I often get the question - "How do I become a good guitar player?" and the answer can be made very simple by saying "by practicing". That is true, but there is of course a lot to "practicing". How do I practice? What should I be practicing, how often, and how long before I see real improvement? Questions like these are common and understandable.
I believe one of the most important factors in becoming good at anything is - Motivation. How do you get motivated? How do you stay motivated?
Learn the fundamentals. Scales, arpeggios and chords, are in a way building blocks of music. Learn them well, because they give you a strong base for creating your own voice on the guitar. Here is a free cheat sheet with scale patterns that you may find useful.
Practice your weaknesses. Play the things you find difficult often, and you will get better at playing them. Practice often - try to play a bit every day, and practice different things. For example, you could practice scales for half an hour, take a break and practice chords or arpeggios for another half hour. You get the idea.
Timing is everything. You must be able to play the notes with good time. Make a habit of practicing with a drum machine or metronome, especially when playing scale patterns and such. Get some play-along material you can jam with, or record your own backing tracks.
Take a few lessons from a teacher with good reputation, and explicitly state to the teacher what you want to achieve. Informing the teacher about your goals and gameplan will make teaching and learning easier and more effective for both parties.
If you are interested in in-depth lessons from me, then join my new website at
Master Guitar Academy, where I teach all my secrets and knowledge in depth. It's my full time job to teach there.