The ESP Guitar Company

Becoming a great guitar playing isn’t easy. In fact, most people end up quitting after a few months of playing because they get frustrated and just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

For those of us who have made it past the difficult times of learning chord shapes and scale patterns, we know the temporary pain and frustration was worth it.

That’s why I decided to write an article to help people fast track the boredom of learning guitar and skip straight to the rocking phase. Well, kind of…

Let’s jump into some tips on how you can start learning guitar faster.

#1 – Practice Regularly

Too many beginners think that they can just pick up a guitar here and there and become really good. It doesn’t work like that. In order to become a better player, you need to consistently work at it.

You should try to set a practice schedule and stick to it. Whether that is once a day or twice a week, it doesn’t matter. Just set a consistent schedule and stick to it. You will never see any progress if you don’t practice regularly.

#2 – Get Lessons

Don’t get me wrong. Tons of people learn guitar by themselves and don’t ever take guitar lessons. It is possible and it works for many people, but that’s not the point of this article. The point is to show you how to improve the fastest.

Taking lessons from a good instructor will help you fly through the basics as well as help you with your form and technique. An instructor will also help you focus on areas that you need to improve without wasting time.

There are a bunch of different options of guitar lessons. You can take them at a local guitar shop. There are even different training tools to learn guitar online. Whatever type of lessons you end up getting, just sign up for some. You won’t regret it.

#3 – Play with Other Guitarists

You are probably thinking how am I supposed to play with other guitarists if I can’t pay guitar. That’s a fair point. Look for people who are at your skill level and just mess around with them. It doesn’t have to be anything serious. Just practice playing with other people.

This will help you develop all kinds of skills that you wouldn’t get sitting in your bedroom by yourself.

#4 – Songs over Exercises

Exercises are great to warm up your fingers, but they shouldn’t be an end goal. You are learning to play a musical instrument, not a keyboard. It’s so much more beneficial to learn songs and practice actual solos than simply working on mindless exercises.

#5 – Practice with Rhythm

When you sit down to practice, use a drum machine, backing track, or full song. Use something that will help you with your timing and playing with other people. I got this tip from Tommy Emmanuel. He said one of the most important things about learning guitar is learning to keep time.

The better you get at that, the faster you will be able to jam with a band.

Well, that’s it. I’m sure there are a million things that I left out, but I think if you do those five things, you will be well on your way to jamming with your friends and not fumbling around with chords.