282 - From The Vault: Transform Your Guitar Skills: 5 Habits to Adopt Today

In this episode, Paul revisits a classic from the podcast archives: “Transform Your Guitar Skills with Five Habits to Adopt Today.”

Whether you’re new to the show or a long-time listener, these essential practice habits will elevate your guitar journey—from keeping time to recapping old songs. Paul also shares updates about upcoming lessons and live Q&A sessions in the Beginner Guitar Academy.

Highlights & Topics Covered

Beginner Guitar Academy News

April 24th: Updated Song Study on “Come As You Are” by Nirvana—tailored for beginners and advanced students, includes play-along tracks and detailed breakdowns.

April 27th: Member Live Q&A at 9pm GMT / 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT. Pre-submit your questions if you can't attend live. Both video and audio will be available in the Academy (01:11).

Full show notes and supporting resources for this episode at bgapodcast.com282 (01:11).

The Five Habits to Transform Your Guitar Skills

1. Use a Metronome
2. Essential for developing timing and consistency, no matter your level (03:24).
3. Recommended free and paid apps; even standalone devices can help.
4. Helps you track and measure progress week-to-week to stay motivated (06:03).
5. Use More Fingers
6. Don’t neglect the pinky! Using all four fingers improves fluency and position (07:03).
7. Paul Andrews demonstrates with riffs like “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica (07:57).
8. Finger exercises, especially hammer-ons and pull-offs, are great for building strength (09:18).
9. Read the Rhythm and Count
10. Don’t just mimic—learn to read rhythmic notation for faster, deeper learning (10:18).
11. Ability to relate what you see to what you play helps when using a metronome and staying in time.
12. Look at the Music, Not Your Fingers
13. Reading while playing accelerates learning and reduces mistakes (13:42).
14. Avoid the trap of memorizing before playing; treat music like reading a book for smoother practice and progress.
15. Recap Old Skills and Songs
16. Maintain your “song set list” so you always have tunes ready to play (15:39).
17. Regular revisiting builds confidence, helps memorization, and makes you feel more like a guitarist.

Resources Mentioned

1. MetronomeOnline.com — Free online metronome.
2. Apps: “Super Metronome”, Korg MA1 hardware metronome (04:36).
3. Skillset PDFs and rhythm resources are available to Academy members in the resource section (12:52).
4. Ultimate Song List—track songs you’ve learned with playlists or documents; suggestions for Spotify or YouTube (16:06).
5. Previous episodes: Explore topics on chords, strumming, mindset, and more—searchable at bgapodcast.com (18:38).

Join Beginner Guitar Academy

If you enjoy Paul Andrews’s teaching style, consider joining the online school!

1. Five-level method: Beginner to advanced
2. Songs, riffs, workshops, and a supportive community
3. 2-week trial for $1: beginnerguitaracademy.com (19:15)

Next Steps

1. Check out the accompanying blog post and video for this episode.
2. Don’t miss the new “Come As You Are” study (April 24th) and member Q&A (April 27th).
3. Rate and review the show in your favorite podcast app!

Connect

1. Beginner Guitar Academy
2. Podcast archive and more resources: bgapodcast.com

Keep practicing, and see you next week!