Tips for Learning Difficult Songs

As guitarists we’ve all come across songs that are too difficult for us to learn at that moment. While it’s easy to just throw in the towel and give up, it’s important to take the time to learn songs that are beyond our current skill level. Working through these songs is what helps us to improve and grow. But for a lot of guitar players it’s difficult to know where to start. There are two rules I make sure to follow when I am working on a difficult song or piece.

Rule #1: Break it down

This is especially helpful if a song is particularly long. If you break the song down into sections it becomes much easier to tackle. Work on one section until you get that down, then move onto the next. Continue until you’ve finished learning all of the sections and then put it all together. Before you know it, you’ll have the whole thing down.

Rule # 2: Slow it down

The second rule is especially useful for songs that have fast riffs and passages. It’s much easier for both our fingers and our brains to get a song if it is learned slowly. There are CD players available on the market that let you slow down songs without changing the pitch. Downloadable software, like Song Surgeon and the Amazing Slow Downer, can be used for the same purpose. This allows you to slow down any song to whatever speed is comfortable for you. Once you’re capable of playing it at one speed, you can start playing it a bit faster, then a bit faster and so on until you’ve got it up to the original speed.