If you'd like to learn how to play lead guitar then you probably already know that it's a mixture of theory, technique, and natural talent. Everyone wants to be the greatest lead guitarist they can be, but in order to do that you need to first work on mastering some of the key fundamentals like reading through music and hearing music but many don't consider the truly essential things which will set you aside from individuals that wish to learn how to play lead guitar.
So, with that in mind, here are six important tips that you'll need to remember if you eventually want to kick ass as a lead guitarist:
-Technique
-Body Position
-Hand Position
-Attitude
-Discipline
-Leadership Ability
Technique
It should go without saying (but I'm going to say it anyway) that developing good technique early on is probably the single most vital element you need to make sure you get nailed down if you ever want to be a great lead guitarist. The importance of finding a great teacher for learning proper guitar technique really can't be understated. A good teacher can help to teach you the technical skills that are important in learning to play the guitar and they can absolutely help to perfect them by picking up on little things that could use correction that you might not notice on your own. Most guitarists - from the very famous to the no-one-has-ever-heard-of-you - will say the same thing: learning the guitar is a lifetime pursuit. You never know everything there is to know and you never stop learning and perfecting your technique.
Body Position
There are two schools of thought on this one. A lot of people will tell you that when you first start to learn how to play lead guitar, it's best if you practice while sitting down. This gives you better control of your guitar and you have more options when it comes to positioning it just so for maximum comfort when just starting out. It allows you to focus on your fingering and fretboard techniques rather than straining your wrist to bend properly under the neck, which can reduce muscle strain and pain for the beginning shredder. Sitting while playing also allows you to tilt the guitar towards you slightly so that you can get a better view of the full fretboard, which is helpful when you're trying to nail that new piece of music that you're just learning.
The flip side of the coin, however, is in the real world that you very rarely rock out while sitting down. The late, great Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell refused to sit down to record any of his guitar parts for this very reason. I know, I know... if you're reading this, you're not Dimebag Darrell (for more than one reason). But there is some truth to this idea that even the newest beginning guitarist might want to consider. If you plan to play on stage at any point, then you will more than likely be doing so while standing (unless you are strictly an acoustic guitarist, in which case you may very well almost never stand to play, and that's perfectly fine). What happens with a lot of folks who learn their techniques while sitting is that they find it very difficult to make to transition to standing. It makes sense, if you think about it. You train the muscles in your hands, wrists, and forearms to bend and move in a certain way when you practice (while sitting) and then expect them to move in a different range of motion when you stand up to perform. Of course it will be more difficult than if you had also practised while standing. Make sense?
Hand Position
Obviously, one of the most important things about learning to play lead guitar really well is mastering proper hand positioning. A lot of people start out learning guitar using very strict, textbook hand positions, only to end up switching to something more comfortable for their particular hands later on as they develop. This can work out just fine for some people, but if you begin using proper hand technique and correct hand positions right from the start, you'll find it much simpler to maneuver between the different guitar chords effortlessly later on. Additionally, correct hand positioning allows you react rapidly if your fellow musicians make a mistake. In the beginning it'll appear very hard, especially if you've been using incorrect hand positions previously. But, if you stick with it and practice proper hand positions regularly, it'll ultimately pay off in the long run when you can seamlessly shift between chords and fretboard positions, cover mistakes with ease, and just generally seem more professional in your lead guitar playing.
Attitude
This one might not be as important when first starting out learning to play guitar, but if you're slightly more advanced with your guitar playing and you're beginning to develop your own style, attitude can be everything! What do I mean by attitude? Basically, the way you carry yourself. Your demeanour. Your outlook. Your in-your-face, balls-out rock star swagger! Okay, so why is that important? Your attitude affects your body, your gestures and the way in which you carry yourself physically, and it's extremely important when learning how to play lead guitar. If you want to perform like a lead guitarist, you need to act like a lead guitarist. Watch an effective lead guitarist and you'll immediately notice that they tend to have a lot of stage presence and just generally display a lot more confidence and swagger than their back-up guitarists. That's attitude! And, since you'll need it in spades if you want to sell out arenas one day, might as well start developing yours right off the bat.
Discipline
When you're first starting out with learning to play guitar, it's easy to have boundless enthusiasm. You are learning new techniques constantly and you seem to be improving your guitar playing skill every day. You want to play until your fingers bleed and your hands are locked in some kind of weird claw shape. You'll spend hours trying to master your favorite songs and it feels like it would be easy to keep up that kind of pace forever. But then reality sets in. Once you hit your first plateau and your noticeable improvement starts to be measured in weeks rather than days, it gets all too easy to slow down on your practice. Discipline means that you find a way to push through that and keep going. It's the only way to keep improving, even when you don't see immediate results.
Leadership Ability
This might sound strange to include in this list, but think about it for a moment. Leadership abilities are essential to possess if you want to be considered a lead guitarist. Why? Well, for one thing, in a lot of cases the lead guitarist serves as the most visible member of the musicians in the group. Next to a charismatic lead singer, the lead guitarist is usually the most widely-recognized member of the band. Because of that, you'll often be the main one other musicians turn to for guidance within the group. Because the lead guitarist is usually playing over the chords and rhythms laid down by the other musicians in the group, they often have a unique perspective on how the music sounds as a whole, and the lead guitarist needs to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the other band members and be able to diplomatically make suggestions to them on things that could improve the music as a whole. In fact, in groups where the lead singer doesn't play an instrument at all, the lead guitarist often serves as the de facto leader of the musical side of the group.
The author is a guitarist and guitar builder with almost two decades of experience. He maintains a website about how to play guitar for beginners.
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