Playing barre chords is one of the toughest parts of learning guitar. For beginners and even more experienced players they are a source of frustration and pain. I’m going to sound like a bit of a pompous ass now, so forgive me, but barre chords were something I didn’t really struggle with. There was still …
Taking care of your guitar is important. You want it to sound its best and last as long as possible, right? So you do the right things like storing it properly, keeping it at the correct temperature and humidity etc. But what about the strings and the tension they put on the guitar? Do you …
One of the fundamentals when learning to play the guitar is holding the pick correctly. While it’s not strictly necessary – you can play without one – most people play with a pick and it makes sense to learn how to do it properly. Getting the right technique early is helpful too. Some people go …
One thing those new to the guitar often worry about is hand size. Sometimes it’s because their hands are big and they have fat fingers. But mostly it’s concern their hands are too small to play guitar. So, can you play guitar with small hands? Yes, although there may be certain chords and stretches that …
Wanting to play electric guitar without an amp is becoming popular. More and more guitarists, from bedroom players to famous bands, are finding different methods to play without an amp. Amps are great, don’t get me wrong. I love mine and have no desire to give them up or trade them in any time soon. …
When reading about the music you play on a guitar you might have come across the term ‘guitar lick’. It’s crops up a lot and you will read and hear other guitarists mentioning ‘licks’ all the time. But what is a guitar lick? Simply it’s a musical phrase consisting of a few notes that have …
When you’re new to the guitar your hand and finger size/length is a real concern. As someone with very small hands and short fingers I was convinced it would mean I could never play well. So, do you need long fingers to play guitar? No, absolutely not. There are thousands of great guitarists with normal …
You are probably familiar with guitar calluses – the thick pads of skin on your fingertips. But you may be wondering what it is about them that is so special and why calluses are good for playing the guitar. Every guitarist gets them and they are seen as essential for playing and playing well. But …
Building guitar calluses is one of the most important parts of learning to play the guitar. It should happen fairly early in your journey. But if you’re not seeing the results you expect or finding the pain a lot take then keep reading. We’ll look at how long it takes to build guitar calluses on …
If you’re new to the guitar and just started playing you may have heard of calluses. They’re unavoidable and every guitarist has had to go through the process of developing them. It’s a pain (literally) but well worth putting the time and effort in. But if you aren’t sure how to build guitar calluses or …