The human brain is very adept in the process of pattern recognition. This adaptation is meant to make itself comfortable by automating various processes over time. This is why learning any new skill is challenging at first but tends to get easier the more you repeat the process. If you're trying to build a skillset to perfection, it should involve a smart training strategy that ensures progress by constantly exposing the brain to new challenges to overcome. You may want to check out our Beginner's Intermediate Guitar Lesson if you're looking for well-structured guitar lessons suitable for beginners keen on scaling up their skills to pro levels.
Why Stagnation is Common with Beginners
In the initial stages of their beginner guitar lessons, most guitar players have a lot of zeal to learn various skills at incredible speeds. However, this interest wanes with time, and they become complacent after dwelling for long with the basics, making them stagnate at the beginner level. Smoothly transitioning from the beginner level to the intermediate stage while maintaining the same piqued interest required for fast and progressive learning requires a well-thought-out strategic training program. We've put together some vital tips on the best intermediate guitar lessons to consider to keep walking on from the beginner level to the intermediate level.
Go Deeper with your Chords
The intermediary level guitar lessons introduce beginners to a world of new chords. Some of them include slash chords for a better transition between chords or the popular vocabulary of jazz chords used in various rock and jazz songs. Introduce these chords into your playing to master them, and remember to try out various neck positions for more flexibility.
Intermediate Rhythm Exercises
Your training focuses on more complex strumming patterns and rhythms at the intermediate level. The most efficient way to achieve this is through listening to music with a specific rhythm type and trying to make it out by ear. While it requires persistence and hard work to learn these rhythms, you can be assured that it'll be worthwhile.
Fingerpicking Patterns
At the intermediate level, expect more focused training to boost your basic fingerpicking patterns by investing more time and effort. The fastest way to achieve this is by starting on songs demanding easier fingerstyle patterns like Dust in the wind by Kansas. You can then move on to those with more challenging fingerstyle patterns like Queen of California by John Mayer. You can also try out the masterpiece Asturias by Isaac Albeniz as you advance.
Fingerpicking Speed
You'll need to focus on your speed and flexibility by practicing more on scales and having finger muscle exercises regularly. Ensure to do both at least 30 minutes daily for the best results. Your fingerpicking speed is beneficial in many ways and is not just limited to heavy metal players.
Learn More Music Theory
Exposing yourself to more music theory at the intermediate level is an effective way to simplify the learning process by fostering your understanding. You'll know exactly what chords to play and the best fitting scale, the key a particular song belongs to, what chords fit a specific progression and many other aspects of the guitar and music.
Improvising Scales
The intermediate level should have you going into more complex scales widely used in various music genres like the major pentatonic, Dorian, and the Mixolydian. You should also expand your simple pentatonic scale from your beginner training to a whole new level by enhancing the scale and adding other notes.
Learn Guitar Solos
Guitar solos incorporate various essential techniques such as hammer-ons, bends, picking styles, etc., that hasten your overall learning process. You should focus on great solos for your learning, especially if you aspire to be an expert lead guitarist. One great solo you might want to consider is the Hotel California by The Eagles.
Collaborate with Others
Finding other musicians to play with is a great way to build further and hone your skills. Joining a band is a great way to do this, and if you can, for whatever reason, you can consider forming your own. Identify musicians with similar skill levels and music taste as you to collaborate with. Doing this is a proven way to boost your playing and collaboration skills quickly.
Learn to Create
Start fostering your creativity by doing the creative part yourself. Start easy with a simple chord progression and a few lines with a matching melody to make it less daunting. You don't have to be perfect first, as this will improve with time. The goal is to build and maintain a habit of creation.
Record Your Work
It's prudent to record whatever you create, whether it's a new solo, riff, or chord progression. Recording and listening back to your work is a great way to identify your strengths and weaknesses and know where you can work to improve.
Explore New Things with your Guitar
Challenging yourself by daring new things is the perfect way to grow and work from the intermediate level to becoming an accomplished guitarist. Try new random techniques and build on those that stick. Also, try out new music styles both by yourself and with others to challenge yourself further. The bottom line is that, unlike at your beginner level, you'll be working on narrowing your focus with your intermediate guitar lessons. The basics should have introduced you to an overview of various styles, and the intermediate level will be more focused on more specific music techniques and disciplines. To make learning at this level more fun and easier to learn, we encourage our students to pick a music style that interests them the most, whether rock, jazz, blues, metal, or any other style. You can visit https://www.musicmattersacademy.com/ to learn more about us and your guitar lessons. We can also teach you how to become a better singer with our vocal and singing classes.
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