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.

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.

Set 5 Simple Goals

To be successful in this world it’s important to set goals.  There have been countless studies that prove if you write down your goals you are 80% more likely to achieve them than if they are floating around in your head.  Your likelihood of achieving your goals increases even further if you share this list with the people you hold closely.

If you have first picked up a guitar within the last year, I would like to suggest the following 5 critical goals for your music career:

1. Learn to play a Note Perfect version of Smells Like Teen Spirit within 3 months
2. Learn to play Stairway To Heaven within 6 months from now
3. Have 5 new songs written that you are proud of and would play in front of your family or friends within 1 year
4. Show up for your first audition within 18 months
5. Play your first live gig within 2 years with all new material.

By pushing yourself beyond you perceive as your limit right now you will force yourself to succeed.  You can learn to play guitar if you write down your goals, share them with your friends and family, and stay the course.