"Hey,
hey, I wanna be a Rock Star!"
I'm
diggin' that song these days, and how it kinda
sums up the way many of us feel whenever we
pick up a guitar. I'm pretty sure my potential
rock star days are behind me, but that doesn't
mean I don't still keep hammering away at my
guitar skills. I mean, I just love this instrument,
and anything I can do to get better at it –
I'm on it!
One
of the easiest ways to improve your guitar playing
is to regularly devote time to essential and
basic exercises. I've been playing for 30+ years
and I still do exercises like the two below:
Exercise
1
Play
the 1st fret with your first finger, then the
3rd fret with your third finger. Repeat as usual.
(click
on image to expand)
Exercise
2
Now
let's play the 1st fret with your first finger,
and the 4th fret with your fourth finger. This
one might need more work because your fourth
finger probably won't be as nimble as your third
finger.
(click
on image to expand)
Your
Homework
Now
you come up with some variations on these two
exercises, and add them to your practice routine.
Try your second and fourth fingers; your first,
second, and third; your first, third and fourth;
etc. Everything you do in this manner will add
almost immediate improvement to your playing.
I
sometimes tell beginners I wish they were robots
so I could set them off doing these exercises
and then come back 24 hours later, knowing they
wouldn't have stopped. After that much time
on these simple exercises, their hands would
then work almost as well as an advanced guitarist
with years of experience, and everything I taught
them thereafter would be almost immediately
playable.
Do
not underestimate the power of these simple
exercises!
By
Adam St. James
http://www.logicalleadguitar.com
