6 Important Tips on How to Be Better At Playing Guitar

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jazz guitarist

Whether you’re playing the guitar for your own entertainment or for a living, chances are, if you are passionate, you want to level up when it comes to playing this stringed instrument. Needless to say, there are hundreds of tips as to how to be better at playing the guitar, some tips may work for you and some may not. For this article, however, we will tackle the most essential ones.

So, for those of you trying to step up your musician resume game and for those of you who are aspiring to be the next Slash, these are the tips that might just help you.

The Advice

  • Practice A LOT.

You’ll definitely see this advice everywhere and that’s because it works. Over-practice makes perfect and if it doesn’t, at least it makes you better. By spending a lot of time practicing, you are getting your brain used to how guitar playing works and because of that, the act becomes close to automatic and so, it becomes much easier for you to play.

  • Learn techniques.

One reason why expert guitarists sound amazing is because they are well-versed when it comes to guitar playing techniques. And so, if you want to be close to their level, you can do so by learning techniques such as palm muting, hammer ons, harmonics, vibrato, etc. These are the techniques that are essential for impressive guitar performances.

  • Learn scales.

For those who aspire to play guitar solos or for those guitar players who simply want to easily move around the frets, learning the scales is very crucial. Go for pentatonic major and minor scales in all positions. This is so that moving around for solos will become easy as pie. If possible, learn to play the scales not just forward but also backwards.

how to be better at guitar

  • Read tabs.

Although chords are much easier to learn, if you truly want to be a next-level guitarist, learning tabs is the way to go. Tabs are the guitarist’s music sheet. Check out the tabs for some of the classic songs by Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, John Mayer, and the like.

  • Study sounds.

Spend time listening to guitar solos as this is one way to become sensitive and more familiar with different types of guitar sounds. With guitar, it’s very important for you to have great listening skills.

  • Play with others.

A great way to improve your guitar skills is by playing with better guitarists. You’ll be able to observe their techniques and they’ll be able to give you some tips as well. Other than playing with co-guitar players, you should also venture out to playing with other musicians. In many cases, guitarists do not play alone. They usually play with other instruments for accompaniment; thus, it’s good to get used to playing with a drummer, pianist, singer, etc.

  • Explore.

Don’t be afraid to explore the guitar world. You may experiment with amplifiers for guitars and get to know how they work. Or you may also explore playing different types of guitar to know which interests you best.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, all these tips are only possible if you have the determination and perseverance in practicing. Do not give up if it doesn’t sound right; instead, keep trying. And although practicing a lot is essential, don’t forget to take breaks as well.

A Guide on How To Frame A Resume For  A Musician

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jobs for musicians

When it is time to look out for a job, the number one concern and challenge for everyone is the resume. This single or double page document is what represents your past and decides your future. The resume is the number one document that you submit to a prospective employer. Hence it has to be of top notch quality and interesting enough for the employer to read through fully.

Different Professions Have Different Requirements

In a typical resume, one highlights their achievements, scores in various tests, where they studied, what they achieved, etc. It is a short and crisp representation of the candidate themselves. This document can make or break one’s career and hence needs proper attention to the important details. The details to be highlighted will be different for different professions. This is because the need for each kind of job is different and what is important in one industry need not be important in another.

When it comes to creativity and talent, we realized the requirements by the head hunters are completely different. Hence we decided to let the budding musicians know what to put on and what to leave off their resumes, to make that lasting impression.

Why Do Musicians Need A  Resume?

Whether you’re planning to apply for offshore oil and gas industry jobs or if you’re a budding musician wanting a stable gig, a resume would come very handy.

A musician does not really need not necessarily need a resume just for a job. Music is a talent oriented profession and any budding artist would love to move on with time, wherever their talent takes him. If a musician is not keen on settling down in a single company, why do they require a bio? To publish it on a website, promotions and concert programs, etc.

When a musician performs at a concert or releases a successful recording, their details have to be furbished to various sources. This will help get them more recognition as the next head hunter or concert manager can get the details easily and book them up for the next show.

resume for musicians

Structure

Ok, so let’s take a look at how to construct an impressive resume

  • First Paragraph

The first paragraph is the introduction to the musician. This part is what creates the first impression. If it is impressive, the prospective employer will read further or just discard it. Hence this part has to highlight the most important and the biggest achievement of the artist. It has to draw the attention of anyone browsing through a bunch of resumes.

  • Second Paragraph

This is the next part which will detail out the achievements of the artist. As the most important and recognizable one was mentioned in the first paragraph, this paragraph will have the details of all other achievements.

It can carry details of all the gigs at which the artist performed, presented in a chronological order, so the employer can know how the musician has progressed over the years. One should not make the mistake of present the impressive ones first followed by the not so impressive performance, as they will not be in an order and will make it difficult to understand if the artist has progressed or not.

This part can be split up using bullets or full paragraphs, each telling about a performance and that show’s details.

  • Final Paragraph

This is the last part of the resume which will have the details about the musician’s education and background information. As these details do not carry much weight, it will be mentioned in the last.

Conclusion

When it is a resume of a musician, one can find it difficult to come up with a list of what to be presented and how.  And so, for resume stuff, we recommend www.onlineresumebuilders.com. Since resumes of regular professions are what you can find online, such a unique talent will be hard to present. If one wants more tips on writing up their resume, they can get pointers from websites to get a better idea.