The School of Feedback Guitar Blog

This is tip #37 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

Keeping a guitar on a guitar stand tends to inspire more fun.

When your guitar is on a guitar stand, it is in full view begging to be played. It's a simple trick. If your guitar is ready to be picked up in a moment's notice, you'll pick it up and play it just for fun. Clean up is easy too. Just put the guitar back on the guitar stand. Conversely, when your guitar is in your case it is resting. It's just a bit more effort to take it out of the case and tune it up, and it will add another two minutes to practicing. Plus, clean up is just not as quick as before.

Fortunately, there are plenty of inexpensive guitar stands available online that are highly likely to fit your electric and acoustic guitar. To find the best guitar stand Google the words, “(acoustic or electric) guitar stand.” Since guitar stands are designed to fit many different types of guitars, chances are that you'll find one that will fit your guitar. If your guitar is shaped differently like a Jackson Kelly or a Gibson Flying V, this might not be the case.

Do not keep your guitar on a stand permanently if it's worth more than $800. It's easier to control the humidity by keeping them in a case. Besides, it's best not have a beautiful guitar in plain sight when clumsy people are around.

No other piece of equipment will help you have more fun at guitar than a guitar stand.

If you had the entire book, you could learn how to make practicing guitar even more fun by understanding where to place your guitar stand. Want to check it out?

This is tip #49 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

Information that is beautifully laid out tends to be more functional than information that is not. I am more likely to look longer at information that is structured and presented well than something that merely looks okay.

An author who spends his or her time notating every single nuance of a song might be doing the discerning reader a favor by including such detail. If, however, those details are not laid out or formatted in an easy to read and aesthetically beautiful way, it is far easier for the reader to become hopelessly lost. Some tablature authors plug in every single variation of every chord in every single part of the song in the name of accuracy. More often than not, this clutters up the view of the page and it makes it very difficult to learn the song.

It's okay to use a chord sheet that has a lot of chords on it. If it is well-laid out, formatted beautifully, easy to comprehend, and aesthetically beautiful, get it. It's worth it.

If you had the entire book, you could find out one the best ways to practice a song, and be blissfully unaware of mistakes at the same time. Want to check it out?

This is tip #39 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

Worrying about not knowing music theory actually creates a barrier to learning music. History abounds with examples of musicians who wrote timeless songs without knowing a lick of music theory. Time and time again, there is a new musician who defies the rules, the scales and theory, and rises above the deafening chorus of music educators, teachers, administrators, and music education professionals, all singing in a rousing chorus: “You need to learn music theory in order to play music!”

This person defies the rules precisely because learning theory doesn't hold a candle to the experience of playing guitar.

Many beginners at guitar seem to be interested in learning music theory, but after I tell them that neither Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, or countless other famous musicians learned to read a single note off of a page, they start to get interested in just learning how to play. I feel it is a complete waste of time to learn music theory and scales unless you are truly interested in both and want the intellectual and/or technical exercise. If you are, then you'll have a lot of fun exploring. But guitar can be learned and played without knowing anything about theory. If you still feel bad about it, then at least do yourself a favor and let it go until you are already playing songs. If you get to that point and still want to learn? Jump in.

Worrying about knowing music theory when you are starting guitar is a huge waste of your time and energy.

If you had the entire book, you could read about why it is a very bad thing to play through pain, and how to avoid it. Want to check it out?

This is tip #17 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

Sometimes when people are starting guitar they solicit advice on the quality of the instrument they have already purchased. “Is it a good guitar?” “Is the tone too dark/light/bright?” “Is it a good guitar for me to learn on?” All of those questions are great to ask, but it is the quality of the strings that can make a cheap, dull, old guitar sound very new and make it easy to learn on.

Whenever you change your strings, your tone gets brighter. Over time, your tone will eventually get just a little bit more dull as a result of use and more gunk accumulation on the strings. If you like having a brighter tone on your guitar, it would be wise to commit to changing them once every one to two months. If you prefer darker tones, then you are in luck because you won't have to change your strings that often. The only time to do so is if they get green, crusty, dirty, gunky, or if they break.

Changing your strings as a beginner is difficult, but it is also hard to make permanent mistakes. You aren't going to break your guitar by putting strings on incorrectly, but you will have to be open to making mistakes. If you'd rather not deal with changing the strings yourself, then my suggestion is to bring your guitar to a guitar shop and say this to the guy at the counter: “Excuse me, I would like you to change the strings on my guitar. I'd like a set of (10's, 11's) and the cheapest you have. How long do you think this would take and how much?” I have never heard of this service costing more than $10 plus the cost of the strings. Please note that this is much different from asking a guitar tech to “set up” a guitar (covered earlier in tip number five). Calling around to local guitar shops beforehand and using this script is also a wise move.

If you had the entire book, you could find out how to prolong the life of your strings, especially if you are on a tight budget. Want to check it out?

This is tip #32 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

Teachers with anger issues are people with anger issues. Those who teach with anger will structure how they teach in a way that suits their anger. For example, a teacher who uses anger in her lessons is far more prone, subtly or not, to chastise her students for not being good enough. Some of these teachers make it seem like their students are stupid if they do not understand something. Most of these teachers have very little empathy for where their students are, and that is incredibly sad.

Conversely, a teacher who challenges his own feelings of anger when he is teaching will be far more open to you objecting to learning scales if you don't want to touch them. A teacher who is more empathetic will not be upset if you no longer have space in your life for guitar lessons. A teacher with compassion cares about you and the situation you are in as a human being first and a guitarist second.

Compassion and anger are polar opposites. Avoid the teacher with too much anger-ness.

If you had the entire book, you could find out the reasons why guitar teachers charge too much, or too little for their services. Want to check it out?

This is tip #1 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

When a person decides they want to learn guitar, they usually resolve to buy whatever they need to be successful at it. In this process, less is more. The only accessories a person needs are a satisfying acoustic guitar, a tuner, and some picks. That's it. If a person wants to learn electric guitar, they will need an amp and a guitar cable in addition. All of these products are available for the complete newbie to purchase (if not rent) for very little money. Although it's fun to go crazy and buy stuff we think we'd need, less stuff is more when it comes to learning guitar from scratch. The reason why is because buying all of these extra things tend to get in the way of how to have fun, playing guitar.

It's tempting, too. I know.

Guitar stores, catalogs, and online guitar shops are full of potentially useful things to buy. There will be tons of instructional manuals to buy on how to play guitar. There will be a piece of equipment that is advertised to be the latest, greatest slice of heaven. There will be some toy that is so fantastic that we need to have it right now. So, if the initial burst of enthusiasm for learning guitar inflames the need for accessories, that's okay. It's fun to buy guitar stuff! Keep in mind however that the obligation to use all of these toys and trinkets might get in the way of how fast you will actually learn. Fortunately, there is a simple way to control the accessorizing need when you are first starting guitar: the Amazon.com wish list.

If you find an extra piece of equipment that really strikes you and you want to buy it, why not add it to you Amazon wish-list and wait one month? Amazon.com probably has the piece of equipment you are looking to purchase listed on their site, and there is no obligation to buy an item on your wish list if you don't want it. If you still feel like you want that item after a month, buy it! Enjoy it! If not? Take it off your wish-list. Or, you could send your wish-list to all of your friends and family, and they could buy it for you! Either way, you have saved yourself time and money.

At first, my “less is more” advice probably seems a little crazy, but the aim is to have fun playing guitar and not becoming overwhelmed with things for guitar. It's fun to buy guitar thingys, but it's ten times more fun to play guitar in a way that you've dreamed of. The fewer the guitar thingys at first, the more focus on learning to play. This is why, in my opinion, less will always be more.

If you had the entire book, you could learn how to buy an amazing guitar for very little money, simply by understanding the price breaks of quality and craftsmanship in guitars. Want to check it out?

This is tip #15 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

The price of marketing a set of strings costs more than half the price of a set. Each string manufacturer must do extensive market research, advertise both in print and on the web, secure a fantastic web presence, and get well-known guitarists to sponsor. They do this just to gain a modest foothold in an already saturated market. Therefore, marketing any pack of strings accounts for at least half of the price. What I have noticed as a guitarist with close to twenty years of string buying experience is that most packs of strings under $10 are almost exactly the same quality, regardless of their price.

To be clear: Most packs of guitar strings that are under $10 are almost the exact same quality.

Most strings in this price range lose their tone in about the same amount of time, and break just as easily as the others. What this means for you is that the cheapest strings you can find will last just as long as strings that cost about $10 a pack. For example, I have bought no-ad strings in bulk and had them last just as long as the name-brand strings. If you want to buy strings of higher quality, the packs that are more than $10 each, you get an incredible jump in quality. My highest suggestion is to go with the cheapest strings you can get until your palette is really secure.

If you had the entire book, you could easily find out which diameter (meaning width) of strings is best for your hand as well as for your guitar. Want to check it out?

This is tip #21 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

To me, it's like leaving a dog in a car, or an iPhone for that matter. It will hurt your guitar and the authorities will be called. The wood could warp, the action is highly likely to raise making it harder to play, and drastic changes in temperature (from a hot car to a cool house for example) will make the guitar spin out of tune like you wouldn't believe. Worst of all, most thefts are opportunity thefts. If a would-be thief spots your guitar, it could mean that you have a broken window as well a missing guitar to contend with.

Please don't leave your guitar in your car!

If you had the entire book, you could find out if it's the right time to purchase a better guitar, a better amp, or more equipment. Knowing that could save you some money and frustration. Want to check it out?

This is tip #26 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

There is a big difference between a guitar teacher and a well-meaning friend: guitar teachers are people who are paid to teach guitar. Friends, no matter how much we love them, usually care more about playing music. It's okay. You'll learn something from them. From my experience however, cajoling a friend into teaching you guitar will not last long. I am certainly not recommending that you skip this option altogether. What I am suggesting is to take a good look at what you are getting.

When you exchange some hard earned cash for a guitar lesson, you're putting your teacher on the spot. Thinking of him as your paid advisor means you have the power in the situation. If he doesn't teach you what you want to learn, you either move on and find a new teacher, or demand that he teach you what you want. Friends, on the other hand, will only help you out as far as they can before they get tired of doing so. That's okay because friends aren't paid to teach. Believe it or not, teaching guitar is actually quite difficult. Paying a guitar teacher can help guide you to your goals faster than relying on a friend to learn.

If you had the entire book, you could figure out that success in learning guitar from a teacher depends upon criminally overlooked factor in potential guitar schools. Want to find out?

This is tip #4 of my new book, How to Learn Guitar and Have Insane Amounts of Fun: 

Guitarists tend to prefer guitars that have lower “action.” The action of a guitar doesn't refer to the amount of play (ahem) they get after the show as a result of being on stage. Rather, it is distance between the strings and the fretboard. The higher the action, the harder it is for the fingers to press down the strings and play music. The harder it is to play music, the harder it is to have fun. The harder it is to have fun, the less someone gets laid. It's a downward spiral.

What you'll need to do is find the lowest action on a guitar without annoying buzzing sounds. If you buy an electric guitar, you'll want to find the lowest action without buzzes, and if you buy an acoustic guitar you'll want to find slightly higher action without buzzes as well. There are reasons for this. Low action on an electric guitar tends to make playing lead guitar easier, and higher action on an acoustic guitar tends to make strumming sound better.

On my Fender Telecaster for example, the action is as low as it can be because I like to play lead guitar on it. I need lower action because I want to play fast. On my acoustic guitar, a Garrison from early 2000's, the action is quite a bit higher because I use it primarily for strumming. Higher action gives the string adequate room to vibrate.

The lowest action without string buzz is the ideal match. Remember less is more? I meant it! I'll cover how to find a guitar with low action next.

If you had the entire book, you could find out how to find a well-playing guitar that has low action and little-to-no fret buzz. Want to check it out?