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Since we were already speaking to Jared Dines for a slew of other reasons, we decided to get his spin on 10 essential tips for beginner guitar players.
While it’s true that some of these tips also happen to appear within our 100 ways to be a better guitar player (in slightly different form), that just goes to show how essential they are!
1. Take your time - Try not to get frustrated, go at your own pace, go into it knowing it will take time.
2. Use a metronome/drum machine - Getting an early sense of timing and rhythm is incredibly important. Practice precision and understand every note you play.
3. Play with other (better) musicians a lot - This will help you grow musically while learning from those who know much more.
4. Have fun - Play along to songs you listen to and love, do what makes you happy, play what makes you happy. If you’re gonna be stuck playing a song for the rest of your life, you’d better enjoy playing it.
5. Be true to yourself - Play how you want to play; don’t let others ever tell you how to play. Accept criticism, but adapt it in a way that works for you and your vision.
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6. Make goals - Understanding just how far you want to take the guitar, or better, how far the guitar will take you, will help you in understanding how much time and work to put into properly honing your craft.
You won’t get far in this industry if you’re a prick to everyone you work with
7. Use the tools you have - YouTube, Facebook, etc, all have so much information and ways to find other musicians, form bands, discuss topics of interest. Use these tools and network!
8. Don't be an asshole - You won’t get far in this industry if you’re a prick to everyone you work with. So many opportunities happen just from dudes being dudes.
9. Don't sound like your favorite band/musician - They already sound like that, but better, because it’s them. Be the best you that youcan be; the ceiling is much higher.
10. Don't overthink it - The passion will take you where you want to go. Be yourself, work hard and kick ass. It’s simple in theory - now just go apply it!
Adam is a freelance writer whose work has appeared, aside from Guitar World, in Rolling Stone, Playboy, Esquire and VICE. He spent many years in bands you've never heard of before deciding to leave behind the financial uncertainty of rock'n roll for the lucrative life of journalism. He still finds time to recreate his dreams of stardom in his pop-punk tribute band, Finding Emo.
