I think one of the most valuable things a new guitar player can understand is the importance of learning music theory and how to apply it to the fretboard. Learning the caged system, major and minor triads, what chords are diatonic to both major and minor keys, intervals, etc. perhaps not immediately appealing to a beginner, but such a good way to have an understanding of the fretboard. I can see that Pete has a very good understanding of these things from the choices he makes in improvising. To me it almost seems sometimes that this information is an insider secret, the golden goose of guitar playing. For me it has taken a long times (decades) to get to the point where I am excited to learn this stuff, I feel like I am at the beginning of the journey. Its so incredibly worthwhile.
in all the years that I follow the Andertons store in my humble opinion this was a different video!!! that shows a little of your personality, and it will certainly serve as an excellent example for many who are wanting to start playing, me standing applauding, a "clean" video no effect no distortion etc Congratulations a production grade A for you guys Whew, greetings from Portugal❤🎉 THX....
A lot of the tips focus on lead playing but I can’t emphasise enough how spending time (a lot of time) on rhythm playing will pay dividends. Learn to play full songs from start to finish, focussing on being tight with the rhythm section and articulating each riff/section clearly. It’s the cornerstone of any band situation and will make you a better lead player as well!
I always tell younger musicians that the times in my life when I have progressed the most as a musician in the shortest period of time have been those times when I have been thrown into situations playing with people with whom I have never before played, or in styles to which I do not naturally gravitate. Try not to be afraid of playing with musicians who are "better" than you or more experienced than you. Music is not a competition. I often run into this when I want to play with other musicians, and when they find out I've been gigging with my band for 20 years, they seem to feel that they aren't good enough to play with me. I'm not asking them to play with me because I need them to be at the same level as me, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of sharing my knowledge and experiences with others to help them grow as musicians. Plus, you can always learn something new, even if you are an accomplished or experienced player, especially if you are playing with other musicians substantially younger or older than yourself, because musical tastes and styles change with the decades. So, yes to all these things! Metronome, looper, backing tracks, play with others, play music you actually like, play in unfamiliar situations, and play often (but if it starts to hurt, stop and take a day or two off to recover and heal). I will also add, use a tuner. Pitch is just as important as time.
without doubt the best way to get better quicker. I still remember the first time i ever played in a band situation and afterwards i felt like a different player. Play as often as possible and never disregard any style at all.....ever. the more types of playing you hear the better you will be. Spot on comment Gemma
Been following Andertons since 2014-2015 ish. It's insane how good Lee has become! I remember I time where Lee was kinda so-so, but not he plays with this amazing feel and always seems to know what licks to play in a solo. Really inspiring!
The most beneficial habit I have found is singing along with everything that I play, including notes in chords. It engages my mind to think of sounds instead of fingers. It also makes one think ahead and learn the harmonies and voice leading. Paul Chambers and John Pizzarelli and many other pros sing along with their solos. Also a great habit is to tap your foot.
A drum, or drum & bass track, app is (IMO) far better than a metronome and cheaper than a looper. It lets a player, especially a new player, feel like they're playing music and not bored out of mind. It teaches you how to play in a group situation subconsciously. My Fender G-DEK came with a rhythm button that let me have different drum rhythms, add bass and change in tempo. More amps like the Katana, Catalyst, etc, should come with a feature like that.
Thanks for this! As someone who is lost in learning the guitar, this really helped me understand the purpose of each practice activity and see how they're connected
I was in your wee shop today, came in for a mic, left with much more, including, bought Son a left handed bass, a very rare thing, he had never seen one before! normally just played a right handed one upside down, your staff very helpful. When buying a new mic, I done a mic shoot out with various, I brought my current e845 in, which is a super cardiod, great mic, but too narrow a cone, when also playing guitar, your guy very good, and I demonstrated the boss vocal floor unit for him!
the best bit of advice on this great video is when Pete says listen over the track and think like a Singer. that really resonated with me, its not all about constant runs without pausing, its making the guitar the vocal, with pauses to allow the chords to and melody to play out on its own, its playing the scale notes with phrasing like a singer would sing the lyrics softly, then raise up to a meaningful line etc. great advice Pete
I appreciate this. As an intermediate to advanced player, I think back on what I needed to hear early on and a lot of it was here. I think your point of listening to what’s playing and thinking of how to to bring your voice, so to speak, was a cool way to think of it. Also-to not waste time trying to be a certain player that you admire….it’ll never happen! and instead just hope that your love of these fantastic players somehow influences YOUR OWN SOUND. I just got into a 4 player band and it is incredibly great vs. sitting by myself playing covers to Bluetooth!
I still use a Wittner Taktell Piccolo, because that’s what my dad used, back in the 1970s, so that’s what I started with, and it feels so analogue and nostalgic, now.
A tip from me: Keep your guitar in reach. Leave the guitar plugged in, on a stand instead of in its case, and just tune it regularly. If all you need to do to start practicing is grab the guitar off its stand and turn the amp on, you're *way* more likely to actually do it than if you have to get it out of its case, plug it in, tune up, et cetera.
I haven't actually practiced guitar in 20 years. I actually do all of my practicing in my head at work. Sounds weird but it works. I visualize my guitar parts and when I get to band rehearsal I can play stuff I couldn't the week before. Sounds weird I know but for me it works.
Glenn Gould did the same thing. He would read a piece of music and ruminate, then make a recording of it that was stellar, probably the best ever. He did not practice on piano that much, from what I have read about him. He was visualizing the music in his head constantly. He was the very best musician that I know about. He would always sing along while he played, but his singing was terrible and the engineers struggled to keep it off of the recording. He was smart - singing along with one's instrument is a great habit that many pros do.
The one tip I have for ppl playing to backing tracks- learn the backing track. Once you know what chord is played at what time- it's much, much easier to create a lead line that follows the changes. Like Justin says- all the notes in the scale are equal- but some are more equal than others. Well, those that are "more equal" are almost always contained in the chord being played at that point in the song. So, if you know what chord is being played at any given time- you know what notes you should play at any given time. One more- if you find yourself trying to solo over a song that has lyrics, but you can't really come up with a melody- don't just noodle- learn the vocal melody. Paul Gilbert is a huge believer in this- does it constantly- and it really helps develop timing as well as your ear.
Great stuff guys. I agree: you can't get depressed if you watch guys like: Tommy Emmanuel or Guthrie Govan. Let them motivate and Inspire you to: practice, "move-the-needle" and make progress with your-own musical journey & playing.
Pete has credibility because he's been a pro musician for years. Lee has even more credibility because we've all seen him improve dramatically right before our eyes. Whatever he's done to get better (listen to Pete) is correct.
Transcribe+ is a great product for slowing down/speeding up tempo and for adjusting pitch. Only a few British pounds to run on iOS. You can load songs and backing tracks to play back.
And... This is a great video targeted at beginner level. How about some more for intermediates. One thing that I struggle with is soloing over chord changes. So, the song is in Em, moves to D and then Am. Matching your solo to the chords would be a great tutorial video!
I'd turn the clock back in a heartbeat if I could be in the cellar again with my mates playing Sunshine of your Love, badly. I'd give up everything I have to relive those great times. All the guitars, effects, amps, knowledge doesn't compare to early gigs, arguments, lateness, laziness, drunkenness, girls, crappy cars breaking down, not bathing for three days straight and listening to 'Dark Side of the Moon' wondering how can write or be a part of something like that? ... and if I wear a headband, can I play like Mark Knopfler?
"Find people to play with" or "find a band" is a great suggestion... and a topic for its own video, how to find people to play with. Might not translate perfectly across cultures internationally, but something would be better than nothing.
One more tip (which they sort of touched on) - learn to play to the song. What works for Motley Crue may not work so well for the Beatles, and vice versa. Learn how to tailor your playing to fit the song and the music you're playing, and you'll go a long way. Listen to Ringo Starr play drums for the Beatles - technically, he doesn't do much. But he's got feel for days, and he can keep time like nobody's business.
One thing I learnt from Pete and from John Mayer is use the whole neck and all 6 strings. You paid for all those frets so don't just wear them out at 1-5 and 12-17!
I’ve found that guitar is a little like golf in the sense that it takes relentless repetition while incorporating the best form possible. Slowly, with time the skills become instinctive. Don’t rush it.
Going to start my guitar journey soon so these video's are amazing. I do have one question. How do I pick a guitar in a guitar store? Because I don't even know a single chord when I'm going to buy one so I can't really play something to get a feel.
My advice would be just pick the style of guitar that makes you want to play/learn the most. That’s what I did. I was inspired to play by Jimmy Page and Slash so was just obsessed with having a Les Paul style guitar. Once you get deeper into the hobby you’ll have more of an idea of what you do and don’t like in a guitar. I’m sure at the store if you give the staff you’re budget etc they will be able to help guide you from there. Lots of videos on here about the various beginner guitars of various types too. Good luck 👍🏻
I really like the features of that Headrush for phrase training, backing tracks, etc. But I don't really want a multifx unit. @Andertons are there any other products that you could recommed that do similar without all the multifx? Thanks!
One of the major breakthroughs for me as a guitar player of over 10 years is joining a Worship group that plays CCM. As the electric guitar player, I've had to listen to the songs closely and practice my phrasing during lead parts.
7:00 To me, the chromatic exercises are the most useless. I've done those a lot, but I didn't get any faster playing scales, licks, melodies. But when I started playing things I would actually use for real when playing, I developed a lot faster. On the other hand, finger independence is a useful thing to practice even if it's chromatic. So, there you go. The most important thing that I've found that fits me well is to learn songs. I want to play and make music, and learning other people's songs helps you get some feeling for how songs can be built etc.
I can only give one tip as a 35+ years of guitar playing guy, who doesn't know notes on the fretboard, doesn't know any scales besides the major and minor, and off course pentatonic. Just use your ears, play a song in the background of a SINGER you really like and try to immitate their voice, don't think about scales, just listen and try till you get it right.
I LOVE YOU 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 angry style very comical😂 And I totally agree vibrato is critical like saying something nice romantically is important but guitar wise melodically crucial expression
A) play what you are interested in. 1) use a metronome 2) finger exercises in time. 3) looper Ok I had to stop… one of the first videos I didn’t watch the whole way through. This is rudimentary guys,.. maybe re-title as “Beginner .. practice tips”. I’d love to hear some of Pete’s more advanced routines.
I would like more advanced tips as well. But don't write this video off so quick. Even the most advanced players need reminders of the basics every now and again.
