Category: Practice and Musicianship

Practice & Warm-Up Tips from Julian Lage

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These lessons explore what it means to be a more musical guitar player—including how to practice, learn, and have a healthy relationship with the guitar. You’ll find tips for developing your ear, playing with others, warming up, reading music, performing, and more of the foundational skills that will help you become a better and more confident musician.

How to Easily Communicate Chord Progressions with the Nashville Number System

It makes sense that a shortcut system to convey chord progressions efficiently would emerge from Music City.

Jane Miller
October 18, 2024

7 Things You Need to Know Before Participating in Your First Jam Session

Regularly attending a jam can be one of the best ways to get inspired to practice and improve. Here's how to find a jam session, how to prepare, and what to do when you get there.

Alan Barnosky
July 10, 2024

Cathy Fink (with banjo) and Marcy Marxer (with acoustic guitar) Photo by Irene Young

Joining the Circle: Tips and Tactics for Making Music with Others

Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, a duo for more than 40 years, share some of the things they've learned about how to approach playing with others.

Cathy Fink and Cathy Fink
June 9, 2024

9 Tips for Avoiding Overuse Injuries on Guitar—and Getting More Out of Your Practice Sessions

Creating a productive and healthy practice routine can be very helpful in avoiding or reducing overuse-related issues.

Juanito Pascual
April 10, 2024

Adam Levy and Ethan Sherman playing guitars onstage. Photo by JOE BASTURA

Five Ways to Evolve Your Musicianship Now

Guitarists Adam Levy and Ethan Sherman offer ideas for taking your music to the next level.

Adam Levy and Adam Levy
February 2, 2024

Brian Parent and Jane Miller playing duets on acoustic guitar.

Sharpen Your Sight-Reading Skills by Playing Duets with Counterpoint and Triple-Stops

This second lesson in a three-part series on learning to sight-read on guitar adds some exercises that are a bit more complex.

Jane Miller
December 15, 2023

Work on Your Sight-Reading Skills Through Two-Part Studies

Playing together with a partner in real time is a great way to have to have fun while improving your single-line melody reading.

Jane Miller
October 25, 2023

Paul Mehling acoustic guitar lesson learn to play fast by practicing slowly

Learn to Play Fast on Guitar by Practicing Slowly

Learn to play fast on acoustic guitar by practicing slowly; make sure that you play everything with 100 percent accuracy before bringing it up to tempo.

Paul Mehling
June 22, 2023

guitarist michael chapdelaine seated in his home studio holding a nylon-string guitar

Watch Your Back: Practicing Healthy Approaches to Guitar Posture

Poor posture can lead to back and neck deterioration and neuromuscular disease in guitarists. Here are some steps to help keep you healthily seated with your guitar.

Michael Chapdelaine
June 13, 2023

closeup of hands playing an acoustic guitar

3 Practice Techniques to Learn Tough Passages and Overcome Musical Roadblocks

In this lesson, we’ll take a six-bar passage and break it into small, easily approachable sections.

Kirk Hamilton
June 8, 2023

illustration of an ear, wearing a headband, exercising on a treadmill

4 Exercises to Develop Your Ear Training on Guitar

Whatever your experience level, here are a few tips that will set you on a direct path to being able to play your favorite pieces without relying on sheet music.

Lissa Schneckenburger
May 24, 2023

man playing acoustic guitar, the learning zone

12 Ways to Challenge Yourself and Discover New Territory on Guitar

We talked to a group of artists and educators who share their favorite exercises, strategies, and tricks for helping get beyond the comfort zone and discover new territory on the guitar.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
March 5, 2023

Smart Warm-Up Exercises for Acoustic Guitar

These guitar warm-up exercises are great for strengthening fingers, increasing speed, and improving synchronization between the left and right hands.

Paul Mehling
January 26, 2023

busking guitarist in the street with a PA and a sign that says CD $20

5 Essential Tips for Busking Guitarists

It turns out there’s a lot more to street performing than just propping your guitar case open next to a tip sign.

Pauline France
December 29, 2022

two friends pose in a music studio with their guitars

Is My Child Old Enough to Learn Guitar?

If your child (or grandchild or other kid in your life) has expressed an interest in playing guitar, you may be wondering if they’re too young to begin lessons.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
December 14, 2022

body awareness exercises for guitarists from martial arts

How Guitarists Can Play with Less Pain and More Balance with Lessons from the Martial Arts

These body awareness tips from the martial arts can help ward guitarists off unnecessary tension and pain before they become problematic.

Judy Minot
October 2, 2022

website and apps for learning guitar illustration

Online Learning Resources and Digital Tools for Acoustic Guitar

The amount of options for learning acoustic guitar online can be overwhelming. In this list you'll find apps and websites for learning guitar to help with anything you're working on.

Doug Young
September 11, 2022

illustration of a person chasing music notes

Between the Lines: All About Guitar Notation

Here you’ll learn how guitar notation evolved into the sophisticated tool it is today, how it’s prepared for publications like AG, and most important, how you can use it to learn new music, whatever your style.

Adam Perlmutter
August 15, 2022

guitar teacher giving online lesson in front of a computer

Class Action: Tips on Building a Successful Guitar Teaching Practice

Whether you want to recruit a few students or develop a full schedule, here are a few suggestions to get the ball rolling.

Pete Madsen
July 15, 2022

Painting of man playing a guitar by master of the annunciation to the shepherds

Am I Too Old to Learn Guitar?

If we, at whatever age, are truly determined to make music come out of those six strings, we will.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
July 7, 2022

collage of 15 professional guitar players

15 Acoustic Guitar Pros Share Tips on Tone

“What is good tone? That’s a very good question, but difficult to answer succinctly,” says songwriter and record producer John Leventhal, known for his work with Rosanne Cash, William Bell, and other top artists. “It’s heartfelt and musical. It’s generally a fat tone, I don’t like thin tone. When it…

Greg Cahill
June 9, 2022

photo of guitar student seated on a rug taken from above

The Best Websites and Apps for Learning Guitar

It's never been easier to teach yourself guitar, mostly because of the wide variety of apps, software, and websites to learn from.

Kate Koenig
May 20, 2022

Jamming on Acoustic Guitar: How to Play Well with Others

If you’re used to playing acoustic guitar alone on your couch, it’s time you get out there and join a jam session. Here's how to get started.

Judy Minot
April 10, 2022

Paul Mehling performing on acoustic guitar.

Video Lesson: Learn How to Practice Musically—Not Mechanically

Finding ways to hear yourself actually making music rather than merely doing rote exercises is one of the easiest ways to improve your musicianship, so why not give it a try?

Paul Mehling
March 5, 2022

jeffrey pepper rodgers with acoustic guitar transcribing music

12 Tips for Learning Songs from Recordings

Learning to play your favorites tunes accurately and thoroughly requires digging deeper than visiting online tab libraries. Here are tips to help with the process.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
February 2, 2022