Wrist pain is one of the most common complaints among guitarists — whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player it can happen to all of us. The good news? Learning how to stop guitar wrist pain is entirely possible — most of it is preventable and reversible with the right habits.

As a guitar teacher, I’m always alert to this issue, so in this post, I’ll break down 6 essential tips to help you play pain-free and keep your guitar journey on track and improving like a pro.

Let’s do this!

6 Tips to Stop Guitar Wrist Pain

1. Check Your Guitar Posture

Poor posture is a major contributor to wrist strain. Whether you’re sitting or standing, aim for a neutral wrist position — not bent too far forward (flexed) or backward (extended). Here’s how to adjust:

• Sit up straight with both feet flat on the floor.
• Raise the neck of your guitar slightly so your fretting hand isn’t reaching awkwardly.
• Avoid slouching, which forces your wrists to compensate.

Think of your hands and arms as extensions of your torso. The more natural your alignment, the less stress on your joints.

2. Relax Your Grip

It’s tempting to grip the neck tightly — especially during tricky chords or fast passages — but excess tension quickly leads to fatigue and pain.

• Use just enough pressure to press the string cleanly.
• Let your thumb rest gently behind the neck rather than clamp down.
• If you’re straining, slow down and lighten your touch.

A lighter grip means smoother playing and happier wrists.

3. Warm Up Your Wrist Before Playing

Just like athletes warm up before intense movement, guitarists should too. A few minutes of warm-up can go a long way in preventing or stop wrist pain.

Try these before your session:

• Wrist mobilizations (see video below)
• Slow chromatic scales or finger exercises
• Light strumming to get blood flowing

Don’t skip this step — it’s one of the easiest ways to protect your hands long-term.

4. Take Frequent Breaks

It’s easy to lose track of time while playing, but continuous strain builds up. Make a habit of taking short breaks every 20–30 minutes, even if you’re not feeling pain yet.

• Shake out your hands.
• Stretch your fingers, wrists, and forearms.
• Rest your hands in your lap for a few minutes.

Your wrists (and your overall progress) will thank you.

5. Watch Your Thumb Placement

Thumb placement on the back of the neck affects the angle of your wrist. A poor thumb position can cause excessive bending of the wrist joint.

• Keep your thumb roughly opposite your middle finger on the neck.
• Avoid wrapping it too far over the top unless stylistically necessary (e.g. in blues or Hendrix-style grips).
• Practice with a classical thumb position to improve technique and reduce strain.

It might feel weird at first, but it builds a strong foundation.

7. Know When to Rest (and Seek Help)

If you’re already experiencing wrist pain, don’t ignore it. Pain is your body’s way of signaling that something’s off.

• Take a break from playing for a few days.
• Use ice and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories if necessary.
• If pain persists, see a doctor or physical therapist.

Ignoring the signs can lead to long-term issues like tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Final Thoughts to Prevent Wrist Pain

Playing guitar should feel good — not painful. By staying mindful of your technique, posture, and breaks, you can stop guitar wrist pain before it starts — or prevent it altogether.

Start small: adjust one habit at a time, and listen to your body. Your music will sound better when you’re not playing through pain.

Have you struggled with wrist pain while playing? Share your experience or tips in the comments — let’s help each other play healthier! I appreciate it.

Since I don’t want to leave the songs on the shelf (I’m certainly not planning to) and start putting the songs out in the world, I thought I begin to share one with you. I just took my guitar right out the case and started playing and singing. Afterwards I added the lyrics and some clips to convey the emotion and feeling of the song. I hope you like it.

Enjoy!

New Song: “Stepping Away” ~ Klaus Crow

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Every now and then I watch a good music documentary or movie to enjoy the incredible stories behind the master guitar players and legendary bands.

The struggles, hardship and passion for playing is really inspiring and insightful for anyone who is a student of the guitar. Today we got a list for you with some of the best music documentaries. Witness the turbulent and expressive lives of these musicians. Follow their love for music, their eagerness, perseverance and lessons learned throughout their journey.

All the guitar players and songwriters faced their own challenges that led to the extraordinary musicians that they have ultimately become. A true pleasure to watch each and everyone of them. Pick your favorites from the list and enjoy.

Have a great one!

What are the Best Documentaries for Guitar Players?

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Rise Of A Texas Bluesman – 2014 (Youtube)
A docu on American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Stevie Ray Vaughan, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock band Double Trouble. He is considered to be one of the most iconic and influential musicians in the history of blues music, and one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Acoustic Uprising (Youtube)
Acoustic Uprising tells the definitive story of Modern Acoustic Guitar, featuring interviews with world class FingerStyle guitarists from around the world, including Tommy Emmanuel, Kaki King, Newton Faulkner, Sungha Jung, Andy McKee and many more. These artists are renowned for their virtuosity on the ubiquitous acoustic guitar, taking the humble instrument to new heights of “astounding virtuosity”.

Keith Richards – Under influence (Netflix)
Under the Influence gives fans unparalleled access to one of the world’s greatest rock stars and the people and sounds that inspired rock ‘n’ roll legend Keith Richards.

Jimi Hendrix – By Those Who Knew Him Best (Youtube)
Jimi Hendrix is unquestionably the greatest guitarist to have emerged during the rock era. This documentary contains exclusive interviews with his closest friends, associates and fellow musicians, which finally reveals what was behind the greatest musical talent of our time.

Eric Clapton – Standing At The Crossroads Documentary (Youtube)
In this documentary feature Eric Clapton is interviewed in depth with contributions from Keith Richards, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Jack Bruce and many more. It is THE definitive Clapton biography.

Paco de Lucia Documentary (Youtube)
A beautiful portrait of Paco de Lucia. A Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamenco guitarists to branch into classical and jazz.

Guitar – A documentary – 1991 (Youtube)
A U.K. video documentary about the guitar. Features David Gilmour and his 0001 Stratocaster. Also includes Chet Atkins, Paul Atkinson, Jennifer Batten, Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Cropper, Al DiMeola, Tony Iommi, Eric Johnson, B.B. King, Mark Knopfler, Steve Lukather, Hank Marvin, Brian May, Les Paul, Joe Satriani, Brian Setzer, Stephen Stills, Steve Vai, Joe Walsh, and more.

The Eagles – History of the Eagles (Amazon prime)
History of the Eagles is a 2013 two-part authorize documentary about the career of the American iconic rock group the Eagles.

Robert Johnson – Devil at the crossroads – (Netflix)
Cloaked in mystery, bluesman Robert Johnson left his mark on American music. Now family, critics and famous fans look for the real man behind the music.

Once – Glenn Hansard and Markéta Irglová – Movie (Youtube)
Once is a 2007 Irish musical romance film written and directed by John Carney. The film stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as two struggling musicians in Dublin, Ireland.

B.B. King – Legends documentary (Youtube)
The life of blues legend B.B. King. The untold true American story of an orphan boy from the heart of the Mississippi Delta who rose to music stardom around the world and inspired a generation of fans against all odds.

Joe Satriani in Reel Satriani (Youtube)
Documentary of guitarist Joe Satriani recording his seventh album (from 1995). Bassist Nathan East. Drummer Manu Katche. Produced by Glyn Johns.

Chet Atkins, a Life in Music (Youtube)
A really interesting documentary about this legendary guitar player and his influence in country music. Features a lot of guitar playing from Chet.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Funky Monks (Youtube)
Funky Monks is the title of a 1992 documentary (also the title of a song from the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik) about the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and guitar player John Frusciante and the recording of their highly successful 1991 Warner Bros. debut Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and recorded in The Mansion

John Mayer – Someday I’ll Fly (Youtube)
Music Documentary on John Mayer: Someday I’ll Fly chronicles the musical evolution of one of the most influential solo artists of his generation. Featuring rare demos, interviews and live performances; it is told in it’s entirety from Mayer’s perspective.

Coldplay – A head full of dreams – New documentary (Amazon prime)
Long term collaborator Mat Whitecross blends spectacular live performances with exclusive band interviews and a huge array of previsouly unseen archive footage to produce “a Head full of dreams” – The definitive story of the world’s biggest band.

Django Reinhardt documentary (Youtube)
A documentary about Django Reinhardt with some brilliant guitarists who are keeping his jazz style alive.

John Williams – Classical Guitar Player (Youtube)
The celebrated documentary on John Williams, his life, his friendship and long association with Greg Smallman, his views on Segovia, his own teaching, the repertoire and how he defines musicality and much more.

Joe Bonamassa – Bloodline Documentary (Youtube)
This 1994 special feature on 16-year-old Joe Bonamassa was first aired on Channel 4 London public television and also includes commentary from B.B. King, Danny Gatton, and members from Joe’s former band Bloodline.

George Harrison – Living In The Material World (Amazon prime)
A 2011 documentary film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the life of The Beatles’ George Harrison.

Wes Montgomery – The Life and Music Of Wes Montgomery (Youtube)
The audio commentary by The Great Jazz Singer Nancy Wilson is produced and brought to us by NPR Jazz Profiles. The graphics and short videos throughout the documentary are edited by your’s truely. Stay tuned for this wonderful profile of the Genius that was Wes Montgomery!

Queen – Days of Our Lives Documentary (Youtube)
The life and times of the rock band Queen and Brian May – told in two parts covering in part one the 1970’s and in part two the 1980’s and beyond.

It might get loud – Jimi Page, The Edge and Jack White (Youtube)
A 2008 American documentary film by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim. It explores the careers and musical styles of prominent rock guitarists Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White.

Do you know a great guitar music documentary? Please share it in the comments. I appreciate it.

Today we review the best acoustic guitars under 100 dollars of 2020. You have to take into account that these are low-price guitars that can’t be compared to slightly more expensive models or high quality guitars, but nonetheless the quality, sound and price you get for these acoustic guitars is absolutely amazing.

If you’re a beginner guitar player you obviously want to start out with a low-budget acoustic guitar, or if you’re an intermediate guitar player you might need a “not so expensive” second guitar for backup or other purposes, or maybe you just like to bring a guitar on camping and traveling. For all these scenarios the steel-string acoustics in this list are absolute winners.

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Let’s take a look at the best acoustic guitars under 100 dollars:

1 – Squier by Fender SA-150 Acoustic Guitar

SOUND & QUALITY

The Squier SA-150 is a full-size steel-string dreadnought acoustic guitar designed by Fender, a major guitar brand that has the reputation of building dependable quality guitars. The top of the body is made from lindenwood and mahogany is used for the back and sides.

This robust, durable and good looking design can handle the use and abuse of the beginner guitar player or traveling musician. The Fender Squier SA-150 also has a slim neck that makes it easy and comfortable to play and the body produces a full and vibrant tone, that allows for both bright and warm sounds. A great affordable instrument for the beginner guitar player.

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Lindenwood
Back and sides: Mahogany
Fretboard Material: dark-stained maple
Bracing: scalloped bracing
Neck: Mahogany
Bridge: Hardtail bridge
Tuners: Die-cast chrome tuners
Body finish: Natural finish
More info, Prices and Reviews for the Squier SA-150

2 – Jameson Acoustic Electric Cutaway Guitar

SOUND & QUALITY

The Jameson guitar is a full-size steel-string acoustic electric guitar. This beautiful guitar comes with a single cutaway which makes you able to play higher up the fretboard, but it also gives a nice touch to the design. The playability of the guitar is really good partly due to the 3″ thinline body.

The sound for a thinline guitar in this low price category is unexpectedly good. It has a nice bright sparkling tone. While it doesn’t have a great deal of bottom-end, there is enough bass to make the overal sound a delight to listen to. On top of that the guitar is acoustic electric and comes with a built-in pickup with volume and tone control. This guitar is a real beauty.

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Spruce
Back and sides: Nato
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Bracing: Scalloped bracing
Neck: Maple
Bridge: Rosewood
Tuners: Diecast enclosed tuners
Body finish: High gloss redburst finish
Electronics: Onboard pickup
More info, Prices and Reviews for the Jameson Acoustic Electric Guitar

3 – Jasmine S35 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

SOUND & QUALITY

Jasmin guitars are a more affordable range from the well-known Takamine brand. It’s one of the most affordable and still decent guitars you can get. The Jasmine-S35 has a dreadnought body shape with a select spruce top and nato back and sides.

Nato is often referred to as eastern mahogany and has similar properties to mahogany. The overall guitar has a nice clear sound and great for the beginner guitar player.

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Select Spruce
Back and sides: Laminated Nato.
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Bracing: Jasmine Advanced X Bracing
Neck: Nato
Bridge: Rosewood
Tuners: Chrome Covered
Body finish: Satin
More info, Prices and Reviews for the Jasmin S35

4 – Rogue RA-090 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Black

SOUND & QUALITY

The Rogue RA-090 black is a dreadnought guitar that is designed for the absolute beginner, the young musician or anyone with a really tight budget. It’s a really cheap prized guitar and still a proper playable instrument.

The top and body are made of laminate whitewood which brings out a great deal of mid-range. The guitar has a nice bright, full sound and ultimately really good in this price range.

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Laminate whitewood
Back and sides: Laminate whitewood
Fretboard Material: Maple
Neck: Nato
Tuners: covered tuners
More info, Prices and Reviews for the Rogue RA-090

5 – Artall Acoustic Matte Sunset Cutaway Guitar

SOUND & QUALITY

The Artall Acoustic is a 41 inch full-size cutaway guitar with a linden top, and linden back and sides. The body has a matte sunset color with a glossy finish exterior. The Artall is an excellent student guitar with a clear, full and graceful sound.

The neck is also easy and comfortable to play. Here you’ve got a very descent quality guitar that also comes with all kinds of extras like a guitar bag, tuner, strings, picks and strap. All in all, a great bang for your buck!

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Linden
Back and sides: Linden with black ABS
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Maple
Bridge: Maple
Body finish: Glossy finish
Product dimensions: 41.3 x 15.8 x 4.3 inches
Extras: Gig bag, tuner, strings, picks, strap.
More info, Prices and Reviews for the Artall 41 Inch Matte Sunset Acoustic Guitar

6 – Kona K391-HSB Parlor Acoustic Guitar

SOUND & QUALITY

The Kona K391-HSB is a parlor sized guitar which has a smaller body than the typical dreadnought guitar like the Fender Squier SA-150 at the top of this list. This makes the guitar more comfortable to play for young musicians, although some guitars might need a little setup if the strings are too high from the neck.

It’s the most cheap prized guitar in this list, but still the sound is nice, a little dirty and overal well balanced. The parlor guitar is often associated with blues and folk music, but it’s also a perfect instrument for the guitar rookie to start out with.

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Spruce
Back and sides: Linden back & sides.
Neck: Hardwood
Bridge: Hardtail bridge
Tuners: Precision enclosed tuners
Body finish: Honey burst
Product dimensions: 40.2 x 15 x 4.4 inches
More info, Prices and Reviews for the Kona K391-HSB Parlor Acoustic Guitar

7 – Ashtorpe Thinline Acoustic Electric Guitar

SOUND & QUALITY

The Ashtorpe full-size 41″ thinline cutaway guitar can be played acoustic (without amp) or played electric by plugging it into an acoustic amp (not included). The slim thinline 3″ inch design makes the guitar comfortable to play. For a guitar under $100, the sound and quality of the Ashtorpe is impressive and the playability and action are also pretty good.

You might need the extra strings that are included if the strings on the guitar are worn, but that will only make the guitar sound better. The guitar comes as a package with a guitar bag, guitar picks, instrument cable, and an extra set of phosphor bronze strings. A perfect entry-level guitar at a great value!

GUITAR CONSTRUCTION / SPECS:

Top: Spruce
Back and sides: Basswood
Fretboard Material: Dark-stained maple
Bracing: X-bracing
Neck: Okoume
Tuners: Diecast chrome tuning pegs
Body finish: High-gloss finish
Electronics: On-board 4-band pickup EQ with volume control (bass, mid, treble, and presence)
Extras: Soft gig bag, 3 celluloid guitar picks (.46mm, .71mm and .81mm thick), instrument cable, shoulder strap and an extra set of strings.
More info, Pricing and Reviews on Ashtorpe Full-size Cutaway Thinline Acoustic Electric Guitar

You also might like:

10 Best Affordable Acoustic Guitars Under 200 Dollars – 2020

The Best Acoustic Guitars Under 450 Dollars – 2020

The Best High Quality Affordable Acoustic Guitars – 2020

Top 10 Best Low Budget Electric Guitars For Beginners under 300 Dollars – 2020

After a period of time of regular and serious practice you can probably play a couple of songs. If you’re lucky you can play a few songs from the top of your head but with most songs you probably need music sheets, chords or tabs to help you out. And even then you might need to look into some of the parts of the song again to refresh your memory before you can play it from beginning to end.

This is what distinguishes the amateur from the professional. An amateur can play a couple of songs (sort of) and a professional can play a solid repertoire of songs with total conviction.

What you want is to start practicing like a pro. Create the habits of a pro and a repertoire is becoming part of your skill set.

So why do you want to build and play a repertoire of songs?

• Having a repertoire is an amazing asset and a profound goal for any guitar player.
• Working on a repertoire will build your confidence as a guitar player and a human being.
• You will work towards becoming an accomplished guitar player and musician.
• You will practice and build skills like a real pro.
• You’ll be able to play songs instantly from the top of your head, so whenever friends, family or anyone else asks you to play something, you are ready to rock.
• You are working towards becoming not just a better guitar player but also a musician and performer.
• You will be able to play with other musicians more easily.
• You’ll be ready to perform with great confidence before any audience anywhere and anytime.
• You will face your fears and crush them head on!
• Being able to play songs from the top of your head will give a feeling of freedom, flexibility and independence.
• Having a repertoire is a great musical accomplishment and continues journey that will set the path for a lot of new discoveries, possibilities and opportunities for you as a musician.

How to practice a song repertoire

Feel free to leave a comment below. I appreciate it.
~ Klaus Crow

Most musicians love to sing along to the songs they play on their guitar or any other instrument. Some guitar players focus entirely and solely on their instrument and that’s perfect, but there’s also the breed who loves to sing and play their hearts out. Even if you’re not, you definitely want to read on.

Most of us are not naturally born singers, and even if you are, you can always use some help to improve your singing voice and work to become a better singer / guitar player.

A lot of musicians just think they don’t have what it takes and they can’t do anything about it. They just throw in the towels and accept they aren’t really the singer type.

But that’s where they are wrong, you can definitely work to become a better singer, a good singer, and some even become great singers. But good is good enough.

How great is it to play your instrument and sing to your songs with confidence. Singing along with your instrument adds an extra dimension to the experience. You now have two instruments (your voice is also an instrument) that complement each other.

Learning to sing also helps you improve your playing, because playing guitar is all about listening and aural skills and that’s what you develop with singing lessons.

The most common problems people face are “problems with pitch”, “the crack in the voice” when going from chest voice to head voice, “singing higher notes” and “losing the voice” due to using of the voice in the wrong way. Most people also don’t know there are simple and easy ways to start improving the voice in a real short amount of time.

So I thought, it would be great to show you the 4 best online singing methods that I think can really help you out.

Of course there are a lot of free vocal lessons on Youtube that you can learn from, but if you want a systematic approach with a step by step plan that will improve and build your voice gradually to a better place then these methods are worth to check out.

Also watch the free singing tips from each of the vocal coaches below. They will already help you a great deal.

Enjoy!

30 DAY SINGER

30 Day Singer is the most popular online singing course. The course is great for beginners, but also provides advanced techniques for experienced singers. There are lessons for perfect pitch and intonation, getting better tone, learning to sing higher, steps to better phrasing, mastering vibrato, belting, and lessons that teach you different styles of singing from pop, country and R&B to classical. The instructors are best-in-class educators coming from Julliard, The Voice and other top music institutions. This course has everything you need to learn to sing. Start Now!

SINGING SUCCESS

Brett Manning’s complete vocal training program Singing Success walks you through close to 30 hours of step-by-step training, teaching you the exact same exercises, scales, and techniques Brett teaches his students in private lessons. Brett Manning is one of the music industry’s most sought after vocal coaches. Brett has had to privilege to work with top recording artists such as: Leona Lewis, Jimmy Gnecco, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. Here’s a free effective vocal lesson from Brett Manning:

SINGORAMA

Vocal coach Melanie Alexander brings you Singorama with the help of vocal training software. Singorama will help you maximize your vocal range, vocal strength and agility, master your pitch and mixed voice, overcome performance anxiety and develop a beautiful tone. A 60 Day Money Back Guarantee is included.

On the website you can also get a free mini singing course.
Here are some tips on how to find your own singing style from Singorama:

Master Your Voice

Master Your Voice is the only singing course that includes personal feedback from a 5-star vocal coach. In Master Your Voice, you will learn how to expand your vocal range, hit higher notes and finally gain vocal control. As opposed to other video singing courses, Master Your Voice actually has you send in a recording of you singing something so you get detailed feedback on what you need to improve.

When you enroll in Master your voice you receive all of the following:

* Personal feedback from a real vocal coach
* A customized roadmap of how to work through the course
* 10 Hand-picked song choices for your voice
* A proven system to expand your range, gain control and build a voice you love that you WON’T find on YouTube
* A range finder to measure your singing progress 30-Day “5 Note Guarantee”

Master Your Voice will teach you all the tools you need to expand your vocal range. If you put in the work, 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

“I’m singing what I want to sing based on the emotion of what that day feels like.
That’s what comes out of my mouth and guitar. That impacts people. ~ John Mayer

You’ve been a guitar player for several years. You’ve got some skills in your pocket. And then comes that moment (it always does), at home, at someone else’s place, in a guitar shop, at a party, or some place where a guitar is spotted and someone knows you can play, and the inevitable question pops up: “Hey can you play something for us?”.

A lot of guitar players will scratch their heads and say “Uhh, No I don’t think so.” or “Well, maybe another time” because they don’t know what to play and their obviously not prepared.

Deep inside, they’re disappointed, they missed an opportunity and wished they could’ve come up with something cool to play with conviction and confidence. Wow, that would’ve been awesome!

Well for those who can relate to this. It’s time to change this. Let’s get ready and prepared. This is going to be a fun and exciting journey.

Building a repertoire does not only come in handy when you’re in the company of people who love to hear you play. The benefits are manifold.

Let’s dive in!

THE BENEFITS:

• Building and practicing a repertoire let’s you develop the skill of playing songs by heart. This will give you a great amount of confidence.

• You’ll learn to enjoy playing (and singing) songs even more than playing from sheet music. Once you’ve memorized a song, you feel more free and liberated playing that song. It gives you more space to feel the song, understanding the lyrics, picturing the story and translating that in your own musical way.

• You’ll learn how to perform in front of an audience. How cool is that!

• You’re working on your dream goal and it will become more clearer along the way where and how you will see yourself as a musician.

• You’ll be ready and prepared for anyone at any time in any place. This will give you the feeling of an accomplished musician.

• You are learning and developing the skills and disciplines of performing on stage and how to play gigs.

• You’ll become more conscious of how songs are written.

• You’ll learn to play better, sing better and perform better.

• You’ll learn a skill that could earn you a nice passive income or a full time income.

• You’ll have a great hobby with unlimited growth potential.

Okay, now let’s take a look how to accomplish this goal in small and easy steps.

HOW TO BUILD AND PRACTICE A REPERTOIRE:

Write down

Write down your all time favorite song or a song you really love to play (that is within your reach of guitar skills).

Practice

Start learning, practicing and memorizing your favorite song until you’ve nailed it. Don’t be tempted to learn multiple songs at once. Start with one song and make sure you can play that song inside out.

If you think you got it down, play it in front of your partner or a good friend. When you think you can play a song for a 100 percent and you have to perform it for the first time in front of a live audience, you will lose part of your focus, due to distractions, so you will lose at least 20 percent of that 100 percent. So make sure you master your song for 120 percent. Feel good about it!

Create a repertoire list of 12 songs

Now you’ve learned, practiced and played your first song, you’re going to create a list of 12 songs. Let’s say you want to play a set of 45 minutes, then 12 songs is a good indication.

There are three ways to create this list.

– Create a list of songs YOU love
– Create a list of songs your audience love
– Create a list that combines both.

It all depends on your goal and the type of music you want to play.

One by one

Work your way through the list one song at a time. Make sure you can play each song good enough before moving on to the next one. This is where it all boils down to. Make sure your songs are fun and enjoyable enough to practice and play forever and ever.

After a while, this has to become something you love to do without having to motivate yourself. Just like a professional runner. You’ll become addictive to the feeling that comes from the activity.

Practice daily

Memorizing songs, building a repertoire and cultivating the skill of performing takes time and regular practice. The best way is to practice your songs daily. Just play at least one or two songs from your repertoire each day.

Small talk

Solid preparation gives you confidence. Knowing what to do from A to Z, will eliminate all the “What if” scenarios. So by preparing some small talk in between the songs, you’ll avoid any awkward silences. Write down some info or anecdote about the song or artist and memorize it. Practice the small talk before you start practicing and playing the song.

Observe your heros

Observe and study musicians and artists you admire. Watch concerts on Youtube and see how they perform in front of an audience. Observe how they play, sing, move, talk, behave, smile (or don’t), interact, perform and set up a playlist.

Polish

Think deliberately how you can improve your song each day. If there are songs on your repertoire that you don’t feel good about playing or singing, then remove them from your list and replace them for another great song. Practice and polish your repertoire until you feel absolutely comfortable and confident.

Reminder

We all lead busy lives, and no matter how much we love to practice and create awesome daily habits, we get distracted by the amount of things that are one our plate. So create a reminder to make sure you practice your one or two daily songs. Coach.me is a great app for your smartphone to create and pursue daily habits.

Your first gig

It’s time to prepare for your first (small) gig. It doesn’t matter for how many people. You could start with your own family or a few friends. Tell them you are going to play a small gig at “x” place, “x” date and “x” time. Invite them and ask if they would like to join the party.

Now why on earth would you want to do this? This is a great way to hold you accountable, make sure you’ll go through with it and accomplish your goal. Once you’ve done this, you’re hooked.

After the party

People will likely applaud at your first gig. Enjoy it in anyway you can. You’ve earned it!

The day after your first gig, ask a few people if they really liked the show. Listen carefully and learn from their sincere advice. Don’t worry, not all advice is always true and objective. But be open to learn how people receive your music and look at your performance.

Get back to the drawing board

The constructive criticism and recommendations are valuable and can be a great help to improve your repertoire and performance to a higher standard. This is the way to become a better musician and performer. Be grateful.

Get back to practicing after a great experience and work your way up to your second (and even better) gig.

Enjoy the ride!

Do you have any tips for building a repertoire? Please share them in the comments. I appreciate it!

Depending on who and what instruments you are playing with, you’ve got a role to fill and really need to look for the right ingredients to make a difference and be part of something great.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important things you need to work and focus on when playing with others.

Be cohesive
Be a part and value to the band or group. Don’t try to stand out by outplaying everyone in the band. To make a band sound great you want to make it a whole, not four musicians and an ego-maniac.

Make sure your amp volume is appropriate and levels with the other instruments. Try to find the right balance.

Don’t fill every second with riffs, fills and solos, leave space for your fellow-musicians and let the music breath now and then. Be a team player.

Listen carefully to what others have to say. Talk about it. Learn from constructive critism. It can be tough to swallow, but these are the moments when you grow the most as a musician. Respect the opinion of your fellow musicians. Keep things cool. Be supportive and appreciative.

Listening is the key
The most important thing when playing with a band or group is listening. While a lot of musicians think they already do so, this is often not the case.

When you’re playing with two guitar players, you are playing in the same frequence range, so you’ve got to complement each other’s guitar parts. Try not being in each others face or things will sound muddy real quickly. I’ll explain in a minute.

Also clean guitars and piano are in the same range and need to play in a way that they accomodate each other. Create room, give each other space and listen very carefully to what the other is playing. Keep things simple and add value to the overall sound. This is challenging in the beginning, but it will get better in time.

It’s all about finding the chemistry with the other musicians. If you can’t seem to get on the same page, try to work up an accompaniment to complement the other player.

Find unique guitar tones
When you’re with two electric guitar players in a band, try to create a differente sound or tone for each guitar player to avoid a blurry and muddy mess. You could do this by changing the EQ on your amp or finding a different voice on your pickup selector switch. Also different guitars, amps, pickups, sounds (clean, overdrive, fuzz, distortion) and fx will add a unique sound for each guitar player.

Complementing guitars
Usually with two guitar players in a band you’ve got a rhythm guitar player and a lead guitar player. The rhythm guitar player makes up for the chords and rhythm part and the lead player will focus on the solos, riffs and fills. Yet this is not a rule. You can also have two rhythm guitar players or switching between rhythm and lead roles.

When you are both rhythm guitar players, try to complement each others parts. Let one guitar player cover all the open chords and the other play bar chords, power chords and riffs higher up the neck. Again create your own unique tone with EQ or clean and saturated sounds.

Listen to each other and work on something to enhance and enrich the other rhythm part.

Play with intention
While this is really important for blues and jazz players, it can be applied to all kinds of music styles. Play with intention! Don’t just improvise endless phrases without thinking about it, but first listen to what the music needs and decide to add or let the music breath by leaving space.

Make others sound good
Be of service to your fellow musicians. Especially when someone is playing a solo, make sure it stands out. Play something (or not) that will complement and lift the lead part to greater heigths.

Have fun
All the things mentioned above need to grow. You will develop these skills if you keep focused and working on them and eventually they will become second nature.

In the meantime don’t forget why you’re are doing it all in the first place. Have Fun! If you’re only focused on improving, becoming a better player, making it all work, you might lose the fun out of sight.

Relax, have a drink, laugh, chat and talk open heartedly with your fellow musicians about music and life.

Enjoy the process!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Memorizing song lyrics hasn’t always been my strongest asset. Learning chords, chord progressions, scales and guitar solos were always the easy part.

I’d go through them once or twice and they were stored in my brain for ages. But those nasty lyrics didn’t seem to get further than my short term memory.

Spaced repetition

I ultimately tackled this problem by using a learning technique called spaced repetition.

Spaced repetition works with graduated time intervals. It makes use of the spacing effect where you learn something several times spaced over a long time span.

Instead of cramming (hastily and intense studying at the latest possible moment) which is great for storing huge amounts of information for a short period of time, spaced repetition will pass the information from the short term memory onto the long term memory and make it last indefinitely.

Source

This technique was first discovered by Hermann Ebbinghaus, a german psychologist who experimented with the study of memory and did some extraordinary findings. He contributed to science with brilliant insights on the forgetting curve, the learning curve and the spacing effect.

Practice Memorization

While you can apply the spaced repetition technique to any kind of (musical) information, we’ll take “memorizing lyrics” as an example.

On day one you learn and memorize the lyrics to a song and sing it until it’s stored in your short term memory.

On day two you sing the lyrics a few times throughout the day (short intervals). From the third day on you only go through the song once. You skip day four and sing the lyrics on day five again. Now skip two days. Then skip a week. Skip two weeks.

Expand the intervals out to weeks, then months and finally years.

Mark the days on your calendar on your iPhone, Ipad or whatever so it will notify you when it’s time to go through your song again.

And you know what? It works!

Memorization App

You could also use an app like Anki. Anki is a flashcard learner. The desktop version is free, the iPhone app is a paid version.

Anki analyzes your learning and forgetting curve and predicts when you have to repeat a flashcard (a set of cards bearing information) to make sure you memorize the information for the long run applying the appropriate graduated time intervals.

While “Anki” is particularly suited for memorizing relatively short answers to questions which is great for music theory, learning scale notes or remembering the notes on the guitar neck, it can also train you to memorize song lyrics.

Anki lets you create your own set of questions and answers for the flashcards. Once you’ve created and saved your set you can turn to study.

I let Anki ask me questions like:
– Sing the lyrics to the third verse of the song “Oh my sweet carolina” by Ryan Adams.

– Name and visualize the chords for the song “Wave” by Antonio Carlos Jobim

– Sing the entire song of “Something” by the Beatles.

You can also copy and paste complete lyrics as a question or answer. You could edit song lyrics by leaving out a couple of words here and there in the verses and chorus.

Question:
What are the words to the song “Something” by The Beatles?
Something in the ………….., Attracts me like no…………..
Something in the……………., I don’t wanna ………….,
You know I believe,………..

Answer:
Something in the way she moves, Attracts me like no other lover.
Something in the way she woos me, I don’t wanna leave her now,
You know I believe, and how.

While you might not need this app to improve your memorization for song lyrics, it does help you analyze your learning and forgetting curve and alarm you in time to practice your song again before you start having difficulties to recall the lyrics.

Another cool thing about Anki are the ear training, interval and music theory exercises. You can load different sets of musical exercises to train your skills and improve your memory.

For me, spaced repetition has been the answer to my prayers and I’m having fun memorizing lyrics and other musical information more than ever.

Whatever you want to memorize, it’s yours!

Do you also want to improve your singing skills?

30 Day Singer

Do you want to learn to sing (better)? 30 Day Singer is one of the most popular online singing courses. The course is great for beginners, but also provides advanced techniques for experienced singers.

There are lessons for perfect pitch and intonation, getting better tone, learning to sing higher, steps to better phrasing, mastering vibrato, belting, and lessons that teach you different styles of singing from pop, country and R&B to classical.

The instructors are best-in-class educators coming from Julliard, The Voice and other top music institutions. This course has everything you need to learn to sing. Start Now!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Learning to play and sing at the same time can be challenging in the beginning, but this is a skill you can definitely learn. Once you know how to play some chords and strum a few songs, the next step is to sing along with the rhythm you’re playing. It’s a great feeling being able to play and sing at the same time.

Developing this skill will open up a whole new world for you. You can entertain friends and family or learn to perform and play for an audience. For me it’s also a feeling of freedom. Whenever I feel like it, I pick up my guitar and start playing and singing my favorite songs. It makes me feel good instantly.

Learning to play and sing at the same time is tough in the beginning, but if you follow the tips below and practice regularly you will get the hang of it.

Work hard, have fun and reap the benefits!

1. Start easy

First things first. Pick a song you like and something that is easy to play. A familiar song with easy chords and an easy strumming pattern.

2. Listen first

Before you start trying to play and sing simultaneously you first need to listen to the song quite a few times. Listen to the song on your iPod, iPad or whatever device you prefer, until you know the song inside out. Listen to the melody, listen to the lyrics, listen to the guitar and listen to the beat of the song. Try to count the beats. You can do this by listening to the kick (bass drum) and snare of the drummer.

3. Sing along

Search for the lyrics on the internet and practice singing along with the original song. Master the melody and the lyrics. The better you know the song the easier it will be to play and sing together later on. Memorize the lyrics of the song.

4. Practice guitar

Now practice the guitar part thoroughly. Make sure you know how to play the chords of the song inside out without having to look at your fingers and be able to play your strumming pattern comfortably.

5. Count the beat

Pick an easy strumming pattern. If it’s a 4/4 beat (meaning 4 beats in a bar) you can start off with just playing downstrokes on every beat and count along 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. Try to tap your foot along with the beat. Once you’ve got this covered you can play a little more challenging 4/4 strumming pattern. Continue to count the beat 1-2-3-4 or tap your foot along.

If it’s a 3/4 beat you count 1-2-3, 1-2-3. Turn on the song, concentrate and listen carefully to the kick and snare drum and you’ll hear it.

6. Play along

Turn on the song again and play it along with your guitar. Don’t sing yet, just play through the song a couple of times until it feels comfortable. Now play along with the song and just listen to kick and the snare of the song. And finally play along and listen to the lyrics. Try to hum or sing along in your head.

7. Play it on your own

Turn off the music and start playing the song on your guitar. Start with playing the chords and the strumming pattern to the intro of the song so you hear what the song feels like and then try to sing along once the verse starts. You can also start with the chorus first if that sounds more familiar and comfortable.

In the beginning slow down a bit. Slowing down your strumming pattern makes it easier to concentrate and focus on putting it all together.

8. Practice makes perfect

As with everything you need to practice it over and over. The more you practice the better it gets. Keep on listening to the song whenever and wherever you can. Keep listening to the beat, keep counting, keep singing the song, memorizing the lyrics and keep practicing your guitar.

You’ll get there!

30 Day Singer

Do you want to learn to sing (better)? 30 Day Singer is one of the most popular online singing courses. The course is great for beginners, but also provides advanced techniques for experienced singers.

There are lessons for perfect pitch and intonation, getting better tone, learning to sing higher, steps to better phrasing, mastering vibrato, belting, and lessons that teach you different styles of singing from pop, country and R&B to classical.

The instructors are best-in-class educators coming from Julliard, The Voice and other top music institutions. This course has everything you need to learn to sing. Start Now!