30-DAY WORKOUT
Smash your new year guitar goals with our 30-day technical workout
This month we’re going to flex our fingers and strain those steel strings in TG’s 30-day guitar workout. Of course, guitar practice can be athorny subject for some. Most of us took up guitar because of our love for music –and ‘homework’-style practice may not be high on your wish list. So, here, we’re tackling the challenge head-on with ajam-packed set of lessons that are both fun to play and guaranteed to help you improve your technique. You can either dip into the lessons as you wish, or, alternatively, you can let our practice plan guide you through the next 30 days. It’s designed to be as flexible as possible so you can work towards your own playing goals. Grab your guitar, plug in and let’s get started…
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DAY 1 ASSESS YOUR PLAYING SKILLS
You’ll get more out of any practice routine if you know which areas of your playing need most attention. Get started by taking an honest look…
1 CHECK YOU ARE PLAYING IN TIME
Choose asimple piece of music you know well and try playing in time with ametronome. Aim to synchronise onbeat notes with the click. If it doesn’t seem fully aligned, you may need to work on your timing. Slow down alittle and try to feel the rhythmic pulse more tightly.
2 HOW CLEAN ARE YOUR CHORDS?
Put your fingers in the wrong position and you’ll end up with annoying fret buzz, so aim to play most chords using the very tips of your fingers as close to each fret as possible. Barre chords, of course, need aflat finger. Keep your thumb roughly opposite your fingers for maximum strength.
3 ARE YOU PL AYING TOO FAST?
You don’t have to be ashredder to want to play fast. We’ve all tried to play asong at full speed before we’ve fully learnt it, usually resulting in fluffed chord changes and solo lines that don’t quite link together. Play slowly to ametronome or drum beat and try to improve your speed by asmall amount every day.
DAY 2 CHECK YOUR LEAD TECHNIQUES
There’s always an optimum position for your hands to be in when you’re playing lead guitar. Make sure you’ve got the techniques sorted…
STRING BENDS
For most first-, second- and third-finger bends place your thumb on the top side of the neck (sometimes called a ‘baseball bat grip’) for maximum strength. You may need to adjust position for fourth finger bends.
HAMMER-ONS AND PULL-OFFS
Can you play apull-off as you lead out of the hammer-on (and vice versa)? If not, adjust your hand position. You’ll need afirm thwack for ahammer-on, then aflick of the finger to pull off.
ALTERNATE PICKING
The ability to pick in adown-up ‘alternate’ pattern is crucial. To practise, choos
