Guitar skills: 9 must-know guitar techniques for beginners and intermediates

Mastery of barre chords will open up new styles of music and help you tackle more complex songs.

My 10 guitar playing tips to speed up your learning even faster

Now that you know the basics of guitar playing, I want to share a few tips to help you master them sooner.

1. Set specific goals

Before you begin practicing, it's important to clearly understand what you want to achieve. 

Do you want to

• Learn a particular song or style of music? 
• Play in a band?
• Develop your strumming technique?

Whatever your goal, make sure it's specific and achievable. 

• For example, instead of simply wanting to "get better at guitar," set a specific goal like "learn to play two new songs by the end of the month." 
• This will give you something specific to work towards, and you'll be able to track your progress more easily.

2. Practice regularly

Consistency is key when it comes to improving your guitar skills. 

While it's important to have dedicated practice sessions, it's also helpful to incorporate shorter practice sessions into your daily routine. 

• Even just 15-20 minutes of daily practice can make a big difference in your progress. 
• Regular practice will give you better results than cramming an hour or two just before your lesson.

3. Use a metronome

A metronome is a device that produces a steady pulse (or beat) to help you keep time while practicing. 

When you practice guitar or learn new songs it’s essential to develop a strong sense of timing and rhythm. 

• Many guitarists find that using a metronome helps them play more accurately and consistently. 
• Also, there are numerous apps that will produce a drum beat or percussive pattern. 
• With a varied rhythmic pulse, as opposed to a single sound such as a clave or wood block, it’s harder for the brain to ignore. 

It’s more fun to play along with jam tracks, especially if there’s a specific genre you want to master. 

Check my backing tracks breakdown and jam along with the Pickup Music live band.

4. Get quality instruction

Getting personal tutoring on how to play guitar better can speed up your learning at an incredible rate. 

Here’s why.

• The right instructor will help you identify and correct any bad habits you may have developed. 
• They can also provide personalized guidance to help you reach your goals.

Most online guitar lessons lack this crucial aspect of teaching (except for ours – we give personalized video feedback to our students!)

5. Break things down and practice slowly

When learning a new song or beginner guitar techniques, it can be tempting to try and play it at full speed right away. 

However, this can often lead to frustration and poor results. 

• Instead, try breaking things down into smaller, more manageable chunks. 
• Practice each part slowly and consistently, gradually increasing your speed as you get more comfortable. 

Try to achieve a slow enough practice tempo to allow you to play each note and chord cleanly, but not too slow so that playing becomes tedious.

6. Repetition

Knowing how to become good at guitar means knowing the value of repetition.

Repeating a specific section or passage over and over again until it becomes second nature. 

All too often there’s one particular part of the tune you’re trying to play that’s tough to get clean – sometimes there are several challenging sections. 

• If you always start at the beginning of the tune and play through to the end, you only attack the complex sections once per run through. 
• If the tune is 5 minutes long, then, over the course of an hour, you would have played the tough sections 12 times each. 
• If those sections by themselves added up to 30 seconds, and you only concentrated on them and not the whole tune, you would be able to attack them 120 times in the space of an hour.

7. Isolation

This involves focusing on a specific aspect of your playing, such as your strumming or fingerpicking and practicing it separately from the rest of the song.

Often we’re not good at spotting our own weak spots – this is when some professional guidance really comes in handy.

You can get an outside perspective and discover which parts of your playing need to be zoned in on and worked through with isolated exercises.

8. Scales and exercises 

Practicing scales and exercises can help improve your technique and finger dexterity. 

The key to making these fun is to practice them with a backing track that’s in the same key as your scale so you can get a sense of how it sounds in a musical context.

9. Get feedback from others (and yourself)

Getting feedback from other musicians can be valuable in terms of knowing how to improve your guitar skills. 

• This can be as simple as asking a friend or family member to listen to you play and give you their honest assessment. 
• Seeking out constructive criticism from more experienced players is a powerful way to identify weak areas as well. 
• It’s also a great idea to record yourself playing. 
• You’ll be amazed at what you can learn by listening back to your playing – there are a ton of little mistakes that we miss in the heat of the moment.

10. Visualization

There will be times when you simply don’t have access to your guitar. 

• These times are great for going inside your head and imagining certain playing techniques.
• A lot of research has been carried out to assess the value of internal practice. 
• It turns out that it can be a very powerful addition to physical practice. 

It sounds a little weird, but can be extremely effective. 

It’s also a great way to identify material that you need to practice more. 

If you can’t clearly visualize it in your mind’s eye, chances are that you need to solidify it with additional practice.‍

Wrapping Up

One of the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to these beginner guitar tips is to not get overwhelmed. 

I know there’s a lot to think about so just select the tips and exercises that are most important to your specific goals. 

Learning the guitar can be incredibly challenging and focussing on the goal ahead is vital. 

As long as those goals are realistic and you focus on mastering basic guitar skills, you’ll be playing your favorite songs confidently in no time.

We love helping guitarists develop and believe that our platform is the best online guitar learning experience. 

If you want to see for yourself without spending a penny, check out a 14-day free trial to Pickup Music. 

With personalized video feedback, plenty of jamming opportunities, and lessons from the world’s best guitarists, our guided Learning Pathways will show you exactly what to work on at every step of the way.