The Guitar Resource

Improving your guitar playing is not just about practicing with a metronome, learning to play exotic chords and complex modes. One of the most important, and often overlooked, things you can do to improve you guitar playing is to listen.


I’m sure you are saying “But I already listen to guitar stuff all the time.” But I’m not just talking guitar. Listen to other instruments. Listen to the tone they create—is it raspy? Is it smooth? Deep? Listen to the phrasing that the musician uses to play notes. What is he or she trying to communicate. Even listen to drums. What are the different rhythms the drummer uses to keep things interesting?

But it goes further than that. Listen to the pitches of people talking. The rhythms in their speech. Listen to honking cars, stepping feet, a heartbeat, the wind, birds chirping, and rain falling. Listen to everything.

Training your ears to always listen is a tough thing, but it will teach you to be a better guitar player and a better musician. In time you will learn to emulate the rhythms and tones that you hear in life. That will expand your guitar playing to new levels.

The Guitar Exercise:

Here is a listening exercise you can do with your guitar. Grab your axe and sit on your porch, or in your front lawn (you can even just open a window). Spend 5 minutes just listening. Once you get comfortable pick out one rhythm you hear and try to emulate it on your guitar. First just by picking a muted string (so all you should here is the chug of the pick on the muted string). Next try emulating that rhythm just on one note on your guitar. Then try two notes. Then three. Try to create a melody out of it. Do this once a week for 10-15 minutes. If possible, record yourself doing it so you can go back and listen and see how it wounded. This will help your rhythmic thinking on guitar immensely.

Let me know how it goes!!!