Tuning a guitar ensures that each string resonates harmoniously with the others. Whether one is a seasoned musician or a novice, mastering the art of tuning is indispensable. This essay delineates three of the most effective methods for tuning a guitar, elucidating their procedures and merits.

Method 1: Tuning Your Guitar With An Electric Tuner

It’s so easy to get your hands on a great tuner.. for cheap! Standard tuning, which comprises the notes E-A-D-G-B-E from the lowest to highest string, can be effortlessly achieved with a tuner.

The procedure involves clamping the tuner onto the guitar’s headstock, plucking each string sequentially, and adjusting the tuning pegs until the tuner indicates the desired pitch. This method is very precise and accurate. It ensures that each string is tuned to the exact frequency. Additionally, tuners are portable and user-friendly, making them indispensable tools for both beginners and professionals.

Method 2: Tuning Your Guitar by Ear with Reference Tones

Tuning a guitar by ear requires a considerable more amount of skill but the great thing about that is it fosters a deeper understanding of musical intervals and enhances one’s ear.

This method necessitates a reference tone, typically obtained from a piano, tuning fork, or online reference pitch. Starting with the low E string, the guitarist compares the pitch of each string, pressing the string down at the fifth fret (for example starting with low E) and comparing that to the A string. One would then tune the A string to the already in-tune E string.

The process entails keen listening and discernment, as subtle discrepancies in pitch must be detected and rectified if you want to be playing in tune. While mastering this method may require time and practice, it empowers musicians to tune their guitars in any setting, independent of electronic devices.

Method 3: Tuning Your Guitar Using Natural Harmonics

Harmonic tuning is a technique employed by many guitarists of a certain generation. This used to be a “go-to” method. However, it is not the most accurate

And has henceforth fallen out of fashion. This method exploits the natural harmonics produced by lightly touching the string at specific points and plucking quickly one after the other. Although this is a pretty viable method, it would not be recommended as one of the methods to learn early on. It’s just that now simply electronic tuners are ubiquitous. They are even available as “free electronic tuners” if you search Google!

Conclusion:

Tuning a guitar is an indispensable aspect of playing the guitar. Nobody is going to be much interested in hearing you play if you are out of tune. Standard tuning with a tuner offers precision and convenience, while tuning by ear cultivates a deeper understanding of musical intervals.

Harmonic tuning, on the other hand, combines a bit of precision with resonance, even if it is not the most dependable method. Mastery of these methods empowers guitarists to unleash their full potential while being “in tune,” because “ain’t no body wanna hear a cockamamie tuned guitar!” 

Are you a Miami local looking to learn guitar? If you’re looking for Guitar Lessons In Miami consider taking a lesson with Professor O’Kane at Miami Guitar Academy. With over 30 years of experience teaching guitar he has everything you need to improve your guitar skills and make rapid progress.

The post How To Tune Your Guitar – Three Simple Methods appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

One of my favourite books to read at the moment is a book named ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. It is an awesome, practical and effective guide on how to establish a habit and more importantly how to stick to that habit in the long term. 

In this article, we’re going to see how we can use the habit-forming techniques discussed in ‘Atomic Habits’ to make your guitar practice sessions super fun, satisfying and easy so that you want to do it every single day. 

Make It Easy

Firstly, we need to reduce the amount of friction associated with the activity of guitar practice. If getting your guitar out to practice is a long and arduous task, you are way more likely to swap guitar practice for re-runs of Friends because the former requires way too much effort to do.

How do we make guitar practice easy?

One of the most effective things you can do is to invest in a guitar stand. Get your guitar out, place it on the guitar stand and situate it in the most frequently visited room of the house (and I don’t mean the toilet). 

I recommend placing your guitar in the corner of the lounge room or dining area. Firstly, guitars on guitar stands look amazing *chefs kiss* and will add to your lounge room decor very nicely, but the main reason why we do this is that it makes it super easy to grab your guitar throughout the day and also makes it easy to set up your guitar when it comes time to practice.

Here are some extra tips on how to make guitar practice super easy: 

• Keep the guitar tuner attached to the headstock of the guitar so it’s ready to go 
• Buy a pick holder that attaches to your guitar, ensuring that you don’t have to search around the house for a pick
• Invest in a music stand to hold your songs at eye level 
• Use a music folder to organise your loose sheets of guitar music
• Use a stable chair that doesn’t have armrests for best results and guitar-playing posture
• If you have an iPad, you can make looking up songs and building your song list even easier by getting a TAB library app like Songsterr (absolutely free for the basic version)

Employ the 2-minute rule

You may know that to establish a long-term habit, the most important thing you can do is to be consistent. Easier said than done right? Life happens and before you know it, you haven’t played guitar for 2 weeks and you’re deep into the ‘Funny Cat video’ rabbit hole on Youtube instead of playing your favourite songs on your Fender Telecaster.

Well, the 2-minute rule makes it easy to be consistent.
In the initial stages of developing your guitar practice habit (1 or 2 weeks), you need to practice guitar for only 2 minutes per day. Yes, that’s right! 2 minutes. After you’ve completed the 2 minute practice session for the day, you celebrate it as a win and mark it as a successful guitar practice on your calendar or habit tracker.

I know it sounds crazy but there are a few reasons why this 2-minute rule is super effective. Everyone has 2 minutes of time in their schedule, and by initially reducing guitar practice to 2 minutes, it makes it so easy to consistently practice guitar. 

Obviously, you won’t make heaps of progress by doing only 2 minutes of practice every day but that isn’t the point. The point is to consistently practice guitar every day and prove to yourself that you are a committed guitarist who puts in the effort to practice. By making that identity change from hobby guitarist to committed guitarist who is always improving and learning new skills, you are way more likely to stick with guitar playing long term. 

Once you’ve completed the first week of 2-minute practice sessions, you can now increase it to 5-minute practice or 10-minute practice and increase it further. However, if you find yourself missing a couple of days of practice in a row, decrease the practice session time until you are practising on a daily basis again. 

Attend regular Guitar Lessons (Accountability)

The final thing we can do to improve our excitement to practice guitar is to get an accountability partner. This partner could be in the form of another guitarist friend or a guitar teacher. If your local guitar teacher offers group lessons, you have access to both super-effective forms of accountability! 

A lot of aspiring guitarists try to learn on YouTube and they show some initial progress but that excitement and progress can fade over time without that positive push of accountability and social connection. By attending regular group guitar lessons, you will be challenged and excited to complete songs to show your classmates and pushed to learn guitar skills every week. 

In addition to this accountability, your guitar teacher will help fast-track your progress on the guitar. It is easy to lose your way when you’re learning the guitar. There will inevitably be roadblocks and mental barriers that you will find challenging along your guitar learning journey. By attending regular guitar lessons, your experienced guitar teacher will have seen others struggle with challenges just like yours and will be able to guide you through these problems. A problem that you’ve been struggling with for 4 months can be solved within 10 minutes by an experienced guitar teacher!

Practising the guitar is such a big part of the puzzle when it comes to becoming a great guitarist. These 3 strategies have really helped me in my guitar-learning journey and I hope they help you too!

If you want to learn more about guitar practice check out the free guitar practice articles on the Melbourne Guitar Academy blog

Special Guest Author – Alex Stroud

Alex Stroud is a popular, kids guitar teacher from Brisbane, QLD. He specialises in teaching fun and engaging guitar lessons to kids and teenagers and is passionate about developing children into life-long guitar players. If you’re looking for guitar lessons in Rochedale, you can book a free trial guitar lesson with him here.

Alex is also a member of Guitar Ninjas a guitar curriculum for kids that gamifies the approach to learning and makes guitar lessons fun and engaging for

The post How to Make Practising the Guitar Fun and Easy appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

Learning to play an instrument has many benefits and it is a great way to help your children excel in their development. 

The guitar is one of the easiest instruments for young learners so you should definitely consider Children’s Guitar Lessons for your child.

The question of what age is best to learn to play guitar is a common one, and there are several factors to consider.

If you’ve done any research already, You will have found conflicting advice on the best age for children to start learning guitar. Some teachers recommend age 7, others recommend age 10, while some start their students as young as 3!

So why the big discrepancy? Let’s unpack everything you need to know about Children’s Guitar Lessons and discover the right age for your child to start learning.

A Better Approach To Children’s Guitar Lessons

When I first started teaching guitar at my local music shop they gave me a book and told me to teach out of it.

That book worked really well for some students, but not others.

It was filled with nursery rhymes and 200-year-old Beethoven songs that no one was really interested in learning.

The people it failed the most though, were the kids.

The book failed to capture their interest with any interesting or relevant musical examples. It also had a big focus on sight reading which is completely unnecessary for most people learning to play guitar.

Why Kids Need A Different Approach To Learning Guitar

The mistake most teachers, publishing companies and music schools make is that they try and teach everybody the same way.

It doesn’t matter if you’re 5 years old, 12 years old, 25 years old or 60 years old, you get the same guitar lesson.

If you have more than one kid you already know that a 7-year-old is considerably more developed than a 5-year-old and has very different educational needs. Thus we need to adapt our approach to the person in front of us.

When somebody recommends that they don’t teach anyone under age 10 what they are really saying is “I take a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching guitar and this person isn’t at the right stage of development to fit into the mould I use”

It’s a real shame because many enthusiastic young guitarists miss out on lessons and go for another instrument or another hobby altogether because the teacher didn’t capture their interest or give them what they needed to succeed.

Redefining What Success Looks Like In Children’s Guitar Lessons

If we created an obstacle course for adults there would be a large number of teenagers who could do it, a smaller number of children who could do it, and a large number of children who couldn’t do it at all.

If we made a different obstacle course for each age group and level of development that matched their needs and provided challenges for where they are the completion rate would be almost 100% no matter what age group you looked at.

This is where guitar teachers fail!

So instead of saying kids can’t take children’s guitar lessons until 10 years old, what we should do is redefine what success look like at age 10 and adapt our approach to helping our kids succeed.

If we redefine what success looks like at any age group and create relevant guitar lesson content and learning pathways for them then we can have great success at any age.

You need only search on youtube for “3-year-old guitarist” or “5-year-old guitarist” to see some amazing young children in action.

Children Can Start Guitar Lessons At Any Age

So instead of asking “what is the best age for my child to start learning guitar?” what you should be asking is “what does success look like for my child at their age?”

Here are the age categories and some guidelines for children’s guitar lessons:

• Ages 1-3 Infants
• Ages 3-5 Toddlers
• Ages 5-7 Kids
• Ages 8-12  Children
• Ages 13+ Teenagers

Each of these age groups coincides with different stages of development. Remember that children develop both physically and cognitively at different rates and some will not quite fit into these categories.

With a new perspective on learning, let’s take a look at what success looks like in children’s guitar lessons for different ages.

Guitar Lessons For Young Kids Aged 1-3

Children in this age group lack the fine motor skills and cognitive capacity needed to play guitar.

So we don’t try to teach them to play guitar.

Instead, we enrol them in a pre-music class where the focus is on developing a positive association with music and the ability to clap along to music and even play basic percussion instruments.

This way they begin their musical journey early and start developing the skills which will become important later on when they do start playing an instrument.

Traditionally these have been run as ‘mums and bubs’ sessions and there are bound to classes like this in your area.

Guitar Lessons For Young Kids Aged 3-5

At this age, children are starting to get a basic grasp for speaking and getting more control over their fine motor skills.

Most children at this age cannot read or write, so we want to abandon any idea of having them read music in the traditional sense.

Enrolling your child in a general music program is a great idea at this age. This way the student can sing and clap along to music, try a few percussion instruments to develop a sense of rhythm and spend a little bit of time playing guitar.

We don’t want to have the expectation that our child will be amazing. Instead, we want to build up a love and appreciation of music and nurture their interest. The technical ability will come later.

Find a general music program or a guitar teacher that runs special classes for this age group. Expect that you will need to join in and supervise yourself which doubles as a great bonding activity for you and your child.

It’s also worth mentioning that all learning at this age should take place on a ¼ size guitar. 

Guitar Lessons For Children Aged 5-7

While some children are ready to learn how to play the guitar a little earlier than five, the vast majority of students will be ready by this age.

This is when we can finally enrol our kids in children’s guitar lessons and expect them to start playing music that is recognisable.

It’s important to find a teacher in your area that caters to this age group and adapts their approach to lessons to the needs of their students at this age. Otherwise, your child is going to really struggle and will likely grow bored or frustrated and quit shortly after.

Daily practice (even if it’s as little as 5 minutes per day) is a must at this age because young learners need consistency in order to develop the muscle memory required to play guitar.

Be prepared to sit with them at home every day for at least 5 minutes so you can guide them through a few exercises set by their teacher.

Children’s Guitar Lessons For Kids Aged 8-12

This is the age group where most kids are well and truly ready for children’s guitar lessons.

It’s also the age where they are starting to ask about it on their own accord.

If your child expresses interest in learning how to play guitar at this age group then I highly recommend enrolling them in a program as soon as possible. You want to strike while the iron is hot and capture their interest while it’s strong.

At this age group we still want to redefine success and simplify our approach to learning so that our children can be successful.

Have Fair Expectations On How Long It Takes To Learn Guitar

Most of the music that you hear on the radio or on your favourite CD is the product of 10 years of hard work by the guitarist on record. It’s not fair of us to expect that our child gets to that level in any less than 5-10 years.

Remember, music lessons are a long-term commitment and most of what you hear on the radio is played by professionals putting in 3+ hours into their playing for decades. 

Your child will not get close to their level until they’ve accumulated thousands of hours of practice. Stick to it long term however and eventually, they will accumulate the hours and with it the skills needed to play guitar confidently.

Guitar Lessons For Teens

Something magical happens in our early teenage years…

We start to like music.

A lot!

For the first time, we begin making our own choices about what we listen to. Discovering new music becomes a new behaviour and eventually, music becomes one of the factors in shaping our identity.

All of this makes the teenage years one of the best periods for anybody to start taking guitar lessons.

By this point most people have the fine motor skills needed to play guitar and are cognitively developed to the point where processing all the information is relatively easy.

Results at this age just come down to the student being motivated to practice and put in the work.

Finding The Right Guitar Teacher For Your Teen

Finding a teacher who can connect with your child and teach them the music they like is essential. Nothing puts a damper on lessons like having a completely out-of-touch teacher show you how to do what they like or deem “necessary”.

Instead, lessons should find a balance of having fun while still covering essential skills and concepts.

A great guitar teacher will be able to take the essential concepts and find relevant musical examples for your child.

Guitar Lessons For Adults

Many adults wanting to learn guitar may feel like they’ve missed the boat or will somehow be disadvantaged by learning later in life.

This is completely false!

In fact, there are several benefits to learning guitar as an adult that you never had as a kid including:

• You’re taking guitar lessons because you want to, not because your parents are forcing you.
• You have the money to invest in good guitar lessons and great equipment.
• You’re at a higher level of cognitive development and will be able to learn and understand things easier than if you were a kid.
• You’ve had decades of listening to music passively which helps develop certain skills
• The longer you’ve wanted to learn, the more motivated you will be to stick with it.

So if you’re worried about coming into the hobby of learning guitar later in life, don’t be put off. 

You’re just as capable and will actually progress much faster than most children.

I also highly recommend that parents who have their kids enrolled in children’s guitar lessons take lessons themselves for a few months to get an understanding of the fundamentals needed to play.

You Can Learn Guitar At Any Age

Children have a natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and this can make it easier for them to pick up new skills, including playing the guitar. 

Younger students may also have more time to practice and develop their skills, as they typically have fewer responsibilities than adults.

Ultimately, the best age to learn to play the guitar depends on the individual. 

If you’re a parent considering children’s guitar lessons for your child, it’s important to consider their age, maturity level, and interest in music. 

If you’re an adult looking to learn, consider your goals and available time for practice and realise that it’s never too late to learn.

In conclusion, rather than ask “what is the right age to learn guitar” instead we should ask “what does success look like at my child’s age?”

With the right mindset, the right program and guidance from a great guitar teacher, learning how to play the guitar is possible at any age.

So, if you’re ready to take the first step, grab a guitar and start playing!

About The Author

Meet Michael Gumley, a guitar teacher who has taught over 1000 students and delivered more than 10,000 guitar lessons in close to two decades of professional guitar teaching.

He holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary and has released 5 albums, authored 12 books on guitar playing and teaching, and created the Guitar Ninjas Curriculum, used in 20 studios around the world.

Michael’s passion for teaching guitar has helped him create a fun and engaging learning environment for his students at his Melbourne Guitar Academy studio where he tailors lessons to each student’s individual needs and goals to ensure they reach their full potential.

If you’re looking for the best children’s guitar lessons near me look no further than learning guitar with Michael

The post What Is The Right Age To Learn Guitar? appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

Learning to play the guitar can be a fun and rewarding experience for children, but it requires regular practice. 

As an expert guitar teacher with years of experience teaching children, I know that establishing a regular practice routine at home is crucial for your child’s progress. 

In this article, I’ll share some tips on how to help your child establish a regular guitar practice routine at home.

The Importance of Practicing at Home

One of the most important things to remember is that what happens between lessons shapes your child’s progress. 

Regular practice at home is crucial for developing their skills and building their confidence. When your child practices regularly, they’ll be able to master new techniques, learn new songs and make progress towards their goals.

It’s important to set fair expectations on what can be accomplished in a given time frame. Learning the guitar is a journey, and it takes time to master the skills needed to play well. 

Encourage your child to focus on progress rather than perfection and celebrate each milestone along the way.

Who’s Responsible For Practice At Home

It’s essential to remember that as parents, you are responsible for ensuring that your child practices regularly at home. 

Children can’t be trusted to do much of anything on their own, so why do we assume they know how to practice? 

All the best child students I’ve ever had have had their parents actively involved in their practice. You need to be involved in your child’s guitar practice to help them stay motivated and make progress.

Tip 1 – Schedule Guitar Practice into the Timetable

One way to establish a regular guitar practice routine is to make it part of your child’s timetable. 

Set the expectation that guitar time is a daily activity, just like brushing their teeth or doing homework. 

Stick with it long enough to make it a habit. 

It’s crucial to remember that building a habit takes time, so don’t expect your child to get it right from the start.

Forming A Habit Of Daily Guitar Practice

They say it takes 28 days to form a habit. For this reason, we recommend you encourage 5 minutes of practice time every day for the first 30 days of learning guitar.

This will allow your child to get into the habit of practising their guitar every day.

Once they are in the habit of playing the guitar every day, we can extend their practice to 10 minutes. You can extend their practice time by an extra 5 minutes every 2-4 weeks until they are doing the recommended 30m of daily practice.

How Many Minutes Per Day Should My Child Be Practicing Guitar?

In an ideal world, we would recommend that children between the ages 8 & 12 do 30 minutes of guitar every single day.

If your child is under the age of 7 then we want to aim for a maximum practice time of 15 minutes.

As mentioned previously start with 5 minutes a day and increase the duration of their practice time by 5 minutes every few weeks.

Only children who have professional ambitions or who have decided early on that guitar is their thing should practice for hours and hours every day… But if that’s the case they’ll be picking it up themselves with no encouragement from you.

Tip 2 – Sit With Them During Practice

All the best parents sit with their kids and supervise their guitar practice.

Remember, your kids don’t know much about guitar, aren’t very disciplined, and don’t know how to structure a practice routine. So give them guidelines and coach them through the process.

A good guitar teacher will make it easy for you by providing a practice plan and giving feedback on what they need to work on for that week.

If you can play guitar, join in, and make it a fun family activity. 

If you can’t play guitar, consider taking 5-10 lessons so you know the basics. This way, you can provide better guidance and support to your child during practice.

Tip 3 – Play Games to Make it Fun

Guitar playing can be challenging in the beginning, so it’s not going to win over the iPad or PlayStation. However, you can make it more fun by including games in your practice sessions. 

Ask your teacher for some examples of guitar games that you can play with your child. This way, you can make guitar practice a fun and enjoyable experience for your child.

You can also look into apps that gamify the learning process or incorporate watching videos of their favourite guitar players as a reward for a good practice session.

This will inspire them, and show them the benefits of hard work.

Check out some fun guitar games here

Committing to the Long Term

It’s essential to remember that learning the guitar takes time and is a long-term commitment (for both you and your child).

Having expectations that they are going to sound like the guitar player on recording after three months (or even three years) is completely unrealistic on your behalf.

Having the expectation that they are going to want to practice at home all the time is also unrealistic. Remember how much you fussed over things when you were a kid? How about going to sports training or the gym even as an adult?

Talk to your child about how long it actually takes to learn the guitar to a proficient level and try to get them to understand that they need to push through 2-3 years of not being great at it to get to the point where they are.

During this time they need as much encouragement as possible or at least be stalwart when they wish to quit. 

Don’t Let Them Quit

Explain the importance of long-term commitment and remind them that guitar takes a lot longer to learn than most people anticipate.

Most importantly, don’t let them quit. No matter how much they winge, cry, complain, or frustrate you.

They only fail at guitar when you decide it’s time to give up.

Take Action Towards Establishing Their Guitar Practice Routine.

Establishing a regular guitar practice routine at home is crucial for your child’s progress. 

As parents, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your child practices regularly and stays motivated. 

Remember to schedule guitar practice into your child’s timetable, sit with them during practice, play games to make it fun, and commit to the long term.

About The Author – Kids Guitar Education Expert Michael Gumley

Meet Michael Gumley, a guitar teacher with over a decade of experience in teaching students of all ages and skill levels.

Michael’s love for the guitar began in 2005 when he first picked up the instrument. His passion for teaching led him to start his own guitar-teaching business in 2008.

Since then, he has taught over 1000 students and delivered more than 10,000 guitar lessons.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary and has released 5 albums, toured nationally and internationally twice, and authored 12 books on guitar playing and teaching.

He is also the creator of the Guitar Ninjas Curriculum, which is used in 20 studios around the world.

In addition to his successful career as a guitarist and author, Michael has made a significant impact on the guitar teaching industry.

He founded Melbourne Guitar Academy in 2015 and created the 6 Figure Guitar Teacher Program, a course that helps solo guitar teachers grow their studio to six-figure incomes.

Michael is also a board member for the Victorian Music Teachers Association and has travelled to Chicago to be a trainer at the Ultimate Creativity Week, a 6 day guitar-playing event.

Michael’s passion for teaching guitar has helped him create a fun and engaging learning environment for his students at his Melbourne Guitar Academy studio. He believes in tailoring lessons to each student’s individual needs and giving them what they need to reach their full potential. 

If you’re looking for a qualified and experienced guitar teacher for your child, skip googling guitar teacher near me and reach out to Michael directly for the best guitar lessons in Melbourne.

The post How to Help Your Child Establish a Regular Guitar Practice Routine at Home appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

As parents, we want our children to develop a love for music and pursue their interests, and often turn to guitar lessons as a fun hobby.

Like with all hobbies though, once the newness has worn off so too does the practice at home.. 

Guitar practice can be tedious and monotonous for children, making it difficult to keep them motivated. As a parent, it is important to make guitar practice fun and exciting for your child.

In this article, we will discuss five ways to make your child’s guitar practice at home more fun.

Who Is Responsible For Guitar Practice At Home?

As parents, it’s common to feel uncertain about the extent of our responsibility when it comes to our children’s music practice.

While our children must put in the work and practice regularly, it’s up to us to ensure that they have the support and guidance they need to excel. Therefore, it is our job to help our children practice at home.

To support our children’s music practice, it’s important to establish a consistent routine that’s achievable and appropriate for their skill level. 

A routine can help our children understand the expectations around their practice and create a sense of structure, making it easier to motivate them.

You need to make guitar practice part of their routine and then make their routine a habit. This will set the expectation of when practice occurs instead of them seeing it as impeding on their free time.

Yes you’re a busy parent and you already have so much responsibility, but you know your child can’t be left to do things independently yet (unless it’s a PlayStation right?). So how are they meant to figure something as complex as guitar practice out all by themselves?

Making Guitar Practice Fun

At the end of the day, your child wants to have fun.

They also want to put in the least amount of effort possible.

It’s going to be hard for guitar to be as much fun as an iPad or a video game which are geared to trigger dopamine and become addictive for children. Especially in the beginning when they are still just developing their skills.

In order for guitar to stand any chance we need to make playing the guitar at home fun for our kids. Let’s explore 5 ways we can do this at home.

Make Guitar Practice A Game

Children love games, and incorporating games into guitar practice can make it more enjoyable for them. 

For example, you can create a game where your child must correctly play a chord that you call out and earns a point for everyone they get right.

If you have two siblings who learn guitar you can also make it a competition between them to see who can learn a new song the fastest.

Ask your guitar teacher if they can give you ideas for games you can play at home to make learning more fun.

Play Along With Your Child During Their Practice Sessions

Playing along with your child is an excellent way to make guitar practice more fun. 

You can accompany your child on another instrument or sing along while they play. 

You can also ask them to teach you something they have learned, which will help build their confidence and make them feel more accomplished.

If you don’t know how to play guitar, consider taking a few lessons with your child’s teacher. If you’re a Melbourne Guitar Academy parent you get access to free online guitar lessons as part of your membership. You can use this resource to teach yourself the basics.

Let Your Child Choose The Music

Playing the guitar is only one component of musical development and guitar practice.

Listening to music actively has many benefits and is something that should be done regularly.

Allowing your child to choose the music they want to listen to is an excellent way to expose them to new music and inspire them to learn new songs on guitar. 

When children are given the opportunity to choose their own music, they are more likely to be motivated to practice. You can also encourage them to try different genres and styles of music to broaden their musical knowledge.

As you’re listening to music, ask them questions to get them to think about what they hear. This will lead to them developing a deeper understanding of how music works and an awareness of many different elements of music.

Incorporate Technology Into Guitar Practice

Technology can be a valuable tool when it comes to making guitar practice more fun. 

There are many guitar apps and online resources available that can help your child learn new songs and practice their skills. 

Apps like Yousician offer a gamified approach to learning where students earn points based on how well they play things.

You can also use technology to record your child’s progress and share it with friends and family.

Lastly, your complimentary Guitar Ninjas membership has access to over 50 online guitar courses. You can have your kids watching the video playthroughs of the song they are working on as part of their practice.

This will help them hear what they are trying to play and will make learning the song easier.

Make It A Social Event

Music is always more fun when it’s played with somebody else.

In order to get good at playing music with other people we should practise guitar with other people.

We’ve already mentioned playing along with your child, but there are additional things you can do to facilitate this:

• Organize a playdate with a friend or family member who already plays an instrument.
• Have your child play for their grandparents live over a video call.
• Encourage them to work on a set of 2-3 songs to play at the next family get-together.

Playing with others can help build their confidence and will prepare them for playing in bands and ensembles when they are older.

Conclusion

In conclusion, making guitar practice more fun for your child is essential to help them stay engaged and motivated. 

Remember to prioritize their interests, be creative with your approach, use technology to your advantage, create a comfortable and positive environment, and provide opportunities for them to perform and share their progress. 

By doing so, you can help your child develop a lifelong love of music and the guitar.

About The Author

Meet Michael Gumley, a highly experienced guitar teacher with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary, who has taught over 1000 students and delivered more than 10,000 guitar lessons.

He is the founder of Melbourne Guitar Academy and the creator of the Guitar Ninjas Curriculum, which is used in 20 studios around the world. Michael is also a board member for the Victorian Music Teachers Association and trains other teachers to become better at what they do.

If you’re looking for a guitar teacher for your kids, don’t google guitar lessons near me, instead, reach out to Michael directly and book the best children’s guitar lessons In Melbourne.

The post Struggling To Keep Your Child Motivated During Guitar Practice? Here Are 5 Ways To Make It More Fun! appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

Welcome to the third and final part of our series on what makes young music students successful. 

In part 1 & part 2, we discussed 10 habits and behaviours of successful young musicians, and the importance of investing in quality instruments, maintaining a long-term commitment to your kids’ guitar lessons, and understanding the ups and downs of motivation.

Now, we turn our focus to the role that parents play in the success of their child’s music education. 

While every child is unique, there are certain traits that parents of successful young musicians tend to have in common. 

In this article, we will explore five of these traits, with insights and advice from professional guitar teacher and children’s guitar lesson specialist, Michael Gumley.

Whether you are a seasoned music parent or just starting out on your child’s musical journey, these tips can help you support your child’s growth as a musician and create a positive, enriching learning environment. 

So let’s dive in and discover what sets successful music parents apart!

Good Parents Invest Into Quality Instruments For Their Kids Guitar Lessons

The biggest mistake that parents make when their child starts guitar lessons is buying the cheapest instrument possible.

Yes, sometimes budget can be an issue but most parents go with the cheap option so that it’s not a total loss if the child pulls out of lessons after a few weeks or a few months.

While it might seem like a safe option given the transient nature of kids and how many activities they try before settling, this indicates that the parent isn’t optimistic about the long-term potential of their child and is already thinking about them quitting.

They have basically lost the battle in their own mind and aren’t even going to try and keep their kids in lessons long-term.

A Good Quality Guitar Makes Learning Easier

On the other hand, buying a high-quality instrument shows that the parent is committed to this endeavour and wants to do everything they can to ensure it’s a successful venture long term.

After all, having a high-quality instrument and equipment can make a big difference in a young musician’s progress and success. 

Not only are they easier to play, but they also sound better and are more likely to capture your child’s interest during the crucial early days.

Parents can support their child’s music education by investing in a good-quality instrument that is suitable for their child’s skill level and musical goals. 

This may include purchasing or renting a well-made instrument, as well as investing in equipment such as tuners, metronomes, and music stands. 

So when it comes time to buy a guitar, set your budget and buy the best guitar that you can with the money you have.

They See Their Kids Guitar Lessons As A Long-Term Investment

Learning to play an instrument and becoming a successful musician takes time, practice, and dedication. 

Parents can help their child succeed in music by recognizing that music education is a long-term investment and committing to supporting their child’s musical journey over the long haul. 

This means being patient and understanding that progress may be slow at times, but also recognizing that the benefits of music education can be lifelong. 

Parents should avoid pulling their children out of guitar lessons prematurely, as this can disrupt their progress and hinder their ability to achieve success in music. 

I’ll often have parents say to me “we’re pulling them out of lessons because they aren’t doing the practice at home to justify the cost”

To that I say “do they practice their swimming lessons at home? What about their football practice, dance lessons or coding?”

(we won’t even mention getting them to do their school homework)

Realise That It’s Going To Take Years To Become Good At Guitar

We often leave our kids in some activities for decades with no practice at home because it’s not expected or there is no means of doing it…

But when it comes to music lessons how much they practice (or their resistance to it) is used as the yardstick.

If you want your child to be successful they need to stick with it long enough to become successful!

This is likely going to be four or five years for most beginners to get truly comfortable with the guitar.

Many of my best students barely touched the guitar for the first 3 years when it was hard. Once their skills went over a certain threshold and guitar became easy, then they couldn’t put it down.

If there is one thing all the parents of my best child guitar students have in common, it’s that they committed to the long term and didn’t withdraw their kids from lessons just because their kids went through a phase of low motivation.

Successful Parents Recognise Periods Of Low Motivation And Push Through Them

Learning to play an instrument can be a challenging and often frustrating experience, especially for kids who are still developing their fine motor skills.

Young musicians may experience periods of low motivation or even a lack of interest in music altogether.

It’s important for parents to recognize that these phases are normal and that they will often pass over time.

So don’t pull them out of their guitar lessons too early, take a different approach.

Make Practising Guitar Fun

Instead of pressuring their child to continue practising or performing during these periods, parents can come at it from another angle and encourage their kids to practice indirectly.

This may include asking them to do a performance for family and friends, recording a video to send to grandma, inviting a friend over for a jam or setting them up with some youtube videos on guitar playing and its history.

Over time, young musicians will often regain their motivation and enthusiasm for music, and parents can help by being patient and supportive during these ups and downs in their child’s musical journey.

They Are Proactive In Helping Their Kids Set Up A Practice Routine

The life of a modern parent is very difficult. You’re overworked, underpaid, and what little spare time you have goes to getting your kids off to all their activities.

You don’t have time to teach them guitar, nor do you know how. That’s why you enrolled them in guitar lessons for kids with a real teacher.

I’m going to share with you a little secret.

While it’s important what goes on in the guitar lessons, it’s what happens in the 6 days between lessons at home that really counts.

If you have a 30-minute guitar lesson once a week, that 30 minutes is .5 hours out of a 168-hour week. This equates to .29% of their total week, or .59% should they learn guitar for an hour.

How can you expect your child to be good at something if they spent less than 1% of their time each week on it?

So what’s the solution? Two options.

You get them to stay in lessons long enough so that the small amount of time builds up to something substantial over years of taking lessons.

Or we increase the amount of time they put into guitar at home with regular practice.

Making Practice Part Of Their Schedule Is The Key

What every single one of our best parents did was help their kids establish a regular practice routine at home.

This could be as little as 5 minutes per day, or a 10-minute session every second day.

The key is to make it part of their schedule and keep the times consistent.

Try to get them to practice for 30 days consistently using a practice log in order to create a habit.

Once they have established a habit of practice and it’s part of their routine, you can extend the time.

Yes, there will be days missed and periods of low motivation, but if it’s part of their schedule then they will know it’s guitar time and won’t see it as infringing on their technology time or other leisure activities.

A Quick Gardening Analogy Which I Promise Relates To Guitar Lessons For Kids

If you’ve ever planted a seed you know that you need to really nurture and invest time into them during the first couple of weeks.

You need to water them every day and if you miss a day there is a good chance the seed will stunt its growth or die altogether.

Once your seed sprouts and grows to a certain size it can go a bit longer between watering and eventually will survive just off of rainwater without any input from you.

If we have children under the age of 12 and we’re expecting them to practice by themselves and know exactly what to do, it’s like planting a seed and expecting the seed will be able to water itself.

It’s just not going to happen.

We’ll have to nurture them every day until they can become more independent in what they are doing.

They Recognise Music As A Life-Long Journey That Provides Many Additional Benefits

Every day people come to me saying “I used to play guitar as a kid and I really regret giving it up”

I’m yet to have a single person tell me they regret learning how to play guitar.

Learning to play an instrument is a skill that can bring joy and satisfaction throughout a person’s life. 

Unlike many other hobbies or sports, which tend to become less appealing or too physically demanding as people get older, music has the potential to be a lifelong pursuit that can bring fulfilment and enrichment to a person’s life for years to come. 

(Plus the older you get the better you become)

It’s also worth pointing out that research shows many benefits to learning a musical instrument including:

• Improved Academic Performance
• Increased memory capacity
• Increased cognitive skills
• Increased development of fine motor skills
• Increased confidence
• Increased communication skills in group settings
• A great reliever of stress
• An avenue for creativity
• An avenue for identity & self expression (especially important in teenage years)

So in addition to musical talent, your guitar lessons for kids have so many additional benefits!

Study Proves Link Between Learning Guitar And Higher Academy Achievement

A recent study of 112,000 high school students in the USA found that most of the high-performing students who excelled in Maths, English and Science all took music lessons and played in ensembles.

These benefits alone is reason to keep your students in guitar lessons for the duration of their high school years.

So while we might feel like our investment into the music lessons themselves is unjustified by a lack of practice at younger ages (when kids don’t want to do anything other than play their video games). We instead need to look ahead to their teen years and see all the additional benefits our child will receive from learning.

In Conclusion

While we often want as little to do with our kid’s activities as possible so that we can enjoy the little spare time that we do have, every single parent of a successful child learner has been actively involved in the learning process for their kids.

Your child’s guitar lessons make up less than 1% of their week so in order to see significant results you need them to stick with lessons long enough to accumulate time or set up an environment at home that is conducive to consistent practice. (or both).

We will need to help our children develop the habits and routines needed for long-term success, and will also need to develop some habits, behaviours and ideas ourselves in order to ensure the long-term success of our music lessons.

If you put in a little bit more effort on your end, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes both short-term and long-term.

About The Author

Michael Gumley is a professional guitar teacher and children’s guitar lesson specialist with over 15 years of teaching experience. 

He has taught children of all ages, and many of his students have gone on to become successful musicians in their own right.

Michael is passionate about music education and believes that anyone can learn to play guitar given the right guidance and a long enough period of time to become good at it. 

If you’re looking for guitar lessons near me for your children, or aren’t happy with the progress your child is making with their current teacher, consider taking guitar lessons with Michael and his team at Melbourne Guitar Academy.

The post Raising a Rock Star: 5 Traits All Parents of Successful Guitar Students Have in Common appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

Welcome back to the second part of our series on the habits and behaviours of successful young musicians enrolled in childrens guitar lessons. 

In the first part of this series, we explored the importance of practice, goal setting, parental support, and playing the guitar for fun. 

We also discussed the need for long-term commitment to music education and the value of developing a lifelong love of music.

In this second part of the series, we’ll focus on 5 more traits of successful young musicians.

We’ll discuss the importance of discipline, curiosity, playing with other people, time management and most importantly, self-reflection.

So if you’ve got a child enrolled in a kids guitar lesson program, you won’t want to miss the important insights gained from reading this article as we dive deeper into the traits necessary to excel as a young guitarist.

Develop Perseverance To Help Long-Term Success

Learning how to play guitar or any other instrument is a long-term game.

Over the many months and years it takes to learn motivation will wax and wane.

There will be periods of high motivation and lots of practice, as well as periods of low motivation and no practice.

One thing I’ve noticed is that all the successful guitar players persevered through the low motivation periods. In fact, it’s like they never lose motivation.

Whether they wanted to or not they practised, because they saw it as a means to getting to their long-term goals.

Perseverance is a trait that comes naturally to some, while others need to work on it.

As a parent of a child enrolled in childrens music lessons, you need to help them work on being resilient and persevering, especially when times get tough.

Pulling them from lessons prematurely isn’t the solution. Doubling down and persevering through periods of low motivation is essential.

That way when the pendulum swings the other way and they find their motivation again, they’ll have continued to build up skills and knowledge which they can launch from instead of starting again from zero.

A good friend of mine Eric Bourassa has written a wonderful article on how to properly set expectations for your child’s progress in music lessons which I highly recommend you read.

Curiosity Is The Key To Successful Learning In Kids Guitar Lessons

Successful young musicians often have a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to learn. 

It’s this desire to learn and thirst for knowledge or better skills that drive practice and fuel learning at home.

Where some kids spend all their spare time playing, those who take some extra time to research guitar by reading articles, looking up guitar videos, or finding out more about the hobby in general always end up going further.

Parents can support this by helping their child further explore the hobby. Take them to guitar shops, show them interviews with famous guitar players, let them buy a CD every once in a while or help them start a guitar pedal collection.

All of these things get the child further involved in the hobby which is likely to lead to further curiosity and long-term retention in their childrens guitar lessons and beyond to their teen years.

Great Time Management Is An Essential Skill Needed For Success In Guitar Lessons

Two guitar players can spend 10 minutes playing their guitar at home.

Both could be working on exactly the same piece.

The first guitarist spends 2 minutes learning and 8 minutes practising.

The second guitarist spends 8 minutes learning and 2 minutes practising.

Who makes more progress at the end of the 10-minute session?

Answer: The first guitarist. They actually make 4x the progress of the other person.

Kids who excel at learning don’t necessarily practice more than those who don’t, they practice more efficiently and better manage their time. 

This often has the side effect of freeing up more time to be reinvested back into practice which helps them improve even more.

Once they get some momentum going, learning becomes fun and easy and they are increasingly more motivated to pick up and play.

If you can help your child build up that initial momentum by helping them manage their practice time in the early phase, it will create a habit that fuels successful guitar practice for life.

Jamming With Other People – The Secret Sauce For Accelerated Learning In Your Child’s Guitar Lessons

Why are sports so fun for children? Because they get to hang out with their friends and play games together.

Playing the game is the payoff for all the effort they put in during the training sessions. 

It is also a test for all of the skills they have been working on and offers a competitive environment and gratification for winning.

Guitar students will often spend several years learning one on one with a teacher in private lessons and practising at home in their bedroom without ever playing or jamming with another person.

This severely impacts skills like timing, musical communication and makes them feel like total beginners when they eventually do play with other people and can’t keep up.

Furthermore, they are missing out on how much fun playing and performing with other people can be.

Enrolling your child in group guitar lessons for kids will give them the ability to learn and play with other people and work on these important skills.

It will also teach them the value of organization, communication, and help them overcome the nerves felt when playing with or in front of other people.

You can also organize jam sessions with other friends who play guitar or any other instrument so that they can work on songs together and put on performances for friends and family.

The more your child plays with other people, the more they will apply the skills and knowledge they have learned and the faster they will progress.

Before long, they’ll love coming to their childrens guitar lessons so that they can jam and play with others!

Recording Themselves And Reflecting Upon What They Hear Is The Secret Weapon For Rapid Progress In Guitar Lessons

I am amazed at how many people spend years learning guitar but never actually listen back to themselves to hear how they are progressing.

The student just plays and plays and plays without ever becoming aware of what needs improvement, what bad habits need fixing and where their weaknesses lie.

Fortunately, we can do simple things like recording a video of them practising or performing and playing it back to them.

As they listen you can point out areas for improvement that you notice and with new awareness, they can base their practice on fixing these problems.

It’s also great to be able to show your kids a video of where they were 6 months ago and how much they’ve improved in times when they aren’t feeling motivated. 

That way they can see they have gotten better and that all their effort is making a difference.

By recording your kids during their guitar practice or encouraging them to make video playthroughs of songs and helping them review it they will be able to see what needs work and reflect upon their progress over time.

You can also ask your guitar teacher to make recordings of your childrens guitar lessons so that they can watch back and know exactly what to work on during the week.

Successful In Your Kid’s Guitar Lessons Comes Down To Good Habits

Every kid I’ve taught that did very well in their guitar lessons had 3 or more of these habits.

Yes, some kids are naturally more resilient than others, and having a naturally curious attitude to learning might be an individual personality trait, but all of the traits can become habits over time with the right encouragement at home.

The key to success in your childrens guitar lessons can be directly affected by your involvement in the learning that takes place outside of the lesson.

You’re going to invest thousands of dollars in their musical education, but you also need to invest time into setting them up for success at home.

Doing so will be the most important investment you ever make into their guitar lessons.

Parents Set Their Kids Up For Success

While we’ve reached the end of this article, in part 3 we will be exploring 5 traits shared by parents of successful music students.

Up until now, everything has been about our kids and the traits and habits they need to be successful in their guitar lessons.

If you haven’t guessed it by now, the more involved you can be in your child’s learning outside of their lessons, and the more proactive you can be in creating good habits for them, the more it will ensure long-term success in learning guitar.

See you in Part 3 where we’ll be looking at the traits shared by parents of successful young guitar learners.

About The Author – Kids Guitar Lesson Specialist – Michael Gumley

Michael Gumley is a professional guitar teacher and childrens guitar lessons specialist with over 15 years of experience. He is a published author of 12 books on guitar, three of which are specifically designed for kids, and has developed the curriculum for Guitar Ninjas, an innovative approach to teaching guitar to children.

Michael is known for his fun and friendly teaching style, which combines humour, creativity, and a deep love of music. He has successfully taught hundreds of kids to play guitar, inspiring a love of music that lasts a lifetime.

With his patient and enthusiastic approach, Michael is passionate about helping children develop the skills and confidence they need to become successful young musicians. He believes that music education is not just about learning to play an instrument, but about fostering creativity, discipline, and a sense of accomplishment that carries over into all aspects of life.

When he’s not teaching, Michael can often be found playing guitar with his band, exploring new music, or enjoying the great outdoors. He is dedicated to helping children discover the joy of music and looks forward to sharing his passion for guitar with young learners around the world.

If you’re a Melbourne-based parent looking for guitar lessons near me for your child, look no further than taking lessons with Michael at Melbourne Guitar Academy.

The post Mastering Music: What It Takes To Be A Successful Young Guitarist Enrolled In Childrens Guitar Lessons appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

For parents with kids taking children’s guitar lessons, the road to success can often be filled with both challenges and rewards. 

While some students seem to naturally excel in their guitar lessons, others may struggle to keep up or lose interest in their instrument altogether. 

As a parent, it can be difficult to know how to support your child’s musical journey and help them achieve their full potential as a young musician.

But what separates successful young music students from those who struggle or fail? Is it innate talent, dedicated practice, or something else entirely?

In this article, we’ll explore the 15 key factors that contribute to the success of young music students and offer practical advice and tips for parents looking to help their children succeed in their guitar studies.

Please note: When I started writing this article my intention was to include 15 traits and behaviours of successful students. After writing the first draft it became apparent that it was too long an article and thus we have broken the article up into three parts.

You can find links to parts 2 & 3 at the bottom of this article

5 Traits Shared By Kids Who Successful Learn How To Play Guitar

I’ve taught over 1000 individual people to play the guitar in my 15 years as a professional guitar teacher.

Hundreds of these guitar students were kids and teenagers.

Some didn’t want to be there and quit after a few months. Most enjoyed their lessons and stuck with it for several years, but the ones that went the furthest and achieved high levels of proficiency or became professional musicians & music teachers themselves all shared similar traits.

I’ve also taught a few child prodigies who were better guitar players by the age of 12 or 15 than I was at age 25.

These young virtuosos all exhibited the same traits as the long-term successful players. 

Some refer to it as natural talent, but I just noticed they developed better habits earlier on or had them from day 1.

So let’s take a look at the first five of these traits.

They Practice Their Guitar Regularly

Successful young musicians typically practice consistently and diligently.

This doesn’t mean they practice for hours and hours every day. In fact, most successful young learners only practice for 10-30 minutes at a time.

But they do it every day, and rarely miss a session.

These young learners are set up for success by parents who supervise their practice in the early stages and sit with them until it becomes a habit.

Then once a habit is formed we can increase the duration of their practice sessions over time.

If you want your child to be successful the #1 thing you can do is make practice part of their daily routine.

They Set Clear Guitar Playing Goals

The worst way to practice guitar is to pick up the instrument and try to decide what to work on.

It’s important to realise that most kids have no idea what they are meant to be doing and are reliant on having a good teacher (or their parents at home) to tell them what to do.

A great teacher will help establish some goals and break them down into smaller milestones. Hopefully, they will write out a practice plan and communicate what needs to happen between lessons in order for the student to progress.

As a parent, it’s your job to help your child work towards these goals until they are mature enough to be proactive in planning their own practice. This might not happen until their teen years.

They Actively Listen To Guitar Music

There is a common myth that you need to have an ear for music.

What I’ve noticed from 15 years of teaching guitar is the kids who are “naturally talented” at learning to play guitar spend a lot more time listening to music actively.

By definition, Active listening refers to listening to music consciously (rather than as a background task) and reflecting upon what is being heard.

Playing music for your kids and asking them questions like “what instruments do you hear?”, “How many beats could you count?” and “How did that music make you feel?” are great ways to help your child listen actively and reflect upon what they hear.

They Are Able To Focus Their Attention When Practicing Guitar

Most children rush through their practice as fast as possible so that they can jump on the PlayStation or go outside and kick the football.

For some parents even getting them out of the house and in the car on the way to their children’s guitar lessons is a battle.

The students who become great at their instrument are focused during their practice sessions and are able to pay attention to improving what they are working on.

Rather than just running through the motions while their mind is on Fortnite, they are conscious of what their fingers are doing and try to improve what they are doing with each rep.

If you can help your child focus and learn how to practice effectively they will be able to get more results in 10 minutes of focused practice than what most other kids get from an entire hour

They Love Playing Guitar And Have A Positive Attitude To Learning

Every single child prodigy I’ve ever taught had one thing in common: They loved playing guitar!

They had times when they practised, but they also had times when they just picked up the guitar and had fun with it.

They also took it upon themselves to listen to music, watch youtube videos and read articles about the guitar because they were genuinely interested in learning more about guitar.

This is critical because these students became guitar players through their actions and did what guitar players do.

If you can encourage your children to go beyond the lesson and fall in love with the process of learning and the hobby of guitar playing they will be a student for life!

Helping Your Kids Succeed In Their Guitar Lessons

Every child has the potential to become a truly great guitar player and succeed in learning to play guitar, and if they are enrolled in a children’s guitar lesson program for long enough, they will eventually develop the skills needed to play guitar well.

So why do some kids drop off after a few months without ever learning a full song and other kids grow up to be absolute finger wizards who can play Hendrix songs before the age of 12?

The answer lies in their habits and behaviours!

Every child I taught who became a great guitar all practised daily, set goals and worked towards them, actively listened to music, was able to stay focused during practice time and fell in love with the process of learning guitar so that it wasn’t a chore but part of who they were.

If you want your child to be successful in their endeavour of learning how to play guitar then you need to help them develop the traits that will make them successful.

There is no shortcut, just time spend building habits that are conducive to long-term success.

If you enjoyed reading this article then continue reading in part 2 we’ll present another 5 habits that are shared by successful guitar learning.

In part 3 we’ll present 5 traits shared by parents of successful guitar students that you can adopt into your own behaviour.

About The Author – Expert Children’s Guitar Teacher Michael Gumley

Michael Gumley is an expert guitar teacher from Melbourne, Australia who specialises in teaching children.

Not only does he have over 15 years of experience teaching children to play the guitar he has also written 12 books on guitar including three books specifically for kids and young learners.

He’s also developed a reputation for training young virtuoso guitarists with many of his students achieving a very high technical proficiency on the guitar.

If you’re looking for children’s guitar lessons near me reach out to Michael via his website and book a free trial lesson today.

The post Why Some Young Music Students Succeed While Others Fail: 15 Things Parents Need To Know About Children’s Guitar Lessons appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

The year is 2023 and you want to learn how to play the guitar!

Congratulations! Learning guitar is one of the most awesome and rewarding hobbies you will ever undertake and you’re in for a real treat.

On the flip side, learning how to play the guitar can be very challenging and frustrating if you go about it the wrong way.

That’s why I’ve put together this special list of learning tips for guitar players which I’ve learned from 18 years of playing guitar myself and 15 years as a professional guitar teacher.

Whether you’ve just bought your first guitar and are at the start of your guitar-playing journey, or are someone who has been playing guitar for years (or even decades) but still feels like a beginner, this article will give you some great insight to make learning how to play guitar more fun, more fulfilling, and much easier!

Let’s get into it!

The Secret to Guitar Mastery: 11 Tips for Beginner Guitar Players in 2023

Below is a list of 11 Essential Tips For Beginner Guitar Players in 2023.

Of course, these tips are broadly applicable to guitar players of any level, but if I had a time machine and could go back and give beginner me some advice, this is what I would be telling him:

1. Get lessons from an expert teacher
2. Buy good gear that makes practice fun and learning easy
3. Have an outcome in mind and work towards your goals
4. Have a regular practice routine that is part of your schedule
5. Don’t overconsume content
6. Realise that this is a long-term game
7. Work smarter, not harder – Learn how to practice
8. Make Music With What You Learn
9. Play with other people as frequently as possible
10. Start being creative right away
11. Become a guitarist – do what guitar players do

I’ll be expanding upon each point in more detail throughout this article.

Guitar Tip #1 – Get Lessons From An Expert Teacher

While this might seem like a bit of a cop-out and a means of drumming up business for myself and other guitar teachers, I am adamant that the #1 way to get better at playing guitar is to get guidance from a professional guitar teacher.

A great guitar teacher will be able to ask you about your goals and the type of guitar player you want to be and then create a personalised lesson plan aimed at helping you reach those goals.

They will be able to give you all of the relevant concepts and exercises that you need in order to improve and will be able to tell you what to avoid practising or what to come back to later.

A Great Guitar Teacher Makes Learning Easier

Most importantly, they will be able to give you active feedback on what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong and what changes you need to make to your posture, hand positions and practice habits. You just can’t get that from a Youtube video.

With the global pandemic taking place over the last two years there has been a huge flood of people picking up guitar for the first time. This has resulted in a pandemic of frustrated guitar players who have tried learning guitar from Youtube by themselves but are stuck at various levels and totally overwhelmed by content.

The best way to get unstuck is to find a great teacher, they’ll figure out exactly what you need in order to get the ball rolling and back on track to success.

Check out my guide on how to find a great guitar teacher near you if you need help finding a guitar teacher in your area.

Guitar Tip #2 Buy Good Quality Guitars and Guitar Gear

Having the right gear can make a huge difference in your guitar-playing experience which is why I recommend you invest in a good quality guitar, amp, and accessories.

Good gear will make practising and learning fun & easy because quality instruments are not only easier to play, they also sound way better!

When learning guitar is easy and you’re having fun you will be way less frustrated and far more motivated to continue playing.

One of my favourite sayings is “you get what you pay for” and that certainly rings true for guitars and guitar-related gear.

Buy The Best Guitar You Can Afford

When we’re first starting out we are often sceptical of our long-term commitment to the hobby and go for a cheap instrument. These cheap instruments are physically harder to play and aren’t very inspiring to pick up.

Plus, every dollar you spend on the wrong guitar and equipment in the beginning is a dollar less you have to upgrade to a better instrument later.

My advice is to set a budget, do some research and get the best guitar you can within your price range. The motivation you get from owning a quality instrument might be the difference between practising enough to become good and giving up after a few months because ‘guitar is too hard and I sound bad”

Guitar Tip #3 – Envision The Guitar Player Your Want To Be And Set Goals To Work Towards

One of the most important things you can do as a beginner guitarist is to have an outcome in mind and work towards your goals. 

This can be challenging for a beginner because your knowledge on the topic of guitar playing is quite small and you are limited by what you think is possible.

This doesn’t need to be complicated though, all you need to do is think about the kind of guitarist you want to be and work backwards from there.

For example, if you really like Ed Sheeran and want to be like him, you just need to set goals like “I want to be a great acoustic guitarist and songwriter who can sing and play at the same time and effortlessly play through all of my favourite songs”

That is a much clearer and more defined goal that will make it quite clear what you need to learn and practice.

Having a clear goal in mind will help you stay focused and motivated, and will make it easier for you to plan your practice and stay on track.

And once you achieve one particular set of goals, you can set more for the next part of your guitar-playing journey.

If you’re not sure what kind of guitar player you want to be, try taking the guitar personality quiz to figure out what kind of player you are and what you need to focus on learning.

Guitar Tip #4 – Make Practising Your Guitar Part Of Your Schedule

When you first start playing the guitar you’ll likely be obsessed with it and will want to spend every minute of every day playing it.

You’ll probably have a guitar in hand every chance you get for the first couple of weeks.

But then life will get in the way!

Something will come up, you’ll put practice off and break your streak.

Soon enough multiple things will pile up and fight for your attention and playing guitar may take a backseat. 

“I’ll do it tomorrow” you’ll tell yourself….

But tomorrow never comes!

While you have good intentions to practice your guitar, unless it’s part of your schedule you will probably miss it, forget or put it off for another day.

We humans are creatures of habit and the best way to ensure our practice happens is to schedule it in and make it part of our routine.

Determine how much time you want to spend practising your guitar each day or each week and then plug it into your schedule. 

When you practice consistently you will improve consistently, and the best motivator is consistent progress. Before you know it you’ll be back in a cycle of positivity and keen to do more practice once again.

Guitar Tip #5 – Don’t Overconsume Guitar Content

This is probably the second most important point after finding a quality guitar teacher.

Consider yourself lucky because there has never been a better time to learn how to play guitar than right now in 2023.

There is an abundance of great content on the internet and everything you could ever want to know about playing guitar is online, most likely for free.

Unfortunately for you, there is also 10x the amount of bad content out there too, and as a beginner, you can’t tell the good from the bad.

Not to mention, even good advice learned at the wrong time can be problematic and cause you to attempt to learn or play something well beyond you resulting in you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

It’s very easy to learn a whole bunch about a number of topics but never actually get good at playing it.

Case in point: how often do you watch four or five guitar lesson videos on Youtube one after the other. Sure you might understand the concept and pause the video to try out a few ideas, but likely you’ll go onto the next video, skim through that, play a few more examples and totally forget everything you learned from the previous one…

You might do this with several videos on the same day and nothing from the first couple make it into your practice routine for the week or your long-term memory.

Focus Is The Key To Becoming A Great Guitar Player

If you want to be good at guitar you need to focus on becoming really good at a small number of things and this means avoiding trying to learn absolutely everything there is to a low level.

As you master a concept, then go out and learn a new one.

It’s tough, but if you can do this you’ll be a much better player both short-term and long-term.

If you want structured learning check out my free beginner guitar course that has everything you need to learn in one place.

Guitar Tip #6 Realise That Learning How To Play Guitar Is A Long-Term Game

One of the biggest frustrations for me as a guitar teacher is having people give up at the three-month point because guitar is too hard or the student doesn’t sound like their favourite player does on record.

The truth is that learning how to play guitar is going to take years.

Sure you can accelerate the process by practising more efficiently and getting guitar lessons from a great teacher but it is still going to take a long time to get really comfortable and develop proficiency.

The quicker you come to the realisation that guitar is going to take a long time and commit to the long-term outcome, the sooner you will become less frustrated with the learning process.

Remember, what you hear on the recording is often the product of 10+ years of hard work for the guitarist playing on the track. They are a professional and likely practised for multiple hours a day to get to that point. It’s unfair of you as a hobby player to compare where you are 3 months into where they are 10 years in and get frustrated.

As Long As You Never Quit You’ll Eventually Become A Great Guitar Player

Here is a tip: If you want to be successful at guitar, all you need to do is not quit.

If you accumulate enough practice over a long enough time frame you will eventually become good…

Imagine if everybody decided they would spend 5 years taking guitar lessons before they made a decision about quitting, then everyone would be good at guitar.

So don’t quit! Commit to the long term and keep working towards your goals.

Guitar Tip #7 Learn How To Practice – Work Smarter, Not Harder

Everyone is told what to practice but never how to practice.

This leads to people putting in a lot of effort but not really getting anywhere.

It also leads to a lot of wasted time spent ‘learning’ rather than actually improving and people wondering why they aren’t better guitar players for all the time they put into ‘practising’

I know because I was guilty of it myself for many years.

I used to think that learning new things all the time was practising, but practising by definition is the repetition of an action with the intention of improving it.

Once I stopped trying to expand my knowledge by learning new things and settled for improving what I already knew, my progress went through the roof.

Perfect Guitar Practise Makes Perfect

I also became aware of how inefficiently I was learning new information and how much time I wasted relearning things over and over again.

I now teach my students efficient learning techniques so they can learn something once and remember it forever. That way the rest of their practice time can be spent on improving what they know.

This means they can learn less and make dramatically more progress, and now that you know this hopefully you can too.

Check out my guide on how to practice guitar using the three phases of guitar practice

Guitar Tip #8 Make Music With What You Learn

One of my biggest regrets from my early guitar-playing days is not making music with what I learned.

I fell for the myth that I needed to be good enough at certain things before I attempted them, so I was always learning other people’s songs or doing other people’s exercises to improve different techniques.

Now I’m a firm believer that the best way to get good at something and to show that you know it is to create something with it.

So if you learn a new scale, rather than play up and down to a metronome try making a few melodies out of it or improvise over a backing track.

If you learn a new chord progression, try writing your own song using that chord progression.

If you learn a new theory concept, apply it to your guitar and see what you can come up with.

You will become a much better guitarist and musician by applying what you know rather than just perpetually learning things.

Guitar Tip #9 Play With Other Musicians As Frequently As Possible

Another thing that many aspiring guitar players get hung up on is waiting to be ‘good enough’ before they jam with somebody.

One of the keys to my early success is the fact that a few people in my friendship circle played guitar (and a few other instruments) and we had the opportunity to jam with each other.

This meant we were motivated to practice more so that we could have the songs we were learning to a good enough standard to jam together.

Plus nobody wanted to be the worst guitarist or the person who let the group down.

As a result, we all improved dramatically in a short period of time and most importantly, we were working on skills that you can’t get sitting in your bedroom by yourself.

If you know any other musicians then I recommend you jam with them as soon as possible.

Make a short list of songs, learn 1-3 of them and organise a date to jam together.

It can be another guitarist, a drummer, a singer, or any other instrument. It doesn’t matter, as long as you get started.

Guitar Tip #10 Start Being Creative Right Away

You might have noticed a theme for the last three points where we hold onto a belief that we need to be at a certain level before we attempt something.

All this does is result in that skill staying at level 0 while our other skills improve, and then when it comes time to improve that skill we feel like a noob again.

I experienced this first-hand when I didn’t work on any creativity or improvising for the first 2.5 years of my guitar lessons at high school and then went to study music at university and was expected to be playing creatively at a tertiary standard…

It was a very rude awakening.

One of the most fun and rewarding elements of learning to play guitar (or any other instrument) is being creative.

For whatever reason, we often put this on the shelf to come back to once we are good enough, but the truth is you can start creativity from Day 1.

The sooner you start creating things, the sooner you start applying your knowledge and measuring your skills.

And the more fun you will have, so incorporate being creative into your routine.

Guitar Tip #11 – Become A Guitarist

I’m often asked what is the difference between those who are successful at guitar and those who aren’t.

My answer is that the people who are successful at guitar adopt the identity of a guitar player and subsequently undertake the actions and behaviours that guitar players do.

Guitarists do guitar things like:

• Practice their guitar (usually every day)
• Play their guitars just for fun (yes this is different to practising your guitar)
• Listen to guitar-based music
• Go and see live shows to be inspired by other great players
• Read guitar magazines or articles online
• Watch youtube videos about guitar
• Buy guitars and collect gear
• Hang out with other guitar players
• Jam with other guitar players or join bands
• Argue with other guitarists about who the best guitar player is
• Spend hours and hours checking out their next guitar purchase in online guitar stores

Most importantly, Guitar players NEVER QUIT!

If they quit they wouldn’t be a guitarist any more, and the moment that you quit you are no longer a guitarist.

Now you don’t have to become obsessed with guitar or make it the only personality trait that you have, but you do need to adopt the behaviours that are conducive to being successful at guitar.

After all, if you want to be a bodybuilder you need to work out consistently, eat the right foods and get the right amount of sleep. If you don’t exhibit those behaviours you’ll never get to your goal.

So take on the identity and behaviours of a guitar player and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of guitar.

Bonus Tip – Learn On The Right Guitar

After getting to the end of this article it was glaringly obvious that I missed one very important tip…

That is to learn on the right guitar.

I’m asked on a daily basis what is the best guitar to learn on, and my answer is whichever guitar you can play the music you like on.

There is a common myth that you need to start on acoustic guitar and work your way up to electric. This is totally false.

In fact, electric guitar is easier to learn on and is far more versatile making it a great (but more expensive) choice for beginners.

Ultimately, choose the instrument that best reflects your musical taste and the styles you will be playing in and get the best instrument you can for your budget.

Or, just buy both!

In conclusion

In closing, these 11-pointers are guaranteed to help you play the guitar like a boss in 2023. 

Whether it’s seeking out expert guidance, setting achievable objectives, adhering to a consistent practice regimen, practising smarter, creating music, jamming with others, tapping into your creativity, or embodying the lifestyle of a guitarist, these tips will steer you in the right direction towards becoming a better guitarist.

By following these tips and dedicating yourself to the craft, you’ll soon be well on your way to mastering the guitar and playing like a seasoned pro. And if you happen to be in the vicinity and looking for guitar lessons near me, I’d be honoured to extend my support.

So go ahead, grab your guitar and start playing like a boss right now!

About The Author

Meet Michael Gumley, the expert guitar teacher who has been helping aspiring guitarists for over 15 years. With 12 published books on playing the guitar and over 1000 successful students, Michael has solidified his reputation as one of the leading guitar teachers in the industry.

But don’t let his impressive resume fool you, Michael is more than just a guitar teacher, he’s a true lover of music and all things guitar. With a passion for sharing his knowledge and helping others achieve their musical dreams, Michael approaches each lesson with a fun and lighthearted attitude.

His students often describe him as ‘the best explainer of things they have ever met” armed with an arsenal of tips, tricks, and analogies to help them understand any topic. When he’s not teaching, you can find him strumming away on his acoustic, shredding on his electric, or jamming with friends.
So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, if you’re looking to take your guitar skills to the next level, look no further than guitar lessons with Michael Gumley and his team of wonderful guitar teachers at Melbourne Guitar Academy.

The post Start Playing the Guitar Like a Boss: My Top 11 Tips For Guitarists In 2023 appeared first on Melbourne Guitar Academy.

When it comes to learning how to play guitar most people are able to go an entire lifetime without any sort of guitar-related injury.

For the small percentage who do develop an injury like Carpal Tunnel, Tendonitis, Tennis Elbow or RSI, it can be completely debilitating to the point where we may even stop playing guitar altogether.

I am of the firm belief that almost all guitar-related injuries are caused by three factors, all of which can be controlled by you so that you can avoid injury and play guitar pain-free!

Having suffered on and off from chronic pain in my hands, arms, shoulders, neck and even lower back and even had surgery to fix ongoing issues, I am making it my personal mission to help guitar players either avoid developing a guitar injury entirely or quickly recover from an existing condition by educating you on great practice habits.

In this article, I will share the best guitar stretches and hand exercises that I have discovered that will lead to great posture, less tension and healthier hands so that you can play guitar pain-free once and for all!

Disclaimer – I am not a doctor and am not qualified to give medical advice. I am however a professional guitar teacher with over 15 years of experience. I have cured my own RSI and guitar-related problems and used the hand exercises and stretching routine provided later in this article to great effect with dozens of struggling guitar players who have sought me out.

I am providing advice that is general in nature. If you are suffering from any guitar-related hand or arm pain that lasts beyond three days I recommend you seek advice from a medical professional before trying any of the ideas I present here.

Last thing before we get into it. This is part 2 of a two-part series on RSI and Guitar Related Injuries. If you haven’t read my first article on how to cure RSI and Carpal Tunnel for guitar players I recommend you read it in conjunction with this one.

Common Guitar-Related Injuries

Some of the most common guitar-related injuries are:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
• Tendonitis
• Tenosynovitis
• Trigger Finger
• Tennis Elbow
• Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

It is also common to have neck pain, shoulder pain and lower back pain as a chain of effect with your guitar-related injuries.

Many of these injuries have colloquial names and are manifestations of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) effective different muscles and tendons.

Let’s take a look at each injury in more detail:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that occurs when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed.

This nerve controls movement and sensation in the hand and wrist, and symptoms can include tingling, numbness, weakness, and pain in the hand and wrist. It is very common to wake up at night with deep throbbing and intense pins and needles.

The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome can be attributed to repetitive hand and wrist motions, such as typing or playing the guitar and is exacerbated by bad posture and excess tension.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that occurs when the ulnar nerve in the elbow is compressed.

This nerve controls movement and sensation in the hand and forearm, and symptoms can include tingling, numbness, weakness, and pain in the hand and elbow. It is essentially the same as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome except that it affects the elbow and forearm rather than the hand and wrist.

The cause of cubital tunnel syndrome can be attributed to repetitive elbow movements, such as playing a musical instrument or playing sports. For guitar players having the edge of the guitar dig into their elbow can contribute to the compression of the nerve.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is a condition that occurs when a tendon becomes inflamed due to repetitive or overuse.

Symptoms can include pain, tenderness, swelling, and difficulty moving the affected joint.

The cause of tendonitis can be attributed to repetitive movements and is one of the most common injuries suffered by guitar players. Tendonitis is more common when several activities that require frequent use the hands and fingers overlap resulting in overuse.

Tenosynovitis

Tenosynovitis is a condition that occurs when the sheath that surrounds a tendon becomes inflamed due to repetitive or overuse.

Symptoms can include pain, tenderness, swelling, and difficulty moving the affected joint.

The cause of tenosynovitis can be attributed to repetitive movements, such as those you perform when playing and practising your guitar.

I like to think of Tenosynovitis as being caused by excess tension where your tendons are inflamed and grinding against each other, like driving with one foot on the brake and another on the accelerator at the same time.

Trigger Finger

Trigger Finger is a condition that occurs when a tendon in the finger becomes inflamed, causing the finger to catch or lock when bending or straightening.

Symptoms can include pain, stiffness, and a popping or clicking sensation when moving the affected finger as well as the locking of the finger in a bent position looking like you’ve just pulled the trigger of a gun (hence the name)

Trigger finger is an injury unique to guitar players and can take several days to several weeks to calm down.

Tennis Elbow (or Golfer’s Elbow)

Tennis Elbow is a condition that occurs when the tendons in the forearm become inflamed, causing pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow and the top of the forearm.

Symptoms can also include weakness and difficulty gripping objects.

The cause of tennis elbow can be attributed to repetitive arm and wrist movements, such as playing tennis, playing a musical instrument, typing on a computer or using tools. Tennis elbow is one of the most common guitar-related injuries and is a variation of tendonitis.

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is a term used to describe a range of conditions caused by repetitive or overuse of the hand, wrist, or arm.

Symptoms can include pain, tenderness, weakness, and difficulty with fine motor skills, such as typing or playing guitar.

The cause of RSI can be attributed to repetitive hand, wrist, and arm movements, such as those you repeat over and over when playing guitar.

Most of the aforementioned guitar-related injuries are variations of RSI isolated to specific areas of the arms and hands.

Understanding RSI & Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Guitar players are prime candidates for RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome, which occur when the nerves and tendons in the hands and wrists are overused.

RSI can cause pain, weakness, and numbness in the hand and wrist, while carpal tunnel syndrome results in tingling, weakness, and numbness in the fingers.

Unfortunately, nothing that you do in life doesn’t involve the use of your hands, which makes it difficult to recover from any hand-related injuries because you can’t actually rest properly.

Instead, you must look at managing your injury over time so that you stop damaging yourself and doing things that contribute to the problem, while gradually changing your environment and your approach to practice so that you heal over time.

What Causes Guitar-Related Injuries

When it comes to guitar-related injuries I’m of the opinion that there are three main causes:

• Practising with bad posture for extended periods of time
• Practising with too much excess tension for extended periods of time
• Bad practice habits

In order to play the guitar humans have to adopt an unnatural position for extended periods of time. If you have one or more of the above-contributing factors and practice over a long enough period of time then it can lead to problems developing.

In addition, if you have two or more factors then it’s possible that you’ll have each compound and end up in pain much sooner.

Let’s dive a little deeper into each factor to take a look at each one.

Bad Posture Can Lead To Carpal Tunnel And Other Guitar Related Injuries

The ideal posture one should adopt when practising guitar is to take on the classical position and keep your shouldars in a T shape at all times.

Instead of craning your neck and hunching over you can use a footstool to keep your guitar the right height and angle. You also use your eyes to look instead of tilting the guitar too far back or holding your neck at an extreme angle.

Most of us can get away with having bad posture for short practice sessions, but if we are doing longer sessions and playing for extended periods not only will we likly develop Carpal Tunnel or RSI, we can get headaches and other strains and muscle aches.

Making minor adjustments to your posture and practice environment can make a big difference. This includes simply being aware of your posture and changing the way that you sit.

It can also include purchasing a nicer chair, a footstool and avoiding sitting on the end of your bed or other chairs that don’t suit quality practice.

Lastly, you can also practice standing up provided your guitar is adjusted to a good height as a means of avoiding sitting. This is especially popular with the rise of standing desks and new research into the dangers of sitting for extended periods of time.

Excess Tension Is the Leading Cause Of Carpal Tunnel And Other Guitar Related Pain

When you first start learning how to play guitar you have to squeeze extra hard in order for the notes to fret correctly.

If you’ve ever seen a little kid learn how to play the guitar this is very obvious as the extra squeezing that they do with the fretting hands causes them to tense up and hit the string harder than necessary with their picking hand.

The extra tension goes through their entire body and causes them to squeeze and pick harder than needed.

Most beginners grow out of this phase once their fingertips harden up, but many people retain the additional tension and it becomes a permanent part of their state whenever practising guitar or playing their instrument.

In addition, some individuals are naturally tense or carry more tension in their bodies. Often they bring the stress and tension of a hard day at work to the practice room and are gripping their guitar white-knuckle tight as they play.

Without realising it, the extra tension they bring to practising is doing damage to their hands. Hobby players who don’t practice all that much may not experience a detrimental effect but it is made worst and more obvious when playing for extended periods like those who are more serious about their guitar playing and spend extended periods of time practising.

Think of excess tension as driving with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the break. If you do it for too long the car just grinds against itself until it tears apart.

Learning how to first become aware of how much tension you are holding when you play and then taking steps to systematically reduce how much tension you use when playing will lead to much healthier hands and less pain when playing.

Bad Practice Habits Contribute To Carpal Tunnel And Ongoing Hand Pain

This is a broad category but some other contributing factors to chronic guitar pain and RSI include:

• practising for too long without a break
• practising for extended periods of time (3+ hours per day)
• practising specific techniques like bending and vibrato which are very physically demanding for extended periods of time.
• not having a good practice environment set up.
• not having practice equipment that helps with posture and tension
• Only practising technical work
• Pushing through pain and other warning signs

Many of these practice habits are made worse when you have bad posture or too much tension.

The good news is simply becoming aware of better guitar practice habits and taking some steps to create some better routines will lead to very quick reduction in the amount of pain you feel.

Guitar Stretches To Help Ease The Pain

In my previous article about the topic I mentioned that stretching was a great way to reduce the amount of tension that you’re holding in your arms, hands and shoulders.

I even gave you a simple stretch that you can do.

In the video below I outline eight essential stretches and guitar-playing exercises to get you into a relaxed state for playing your guitar.

Let’s go through each of the stretches below:

Guitar Stretch 1- Glory To The Guitar Gods

For every hour you spent leaning forward hunching over a guitar, you should spend 5 minutes stretching out the opposite way.

For this stretch, you are going to stand up straight with your shoulders back. Raise your hands above your head and lean back.

You will feel a stretch in your back and shoulders which will ease the tension all the way down to your fingers. Hold for up to 30 seconds and then lean forward to release the tension.

Guitar Stretch 2 – Forearm Extensions

If you spend a lot of time in an office job or other role where you use your hands for most of the day then this will be a great stretch for you.

Start with your arms bent at a 90-degree angle and then slowly extend your forearm while using your opposite hand to bend your wrist back.

Hold the stretch for 5 seconds and then relax your arm. Do this up to three times before swapping hands.

When it comes to stretching the muscles and tendons in our hands and arms the key is to do short, sharp exercises. You don’t want to hold these stretches for minutes at a time and overstretch them.

Guitar Stretch 3 – Elbow Rolls

This stretch works the top of your forearm and will be great if you suffer from tendonitis or Tennis Elbow.

To perform it you start by raising your hand in front of you. Then hold your wrist with your opposite hand bending your hand down to stretch the forearm. Complete the stretch by rolling your elbow towards the roof as if it were attached to a string being pulled up.

Hold the stretch for 5 seconds and do three repeats before swapping hands.

Guitar Stretch 4 – Shoulder Swirls

This is my favourite exercise and one of the most helpful I had in my own recovery and injury management.

To perform this exercise raise one hand above your head so that it is past your ear. Then rotate it 5 times in a clockwise direction, and 5 times in a counter-clockwise direction.

You’ll probably hear lots of popping and clicking as your shoulder grinds itself out but will feel so much better after it.

Swap sides when you are ready.

Guitar Stretch 5 – Shoulder Rolls

This is a really basic exercise that will free up the tension in your shoulders which you probably learned in primary school.

Referred Pain is a term used for pain that you might feel in one part of your body but is actually caused by a problem somewhere else.

A great example of this is when you may have a leg injury that causes you to walk differently, which in turn leads to you developing lower back pain.

No matter how much you try and treat your lower back until you solve the issue with your leg you won’t solve the underlying problem.

Guitar Stretch 6 – Wrist Rolls

This is a great finger exercise that will free up your wrists of excess tension and keep them supple.

To perform this finger exercise just lock your hands together and rotate them in a figure-8 pattern.

It is more of an exercise than a stretch but will hopefully leave your fingers feeling freer and full of energy.

Guitar Stretch 7 – Back Swivels

This is one of the best exercises for those of you who have lower back pain.

When I used to have V-shaped guitars I would have to sit at a funny angle to make it easier to hold them. This resulted in me having lots of lower back pain.

While the stretch helped in the end it was just better to get rid of the V guitars and buy something that was more ergonomic. My back pain went away overnight.

Guitar Stretch 8 – Shoulder Extension Into Cobra Pose

Our final guitar stretching exercise combines two yoga poses together into one of the best shoulder and lower back stretches you can do.

Both of these stretches will be performed on the floor so make sure you have a suitable space to work with.

Part 1 involves stretching your arms ahead of you and then kneeling back onto your feet so that your shoulders get stretched out.

Part 2 involved leaning forward onto your stomach and then pushing yourself up into a cobra-like pose which releases your lower back. You can even tilt your head back for an added neck stretch.

Creating A Guitar Stretch Routine

now that you know which stretches and guitar finger exercises you need to relax your shoulders and ease excess tension you can create your own routine.

My recommendation is to go through each of the exercises for up to three times each ahead of your practice session each day.

Doing so will ensure you are loose and free of tension ahead of time which will also make it more likely for you to notice any tension that does build up in your body once you start practising.

Pay attention to how your body feels as you do each exercise. Those that feel very tense are indicating that you are either inflexible or carry a lot of tension and should be repeated to build up flexibility and ease tension over time,

Those exercises that don’t really do anything for you can be ignored as some stretches work better for specific injuries.

Regardless, doing all of the exercises will lead to you feeling much better and may even eliminate some of the referred pain caused by weaknesses in other areas of your body.

Avoid Overstretching Before You Practice Guitar

Most of the exercises and stretches we learned targeted small muscles and tendons, not the larger ones you would be using in sports.

For this reason, it is important that you only stretch for short periods of time. Don’t hold stretches for more than 30 seconds and don’t do 20 repetitions of your arm extensions.

Do each exercise three times and change sides if necessary. You can definitely overdo it when it comes to stretching and that can lead to other injuries down the track.

How Many Times Can I Do These Exercises Every Day?

If you are a hobby player you can spend 5 minutes stretching ahead of your guitar practice routine.

If you are a more serious player then you can do these routines up to 3 times per day.

Personally, I like to do the stretches first thing in the morning ahead of my first practice session to make sure I feel great and full of energy for the day.

Then I do a second stretching session ahead of my guitar teaching shifts and often a final session at the end of the day to help me unwind.

I also throw in a number of leg and lower back stretches too but these are more for sport and flexibility than any sort of rehabilitation for guitar injuries.

What To Do If You Have A Guitar-Related Injury?

The first thing you should do is stop playing guitar.

If you’ve hurt yourself or feel any short, sharp stabbing pains in your hands or forearm – STOP!

They are warning signs that something is wrong so listen to your body.

Take a break for a few hours, if you still want to practice it, come back to it later.

If you come back to playing and the pain returns, stop once again and take a full day off.

If you take a full day off and you still feel pain, stop immediately and then go and see a doctor.

Unlike sports injuries where you notice a pop or crunch and immediately feel pain, guitar injuries and overuse injuries are usually be triggered by going over a threshold of activity which brings on pain.

It’s common to do a big practice session on one day, feel tiredness and fatigue in your hands and then wake up the next day in pain or unable to move your fingers. Don’t try to play or push through pain, go and see a doctor.

Recovering From Carpal Tunnel and Other Guitar Related Injuries

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix when it comes to carpal tunnel syndrome and other similar guitar-related injuries.

This is usually because Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the result of long-term bad habits leading to damage to your tendons or compression of your nerves.

What takes a long time to cause, can take a long to time to heal. This is made even more difficult by the fact that nothing you do in life doesn’t require the use of your hands making ‘resting’ virtually impossible.

Instead, you have to manage your symptoms over time. This might mean taking a short break of 3 days to up to a month to let your existing symptoms settle down.

Once your carpal tunnel or tendonitis has calmed down you should then implement steps to reduce or eliminate the causes so that you can avoid future flare-ups.

This can include:

• Implementing a stretching routine into your daily practices to avoid excess tension
• adopting the classical position and being aware of your posture
• Getting lessons from a professional guitar teacher who can help you reduce the amount of tension you are using when playing the guitar and develop good techniques.
• Having a healthy practice routine that incorporates regular breaks
• Setting up a healthy practice environment with a quality chair, music stand and footstool.

Having said all of this, I know guitar players who have had terrible pain when playing and upon having a session with me and changing something as simple as getting a good chair instead of sitting on the end of the bed leading to a full recovery in less than a week.

It might seem simple, but if you solve the cause then you solve the problem.

It’s also worth mentioning that more experienced guitar teachers will have had their own guitar injuries from time to time and usually take steps to avoid them in their own playing and practice. If your regular teacher is quite young it may pay to have several sessions with a more experienced teacher who can set you up with the right posture and position and help you identify and avoid excess tension.

The Golden Rule Of Guitar Related Injuries

The golden rule is that playing guitar should never hurt.

If you’re experiencing pain when you play guitar it is an indication that something is wrong.

This doesn’t include slight finger pain when you’re a total beginner or you haven’t played in a while which is perfectly normal. This is sharp pains, pins and needles, numbness, tingling or really deep throbbing pain similar to sports injuries but in your hands and arms.

If you’re playing guitar and are constantly in pain, it’s time to get help so that you can start playing guitar pain-free.

How I Cured My Ongoing RSI Issues And Finally Started Playing Guitar Pain-Free

Even after I had surgery on my left elbow to decompress the ulnar nerve which was causing cubital tunnel syndrome I still had ongoing issues with RSI and excess tension.

After my grandfather had hip surgery and was back to walking in three days, I couldn’t believe how I was having 2 years of constant hand pain.

So in frustration, I googled “How To Cure RSI”

The result was this (now archived) website called Rachel’s RSI Homage To Dr John Sarno.

I read a few of the testimonials on the page and it sounded like many people had a lot of the same problems that I did, which led me to hope that I would be able to overcome RSI once and for all.

I would read every word on the page which is archived and now available here

More importantly, it led me to discover the works of Dr John Sarno who explored the manifestation of psychosomatic pain in the form of RSI and other repetitive injuries.

After reading his books Healing Back Pain‘ and ‘The Mind Body Prescription‘ I was able to cure myself of all RSI within a couple of weeks.

These books were able to help me when all other options had failed and I believe I had a unique case where I had conditioned myself to feel pain whenever playing guitar. It’s a bit of a woo-woo topic which I am happy to tell you about but perhaps a topic for article #3 on chronic guitar pain.

If (like me) you have seen countless doctors and medical practitioners all whom say nothing is wrong with you and can’t figure out why you’re in pain, reading the books above will hopefully hold the answer and the cure to your pain.

Conclusion

If you think you have any sort of guitar-related injury and you are getting the painful early warning signs then the best thing you can do is stop, rest, and see a doctor if your pain persists.

If you’ve been battling with ongoing pain when playing the guitar, using these exercises outlined here under the guidance of a medical professional will hopefully bring you some much-needed relief.

If you’ve been struggling with constant pain or on-and-off flare-ups of pain over a period of months or even years, I implore you to look into better practice habits, becoming aware of tension and how much you’re using, along with the posture you adopt when playing the guitar.

Fixing just one of these factors will have a big impact on how you feel. Fixing multiple might be life-changing!

If you ever need help I would be more than happy to should you reach out to me,

About The Author

Michael Gumley is a guitar teacher in Melbourne, Australia who has a passion for music and a wealth of knowledge about playing the guitar.

In addition to being an expert in his field, Michael also has a personal connection to the topic of repetitive strain injuries (RSI), carpal tunnel syndrome, and cubital tunnel syndrome. After battling with these conditions himself and being unable to play the guitar for nearly three years, Michael gained valuable insights into managing the injury and overcoming guitar-related pain. This experience has equipped him with the expertise to help others overcome similar obstacles and continue pursuing their love of music.

If you’re having issues with your own guitar-related injuries then Michael would love nothing more than to help you overcome your injury and start playing guitar pain-free (especially if doctors have told you to give up guitar and find a new hobby).

Get in touch and book a guitar injury management session today.

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