5 Practice Tips to Play Like a Studio Guitarist

There is a reason the best players in the world get hired for the biggest rock shows in the world.

If you’re an aspiring musician, you may have already seen the ‘Hired Guns’ documentary on Netflix.

A “Hired Gun” is a top-tier musician who is brought on to play some of the biggest rock shows in the world, often on short notice. They are the guys in the background, making the leader look and sound great. In order to be a hired gun, you have to be at the next level of tightness and tastefulness.

How can you work towards playing like the biggest go-to players in the world? Here are five tips for any level of guitarist looking to light up the path.

1) Warm Up

Though this may seem insignificant, warming up your hands before practicing and performing is a great habit to get into.

In a literal sense, it can be difficult to play well with cold hands. It can also be hard on your joints. Make sure your hands are not frozen stiff when you start playing. Warm those puppies up!

Physically, get your hands moving before taking on any ambitious practicing.

Your hands will be slow at first. Like other muscles in your body, they need to get used to the movement before you put them through strenuous speed exercises. Get in the habit of warming up your hands before playing. This way, you won’t shock your muscles, and you will have assumed total control of your hands.

With warm hands, you will always play at your best!

2) Count Out Loud

When you're learning new songs, riffs, solos, or strumming patterns, count them out, and align your rhythms to your counting.

Time is the glue of music. It is the sole reason multiple musicians can play in tandem. Learning to count through a song will make you a much tighter musician.

Learning a complicated riff by ear or by feel is doable, yes, but to ensure tight accuracy every time you hit the riff, you’ll want to make sure your timing is perfect.

Ensure this by learning where notes land in the counting pattern, and timing them out loud.

This will give you the perfect timing every time.

3) Practice to a Metronome

Learning to count out a song can be tricky with all of the varying time signatures and complexities in modern music.

Nonetheless, counting is an important skill, and it’s good to get starting straight out of the gate.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, start practicing to a metronome. A metronome takes all of the uncertainty out of counting by keeping a perfect timing structure.

With all of the different apps and hardware sets you can get, finding a good, versatile metronome is easy.

Learn the count of a song, set up your metronome accordingly, and practice to the metronome.

When you work out the timing of your part, start practicing it at a slow speed to the metronome, and as you get more comfortable, gradually bring up the speed until you’re at the speed of the song.

Then practice it faster.

It is better to be a tight rhythm guitarist then a sloppy lead guitarist. Tighten up your playing, even if it means playing more simply, and you will be ready for the studio.

4) Learn Melodies

The common approach to building guitar solos has always been to learn smokin’ riffs.

Though this will make you an impressive guitar player, it does not always mean you will be a tasteful guitar player.

What is tasteful playing?

You may have heard to expression “Make it sing”.

This phrase refers specifically to tasteful guitar players.

“Make it sing” means to play in a very expressive, dynamic, and almost emotional way.

People relate most to emotional performances. If you can inflict some sort of emotion into your playing, you will turn more heads then simply shredding up and down the neck. Though shredding is impressive, it is forgettable.

You want your audience to think about you for days after they hear you play.

That is the goal. The approach? Learn melodies of songs.

Learn and practice the vocal parts of songs you like. This is only for your private practicing. You’re not looking to copy the singer at a show.

Learning vocal parts on your guitar will instill a sense of melody. A catchy, expressive melody will resonate with audiences better than a 2000-note guitar solo.

Big time artists look for tasteful players who can make this connection with the crowd.

So instead of playing a solo that melts everyone’s faces, trying complimenting the melodies that the crowd loves so much.

5) Take Breaks

This one seems a little bit derivative of the main point, but it has to do with stamina and longevity.

You will practice a lot to get to where you want to be as a player. Practicing can take a toll on your joints and muscles. Players can develop severe forms of arthritis and carpal tunnel.

Give your hands plenty of rest between practicing. Your muscles will grow stronger.

You have much more to offer with a healthy set of fingers. Ensure you are ready for this long career by taking care of yourself.

Rest, keep your hands warm, exercise your muscles, and they will always be ready to rock.

Set your goals high. Whatever level you are at now, you can take the approach to get where you want to be quickly.

Discipline your practicing, learn to play tightly and tastefully, and take care of yourself.

Do this well, and you will be on everybody’s call list.