How To Play the Guitar-5 Tricks That Rock The House

In order to make your solos stand out and emphasize notes the way that you want there are five tricks you must master.  These secrets of how to play the guitar will elevate your sound to the next level.

Hammer Down-Simply hold down any string on any fret with your index finger and then as the note is still ringing, without plucking a string, Hammer-Down or smash either your middle or ring finger on the same string one or two frets away.  The result is two sounded notes with one pluck of the string.  Practice this technique over and over and over again!

Pull Off-Very similar to the hammer down except you will pull off your ring or middle finger and leave your index finger fretting a plucked string.  Once again, practice this technique all over the neck on all all six strings.

Slide-Hold down a any string on any fret with your index or middle finger and then slide your finger up or down the neck will keeping the string pressed down.  You should practice this on all strings at various speeds and various lengths.  You must be able to control how far you slide your hands.

Bends-Strike a note and bend the strings up or down to alter the tone.  The bottom strings get pulled up and the top strings get pulled down.  One helpful hint is to use several fingers in order to move the strings for added strength.

Vibrato-A good vibrato is the most difficult of all to master.  If you listen to blues legends such as BB King or Albert King they have absolutely mastered this technique.  You will hold a string down with your index finger and then rapidly move your hand in an up and down motion to cause an echoing sound.  I would highly recommend watching a video online to master this advanced technique.

Watch Videos to Learn to Play Guitar

Once upon a time, long ago there was a world before internet.  If you wanted to learn something you had to go to the library.  In our case, if you wanted to learn to play the guitar you could hire a teacher, hope you had a ton of talent and pick it up just simply by listening, or go to the store to buy a magazine and spend hours reading it from cover to cover and then try to figure out what they are trying to tell you.

The old adage is that “A picture is worth a thousand words”.  The new adage should be that “A video is worth a thousand pictures”.  Humans are visual people and a picture will resonate in your brain much longer than anything you will ever read.  Did you know you will remember less than 12% of this article less than an hour after reading it?

If your going to remember one thing, let’s keep it simple!  The internet is loaded with video tutorials on almost any music for the guitar you will ever imagine.  You can pull your stool in front of your monitor and pause/play as needed.  Start slowly and learn all the critical finger positions and chords.  As you work through it a couple times your speed will increase.  Videos allow you to learn songs in minutes as opposed to hours that was commonly spent before the internet took it’s hold on our society.  Enjoy!

Learn to Play the Guitar-Soloing

Whenever we think of rock gods the first thing that comes to our mind is the point in a live show where you are under the spotlight and unleashing a monster guitar solo.  The crowd stares with their jaws dropped because of your speed and human paper shredder hands.  WAKE UP!

Let’s take a step back into reality and think about your favorite songs and what is played on the radio (Underground Stations, Classic Rock Stations, and even Top 10).  These songs mostly have one thing in common and that is they are very simple.  The more complex a song is makes it stray further from the mainstream.  Now to be clear, you should play what is inside your soul and makes you happy.  I am not telling you what to play.  Blues music for instance is very complex and requires very detailed guitar solos. 


There are multiple paths for your success.  Do not fall into the trap of feeling like you are  inadequate or not good enough until you can play a note perfect Eruption or The Thrill Is Gone.  Many of the most popular solos feature very simple riffs and/or picking of simple chord shapes that are moved up and down the neck.

Experiment with the style that appeals to you and do not force yourself out of your element.  If you keep this in mind you will develop your voice as a lead guitarist and learn how to play the guitar like a rock god much quicker.

10 Simple Guitar Riffs That Will Rock The World

Let’s face it, practicing your guitar skills at times can be a little dry.  You bought your first guitar with the hopes of striking the big time, making a pile of money, having beautiful women surrounding you, and standing on a stage in front of thousands of people. 

The truth is there is a lot of great music for the guitar that is very simple to learn.  Here are 10 Classic guitar riffs that you can add to your repertoire almost immediately:

Come As You Are-Nirvana

Smoke On the Water-Deep Purple

Iron Man-Black Sabbath

Sweet Home Alabama-Lynyrd Skynyrd

Wish You Were Here-Pink Floyd

Sorrow-Pink Floyd

One-Metallica

Sweet Child of Mine-Guns N Roses

Hells Bells-AC/DC

 (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction- The Rolling Stones

There you have it, ten simple guitar riffs that will stand the test of time.  You can learn these very quickly by watching free videos posted throughout the internet and impress your friends and family almost immediately.

Dont' Sweat the Haters

We all have people who would love nothing more than to see us fail.  Failure is not an option for you as an aspiring musician so we can not give them the satisfaction of watching you not achieve your goals.


Doubters will surface from almost anywhere and will sometimes surprise you who they are.  Don’t be surprised if your girlfriend, parents, or best friend tries to talk you out of your new hobby or distract you from necessary practice time.  You must stress to them how important to you this dream is and stay your course.

Over time you will win over your doubters.  As they experience first hand how you are learning to play the guitar and pump out some serious jams they will spread the good word.  Initially this will be sometimes frustrating or intimidating but stay the course and you will succeed.

Guitar Lingo

Listening to people talk about their jobs or crafts can sound like a foreign language at times.  Guitarists talking about their sets or prized ax are no exception.  With this post, we are going to examine the lighter side of learning to play guitar and shed some light on a handful of the common phrases commonly used.

Nut-This is not a snack food or your prized jewels, however it is the piece on your guitar that raises the strings above the neck closest to the tuning pegs.

Bending up the G-String: This means you are simply bending up the string located fourth from the top one half or one full step to create a different note for dramatic effect. 

Running a Lake: You have not developed a super human power, however you are simply just jamming like Jerry Garcia would have wanted you to.

Wah Wah- You are not reverting back to your two year old version of your younger self.  Instead you are stepping on an effects pedal that alters the tonal sound of your electric guitar.  Jimi Hendrix regularly used this effect on most of his recordings and performances.

Chops- No, these are not pork chops unfortunately (but right about now that sounds fantastic).  These are simply just riffs or a combo of notes and/or chords.

Licks-If your girlfriend now thinks your cheating on her because of playing licks with the G-String, tell her to read this article.  A lick is another word for a chop, riff, run, or lake.

Your First Audition

As you’ve pumped in endless hours of hard work, learned many of your favorite songs, and even written some of your own material, it’s time to elevate you to the next step of your development.  After all, the reason you wanted to learn to play the guitar is to quite simply join a big rich rock band.  Here’s what you need to know before heading out the door:

Pack your gear.  You should have all of the following items neatly organized so you could find them in the dark with you at all times when you travel:  (2) electric guitars, 1 acoustic guitar, spare electric and acoustic strings, needle nose pliers, your cap, a TON of pics, two cables, your amp, extension chord, a rough demo of your materials with your name and phone number on it, and a business card.

Practice.  You will want to have your entire set memorized and sounding naturally.  They will also ask you to improvise or start jamming with them.  Be prepared to jump in on almost any type of music.

Research.  Check Google for the band you are auditioning for.  Make sure to dress similar to your new buddies.  (Example: It’s no longer cool to rock the Flock of Seagulls Hair Cut and a Michael Jackson glove).  Learn what kinds of music they are into and learn as many as these songs and riffs as you can.  They will likely prefer to stay in their comfort zone so get ready to roll with the punches.

You have 30 seconds to nail it.  The sad fact of the matter is that they will likely make up their minds halfway through your initial riff.  Make a darn good first impression and play your best stuff first.  If you save it for last, you may walk out the door regretting you didn’t lay it out on the line.

Show up sober.  Arriving under the influence of any substance will effect your ability to put your best performance forward.  Feel free to knock back a cold one after you claim your prize.

Relax.  Take deep breaths as you leave the house, pull up to the rehearsal spot, knock on the door, and plug in your guitar.

Have fun.  Keep in mind that you are auditioning for a group of regular people just like you.  They have been searching hard for a dire need to fix a problem with their band and are desperately hoping you are the answer.  Treat them like your friends and family and you will reap the rewards.