The One Piece of Advice All Beginner Guitarists Should Know

[@enragedavocado]

Bruh, i just watched the intro and u inspired me to go back and play guitar for another 3 hours

[@JamieSlays]

Yayyy

[@MrWithAKay]

Yes! I work in a guitar shop and I always give this advice to kids looking to learn guitar, there’s no point playing if you’re not having fun and enjoying it! 🍉

[@JamieSlays]

Yessss you are doing the lords work!

[@gigsandguitars6921]

Agree! Enjoyment is everything! Practice because you want to, not because you have to!

[@lasombra_br]

Persistence/Perseverance. After almost 4 years I finally "created" a very barebones, basic power chord "riff" and that was worth all the frustrations. As an older beginner, your fingers and wrists will try to murder you, constantly. But keep at it, don't go over your physical limits, and persist. There'll be days you'll hate it and there'll be days you'll think of nothing else but play. Embrace and enjoy. You'll get better every day you practice, even if you don't notice it.

[@JamieSlays]

That’s absolutely sound advice. Thank you very much

[@GiuBepis]

I’ve been playing for almost a year now, and my motivation always kept me going🎸

[@tongtelong1543]

I played an acoustic guitar before but I can only play some Mellow Pop Ballads and Love Songs when I was 13, then I stopped when I was 16. Then I got into guitar again when I was 19 and I can play some Emo/Punk and some Acoustic songs, then stop again. I only know basic chords but then lately, the spark ignites again, I am now 32 and I bought an Electric guitar, I started learning again, but this time I'm learning riffs and as a Metalhead for years since I was 9, Metal was the real driving force for me to keep picking up and have fun playing a guitar. I just got my guitar for a month and in my first 3 days, I forced myself to learn pinch harmonics and that's when I discovered your channel 'coz I want to learn the pinch harmonics so bad. 'coz it's awesome and addicting. And thank you for the video about pinch harmonics, now I can do it in a tick, I followed your tips and technique.

[@Mistertyrannosaurus]

This is exactly how I teach guitar. Get students to pick their favourite songs and thats the goal, start slow, learn the techniques used in that song and by the end, you've learnt so much, even the simple songs. I struggled to find the "fun" in learning guitar with theory and just chords, until my guitar teacher said "you know judas priest?" 20+ years later, I'm still playing and still learning. Great advice bud 🤘

[@aas55]

Easier said than done, but do things that give you joy. Make practice part of your daily routine, like having a cup of coffee or brushing your teeth. You may not become great, but you’ll get better, and when you get better, you have more fun! Thanks Jamie.

[@se7endreams]

Really solid advice. Definitely important to avoid being too hard on yourself and remember it takes time & patience. Too many people quit before they reach their true potential. 🍉🍉🍉

[@JamieSlays]

Yeh exactly!!

[@Goatman69-pt1jc]

Thanks Jamie, I needed this 😃

[@bluntforc3studios198]

I tell anyone who asks me for guitar lessons a similar thing. find the music / songs that inspire you and learn them. ultimately... no one can teach you to play the guitar other than yourself, you can get tips and pointers on technique/theory from lessons, but ultimately... it is the time and dedication that you yourself put in, that works. Great advice Jamie. Spot on.

[@squirrelOD]

This is a great vid! I balance scales with music I like. Or, I try to find an area of a song to practice and rip apart while also playing stuff I do like. Both are great, and both help each other. The only thing I’d add is to learn hard stuff and easy stuff together, but go slow. Don’t have the mindset of I have to learn this today. Instead, see it as a journey. Learn the progressions and finger placement then work up speed. Some days you might nail it, other days you might suck and feel as though your fingers are fighting you- but practicing helps the muscle memory.

[@lawndart188s]

That was the best thing I’ve heard you say thus far.

[@JamieSlays]

Thanks!

[@mrshaneyt43]

100% . I remember many ,many years back when I was a young fella getting a pile of chord books and it honestly sucked all fun out of guitar much like you said . But learning just one part of a song I liked or people recognised brought the passion back . 🍉 🍉 I remember playing wild thing and thinking wow a actual real song even though it was on a single string

[@sergeykichuk2586]

Thank you Jamie, I found for myself the same that I can play only riffs and songs which I like! And watching your videos playing riffs its motivates me grab a guitar!! Thank you!

[@piptyson5512]

Great vid!! The "proper set up" part is very important. I don't know how many players, even after years of playing, still have poorly set up guitars/basses. Fighting the instrument isn't usually the best way to play lol.

[@Admiral_Bongo]

Started out by learning songs (Crystal Mountain by Death and Killing On Adrenaline by Dying Fetus were the first songs I learnt). Theory and scales came along later, when I decided to try writing my own stuff.

[@theplayerofgam7053]

Loved this video! I dont hear people saying thaf enough playing what you like is one of the most important parts of keeping you hooked on playing❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[@JamieSlays]

Hallelujahhhhhhh

[@bbcofmemes6982]

I'm a guitar player as well and I had the same exact reasoning why I wanted to play guitar and I started playing and playing and playing I was actually really good at the beginning of playing I stopped playing songs and start playing the same songs and trying to improve in techniques and Theory but then I got into a rut where I don't know what to do I didn't do everything there's a lot I don't understand but I can't figure out to understand while all these guitar players shred every single string better than me it's kind of like😕🤦‍♂️ but this video is a blessing to me because it just reminded me the actual reason why I picked up guitar and yes it was Metallica and Slipknot Killswitch Engage others and I want from playing those stuff like I always wanted to originally and then I saw what you can actually do on guitar and how good you can become and that's what I've been focused on to a point where I don't really know what to do and I'm focused on the super techniques trying to get and understand how to do them and then I realized that's why I barely play anymore thanks for saying that cuz you threw me into the right place🎸🎸🎸🎸👍👍🤟

[@ЕгорПудов-ю2и]

I'm more like an advanced player I would say, but that advice is still solid as I thought that after being able to play lots of riffs, everything I had to do to keep progressing was practicing scales and theory stuff. It wasn't that fun and I ended up losing my passion to play the guitar. However, lately, I've just started to play random solos and more challenging riffs from my favorite songs and that's actually gave me joy back.

[@AleArzMusic]

Great video. I started as a beginner in 1998, still going strong 💪🏻

[@Hulk_Jedi_A]

This is the best advice. I have been doing this I started loving the guitar and wanted to play I used a classical guitar but i loved metal I still played the guitar but eventually I got my electric and now I play everyday. Now some people don't have enough to do that so I suggest that you start and play whatever you have for awhile and eventually save up for it and when you have the skill and enough buy what you need or what you want plus you'll have more skill and it'll be more fun anyway.

[@davidheuser2119]

you have no idea how much I needed to hear exactly what you said in this video. Thank you!

[@kevindeherdt1111]

i definitly got inspired to pick up guitar again after a long time when i started to watch your videos a few years ago and i am thankful to you for the amazing content you make. keep it up!

[@JamieSlays]

You’re welcome! That makes it all worth it

[@chstewart3715]

Long time off and on player here who doesn't know theory for shit, I was mostly off the last 10 or so years but I recently discovered and figured out how plugins work and man do I wish I knew about it then. I feel like I wasted all that time not keeping up with guitar technology because it has seriously made me want to play all the time. Playing with all the different tones and trying to match your favorite artists is so fun to me. Wether it's searching tone vids or making your own its kept me coming back everyday for the past year.

[@Roman-vb3yo]

Thank you Jamie 🍉

[@8scrivo2]

great video Jamie 👌🏼

[@KyleDanielson42]

The problem is all the songs i love are hard af if ur a noob.

[@JamieSlays]

Yehhhhhh Have to start with some easier Ones. As hard as it is

[@chstewart3715]

Not sure how new you are but If you don't know about songster check it out and pay for the subscription. Their tabs aren't always 100% accurate but being able to loop and slow down sections is invaluable for learning.

[@MashaT22]

You’d be surprised. There are beginner tabs out there for nearly every song under the sun. Apps and websites like Ultimate Guitar help you find some really incredible songs that you can start with as a beginners. You can also find similar songs even if you don’t see exactly what you want. And you can request users and UG to add tabs or chords for the songs. UG also has a cool feature that lets you simply chord charts or do pro tabs where you can separate out the guitar parts that may be more manageable. You need some patience and realistic expectations. Guitar is a lifelong education, and you won’t be shredding off the bat unless you’re a musical prodigy - most of our favorite guitarists spent years honing their skill as kids and teens, and they’re still doing it no matter how old they are now. However, you can still make it doable to play songs you like. Start with just doing a section of a riff or play along to the whole song if you know all the open chords (yes you can put a capo on electric guitar if need be lol). You may find out you’re a better rhythm player vs. lead player as you keep going through this process. Above all, structure and guidance are boss. Gamified learning platforms like Yousician, Gibson, and Rockband give you a curriculum to follow to improve skills, while also giving feedback on individual songs that are sectioned out by your matching skill level and skills line melodies vs chords, vs rhythm. I used a combination of those apps, as well as Fender Play and the JustinGuitar website that gives free lessons (the app is not free and has less material so you’re better off with the website if you’re trying to save money). FP and JustinGuitar are like getting more traditional lessons with a teacher, but you won’t get the feedback, but the gamified apps give you immediate feedback. Most of these apps follow a similar curriculum and keep you accountable to yourself (and others in some cases) so it’s very easy to use them alongside each other. Figure out what work’s best for you. Some apps I use daily, others I use a few times per week. It depends what I’m learning and trying to accomplish. I make it a goal to play every single day. Once I got to about 1.5-2 years into playing, I also started trying some of these AI apps that can convert song files to tabs/chords. They’re personally not for me because they don’t work perfectly. I personally recommend just sticking with Ultimate Guitar, which is usually more accurate. You get free access to some of the features, but the pro tabs and features will eventually be helpful. Don’t pay for everything up front. Many of these apps even have promo codes throughout the year and sales (like Black Friday sales going on now!). Sometimes they’ll even give you a special discount code/link if you ask the company directly, but a quick search online for “Fender Play promo code” helps. I have seen codes for between 70-90% off, and you keep that discounted rate when the subscription renews in a year. Don’t make the mistake of only using KZbin to learn guitar. KZbin has no curriculum and the lessons might be great or crappy, which you won’t know as a beginner until you realize later on that someone taught you a really bad habit that’s difficult to break. It’s best to save KZbin once your skills start to increase. After about a year in, I started looking up individual songs with reputable sources like JustinGuitar or Marty Music, or using KZbin to get further clarification about a specific skills I was having trouble with. I also have taken advantage of Facebook groups for beginner and intermediate players from Fender Play, Yousician, JustinGuitar, where I could ask for help and post a video to show my issue . . . or where I can help someone else too. I hope this is helpful info. This really helped me learn to play WITH A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY and physical disabilities while being very ill. I started in March 2020, and I can’t believe how far I’ve come in 3.5 years with all my issues. It’s fun every single time because I see progress, and I found ways to be able to play songs I like (or similar ones) right from the start with those apps. I know some people think you becoming reliant on gamified apps, but that’s why I also mixed in using UG, Fender Play, Justin Guitar, etc. I am very comfortable playing with tabs outside of these games, and I’m able to improvise and play along with others. If you broaden your exposure to other learning sources, you’ll become an actual guitar player rather than dependent on a “game” - but these apps definitely have major value where motivation is concerned and they teach all the skills you need to be an accomplished guitarist so long as you apply those skills outside of the app. Try to make sure you have a guitar that’s well setup and won’t become a problem. It’s usually best to have a hard tail (or get a trem decked). Usually a 24.75” scale length with 10-52 strings is going to be easier to learn on, especially when you get to the point of learning bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, trills, etc. because a guitar that’s 25.5” (most Fenders and copies of their style guitars) has more taut strings (whether it’s 9’s or even 8’s, they have to stretch longer and tighter) that are harder to use until you get more proficient and build your strength. Make sure the guitar is setup for easy playability by a guitar tech until you learn to do it yourself- and everyone should know how to change strings and do a basic setup. Overall, the easier your guitar is to play and the less fancy features you have that may become an obstacle, the more likely you’ll progress faster. Dive bombs are fun until the guitar keeps going out of tune . . . and then you screw up the entire setup trying to change strings on a Floyd Rose, lol. Also I recommend D’addario XS strings for electric guitar and XT for acoustic. Both are coated strings but don’t feel like most of them. You won’t have to change them for at least 3 months. The less often you need to swap strings and the less corroded they get, the easier your guitar will be to play (when they start to feel difficult to play and don’t ring out anymore, it’s time to swap) - and the less often you have to change them, the more time you’ll spend playing! Last piece of advice. Definitely record yourself practicing and playing. It really helps to see and hear what you’re doing so you can correct your errors. Be brave and also post some of that on UG and Facebook groups so people can give you advice too. It also helps you see the progress you’re making when you go back 3-6 months and review yourself playing the same song. You got this! Keep at it! Sorry this is so long, but we were all n00bs at one time. I have fun every time I pick up that guitar, and I keep it interesting for myself. You can do it!

[@xJM1993]

Dosen't matter! Give them a shot anyway! Play the parts slower, try getting the rythme part first, watch videos of people covering the songs to see how they play it. Also if you feel you're stuck on something, come back to it later, you will find it easier. That's how i do it since i started playing 4 years ago !

[@adamsan7494]

I needed a pep talk.😊

[@anjeodei]

Hi Jamie, could you please do a video about metal essentials? Like how to start playing metal? I’m trying to play metal but don’t know why the distortion always sounds terrible. Don’t know really what amplifier should I buy or what pedal. It would help a lot to have an idea about essentials. Thanks a lot for your work!

[@Guitarist19887]

Had the uphill battle but I was inspired that much I didn’t give up, I’ve practiced the past few years and the pain really paid off (more mental anguish 😂) Also amongst wrist surgery and joint issues if I can do it you all can. Obsession is a powerful tool to overcome obstacles. 😅

[@kpgsx]

LOG got me started....😊

[@Capt_Goose08]

I wouldnt class myselt as beginner but this will actually help me and i wish i heare this at the start. Love you bro!

[@JamieSlays]

👊 thanks bro!

[@dka774]

Well said Jamie, I’ve only started properly playing this past year and I’ve done exactly the same, Hybrid theory, and other nu metal riffs aha. What’s also made it more fun is not being limited to what I can learn by using a digitec drop pedal, got myself a Spark Amp too so I’m not limited on tones. I’m having great fun which is also helping me write my own material. Thing is now I can do many riffs but it’s lead playing I struggle with more than anything and I suppose that’s where the theory really comes into play.

[@philes2906]

Solid advice. I would add to this that while practicing the riffs and songs you like keep a close eye on the technique. For example, my first song was 96 Quite Bitter Beings which lead me to learning alternate picking across different strings. So I incorporated working on that skill into my practice routine 🍉

[@JamieSlays]

Brilliant idea! Well said

[@lost.zenith]

Very Great Video! Guitar beginners are having a really great time today because of Videos like this. You inspired me to get better and keep going. Thank you for your great motivational Videos and inspiring so much young people to just keep going🤘

[@badkittybites13]

Really was a great video. Awesome advice too. Keep the videos coming 🍉🍉🍉 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🎸🎸🎸

[@shredhead4604]

Dude that cover of In Flames “Trigger” is absolutely badass! 🤘💀🤘🎸

[@JamieSlays]

Thanksssss

[@russellhalford8811]

Mast of Puppets...the entire album. That's what inspired me to learn to play. Afterward, I discovered Slayer when I heard Hell Awaits. That was it. I knew that I wanted to really learn those thrash metal riffs! Now, I'm an older, 40 something year old kid, still rocking some metal riffs of all kinds. Demiricous is my latest personal fad. Keep jamming, and drawing inspiration from a place that fulfills you!

[@vacuumwave_vacuump]

thank you Lots for making a Video Discussing this topic, I went through hardships too with my Guitar journey and I am currently setting myself with a goal to play my Guitar by Ear, the Level I am on is getting tough but I want to take it as motivation to get Better! Wish me Luck!

[@user-guitar_piris]

Gran video realmente aprecio esos consejos y no soy principiante suerte y salud

[@avengedstevenfoldA7X]

This is what I did I have played now and then for less than a year and don’t know any chords or scales but a lot of random riffs

[@HafthorIthandriel]

I've always stood by learning what you want and not what people want you to learn. I started with Metallica and it was difficult but I eventually got good at it

[@JamieSlays]

Brilliant! Well done :)

[@iainc666]

This is great advice. My son has been receiving guitar lessons at school, but I can see he's not totally invested in it as he doesn't like spending a lot of time practising at home, instead preferring to play games online with his mates. As I understand school lessons can be often be theory heavy and boring, I told him it would be more fun to learn a song he likes and offered to help. But when I asked him what he wanted to learn, his response was a shoulder shrug because he doesn't actually listen to much music (other than what I subject him too. Haha). So although i think learning music you like is important at the start of any guitarists journey, it's now clear the first step is really just finding music you have a passion and connection with, because what is the point of learning an instrument if you don't care about music.

[@JamieSlays]

Exactly! Very true! I should have said that I grew up in a family where my dad always played music so I always listened to it! Valid point

[@chstewart3715]

My son plays bass and is very similar except he loves music but has a short attention span when it comes to learning anything. He'll play his bass but then get bored and move to video games. That's the world today man, online games. My son is 13 and other than him absolutely none of his friends care about music. They all just listen to what's popular and move on. Even everyone I know who has kids has them in sports and no kind of music at all.

[@xXSRS24Xx]

This is how I was. I can’t read music idk chords. But I do know how to play songs because I love playing them. I started on rocksmith but went to tabs. I tell ppl I know how to play but I don’t lol.

[@JamieSlays]

Yehhhhh you do!!!

[@awguitarroom8033]

Very good advice Jamie. Hybrid Theory was one if the albums that influenced me back in the day as well. I did have a great teacher that taught me all the modes and all that stuff but I found a lot of joy in learning songs and using my knowledge on Theory to see what the guitarists were thinking when they wrote their material. Great video man 🤘

[@JamieSlays]

Yeh! Thank you! What an absolute brilliant album

[@thehoppo]

Yaaay Jamie!

[@ricky6string]

I completely relate with you. I have been an on/off guitarist now since 2004 also. Because I was young my mind drifted to other things. Until my older age is when I have really wanted to focus on being good at the instrument. I hate the theory. I can't get my head around scales. I've learnt the minor pentatonic and am currently on the major but anything past those and I my head just goes blank. I enjoy playing songs the most. Metallica and pantera. Learning those songs has helped me cross from beginner to intermediate and that's the most fun I have had. So following your advice I'm going to push myself to learn harder songs with techniques and that's the way I want to play. Unless John Mayer can donate his brain to me, then I'll continue on this path!

[@Jax2473.]

Good advice 🤘🤘🍉

[@obi-wankenobi4254]

Jamie could be a writer or a narrator,yet decided guitar's his thing. True never the less,Ride the lightning made me want to learn guitar and then inspired me master it. Awesome video🍉🍉🍉

[@JamieSlays]

Thanks mate! 🙇‍♀️ love it

[@ktay7382]

Great advice 👍

[@mot_wadd3441]

Don't give up either! Some days it just doesn't gel as well as others. Try again the next day, break the riff in half and learn parts of it and put it together. Linkin Park also inspired me to play guitar and I learned pretty well for a few years then stopped as I didn't have any decent gear and lost passion. I didn't have any mates that were into playing music but eventually a guy I made friends with at work talked me into spending some adult money and I upgraded my amp and jammed with him around 2021 - you don't need expensive gear but something that sounds decent really helps - and since then I've improved so much more than I ever did. Learned to play an 8 string so I could cover deftones and have now even started doing some youtube stuff for a but of fun. Stick with it! You can literally find anything online these days, even patches for your amps!

[@JaviBalmung]

Wow man, this is really useful stuff! 🍉

[@JamieSlays]

Thanks! 🙏🏻

[@acidicheretic666]

amazing video 🍉

[@MrNickRowe]

All about those Gohan clips

[@alecmacknight]

great video

[@rhystheguitarist]

Great video as usual 🍉🍉

[@garyowen5842]

Trolling your channel brings me joy. Nah I’m kidding that’s a great video. I’ll just also say it’s ok to be not inspired and it’s ok to not always progress. Both these things will come. Especially if you make sure just to have fun.

[@cIappo896]

Heh, I played a long time ago, put the guitar down for a few years, picked it up again, then dropped it again cause I was borrowing my mate's guitar and he moved away, so I bought one a while back and I'm practicing on and off. I recently got into Necrophagist, so I have more motivation than ever to get to that level, even tho it's unlikely given it's fucking Necrophagist, but I'm fine with that.

[@JamieSlays]

Haha yeh you couldn’t have picked a more difficult band to play. But if you’re having fun who cares

[@ryansmith1625]

Just got the spark and was checking out specs and using it . And noticed u put some metallica tones in the cloud but when I got on there I didn't see them did u take them off.

[@JamieSlays]

I don’t think I took them off. I will check

[@fonyhawks4588]

Great advice 🍉🍉🍉🍉

[@miker20]

I feel like the method of jumping in and trying to shove theory down someone’s throat is a bleeding effect from when they were trying to weed out people who they thought weren’t (elite) enough back in the day. And as a result music teaching still uses this as foundation until more recently where it’s now widely accepted that the best way to become an guitarist and what any famous guitarist will tell you, is to just play what you love .. and somehow the theory will end up making sense in the intermediate phase.. I myself was stuck for 10 years playing stuff o loved however, blink, Metallica, every power chord lol, and etc… it wasn’t until I started pushing myself (lamb of god, cannibal corpse were huge for me) did I start to discover theory and try to understand it.. tool is another great band for theory

[@JamieSlays]

Great words!

[@jakekarma]

My main issue is my fingers just don’t go where I want them to go? No matter how much I try. And also I just love learning riffs and haven’t even attempted reading sheet music or as you said theory, chords and so on

[@JamieSlays]

Brilliant! It’s all about repetition. Building neural pathways. Like riding a bike or lifting weights

[@MASTERRIFFS]

😁COOL 😁

[@dackyc9231]

Got any effect pedal suggestions?

[@JamieSlays]

Line 6 helix is fun!

[@palody_en-ja]

Theory ❌ Hybrid Theory ⭕

[@JamieSlays]

Yessss

[@lj5712]

🍉Very good video🔥🔥🔥

[@DoomManJJ]

kind of funny, i only down picked when i started. i didn't know u... u were suppose to alternate pick. an now i still down pick and just changed my path, i play punk and doom now. its just more comfortable to me.

[@JamieSlays]

I did the exact same thing hahaha

[@DoomManJJ]

@@JamieSlays hahaha that's great. metal just sounds better.. down picked

[@erikhendrickson59]

My BEST ADVICE to any beginners reading this: TAKE SOME FORMAL LESSONS! Even if its just one, 30-minute lesson per month. The hardest part of being "self-taught" has been figuring out WHAT TO PRACTICE.

[@lucasabalmeida]

🤘🏻🍉

[@Gort765rs]

🍉

[@erichartwell6792]

🍉 🤘🏻💯

[@acidbat119]

Great vid🍉

[@sweeneyTodd-de4by]

Hi Jamie are you doing a Christmas give away has I’ve been messages I’ve won a guitar from you

[@kronictonic]

Im still lazy eoth theory, ive been playing 17 years (deducting about five years in the middle after getting bored with it). I just picked up the guitar again last year and im less focused on being amazing and jist enjoy play. Even if most of it is covers. Im happy not being a virtuoso because it'll always be a hobby

[@aaronporras2605]

Pov you cane from insta 🍉

[@joelmahaffey322]

🍉🤘🤘🤘🍉🍉🍉

[@AlexanderRosetta]

🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

[@retardobodonkakonk4663]

🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

[@vespertiliofilms4190]

First?? 🤝

[@JamieSlays]

Yehhhhh

[@TikTokslimjimx42]

Hey man ive been playing for almost a year now and when u watch your videos u have that nice metal chugging tone i play with an Ibanez GIO grg131dx plugged into a boss katana MK2 50 watt combo amp and i cant get nowhere near your kind of metal tone or really any kid of chugging tone when i want to play metal songs it sound nothing like them i have to use this fx effect just to get that sort of metal tone but without it my guitar just sounds really bad please help me

[@blanker05]

🍉

[@rocco2098]

🍉🍉🍉

[@dariusjames7386]

🍉

[@twisstedriffs]

🍉

[@theplayerofgam7053]

🍉

[@theplayerofgam7053]

@@ryancapewell6504 huh?