New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year, everyone! This is the time of year when people take time to look over the past twelve months and evaluate themselves. They think about what they want to change, and they resolve to make the change in the new year.

How did the past year go for you as a guitar player? Did your playing skill or your knowledge of the instrument advance? How many new songs did you learn? Did you take time every so often to sit down with your instrument and just play?

If you are like me, you do not have a satisfactory answer to all of these questions. I know that coming up with New Year’s resolutions takes a little time, so I’ve come up with a list for you of some that you might want to try out in the new year.

1. Learn a new song every month. In my experience, I have found that one of the easiest ways to practice is to learn a new song. Playing songs is what playing the guitar is all about, right? So what better than to learn a new song? You will get practice in rhythm, fingering, and chording. What better incentive is there to learn a new chord or scale than that it is found in a song that you want to learn how to play? For an incredible list of songs with chords or tab, check out the Online Guitar Archive at http://www.olga.net.

2. Try and figure out a song before attempting to play it. This is a skill that comes only with practice and a good ear, but it is one of the best ways to develop your ear for music. Try, when you are riding in your car or listening to a favorite CD, to recognize individual chords or progressions that sound familiar to you. Remember them until you sit down with your guitar next time, and then try to duplicate what you heard. Do not get discouraged! You will not always be right, and sometimes you will be really close, but not quite perfect. Other times you may figure out the right progression in the wrong key, but this is okay! As you become more attuned to the sounds of the instrument, you will be able to hone your skills until you are able to play a complete song in your head without ever touching a guitar!

3. Play along with your favorite songs. A great way to learn scales and practice leads is to jam along with some of your favorite music. Once you figure out the key you are in, you can throw in some fills and leads that add a new twist to the song. This exercise will give you a good feel for lead guitar work, and it will help develop your ear to make your original leads a little tighter and more creative. And if you want, you can even play along with commercials while you are sitting in front of the television. One of my favorites channels to jam along with is the Weather Channel.

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