This is why I love his guitar course and stick to it. It is like the best teacher is talking to you. He really care to give you the best information. 😊
I would suggest the following: when I am fed up with a difficult piece I am learning, or an exercise, I stop for a while and play something completely different, but that I know well. A much easier piece from what I was working previously. This helps to relax, play with pleasure and forget for a little while the difficult exercise. After 5 or 10 minutes, revert back to the difficult exercise, and then, everything comes much better ! All the best, knarf from France 🎸🇨🇵
Totally this. I have ‘go to’ pieces of music that I love. They don’t stretch me anymore but they act as nice rest pieces when I’m struggling with something else.
On the note of Press, but no stress. I notice usually new guitarist with a new guitar, will have their guitar not set up properly (e.g high action). Because of this, they do press hard and it became a habit. So for new guitarist getting new guitar, get someone to set up your guitar 😁 Great video btw
Yes before I knew that you could set a guitar up I sold a beautiful Dean guitar because it was so painful to play because of such high action. Now that I know how to set up guitars and have set up both my martin and seagull, I dreadfully regret getting rid of the Dean. It sounded so beautiful it was just not playable for a beginner.
“Mindless wankery!” Always hilarious hearing British profanity in non-British accents. 😂 Thanks for the tips Paul. This video made me realised I don’t make too many rookie mistakes. ❤
I get wanker as a term is more often associated with Britain, but I feel in the context of music, "mindless wankery" or similar use of the phrase is understood no matter where you are from that speaks english... it is a subtler and less crude way to say "musical masturbation"
@@MedalionDS9 I was in an online chat debate with some American guys and some Brits and it all got a bit heated over nothing but one American through a bit of a hissy fit and left the group in anger. This other American chirped up 'as you Brits might say - he was a bit of a wanker anyway'. However in this context that Paul uses wankery simply means rubbish. So being Dutch and fluently conversant with Britain and all things British I think he totally nails the UA-cam phenomenon of so much stuff on here as - 'Mindlessly Rubbish'.
Actually, here in the UK, it's a much cruder way of saying mindless masturbation. Which is why hearing Paul say it is so funny, because the crude way is so much more accurate! 😂
I love that you emphasize being relaxed and not tensing up. I probably had over 500 shows under my belt before I honed in on this issue and corrected it. My wife actually told me I look like I’m taking a dump when I play which is funny but it made me realize that I need to relax more. I looked more intensely concentrated than I really was, even playing parts that had become 100% muscle memory. It took me months to completely change my breathing, posture (sitting and standing) and focused on being more deliberate with my picking hand and relaxing my shoulders and even my face and my playing improved. I tell young guitarists all the time to be cognizant about these things and get into the habit of being relaxed early in their playing journey.
Or 3-5 years in you get complacent with what you know and can do... and 20 years down the road you wonder why you stopped picking up the guitar for years at a time. Realized recently I've lost decades of progress because I stopped learning. Avoided theory, avoided new and difficult challenges. I'm starting from the beginning again. There's so much info available now to learn theory and improve finger independence/economy of motion. Humbling, but when I stop myself playing the same riffs and chords I've been noodling for decades... it's fun again, and challenging.
Joking aside, I think watching UA-cam walkthroughs of songs is a vastly better way of learning songs than cold hard tabs or apps that just tell you which notes to play. A good UA-cam video will tell you what techniques are important to deliver the song well, explain music theory relevant to the song, and tell you which things you unlock by learning this song. I would say that learning songs from UA-cam instead of UltimateGuitar is the missing actionable advice from the "no tabs" part of this video. And then right after I watched that part it cut into a Yousician ad. Oopsie.
So many excellent tips Paul! I would like to add that, especially young and completely inexperienced guitar students, whether learning on an acoustic or electric guitar invest in at least a semi-decent guitar. When I first started out I, nor my parents who were completely ignorant of the instrument, had no idea of the huge difference in the playability of inexpensive or “pricey” guitars. Also, I didn’t have any friends who played. As a result, a guitar was a guitar! I wound up playing a $30 Harmony (60 years ago). The Nut and strings were so high off the fretboard that it would bring tears to my eyes to form a C chord! Fortunately I persisted, but I didn’t learn the difference of ease and comfort of a better quality guitar until years later when I finally met others who owned decent guitars. Some of these inexpensive guitars would have our most beloved “Pro’s” sound like amateurs if they tried playing them! In short, a poorly crafted guitar can quickly lead to discouragement and ultimately abandoning the instrument! (BTW - still playing today!)
Many, many years ago I used to tell my wife that I could do better if I had better gear... then.. one day a friend of mine came over and picked up my Epiphone acoustic guitar and he wailed on it!! I mean he was really, really good!! My wife turned to me and said, "What was this about needing better gear?!" It definitely opened my eyes and I realized the part you were talking about regarding practice. Haven't had a Fender or Gibson in quite a while but have done a lot of shows with Squiers, Epiphones and Ibenez guitars. And I'm not even talking about the high end ones of those, just the ones I could afford. My first guitar had the action set pretty high but I didn't know better so I practiced to the point my thumb muscle on my left hand was twice as big as the one on my right hand just to press the strings... then I learned a lot about guitar action. Back then there was no internet, or computers, and defintiely no cell phones so you learned where ever you could, mostly books since there were no instructors anywhere near me at the time.
Suggestion to Watchers: When Practicing The arpeggio exercise at the end of the video, I found it very helpful to loop on the cM7 arpeggio till I could play it without mistakes. Then I moved on to add Dm7 and so on........ ( I really kinda suck at practicing this kind of stuff but this one is very satisfying and musical.) Thanks again Paul. T😎
Paul i cannot express my gratitude for you. You share your knowledge with your students. You’re amazingly talented and yet humble as can be. You’re a class act
Once upon a time I taught skiing. At the end of each class I'd ask the group "When you look around the mountain, how do you tell who is the best skier?" I would get answers like, "Their turns are pretty," or, "They go so fast," or, "They never fall," or worst of all, "Because they have the cool gear and clothes." NO. I would explain that every day on the mountain one person had more fun, got more joy out of the day, laughed harder, and made better memories than anyone else: That person wins, they are the best skier on the hill that day. It might indeed be that soul skier with the pretty turns, or it may be a 10 year old beginner girl who has that ah-ha I CAN do this, and I'm better than my brother, light bulb moment; but whoever is having the most fun is doing it right.
Love this, I've been playing guitar for over 10 years now and it's SUPER EASY to compare yourself to others. Such a big mistake because at the end of the day learning guitar (or anything) is meant to be about having fun.
Few months ago I picked up the old guitar again after almost 20 years. Ive been using tabs to have fun with old favorite rock songs (its crazy how you still rememeber some riffs, so much fun) and between here and there some music theory and learning new stuff from (mostly) your videos. Thanks!
Your first point on the thumb placement is a big one, especially for those of us who have begun to come out of the intermediate stage. I had been playing with incorrect thumb placement for YEARS, and didn't experience any pain or discomfort. I did, however, hit a plateau in terms of speed, accuracy, and fret availability because the thumb was essentially anchoring my whole hand to the neck. Relearning what I know and practice now was a huge pain, and having to dial the metronome WAY back to achieve something close to what I was able to accomplish with incorrect thumb placement was immensely frustrating, but after working hard at it, it's made a world of a difference. This whole relearning process took months, but I don't regret one second of it because I've come to learn that sometimes you have to go backward to go forward, and this is a perspective and mindset that has been widely applicable to many other aspects of my life. Great video!
It might be simply the way my hands are built, but Paul’s ‘’normal’’ thumb placement simply does not work for me. I can’t get my thumb to rest in that position, it feels completely wrong compared to parallel with the neck (especially for barre chords and power chords). I find my thumb naturally goes into the ‘thumb over neck’ position whenever I play a normal, non-barre chord.
I've been teaching for close to 20 years and playing for about 40 years. One of my students sent me this video link and said the following: " … this should make you feel good … a great new video that reinforces everything you’ve taught me! " I'm not an educated guy, just a lot of desire to learn and grow coupled with tons of practice and playing experience for many years. I love how concise you presented this. Thank you for such a great job laying it all out!
My best tip is consistency is better than a lot of sporadic hours. It’s better to practice 1-2 hours everyday as opposed to practicing 10 hours every 2-3 days. Trust me, you’ll see a big difference being consistent even if it’s for a short amount of time each day. You’ll organically increase your hours.
@paulnieuwkamp8067 30 minutes a week is 5 minutes, 6 days a week. That will do much more than you think! Especially with serious practice (pick a song, don't just noodle around)
Thanks Paul for this and all of your videos. I'm guilty of being an on-and-off guitarist. I have been playing daily now for about a year and there is one thing that struck me recently. I was trying to solo along with a slow blues song when I found myself getting into the groove. By that I mean I started to move with the beat, rocking slightly forward and back and I felt I was a part of the song. Before that I would just sit still and play whatever notes I thought were appropriate but when I started to actually rock back and forth, I found myself playing with more confidence and it actually sounded much better, more natural. I noticed how, towards the end of this video, you were bobbing you head up and down, going with the beat of what you were playing. So maybe immersing oneself into the music might be another tip to add. For me, it was a eureka moment. But I shouldn't get carried away . . . I know my level.
My first multi effects pedal was a Zoom 505 too. I bought it used from Music-Go-Round for $20 😁 Ever since then I've been hooked on multi effects pedals because of their versatility, I've used ones from Digitech, Vox, Line 6, Zoom, and Mooer. The newer ones have much better cabinet IR's than those old ones. 😁
After years of gripping a pick poorly AND tightly, whenever I strummed for a significant amount of time, I had intense pain in my index finger. I only recently started looking into changing my technique, so thanks a ton for giving great guidance on pick grip in this video. Cheers from Mexico.
I am grateful to you for sharing this beautiful information in detail, and even though I do not know your language, I understood you very well even by reading the subtitles in my native language, Turkish. Thank you very much.
Man, that wxeecise at the end looks challenging... but it is beautiful indeed. Thx again for a great set of advices, Paul. Making my way thru your course, and it is brilliant, I made a lot of progress !
Great video, as always!! BTW: 4:34 : what do you think about all these guitarists/guitar teachers who make a fist so the pick rests almost over the knuckle? I prefer this for individual string stroking and your method for strumming chords. Just like having 3 different hand placements based on what you're playing, I think there are 2 slightly different grips. 14:32 : is there a reason you skip D (6th string - 10th fret) in the descending line?
Also I am a member of Learn Practice Play and Electric Elevation. It gets me put of my comfort zone allows for really fun modules that will improve technique and improvisation. Great work Paul
Paul, you really do a great job of describing all the different aspects of how we can mess ourselves up and how we can be our own best friend when it comes to learning and playing. Excellent job my friend. 5 stars!
I had the blessing of a wonderful mentor who taught me many of the things you discuss here. He took me from cowboy chords to playing and singing at open mics and understanding of music theory applied to the guitar. A great teacher will push you beyond your own expectations. Thanks Dave! I would only add that people should learn to play songs, not just riffs. Learn to sing with what you play and how to change a song key to fit your voice. That will take care of the breathing bit very well as you learn breath control to sing. Paul, your tips here are excellent and condense that knowledge nicely that took me several years to acquire.
As self taught guitarist started at 9 years old, and now 53, I can say I do not make the mistakes 1 to 9. But nr. 10 is a thing for the most self taught players I know. It's not learning anything new and sticking to old techniques and keep repeating it for years and years. I still play 99% of the time within the first 3 frets. Altough I can do almost anything you can imagine within that small range, I still think it's holding me back. I mean I have learned Travis picking from your video from a few years back. It took me literally 5 minutes to master it, but without that video I wouldn't be playing (and singing) songs like: Rollercoaster from Danny Vera, or Just breathe from Pearl Jam. So self taught is fine, but don't let it hold you back and try to learn some new techniques every now and then...Cheers Paul, thnx for the video's
I love the new zooming in and slowing down stuff. Very useful when it comes to getting a good sense of what's really happening on the fretboard and strings.
The important thing about how hard you press is how far the strings are from the frets. Take your guitar to get properly set up. If the strings are too far, you'll need to press harder, maybe even too hard.
Awesome video, I'd like to see some more recommendations on warm-ups and exercises like you showed us. Something to kinda help bridge that gap from beginner to intermediate. Thank you for everything you do.
While it often appears that holding the pick with the thumb and the index finger is the "Norm" and to be preferred...I find that the thumb and the middle finger balances everything more nicely, and also releases the index finger to do other things.....Obviously there is no right or wrong way to hold a pick...There is just the way that works for you. I did notice Eddie Van Halen used the middle finger method frequently also...So I guess I'm not alone there Appreciate you and the easy going way you present things
Still the King. Paul The rippa. But the voice is his biggest asset. Soothing. Paul, still here, you are the chosen one. No joke, few, if any, can teach like you.
😏 So good to have a great guy on the frets passing on wisdoms! • Paul you have a touch of human genius about you; translates as faithful-fun-key-fun for a learner and oh yes, that touch of class, too! You're not giving up on us! ❤
Ooh now THAT's interesting - at 16:00 your D and G poles are raised way up, B is recessed, top E about flush and the fat strings slightly raised. Seems to more than follow the neck curvature. Looks unusual, sounds great! 🤔
#2: I have a cheap no name travel guitar, it's pretty much the neck with some rods that you attach/detach for travel, sounds like crap when I played. My cousin, who had been playing for at least 20 years by that time, got his hands on it, and I swear an angle was playing it, it sounded absolutely amazing.
@PaulDavids 1:40 when switching to barre chords with the thumb fretting the low “E” do you still have some space between your hand and the back of the neck? That seems like you wouldn’t have enough torque to fret the notes, but maybe my technique is wrong. Also, I’m loving the Electric Elevation course! It’s so great to learn from.
Great video! Every tip is solid gold, presented with PD’s usual low-key charm. I’m most of the way through your beginner course, and I love it. I have tried a few beginner courses (Justin, Fender Play, Rick Beato), and yours is my favorite. I feel like it might take me a while to get up to full speed on that exercise though! 😂
Great lesson. I’ve been teaching myself for less than a year. #1 for me in these tips is lackluster groove. I have never played to a metronome. I think I will start today. On the bright side, I have gotten relatively good at paying attention to all the hand and finger stuff. That’s because, unfortunately, I have gotten some tendonitis.
Another thing I'll add here. Watch your body while playing. Shoulders. (Especially your strumming shoulder) How are the legs positioned? Is the spine straight? What about the elbow? Does the skin (or in my case fat) of the strumming arm wrap around on the edge of the guitar? I experimented with those things and just minor adjustments makes playing a bit easier. Not necessarily better but easier once I found the sweat spots.
I used to play as a kid and recently found my old strat and picked it up again. Picking never felt right for me and it one of the main reasons i stopped playing years ago. Now that im back into it im getting these vids pop up and now im seeing that ive just been holding it entirely wrong the whole time 🤦♂️ now im gonna play all morning once my shifts done thanks!
Yeah i actually learned a lot in this video. Im definitely gonna check out the website too when i get home. Just gave me more drive to get better and learn more!
I am close to intermediate and improving my guitars now. This improved my play style pretty mich because my cheap beginner guitars were so hard to play. So to me it is like work until you hit a wall then get better gear and repeat.
Hetfield uses also middle finger for how he holds the pick ....so it really depends probably on music style and the sound you want to achieve. Great video.
#10 - I've done similar things, but not put it together quite like that or made it a daily exercise. Nice. I'd basically do the 7 chord arpeggio up teh neck with the root note on the E string, or up the neck on odds and down on evens. Helpful to get an idea for the patterns/notes.
Great tips and super fun exercise at the end. It’s whipping my left hand back into shape. When I don’t play frequently, my 4th finger tends to become pretty…. Lazy 😂 I’m going to do this a few times a day for a while.
7:30 This part I agree but also disagree, starting with thick strings when you’re learning then later you’ll get easier when you choose gauge you feel comfortable. Well that could be personal too tho.
I absolutely agree with you. To some people no matter how ligh the strings are is just gonna be to hard. People who quit guitar cause it hurts just don't want to play guitar and need an excuse. I don't say people need to learn on .014s but .010 or .009 are just normal strings. And I also don't agree there is correct way to hold a pick. While I do hold it like he shows, there is a lot of great guitar players who do it their own way.
10:00 Sometimes a metronome doesn't work well, least for me. If I listen to the song, or "feel" the song I can play on time really well. Whereas I use a metronome, I focus on keeping in time so much my playing becomes messy. I will appreciate tips to improve this!
I feel the same. with a metronome I have an immediate feeling of racing it from the First note. rather than using the natural rhythm. we all have one built in already I.e the heart, sounds a little wooo woo but when even listening to music you really like the rhythm of your heart will become in sync with the 16 semiquaver / 1/16, sixteenth note invisible framework in each bar / beat. john Frusciante talks about how everyone generally plays solos within that framework and how he tries to not do that stretching and speeding up time etc. rules are made to be broken and I strongly believe music is naturally intuitive making it better to go by the feel rather than lock yourself into a box. playing with the song is so much more fun aswel.
My first guitar teacher had me stop and start over at every mistake. Not only did it make it hard for me to ever finish a song - if I tried, I would nevertheless pause briefly at the mistake - years later, it's still a problem for me. I now realize it also made it harder for me to keep time ... because that was never part of the training. it was only about accuracy over everything else. Made it very hard for me to get better, much less play along with anyone else.
I was smiling all the vid, cause, yes Paul , every single advice is on point. Saying that after playing the guitar over 20y intensively...more or less. But yes. I agree on all of that. Thanks for reminding some things still. Great vid
I teach my kids to use alcohol as a way to relax when learning the guitar. My six year old has been a revelation since she started to adopt lager to relieve the stress.
I wish this was available and what I watched and learned when I picked up the guitar 15 years ago. I'm full of bad habits that I'm really finding so hard to get rid off. Still, thank you for this. I will keep these in mind on my next practice
This reminds me of how some people say theory is critical, but I remember Jimmy Hendrix in an interview where he knows nothing, he specifically states “I just play when I’m sad” and a few other reasons and this was when he was being considered the BEST of the BEST so that should really speak volumes to anyone who feels comfortable playing how they want too. Just fine tune your craft and critique yourself until YOU are happy and that’s success 🎉
A big ‘shout out’ for my beloved zoom 505 (3:05). I’ve upgraded since I bought it about 25 years ago but I unboxed it a few months ago and it still works and still sounds fantastic. Unbelievable value
The best video that I've seen nowadays. Thank you so much for your vids, help me a lot with my guitar troubles. I'm feeling so marvellous and happy just to play with this tips. Love you ❤
Ive got that Ralph Denyer Guitar Handbook - Its great! But out of print. Someone should make sure it gets published again.... I learned so much from it
Love this video. I’m in need of exercises and warm ups so this has been perfect thank you. Also love the tip about thumb and leaving space between the neck starting that one tonight
Like always thanks. When I saw a ZOOM 505II at the coolest music instrument shop for a bargain I had to have it. What a blast from the past. Man a KORG PANDORA stomp is such a useful piece of kit for a toy. Headphones out and AUX in on one pedal. Listening and playing along at night while watching great content.
Man this guys voice is so smooth and calming i feel like im taking a yoga class and doing guitar on the side
yoga's shit.
I like to think Paul Davids is the Bob Ross of my generation.
@@KAITOzrExactly! I thought: „I know this voice!“ And then: „Ah, sounds like Bob Ross.“ So calming! - Nice Video. Subscribed! 😊
I fall asleep to his videos all the time.
This is why I love his guitar course and stick to it. It is like the best teacher is talking to you. He really care to give you the best information. 😊
Obi Wan is back
And this time he will have his revenge.
He’s Also playing musical chairs
We still have Obi-Wan, the gray and Obi-Wan the white in the future!
@@royalmarine1011? Against who?
but vader died.
r.i.p. james earl jones
I would suggest the following: when I am fed up with a difficult piece I am learning, or an exercise, I stop for a while and play something completely different, but that I know well. A much easier piece from what I was working previously.
This helps to relax, play with pleasure and forget for a little while the difficult exercise.
After 5 or 10 minutes, revert back to the difficult exercise, and then, everything comes much better !
All the best,
knarf from France 🎸🇨🇵
Solid advice
Agreed I do too.
Me to . A little change is good.
Same here
Totally this. I have ‘go to’ pieces of music that I love. They don’t stretch me anymore but they act as nice rest pieces when I’m struggling with something else.
Make sure that you enjoy the journey because you’ll never stop learning, I hear that often and it’s great advice.
Use tabs as a guide to how a solo (in particular) is played but don't be hemmed in by it. All the big soloists never play the same thing twice.
How do you enjoy it? Cause it ain't enjoyable at all for me.
On the note of Press, but no stress. I notice usually new guitarist with a new guitar, will have their guitar not set up properly (e.g high action). Because of this, they do press hard and it became a habit.
So for new guitarist getting new guitar, get someone to set up your guitar 😁
Great video btw
Yes before I knew that you could set a guitar up I sold a beautiful Dean guitar because it was so painful to play because of such high action. Now that I know how to set up guitars and have set up both my martin and seagull, I dreadfully regret getting rid of the Dean. It sounded so beautiful it was just not playable for a beginner.
Oh great, I've been playing for 20+ years and not ONCE thought about my breathing! Now I won't stop thinking about it! Thanks a lot!
😆😅🤣😂
Thanks!
“Mindless wankery!” Always hilarious hearing British profanity in non-British accents. 😂 Thanks for the tips Paul. This video made me realised I don’t make too many rookie mistakes. ❤
Well, it is fun to say wank. And the Dutch already say "cunt" all the time. Kunt u mij die gitaar aangeven?
I get wanker as a term is more often associated with Britain, but I feel in the context of music, "mindless wankery" or similar use of the phrase is understood no matter where you are from that speaks english... it is a subtler and less crude way to say "musical masturbation"
@@MedalionDS9 I was in an online chat debate with some American guys and some Brits and it all got a bit heated over nothing but one American through a bit of a hissy fit and left the group in anger. This other American chirped up 'as you Brits might say - he was a bit of a wanker anyway'. However in this context that Paul uses wankery simply means rubbish. So being Dutch and fluently conversant with Britain and all things British I think he totally nails the UA-cam phenomenon of so much stuff on here as - 'Mindlessly Rubbish'.
I’m a guy from small town Michigan just popping in to scream BOLLOCKS!
Actually, here in the UK, it's a much cruder way of saying mindless masturbation. Which is why hearing Paul say it is so funny, because the crude way is so much more accurate! 😂
Man, that voice is just marvellous
Ya....He could have a marvelous career in voice overs/audio books/Documentaries. I'm honestly reminded of kid's Christmas movies.
Guitar Bob Ross
Bedankt
I love that you emphasize being relaxed and not tensing up. I probably had over 500 shows under my belt before I honed in on this issue and corrected it. My wife actually told me I look like I’m taking a dump when I play which is funny but it made me realize that I need to relax more. I looked more intensely concentrated than I really was, even playing parts that had become 100% muscle memory. It took me months to completely change my breathing, posture (sitting and standing) and focused on being more deliberate with my picking hand and relaxing my shoulders and even my face and my playing improved. I tell young guitarists all the time to be cognizant about these things and get into the habit of being relaxed early in their playing journey.
And I hope you can now take a dump in a relaxed fashion ( because tense dumping is bad for you, long term!).
Been playing for 25 years. Thanks for the touch up on habits. They can drift if you're not paying attention.
Or 3-5 years in you get complacent with what you know and can do... and 20 years down the road you wonder why you stopped picking up the guitar for years at a time. Realized recently I've lost decades of progress because I stopped learning. Avoided theory, avoided new and difficult challenges. I'm starting from the beginning again. There's so much info available now to learn theory and improve finger independence/economy of motion. Humbling, but when I stop myself playing the same riffs and chords I've been noodling for decades... it's fun again, and challenging.
Not playing attention
been playing 555 years.. thanks for reminding me I play.
The only mistake is watching too many UA-cam videos instead of playing.
Joking aside, I think watching UA-cam walkthroughs of songs is a vastly better way of learning songs than cold hard tabs or apps that just tell you which notes to play. A good UA-cam video will tell you what techniques are important to deliver the song well, explain music theory relevant to the song, and tell you which things you unlock by learning this song. I would say that learning songs from UA-cam instead of UltimateGuitar is the missing actionable advice from the "no tabs" part of this video.
And then right after I watched that part it cut into a Yousician ad. Oopsie.
That's why I didn't watch this video but just listened to it! 😌
Number 4 is the best advice I think. Being chill is critical. Being chill. You get your best
So many excellent tips Paul!
I would like to add that, especially young and completely inexperienced guitar students, whether learning on an acoustic or electric guitar invest in at least a semi-decent guitar. When I first started out I, nor my parents who were completely ignorant of the instrument, had no idea of the huge difference in the playability of inexpensive or “pricey” guitars. Also, I didn’t have any friends who played. As a result, a guitar was a guitar! I wound up playing a $30 Harmony (60 years ago). The Nut and strings were so high off the fretboard that it would bring tears to my eyes to form a C chord! Fortunately I persisted, but I didn’t learn the difference of ease and comfort of a better quality guitar until years later when I finally met others who owned decent guitars. Some of these inexpensive guitars would have our most beloved “Pro’s” sound like amateurs if they tried playing them! In short, a poorly crafted guitar can quickly lead to discouragement and ultimately abandoning the instrument! (BTW - still playing today!)
Many, many years ago I used to tell my wife that I could do better if I had better gear... then.. one day a friend of mine came over and picked up my Epiphone acoustic guitar and he wailed on it!! I mean he was really, really good!! My wife turned to me and said, "What was this about needing better gear?!" It definitely opened my eyes and I realized the part you were talking about regarding practice. Haven't had a Fender or Gibson in quite a while but have done a lot of shows with Squiers, Epiphones and Ibenez guitars. And I'm not even talking about the high end ones of those, just the ones I could afford. My first guitar had the action set pretty high but I didn't know better so I practiced to the point my thumb muscle on my left hand was twice as big as the one on my right hand just to press the strings... then I learned a lot about guitar action. Back then there was no internet, or computers, and defintiely no cell phones so you learned where ever you could, mostly books since there were no instructors anywhere near me at the time.
Suggestion to Watchers: When Practicing The arpeggio exercise at the end of the video, I found it very helpful to loop on the cM7 arpeggio till I could play it without mistakes. Then I moved on to add Dm7 and so on........ ( I really kinda suck at practicing this kind of stuff but this one is very satisfying and musical.) Thanks again Paul. T😎
Are you just alternate picking the whole thing? Thanks for the tip!
Paul i cannot express my gratitude for you. You share your knowledge with your students. You’re amazingly talented and yet humble as can be. You’re a class act
I picked up guitar when i was starting my freshman year in H.S (00') and even after all this time, this video was a great refresher!
Bobby
Once upon a time I taught skiing. At the end of each class I'd ask the group "When you look around the mountain, how do you tell who is the best skier?" I would get answers like, "Their turns are pretty," or, "They go so fast," or, "They never fall," or worst of all, "Because they have the cool gear and clothes." NO. I would explain that every day on the mountain one person had more fun, got more joy out of the day, laughed harder, and made better memories than anyone else: That person wins, they are the best skier on the hill that day. It might indeed be that soul skier with the pretty turns, or it may be a 10 year old beginner girl who has that ah-ha I CAN do this, and I'm better than my brother, light bulb moment; but whoever is having the most fun is doing it right.
Love this, I've been playing guitar for over 10 years now and it's SUPER EASY to compare yourself to others. Such a big mistake because at the end of the day learning guitar (or anything) is meant to be about having fun.
What a treasure you are Paul. I know its not likely, but you're someone I'd really like to meet someday.
Jim
Few months ago I picked up the old guitar again after almost 20 years. Ive been using tabs to have fun with old favorite rock songs (its crazy how you still rememeber some riffs, so much fun) and between here and there some music theory and learning new stuff from (mostly) your videos. Thanks!
Was literally just thinking I probably have so many bad habits I don’t know about… Paul David bestows his wisdom once again, right when I need it ❤
I got that guitar handbook 30 years ago. still got it. the chord diagrams at the back were vital pre internet.
Nice. Love the arpeggio exercise. Hallelujah was by Leonard Cohen, though - but the most well known version is by Jeff Buckley.
Your first point on the thumb placement is a big one, especially for those of us who have begun to come out of the intermediate stage. I had been playing with incorrect thumb placement for YEARS, and didn't experience any pain or discomfort. I did, however, hit a plateau in terms of speed, accuracy, and fret availability because the thumb was essentially anchoring my whole hand to the neck.
Relearning what I know and practice now was a huge pain, and having to dial the metronome WAY back to achieve something close to what I was able to accomplish with incorrect thumb placement was immensely frustrating, but after working hard at it, it's made a world of a difference. This whole relearning process took months, but I don't regret one second of it because I've come to learn that sometimes you have to go backward to go forward, and this is a perspective and mindset that has been widely applicable to many other aspects of my life. Great video!
It might be simply the way my hands are built, but Paul’s ‘’normal’’ thumb placement simply does not work for me. I can’t get my thumb to rest in that position, it feels completely wrong compared to parallel with the neck (especially for barre chords and power chords).
I find my thumb naturally goes into the ‘thumb over neck’ position whenever I play a normal, non-barre chord.
watch the video of Hendrix at woodstock
playing a walking bass line on the E string with his thumb
and tell us he was playing it wrong
I've been teaching for close to 20 years and playing for about 40 years. One of my students sent me this video link and said the following:
" … this should make you feel good … a great new video that reinforces everything you’ve taught me! "
I'm not an educated guy, just a lot of desire to learn and grow coupled with tons of practice and playing experience for many years. I love how concise you presented this. Thank you for such a great job laying it all out!
My best tip is consistency is better than a lot of sporadic hours. It’s better to practice 1-2 hours everyday as opposed to practicing 10 hours every 2-3 days. Trust me, you’ll see a big difference being consistent even if it’s for a short amount of time each day. You’ll organically increase your hours.
Very true.
I play every day because I like that
This is the first piece of practice advice I give all of my students.
HOW long everyday? Ain't nobody got time for that... For real, I've got a job and a family; I'm happy to get 15 or 30 minutes in during the week...
@paulnieuwkamp8067 30 minutes a week is 5 minutes, 6 days a week. That will do much more than you think! Especially with serious practice (pick a song, don't just noodle around)
Thanks Paul for this and all of your videos. I'm guilty of being an on-and-off guitarist. I have been playing daily now for about a year and there is one thing that struck me recently. I was trying to solo along with a slow blues song when I found myself getting into the groove. By that I mean I started to move with the beat, rocking slightly forward and back and I felt I was a part of the song. Before that I would just sit still and play whatever notes I thought were appropriate but when I started to actually rock back and forth, I found myself playing with more confidence and it actually sounded much better, more natural. I noticed how, towards the end of this video, you were bobbing you head up and down, going with the beat of what you were playing. So maybe immersing oneself into the music might be another tip to add. For me, it was a eureka moment. But I shouldn't get carried away . . . I know my level.
The Ultimate Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer is THE book every guitarist should own! I learned so much from that book.
Thanks for the recommendation.
@@thedonbishop55 It was Paul's suggestion, not mine. 😉 I was lucky enough to read it 20 years back.
Absolutely. The book!
@@35milesoflead I just realised I already read this book all the way back in 2004. Good to know I had good taste even as a teenager back then. 😂
I hasten to add that the Ralph Shipman Complete Guitarist book was one I used, too!
My first multi effects pedal was a Zoom 505 too. I bought it used from Music-Go-Round for $20 😁 Ever since then I've been hooked on multi effects pedals because of their versatility, I've used ones from Digitech, Vox, Line 6, Zoom, and Mooer. The newer ones have much better cabinet IR's than those old ones. 😁
Hello 👋
I held my breathe while playing for so many years! It took me a really long time to learn to undo that behavior. Great video as always. Thanks.
After years of gripping a pick poorly AND tightly, whenever I strummed for a significant amount of time, I had intense pain in my index finger. I only recently started looking into changing my technique, so thanks a ton for giving great guidance on pick grip in this video. Cheers from Mexico.
Paul's video helps me a lot to improve my guitar skill!!❤️
Thank you Paul & love to see your video
😀 Nailed #2... I said the answer immediately after PD asked the question. Not tooting my horn too much since the answer was so obvious.
I am grateful to you for sharing this beautiful information in detail, and even though I do not know your language, I understood you very well even by reading the subtitles in my native language, Turkish. Thank you very much.
Man, that wxeecise at the end looks challenging... but it is beautiful indeed.
Thx again for a great set of advices, Paul. Making my way thru your course, and it is brilliant, I made a lot of progress !
Daniel
Great video, as always!!
BTW:
4:34 : what do you think about all these guitarists/guitar teachers who make a fist so the pick rests almost over the knuckle? I prefer this for individual string stroking and your method for strumming chords. Just like having 3 different hand placements based on what you're playing, I think there are 2 slightly different grips.
14:32 : is there a reason you skip D (6th string - 10th fret) in the descending line?
Also I am a member of Learn Practice Play and Electric Elevation. It gets me put of my comfort zone allows for really fun modules that will improve technique and improvisation. Great work Paul
That exercise at the end is exactly what i've been looking for to mix up my practice routine! thanks!!
This dude deserves every accolade. He's an excellent teacher in the internet age
Mr. Guitar Guy I thought my fingers were too short but it was the thumb placement I actually love you
Paul, you really do a great job of describing all the different aspects of how we can mess ourselves up and how we can be our own best friend when it comes to learning and playing. Excellent job my friend. 5 stars!
I had the blessing of a wonderful mentor who taught me many of the things you discuss here.
He took me from cowboy chords to playing and singing at open mics and understanding of music theory applied to the guitar.
A great teacher will push you beyond your own expectations. Thanks Dave!
I would only add that people should learn to play songs, not just riffs.
Learn to sing with what you play and how to change a song key to fit your voice.
That will take care of the breathing bit very well as you learn breath control to sing.
Paul, your tips here are excellent and condense that knowledge nicely that took me several years to acquire.
Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of the imagination is incalculable.
Incredible, I was just thinking how poor my technique was today. How nothing sounds as clean as it should. And this just popped up! Great stuff.
As self taught guitarist started at 9 years old, and now 53, I can say I do not make the mistakes 1 to 9. But nr. 10 is a thing for the most self taught players I know. It's not learning anything new and sticking to old techniques and keep repeating it for years and years. I still play 99% of the time within the first 3 frets. Altough I can do almost anything you can imagine within that small range, I still think it's holding me back. I mean I have learned Travis picking from your video from a few years back. It took me literally 5 minutes to master it, but without that video I wouldn't be playing (and singing) songs like: Rollercoaster from Danny Vera, or Just breathe from Pearl Jam. So self taught is fine, but don't let it hold you back and try to learn some new techniques every now and then...Cheers Paul, thnx for the video's
Your Double stop video has helped me TREMENDOUSLY on my leads.Thank you so much for posting that video.
great video as usual... the footage of the picking hand at the end is a lesson in itself of how to hold and use the pick.
I love the new zooming in and slowing down stuff. Very useful when it comes to getting a good sense of what's really happening on the fretboard and strings.
Such a great video as always Paul.Thanks indeed. It's always a pleasure to hear your suggestions! Greeting from Italy! 🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻
You dont know how much it helps me when you make explanations simple to understand.
The important thing about how hard you press is how far the strings are from the frets. Take your guitar to get properly set up. If the strings are too far, you'll need to press harder, maybe even too hard.
Awesome video, I'd like to see some more recommendations on warm-ups and exercises like you showed us. Something to kinda help bridge that gap from beginner to intermediate. Thank you for everything you do.
While it often appears that holding the pick with the thumb and the index finger is the "Norm" and to be preferred...I find that the thumb and the middle finger balances everything more nicely, and also releases the index finger to do other things.....Obviously there is no right or wrong way to hold a pick...There is just the way that works for you. I did notice Eddie Van Halen used the middle finger method frequently also...So I guess I'm not alone there
Appreciate you and the easy going way you present things
Still the King. Paul The rippa. But the voice is his biggest asset. Soothing. Paul, still here, you are the chosen one. No joke, few, if any, can teach like you.
14:19 bookmarking this cool exercise
The first bar reminded me of stranger things xD
@@Kratofl I hear it
No joke, that will take some serious practice to play it fluently. I sounded like I was falling down stairs the first time I tried it!
😏 So good to have a great guy on the frets passing on wisdoms!
• Paul you have a touch of human genius about you; translates as faithful-fun-key-fun for a learner and oh yes, that touch of class, too! You're not giving up on us!
❤
Ooh now THAT's interesting - at 16:00 your D and G poles are raised way up, B is recessed, top E about flush and the fat strings slightly raised. Seems to more than follow the neck curvature. Looks unusual, sounds great! 🤔
If it wasn't for bad habits I'd have no habits at all!
#2: I have a cheap no name travel guitar, it's pretty much the neck with some rods that you attach/detach for travel, sounds like crap when I played. My cousin, who had been playing for at least 20 years by that time, got his hands on it, and I swear an angle was playing it, it sounded absolutely amazing.
Thank you for everything you do Paul.
@PaulDavids 1:40 when switching to barre chords with the thumb fretting the low “E” do you still have some space between your hand and the back of the neck? That seems like you wouldn’t have enough torque to fret the notes, but maybe my technique is wrong. Also, I’m loving the Electric Elevation course! It’s so great to learn from.
Scott
I know I'm not Paul, but no you don't :)
Great video! Every tip is solid gold, presented with PD’s usual low-key charm. I’m most of the way through your beginner course, and I love it. I have tried a few beginner courses (Justin, Fender Play, Rick Beato), and yours is my favorite. I feel like it might take me a while to get up to full speed on that exercise though! 😂
David
Great lesson. I’ve been teaching myself for less than a year. #1 for me in these tips is lackluster groove. I have never played to a metronome. I think I will start today. On the bright side, I have gotten relatively good at paying attention to all the hand and finger stuff. That’s because, unfortunately, I have gotten some tendonitis.
Another thing I'll add here. Watch your body while playing. Shoulders. (Especially your strumming shoulder) How are the legs positioned? Is the spine straight? What about the elbow? Does the skin (or in my case fat) of the strumming arm wrap around on the edge of the guitar?
I experimented with those things and just minor adjustments makes playing a bit easier. Not necessarily better but easier once I found the sweat spots.
As an stiff-jointed old man I find that keeping my right shoulder low and relaxed helps the playing.
You're 100% right, playing with good posture can make everything so much easier. If I'm not comfortable, my playing definitely feels clunkier.
Wow! I still have my 505 after all these years! I may have to bring it out to revisit that era again!😊
I used to play as a kid and recently found my old strat and picked it up again. Picking never felt right for me and it one of the main reasons i stopped playing years ago. Now that im back into it im getting these vids pop up and now im seeing that ive just been holding it entirely wrong the whole time 🤦♂️ now im gonna play all morning once my shifts done thanks!
Yeah i actually learned a lot in this video. Im definitely gonna check out the website too when i get home. Just gave me more drive to get better and learn more!
I am close to intermediate and improving my guitars now. This improved my play style pretty mich because my cheap beginner guitars were so hard to play. So to me it is like work until you hit a wall then get better gear and repeat.
Hetfield uses also middle finger for how he holds the pick ....so it really depends probably on music style and the sound you want to achieve.
Great video.
Hey! Would you mind showing us all of your current guitars and how/why you use each one? Specially the acoustic ones. Thank you!
The Guitar Handbook! I’ve had it too since the 90s. Awesome book in the pre-internet days
go for the triads, open your view to the fretboard ! I love it and its fun
I had one of those 505’s. Great little pedal.
#10 - I've done similar things, but not put it together quite like that or made it a daily exercise. Nice.
I'd basically do the 7 chord arpeggio up teh neck with the root note on the E string, or up the neck on odds and down on evens. Helpful to get an idea for the patterns/notes.
Great tips and super fun exercise at the end. It’s whipping my left hand back into shape. When I don’t play frequently, my 4th finger tends to become pretty…. Lazy 😂 I’m going to do this a few times a day for a while.
7:30 This part I agree but also disagree, starting with thick strings when you’re learning then later you’ll get easier when you choose gauge you feel comfortable. Well that could be personal too tho.
I absolutely agree with you. To some people no matter how ligh the strings are is just gonna be to hard. People who quit guitar cause it hurts just don't want to play guitar and need an excuse. I don't say people need to learn on .014s but .010 or .009 are just normal strings.
And I also don't agree there is correct way to hold a pick. While I do hold it like he shows, there is a lot of great guitar players who do it their own way.
10:00 Sometimes a metronome doesn't work well, least for me. If I listen to the song, or "feel" the song I can play on time really well. Whereas I use a metronome, I focus on keeping in time so much my playing becomes messy. I will appreciate tips to improve this!
I feel the same. with a metronome I have an immediate feeling of racing it from the First note. rather than using the natural rhythm. we all have one built in already I.e the heart, sounds a little wooo woo but when even listening to music you really like the rhythm of your heart will become in sync with the 16 semiquaver / 1/16, sixteenth note invisible framework in each bar / beat. john Frusciante talks about how everyone generally plays solos within that framework and how he tries to not do that stretching and speeding up time etc. rules are made to be broken and I strongly believe music is naturally intuitive making it better to go by the feel rather than lock yourself into a box. playing with the song is so much more fun aswel.
I really like that exercise at the end of the video. Will have to try it. Thank you.
My first guitar teacher had me stop and start over at every mistake. Not only did it make it hard for me to ever finish a song - if I tried, I would nevertheless pause briefly at the mistake - years later, it's still a problem for me. I now realize it also made it harder for me to keep time ... because that was never part of the training. it was only about accuracy over everything else.
Made it very hard for me to get better, much less play along with anyone else.
The last exercise is perfect!
That's a beautiful sounding exercise that I will absolutely use, thanks for sharing!
Thank you Paul, this video is so helpful. I love it.
Paul I have missed you I'm back and watching every post
I was smiling all the vid, cause, yes Paul , every single advice is on point. Saying that after playing the guitar over 20y intensively...more or less. But yes. I agree on all of that. Thanks for reminding some things still. Great vid
I used to play that same Zoom 505 through a little Gorilla amp - it sounded terrible! But I didn't care back then; I was happy just to have a guitar!
Kevin
Covered in Improve the Groove .... adding.... the benefits of "tap the foot" or another connection to locking into the groove (think Angus Young).
I teach my kids to use alcohol as a way to relax when learning the guitar. My six year old has been a revelation since she started to adopt lager to relieve the stress.
What’s that offspring song? You’re gonna go far, kid?
Shots of Jëager to get them to that next level.
The problema is after a free drinks You forget that You are forget that You are practising 😂
Am I the only one who thinks giving KIDS ALCOHOL is bad? I mean depends on the age. Are they 21 or higher
@@walterwestermeier2129you might be on it as well. You forget how to spell.
I wish this was available and what I watched and learned when I picked up the guitar 15 years ago. I'm full of bad habits that I'm really finding so hard to get rid off.
Still, thank you for this. I will keep these in mind on my next practice
This reminds me of how some people say theory is critical, but I remember Jimmy Hendrix in an interview where he knows nothing, he specifically states “I just play when I’m sad” and a few other reasons and this was when he was being considered the BEST of the BEST so that should really speak volumes to anyone who feels comfortable playing how they want too. Just fine tune your craft and critique yourself until YOU are happy and that’s success 🎉
A big ‘shout out’ for my beloved zoom 505 (3:05). I’ve upgraded since I bought it about 25 years ago but I unboxed it a few months ago and it still works and still sounds fantastic. Unbelievable value
The best video that I've seen nowadays. Thank you so much for your vids, help me a lot with my guitar troubles. I'm feeling so marvellous and happy just to play with this tips. Love you ❤
I had one of those 505’s. I loved that thing.
Ive got that Ralph Denyer Guitar Handbook - Its great! But out of print. Someone should make sure it gets published again.... I learned so much from it
Love this video. I’m in need of exercises and warm ups so this has been perfect thank you. Also love the tip about thumb and leaving space between the neck starting that one tonight
as a self taught guitarist
i really appreciate this vid
and will be doing the last exercise
Like always thanks. When I saw a ZOOM 505II at the coolest music instrument shop for a bargain I had to have it. What a blast from the past. Man a KORG PANDORA stomp is such a useful piece of kit for a toy. Headphones out and AUX in on one pedal. Listening and playing along at night while watching great content.
Oh my god, the Zoom 505... What a hit of nostalgia! I had one around... 1999?
That exercice at the end is so great for finger coordination!
Hermel
tks anythig is very important, now im changed teacher and retutrn me to technique is very important to advance. TKS