It takes time but you can learn how to play shred guitar just as musicians like Rusty Cooley, Paul Gilbert and Joe Satriani do. But you of course need to learn how important it is to dedicate time to practicing your playing as well as having lots of patience. One thing that can help improve the way in which you play shred guitar is by using a metronome.

In this article we offer some advice that you may find helpful which will assist you when you want to learn how to play shred guitar like the kinds of musicians we have mentioned. However, before you start learning how to play shred guitar music you need to get yourself a good electric guitar and a metronome. When you have these then you can start on your journey to playing the type of music you want.

Step 1 - It is crucial that you first spend a little time looking for the types of tabs and sheet music that have the shred lick in them that you want to learn to play. A great source these days for this type of information is the internet and there are numerous sites where you will be able to find what you want.

Step 2 - After find the piece of music that you wish to learn how to play it is time to get your electric guitar and metronome set up. However, many people are unable to purchase a real metronome and instead use one of the many online ones instead.

Step 3 - When learning any new guitar licks you should do so at the slowest speed you possible can and without using a metronome. Also it is crucial that you practice the same piece many times over until it has become well established in your memory.

Step 4 - When you feel that you have got the piece fully memorized can you then start to practice it using the metronome. Initially when you start using the metronome to practice the piece you should keep the tempo slow at about 40 beats per minute. You should continue to play at this tempo until you are able to play the piece you are learning both accurately and cleanly.

Step 5 - The important thing to remember here is that don't increase the metronomes tempo until you have been able to play the piece five times in a row without making any errors. Also you should only ever increase the metronomes tempo in 5 beats per minute increments. Also the increase in tempo each time should only be done when you are able to play it five times without any errors until you finally reach the correct tempo at which it should be played.

Although you may think that the steps we offer above when it comes to learning how to play shred guitar are relatively simple, then think again. You need to dedicate as much time as you can to practicing the piece you want to learn using the metronome. However, if at any stage as you increase the tempo you find it difficult to play at this new speed turn the metronome off and start playing at the slow speed you played at in step 1. Then when you are ready to play it again using the metronome turn it on but make sure you reduce the tempo around 10 beats per minute below that speed you were having difficulty playing.

For you to learn how to play lead guitar you need to know that it not only takes natural talent but you also need to understand the theory and technique with regard to playing the instrument. There are many people who already play the lead guitar and would like to play it even better. For some people this is easier said than done. Below we provide a few tips which can help improve your playing lead guitar in the future.

Tip 1 - In order for you to become a great lead guitarist you need to learn the basics of playing it first. You may think that it is worth avoiding the boring stuff but when it comes to playing this instrument if you don't it will prove even more of a challenge.

Tip 2 - Okay so the great lead guitarist will stand up and jump around the stage when playing, but this is not the best way to learn. It is much easier if you actually sit down in a comfortable chair when carrying out your lessons or when you practice. If you are relaxed you will find it much easier to retain information and you won't tire so quickly when you need to practice for some time.

Tip 3 - It is important that you discipline yourself to keep up with your practice. So if you make the decision that each day you will spend 45 minutes practicing playing lead guitar you should and not slope off early just because you feel like it.

Tip 4 - Although economy picking is easier it is far better if you also learn alternate picking. If you do not learn this technique then you are going to find it more difficult to learn more complex techniques or faster pieces of music. With alternate picking you are learning how to alternate between the down and up strokes as you pick the guitar strings. It takes time but you will soon be playing these picks in an automatic way and the speed at which you pick the strings will increase.

Tip 5 - You need to spend plenty of time on learning the various lead guitar playing techniques. Which means practicing how to play slides, bends, pull offs, hammer ons, vibratos and other techniques used by lead guitarists today. If you can learn and master these techniques not only will your playing become more colorful but more expressive as well.

Tip 6 - If you want to learn to play certain guitar solos then the first thing you will need to do is learn the scales and which you which have to play repeatedly. The most popular kinds of scales that guitarists will learn are the E Blues and pentatonic ones. Both of these can then act as a framework for your playing and will assist you with creating your own music as well.

Tip 7 - The final tip we give you is probably one of the most important of them all, that is that you should practice as much as possible. The more time you dedicate to practicing how to play the lead guitar and a particular piece of music then the much easier it becomes as you start to remember it. It is best to start off playing the piece very slowly at first and then using a metronome you can gradually build up the tempo at which you play it.