I Wish I Knew This Sooner When Learning Guitar

[@michaelbroussard4584]

The one tip that I wish I got was “learn your triads”. I’ve been playing for around 30 years and have been stuck in the open position. I focused on learning chords, scales, and music theory. I’ve always wanted to play alot better than I do but always just kept going back to singing and playing the open chords. About 2 weeks ago I started teaching myself triads all over the neck and once it clicked it blew my mind how it’s all connected. I still have alot of practicing and learning to do but if I would have learned this whenever I first started I know that I would be a much better player right now.

[@charlie-obrien]

I follow Eric Haugen on YT and he says, learn the caged system because the triads are all in there and pretty soon you will know the fretboard.... For a 30 year guitar player that was like Moses coming to the promised land.

[@niclastname]

0:54 Is always the best advice that every musician needs to have tattooed on their forehead backwards so they see it in the mirror every day. Music doesn't have to be complicated or difficult to be good, and some of the best music is simple. Complex and difficult can obviously be good music too, but so many people (myself included) get caught up stressing about if something is good enough if it's not complex or flashy enough when writing. Even though I KNOW it doesn't need to be. Even though I KNOW that some of my favorite songs are easy and very simple. It can feel impossible to shake that pressure you're putting on yourself though, even when you know it's unnecessary. And it's not to say that you shouldn't practice or strive to be better and improve. It's more about the fact that sometimes I stress and waste so much time trying to "improve" a song or riff or solo just because I feel like it needs to be more technically impressive, when in reality it would have probably been better if I had just left it alone when it was simpler how I originally wrote it.

[@Albrecht777]

I agree 100%. I wanted to write this, then read your comment. Thanks for it!

[@mizeress4454]

Totally. Keep It Simple Stupid is definitely something musicians need to remind themselves. Some of the best songs I've heard are either super simple, or super complicated but made to sound simple because of the way it interacts with the sounds around it.

[@GracieTerzian]

Thanks for having me in the video, Paul! So much great advice in here. Sleep is always my answer 😅 … also, sorry I missed your high five at the end of my answer hahaha I don’t think I knew that’s what you were doing

[@Dicklesberg]

Collab video when?!? Love you guys!

[@xtinaroma]

I'm a beginner so I don't know much about guitar playing, but I found your advice to be SO SOLID! As a pianist and a singer, this has proved so true so many times! My singing teacher would explicitly ask me to NOT practise some pieces if we had been working on them a lot, to let them "brew". Oh my, was she right. It also helps with morale: if you keep playing and playing and failing, you end up hating a piece (at least for some time..!).

[@GracieTerzian]

@@xtinaroma exactly! nothing feels worse than trying to learn something for hours and just not making any progress. just go to sleep and try it again tomorrow and chances are your brain will do some magic brewing while you sleep!

[@knotwilg3596]

I love how Jens Larsen's answer (5:51) is the exact opposite of Kirk Fletcher's (7:27). This goes to show there is not a single path, everyone has their context, history and personality. Robert Chapman at 6:31 encapsulates a lot of the other advice: it's not about how to get better but about why you are in it. And even the why is different for every single person.

[@bartvschuylenburg]

Think outside the box, I mean outside the guitar. If you wanna learn to understand chords learn to play piano, if you wanna learn melodic thinking and break out of the pentatonic scales and learn to listen to your self: learn to play the violin. It improves your guitar skills and shapes your musicality.

[@HenritheHorse]

Funny enough I started with violin and drums and it definitely helped my guitar playing. Also nowadays I play piano more and it's easier to learn theory on.

[@victorwilburn8588]

Things are laid out so nice and visually and linearly on piano, it's great for visualizing theory concepts and for discovering things by just playing around -- e.g. starting with a chord and just moving a finger up or down a note at a time to discover inversions and voice-leading.

[@HenritheHorse]

@@victorwilburn8588 Exactly! I love holding a bass note like Bb and playing through the modes with my right hand. Easier to try different colors.

[@bartvschuylenburg]

@@HenritheHorse I started on electric guitar when I was 15, with already 6 years of experience on the violin. The switch to playing solo-guitar was very natural and easy. It was rhythm guitar that was hard working for me to learn.

[@sallytrippin]

😊😊😊😊

[@GabrielRice]

When learning pieces note for note, take the concept and apply it to your own music Nobody cares how good you are Lean arpeggios and chords, then learn to solo Listen to music Have patience - the gigs that you want will come Being yourself is the ultimate goal - learn others styles then turn it into your own Play with a metronome Sleep helps you learn - leave time to learn things more slowly and consistently Play songs by ear as much as possible Play bass It doesn't matter what people think - music should be for the love of it Creativity > Gear Learn the notes on the fretboard Learn music theory and harmony Learn slowly, play easy songs perfectly before you play harder songs Learn scales

[@Producelikeapro]

Nothing can be better than being in a Paul Davids video! Thanks for having me Paul!

[@GuitarZero2Hero]

Was great to finally meet you face to face Paul. A lot of great advice that I’ll be taking onboard myself! Thanks for having me, until next time 🤟🏻

[@miguelbarrera8052]

Great to see you, @GuitarZero2Hero, go all the way from Australia. I still cherish your Nashville number system PDF like the secret recipe for grandma's cookies. That has helped me a lot in my playing. I'm still a beginner, but that table was a revelation to me.

[@kokonahoko]

I still read his textbook. It’s been 3 years since I started to play guitars and now I understand a lot better what was in his booklet.

[@theelderskatesman4417]

"gear doesn't really matter" in the absolute winner in the context of a gear event👍

[@Gloomshimmer]

yeah he should say it in front of anderton or chappers. or tyler.

[@Azortharion]

It's possible to be in the business of selling gear while still acknowledging that gear is not what makes a good musician. I'm confident all 3 you mentioned would (and probably already have) subscribe to that. We all have to make a living, this does not a hypocrite make.

[@alexcerien2032]

*as long as you get properly tuned gear You don't need a 5000€ guitar to get good, but properly tuned guitar is fundamental to avoid pain while playing or just be comfortable.

[@Gloomshimmer]

@@alexcerien2032 In contrast to 20 years ago you get properly tuned gear for under 300 euro today. Manufacturers upped their game.

[@alexcerien2032]

@@Gloomshimmer Very true, although going to a shop can help great lengths. I ordered a cheap guitar on the internet struggled for a few months but a little tuning at the shop worked changed so many things for me. Neck was bent.

[@MarcoCirillo]

Thanks for having me Paul! It was great meeting you at NAMM :)

[@miatovich8539]

Was great seeing you in a Paul David’s video you one of my favorites KZbinr 🙌🏾

[@miguelbarrera8052]

Great to see you in Paul's video. Your music is beautiful. Amazing how you play.

[@ZongqiDu-u7u]

Learned a lot from your channel Marco, best wishes from UK

[@hemanthkarni1674]

Marco ❤❤❤❤

[@disjanpampoen]

Man Jake Lizzio is such a genuine dude. Best advice.

[@stevenmonte7397]

I've learned a lot from him. Great channel!

[@tim6723-f4i]

I agree. This was one of the better pieces of advice in the video. So many people quit guitar because they see the skills of virtuosic players and feel that they will never be that good and become discouraged. The fact is, even with fairly basic / intermediate level skills, you can play music, jam with friends, be in a band, write your own music, etc.

[@markl9706]

yeah, I thought that was the best advice on this, too

[@tonski2543]

Learned so much about rhythm from him. Great advice from a great instructor.

[@WhaleBluePRS]

these would be great to write out on 3x5 cards. Shuffle the deck and read one randomly whenever you're feeling stale in your playing. I pretty much like all of these but my favorite is "use your ears/listen". It's always about listening to what you're doing (and those around you) no matter how much knowledge and/or technique you do or don't have. Great video!!

[@samwheeler-brown7458]

Jake Lizzio is the best theory teacher on KZbin by a long way. Huge fan of the man! Great to see him included

[@coreycongilio]

Always an honor to be in front of Paul's lens! Loads of great advice here!

[@PlanckRelic]

I find that the 'one thing' that led to a breakthrough tends to overshadow the context in which it happened. Yeah it's usually an important thing, but often the degree to which it is profound is a function of how many other things have been learned to a higher degree/mastery already. That 'one thing' is the last piece to fall into place, but it is not inherently more profound than the other necessary pieces, only contextually so.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Great comment.

[@MartinReiter143]

I agree with the guy who said to go to open tunings. The fretboard starts to make sense.

[@Jeffertoya]

I love that advice about easy guitar songs played very well versus difficult songs played poorly. I love that. I love all of your videos, but I love that advice. All of this is excellent advice.

[@NavinBagga]

Paul Davids and Marco Cirrilo, two of my favourites in the same video 🎸😍🤘🏽

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks for letting me be a part of the video! What an amazing amount of solid advice in one video! 😎

[@360.Tapestry]

i play drums. understanding subdivisions puts me head and shoulders on bass and rhythm guitar over the lead in terms of groove and transitions, despite having less fretting dexterity and years and years less experience. also, i mostly just use dadgad tuning with a capo on the second fret, because sounding locked up with the rhythm is more important to the listener than flashy chord shapes and runs that few people really care about

[@JTMP12]

Wise words from Danish Pete. I am still waiting for that time to come when it’s ready

[@charlie-obrien]

I love to watch (and hear) how wonderfully natural Pete plays in all genres and whether lead or rhythm. His advice makes sense. Patience and become the player you are meant to be. Just remember; This is Paul's channel! 😂

[@rustymohican8280]

I agree with Rhett Shull. Playing bass helped me so much because that pesky B string wasn't in there messing everything up.

[@BlackHoleForge]

I've recently started recording myself. Not just to hear what I sound like after practice, but to actually make a recording of my progress as well.

[@guitarforudude]

A KZbinr guitar all star team. Lots of great advice that is helpful to many, at different levels. Nice photobomb by mateus asato.

[@the_nondrive_side]

I started with tenor ukulele and a UBass.. string tension is the beginners worst. then intonation... learn to arpeggios when playing chords.. and when using ultimate guitar to look at chord voicing alternates to figure out if maybe you should play that Am at the 5th fret instead so you can move to the Dm etc

[@rekinmiasta5052]

A fantastic episode. So many well known and respected personalities giving valuable tips, useful advice. Great topic. Great job Paul. i want more. Best regards.

[@easyvelvet77]

"Learn to be an humble Canvas for others to paint on". Serve the music.

[@nedyarb7215]

Thank you Warren Huart for the encouragement! I only ever wanted to be a rhythm player, but the more involved I got with the guitar community, the more emphasis I put on soloing.

[@larrypower8659]

The guy who said spend less time noodling and learning solos instead of learning chords was right on. As he said, if you spend 90% of your time on solos you won’t be ready for the real truth: 90% of the time you’re playing RHYTHM. Chords. Providing a solid base for your singer or whatever/whoever is the main melodic focus. Learning drums also helps. You immediately learn 1) how to count; 2) what a beat is; 3) that time & tempo = “feel,” the most important thing of all.

[@Producelikeapro]

That was me! Thanks for the great comment!

[@jeffanderson8384]

Agree 100% with Rhett... wishing I had started learning bass from the beginning.

[@capedukewuhaha]

I'm with Rhett Shull and Gracie. When I play bass I think in leading tones, chord tones and different note lenghts/rhythm all the time. On guitar I tend to noodle until something fits. And as Gracie said: sleep over something. I tend to practice 1h a day max...BUT practicing in my head like 10h per day... and sleep is great for shutting it off. Next day you are way better than the day before.

[@MusicisWin]

Lol this is an amazing video Paul! Remember, friends, pain is gain

[@paxchristi2014]

Or you could just go to the Crossroads 😉

[@lathspell87]

Especially that sore/raw feeling after you played for several hours, then take a break, and then go back to it later in the day. Oh yeah.

[@marcusmood4310]

I don’t like you much Tyler. I don’t know why. I think it’s you sense of humor and face.

[@N3gativeR3FLUX]

Too much gain is also pain.

[@jasrialmusic]

Idk why, but the way you guys are all super chill and giving advice here, makes me feel good to be a guitarist in this world. Everybody just trying to make/play cool tunes and make the best out of our lives. Cheers to you Paul🤘

[@thomasfritsch3536]

This is your best video yet thanks man you just beat yourself because you had all my other favorites well done

[@boomerdell]

All the advice and thoughts are so great here, thank you, Paul! I particularly love Jake Lizzio’s absolutely spot-on point that the only people who care about our guitar playing are other guitarists. Everyone else-and it’s by far the vast majority-care only about whether they enjoy the music. Perfect. 🙏🏽🌟😊

[@huntermulberry3095]

This video feels real special and warms my heart. The amount of collective knowledge and love for the art of guitar and the community is super awesome. Thanks for this!

[@garydiamondguitarist]

Learn as many chords as possible, learn good timing, learn less is more, listen to your fellow musicians and play off of them, get proficient with your little finger because it's amazing how many guitarists neglect the pinkie and it can be the key to a lot of chord work where you're hammering on to other notes and stuff like that. And maybe then learn lead work - honestly, as a gigging musician, guitar solos are among the least important parts. I'd rather be sitting on the groove with a good chord sequence so people dance, Nile Rodgers style, than pleasing myself with massively self-indulgent fretwankery.

[@andrewhnorris1]

I thought this was going to be a click bait video, but it was actually a gem of video. 🎉

[@takezomiyamoto1390]

5:24 "Don't try to learn smth on one day. When you sleep you memorize it better". I was surprised when I realized this myself... I used to pick up the guitar, practice many hours for days, and then abbandon it for months. TO my surprise, I was able to think clearer and perform better when I went back to it. Time and rest settles certain concepts in your mind.

[@ShatzThe]

Awesome video! Glad you had a great time at NAMM!!!

[@afterburner666]

Great question for that event. The guitar has so much ability to let the individual's emotion come through that you will get so many varied answers to that question.

[@ziggy4465]

Even as a performing musician, I still try to learn. I’m not the best player, I can hear the music…but I won’t be able to tell with certainty what key it is. I can tell if I’m playing in sync with my band mates though. I always listen to the drummer, changes and tempo comes from the back beat.😁

[@spideycomic_15]

Corey's advice at 3:50 is my personal favorite. I think regardless of any instrument we play, we have a tendency to try to chase after our idols. Finding our own style is what makes us all unique!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

plus, it's really really hard to emulate someone else's style, but only you know if you're not playing your own style! let someone else try to learn what i play for a change is what i say.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

And this right here is the worst advice ever.. 1:54 Do *not* listen to this drunken banter. Hand injuries are no joke. It's well known you should immediately stop if you feel any pain, until the pain subsides. Be good to your hands, their health is critical to your playing ability.

[@coreycongilio]

Glad that resonated with you! It's my eternal quest as well!

[@treystone1993]

Great video. Wish all music youtubers would ask this question of all of their talented guests. Really valuable information.

[@ianwhincup8758]

I was a late starter learning guitar at 48 years old (52 now) but there are 2 bits of advice here that have really helped me. 1. Use a metronome. 2. Learning the notes on the neck.

[@Jon1Surf1Lim]

Paul has to be the nicest KZbin guitarist, he’s so relaxed and warm towards people, oh and his playing is amazing, quite possibly the best in fact 👍🏻

[@jeffhickcox3397]

Thank you for all the great encouragement in this short video. All the advise is so inspiring.

[@miguelbarrera8052]

What a great compilation of guitarists you got here, Paul. Happy to know many of them from their KZbin channels. Glad you didn't have to beep out Brandon's signature "fookin" word, and he wasn't even mad haha. You just forgot to include the advice of another great guitarist: Paul Davids!

[@PeteA54]

Great video! So many insights shared by the greats of our community. I'll ad one. Enjoy the ride!

[@hearpalhere]

Seems like you had a blast, thanks for sharing everyone's tips Paul! It was really enjoyable.

[@outermarker5801]

Starting on bass was a help and a hindrance. It taught me intervals that directly transfered but enslaved me to building chords with root notes on the bass strings, ie lots of exhausting and limiting barre chords 🤮. Getting back into guitar now and breaking that habit.

[@PaintGuy]

Spending more time, learning chords, and arpeggios is the one that resonates the most with me.

[@stronkloli3089]

1. try to make your licks your own 2. the only people that care how good you are, are other guitar players 3. stand still while playing while standing, stand grounded 4. work on your ear 5. pain is gain, ur fingers hurt, keep playing 6. spend more time leaening chords and arpeggios, less time as noodling solos 7. playing w tone, dynamics, feel 8. listen to the music 9. have patience, it'll come when it's ready 10. have the goal be you. 11. practice much higher speed, short bursts 12. play with a metronome 13. imagine a drumkit in your head when thinking about time 14. its good to sleep on stuff when u practice it 15. go to other tunings, open tunings 16. learn to play songs by ear 17. learn bass, ur part of the rhythm section 18. it doesnt matter what other ppl think 19. you dont need theory in order to start writing 20. gear doesnt rly matter, its ur creativity 21. learn the notes on the fretboard 22. music theory, reading notes, harmony 23. the more the better it is × 24. practice v slow 25. learn your scales

[@chrismataran]

Hey, Jake Lizzio really hit the mark! His advice stands out for its emphasis on authenticity when engaging with an audience. We, as guitarists, often judge ourselves too harshly. Anyway, great advises from great people, thanks Paul!

[@richardstones6445]

Thank you Paul. This was awesome. Marco Cirillo's comments stick out to me. He said he wished he had focused more on playing with feel and dynamics. Interesting, because when I listen to him, I think he plays with some of the most amazing feel and dynamics I've ever heard.

[@CalvinLimSH-ld5le]

As a beginner musician, the bass guitar tip is one of the best ways for me to learn how one can play and sing any songs you know. Just by playing one simple bass note [Root] can represent all the complicated chords and keeping the beats correctly in time as you sing in tune.

[@MattyK-USA]

Paul, this was sublime, with plenty of great advice. I still hold *my* guidance to the Men's Room at the Westin on Saturday night as a very minor, yet crucial, bit of information. 😛 Cheers!

[@AlfredPotterGuitar]

Serious food for thought

[@jeffreyschlotter2518]

Great idea for a video! Hope you enjoyed your time at NAMM.

[@jeffreydonahue8564]

I'm sharing this with my music teacher ... this will be good for all his students!! Many thanks!

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Good! Hopefully they will debunk this part.. 1:54 Worst guitar advice ever (honestly I think he's drunk). Anyway, I hope Paul adds a warning.

[@mightypopkorn]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 you surely don't know who he is

[@wendyhutchins945]

Agree completely with open tuning.

[@GuitarJesse7]

Warren’s advice is spot on.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@cla408]

I NEVER played with a metronome. One day I realized I kept speeding up and speeding up trying to get to that next note quick enough. Then I found a BPM, turned on the digital metronome on my phone and it's now my best friend and constant companion. When the notes are spaced out correctly, getting to that next one is SO much easier!

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Pete's tip hit kinda different... amazing video as always, Paul!

[@desert-storm-borncharlie11]

When I was younger, a friend of mine who also played and had taken Music Theory told me that my technique was 'good', I needed to focus on theory. I believe he was right. I still have plenty to learn and incorporate, but theory can help open you up to structure. Unstructured is also fine too, but I feel like there needs to be a balance between structured and unstructured playing. Sure you can lean something new or discover some notes/chords that sound good/great, but you also need structure to be able to build off of it and not have it be like a dangling participle in a sentence. :) Good stuff as always Paul!

[@mikec6733]

So fun to see all these people back to back in a casual setting.

[@_eleven11]

As always thanks so much Paul, you inspire me a lot everytime i watch your videos. Love ya!

[@franckydookie]

The best tip i can give to someone that starts playing bass, and sometimes i wish i understood before, is to work on the tempo before anything else. Work on a click, record yourself, watch the waveform, start again, even for super easy stuff. That's what will make you sound pro. I love hearing simple bass lones but played tight with the drummer.

[@davidgpeterson]

So many life lessons in this video - whether it’s about guitar or not. Great advice all the way around.

[@victorwilburn8588]

Various responders touched on what I think are among the most important pieces of advice: listening and timing (not unrelated). Just like a good visual artist first has to be a good observer, and good musician first has to be a good listener. As for timing, if you just practice solos along with a recording, you are going to struggle with timing when you try to play that solo in a group with other people, without the recorded version of the solo to help keep you on time. You need to focus on keeping time in your head without such crutches while listening (there's that again) to the rest of the group. I also like the advice to sleep on it. I often advise people that it's counterproductive to just grind on one exercise or lesson for hours on end (or even an hour on end). Practice a variety of things, then let things percolate. Your brain needs time to process. I'm sure we've all experience being suddenly better at something after giving it a rest for a day and coming back to it.

[@FriendofWigner]

Your second point is backed up by science. You can only absorb and commit to memory a certain amount of information at a time. You're better off spending 20-30 minutes a day practicing than you are spending 3+ hours once a week. Even if you are going for mastery of an instrument, you can break down what exercises you do as well. You can pepper your practice with chords, scales, and different picking techniques along with the solo or song you are working on. Even picking up a different instrument to noodle on or ear training/transposition exercises can help.

[@victorwilburn8588]

@@FriendofWigner: My current music routine every weekday is 30 minutes of ear training, 30 minutes of theory/composition study, 30 minutes of piano, 45-60 minutes on guitar (currently alternating between acoustic and electric). On weekends, I give the routine a rest, though of course I might still play around on guitar and piano in a more free-form way, come up with progressions and riffs, work on a solo, or do some improvisation. For my guitar practice, I typically have a few exercises from Paul's courses that I go through. 45-60 minutes on guitar, after a few warm-up exercises, usually means about 4-5 of Paul's exercises/lessons. Oh, and during choir season, I also spend a few hours a week practicing whatever our current repertoire is.

[@bartoszbilon]

5:30 her eyes say are you kidding with that high five? Epic fail 😂 sorry for you Paul 😅

[@LOOPFROGMUSIC]

Quite possibly my favorite KZbin video! So much inspiration from so many familiar faces.❤

[@dinosaursr]

Playing bass and in fact, any other instrument (drums, piano, etc) makes you a better musician. That makes you a better guitarist as you’ll learn how other band members react to you as a guitarist. In the movie Get Back I noticed that all the Beatles played piano. Interesting. Also most people learning guitar focus on the fret hand, understandably, however holding one simple chord and focusing on the subtleties of the strumming hand (muting, rhythm, precision) does wonders for the overall quality of the sound. Finally, I always say to friends starting off guitar to keep in mind the word ‘playing’. You’re learning an instrument but never forget to PLAY, as children do and have fun trying anything on your guitar to see what happens.

[@giovpiccolo]

Saw you today in Denmark St in London, got to hear you test out a small vintage acoustic. Travelling from Rome so unexpected holiday surprise.

[@keithburnett-i7f]

Here’s one for you if you’re a beginner...my student Guitar came with 9 gauge strings which I didn’t stick with & swapped them for 10 gauge. I would have been better going with 7 or 8 gauge. The instrument is far easier to play with lighter strings once you get the feel for it!

[@jopadulla7482]

after watching until the end and taking notes of everything that was said, it all looked like a whole guitar course! So in summary, if you're starting out, get a great guitar course that will propel your learning forward and you will improve leaps and bounds

[@EtheRenard]

What a bunch of lovely and great people! Thank you all for these tips! My advice would be to play multiple instruments. Scales sound boring, but when you put it on a piano, you understand it much more easier. Same for chords. I never really understood chords before I started to practice the piano. (I'm mainly a drummer, by the way, so that's why xD) When composing, don't be afraid to imagine what the next part of your music will sound like, when you do other things (showers are very inspirational places), by just singing it. It should come naturally. And finally, have fun!

[@LuckeGabriel]

Yay for Gracie! And she's totally right about sleep! I learnt about optimising learning when I read Why We Sleep, it's a life revelation of a book!

[@MrZhending]

wow, so many of my guitar heroes! this is a superb episode!

[@dmz140]

Best one yet (next to the 2, 50 ways to leave your lover vids)

[@specfever2]

A little "Deep River Blues" treat for us! Very nice!

[@dr.buzzvonjellar8862]

Much love to you Paul

[@dougckelly]

Thanks Paul, a superb video and some great insights in there.

[@cdp9633]

My thing was; not feeling intimidated in guitar shops. It took years to realise that you need to try loads of guitars to find one that fits your fretting hand. I always thought I should adapt to the guitar then one day I one that was really comfortable. Boy, what a difference it made.

[@kennethm.380]

The dude at 2:26 more time On chords nailed it

[@Producelikeapro]

That was me! Thanks ever so much

[@tokudawara]

Ok, this is NAMM! Thanks for sharing the messages from everyone, Paul.

[@icarusi]

I'd go for 'finessing the stuff in between notes'. If you listen to people who play slowly well, they do a lot of stuff between the notes, how they finish one note and start the next, with enough variations to keep it interesting. Ditto how they dwell on a sustained note, bend, slur and vibrato in and out of the note etc.

[@philipatoz]

Wow, Paul - great advice from a Who's Who of the KZbinr guitarists that I most follow. I would agree most with Guillaume's statement that one should begin exploring alternative tunings FAR sooner - as they open up an entire world that sounds very different, even when only using some common chord shapes. Also is the comment to not let a lack of theory knowledge hold you back from composing - every time I learn some new chords, I quickly try to see if I can compose some music using them - especially movable shapes.

[@eduardocarollo8961]

THX for this reminder ... i bout electric elevation - and it helps me so much out of the box. Nice Content by the way - good to see all this amazing people in one shot. 🤩

[@Pappafotis]

LOVE THIS VIDEO - thanks, Paul!

[@GeorgeBeer]

happy namm paul and my fav tip is play with metronome

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Yeps. And stop immediately if you feel any pain. 1:54

[@GeorgeBeer]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 yeah thats silly advice

[@stricknine8623]

I've been playing for 43 years now. I came to the following realization much later in my guitar journey than I wish that I had. You need to learn all of the notes on the fretboard and see them immediately and be able to see/locate a given key note immediately. This means every existing root note. Know every (Ionian) Major-Scale shape starting from every possible root note. In addition to that,..Learn to play different shapes of the same (Ionian) Major-Scale starting from the same exact root note. This sounds daunting,..and it is to some degree,..But there are no short-cuts on this and it is not nearly as difficult and time consuming as one may think. And the payoff is,..everything ! Facing up to this and making it and understanding it as being a critical priority is the best advice I can give.

[@J-B-Free]

Thanks for putting that out there. I’ve played for 35 years and always thought I needed to take that step. Your comment encourages me to follow through with it!!!

[@stricknine8623]

@@J-B-Free If you know every root note on the low E string,.. E, F, G, A, B, C, D....then at the 12th fret is E once again (next octave), 13th fret is the F (as if it were the first fret), 15th fret is G and so forth. Of course the sharps ascending or flats descending are what is remaining and self explanatory as a result. Then the High E of course mirrors this.....Then you just have four strings remaining to learn. It is imperative to learn this along with what I talked about with the major scale. And as you are learning the scale shapes,...take special mental note of the numbered intervals....It will be important to see the 3rd and the 5th intervals...Then all of them really.. It will all come together like a puzzle and it starts to appear quite simple when it does.. Best of luck,..I hope you decide to make it a goal..You will be soo thankful to yourself for doing it. It unlocks everything and you can do it in 1 year if you knew little to nothing.

[@J-B-Free]

Thanks man - I’ve played for years and got a couple of corners of the puzzle put together, but plateaued there…. I’m working on leveling up to completing the puzzle! Thanks for the encouragement!

[@guitarmute]

2:45🔥🔥🔥

[@rocknrollbob7199]

This is a great video...GJ Paul!

[@GrumpyOldMacSalty]

As someone in their second year of learning guitar, these were all great pieces of advice. I don't believe the bit about gear though. That Jackson Pro Series RR3 *is* going to make me better at playing Crazy Train! /s I think the one piece of advice that I would love to have heard was how to know you're picking the right thing to focus on first, and how to keep yourself from getting distracted by the infinite expanse of theory and technique there is to learn? I'm on the struggle bus with trying to learn too much at once but I can't stop myself

[@spicealbert4904]

"Don't play solos unless you really have to - and then make them really short. Long solos are almost never any good and even on the rare occasions they are, no-one notices." Wow. Well said, Paul.

[@artrogers3985]

Many wonderful words of wisdom in there. Thanks Paul 🎸

[@stevie-ray2020]

Really wish that I'd given up on my career as a jewellery-manufacturer much sooner, as it was always making my hands too sore to play my guitar! Even though I enjoyed the designing side of my job, the fumes were causing such serious health-problems that I had to quit for good! After such a long break I've not only picked up the guitar again, but I've also been learning to play my Yamaha M44 keyboard (which has some synthesizer features) even though it had been more than 50yrs since giving up trying to learn piano at school! Turned out that the piano my parents inherited just wouldn't stay in tune for the simple reason that its iron-frame was cracked!

[@kokonahoko]

Aww nice to see David Tran (GZ2H) in this clip. I learned from him in his salon my first year playing guitars. It’s a small world.

[@andrewmasterman2034]

Swing and groove is a big one.