r/guitarlessons

Hi all,

I'll restart lessons soon and I'm kind of divided, so want to know people's own experiences (teachers and students).

I'm thinking of doing either weekly,(+ keeps momentum/ - won't have much time to practice) or biweekly ( +easier to have solid practice between lessons/ - lesson content won't stay so fresh on my mind)

Any teachers/students have any insights on whether weekly or biweekly was better/worse?

As a context: guitar is not the number one priority in my life, it's a hobby. Parenting, working, and other competing priorities means that I need to be flexible with my practice (even if it's not ideal)

Hi everyone, I've been playing guitar and bass for almost three years now, and I think my technique is pretty good for the moment. However, I'm looking to get to know my instrument better so I can actually make music: chords progressions (learn lots of shapes), improvise, create riffs, etc., but intentionally and not just by noodling.

How can I truly master the fretboard (scales, chords, triads, etc.)? Do you have any good resources for this, like videos, exercices, etc..

I feel like there's so much content on the internet that I'm lost on this topic.

Hi! Beginner here.

So ive recently learned the CAGED System and how it works, along with the pentatonic shapes of it. But i dont know if im learning this correctly. It just seems that i dont really find it useful. Am i learning the CAGED right? How do i know if im doing the right things to use the most out of the CAGED System?

Plus, some question also. How can i use this for minor chords and pentatonic scale? Thank you!

How? How do i play them? ive tried everything in those videos, but my strings always sound muted. I dont have big hands or long fingers, so there isnt really much to work with. And im just trying to play Fm7, not G or B or something that needs 20 finger positions.

My wrist hurts and im so close to just giving up... Help

Hello, I've been struggling with this lately. Does anyone have a certain trick/exercise to learn this effectively? I've started playing guitar since january last year.

My dad is a great rhythm guitarist, and my teenage daughter has taken an interest in the instrument. They’re a month into playing together and she’s been playing every day or two, and they play together once or twice a week. He’s never taught guitar before but they’re having fun.

He is a little unconfident in his teaching, and also a little bit of the mindset that she should just start learning on her own if it’s of interest to her.

I think she enjoys playing, and also it’s a way to connect with her Grampy, plus a zoomer teenager just naturally gravitates toward screen addiction. So I really am pushing their lesson time together.

It’s going pretty well but I wonder if you guys have any tips or feedback for how to consistently make the process fun and good.

One thing is that they have changed songs a few times, so they’re not really learning any one thing. It seems fine as it’s building a general familiarity, but I also wonder if they should stick to a song till it’s mastered.

But in general I just want to show my dad this thread and have him continue to be stoked about teaching, and have some neat ideas or mental framework moving forward.

Thanks in advance

Been playing guitar for years, write songs in an indie/alt rock band, play live regularly, can learn songs by ear decently well, and can write riffs/chord progressions/melodies pretty naturally at this point… but improvisation has always been my biggest insecurity and I really want to finally fix it the right way.

I’m realizing I don’t want to just sound like “pentatonic box guy” anymore.

The kind of playing I’m obsessed with is Larry Carlton / Steely Dan stuff. Kid Charlemagne completely broke my brain. That style of improvisation sounds SO intentional and melodic and horizontal across the neck compared to the way I naturally play now.

Current situation:

• I know the pentatonic shapes pretty well
• Know basic major scale stuff
• Starting to understand chord tones/arpeggios more
• Recently been focusing on targeting chord tones over changes instead of just running scales
• Working on hearing the chord underneath and landing on notes that actually sound connected to the harmony
• Learning parts of Kid Charlemagne right now
• Have been practicing singing phrases and trying to find them on guitar
• Starting to understand guide tones (3rds/7ths) and why they matter

BUT…

I still feel completely lost improvising in real time once things move away from familiar box shapes.

Like if someone says “solo over this progression,” my brain still often goes:
“okay where’s the pentatonic…”

I don’t naturally see the neck horizontally yet. I don’t instantly know where the chord tones are during fast changes. I can FEEL musical ideas in my head, but translating them to the fretboard in the moment still feels clunky and anxiety-inducing, especially jamming with my band. It’s honestly been one of my biggest musical insecurities for years.

I want to get to the point where:

• I hear something and my fingers just go there
• I can actually follow chord changes melodically
• I stop sounding trapped in shapes
• I can play THROUGH the harmony instead of over static scales
• I can move across the neck fluidly instead of vertically inside boxes
• My phrasing sounds more vocal/jazzy/melodic like Carlton, Robben Ford, Julian Lage etc.

What I DON’T want:

• random disconnected exercises
• another “learn all the modes” answer
• vague advice

What I DO want:
A genuinely structured plan.

Like:

• what should I practice daily?
• weekly?
• in what order?
• what skills matter MOST first?
• what resources/books/apps/videos actually helped you make this transition?
• what made things finally CLICK?

I’m very willing to practice seriously. I just feel like I’ve never had an actual roadmap and have kind of pieced things together randomly over the years.

Would really appreciate advice from players who made the jump from “good rock player” to truly melodic/harmonically aware improviser. THANK YOU!

I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for over six years and I was just gifted an electric guitar. I’m having such a hard time switching over to electric guitar from acoustic and I’m wondering if anyone has any tips for me?

I’ve noticed that I’ve been having issues with consistently getting a ring on the high E with my pinky finger. It seems to be incredibly sensitive to the smallest movement/pressure changes. Obviously I gotta keep practicing but just wondering if anybody has any tips?

Oof. I feel like a moron. I have always, without realizing, had a "dart throwers" grip that results in the bottom part of my palm to lift which creates a downward escape motion or none at all. This is now causing problems with faster, longer passages and making them sound like dogshit. Unfortunately, now I have to spend all summer or more consciously breaking a bad, ingrained habit.

It makes me sick to my stomach that I actually thought I was hot shit on guitar and now just realize I'm cringe as it gets. Eating a few slices of humble pie today.