| For whatever reason, you have chosen to play guitar | | | | your notes, scales, riffs, and licks are all played |
| over every other instrument. This could be for a | | | | correctly. Once you know you have it down |
| number of reasons; from wanting to be a bona fide | | | | correctly, flip the switch and let it rip! |
| rock star, to simply developing a hobby to enjoy in | | | | 5. Never exercise the pinkie finger. Being the weakest |
| the comfort of your own home. Either way, there | | | | finger some beginners neglect the pinkie and rely on |
| are some common mistakes which beginning guitar | | | | the other 3 fingers only. This is not a good idea. The |
| players make which easily transform into bad habits | | | | pinkie finger is as good and as important as your |
| that can take weeks to reform in you rehearsal time. | | | | other fingers so use it for your own benefit. |
| Here are some of the most important ones to avoid. | | | | 6. Practicing irregularly or rarely. Guitar is like anything |
| 1. Skipping the fingers stretching exercises. You may | | | | else, you will get out of it what you put into it. You |
| think it's useless and boring but the exercises are | | | | will never grow and develop if you look at practice as |
| designed to help you stretch your fretting fingers so | | | | a chore or a hassle. Realize you don't become |
| you can play difficult chords easier or run a solo | | | | Hendrix or Clapton overnight. Regular rehearsal will |
| faster. Also, these stretches will help develop | | | | help guarantee steady progress. |
| endurance so that you will be able to play longer | | | | 7. Listening to only one style of music. This can |
| without your fingers dying on you. | | | | pigeon hole you from the beginning. Nothing will open |
| 2. Not tuning every time before you play or practice. | | | | your eyes to new possibilities like listening to a ton of |
| This can have a devastating effect on your ear | | | | different styles of music. Even if you hate country, |
| training. By not tuning each and every time before | | | | this genera of music has some of the best guitar |
| you play, and periodically throughout, your ear will | | | | players on the planet. It would be a grave error on |
| start to hear notes and chords incorrectly. | | | | your part not to study and learn from them... and |
| 3. Practicing riffs and licks instead of scales. By | | | | then steal their best lines and make them your own! |
| practicing the scales you will be able to truly | | | | These are just a few of some of the worst habits |
| understand what is happening in those riffs and licks | | | | to avoid when you are starting out learning to play |
| and apply it to, and develop your own. | | | | the guitar. Avoiding these from the start will help |
| 4. Overusing distortion. This goes hand in hand with | | | | insure fruitful practice sessions and a steady rate of |
| #3. Distortion, when used properly is great, but when | | | | growth. |
| learning it can tend to cover up a multitude of sins. If | | | | Now go practice, practice, practice... |
| you start with a clean tone you will be able to insure | | | | |