#1 Playing for 10 minutes every day is much better than playing for three hours straight once a week.

#2 Rub surgical spirit into the ends of your fingers to harden the skin

#3 When learning a hard lick, play it through twice slowly and then once fast. Repeat until perfect!

#4 Record what you play. When you play it back you will hear all the little mistakes you dont normally notice!

#5 A good guitar solo should tell a story. It should have a beginning, middle and end.

#6 Practise standing up! Its no good being able to play something if you can only play it sat down.

#7 Build up a collection of guitar riffs and ideas. You might not be able to do anything with them at first, but they might come in useful later on.

#8 Listen to different styles of music than you would normally. This is a great source of inspiration.

#9 Use a metronome! Never underestimate its power to improve your rhythm!

#10 Restring your guitar regularly! Old strings sound dull and lifeless and this will affect your playing.

#11 Get Guitar Pro 5. Click here.

#12 Always take the time to warm up before you play to avoid injury! Check out the free lesson on warming up.

#13 Play with other musicians as much as possible. You will all learn something new!

#14 Never try to play too fast too soon! Always start off slowly!

#15 Relax! Too much tension in your hands will slow you down.

#16 Learn as many different songs as possible from all styles of music. It's the only way to become a great musician.

#17 For great sounding chord progressions, try and use chords with some of the same notes in.

#18 Structure your practise time to get the most out of it. Work on all areas of your playing, not just one.

#19 Stuck in a rut? Check out Steve's lesson : 10 Ways To Get Out of a Rut.

#20 Guitar always going out of tune? Rub the tip of a pencil in the grooves of the nut to lubricate it.

#21 Turn off those effects! Too many guitarists use FX pedals such as delay to "cover up" their bad playing. Learn to use them to compliment your playing.

#22 Look after your guitar - restring and clean it regularly, and get a service every few years.

#23 "Learn the chords and the rest will follow" - Jimi Hendrix.

#24 Tapping is not that difficult! It's just hitting and pulling off with your right hand. Check out our free lesson!

#25 You don't have to have your guitar to practise! - Check out the free lesson "Five ways to practise without your guitar".

#26 Exercise your fingers by putting an elastic band over them and stretching it repeatedly.

#27 Learn to use the volume, tone and pick-up controls quickly and effectively so that you can change the sound of your guitar seamlessly in the middle of your playing.

#28 Don't use dodgy guitar leads if you are playing live - they will give up on you in the middle of your awesome solo!

#29 Has your pinky got a mind of its own? Practise a few simple exercises using just your little finger and ring finger to improve its independence from your other fingers.

#30 Wipe down your strings with a cloth after you play - this can make them last up to four times longer!

#31 Can't work out part of a really fast solo? Try using some software that slows the song down. Check out our tools section.

#32 Want a really heavy metal guitar sound? Crank up the distortion, set your bass and treble to high and your mid to very low. This is called a scooped mid setting.

#33 When sweep picking, set you pick-up selector to the neck setting. This makes your playing sound clearer.

#34 Use a metronome! We've said it before, and we'll say it again - It's important! Check out our tools section.

#35 Ever noticed how the pro's make their playing look effortless? That's because it is effortless! Well... nearly! Don't let tension build up in your hands - this will slow you down.

#36 Buy a capo - one of the most useful pieces of guitar equipment you will own.

#37 Try using pre-bends in your solos - bend up to a note before you play it, then release it.

#38 When playing barre chords, make sure you don't accidentally bend the strings with you barring finger as this will make it sound out of tune.

#39 Learn to always know which note you are aiming for - then try bending up to it from a lower note, even if it's not in the scale you are using.

#40 You can make notes last longer by slowly building up the vibrato instead of using loads as soon as you have picked the note.

#41 For fast metal riffs, use mostly downstrokes as they are more accurate and powerful.

#42 Try to incorporate a "hook" into your riffs. This is a memorable phrase that is usually repeated at the end of every four bars.

#43 Backing tracks are essential to practise soloing over. Check out our Cosmic Jam Tracks!

#44 Play while watching TV! It's a great way to hear new ideas and try working them out on your guitar.

#45 Bandmates have to be more than just good musicians. They have to share the same vision and be easy to get on with.

#46 Not getting enough gigs? Pester venue owners repeatedly! Put up your own flyers and get to know the local bands.

#47 When playing live, make sure everyone knows who you are! Put a banner up at the back of the stage.

#48 If you have recorded a good demo, hand it out for free at your gigs. This is a great way to gain more exposure and get people coming back to your gigs.

#49 Try to develop your own sound. People want to hear something new, so dont waste your time trying to copy another guitarist's sound.

#50 Having troubles with your Floyd Rose? Check out our forum for help!

#51 Make sure you have a good quality guitar case to protect your precious axe.

#52 Keep your guitar away from extreme heat, cold, or humidity changes.

#53 The secret to shredding is to use minimal effort. The only way to play fast is to use a very short picking movement.

#54 You can work out chords easily by finding the root note. Play the notes on the low e string until you find the root note that matches, then work out what type of chord it is (i.e. major, minor, 7th...)

#55 Learn a new scale every week. In a few months time you will have expanded your knowledge dramatically.

#56 Practise playing in different time signatures such as 3/4, 6/8 and 7/8. This is a great way to improve your rhythm.

#57 Make sure you are only using your finger tips to fret notes, otherwise your playing will sound messy.

#58 You can vary the position of your thumb behind the neck - just make sure it doesnt slip more than halfway down.

#59 Every now and then, go back to basics. Practise those chord changes and picking technique, and iron out those little faults in your playing.

#60 Tap your foot when you play. It is the best way to improve your rhythym!

#61 If you are determined enough to make it as a guitarist, then you will make it! Believe in yourself and you will succeed!

#62 If you are into recording your music at home, always back your music up on disk or another hard drive. You never know when your pc might go wrong and delete all your recordings. Do it now!

#63 If you want to get into home recording, check out our free ebook when you sign up to our newletter.

#64 A strict practise regime is essential if you want to become the best you can be!

#65 The biggest brands dont always make the best equipment. There are loads of copies of guitar models and accessories that are just as good as the big names, but for a much lower price. Just remember to try before you buy!

#66 Take advantage of the boxing day sales to grab yourself a bargain on that dream guitar you want!

#67 There is no such thing as "tone deaf"! Anyone can gain perfect pitch, it just requires a lot of practise.

#68 Performing becomes easier the more you do it. We are not all natural performers and it can be very scary - but you get used to it and it becomes very enjoyable after a fews times!

#69 When playing a repertoire, make sure you vary the style, rhythm and tempo of your songs so that they dont all sound the same.

#70 When playing a repertoire, make sure you vary the style, rhythm and tempo of your songs so that they dont all sound the same.

#71 A good song comes form the heart so get passionate about your songwriting! Write about things that are emotional to you.

#72 Spend time every week on improving your coordination between both hands. This is something that most people never perfect even if they think they do.

#73 All the biggest bands in history started from nowhere. Take inspiration from this - if you try hard enough you can make it!

#74 If you are struggling with a fast run that you have been practising for ages, try changing the way you pick. Most of the time if you start with an upstroke instead of a downstroke this sorts out the problem!

#75 Shredding is not about improving your technique to play as fast as possible - it is about finding the easiest way to play a set of notes that allows them to be played fast.

#76 Look after your guitar and it will last a lifetime. Andy Webber covers guitar maintenance in his DVD series.

#77 Play your guitar often. A fine quality instrument made from solid wood just gets better and better the older it gets and the more it is played.

#78 Think you suck at guitar and have made no progress? Try playing it the other way round - notice how awkward it feels. This will remind you how far you have come since you first picked up a guitar!

#79 Learning guitar is 10 percent ability 90 percent psychological. If you think you cant do it, theres no way you will be able to do it! Beleive in yourself!

#80 Try a range of picks to suit you. Thinner plectrums are better for fast picking, whereas medium picks are more suited to strumming.

#81 Play with and without a pick to improve the dexterity of both hands.

#82 Shredding is not about improving your technique to play as fast as possible - it is about finding the easiest way to play a set of notes that allows them to be played fast.

#83 Use your guitar slide on your little finger so that your other three fingers are left free to play.

#84 If you find bending and vibrato difficult, it could be that you are pressing too hard onto the fretboard.

#85 Make sure the guitar neck sits nicely in the crook of your hand when you are bending or using vibrato. This gives the best leverage for your fingers.

#86 Find different places on the neck to play the same notes. This will help you learn the fretboard and give you more freedom when you play.

#87 Buzzing strings? Try using heavier strings and increasing the action. See our forum for more...

#88 Keep your fingernails short to allow you to fret notes properly.

#89 To reduce the scraping noise you get when sliding up and down the neck, lift your hand away from the fretboard more, especially when playing acoustic.

#90 When fretting chords it is important to position your fingers as close as possible to the fret you are playing.

#91 A hammer-on is a note played by quickly pressing down on a higher fret after a note has just been picked.

#92 A pull-off is a note played by quickly pulling a finger away after picking a note so that a lower note is played.

#93 When struming make sure you keep your struming hand moving in a flowing up-down rhythm.

#94 If you play a lot it you will get thick calluses on your left hand. It may be necessary to file these down a bit every now and again to avoid discomfort.

#95 Feedback is caused by your guitar picking up the signal from the speakers and amplifying it again resulting in a high pitched squealing noise.

#96 You can reduce the the feedback produced by your guitar by facing away from your amp.

#97 If you like to sing and play at the same time and you find that you cant reach certain notes, you need a capo to raise or lower the pitch of you guitar.

#98 Left handed people dont always need to play the guitar left handed. In fact it can be an advantage to have your stronger hand doing the fretting instead of the strumming.

#99 Hybrid picking is when you hold a pick with your thunb and index finger and also use your other fingers to pick.

#100 Behind the nut bends are when you play a note and then reach behind the nut and push the string down to bend the note.

#101 It may look cool to have your guitar slung low but it is the not best position to optimise your guitar playing as you wont be able to reach around the neck properly.

#102 It is important to use the right strings to suit your style, so try a variety of different guages until you find the right ones for you.

#103 You can adjust the pickup height by turning the screws either side of it. The neck pickup should always be lower than the bridge pickup.

#104 A great way to prolong the life of your strings is to put some of those silica gel packets that you get when you buy new shoes in your guitar case. This sucks all the moisture out.

#105 The most important skill a musician needs is to be a good listener.

#106 If your band gets offered a contract dont be forced into rushing into a deal. Make sure you are not getting ripped off.

#107 Practise changing from each chord to every other chord until you can do every combination perfectly.

#108 Memorise each pentatonic postition one at a time. There are five in total.

#109 It is not absolutely necessary for guitarists to know everything music theory but asound undertanding will help you develop.

#110 If you own a tube amp you will need to replace the tubes every now and then. You dont want a tube to blow while you are playing live!

#111 Clean your fretboard every time you change the strings to remove all the grime that builds up over time.

#112 Stowing your guitar leads correctly will make them last tens times longer. Coil them up properly after use.

#113 Another way to prolong the life of your leads is to avoid standing on them - seems obvious but is hard to do!

#114 A hard case is essential for an acoustic guitar.

#115 When fingerpicking, experiment by picking with the pads of your fingers and with your nails. They give very different sounds.

#116 You can vary the sound produced by your guitar simply by picking in different places.

#117 Apparently you can use the telephone to tune your guitar! The ring tone is an F!

#118 A good way to write a guitar solo is to record the backing track and then just improvise over it until you come up with something good.

#119 When strumming, you dont have to strum all the notes in a chord. It often sounds better to just strum the high notes.

#120 If you are recording a rock or metal song, it sounds good if you record the rhythm guitar part twice and change the tones slightly

#121 If you record the rhythm guitar part twice, pan the guitars so that one is played through the left speaker and the other through the right.

#122 Hybrid picking is when you hold a pick with your thunb and index finger and also use your other fingers to pick.

#123 A lot of fingerstyle guitarist get the nails on their left hand coated with acrylic or even get acrylic nails put on to prevent broken nails ruining their playing.

#124 On an acoustic guitar, the strings are held in place by pins, unlike an electric where they are threaded through the body.

#125 There is a theory that if you leave your guitar in front of a speaker, the sound waves will vibrate the wood and speed up the breaking in time of the wood, resulting in a better souding guitar.

#126 Always practise plugged in, otherwise you wont hear all those noises that your guitar creates.

#127 When buying a guitar in a shop, you can usually haggle with the salesman to get a better price.

#128 If you are in a gigging band, be prepared to make no money or even a loss from your gigs, especially when starting out.

#129 Jimi Hendrix played a right handed guitar the other way round, by swapping all the strings around.

#130 Try to economise your chord changes by moving each finger as little as possible.

#131 You can often buy guitars for less off the internet, but it is imporant to play the guitar before you buy it. At least play the same model in a shop, and then purchase it online.

#132 Brian May uses an old sixpence piece instead of a pick!

#134 When tapping, you need to pull away sideways from the string after you have tapped it.

#135 Try playing a hard riff or lick on an acoustic guitar - when you try it again on an electric it will seem easier.

#136 Play out of your comfort zone - try playing in E flat instead of E to get used to moving around the fretboard.

#137 If your guitar lead is broken near the ends you can repair it by cutting out the bad section and resoldering it back together.

#138 Dont try fast picking until you are fully warmed up - even the greatest guitarists cant shred without a warm up!

#139 There are hundreds of ways to play the same thing - for example try fingerpicking a chord progression instead of strumming it.

#140 Sweep picking involves playing adjacent strings in quick succession without pausing to pick each individual note.

#141 Buzzing strings? Try using heavier strings and increasing the action. See our forum for more...

#142 Keep your fingernails short to allow you to fret notes properly.

#143 If you look back at the history of innovation in music, it all happens by accident. Innovative music has never come from a bunch of academics sat around. - Moby

#144 Theres always going to be the bands who change the way the river flows, and theres always going to be the people who get in their boats and ride down afterwards. - Bill Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins

#145 All music is folk music. I aint ever heard no horse sing a song. - Louis Armstrong

#146 My ambition was to eat. We were very hungry. - James Brown

#147 I wont retire until the people retire me. - B.B. King

#148 When I first met Elvis he had a million dollars worth of talent. Now he has a million dollars. - Colonel Tom Parker

#149 There have been contenders. There have been pretenders. But there is still only one king. Elvis Presley - Bruce Springsteen.

#150 We dont think The Beatles will do anthing in this market. - Head of Capitol Records, Jay Livingstone

#151 Metallica is just four lucky friends who got together and started playing. This could be you...! - James Hetfield

#152 I dont care if you think Im big headed. This is the only rock n roll band to come out of LA thats real. - Slash

#153 I started rapping because I couldent f@#*ing sing. - Coby Dick of Papa Roach

#154 All rock musicians are deaf... or insensitive to mellow sounds - Marc Bolan

#155 Id rather be dead than singing Satisfaction when Im 45. - Mick Jagger

#156 I hope to be half as cool as The Stones for half as long. - Jon Bon Jovi

#157 Thats all I wanted to do as a kid. Play the guitar properly and jump around. - Syd Barrett

#158 Richard Branson doesnt even invite me round his house no more. Thats because I usually beg for money and I hate cricket. - John Lydon

#159 Mostly, punk was funny. We couldnt believe we were getting away with it! - Peter Shelley of The Buzzcocks

#160 I wish I could have taken a class on becoming a rock star. It might have prepared me for this. - Kurt Cobain

#161 Musicians who didnt pay attention to punk have a gap in their knowledge that makes it difficult to communicate in this day and age. Flea of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers

#162 Music is spiritual. The music business is not. - Van Morrison

#163 Rock journalism is people who cant write interviewing people who cant talk for people who cant read. - Frank Zappa

#164 Theres nothing at all the matter with some journalists that a quick slap in the face couldnt sort out. - Elvis Costello

#165 On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone. - Janis Joplin

#166 If you remember the 1960s, you werent there. - George Harrison

#167 I spent most of the eighties, most of my life, riding around in somebody elses car, in possession of or ingested of something illegal, on my way from something illegal to something illegal, with many illegal things happening around me. - Iggy Pop

#168 As far as Im concerned, the benefit of being a black Irishman is that I pull more chicks. - Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy

#169 All the good music has already been written by people in wigs and stuff. - Frank Zappa

#170 Of the things Ive lost, its my mind I miss the most. - Ozzy Osbourne

#171 Rock n Roll is suposed to take you away from the s@#t job youre in for an hour and a half and make you feel 100 feet tall. - Lemmy

#172 One chord is fine, two chords are pushing it, three chords and youre into jazz. - Lou Reed

#173 Your mind is a parachute. It doesnt work when closed. - Frank Zappa

#174 Passing the vodka bottle, and playing the guitar. - Keith Richards on how he keeps fit.

#175 When you tune your guitar in a different way, it lends itself to a new way of looking at your songwriting. - Sheryl Crow

#176 Jim Marshall is the ultimate rock star. He makes all of us sound better. - Kerry King

#177 I just hate to be in one corner. I hate to be put as only a guitar player, or either only as a songwriter, or only as a tap dancer. I like to move around. - Jimi Hendrix

#178 If it was up to me, there wouldnt be no such thing as the establishment. - Jimi Hendrix

#179 All music is folk music. I aint ever heard no horse sing a song. - Louis Armstrong

#180 Music is a safe kind of high. - Jimi Hendrix

#181 Ive never had a problem with drugs. Ive had problems with the police. - Keith Richards

#182 Recording is Gods way of telling you that you suck. - Bob Brozman

#183 You have to know the song so well, that while your playing, if sombody blows your head off with a double barrel shotgun, your body will keep playing. - Stefan Grossman

#184 Play and pray, pray and play. - Miles Davis

#185 Just because you like my stuff doesnt mean I owe you anything. - Bob Dylan

#186 There are no mistakes, save one. Failure to learn from a mistake. Robert Fripp

#187 A good composer does not imitate. He steals. - Stravinsky

#188 Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman. - Beethoven

#189 I often think in music, live my daydreams in music, and see my life in terms of music. I get most joy in life out of music. - Albert Einstein

#190 I played the guitar for ten years before I realised it wasnt a weapon - Pete Townsend

#191 Life is what happens while you are making other plans. - John Lennon

#192 Playin the guitar is like tellin the truth. You never have to worry about repeating the same lie if you told the truth. You dont have to pretend or cover up. If someone asks you again you dont have to think about it or worry about it. Its you. - BB King

#193 My best songs come from making a lot of mistakes and playing a lot of garbage. - Eric Johnson

#194 I often discover that what sounds great at home sounds hideous in public. - Tuck Andress

#195 Anyone who used more than three chords is just showing off - Woodie Guthrie

#196 If youre not living on the edge, youre taking up too much space. - Brozman

#197 When the band plays fast, you play slow. When the band plays slow, you play fast. Miles Davis on soloing

#198 Every time you pick up your guitar to play, play as if its the last time. - Eric Clapton

#199 He has a womans name and wears makeup. How original. - Alice Cooper, on Marilyn Manson

#200 You know its a great blues tune if you can screw it up, and it still sounds good. - John Miller

#201 The guitar is the easiest instrument to play, and the hardest to play well. - Segovia

#202 I practice a lot to save on studio time. John Fahey

#203 Jazz isnt dead. It just smells funny. Frank Zappa

#204 Use Dunlop Lemon Oil to clean your fretboard and improve your tone.

#205 You can use relative tuning using harmonics on the fifth and seventh frets to tune your guitar more easily.

#206 Play with other guitarists as often as possible. It is the best way to learn new things.

#207 To unscrew a tight screw from your guitar, sometimes giving it a slight turn in the clockwise direction first helps loosen it.

#208 Experiment with different tunings to produce different harmonies.

#209 Dont give up too easily if you find something difficult. Stick at it and you will get there in the end!

#210 The only way to play fast is to start off as slow as possible and steadily increase your speed. When you reach your limit, slow down a bit and then try again. Over time you speed limit will increase.

#211 You cant learn guitar overnight! It takes years of practise. People who fail at learning the guitar do so because they give up too soon.

#212 Classical music is a great source of inspiration. You might not know a lot about it but give it a try. It might surprise you!

#213 Having difficulties transposing a song to a different key? Try using a capo to do the work for you!

#214 Learn another musical instrument if possible. You will gain knowledge and skills that cross over onto both instruments.

#215 Working out at the gym can improve your rhythm! Since most songs are written in 4/4, counting reps in fours gets you used to sticking to a rhythm.

#216 Try to figure out songs yourself before searching for the tab. You will be amazed at how much you can work out yourself!

#217 Dont stick to the same old settings. Play around with the setup of your guitar to find out how the sound changes.

#218 Spend some time focusing on your picking hand. Most players spend all their time concentrating on their fretting hand and completely ignore the other hand.

#219 Dont try to learn too much at once. You will overload yourself and end up giving up.

#220 If you are getting frustrated with learning a new song, its time to take a break. You wont get anywhere if you let your frustration get the better of you.

#221 Learn from as many sources as possible. If you cant afford lots of material, try your local library.

#222 Always tune up properly before practising. If you dont tune up you will ruin your musical ear that you have spent time developing.

#223 Dont stop learning a song until you have learnt all of it. The feeling of accomplishment is much more satisfying.

#224 Consider buying an amp with a headphones socket if you need to keep the noise down while practising.

#225 If you can afford it, build a collection of guitars. Different guitars inspire you to play in different ways.

#226 Anyone who used more than three chords is just showing off - Woodie Guthrie

#227 Take some time to read some musical quotes if you need some inspiration. There are lots posted on this site.

#228 When the band plays fast, you play slow. When the band plays slow, you play fast. Miles Davis on soloing

#229 Playing at local Open Mic nights is a great way to gain experience at playing live.

#230 Playing guitar is not a contest. There are no winners or losers. Just enjoy it and have fun.

#231 Avoid websites like Wikipedia for information on learning guitar. The way it is written contains a lot of useless info and will bore you to death!

#232 If you can explain something to someone else so that they understand it, then you have thoroughly learnt that topic and fully understand it yourself. Try to learn everything so that you could explain it to someone else.

#233 Watch videos of your favorite guitarists to get inspiration. You can also learn a lot from them.