20 Quick Fire Guitar Tips

If you’re looking for a way to see fast improvement today, try any of these quick fire guitar tips! All are designed to be a shot in the arm and will help you focus on what matters.

That said, they aren’t quick fixes or a substitute for having a good guitar practice routine. Sorry. So, with that in mind, it’s time to grab your guitar and get going!

#1 Notes

Do you know where all the notes are on the fretboard? If you don’t, take the time to learn where every G or Bb is on the fretboard. From there, learn where each note is on the fretboard cold. Trust me, it’s time well spent!

#2 Scales

There are over 4000 scales! Thankfully, you only need 12. My Essential Guitar Scales ebook covers all 12. Don’t learn scales using boring exercises. Instead, make learning them melodic and useful!

#3 Chords

There are a massive 24 ways to play C major 7 chords on the guitar! Easily expand your chord knowledge by starting with my Essential Guitar Chords eBook.

#4 Rhythm and Timing

Are you spending time each day working on your timing and rhythm? Kick start your development with my Rhythm and Timing eBook. You only need to spend a few minutes daily to see a massive improvement.

And oh, invest in a decent BOSS or Korg metronome, such as the Korg MA-2.

#5 Music Theory

Knowing why and how music works is really critical. So it’s worth investing time in learning about the building blocks of music. You can cover all the basics with my free music theory ebook. Trust me, this book is easy to understand!

#6 Reading Music

You should be able to read music and follow charts. Sight reading is optional.

#7 Listening

Good input = good output. So, are you listening to great music? Or are you replaying the same old songs?

#8 Natural Tone

Does your unplugged tone sound like you hear it in your head? If not, get to work! The best guitar tone starts in our head and takes time to filter down to our hands.

#9 Focus

However long you get for practice, learn to focus all your energy on practicing the guitar.

#10 Mistakes

Make mistakes part of your musical history! Play a mistake, then you need to restart.

#11 Practice vs. Playing

There’s a massive difference between practicing and playing. Practice means working on something you can’t do. Playing is revisiting something you can already do.

You have endless time to play your favorite tunes after you’ve completed learning something new.

#12 Daily Practice

Daily focus on practice is essential. It’s what separates the men from the boys.

#13 Listen When Practicing

When practicing, do you listen to what you’re working on? Please, don’t just run exercises. It’s wasting your time. Instead, actively listen to what you’re working on and use the feedback to grow.

#14 Record Yourself

The recording never lies! It will show you every fault in your playing. So, start recording yourself today! You don’t need a fancy device, your phone will do.

#15 Daily Challenge

Take a small amount of time each day to push yourself. Doesn’t need to be a massive challenge, just something that will keep you interested and hungry for more.

#16 Set Goals

My favorite of these quick fire guitar tips is to set goals. What do you want to achieve? By when? How? Why? Having goals are critical to your development as a human and musician.

#17 Patience

It will take some time to become good, you won’t be amazing overnight! Become obsessed with the journey, not the outcome.

#18 Local Jam

A good local jam will challenge you plus you’ll meet some great musicians. Get on social media and find some local jams to join.

#19 Practice not Pedals..

…will cure 99% of your problems! Sorry!

#20 SPACE

You don’t have to play all the time! Some of my most effective playing on gigs has been silence. Sounds crazy but true. The moment I start playing, the song starts to lift and excitement builds.

Quick Fire Guitar Tips Bonus

Keep inspired. Go see live music, play with better musicians and continue to learn. You can overcome any issues you face with these three simple ideas and some of these quick fire guitar tips!