Experiment with your gear. If you play electric, try lots of different amp settings. Find out where the sweet spot is for your amp. That may be the place where the fat distorted tone is at its best or where the cleanest tone can be found. It just depends on what you like. Make a written list of settings you like for different sounds and tape it to the top of your amp.

If you are into country music and love the fast picking styles of Vince Gill and Brad Paisley you owe it to yourself to learn banjo style picking or barrel rolls. There are lots of great video lessons available online. This technique takes a lot of practice but the end result is worth it.

If you play mostly single string licks try listening to Chuck Berry or Keith Richards and sprinkle in some of the two strings licks they are famous for.

If you want to practice at night and not wake up your neighbors try a headphone amp. There are lots of goods ones on the market. They are also great for travel. The best models will give you an option for a wall plug or batteries and will also include a few effects.

Check out Heritage Guitars. They are located on Kalamazoo MI, and operate out of the old Gibson plant. These are great guitars - made in the USA - and will cost less than the major brands but deliver great performance and value.

If you have a slippery guitar pick try sanding the grip end slightly. Just rough it up enough so you can keep it in place when you are playing.

If you come up with a good idea write it down before you forget it. If you don't know how to write music notation use Tab format. Try to capture all the notes, chords and even strum or pick patterns on paper before you move on to something else.

Think of your practice time like cross training. Use different days of the week to work on specific skills. For example: Monday might be scales, Tuesday could be ear training, Weds - rhythm, etc. The important thing is to keep your practice routine fresh and productive.

find a mentor - someone other than your teacher who is more advanced than you. Benefit from that person's experience and try to jam with them - whenever you can.

If you have ever listened to Yes, Pink Floyd or even Jackson Browne and were blown away by the soaring slide guitar - you were (most likely) actually listening to Lap Steel Guitar. David Gilmour, Steve Howe and David Lindley are experts. You can buy a starter 6 string Lap Steel for under $200 bucks. Put it in a basic open tuning and you'll be playing some pretty cool Blues riffs within a few hours. With a little distortion even a cheap one will scream!!

If you've been practicing all day and need a break, cruise on over to DrumJokes.com. They make fun of drummers there. LOL

(Don't get too cocky, there are guitar player jokes there too!

Before you sit down to practice assign a goal for the day. Noodling is fun, but it is not practice. If you want to improve you have to have goals and dates you want to reach them by.

Learn a little about your instrument. Learn why certain guitars produce brighter or darker tones. Learn the basics of how your amp functions and how mods, pedals, and even cables will influence your tone. This will come in handy as your try to refine your sound and style.

If you are just starting out - practice moving from string to string and then up and down the fretboard gracefully! Speed will come with practice. In the early stages of skill building it is important to create a strong foundation. Focus on playing each note smoothly and cleanly. Take your time and think about what you are doing. Over time it will become second nature.

When I was starting out someone told me the "Guitar is endless." There is always more to learn and new styles to try. However, it is very important to focus on one thing at a time! When you learn a new skill - master it completely before moving on.

As you practice - play all over the neck. It will spur ideas and is even good for your guitar.

If I had to pick one word the describe what it takes to be a good player it would not be talent or even ability. I think the most important thing you can bring to your playing is dedication. If you really want to improve you have to be dedicated. Set goals and make playing a part of your daily routine.

At some point you have to decide where you want your playing to take you. If it is just for fun - them have fun and don't stress out. If you want to turn pro then play as if it were already your job. That means any free time should be practice time.

Become a "musicologist" - learn everything you can about the type of music you are interested in. Where did it come from? Who are its founders? Who is breaking new ground in it today? Why is it meaningful to you? What do you hope to get from it or to give back to it?

Become an avid listener! Try to figure out why you are drawn to certain songs or types of playing. Listen to every note and then try to see how one note adds to a phrase and how that phrase completes the song.

Effects are great but don't become dependent on them to define "Your Sound." You should be able to pick up any Guitar
and Amp combo and and find a reasonable tone you can work with. That way you are always ready for a spur of the moment jam session - even if you don't have your gear with you.

When you jam with your friends - which you should do a often as possible - remember you are trying to make music not out-do each other. We Guitar players are so competitive we sometimes forget that.

Practice playing an entire scale or run on a single string. Pick some notes individually and slide to others. From there do the same with melodies you have made up.

Take scales apart and look for patterns that can be repeated and turned into short runs. Practice building speed on those scale fragments. Then incorporate them into your solos.

Use a metronome when your practicing your scales.And don't increase the B.P.M.'s until you are completely smooth with the speed your at.Alot of people want to rush to the next level.Take the time and practice with discipline from the beginning. It'll pay huge dividents later on down the line.

The Lucky Seven Club..

Find a practice partner. Find another player you can practice with on a regular basis. Work out a few songs you can play together and also a few tunes you can use to practice soloing on and transitioning in and out of solos gracefully.

It is important to exchange ideas with other musicians. Talk to other guitarists about theory and how they apply it to their playing.

Practice Chord substitutions! Unless your goal is to play a song exactly the way your favorite band does, you should always look for ways to add to songs you are working on.

For example, take any standard Blues progression and Substitute 13ths where you would normally play 7ths.

If you play with a flat pick practice tucking it away in the fold of your index or middle finger and quickly transitioning to finger picking. Then pop it back out. If you watch carefully up will see many players do this during very quiet sections of a solo to get a softer tone.

Keep a song list in your guitar case. That way when you are playing with another musician and blank out on what to do next you have a resource.

Are you interested in playing in a band, a duo or solo? What ever you decide, try to craft your practice to that end. If you want to play in a cover band you will need to learn cover songs. You may need to learn them note for note depending on the direction the band wants to take.

If you are playing solo you can be more flexible and play songs that fit your style and make them your own. Whichever direction you choose make sure your are developing the skills you need to reach your goal.

As hard as we may try we will not all be Jimi Hendrix or Joe Satriani. But we all have things we are good at. You may find that you would rather write songs than practice honing your technique. Music is about art and self expression.

No one to jam with? Buy a Looper. You can record and save tracks and add layers of music. It is lots of fun and a great way to evaluate your progress. Listen to what you have recorded - play along with it and look for ways to improve it.

As certain tree species become scarce be open to trying new Tone woods.For Acoustics, Walnut seems to be an up and coming species that is on good supply in the Southern US.

Before you trade in your old gear - find out what it is worth. There are appraisal sites on the web that can give you some information about the value of guitars amps and pedal before you sell them.

Before you buy a new guitar check out a used one. There lots of guitars out there that were purchased and only played a few times. You could save up to 50% off the price of a new guitar. For example used Mexican Strats go for about $250 in good condition. New ones cost about $500.

Before you buy a used guitar online make sure you can return it if it is not what was represented in the ad.

When evaluating a Bolt On Neck guitar look at the neck pocket. A nice tight fit will help transfer tone and sustain. If you can slip a business card in the space around the neck pocket it may be too loose.

If you are just starting out - get in the habit of changing strings yourself. Don't waste time and money having someone do it for you. Remove the old strings one at a time a replace them with new ones. Tune each string as you replace it. Make sure you give each string a few wraps around the tuning post. I like to do one over and 2 under. Trim the loose ends with a wire cutter.

Try different brands of strings and see what you like. Some players will even change brands each time they restring just to get a different sound or feel. You can create your own set by mixing string gauges. Some electric player will use 13 to 56 strings and tune down a whole step to get the thicker sound but still be able to bend strings easily.

If your are leaning toward being more of an artist than a technician try making up a few tunes with techniques you have learned or discovered. Some of us are not great at picking off licks, but we can be innovators. Bands like U2 developed a unique sound because they had to. They were not good at playing other peoples songs in the early days.