There is a word that often gets used wrongly in the world of guitar playing and guitar exercises. Is it “vibrato”, “legato” or even “ostinato”? Nope, it is far simpler and if you are not careful, this word can send you down a rabbit hole, like Alice looking for the pesky white rabbit. The word is… “technique”.
Yes, it is a simple word but one that caused me my fair share of frustration when starting out, and…
I see the same with others too.
When I used to buy guitar magazines and watch YouTube tutorials a lot, I would hear plenty of talk about “technique”.
Yet, when “technique” was mentioned, it was always some amazing, killer idea based on some guitar hero’s innovative style.
It would be mesmerising things like:
John Williams and his classical tremolo picking…
A James Taylor style fingerpicking masterclass…
Clapton and his 16th note legato, etc…
All fancy advanced stuff – intermediate at least, and definitely not basic.
The problem is…
90% of guitarists out there are beginners who struggle (to varying degrees) with the absolute basics of good technique.
It is things such as buzzing notes, slow chord changes, sore fingers, awkward movements, aching hands, a lack of musicality, that they need to fix, not the advanced stuff.
Without fixing these basics, the fancy stuff all falls down faster than a house of cards in a tornado.
Even players who can do some fancy stuff often have holes in their playing, where their technique just “gets them by”.
I had pretty poor technique which got me by, but after about 8 years of playing, I realised I needed to take a few steps back, and really nail the fundamentals, or I would not get much better.
Over the past few years, I have done plenty of videos in my courses on technique but for the first time…
I have created a written guide to help you to learn, fix, and improve your fundamental technique.
It is called Essential Guitar Technique.
The book features 19 step-by-step lessons on fundamental technique with exercises to improve your guitar technique.
These are the issues that most guitarists either rarely fix (or if they do, it takes them years), yet all are key to making solid progress and actually having fun.
A snapshot of the lessons in it include:
- Strumming upstrums the simple way
- How to stop plucking the wrong strings (when fingerpicking or playing with a pick)
- Avoiding the two chord changing killers
- Using the “light thumb” so you can practise for longer and to a higher standard
- The “Air Claw” (to improve finger dexterity)
- Why most guitarists lock their elbow in place as they play and how this can cause multiple issues
- The “Sit and stand” exercise to ensure your guitar is in the ideal position for a rock-solid foundation
- How to develop your pinkie properly, improving your hand span stretch, and much more…
All of these short and to the point lessons and guitar technique exercises will help you play real music better, make faster progress, and have more fun.
You can get this guide as a free bonus in my book bundle.
Here is where you can get the bundle:
Guitar Domination Super eBook bundle
I hope you enjoy it should you get it.
Have a great day!
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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