One of the impressive things that you'll notice when you watch an accomplished guitar player on stage is how he or she may only infrequently look at the instrument. A professional player may play long stretches of songs without ever looking down, which is something that can be difficult to fathom when you're a novice. The longer you take acoustic guitar lessons, the easier you'll find it to play without always looking at your fretboard or your strumming hand. When you practice, it can be useful to close your eyes and attempt to perform certain tasks, including these things.

Basic Chords

If you want to improve your playing, you'll need to be able to play basic chords without looking down. Sit with your instrument in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and begin to play different chords. There are many different progressions that you can attempt, but a simple one is to just start at "A" and move up, playing A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Then, play these chords in descending order. Try different combinations, too. For example, it's relatively easy to move from a C chord to an F chord, given their similar fingerings. But, it's much harder to move from a C chord to a B chord.

Scales

If you envision being able to play solos without staring at your guitar, you'll need to master some basic scales with your eyes closed. The nice thing about playing scales is that, once you get your fretting hand anchored in its proper position, you don't really need to move it. For example, if you're playing an E-minor pentatonic scale, which is something that your guitar teacher has likely taught you, you should be able to play from low to high and back down again to low without opening your eyes.

Strings

It's very easy to be able to strum all six strings of your instrument without looking down, but picking out an individual string or, for an extra challenge, playing two strings at the same time, without using your eye is difficult for most beginners. Anchor your picking hand at the bridge of your guitar and think of individual strings, and then attempt to pick them cleanly. You may even want to have a family member call out string names that you then have to pick. Dedication to this routine in your daily practice sessions can pay off, allowing you to play your guitar more easily without looking down.

For more tips, contact a company like Guitar  Works Ltd today.