Training Tips For Beginner Guitarists

The first major reason for forming bad habits I observe stems from not separating different techniques consciously enough. When you are starting out, strumming and riff/melody playing requires two different techniques and should be thought of as two totally different things. It is true that some players pick and strum from their elbows, but for the vast majority of beginners, this is not the best strategy to pursue. Instead, you need to continuously isolate your wrist and train with this ONLY when playing arpeggiated chords, riffs, melodies, and the like. On the other hand, when you strum chords, the movement should originate from the elbow ONLY. You will be using your wrist as well, but you need to think of the movement as an “elbow-only” movement in order to develop the right technique. This does not mean that you will never move your wrist when strumming or never move your arm when playing a riff, but in the beginning, it is important to make a clear distinction between the two techniques in order to build a solid foundation for good future guitar technique. This clear distinction will naturally encourage the beginning guitarist to practice the techniques in isolation, and this is where the real benefit comes in. A good analogy to this is like scratching a dog. When scratching a dog behind the ear and on the belly, you will naturally use two different movements. Behind the ear, you will use a small movement with your wrist, and when scratching on the belly, you will use big movements with your elbow. Think of you lead and rhythm playing in this light, and you will develop better technique.