Effective Ways to Improve Your Guitar Playing

Newmusician93 · Post by **Newmusician93** » Tue Mar 31, 2026 9:38 am

I've been learning guitar for a year now and I'm trying to get in soloing and all that but are there effective ways to get there? To be honest I just spam the solos I want to learn and try to make them listenable but it isn't really a good strategy from what I've learnt.

Are there any theories like scaling I should learn to be effective with getting solos up to speed? Also, should I focus on learning techniques like vibrato or tapping?

GearNerd · Post by **GearNerd** » Wed Apr 01, 2026 7:24 am

Learn songs. The song will teach you what you need to know. Once you've squeezed the learning out of a song, find another. I spent a lot of time on random scales, noodling, never really was musical. Learning songs to completion changed things significantly.

MetalPlayer · Post by **MetalPlayer** » Thu Apr 02, 2026 6:59 am

Mental preparation: Visualize and practice in your head. In effect, you’re increasing your practice time this way.

UKPete24 · Post by **UKPete24** » Sat Apr 04, 2026 7:49 am

Spend more time each day practicing. After a year you’ll have made more progress than if you hadn’t! An increase in velocity, if not quite speed.

Markw72 · Post by **Markw72** » Sun Apr 05, 2026 9:34 am

Work on your picking technique and rhythm. Learning how to count rhythm and play in different rhythms will improve your playing overall.

BluesGuy · Post by **BluesGuy** » Mon Apr 06, 2026 11:38 am

I found learning techniques in the beginning opened doors to other songs. I spent the first couple of years just developing the physical aspect of playing the guitar. When it comes to speed I would recommend working on your picking. Choose video tutorials over tabs if available - I learned faster being able to see how the hands were placed, how it sounds, it's broken down strategically.