7 Ways To Become A Bad-Ass Guitar Player

-Photo credit: Mister Wilson-

I’ve been a guitar player since I was 12, and over the years I’ve picked up some things that have drastically improved my guitar playing. They are all pretty subtle, but they make a world of difference. Wanna be a bad-ass guitar player? Employ the following tips:

The Tips

1. Train each hand independently.

Whether you are performing exercises, or learning songs, training each hand independently helps your brain to get used to what each is doing. Once you have each hand’s part memorized, incorporate them together. You’ll find that your playing will be a lot smoother, and your learning time will be cut down significantly.

2. Pick grip is important.

If you are playing with a pick, take the time to find a comfortable grip. Traditionally, players position the pick between their thumb and index finger, while some players (such as Metallica’s James Hetfield) use their thumb, index, and middle fingers. The amount of the pick that is exposed is equally as important. While strumming, allowing half an inch of the pick to protrude from between your fingers allows for a smoother, flow like strum. Allowing a quarter inch of exposure is better suited for individually picking each string. Ultimately, it’s whatever feels best to you, and allows you to play as accurately as possible.

3. Find a comfortable anchor point.

Finding a place to anchor your arm, and/or wrist, greatly improves your accuracy, and makes playing a lot more comfortable. If I’m strumming, I tend to anchor my arm just below the elbow on the body of the guitar. This creates a pivot point, allowing your arm to only move up and down. If I’m picking, I’ll anchor my wrist on the bridge of the guitar, but far enough back so I’m not palm muting the strings. I’ll move my hand only at the wrist, and this keeps me from striking unwanted strings. This can make the difference between you being the next Steve Vai, or the next drunk asshole playing at your local dive bar.

4. Listen to musical styles that are different from the style you play.

You can always tell when a musician listens only to one style; because their music is awful. Get into the habit of listening to as many varieties of music as you can. This is especially important for developing your own style. If you enjoy writing singer/songwriter acoustical music, try listening to hip-hop or heavy metal. While this seems counterintuitive,  you’ll hear something (chord progressions, beat changes, little fills) that will inspire you, allowing you to translate it into your style.

5. When writing music, don’t think; feel.

This is simply the best piece of advice I’ve ever stumbled across. Music can be a very mathematic, robotic like thing if you try and live within the laws of music theory. So, don’t.  Don’t think about what you play, what scale you’re in, or if the chord progression musically makes sense; just pick up your guitar, and play. Translate your feelings through your hands and into the guitar. You’ll be amazed with what happens. You might just write the next Stairway To Heaven.

6. Use the Dobra Method to learn songs.

When tackling a new song, don’t try to plow your way through it. Use the DOBRA method and break the song down into manageable pieces. Always tackle the most difficult part of the song first; this makes the rest seem like a piece of cake. I’ve used this method to learn everything from “Scarified” by Racer X, to “Safe And Sound” by The Civil Wars.

7. (Optional) Alternative Warm Up.

This one has really helped me. If you primarily play an electric guitar, warming up on an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, or piano (keyboard) is a great way to exercise your hands. Before playing, I used to ritualistically stretch out my hands and do chromatic exercises (booorrriiinnnggg). I’ve since moved on to doing stretching exercises on an acoustic, and scale runs on a keyboard. Using any of these other instruments (especially a bass guitar), requires your arm muscles to exert more effort, and gets blood flowing to them faster than just warming up on an electric. Believe me, after trying this, you’ll feel like you’re 10x the guitar you were before you warmed up.

In closing

1. Train each hand independently
2. Pick grip is important
3. Find a comfortable anchor point
4. Listen to musical styles that are different from the style you play
5. When writing music, don’t think; feel
6. Use the DOBRA method to learn songs
7. Use another instrument to warm up

Now go play guitar, and be a bad-ass.

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