23 Guitar Tricks & Secrets Every Guitarist Should Know

Looking for some pro guitar tricks to spice up your guitar playing? You’re in the right place my friend!

In this free guitar lesson you will learn:

• 23 quick and easy guitar tricks, including palm muting, harmonics, and super-cool slides.
• How to get the perfect guitar tone.
• The no1 secret that will enhance your musicality.
• 4 essential tips for the gigging musician.

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Guitar Tricks #1 Volume Swells

This technique is used to create ambience and suspense within your music.

To do a volume swell hammer on a note with your left hand, whilst gradually turning up your guitar’s volume pot.

This creates a large swooshing effect from your guitar. This sounds fantastic when you put you loads of delay and distortion on your guitar sound.

Read this article to learn some similar techniques: How To Play Electric Guitar: A Beginner’s Guide

Watch this video to learn how to do a volume swell:

Guitar Tricks #2 Pick Slides

Pick slides are a useful guitar trick to know, so turn up the distortion on your amp and experiment with this cool ‘cutting’ sound.

This technique creates tension and is a great way to kick into a epic guitar riff!

Give it a try! Scrape the side of your pick along the edge of your low E string.

Watch this video to see this killer technique in action:

Remember, you can do this in either direction! Try scraping down, and then up, on the low E string.

Guitar Tricks #3 Double Stops

Double stops are a fun and easy way to add interest to a guitar solo. A double stop is when you play two notes together.

If you use a regular minor pentatonic scale, you can play a double stop on the:

• 5th fret of the G (3rd string) and B string. (2nd string.)
• 7th fret of the G (3rd string) and B string. (2nd string.)
• 8th fret of the G (3rd string) and B string. (2nd string.)

Try and mix and match between these frets to add variety to your guitar solos.

To learn more about guitar scales, go here:Learn Guitar Scales In 8 Easy Steps

Guitar Tricks #4 Using Your Tone Knob

The tone knob changes the overall sound of your guitar.

When the control is all the way up, your guitar becomes bright and glassy.

When it is turned off, your guitar will sound warm and soft.

If you crank up the distortion when your tone knob is off, your guitar will turn into a fuzz monster!

Experiment with the position of the tone knob, there are hundreds of different sounds to be found.

Guitar Tricks #5 Vibrato

Vibrato technique is a great way to add shimmer and sophistication to your playing.

Vibrato is when you wobble the string back and forth.

Watch this video to learn how to do this essential lead guitar technique:

To learn more lead guitar techniques, go here: How To Play Lead Guitar

Guitar Tricks #6 Using Your Whammy Bar

Using the whammy bar can add excitement and intensity to your guitar playing.

The whammy bar can be used to:

• Create aggressive sounding dive bombs.

Play a chord or note and immediately push your whammy bar all the way down. If done correctly your guitar will sound like a roaring engine!

• Gently push your whammy down when you play a note. 

This creates a small amount of movement and can add character to your guitar solos.

To watch this technique in action, check out this video whammy bar virtuoso Jeff Beck:

Guitar Tricks #7 Pinch Harmonics

Pinch harmonics are a great way of adding flair and fury to your guitar playing.

To do a pinch harmonic:

• Pick a guitar note.
• Turn your picking hand away so that the fleshy part of your thumb brushes the string.

Your note should squeal when you do this.

Guitarists such as Dimebag Darrell, Joe Satriani and Zakk Wylde use this technique frequently.

Want awesome free lessons from the world’s best online guitar school? Go here: Learn Guitar Online: Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced Lesson Programmes