into overdrive. There's nothing like having a qualified, great guitar instructor at your side. But they don't come cheap! If you can't afford them for now, your best bet at a fraction of the cost is to use either Jamorama, Guitar Alliance, or a few other reputable learn guitar courses out there. Good luck!
Orlando Gutierrez is a former Warner/Chappell Staff songwriter who dedicates most of his time to his website, www.songwriteradvisor.com, in order to provide innovative songwriting tips and techniques to give songwriters an edge over the competition in an ever-changing music industry. Visit the website, look at the free 7-step songwriting blueprint, and check out the best "learn guitar" methods available today at: www.songwriteradvisor.com/learn-guitar.html
(c) Copyright - Orlando Gutierrez - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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