Topic: Guide to becoming a virtuoso
I've been playing guitar for nearly 8 years and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gotten frustrated and felt like locking the guitars up in their cases forever. I figured I would create a topic where all of us Bonafan players could congregate to offer tips for improvement. Hopefully, everyone who visits will learn and add something. A close friend who has been playing for 25 years recently offered me some advice so I'll start by sharing that.
Spend a minimum of 30 minutes per day practicing, which means focussing on mechanics, building strength and flexibility, timing, and associating sound with finger placement on the fretboard.
To do this, use a metronome uber slow on 40 beats per minute and move through the following shapes as well as the blues scale and major and minor pentatonic scales:
5,6,8, with index, middle, and pinky
5,7,8, with index, ring, and pinky
5,7,9, with index, ring, and pinky
Be sure to utilize alternate picking throughout.