12 Tips I Wish I Knew as a Beginner Guitarist
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- Опубліковано 18 кві 2020
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Best tip I've heard: "Don't just play a piece until you get it. Play it until you can't get it wrong." Nice video! :)
Scott Debruyn many of the tips is so fresh. I love it.
On top off that a trick u can do is when u get more knowledge swap the chords and position out off the song helps to and then u later on starts creating ur own variations :). don't be afraid to experiment.i'm a begineer myself but i find that really fun . The song kinda becomes a little bit more personal to. ^^ But yeah most important is to have fun.
I think this might depend on your personality.
Learning to allow myself to do some mistakes while playing helped me a lot to not frustrate over a piece. Being too perfectionist can be a problem also.
I was given that tip back in high school. The context was choir, but I took it with me to everything I do. "An amateur practices until he gets it right. A professional practices until he cannot get it wrong."
@@LakriTs9 My middle 8`s,invariably consisted of the chords for the verse,in reverse order. Later on i realised,a lot of Bands do that.It made me feel slightly less Amateur. Ha ha
Bought a guitar 3 hours ago, tuned it & now I’m a guitarist
@@BrightBlueJim play it on any string
You won't be for long ,you will have broke it and smashed it up, trying to learn in the dark.😂🤣😂🤣
No... you are not a guitarist.... you are the BEST GUITARIST!
You have to earn it
YES U IZZZZZZ🤙🎼
"get the healthy 8 hours of sleep"
*me watching this at 4 am* : O.O
oopsies
🤷🏻♂️ At 4 am you can still get 8 hours of sleep.....
You can still get it. Just not at the right time.
Exactly 4:14 am here hahaha
Matheus César Casante 4:10 for me rn
I've been drumming for 20 years. I AM THE METRONOME.
Ok. Give me a beat at 85bpm, now!
@@whitewalker608yes boss: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Not. Yet.
Ima pianist and guitarist... drums are next
Then I'll evolve to be
THE METRONOME AND THE BAND
Yeah, but just because you are the time keeper, doesn't mean it's accurate. Lots of drummers feel the need to practice with something that keeps them honest; click, metronome, or backing tracks.
I recall Jaco saying that most of the drummers he ever played with had poor time, and he had to take over the role of time keeping.
Dad: "What are you doing sitting a dark room?"
You: "Playing with myself"
AHAHAHAH NOOO HFGDFDGSLDHFG
Dad: "You... Wait- what?!"
You: "I'm playing guitar. By myself. In a dark room. What did you THINK I was doing?"
Dad: "... Nothing... Carry on."
XD This made me laugh, I'm sorry.
Dad:*EMERGENCY MEETING!!! "
Grow up, you are not funny.
@@can_sir125 What is that profile pic for? it looks familiar
I just called myself a Guitarist and it made me smile 😂
Me too haha
That’s good
I just called myself a guitarist, and laughed. With everyone else.
Yeah lol
It makes me feel like I'm a pro lmao
@@Baalaaxa honestly same- probably the same for most people XDD
I have tried practicing in the dark, but it took me half an hour to find my guitar LOL
That would be me if I tried to do that
Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
😂🤣😂
😑😑
I stepped on mine. Maybe we should switch to grand piano.
I played exclusively in complete dark for 1 year. Totally changed everything on a deep level. The motor memory was almost trivial in comparison to the conection to music that happens, you become completely aware of your sound. It becomes like a hidden pleasure you cant wait to experience again at the end of the day.
I love how you described it!
damn making me want to buy one now lol
So like a music nut?
I recently started playing in the dark with my eyes closed on accident because I practice at like 1 am so I don’t want to turn my light on. I think being in the dark helps me relax and focus only on the ringing of the strings. When I can see and I am looking around I am freaking out and going against my muscle memory because I’m thinking too much about it.
Its strange, I have just recently started playing and when i close my eyes or practice in the dark, I locate chords better than looking.
Tip 5. Wow... I don't know, but i never say "I'm a guitarist" Cuz i think that someone will overestimate me.
Same. I dont want someone asking to play a certain song when the only thing I'm confident in is a g major chord.
I dont because of all the fucking things people use to make fun of guitarists.
No one wants to be the guy with the guitar at the party.
Or maybe I just go to the wrong parties
Mary is right. If you're making music with a guitar, you're a guitarist! Now, somebody takes that as "I'm kinda like Jimi Hendrix" that's their own damn problem, not yours.
I used to NEVER think or call myself a "Musician", even after years of playing and writing. Same reason as you. Then I had a friend, piano student at university. She says "writing a pop song is so hard!! I've never been able to"
I'm thinking "you play full Chopin pieces from memory, you call THAT 'very intuitive', but you have a hard time putting 3 or 4 triads together into a 3-min song?? whhat the fuckedy fuck!?! "
Fast forward 15 years -> I'm a musician (no if's, but's). And my friend has written plenty of pop-folk songs too. But only after she picked up an acoustic and became a beginner (at guitar) again. Moral of the story? -> Happy playing everybody! And ROCK ON!
Yeah I'm not ready to call myself a guitarist. I'm barely comfortable saying I play guitar.
Why does she look like so many celebs at once? Emma Watson, Emma Mackey, Jenna Fischer, damn.
Maeve Willey, Pam Beesley, and Hermione Granger in 1 person
You forgot Katie Holmes!
My Money is on Emma Mackey.. hell I'm ALL IN!!
looks like ellen page too
edit: elliot page
Christian Stuart a bit!
ive been playing for less than a month and I've already learnt 2 songs already, I know its not much but I'm pretty proud of myself and its my dream to become a pro guitarist. thanks for these though, this is very helpful
How much have you improved?
@@harshnarayan7656 well uh ive learned more songs and im practicing chords and stuff lol
@@zoinket3568
I've got a brand new guitar just 5 days ago and I m a total beginner
So....what do you think. I should learn the *cords and stuff first* or *fretting and picking*
I m totally confused...cause I've just learned 'happy birthday' till now 😂
@@jyotikukade2777 you can start off with tabs, they help you learn songs and stuff by picking only one string. They're good to use and understandable
@@zoinket3568 oh...thanks a lot man 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I’m a guitarist there I said it.
luke, the guitarist.
proudd
@@dalal2492 it does has a ring to it
I started playing at the age of 24 and struggled. By my mid-thirties, I was legally blind. My guitar playing improved since I was focused more on sound rather than trying to find spots on a grid. Playing in the dark is excellent advice.
Picking up the guitar was one of the best decisions I ever made. My only regret is that I wish I started earlier. It's one of the few things I can still do. I have a hard time with songs that jump all over the neck, but I've gotten pretty good at cheating. Where there's a will...
I'm 24 and I've been taking guitar lessons for the last 2 months. Thank you for this, so motivating!
There's a way ...
I’m 23 and still saving money for a guitar
How does that make sense if your blind than how did you watch this video and than reply to it?
London Buell Are you kidding...? There are a lot of options for blind people, like assistive technology (for example, screen readers). They’re blind, not deaf and stupid.
“Make sure your strap is at a suitable length”
*has guitar at knee level*
... oh
Macd 199 this made me laugh way to hard and I don’t know why
Or Tom Morello armpit height..
Nahh mah dude ya fine it’s perfect Punk length
Agree! You don't need the other half of the neck! It's purely ornamental... I'm sure
*billie joe Armstrong has left the chat*
I’m a classical violinist why am I here
please, i play clarinet, i asked myself the same thing
Because I’m not practicing violin 😭😔
Same
I should be practicing my violin now but...
I have the answer to all of you questions! you are here because....
you clicked on the video.
I’ve been playing for 28 years as a novice. I recently started learning from someone who tied it all together, but your method of playing in the dark has taken my playing to another level! Thank You
You are not teaching your fingers to play it.... you are teaching your brain to remove itself from the process!! :)
Mary when I play my wife says it sounds like I’m playing in the dark
Per Context' Dear Lord' Thats Funny!🎸👍
f
Lol nice one
Reported.
LOL
I play in the dark while tripping on acid to recreate that real 80s rock concert experience.
😂😂😂
DissonancePlays 👏👏
😂
*D E V E R A S B R U T A L*
Lol
I told my parents I wanna learn and they said that would be cool and they said they might get me one for my birthday coming in March
I hope you get it! It's an amazing experience
I hope they're not politicians.
If you get one, def make sure to start with a simple song that you love. That will hook you on guitar instantly, at least it did for me. :)
My friends just got me one for my 18th bday!!!
hi abigail: look on wikipedia into major thirds tuning and perfect fourths tuning.
i use major thirds and while it's really different, it reduces the basics you need to learn. it also forces you to figure out why things are the way they are.
but it's also more complicated because nobody plays this way. look it up and decide for yourself!
'Keep your guitar out of it's case'
Me sitting in my tiny living room with 12 guitars scattered about
... Yep I think we got that one down
Your so jammie ah know can only play one at a time but give a thought to those of us who have one two max and any chance of giving me one 🤔😜🙏
Damn! didn't know Maeve Wiley is such a great guitarist, singer and advisor!
Yeah bro that's what I thought.....
Maeve Wiley??
Gregg Sidwell she's a character played by Emma Mackey on a series called Sex Education. She looks remarkably similar for sure!
IKRRRRRRRRRRRR
Just came scrolling to see if there's someone feeling the same!
I'm blown away when musicians can play the guitar and sing at the same time like this. You have a beautiful voice and great song.
I sing when playing. I’m not a good singer but when I sing while playing it helps me so much with timing! It just makes sense when to change chords
It took me about a year and a half of playing to be able to sing and play at the same time -- until that I, like you, was amazed by it. I found that two songs helped me get over that hurdle -- "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan and "True Love Will Find You in the End" by Daniel Johnston. Both have easy chord changes that correspond to the phrasing of the lyrics (to Noëmi's point). Obviously there are tons of others but these are songs I like that are in my singing range, that worked for me. Having the song printed out from something like Ultimate Guitar Chords helps too, with the chord indicated directly over the lyric where the change happens, with no extraneous musical notation.
It's easy as pie once guitar-playing is automatic! I sing and play too. But, the first bit is that you have to be adept enough with chord changes to easily play without looking, hence Mary's playing in the dark advice (which is good). You shouldn't need to look! Once all that is running smoothly it's easy to add singing on top, especially since you're keeping time with the guitar and following your own cues.
I agree with you, Mary's tips of playing while standing with your guitar and playing without looking/or playing in the dark make a difference if you intend to sing at the same time as play, especially with a microphone, as you won't be heard if the mike is too far from your face. I sang before I started playing the guitar, so I guess I'm learning the other way from others, but learning to find the different chords and notes without looking is a game changer.
🚨 SIMP ALERT 🚨
I have been doing this for decades. Playing in the dark tunes my ears to every string and develops a solid muscle memory. A metronome is a must.
I feel obligated to point out that her bedroom nightstand is an amp.
That is not fair I cant do that, mine is 1m20 height. Who in the world has a nightstand that much higher than his bed
what if she puts a drink on itt 😭
T-t-t-timing: I had a friend with a good singing voice but who was crap at keeping in time. I told him to do it as he danced, and after a while he'd be able to do the dance in his head.
It worked - he got good timing - and became a dancer. 😂
Anyway, I just thought I'd pass on my tip for helping to get good timing: do it as a dance.
And that's a tip for life too: do it as a dance. 🎼🎶💃🕺♫♬👍
@@abigail-tn5ds There's these gadgets too: www.soundbrenner.com/?TOF+%7C+Conversions+%7C+WW+%7C+28.5.20&Lookalike+%28Worldwide%2C+1%25%29+-+Facebook+Page+%7C+Sent+Message+%7C+90DAYS&fbclid=IwAR17NERno_7DVLXilXvszT9mAsjrBudIITZBEFquclkbfNd6DJ9Y8oa6s7w
That’s a great tip to remember. I have played with musicians who struggled to keep time. Maybe I will tell this to them. Haha.
Good tip! I read t-t-t-timing like the start of Dora in the tune d-d-d-Dora
@@Erinam321 lol I was just about to say that
@@fbhdqjwjrjgj 😂
1. Make sure you are comfortable when playing. Keep your shoulders and back relaxed. Keeping your shoulders relaxed will greatly increase your ability to play faster portions of a song.
2. Find your anchor point for your right hand. It is much easier to play fingerstyle when you properly anchor your right hand by either resting your pinky below the strings, our if you prefer, your wrist or heel of your hand above the strings or on the bridge.
3. Learn to selectively mute strings that you do not want to play. Open strings will resonate along with picked strings and this can make playing sound noisy. You can mute with both your right and left hands.
4. Slow it way down. Play along with a metronome and play a slow as you can for as long as you can. This will make your playing sound cleaner, and also build the muscle memory for when you play faster, allowing you to play faster while still sounding clean.
5. Try not to practice in front of other people. Practice on your own, and only play for others once you feel confident that you have the piece down.
6. Learning a new song involves learning the mechanical movements, then doing those movements fluidly and then playing with feeling. The one thing that sets all the guitar greats apart from the rest of the world is that they can play with feeling EVERY SINGLE TIME.
7. This one goes with 6. One of the best things you can do while playing guitar is to smile. Smile when you nail a particularly challenging run. Sure your family will think you are crazy, but this one really really works. Smiling while you play will teach you how to put more feeling into playing.
8. When you play guitar, it is just you and the guitar. You and your guitar are having a private conversation. Learn to make the world disappear and just focus on the two of you.
9. Learn to hear where you are going while playing, rather than think where your fingers have to be next. Jimmi Hendrix said his aim was to ultimately be one with the music, and I personally believe that when you start thinking in music rather than finger movements, then you get closer to achieving this.
10. Tap your foot to keep rhythm while playing. This one imparts a natural rhythm to your playing that listeners will immediately appreciated.
11. Rhythm rhythm rhythm. Practice with a metronome, until you can maintain the beat through-out your entire fingerstyle piece. You will notice that while playing parts you find challenging you will fall behind the metronome. The minute I start playing along with a metronome my wife will often tell me that my playing is sounding better than normal. A persons ear is naturally drawn to rhythm.
12. Don't be afraid to zoom in on parts of a song you are having difficulty with. If you have a chord change you are struggling with, just practice that chord change over and over, and you will find that you very quickly start over coming that road block.
13. Try to think ahead of where you currently are in a song. Once you get really comfortable playing a song you can start thing ahead so that you never end up blanking out on where to go next and losing rhythm while you figure it out.
14. Always make sure that your tuning is spot on while practicing. It does not matter how well you play a piece, if your guitar's tuning is out, it will not sound as could as it could. I tune my guitar every time I practice.
Thank you for your great tips Mary. If I had to pick the most important two above it would be, smile while playing and play with a metronome/tap your foot while playing.
All great tips! Regarding number two, however, I would say try to avoid resting your pinky below the strings. Having an anchor is important, but anchoring with your pinky out like that creates extra tension in your hand, and the idea is that you want to play with as little tension as possible. It's a good anchor to have, but does ultimately affect your playing in the long run.
neopolythe Wow #8 is golden.
I've been playing probably about 8 years and I still struggle with 3. After a year away I'm coming back and really focusing on fixing the sloppy playing I've always had an issue with. It's frustrating (hi gain metal nerd so everything rings >_
@@Shugo819 I agree, anchoring is a personal preference. There are some song which i like to anchor when playing as it offers more stability however there are other songs where i feel that my hand is restricted by being anchored to one position when playing. Great tips all the same!
fuck this is gold, thank you!! im learning, I will follow each the advice you gave.
My undergrad is in music... and then I took an interest in psychology and neuroscience (which probably means I will perpetually be a student). Thank you for mentioning #12. This can't be stressed enough. Research has shown that WHEN you practice in relation to when you sleep can also make a difference in skills acquisition or memory retention (and there are different optimal strategies based on what you're trying to accomplish). The following ties in to sleep and that is... stop practicing the same thing over and over again for hours on end. While repetition is needed to get something into muscle memory, many people often overdo it. Let's say in a given week you want to practice comping, learn a song, and maybe a finger style exercise. You're better off practicing each of those things for 15 minutes per day (45 minutes total per day) for a total of 5 hours and 15 minutes for the week instead of practicing each skill for 3 hours, on 3 different days (for a total of 9 hours of practice for the week). Why? Because sleep is when the brain optimizes those new neural connections you've made by practicing earlier in the day. Giving your brain seven opportunities to optimize each skill will result in faster progression by using short practice sessions, vs. only one opportunity in the approach where you practice fewer days, but for a much longer period. In addition, there is a point of diminishing returns when focusing on one skill. In that 3 hour practice session, if it's skills based, you'll make the bulk of your progression in the very beginning of that session, and then the rest of it... not so much. If you're trying to memorize something, "cramming" by practicing for an extended period will improve memory retention for the very next day (so this is a good strategy if you need to learning something ASAP) but research shows that long-term retention is very poor when you employ cramming.
There's a great lecture from The Great Courses called "The Learning Brain" (don't get it directly from The Great Courses website... it's like $250 bucks... Audible has it for $15... not sure what their logic is by having a ridiculously high price on their website). It was produced fairly recently so the research is still relevant. Guitar Zero is a good read as well (it's about the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of learning guitar at an older age). Finally, while it's not about psychology or neuroscience, "The Music Lesson" by bassist and music educator extraordinaire Victor Wooten combines fiction and non-fiction to convey Victor's experience and philosophies towards learning music. I'd recommend listening to the audio book, and not reading it as Victor narrates it himself and there's some aspects of the storytelling that are enhanced by Victor's performance.
Thank you for this very underrated and helpful input.
Way too long. You verbose tool.
Men, you say really useful thinks. Thanks for it!
Great tips! I've been playing off and on for 45 years. Practicing in the dark is the best advice I've ever gotten. Thank you!
"Playing in the dark", sounds like the tittle of a song.
Or my search history
Fishin in the dark
Maybe
ua-cam.com/video/129kuDCQtHs/v-deo.html
?
Coil's album
The lyric “Hello darkness, my old friend” comes from Paul Simon’s habit of sitting in his bathroom in the dark and playing his guitar there because of the acoustics.
Something to add to the 7th point:
Gear doesn't make you better, but it's a lot easier to blame "sounding bad" on bad gear, than it is on good gear. When I bought a good instrument for the first time, it really clicked and I knew I didn't sound bad because of my instrument and that made me work a lot harder.
I learned this as well. A brand new inexpensive guitar with a terrible "stock" setup vs fairly expensive used one with a perfect (to me) setup is such a jump in progress. But it does make you appreciate the extra work you put in to play the bad one.
Very true but, you don’t need to spend a shed load on gear. Just make sure it isn’t unplayable crap. Some of the really nasty cheap beginners kits (normally fender strat lookalikes) are so
well priced they tempt people in on the basis of ‘well if I take to playing I can spend more’ later
The reality is it can put you off because no one will spend out on a pro setup if they’ve only spent 100£ on the whole ‘kit’ !
"Spend a lot " means different things too different people.
I disagree with one thing you say. You say buy an instrument you like the look of so it will inspire you. We're talking musical instruments. Sound matters much more than looks. Buy an instrument you like the sound of. That sound will inspire you.
Journey of Awesome yes it does but anyone can work out that a guitar that’s worth £1k (regardless of whether you like the colour, sound or style will be better than one costing £100 - the point is, spend what you can reasonably afford and try and steer clear if the cheapest of the cheap
I just love how you keep an open mind and keep growing: every time I hear you play Primrose, I swear you allow it breathe and grown in its own way. I love it... the slightest changes in inflection, tone, rhythm, pace ... I love the thought that your songs are an integral / bi-product of you and your own core - so you allow to grow and develop just as you do too. It's just beautiful to see and hear :)
I turned the lights off and tried this....then I realized I don’t even have a guitar yet-
don't you just hate when that happens?
@@emilymason9836 the worst 😔
Right 🥲 my guitar is supposed to come Tuesday or Thursday
@@jiggy_j6741 I have one but it finally broke so I’m saving up for a new one! Glad you have yours already technically 😁💪🏽
@@zahrah5836 I have my dream guitar now 🖤 I bought the Schecter Research Damien
with Floyd Rose and sustainiac 6-string left handed satin black electric guitar 🤍 it’s truly so fucking beautiful and it was worth every penny
5:50 YES, there were so many times when I couldn't get a progression right, I would give up and go to bed, and the next day I would get it right in the first couple of tries. A good night's sleep can make a huge difference.
"5 minutes a day". Wow I must be pretty into guitar cause right now in quarantine I play up to 7 hours a day.
Omg saammme!!!!!
That’s great! Just make sure not to burn yourself out!
@@Excelsior1937 lmao so far in quarantine I have written 4, 40+ second, only guitar instrumental songs
@@cybo9977 same
That used to be when I was a teenager, I used to play many, many hours. Try to keep up with it, even if you reduce the hours when life starts getting in the way, starting over somehow it's proving harder for me than the learning the first time.
Beautiful voice. Love your playing. I’ve been a guitarist for over 50 years and I still learned something from your 12 tips. Thank you.
This is one of the best advise. I always make sure that whenever I practice I keep my room dimly lit. Firstly it makes you able to play without heavily relying on the fretmarks and secondly the feeling is awesome.
My daughter bought me a guitar stand about 10 years ago. I had not played much for the previous 30 years, but I started playing again because the guitar was there and have enjoyed playing ever since.
Likewise. I found a good quality small amp and a few choice effects also helped to make playing more pleasurable and naturally ended up playing more.
5:07
That’s Maeve and Otis,
You can’t deny it...
Omg-
ohh myyy.. hell yeah
I agree it's so satisfying to be able to play a full song from start to end - only getting started but currently working on my first few songs!
When it comes to making video, you're a natural. Please keep them coming.
Wow, you have such a calming voice. You really make people believe in themselves with that calm voice - amazing!
“Call yourself a guitarist” I don’t think I ever thought about that up until this point. Great advice
Mary, thank you for this advice. I actually am working on learning a new scratch percussive rhythm pattern and I remembered you talking about practicing in the dark. I closed my eyes, stopped looking at my hands, and let the "feel" guide me. Wow. What a difference. A whole new set of senses took over and is making it much easier to get a real feel for how it's supposed to sound but also how it is to become muscle memory. Thanks again.
Thank you Mary for getting your music out there. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world!
Wow, her voice is just so deep and how professional she acts while giving tips. Fun fact, at first I said, I'll just watch until the tips are over. But when she started singing, daammmm what a nice voice. I hope you achieve success at your career.
its such a good feeling when you’re the only guitarist in your band and someones like “what do you play?” and you get to say “oh, me? im the guitarist”
As a learning guitarist, I realized how true all her words were and how slowly and steadily across the years I found the same routines she described, and am now following them.
BTW @Mary your voice is lovely. I don't know how I was directed to this video but I am happy I was.
You are wise beyond your years . Been playing for 56 years and enjoy the way you present a subject . Along the lines of number 3 -it’s not the amount of notes you play that’s important it’s playing with feeling .You can connect you heart with one note and feel all the joy of the world . You play and sing with your heart . Keep up the good work ! Rich Whalley “Blues Hangover”
When you play in the dark dont forget the guitar!
Lmao
You win the internet for today, or well, just my laughs, haha Ltd gz
I'm an intermediate guitarist but I've found some of these tips useful. Another advice I have is spend half of your practice time learning a new thing (whether thats a new song, technique, scale etc) and the other half playing the songs and backing tracks you enjoy. You'll stay more motivated and you'll get better at the same time
How do i do all that in 5 minutes?
Good advice. It`s easy to play stuff you can play. Learn how to play something you can`t. Treading water is easy,and reassuring,but will stop any progress.
@@Pieter_Auper i honestly feel like should play however long you like. If you dont like it just dont play i play the guitar daily because i want to not because i make myself do it
Beautiful Mary. I can Hear your Passion.
Thank You !
I can't believe it's taken me this long to find you! To teach, write beautiful music AND play along with us!? You're absolutely incredible Mary!
"Practice in the dark"
Me, who is still afraid of the dark sometimes: No, I don't think I will.
can you talk in normal lingus, you fool?
then i would recomend not looking at the neck when playing focus on a dot in the room you are and just go by feel on the neck that is what i do
@@davidpetersson8827 Thanks, man.
Maybe playing « fear of the dark » would help you 😂
Joseph Morris, playing in the dark is actually really good advice and will help your ability to play without looking at your fingers.
"Gear doesn't make you better" - Try telling that to my dealer.
i'm here for the vigier and the two-rock amp !! ;)
So true...
'Hi, I need a new pick'
Leaving with a new guitar
Tip 13, don’t let your dealer buy you stuff you don’t want ;-)
Now when you say "gear"....
Thank you for all these tips. I love your videos, they keep me practicing a few minutes every day.
Listen to everything she says. She is spot-on with every tip. I've been all over the internet for 3 years regarding beginner tips. Now that I'm no longer a beginner, I totally agree with everything she says.
You look like Emma Watson's cousin or something XD
Omg! I see it!
DeathBunny thought the same
Exactly what I thought!
tru
Yep yep
Damn homie your voice is smooth asf, makes me feel really calm listening to your tips
Tip 1 about about learning songs not riffs immediately rings true for me. I’ve tried and given up several times and I think not ever learning anything completely was a big part of the problem. I’ve started again recently with the approach of learning songs and it’s much more satisfying and might actually stick this time 😊
Mary,
Well done with your videos. Your useful and obviously applied knowledge is totally evident. Don’t stop doing what you’re doing!
In the early days of one of my bands, the bass player actually suggested we do your tip #11!
We'd work on songs together for a few hours, then run through them with the lights out. It made us concentrate - and (most importantly) it made us listen to each other more carefully to make sure we were locked in. I completely forgot that we ever did this, but on down the road I'm going to to try it out again!
Leave it to the bass player to come up with something profoundly creative! (Bass is my favorite instrument to play). I practice daily and will play in the dark probably once a week just to keep my muscle memory sharp. And yes, it always helps me listen to the rest of the music more carefully.
@@ghosttownreview1531 Classic bassist response! (Only joking - I love basslines and sometimes the people who play them)
Hmmm, sounds like your bass player was diplomatically telling the rest of you to listen and pay closer attention to what you were playing. lol ; )
In my opinion practice with a purpose. Don’t just start playing as fast as you can. Start slow and gradually move up in speed paying attention to string muting. Also, don’t over practice! If you’re over practicing you’re practicing without any real purpose, not paying attention to your string muting or hand synchronization and moving through pieces too fast with no idea or concept of time. Practice with a metronome. And if you just don’t have it that day, take a break and come back to it the next day or in a couple days, until you have more focus on practice with a purpose. If you think about it, you might practice extremely well and have great hand sync but the next three days you don’t and your muscle memory goes right out the door. You need consistent practice with good hand synch and timing to ingrain that in your hands and keep it there.
I totally agree! But I think that's what you should do when you start wanted to learn seriously, when you decide you want to become a better and better musician, but before that I'd just go straight ahead and just try to please yourself
How do you over practice? Just take a break and come back later. I practice in 15 to 20 min intervals multiple times a day. Each time i try to work on something a little different but the same. Pactice new cords , then those new chords with different strums , later just a practice exercises .
@@hunterraoulduke IMO if your not practicing with proper technique it’s a waste of time and effort. When people get tired or bored and noodle around it’s probably time to put it down. Otherwise you emphasize bad technique and your undoing all the good technique you were learning.
@@NatureandSpirit111 im sure noodling has its benefits. If i get to make it sloppy i just take a break for a bit, and good when i come back. There is nothing wrong with breaks. when i get sloppy it shows me what bad habits i have tendcy for and how to fix it because i realize why something is not working for me. Sloppy play helped me figure out what causing ceratin issues and to do things like lower my thumb on the neck to gap so i dont touch surroundingstring, to tuck my elbow in. Shit now that i think about sloppy play taught me a lot with out direction from anyone.
@@hunterraoulduke you could be right. For me it didn’t work out that way. We’re all different though. I never realized what was causing my sloppy play and it became very hard breaking out of my patterns after so many years when I tried to take lessons. Sometimes after I take a break and come back I feel like I play way better and seem to sound better too. That’s why I figured it was better from a long term standpoint plus it’s more fun that way for me and that keeps me motivated. I’m nowhere near where I want to be but working my way there.
Just getting back into guitar after a few years of not playing and I'm finding your videos so helpful. Love the tip to call yourself a guitarist!
I think I could listen to Mary talk all day long. What a wonderful voice.
I think It is because she must be English, because if she were North American, oh God, what a horrible tone of voice she should be, like speaking through her nose🙂like almost north american does🤨
@@evaskjerd I certainly presumed she's English. And I agree with you, I think - I think my reaction wouldn't have been the same if I'd pegged her as some region of America. I remember getting the same kind of reaction from myself once while watching a Kate Beckinsale interview.
Bristol? It's in her song, Primrose.
Her voice is incredible, but not just because of the accent...it's the tonality of her voice...and ZERO horrid fry tones. It's just a beautiful instrument and she clearly takes care of it. There's a correlation I think between great singers and their dulcet speaking voices. I've noticed the connection! I've never noticed someone with awful creaky fry tones singing like this.
I've spent so much time on tips #12.
I guess I am a good guitarist
Practice when you're insanely depressed. I'm always surprised at my playing under great stress and depression. Avoid pinene terpenoids. Don't practice on a full belly. Have a hedgehog in the same room. All good advice!
The hedgehog is the best tip on here - not easily achieved but an absolute must
"Pinene terps" got me.
Hey man maybe you need to get help for your insane depression......lol
Ron Callahan nah... I've been dealing with it since 2003, and in the last 45 days I lost my mother and them my cat of 16 years, Zipper. It was like getting my depression tank topped off for another 5 years. To be honest, I'm surprised I haven't died of a broken heart yet. I'm in hell these last few weeks. I barely know what's real anymore. My guitar keeps me grounded a bit though.
I was depressed and my best song was "Black Dog " by Led Zeppelin. I think that Someone slipped me a bad trip at the time.
Awesome tips! Thank you so much for sharing. 🎸❤️
My gawd, your voice and playing is beautiful Mary. Your song touched my soul! Again, excellent tips and great video. Now that I have listened to both versions, I think I like the slower version better. Either way, great song. Thanks for sharing your passion for music with us and keep up the good work to make these videos!
tl;dr shred only gets you attention for a few minutes, people in general really are interested in hearing complete music rather than impressive sections of songs
The first tip really hit me hard, I remember the moment I realised that I can play the first two minutes of Far beyond the sun, the Rising force solo, the section between the country part and the jazz part of Jason Richardson's Hos Down, some mindless sweep arpeggios, a bit of No Boundaries by MAB, a part of Jason's solo in Aviator, a part of Through the fire and flames, first two minutes of Vivaldi's Summer, random bits of Andy James' songs, some more shredding and some more sweep arpeggios, but can't even play Nothing else matters from the start to finish. Or Stairway. Or Green day. Or even the bloody Wonderwall.
I've been playing instruments for as long as I can remember (literally), I even studied performance arts (cello), so being 21 now it makes for about 17 years of playing instruments. I'm a programmer now, but I keep music as a big hobby, however that's besides the story. I've always been interested in playing fast, even when I was like 10 I always wanted my cello teacher to give me the fast pieces, the tough ones, the ones, that will impress the moms that came to watch their kids at the school concert. I don't see that as a bad approach of course, learning difficult pieces rather than "just to play something" taught me that practise was the key. This escalated even more when I joined the conservatory, as my professor was excited to teach technique, so my requests for tough pieces were even more welcome. But the real thing started when around that time I picked up the electric guitar (after years of it just sitting in my bedroom) and discovered all the shred. I've spent about 4 years perfecting NOTHING but technique, every day I was fierce to play faster than yesterday. I'd spend several hours daily just building speed. I thought this was the key to finally get recognised as a guitarist or a musician at all.
Fast forward to something around a year ago, when I started socializing on my uni, we would go out in the park to drink and play guitars and I'd at some point borrow a guitar off of someone and do my thing. Of course people listened up, looked at my fingers flying across the fretboard, my right hand banging out one note right after the other, saying "wow damn u can play" and stuff. For fifteen minutes, till I ran out of 30-second shred segments of songs. Then the rest of the evening was all for the people that knew chords almost every song anyone there could think of, singing, having fun and stuff.
A while later I met my current girlfriend, she was fascinated by people that play instruments, so I of course played for her. She even liked shred, said it was nice to look at thinking how much time had gone into it, but I'd every now and then play River flows in you, of course only a bit and terribly, as I'd never really practised fingerstyle or even playing music for the sake of musical value. And this is the one she remembered and would want me to play, saying "awww, this one is so nice, shame you don't know the whole thing", to which I thought something like "out of all the stuff I played this beginner fucking thing is the one you want me to play, phew.." but giving it a second thought, that was the moment I finally realised that while fretboard acrobacy certainly DOES impress people, playing beautiful complete music will make them stick around, seek your performance and truly like your playing. And also, many of the tough shreddy bits are just a part of a nice song, so why not just learn the whole thing? :)
If you read this far, thanks. Hope this helps you. Have a nice day and happy playing, whatever instrument it is.
I'd advise any beginner to start writing asap. Songwriters get paid more than musicians for a reason: because it's harder to do. I could play famous solos after a couple of years. It took me six years to write something I'd let anybody hear and even then it was quite naive.
I normally am a bit long winded if I choose to comment at all but, in this case I am going to have to cut myself short and say only part of what I'm thinking and, if possible I'll return later to complete my thoughts. I read your entire comment and couldn't agree more, being 48 yrs old and having spent so much time practicing lead blues stuff, 1 or 2 sweeping arpeggios and some riffs, finger tapping,, mainly though I spent a lot of time having fun improvising leads over backing tracks of my own on an old 4 track , or joining in on the radio with jazz or blues instrumentals. As much as I enjoy doing that , it gets tedious after awhile for me and anyone else who is interested. At first it's , wow , you really jam, but the simple Songs I've learned to play and sing , a few chords and that's what people want to hear are the songs , little stories, poetry in motion. People respond to music, and that's all cultures, and not just the human animal. Music hath charms right? People love stories and songs are these little stories that are more apt to make people cry, I think, than a beautiful instrumental, because the words hit so hard when set properly to music. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fame(God rest his soul) would do an acoustic version of I will always love you, Dolly Parton's song popularized by Whitney Houston and, it would break up the monotony for him and was amazing for the audience as well. He does a great cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean , more a rendition than a cover, and that's the other great thing about guitar, music in general is it's all Rock and Roll, and there are no rules. We always hunger to improve and learn more, but the most important thing is having fun. You and those listening and, people respond to your enthusiasm. If you're having fun, 3 chords and the truth, huh? That's as good as 1 million notes per second, flight of the bumble bee is always engaging ,with it's speed and required dexterity, but the little stories, Bob Dylan or Led Zeppelin, are the ones that are most viscerally impressive, when you feel something, again I think, is when your on to something. Instrumental like Little Wing, or just a little 3 chord song like All along the watchtower. I've managed,once again to have no discipline when it comes to talking music and I really gotta go. If you've come this far lol, I appreciate your patience but music is really something. For those of us who are lucky enough, blessed enough to be passionate about it, to get it,the power of it....I think we're all very lucky. A blessing to have this powerful thing in our lives and love it above all things, or at least as well. We have something special. Bonnie Raits father , John Rait ,famous for his big voice, showtunes like "Oklahoma" Broadway stuff said something like 'there are only 2 kinds of music, Zippidy Doo Da, and the blues" and Duke Ellington said "there are only 2 kinds of music , Good music , and the other stuff'.....I really like good music, both kinds. ☮️ Peace , Stan
@@stanphillips7277 Great comment Stan, I'm glad mine spoke to you on these levels
Sometimes I feel that youtube comments can be unnecessarily lengthy, but dude, in this case I really enjoyed the whole freakin' story. I think that this point about learning entire songs cannot be overstated, and you did a great job of illustrating that idea with your own story. I have had a similar journey with my own playing and awakening, but it sounds like you've practiced more that I have, and you told it better that I would have. Thanks for this.
I've been playing for quite some years now and this is the BEST beginner advice I've seen in UA-cam! Experience players may benefit from your advice as well! Thank you!
You have a beautiful voice both speaking and singing. I appreciate your tips ( I am learning the ukulele)
What’s crazy is I first watched this video about 5 months ago and couldn’t play B minor. And now I can. Thanks Mary Spender and to everyone playing guitar 🎸, keep rocking 🤘🏽
So this is what Maeve did when she left for a while..
OMG yeahhh
Yash Kapur YES !!!!!! Thank you
WOAHH
Wthhh😹😹😹😹
Was thinking the same lol
Just found about you a couple days ago. And i'm so grateful. You're such a nice woman not afraid to talk about how hard it is to learn and how often we're going to make mistakes even after many years of practice. Not only showing your perfect recordings like in "why georgia", a video that i loved. Keep it up, you're great and thank you for what you do. Love from france
Stellar advice Mary. Many thanks. And a lovely track!
Lovely work, Mary and crew! What a simple and effective sound...not a note to waste.
All of this is great advice.
More than half a century onto my life, I'm finally realizing the importance of sleep and its countless benefits to everything from biological, physiological, mental, psychological to even spiritual. Good practice/work habits and falling asleep with a positive attitude will get you where you want to go, and transform you into whatever you want to be, faster than just about anything else on the planet. And you won't be frustrated, worn out and tired. You'll be energized and excited.
Everyone can spare 5 minutes a day. Most of us waste more time than that watching some idiotic thing on TV or just staring at social media. Imagine the rewards of applying it to something you really want to do. As Mary said, you'll quickly lose track of time and spend it learning, practicing and playing.
11… Practicing in a dark room, well I am blind so I got this one covered LOL
So... how can you be sure that the room's dark 🤔😉
@@WideCuriosity For him the room is always dark.
I’m sorry but your banner is killing me idk why it’s so funny 💀
roaring twenties tossing pennies in the pool what?
@@JustinHollandFitness Your channel banner is funny to me
Such a simple progression but so beautifully done and sung
Thank you, Mary! Your words are inspiring and I appreciate how you included the visual chords while playing & singing beautifully...it really helps to put everything together when learning something new. Bravo!
it is the best part for me too.
Thank you!
I'm a middle aged beginner, and the things that you've said really make sense.
Really appreciate it
same here.
Same.
Same here at 51. I am taking Mary's beginner course. It's done quite well and well worth it. Hardest part for me is getting my fingers to contort to ungodly positions lol
Same here.
Just found you and I'm sold. Your voice is calming and I just started calling myself a guitarist today.
Thank you!
I'm sold, too.
hi its been 5 months now..hows it
@@srersh05 it's going well and I'm about to begin recording
Practice in the dark is my favorite. Thank you Mary.
This was so helpful! When you start with 5 mins, you get caught up and play for way longer. It's a great mental trick. ;)
Another version of step 11 (call it step 11.5 if you wish), is practicing in front of a mirror.
Pros: it keeps your eyes away from the guitar while not completely removing the need to look when you need to. It does help reinforcing muscle memory and playing without looking at the guitar.
Cons: you may catch yourself looking for reflective surfaces during performances. I have done this, and it's distracting not just to you, but the audience as well. at this point, practice in the dark or with your eyes closed
Totally.
I didn't expect you to start singing. Very impressed with the tone of your voice. Fantastic! As a guitarist starting out, i really appreciate you putting the chords to the side when you sing. This way i can follow as well and learn the song. Many instructors don't do this and think that you automatically know how to play. Keep up the great work Mary!
Amazing thank you Mary, very insightful
This came in my recommendations. What a beautiful, positive, and uplifting video about guitar practice. Thank you.
I'm playing the piano and the last tip is really important, but i use it so, when i'm practicing and something does not work i play something else that i enjoy and know and i try what did not work again and most of the times it clicks second time.
Mary -- great advice. I have no issue calling myself a "guitarist" but I WANT to call myself is a "musician." I'm a looooong way away from that.
Mark Rup this is really interesting. I definitely resonate with it - I’ve been playing for more than half of my life now but still really consider myself a guitarist and not a musician per se. Maybe that’s just a personal judgement thing. What do you think are the factors?
My brother is someone I consider a musician - wonderful guitarist but also plays keys and others. Perhaps it’s because I feel that he’s a musician first and the guitar is just a vessel? Hard to put the finger on!
@@cowieson For me, I guess it's several factors. I have been playing guitar for over 40 years. I can play just about anything -- but it's always other peoples music. ZZ Top's La Grange? Hell yeah, I can play the solos note for note. Pearl Jam's Yellow Ledbetter? Same thing. But ask me to improvise my own stuff over those same chord progressions and I'm at a loss. Every time i try it all just sounds the same -- IDK, maybe that's my "sound." Haha. And writing -- i have never written an original piece of music -- and not for a lack of trying. Believe me, I've tried. I am so envious of people like Mary, like Paul Davids, like Darrel Braun, etc. that can sit down and just noodle and it sounds great. Or write their own original riffs. Hell, I'm embarrassed to go into a Guitar Center and plug in. I just end up playing some REM song or some Foo Fighters song. It may sound good, but I'd rather just "noodle" without reservation and have it sound legit.
@@markrup6369 What helped me a lot to break out of the pentatonic trap was taking lessons from a teacher who taught music theory. A few very simple principles open up whole new ways to approach improvisation. I watch Rick Beato's channel a lot and his videos help to keep that information fresh. And I don't think I could play "La Grange" note-for-note for what it's worth :-). Love that track.
I had some issue with tip no. 5 ("call yourself a guitarist"), for I have put some thought and have had some conversations about that with other people.
An interesting point of view I heard about referred to the level of the individual:
- Guitar player: a person that plays guitar, as if it were just a set of instructions to follow.
- Guitarist: a person with a deeper understanding of the instrument, knowing how to inject something of their own onto the instrument (come up with ideas, write riffs or songs, improvise or something on the like).
- Musician: a person whose understanding and comprehension of music is not limited to the guitar (or any single instrument for that matter), and doesn't depend of it to comprehend or generate musical ideas.
For me, it's a mix of the idea above and this: there's no major distinction between being a guitarist or a musician, it's more about what the individual has to actually do with it (music or guitar). It's not the same a doctor/lawyer/etc. that plays guitar really well, than having a person that not only plays guitar (or whatever instrument[s]) really well, but actually does for a living and it's what their life is about.
And I know people are not just unidimensional beings who can only be driven by their profession, but it's fair to say that there's something in most people's lives that makes up for most of their dreams, passion and drive (e.g. I really, really like astronomy, but I wouldn't dare to even try making a career out of it or investing as much time to it as I have done with music).
I call myself both a guitarist and a musician, for that's what I do. I have to, it's all I do and know how to do. I wouldn't call myself great, maybe not even good, but that's what I am.
My two cents on the topic.
thx for sharing your musical talents with us! utterly enjoying your guitar play as well as your singing. cheers from Germany :)
Great video.I'm 51 and i just bought my very first guitar.I figured its never to late to learn something new.Its always been at the back of my mind.I've been looking for something positive to focus on lately.I got me an Ibanez AS93FML.Its a semi-hollow body and a lefty.It looks amazing,so glad i got it.
you're greater motivator! love you're singing and guitar playing
I always cringe at the idea of calling myself a Musician. I just feel that everyone will think i`m a Tosser.I am,but i don`t want other people knowing. I think it`s partly due to my inbuilt English trait of feeling i am bragging. I`ve settled on,"Shit Musician". It kinda ticks both boxes.A lot of what You say,sounds obvious,but You clearly understand how we operate,and need things spelled out to us. I was guilty of most,ok,all 12 scenarios that You presented. Great Video. Thank You
Ahaa same with the musician thing. I think it's mostly just because I don't feel good enough to give myself that title, but this video was incredibly useful
David Scargil...if you tell people you’re a shit musician, you will probably remain that way.
Same
Mikael Lewis not true
She didn't say musician. She said guitarist
Your voice is angelic. I could listen to you all day. Thank you for these tips 🙏
I've saved many a beginner by changing them to light strings and sending them to my tech for a beginner setup. The other tips were also brilliant (especially keeping the guitar out and near where you are) but those two are absolutely critical! Well done!
"YoUsiciaN iS a GreAT wAY TO prAcTIcE aNd lEarN thE gUItaar"
Wdym that is the best advice I’ve ever listened
I got scammed out of like $150 from Yousician
@@michaelbruh126 how did you get scammed? I paid but I use it everyday
Bro I love Yousician it taught me how to play guitar so fast
Rocksmith all the way
You have a calm and pleasant speaking voice. The words just seem to flow. Thanks for the tips!
I am so grateful I found your video about this. Great information. Thank you.
This video is really helpful!! Thank youu so much lovely!!❤️😍