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Everything on Fret & Habit, organised by topic.
Playing Technique
- Alternate Picking: Build an Even Down-Up Motion — Practice alternate picking with a secure but relaxed grip and a small repeating down-up motion.
- Barre Chord Technique Without Excess Grip — Play barre chords by placing the index finger close behind the fret and using only the pressure required for the intended strings.
- Bend Guitar Strings in Tune by Matching a Target — Bend a guitar string in tune by first playing and hearing the destination pitch as an ordinary fretted note.
- Clean Chord Changes: Move Less and Land Together — Change guitar chords smoothly by confirming both shapes, identifying anchor or guide fingers, releasing excess pressure, and moving close to the strings.
- Guitar Pick Guide: Match Feel to the Musical Job — Choose a guitar pick by testing its response on the music you play.
- Guitar Vibrato Technique: Control Width and Rate — Practice guitar vibrato by first sustaining a stable center pitch, then adding a small, repeatable pitch movement that returns evenly.
- Rhythm Guitar Timing: Protect the Pulse — Improve rhythm guitar timing by counting subdivisions, simplifying the part, locating the first drift, and rebuilding accents, rests, changes, and…
- Strumming Patterns: Learn the Pulse Before the Arrows — Learn a guitar strumming pattern by counting the beat and subdivision, then practicing on muted strings, one chord, and simple changes.
Practice Methods
- Beginner Guitar Practice Routine That Stays Useful — A beginner guitar practice routine should combine a physical check, one technique target, one rhythm task, a small section of a real song, and a brief…
- Ear Training for Guitarists With the Instrument — Ear training for guitarists should connect hearing, singing, finding, and naming.
- Fix a Guitar Practice Plateau With Better Evidence — Fix a guitar practice plateau by replacing the broad feeling of being stuck with one observable failure.
- Guitar Practice Log: Track Decisions, Not Minutes — A useful guitar practice log records the exact target, method, starting result, ending result, and next action.
- Guitar Warm-Up Routine for Focused Hands — A guitar warm-up should use comfortable, low-demand playing that gradually approaches the technique planned for the session.
- Learn Guitar Songs in Sections That Connect — Learn a guitar song by mapping sections, isolating the smallest failed transition, and reconnecting it to surrounding bars.
- Memorize the Guitar Fretboard Through Landmarks — Memorize the guitar fretboard by learning natural-note landmarks on one string, connecting the same note through octave shapes, and searching for one…
- Practice Guitar With a Metronome Without Chasing It — Practice guitar with a metronome by counting the pulse, then adding a simple part at a tempo where movement stays accurate.
- 20-Minute Guitar Practice With a Clear Purpose — A useful 20-minute guitar practice session can use roughly three minutes to settle and tune, five to isolate one movement, five to place it against a…