The guitar is one of the beloved instruments by millions around the world. From acoustic melodies to thrilling rock solos, the guitar has become the medium to express emotions, energy, creativity, versatility and unmatched charm for musicians worldwide. At Artium Academy, we understand this and have designed our online guitar lessons to ensure our students receive the best music education possible. That said, let us dive into the different guitar-playing styles to explore and master.
But before that…
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The Diversity of Guitar-Playing Styles
Every guitarist is influenced by a different style of music, and that’s the beauty of this instrument. Whether you’re inspired by classical, rock, jazz, blues, metal or even experimental, a guitar can quickly adapt to the genre of your choice. The way you play the guitar shapes the entire feel of the song. It can make it calming, energetic or even dramatic. If you’re a beginner or a parent looking to inspire your child, learning the guitar can be a transformative experience. It all comes down to breaking the monotony and exploring the guitar’s full potential.
Fingerstyle Guitar
As the name suggests, this style of guitar playing involves plucking the strings with fingers instead of a pick. This guitar style helps you play basslines, melodies and harmonies while creating a fuller, more intricate sound. The fingerstyle guitar is most popular in folk, blues, classical and acoustic ballads, and is most commonly played in solo performances because it creates a complete musical experience. This guitar style helps you build finger dexterity and independence, which is required to play advanced notes. If you’re an aspirant or parent whose children want to learn guitar, then it is a great starting point, as it develops coordination and musical sensitivity. A few famous musicians playing this guitar style include Tommy Emmanuel, Sungha Jung and Andres Segovia.
To start playing this guitar style, begin with basic patterns like PIMA (thumb, index, middle, ring fingers). Prioritise thumb independence to maintain a steady bassline. Lastly, practise with simple melodies to build confidence.
Strumming Styles
Strumming is the most common guitar style, often associated with the heartbeat of rhythm guitar. Strumming helps you create a groove and maintain the rhythm of the song. A well-orchestrated strumming piece can greatly improve the simplest of the chord progressions. When learning the strumming style, you can master the following techniques –
- Upstroke and Downstroke – This is the strumming foundation’s most basic motion/movement.
- Palm Muting – This technique adds a percussive effect to your strumming by adding texture.
- Syncopation – This technique is commonly used in reggae and funk genres for its addition to rhythmic complexity.
Out of all the guitar-playing styles, strumming is the most popular among beginners. Not only is it accessible, but it is also a fun way for beginners to play songs quickly. This technique is particularly popular as kids and teens find this style rewarding, allowing them to improvise on popular tracks easily. To get better at strumming, use a metronome to develop consistency in rhythm and experiment with dynamics to make your strumming expressive. Strumming is a core component of online guitar classes, where students learn to enhance rhythm and timing.
Lead Guitar
As the name suggests, a lead guitar is predominantly used to create melodies, solos, and riffs that become the highlight of a song. If you want to explore more of lead guitar, you’ll have to learn the following techniques –
- Bending and Vibrato – Adds emotions and character to your solos.
- Hammer-ons and Pull-offs – Must for fluid and fast playing.
- Tapping – A most common technique used in rock and metal.
Learning to be a lead guitarist can be a rewarding experience as it encourages creativity and individuality in musicians. Parents can encourage their kids to experiment with improvisation and solos. To begin with, start with simple scales like a pentatonic scale to build your melodic vocabulary. Put on a backing track and improvise your solos along with it to get better.
Rhythm Guitar
Rhythm guitars are the pillar of any song. It gives the lead guitar a harmonic structure to improvise and drive the groove. When you learn the rhythm guitar, it equips you with:
- Smooth chord transitions for seamless progression
- Syncopation to add rhythmic flair
- Power chords for genres like rock and punk.
Rhythm guitars are very important in performances as they lay the foundation for more complex techniques and instil the values of timing and teamwork in younger kids. It does not matter whether you’re skilled enough; what matters is you have the will to learn and dedication to practise.
To help you on your guitar learning journey, here’s a Complete Guide to Learning Guitar for All Skill Levels.
Classical Guitar
A classical guitar is played on nylon strings. This type of guitar style focuses mainly on precision and discipline. As the name implies, this style of music is deeply rooted in classical music but also influences flamenco and other genres. A few notable classical guitarists are Andres Segovia, John Williams and Julian Bream.
For classical guitar aspirants, here is some beginner-friendly advice:
- Ensure to focus on hand posture and positioning to avoid strain.
- Always start with easy pieces to build technique and confidence.
- Learn to read the sheet early on, as it is the cornerstone of classical guitar training.
Slide Guitar
This style of guitar playing involves a glass or metal tube hovering over the strings to create a smooth and continuous sound. This style of guitar playing originated in the blues genre and has been adapted to other genres, such as country and rock. Experiment with open tunings like Open D or Open G if you want to learn guitar slide style. Ensure to apply light pressure to avoid unwanted string noises.
Slide guitar introduces a new texture to your playing and is a fun style to explore through offline or online guitar courses.
Acoustic Vs. Electric Styles
A guitar adds value to your compositions and performances because it is adaptable. Be it acoustic guitar or electric guitar, both of them bring distinct tones and techniques:
| Acoustic | Electric |
| Majorly used for fingerpicking and open chordsBest for folk, pop and ballads | Used for techniques like shredding, bending and power chordsBest for rock, metal and jazz |
At Artium Academy, using proven teaching methodologies by industry-tested musicians, we help you seamlessly transition between acoustic and electric styles to give you a complete learning experience.
How to Practise and Master Multiple Styles?
At Artium, we believe that it’s always better to be versatile, and learning different styles of guitar playing can be rewarding, as it requires focus and dedication. That being said, here’s how you can practise and master multiple styles:
- Goal-oriented – Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to learn different styles simultaneously. Focus on one style at a time.
- Structured Practise – Practise a single style at a specific time to ensure optimal learning.
- Learn from Masters – Follow and study recordings of your favourite guitarists and take notes from their techniques.
- Enrol in Classes – Join an offline or online guitar course to get personalised guidance from the experts.
Conclusion
A guitar is an instrument of endless creativity and musical expression. By exploring and mastering different guitar styles, you’ll expand your knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of music.
At Artium, our guitar course is designed and certified by legendary Bollywood music composer – Mr. Raju Singh. Under his guidance, we have created a curriculum that offers 1:1 personalised music lessons to help aspirants like you start strumming, ace guitar techniques and reach your musical potential.
So, if you want to learn guitar and master different guitar styles, join our online guitar course today and take the first step towards becoming a versatile guitarist.
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FAQs
Q. What are the different guitar-playing styles I can learn?
Ans: There are various guitar-playing styles, including fingerstyle, strumming, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, classical guitar, and slide guitar. Each style has its unique techniques and is suited for different genres of music.
Q. Which guitar style is best for beginners?
Ans: Beginners often start with strumming styles as they are easy to learn and help develop rhythm. Fingerstyle guitar is also a great choice as it improves finger coordination and musical sensitivity.
Q. What’s the difference between acoustic and electric guitar styles?
Ans: Acoustic guitars are commonly used for fingerpicking and open chords, making them ideal for folk, pop, and ballads. Electric guitars focus on techniques like shredding, bending, and power chords, which are more popular in rock, metal, and jazz music.
Q. How can I improve my guitar-playing skills?
Ans: To improve, focus on goal-oriented practice, structured learning, and studying techniques from expert guitarists. Enrolling in online guitar classes like those at Artium Academy can provide personalized guidance and structured lessons.
Q. Where can I learn different guitar-playing styles online?
Ans: You can learn various guitar-playing styles online through Artium Academy’s certified guitar course, designed by Bollywood composer Raju Singh. The course offers 1:1 personalized lessons to help you master different techniques and become a versatile guitarist.
