Don't get me wrong...there are some GREAT guitar teachers on Youtube.
However, as with anything on the inter-webs,
there's a lot of other stuff to sift through sometimes to get to the good stuff.
AND, I see some guitar teachers on Youtube who,
as good as their videos look and their playing may be...
They offer some "interesting" advice when it comes to learning guitar.
Don't get me started....haha
Truth is, there are no magic pills or shortcuts to getting good on guitar.
We DO have to put the time in
Practicing when you're short of time doesn't have to always be about efficiency
Rather we should focus on ways to make our practicing more effective
Another thing is that most guitar lessons on YouTube...
are instructional in nature meaning they show us how to play something
whether it's songs, chords, scales, how to do xyz
It's more a case of what to practice…
but not HOW to practice
What makes all the difference is actually DOING.
See, when you know precisely how to practice,
learn how songs are crafted and how certain techniques actually work,
You get inside the methods of the styles of the bands you like
and then yeah...
it IS then possible to play literally anything you want
with just 30-60 minutes practice a day.
That's realistic in my not so humble but professional opinion.
That’s why I suggest focusing on just 3 simple things
EVERY time you practice guitar:
1. Practice to a metronome or, even better, a drum beat. Because, trust me… timing, when mastered, immediately makes playing ANY song a whole lot easier.
2. Nail your rhythm playing . Where most guitarists slip up is by practicing lead guitar all the time even though the songs they’re learning are mostly riffs. That’s why I suggest spending DOUBLE the amount of time on rhythm and riffing, more than on anything else.
3. Play at the speed of the songs you're learning...That might sound counterintuitive, seeing as a most teachers advise slowing down. But by pushing yourself on a regular basis, you WILL become tighter and technically proficient, and play faster than you ever imagined. There is a time for slow practice but you simply won't get to the level you want by not pushing yourself consistently.
I'm sure most of you know all the above.
If you actually DO them ,
it will help you
a lot.
And, if you want to see some of those action steps… well….in action, I encourage you to have a look at a video I did on YouTube as an example of a guided guitar practice session for Modern Metal/Metalcore
We look at rhythm, timing, a little bit of theory, riffs, techniques and how to apply these things creatively!
(I’m in Drop C tuning if you want to play along too.)
Practice hard and play easy!
Jimmy