Join me for my free Art Of Practice Masterclass where I teach you how to make more progress in your 30-minute practice sessions than other guitarists make in 3 hours! beyondtheguitar.com/practice
I began playing guitar 25 years ago. Mainly tabs and by ear with no instruction. When I met my wife who was a music major in college she made me learn some music theory and memorize the circle of 5ths. I hated it. I had a love of spanish guitar and so i bought myself a harp guitar. When I started using the weight of the arm instead of the old squeeze the neck method that i just l learned it was soo moving. I was nearly in tears as all my cord changes became fluid and I am not feeling for the strings anymore . Its like letting the hands weight press down the piano keys.
The bass stopping when using a different chord or key was helpful and actually intensified the clarity of the notes. The best things to add in a composition is the mess you subtract, cleansing the sound! Thank you so much!
I had the opportunity to go through Nathan’s “Fingerstyle Journey” course and the first lesson was all about weight. I was amazed at how much sweeter my guitar sounded when I wasn’t squeezing the neck so hard. I was more relaxed and that totally transferred into how my guitar sounded. It was nothing short of magical for me. I love that course and am so glad I went through it. Thanks Nathan!
OMG, I broke my wrist and collarbone two years ago and I couldn't play guitar like before. Nobody taught me the first tip, you just gave me hope of playing again
I love the tips that are beyond the technique. We get in our own heads when most people don’t know the difference between 80% perfect and 100% perfect. Just play and share it with the world.
I've been playing for three years, and half of these tips I've not even thought about. As usual amazing work Nathan! Appreciate the free learning content you put out.
I am playing guitar and several other instruments as well and although I had great teachers mostly, I always knew from the lessons how to PLAY the music and not how to PRACTICE. I never heard about the game changers Nathan is talking about in this video that make guitar playing waaay much easier. And many of these can be applicable to other instruents as well. Never ever met or heard about anybody who cares about musical instrument practice as Nathan does.
When I first started, There was a stereotype that you have to start learning guitar with a "trashy" instrument. "If you will study with the trashy one, then you'll be super good with a well-made instrument!" (c) :D But, now I understand that you have to start with a proper guitar :) No need to have super-duper instrument, but it have to be at least comfortable. This way you can put more effort in musicality, instead of fighting instrument...
Awesome video, thank you for sharing the bits about success & performance. I needed a reminder for the success part of guitar for sure especially with being so technical lately.
I really liked the video, funny story when I started playing a long time ago by myself, and started reading tabs, I thought there was only one tuning option...I really thought I sucked for two years because music didn't sound the same haha
To tackle number 5 I enrolled in music school. This was a game changer. Even as adults we’re not obligated to perform for an audience I did choose to. First time was a nighmare. Had to start 3 times over, my fingers were shaking, lost all control. Alone I could play it perfectly though, but I simply didn’t practice playing for people. I learned a big lesson!. Second time I needed to perform I took in the week before my guitar to friends, played for whoever I could. Guess what? I nailed it and impressed my teacher. Still was nervous, but I was not so daunted anymore by a crowd listening to me. I thought: I’m gonna give these people a good time instead of thinking ‘I hope I don’t screw up’
I've been playing for a while and I've never heard that first one. I think it could really help me to play longer and without pain in my hand. Thanks for the tips.
Hi Nathan ! I was already pretty comfortable with 1 and 2, but 3 and 4 were fantastic to me. And 5... Man I'm terrified at the idea of playing for a friend ! Your last piece of advice is a blessing to me. Never stop what you are doing, you are so talented ! 😁
Great tips! I definitely find myself get caught up on the 2nd one from time to time, especially being in my 30s, and having not achieved anything major in life. 😂 Oddly enough, I learnt about Tip #1 from Henning Pauly (EytschPi42) recently, in his Strandberg Boden Essential review, of all places. I tried it out immediately and it's easier to play. Also, my thumb pain had subsided ever since. I still go back to the habit of gripping with my thumb at times, but after knowing that nugget of information, I try to be more conscious about it, whenever I tensed up. Tips I would add would be, don't think of guitar playing as a 100 meters sprint, but instead as a marathon, potentially a lifelong one. So be patient, be kind to yourself, and you'll reap the rewards of the work you put in. Another would be, don't fawn over gears (especially as an Electric Guitarist), because they'll never make you a better player. A well built guitar that is setup properly, sure 'cause that's important, but having an obsession over new gears (G.A.S = Gear Acquisition Syndrome) will never replace actual times invested on playing and practicing the instrument.
Great content as always! ❤😁 You always inspire me with your guitar and it seems that you know the formula to make it work haha I want to play the guitar but I don't find where to start.
I see a lot of beginners having issues with vibrato, like they are shaking their hand pivoting around a pressure point. Good thing to learn from your strings colleagues is that you need to push the string left to right, like you are trying to slide the whole string up and down the neck.
Each tip was helpful , but for me the tips with the weight of the arm and the last one about performing. Now im learning your arrangement "Brothers" from Fullmetal alchemists and i notices with those jump from first fret to barchord on 10 fret , with plenty of those stretching and again barchords in this piece my muscle in the thumb gets very tired and i feel pain halfway through the arrangement. So im gonna focus on that for a while. And also in this arrangement i had problem with the pull of from 12 to 10 fret. And to just place the finger on the string beneath , maaan , that was so simple , intuitive and brilliant. Dont know how i didnt come up with that by myself. And the preforming tip is the most important i think. Cause these technical moments, i think i will achieved them anyways with discipline. But this performance one , it requires changing the way you think about yourself and this is what is really hard to do. To reprogramm your way of thinking. Thank you a lot for this video , Nathan
Great takeaways. Those mental pathways can take a while to retrain - but it can be done. Just like we have physical habits, we have mental habits. Ways of thinking and viewing the world by default. If we're intentional and patient, we can change it all
ahoi, very wise and very kind words to encourage - you give great advise and your music is beautiful - thanks so much for sharing your experience =) its very nice and worthy - grateful greetings for your great work and channel =)
The first thing is what I experience now after 3 years in guitar school. I learn some more complicated songs like "Your song" or banana pencake with constant bares or shape of my heart with really stretchy cords. And i dont know why but after playing some hours my left hand is hurting in this area you described. And the last point...oh boy. My guitar schools makes some concerts in summer and winter. So everyone who wants to play something for parents and friends can do it. So you get practice playing infront of people you dont know in a more safe place. But I rember playing my first song live infront of 20-30 people was nothing else matters. Boy...i needed to start it 4 times because I was so nervous, heads getting red like a tomato. Fingers cramp together, no chance to do the intro well. Second concert was better, but still problems with timings, cramping fingers. But its getting better. :)
Very noob question. But woudn't letting the weight of your arm pull the strings down toward the floor instead than against the fretboard? This would result in a down bending of the string instead of a note press woudn't it?
Probably the weight, I started realizing it by myself, because I came to the point, where I can not hold whole pieces by using thumb pressure. Just getting to much pain and started looking for a workaround. But yeah - its very hard to relearn it... Just made a goal on focusing less power with left hand while playing as hard as I can with right hand, second step would be focusing on thumb pressure.
I took flamenco guitar lessons 40 years ago and my teacher (John Shelton) built a guitar for me. It's an amazing instrument. I play mostly steel string but am getting interested again in the flamenco/classical guitar. A couple of the tips in this little video were very helpful...even with my steel string playing. Thank you for that. Question: can you recommend a good lap stand? I have no idea which one to choose from what I saw on-line. BTW: your rendition of Where is My Mind...incredible!
Join me for my free Art Of Practice Masterclass where I teach you how to make more progress in your 30-minute practice sessions than other guitarists make in 3 hours! beyondtheguitar.com/practice
I began playing guitar 25 years ago. Mainly tabs and by ear with no instruction. When I met my wife who was a music major in college she made me learn some music theory and memorize the circle of 5ths. I hated it. I had a love of spanish guitar and so i bought myself a harp guitar. When I started using the weight of the arm instead of the old squeeze the neck method that i just l learned it was soo moving. I was nearly in tears as all my cord changes became fluid and I am not feeling for the strings anymore . Its like letting the hands weight press down the piano keys.
Using the weight instead of the thumb has made a huge difference, definitely has helped with my speed, thank you so much! 🙏
I'm not a beginner. But I always like to watch these to learn more. Bass stopping is huge, I'll be applying that technique immediately
I playing classical guitar for 2 years and your video learn new things to me , good job Nathan 🤍
The bass stopping when using a different chord or key was helpful and actually intensified the clarity of the notes. The best things to add in a composition is the mess you subtract, cleansing the sound! Thank you so much!
This was a fantastic video and shows just what a truly great teacher you are! Thanks man!
I had the opportunity to go through Nathan’s “Fingerstyle Journey” course and the first lesson was all about weight. I was amazed at how much sweeter my guitar sounded when I wasn’t squeezing the neck so hard. I was more relaxed and that totally transferred into how my guitar sounded. It was nothing short of magical for me. I love that course and am so glad I went through it. Thanks Nathan!
Well said. That's exactly why I teach that concept in lesson 1. It impacts every area of your playing for the better. Thanks Jared!
OMG, I broke my wrist and collarbone two years ago and I couldn't play guitar like before. Nobody taught me the first tip, you just gave me hope of playing again
The 5th point hit home with me. Thank you for great content and insights.
Every single tip you listed was amazing and very informative! Thanks, and I personally wouldn't mind if you made more videos like this one! :)
I love the tips that are beyond the technique. We get in our own heads when most people don’t know the difference between 80% perfect and 100% perfect. Just play and share it with the world.
I've been playing for three years, and half of these tips I've not even thought about.
As usual amazing work Nathan! Appreciate the free learning content you put out.
Wayyyyy, love you and classical guitar, before your video my left hand wrist hurt but now everything better❤
All amazing pieces of advice! The weight tip is especially important, I really wish I had learned it earlier because it completely changed my playing
I am playing guitar and several other instruments as well and although I had great teachers mostly, I always knew from the lessons how to PLAY the music and not how to PRACTICE. I never heard about the game changers Nathan is talking about in this video that make guitar playing waaay much easier. And many of these can be applicable to other instruents as well. Never ever met or heard about anybody who cares about musical instrument practice as Nathan does.
What's something you wish you knew when you first started learning guitar? Leave me a comment!
When I first started, There was a stereotype that you have to start learning guitar with a "trashy" instrument. "If you will study with the trashy one, then you'll be super good with a well-made instrument!" (c) :D
But, now I understand that you have to start with a proper guitar :)
No need to have super-duper instrument, but it have to be at least comfortable. This way you can put more effort in musicality, instead of fighting instrument...
I can relate to every one of them. You are so right! I am looking forward to continuing to practice keeping all what you said in mind.
Awesome video, thank you for sharing the bits about success & performance. I needed a reminder for the success part of guitar for sure especially with being so technical lately.
the maestro speaks, listens to him and puts his wisdom into action.... you get better! guaranteed!🙂
Great info friend!! You are an expressive player and a wonderful teacher
Appreciate you
Thanks for the great tips! I loved all of them, but the first and last were the most helpful for me!
I really liked the video, funny story when I started playing a long time ago by myself, and started reading tabs, I thought there was only one tuning option...I really thought I sucked for two years because music didn't sound the same haha
To tackle number 5 I enrolled in music school. This was a game changer. Even as adults we’re not obligated to perform for an audience I did choose to. First time was a nighmare. Had to start 3 times over, my fingers were shaking, lost all control. Alone I could play it perfectly though, but I simply didn’t practice playing for people. I learned a big lesson!. Second time I needed to perform I took in the week before my guitar to friends, played for whoever I could. Guess what? I nailed it and impressed my teacher. Still was nervous, but I was not so daunted anymore by a crowd listening to me. I thought: I’m gonna give these people a good time instead of thinking ‘I hope I don’t screw up’
I've been playing for a while and I've never heard that first one. I think it could really help me to play longer and without pain in my hand. Thanks for the tips.
Hi Nathan !
I was already pretty comfortable with 1 and 2, but 3 and 4 were fantastic to me. And 5... Man I'm terrified at the idea of playing for a friend ! Your last piece of advice is a blessing to me.
Never stop what you are doing, you are so talented ! 😁
Appreciate you. You have so much potential to inspire people, remember that
Great tips! I definitely find myself get caught up on the 2nd one from time to time, especially being in my 30s, and having not achieved anything major in life. 😂
Oddly enough, I learnt about Tip #1 from Henning Pauly (EytschPi42) recently, in his Strandberg Boden Essential review, of all places. I tried it out immediately and it's easier to play. Also, my thumb pain had subsided ever since. I still go back to the habit of gripping with my thumb at times, but after knowing that nugget of information, I try to be more conscious about it, whenever I tensed up.
Tips I would add would be, don't think of guitar playing as a 100 meters sprint, but instead as a marathon, potentially a lifelong one. So be patient, be kind to yourself, and you'll reap the rewards of the work you put in.
Another would be, don't fawn over gears (especially as an Electric Guitarist), because they'll never make you a better player. A well built guitar that is setup properly, sure 'cause that's important, but having an obsession over new gears (G.A.S = Gear Acquisition Syndrome) will never replace actual times invested on playing and practicing the instrument.
Bass stopping sound so good... Why didn't I use it?! It's super easy and super effective...
Thanks for your list Nathan 👍
Love teaching those quick and easy wins that instantly make a difference in your playing. Good to hear from you Ruslan!
Learned a lot ❤... The last part resonates with me the most😂
Had your fair share of stage fright too, eh?
@@BeyondTheGuitar yeah... I especially find it hard to express my emotions
Great content as always! ❤😁
You always inspire me with your guitar and it seems that you know the formula to make it work haha
I want to play the guitar but I don't find where to start.
Thank you Nathan!
I see a lot of beginners having issues with vibrato, like they are shaking their hand pivoting around a pressure point. Good thing to learn from your strings colleagues is that you need to push the string left to right, like you are trying to slide the whole string up and down the neck.
2:06 omggggg how is this possible
I think you just changed my life
I believe you. Because it changed mine
Each tip was helpful , but for me the tips with the weight of the arm and the last one about performing. Now im learning your arrangement "Brothers" from Fullmetal alchemists and i notices with those jump from first fret to barchord on 10 fret , with plenty of those stretching and again barchords in this piece my muscle in the thumb gets very tired and i feel pain halfway through the arrangement. So im gonna focus on that for a while. And also in this arrangement i had problem with the pull of from 12 to 10 fret. And to just place the finger on the string beneath , maaan , that was so simple , intuitive and brilliant. Dont know how i didnt come up with that by myself. And the preforming tip is the most important i think. Cause these technical moments, i think i will achieved them anyways with discipline. But this performance one , it requires changing the way you think about yourself and this is what is really hard to do. To reprogramm your way of thinking.
Thank you a lot for this video , Nathan
Great takeaways. Those mental pathways can take a while to retrain - but it can be done. Just like we have physical habits, we have mental habits. Ways of thinking and viewing the world by default. If we're intentional and patient, we can change it all
I’ve started to really get the feel of weight down recently and it makes such a difference
It literally changes EVERYTHING - but some people aren't willing to give it the time that's required. Way to go Hugo
I WILL NEVER TELL ANYONE I PLAY GUIATR AND I'LL NEVER HAVE TO PLAY 🤧🤧🤧 *RUNNING AWAY*
I've been playing for 25 years on and off. Tip 1 blew my mind.
All really good tips. Wish I'd learned the weight principle instead of squeezing years ago. Would have saved me a lot of pain later on.
Same! Better late than never though
I’m a clarinetist not a guitarist… but the advice on your success and performing was great!
ahoi, very wise and very kind words to encourage - you give great advise and your music is beautiful - thanks so much for sharing your experience =) its very nice and worthy - grateful greetings for your great work and channel =)
Thanks for the support
The first thing is what I experience now after 3 years in guitar school.
I learn some more complicated songs like "Your song" or banana pencake with constant bares or shape of my heart with really stretchy cords.
And i dont know why but after playing some hours my left hand is hurting in this area you described.
And the last point...oh boy.
My guitar schools makes some concerts in summer and winter.
So everyone who wants to play something for parents and friends can do it.
So you get practice playing infront of people you dont know in a more safe place.
But I rember playing my first song live infront of 20-30 people was nothing else matters.
Boy...i needed to start it 4 times because I was so nervous, heads getting red like a tomato.
Fingers cramp together, no chance to do the intro well.
Second concert was better, but still problems with timings, cramping fingers.
But its getting better. :)
Very noob question. But woudn't letting the weight of your arm pull the strings down toward the floor instead than against the fretboard? This would result in a down bending of the string instead of a note press woudn't it?
this was more of a feedback, a good one 📈
Probably the weight, I started realizing it by myself, because I came to the point, where I can not hold whole pieces by using thumb pressure. Just getting to much pain and started looking for a workaround. But yeah - its very hard to relearn it... Just made a goal on focusing less power with left hand while playing as hard as I can with right hand, second step would be focusing on thumb pressure.
I took flamenco guitar lessons 40 years ago and my teacher (John Shelton) built a guitar for me. It's an amazing instrument. I play mostly steel string but am getting interested again in the flamenco/classical guitar. A couple of the tips in this little video were very helpful...even with my steel string playing. Thank you for that. Question: can you recommend a good lap stand? I have no idea which one to choose from what I saw on-line. BTW: your rendition of Where is My Mind...incredible!
@@stevestewart2864 sagework. The stand I use - love it
Thanks man
You're welcome!
If you play a lot of Bach, and have a strict teacher, bass stoping gets DRILLED into you, not just bass, anything that overflows gets you in trouble.
Funny Nathan acting like he's using the weight of his arm instead of the enormous power of his biceps.
😅
do hell divers 2 main theme!
Am I the only one who heard naruto theme at 7:40
wholesome video
ปัญหาโรคจิต ที่เราน่าจะปล่อยให้เกิด มันคิดอยู่อย่างเดียวคือ คาอยู่ที่เรา ตามที่เจ้าระเบียบโลก กดไว้โยงมาที่ฉัน น่าอนาถใจ เมื่อเราก็ ชีวิตเป็นเพียง พลเรือนขายแรงงานภาคเกษตรเช่นกัน
Sam Griffin is better than you:D