Ask anybody how to get better at playing guitar and everybody will say the same thing. You need to practice a lot. Practice every day. Practice when you want to and practice when you don't. But what exactly do you do when you are practicing? How do you get good and get out of the slump you are in?

So when we are talking about guitar we are basically talking about music. Music is infinite. There are endless paths to explore. You need to knock down any boundaries you have inside your mind when it comes to music and learn to use your instincts to play. Just to name a few paths to explore you can join a band, learn music theory, go to school for music, or just have it as a hobby to get skillful at in your spare time.

There is a lot to learn when it comes to music. There are so many different styles and cultures of music to explore. You can even learn how to play piano instrumentals on guitar if you want. But you would have to really develop an ear for music. Just try not to limit yourself to one style of music such as hard rock. Hard rock musicians were also into folk music, classical, and even reggae. Just try to not get bored with the same old style you are doing and keep the learning fresh.

When first looking at a guitar you will most likely be very confused. You will not know any of the chord structures or scales. But that is fine because you have all the information you need to get started. You can just search online and figure out how to read tabs and how to play chords. It will be difficult physically and mentally just like with anything else because you are getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. Your fingers will take time to adjust to forming chords and pressing down on the strings. Don't get too anxious or you may give up.

Then after you learn the major and minor chords you can listen to songs and play along. Look up the tabs if you have to. Don't forget to challenge yourself and try to play just by listening to the song. That is how many great guitar players learned because there was not a lot of teachers and information available to them way back in the day like there is now. Developing a feel for music and rhythm is the most important part. You can look up tabs but unless you listen and play along to the song you will not play smooth like real musicians.

Then there is guitar theory. Lots of newcomers shy away from learning music theory and how it applies to guitar because they think of their idols who never even learned theory. But if you want to have a great understanding of the fretboard in a short amount of time then you should learn theory. You can learn from going online and reading articles loaded with information on theory. That way you can learn keys and where the right notes are on a fretboard.