Five Small Things That Make a Big Difference in Your Guitar Playing

Tuition
By published

Five pointers that can make all the difference in your playing.

(Image credit: Cindy Moorhead)

Imagine Zakk Wylde and Chuck Berry playing the same lick through the same rig. It would sound totally different because Zakk and Chuck manipulate guitar strings very differently.

It all comes down to touch, folks.

And touch just one of the concepts Samurai Guitarist Steve Onotera discusses in his recent video, "Five Small Things That Make a Big Difference in Your Guitar Playing."

The rest are, in order (along with exactly where to find them in the video), cutoffs (1:03), using space (1:49), knowing your musical role (3:18) and bend intonation (4:32). Steve explains and demonstrates all five pointers in the clip.

For more pointers from Steve, visit his YouTube channel.

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

More about lessons
Roy Buchanan wears a flat cap and works some Telecaster magic in the shadows onstage.

How to find new approaches to blues soloing – using fingerstyle improv ideas and Roy Buchanan-inspired licks
American songwriter, guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of Metallica James Hetfield performs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavillion in Chicago, IL on April 5, 1986.

Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield
Shane Fontayne playing a blue Stratocaster guitar onstage in 2019

“I remember watching when The Edge started Where the Streets Have No Name. When Bono came out, I swear I saw a halo around his head!” Shane Fontayne on being mentored by Mick Ronson, joining the Boss' Other band and playing Stairway for Jimmy Page
See more latest
Most Popular
Roy Buchanan wears a flat cap and works some Telecaster magic in the shadows onstage.
How to find new approaches to blues soloing – using fingerstyle improv ideas and Roy Buchanan-inspired licks
American songwriter, guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of Metallica James Hetfield performs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavillion in Chicago, IL on April 5, 1986.
Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield
Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a deep blue suit and polka-dotted shirt and plays his green refin Strat; the late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher [right] screams and inflicts some punishment on his heavily worn number one Stratocaster.
“The intensity of Rory’s guitar playing – the emotion, the sound and his incredible attack – was mindblowing for me”: Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to the late, great Irish blues-rock icon Rory Gallagher
Cory Wong playing his signature Fender Stratocaster
“For some players, their approach to rhythm guitar is, ‘Oh, someone else gets to do all of the fun stuff while I do this…’” Think playing rhythm guitar is boring? Cory Wong is here to change your mind
TGR345 How to bend strings
“A few poorly intonated sustained bends in a solo can make the guitar's most emotive technique sound bad”: Learning how to bend strings correctly is one of the quickest ways to make your playing sound better
capo at 7th fret
This easy chord trick appears on classic songs by the Beatles, the Eagles, Paul Simon and Passenger – discover new sounds with familiar chord shapes by using a capo at the 7th fret
Marcin Patrzalek
Marcin’s percussive fingerstyle is dropping jaws with its stunning mix of speed, complexity and explosive dynamics. The warm-ups that fuel his virtuosity are guaranteed to boost your own playing
Spanish musician Paco de Lucia (born Francisco Sanchez Gomez, 1947 - 2014) plays guitar during the World Music Institute 'Flamenco Festival New York 2004' concert at the Beacon Theater, New York, New York, February 27, 2004
It’s the flamenco technique that lit the rhythmic fire under Marcin and Paco de Lucía, and treats all four fingers and thumb as separate plectrums – why learning rasgueado will give your picking hand a huge turbo boost
Jared James Nichols works the crowd in Nashville with his Goldtop Les Paul Standard. The stage is illuminated in purple.
“This is a technique that has been used to great effect by some of my biggest blues heroes”: By thumb-picking bass notes while playing a melody, you can be your own rhythm section – Jared James Nichols shows you how
The great Jimmy Reed wears a sharp suit and bow-tie and plays an Airline electric guitar in this archive live shot from 1960
Jimmy Reed was one of the most influential blues guitarists to ever live – and his fingerpicking style makes an incredible launching pad for improvisation