5 Guitar Tricks to Spice Up Your Acoustic Playing

Learning to play guitar can be a daunting task for many. From the way you are holding the guitar, to which fingers you are using for chords and strings, and what notes you are hitting, you need to take care of every important aspect of guitar playing to make sure you are doing it right. More than that, taking care of your guitar should also be a prime concern if you want your guitar to perform well. According to Music, the more valued the instrument is, the more critical it is to maintain its longevity. Extending the lifespan of a guitar with a humidifier is one thing you can include in the maintenance measures. In this article, we will discuss 5 tricks that can help you learn guitar and spice up your acoustic playing:

1. Use your thumb to play bass notes – One of the best techniques to play guitar is using your thumb to play your bass notes if it’s on a low E string. What It basically does is it opens up a lot of possibilities for different things that you can do with your fingers.
2. Avoid using your thumb for bar chords – Most of the guitar players suck at bar chords in the beginning but there is one technique that can help you unlock those chords and get to them quicker and easier. Try to avoid using your thumb for playing bar chords. Using your thumb makes your fingers stretch in a weird way and doesn’t allow you to push down. Instead of having your thumb straight up, lay it down to the back of the fretboard. This allows for a better grip and you can also push down harder.
3. Use the “claw” shape for easy fingerpicking – The next trick is for all those finger pickers out there who are just getting started. Fingerpicking can be really tricky so the best way to get to where you can do it right is to use what’s called the “claw” shape. It means your pinkie finger will get high E, the ring finger will get B, the middle finger will get G, and your pointer finger will get D and low E. It takes a little while to get used to this but once you get in the groove, you can play just about any fingerpicking song quickly and with ease.
4. Use a pick instead of finger for strumming – There are a lot of songs out there that use fingerpicking and strumming. Often, when you are playing these songs and using your fingers for strumming, it doesn’t sound that good. Instead of using your fingers, use a pick. Put the pick in your middle finger, and grip it to where it sits between the first and second knuckle of your finger. This way, you cannot only do fingerpicking easily but also quickly reach in, grab the pick, and switch to strumming.
5. Add dynamics to your playing – Adding dynamics to your guitar playing can make any basic chord progression sound marvelous. It really accentuates the difference between loud (also called Forte) and quiet (also called piano). Also, try adding some hammer-ons and pull-offs to get into a magical territory.

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