All of us started out as guitar noobs.
We all had to endure the callous-inducing pain of learning how to play. At the time, it seemed like even getting our fingers to cooperate was too hard a task to master.
Yet we finally got the hang of it, and before long we could play some basic chords.
For many of us, however, our progress stalled once we mastered G, C, D, and Em. Some of us continued on to power chords or maybe learned the basic minor pentatonic scale or a blues lick or two.
Sure, it was enough to (badly) play a song around a campfire. But this plateau is very much still in Beginner Town.
So if you find yourself here — firmly established as a beginner — but want to advance to the intermediate level, this article is for you.
Today I’m going to show you five easy techniques you can implement in your playing to help you finally get off of that plateau and transition from beginner to intermediate guitarist.
Sustained chords
This trick works even with basic open chords, so it’s a good place to start.
The idea is there are times when a slight change to a chord can really make a song pop, and this is often the result of adding in a sustained, or sus, chord at just the right time.
Sus chords are made when the third of the chord is replaced by the note above or below it. But you don’t really need to know the theory to use them.
A couple of super-easy sustained chords are Asus4 (x-0-2-2-3-0) and Asus2 (x-0-2-2-0-0), Dsus4 (x-x-0-2-3-3) and Dsus2 (x-x-0-2-3-0), and Esus4 (0-2-2-2-0-0). (As a refresher, an “x” means you don’t play that string.) These can all be made by either removing a finger from the fretboard (the sus2 chords) or adding your pinky finger to the standard chord shape (the sus4 chords).
The best guidance I can give to when to substitute a sustained chord is to just try it out and let your ear tell you. It’s pretty clear when this trick works and when it doesn’t, and it won’t take long for it to become second nature for you. And once it does, your playing will start having that extra little something to it.
If you want to learn more about sustained chords, check out Richard White’s excellent Medium article on the topic.
Triads
I’ve written an entire article introducing triads and how to play them, so I’ll keep it brief here.
Basically, triads are chord shapes made up of just three strings (or notes). The beauty of triads is they are moveable: once you’ve learned a shape, you can take it up and down the fretboard anywhere and it will still work.
And if you know your basic chords, you already know at least one triad: D.
Think about it: the chord shape for D major is x-x-0-2-3-2. If you just play the top three strings, x-x-x-2-3-2, you now have a triad shape that you can move up the neck.
That means if you move up to x-x-x-4-5-4, you are now playing an E triad. Keep going up to x-x-x-7-8-7 and you’ve unlocked a G triad, and so on.
Triads are one of the most powerful — and accessible — tools at your disposal to progress in your guitar playing. I highly recommend learning them. You’ll start noticing the improvement immediately.
Dyads
Dyads are like triads’ little brothers. As the name suggests, you play just two notes instead of three.
Dyads are so great because they are easy and sound good. Literally all you need to do is finger any chord you know but then only play two neighboring strings. You can play them together or one after the other — whatever works best in context.
So if you were playing a D chord (x-x-0-2-3-2), you might choose to just play the B and E strings (x-x-x-x-3-2) instead. Congrats — that’s a dyad!
Dyads are all over the place on your guitar (and, like triads, they’re also moveable). And the best part? If you learn a triad, you’ve learned multiple dyads by definition — just omit one of the three notes!
Tons of great bands (for example, Weezer, The Killers, The Black Keys) use them all the time in their songs. Dyads are a terrific example of “less is more,” so they are definitely worth knowing and practicing!
Palm muting
Palm muting is a wonderfully easy technique that has many applications in rock-based music. The reason it’s so handy is because it extends your dynamics.
No one wants to hear music at the same volume and intensity all the time. (If you doubt me, just sit through a junior high band concert sometime.) That’s why in every song, you’ll find some quieter sections and some louder sections.
During those quieter sections, you can use palm muting to great effect. It communicates intensity without loudness. This is a good technique to use during the first verse of a song, for instance, or as the start of a build-up (or crescendo) during a bridge.
This is a strumming-hand technique only — your fretting hand doesn’t change what it’s playing. To successfully pull off palm muting, all you have to do is lightly rest your strumming hand on the strings while playing. The outside edge of your palm should rest on the lower strings toward the bridge. (Palm muting works better on the lower strings.)
You can adjust how much pressure you place on the strings until you hear a nice “chugga chugga” sound. Palm muting also works well when combined with a straight downward picking pattern (no upstrokes).
I use this technique all the time, and when it’s right, it’ll give you — and the crowd — goosebumps.
Use a metronome
This last tip is really for everyone.
Whether you’re an absolute beginner or a professional, the more you practice with a metronome, the better you will be.
A metronome is not a crutch; it’s a tool to help you learn to play in time. In fact, even the best guitarists in the world practice with one. Many of them wouldn’t even consider working on their craft without it. It’s really that important.
Now, do I always practice with a metronome myself? No. Sometimes I just want to play a song for fun.
But if I’m working on a song to play in a band setting, I absolutely either use a metronome or a backing track. Because of this, by and large, my ability to play in time is pretty good. And I plan to keep it that way.
With the plethora of metronome smartphone apps, this really is a no-brainer. Just do it!
Real-life cheat codes
These five techniques could almost be considered guitar cheat codes. None of them is difficult, and with a little practice, you can add all of them to your repertoire quickly, leveling up your ability in no time. So which one are you going to start working on today?
