GUITAR
FIVE THINGS EVERY GUITAR PLAYER NEEDS TO KNOW | Chris Rocha
In today ’ s modern age of guitar players there are so many things that we need to know to be effective in the industry . I want to go over these things so that everyone reading this can take the next step to upping their game .
1 . LEARN HOW TO DOMINATE THE NUMBER SYSTEM One of the most valuable things I have is time . If I can learn a way of thinking that will save me time and allow me to express myself more freely I ’ ll be all over it ; integrating the Nashville Number System has done just that . One of the best perks is that once I make the chart I can change the key without messing with the number chart itself . All I have to do is document the key the song is in and I ’ m ready to go . The Number System also allows you to transfer your signature licks and chords much easier to other songs and environments . If you ’ re not familiar with it I suggest that you put time to make it a part of your playing .
2 . IMPROVISING I know that improvising takes time to learn but once you start getting the hang of it , everything becomes way more fun . I remember spending so many nights alone with my guitar experimenting and trying new things . I didn ’ t have a teacher so I was forced to learn how to improvise by myself , which is not ideal , but learning to do that took me to a whole new level . Improvising also lets you develop your own sound which can get you so many opportunities . One thing I love to do now is just look up guitar backing tracks on YouTube and just start to solo and improv on top of the tracks . I recommend spending some quality time on this to improve your improvisation .
3 . SETTING UP PEDALS ( OVERDRIVES , DISTORTION , REVERB , DELAY ETC ...) Learning how to wire up pedals and how to manipulate them is essential . This world can be a never ending black hole and very expensive , but it ’ s so intriguing . We have so many options of pedals these days to give us the exact tone we desire but before you get too crazy with this stuff , learning the basic functions of where they go and what they do is very important . I can ’ t believe how many times I get asked about where in the chain the pedals go . So many people get them and have no idea what order they go . Another reason why it ’ s important to know this is that in concerts all types of things go wrong . I ’ ve had to rewire so many things and trouble shoot cables mid-song , but almost every time I found the solution and got through the concert cause I ’ ve learn how to set them up and wire them .
4 . SCALES ( MAJOR , MINOR AND PENTATONIC ) I get asked a lot what types of scales I play and 99 % of the time it ’ s those three scales . In today ’ s worship world and top 40 music those three scales dominate most of what ’ s being played . I recommend learning them and using them for improvising and using them to construct your solos . Get very familiar with them and learn to dominate them . I also recommend creating exercises using them … that way they become natural to you .
5 . CREATING YOUR OWN CHARTS When I have to learn a new song I also create my own chart of it . There ’ s just something about the process of sitting down and figuring out what I need to play and documenting it that helps me learn the song so much faster . You don ’ t have to have some fancy and proper chart , but as long as you understand , that ’ s all you need . I ’ ve written so many whacky little side notes but that ’ s exactly what I needed to remind myself of what I needed to play . For example , one time I wrote U2 next to the title . There was something about the intro that reminded me of the band U2 so I wrote that in my chart . When it came time to play that song live I saw that note on my chart and I immediately remembered how that intro went and played it perfectly . Make the chart your own , because you know what ’ s the best way to remember the parts you ’ ll be playing in the song .
Take on these five steps and maximize them . I guarantee you ’ ll start turning heads and getting more opportunities once you implement them .
Chris Rocha Lives in Houston , TX , and is the guitarist and producer for Miel San Marcos