How to Improve Your Guitar Skills

Playing guitar is a great way to express yourself creatively. Whether you aspire to become a rock star or simply want to play a tune for your family, striving to improve is a common goal. We connected with Tom Hess, a touring guitarist with many years of experience, and asked him for some advice on how to become a better guitar player. Let’s have a quick look at who Tom Hess is, and what advice he has for you.

Who is Tom?

Tom Hess is an incredible guitar player who has not only mastered his craft but has also invested a great deal of time learning about the theory behind the music. Tom holds two music degrees and specializes in playing hard rock and metal. Throughout his career, Hess has been part of two bands, Rhapsody of Fire and HolyHell, and has recorded his own album. Still an active touring guitarist, Hess dedicates a significant portion of his time to educating people through his online courses about the theory and practice of guitar playing.

Practice

Tom’s first piece of advice comes as no surprise – he emphasizes the importance of dedicated practice if you want to enhance your guitar-playing abilities. Regardless of life’s other demands, consistent and focused practice is the key to improvement. One can also consider exploring various online platforms like acoustic life and video tutorials for guitar lessons to make the practice process more engaging and effective. These resources can be valuable tools on your journey to becoming a better guitarist.

Musical Reading

Most people may not have the time, patience, or knowledge to delve into the intricacies of sheet music. In such cases, learning to read tablature can be a more accessible alternative. Tablature, or tabs, simplifies the process by representing the guitar strings with six lines and indicating the fret numbers where your fingers should be placed. It’s a straightforward method that’s easy to pick up, and there are countless online resources offering tablature for thousands of songs, making it a practical and user-friendly approach to learning the guitar.

Scales

Tom emphasizes that the majority of songs originate from scales that have been around as long as guitars have existed. If you can grasp these scales, especially blues scales like the pentatonic, you will establish a strong foundation to build upon.

Acoustic

Even if you want to wield an electric axe, it is always better to practice on an acoustic, like an Ashthorpe Acoustic Guitar, as it is much more sensitive and requires higher accuracy to play notes. Practicing on an acoustic instrument means that when you do make the transition to electric, you will be far more nimble and dexterous in playing the notes or chords of a song.

Employ these techniques, work hard and you will find that your ability will increase in no time.