5 Tips You Can Use Today When Learning Your First Chords

Learning your first guitar chords can be very challenging. In fact most beginners quit because playing chords is so difficult at first. So what can you do to stop yourself from quitting? I've listed a few helpful tips that will help to not only keep you on track but also prevent you from giving up on your dream of learning to play guitar.

Tip #1
Practice for no longer than fifteen minutes a day.
Many people when first starting out want to practice for an hour a day. This is a bad idea. Your fingertips need time to build up calluses and might start bleeding if you push yourself too hard. Ideally you should practice until your fingers start to really hurt, usually within first fifteen minutes, and no more!

Tip #2
Never skip a day of practice.
This is very important. In fact if you can't find fifteen minutes a day every day in your busy lifestyle, you might as well save yourself the trouble and don't even attempt to learn guitar. And I mean every day. Why? You need to build muscle memory in your fingers and that takes time and repetition. If you skip even a day of practice it can and usually does send you way back in your progress. So all this hard work you've been putting into it is worthless. Unless you practice every day!

Tip #3
Keep a daily log of your progress.
This is more for motivational purposes. Seeing how much you have improved overtime is a huge ego booster and helps to put the fire back into the whole learning guitar process. It's a good idea to go even farther and video record all of your practices. You will get such a kick out of it when you go back and see just how bad you were in the beginning. That's what I did and it helped me to keep going.

Tip #4
Join forums.
Join guitar forums for support. Guitar forums have hundreds of people going through the same pain as you are. You can get a lot of helpful tips if you run into trouble when learning something and the emotional support you get from your piers doesn't hurt either.

Tip #5
Make sure your guitar is always properly tuned.
This is a no brainer. But for some reason so many beginners, me included, forget about something so crucial to your success in learning guitar. In fact many people think their playing skills suck when in reality their guitar is out of tune. Simple, right?

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How To Make Your Very First Beat

Beat making really isn't all that difficult. And you don't need an expensive setup. The only items you really need are beat making software and your imagination. If you're into music, making tracks is definitely a ton of fun. It's an awesome experience to hear the bass thumping on the track that you have made all by yourself.

Basic Guidelines

There's only a couple of basic rules to follow when you're making a beat. Though a beat that sounds great is the most important thing. The guidelines are useless if they make your beat sound terrible.

One of the primary guidelines is to use 4/4 time when making your beat. Almost any beat you hear follows this rule. Your beat maker will probably already have this set, but if not then do so before you start.

Now, look though your samples and choose a kick drum that tickles your fancy. Place it on the very first measure. Skip the next measure then put a snare drum on the 3rd measure. Now on the 4th measure put a closed high hat. Finally, if you want a a bit more fill you can either place another kick drum or another high hat on the 2nd measure. That should give you a basic beat.

Filling Out The Beat And Making It Your Own

Now that you have a basic beat we can get to the fun part. This is where your creative side comes into play. How you lay everything out from here is what really gives your beat it's main sound. So here's some tips to get you going.

When I'm making a beat, I dig into my samples in this step. I might have a preconceived notion or I may just play with sounds until I find something I like. I might pull out scratches or vocals or an organ. Once I have a few sounds I like I lay out the bass line. The bass line is what I use to pull the whole track together.

Turning Your Beat into A Full Track

Up to this point you probably only have a couple of bars. Copy the bars you have and extend them over the next 12 bars. Depending on the tempo you're using that should give you 30 seconds or so. Now you can add some type of transition like a drum roll or a building synth sound then move into another beat.

Evaluating Your Work

How does your track make you feel? Fantastic? Then you're done! No reason to keep playing with it. Want to see if you're able to make something that you like even more? Swap out the kits you're using to something else. You could also try slowing the track down or speeding it up. It's actually not all that difficult to get a new experience out of a beat simply by messing around with the kits.

You should also let one of your good friends listen to your track to find out what they think. They may not like it, but don't worry about it. Listen to their feedback and make some changes. This type of feedback is what really helps to make you better.

Moving On From Here

That is really all you need to know to make your first beat. From here it's just a matter of practice. Keep putting out beats. Try to make a new one each day. You don't become a top producer just by making one beat.

Another way to get some practice is to try to re-create a track from one of your favorite artists. Try putting your own twist on Kanye's new track. You can also check out YouTube and watch others make beats then try to mimic what they do.

Now, jump in and get your feet wet. You're going to need practice if you want to get better. What I've written here is enough to get you rolling. Dig into your creativeness now and go produce some really sizzling tracks.

For more great resources on beat making check out Pro Beat Maker. I'm constantly adding new tips and tutorials that are catered to beginners.

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Playing Your First Live Show

Have you finally found a band that you are compatible with? Are you a solo artist that hears everything finally coming together? In either case if you've gotten the chance to play a live show or gig, chances are your first emotion was exhilaration, followed by anxiety about how you will perform. Let's get you back to that exhilarated feeling!

You're probably thinking, "I've got butterflies in my stomach. I'm a ball of nerves! What if I make a mistake? How can I play a live show?" Well, let's get the first question out of the way right now. The odds are really good that you will make a few mistakes in your first show. Most people do. The questions you need to ask yourself are one, will anyone notice? And two, if they do notice it, will anyone remember that mistake when we hit the big scene? As long as you stay focused on your goals, neither of these questions will be relevant. Remember to write down the reasons why you're doing this! Are you doing it to entertain friends? Do you have something to share with the world? If you do, you must train your mind to remember that the world wants to hear it.

One thing you can do to minimize your chances of making a mistake is to practice your part! Practice over, and over, and over again, until you feel that you can play it without thinking. This is more important than most guitarists understand. Guitar practice, as with any performance rehearsal, is necessary to make sure things will go smoothly once you are on the stage.

You can also train your mind to think positively by reciting certain positive phrases over and over again. Phrases like, "I can achieve anything I desire" or "I will get on the stage and feel good about myself. People want to hear me play" will always increase your confidence and help quell that butterfly feeling in your gut. This particular technique has positive effects on practice as well. Because you know you can achieve anything, you will do what it takes to get there. Practice will come naturally because you know that's the most important aspect of doing well on the stage.

Set aside a certain amount of time to practice each and every day until your show. This does not include time just spent practicing with the band. You need some time to practice alone as well. You should be able to hear the band in your mind playing along with you. Remember, that you are a superstar! Keep reciting those positive phrases and practicing. Pretty soon you're going to realize that you're no longer nervous about being onstage...well, maybe you'll be a little nervous, but not about making a mistake! You'll know you're going to get out there and kick some tail.

Again, train your mind so that you CAN do what it takes. You have the power to succeed. It all depends on you, and on how badly you want to be in the spotlight. Let the world hear what it has been missing! We'll all appreciate it, and we'll appreciate you for giving it all you've got! Remember, when, not if, but WHEN you put everything you have into your passion, it will pay you back 100 times what you've put into it. If performance is important to you, you will do this.

Now go break a leg!

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