Easy tips and tricks for beginner guitarists.
Have you ever wondered how little things make a massive difference in your guitar playing? Do you ever wonder what people aren’t telling you that could help you improve on the guitar? Do you wonder why some guitarists are so much better than others?
In this post, you’ll learn a few easy beginner guitar tricks that will add up to a big difference in your guitar playing.
Being persistent with your playing
The only difference between the people who can play guitar and those who can’t is that the ones who can didn’t give up. When you first start, you’ll have some initial hurdles and struggles to overcome. You’re learning to engage your brain with your fingers and hands in a way that they never have before. For many parts of it, it probably won’t feel very natural. The most important thing is that you never give up. Even when your progress seems slow, just feel confident that you are still working towards getting better at the guitar. Of course, it helps to have a guitar teacher to keep you accountable.
Sitting with your guitar
The first of the beginner guitar tricks is often overlooked because it seems like it isn’t all that important. However, a lot of beginner guitar students struggle to sit comfortably in the beginning. As a result they end up copying what they see online or various other places. This “rock and roll” sitting style means that when they go to stand up, the position of the guitar is in a completely different place and playing it feels completely unnatural. I’m going to show you the best way to sit so you avoid this problem.
On top of this, I want to show you how sitting correctly will reduce the amount of tension in your body. Less tension in your body means you’ll play faster with less back pain. The amount of advanced players I see that have never corrected this and so struggle with their playing and sustaining injuries is more common than you think.
Now beginners sit with their guitars on the side of their strumming hand. So if you are right handed, the guitar is sitting on your right leg. The headstock is often pointed slightly forwards. Mostly, the guitar lays horizontally across them.
The problem with this position is that your back is having to lean more towards one side, so it’s straining, causing extra tension. And you are having the hold the guitar with your elbow or arm so it doesn’t fall over, which restricts your playing. On top of this, when you stand up to play, the guitar is completely different place as well, so you have to do twice the practice to be fluent in playing in both positions.
Let’s solve these problems right now
The second of the beginner guitar tricks is to get a footstool and place it on the side of your fretting hand. (Left leg, for you right handed guitarists). If you don’t have a footstool, you can use some books instead to prop up your leg.
Get your guitar and place it on your other leg. Now make sure the angle of your guitar is diagonal with the headstock nearly in line with your eye line. The curve of the guitar should wrap around your thigh.
Now when you sit there, the guitar should sit by itself without you holding it. Practice this for a few minutes every day. It might feel super weird at first, but really, this is going to solve you from the agony of back pain, and help you with your playing.
You might recognize it as how classical guitarists play, and it might seem less “cool”, but it’s a much better option than having misaligned back when you play for hours.
Another way to achieve the same effect is using a guitar strap that goes around your neck. Have the strap short enough so it reproduces the position the guitar would be in if you are standing up. This way is great if your guitar is relatively light, if it’s heavy, it might drag your back down. I recommend having both options so you can choose between the two when you get tired, thus avoiding possible injuries.
I hope you have enjoyed the beginner guitar tricks in this article and they help you in your guitar playing journey.
About Author: Darryl Powis, is a Guitar School Owner in London England, teaching contemporary guitar. If you are interested in beginner guitar lessons London, then get in touch via our website.