Guitar Hackers Spotlight: Laura Bonini

Introducing the Guitar Hackers Spotlight: This is where we can get to know our fellow students. Each one of you has a fascinating story that deserves to be heard and we’re grateful to be a part of your guitar journey.

Laura Bonini

First, tell us a little about yourself (where you’re from, favorite food, pets, etc.)

I’m from Italy and live in Milan. I’m a graduate in Biology and work as a web programmer for an ebook distributor and I teach yoga in my spare time. My main passions are nature, yoga, and of course, music. Even if I’m not strictly vegetarian I’m mad about any kind of veggie food recipe. I have a female cat who loves when I plunk on my guitar, but gets bothered when I hit a wrong note!

What made you decide to pick up guitar?

I really love music (metal above all) and when I like a particular song, riff or solo, my first thought is, “What would I feel like if I could play it?” That was the main reason. Honestly I’m a bit insecure, so I’ve never strived to become a musician, compose my own music, or play with other people. Now that I’m learning, I’m trying to improvise a little bit. Really basic stuff, of course, but it’s very fun for me. I’m surprised, only a few months ago I’d never thought this would be possible for me!

What are you hoping to accomplish with your guitar playing?

Mainly to have fun, play the songs I love and let my feelings flow while playing.

What techniques or concepts do you struggle with most?

At the moment I really struggle with strumming and right hand technique in general.

How did you hear about Guitar Hacks?

Following Kiko on social media (youtube and Instagram).

You were hesitant about signing up at first, what changed your mind?

I was afraid Guitar Hacks was aimed only at experienced guitar players, but glanced at a few lessons and I noticed Kiko always begins with really basic exercises, even for more complex techniques. So if this approach is useful for advanced guitarists, I think it can help me set up a good solid technique from the beginning.

Have you interacted with the Guitar Hacks community? And do you feel having an active community of other guitar players is helpful?

I’m a very new subscriber and I have’t got the opportunity to write a comment yet, but I like to read questions and answers by other members and Kiko himself. They’re really useful and make me feel more comfortable in my guitar journey. Because I see everyone, even experienced guitar players, struggle with something and receive advice from others.

Do you have any concerns about the course? Or are there any improvements you would like to see?

As a beginner, I know I can use only a few lessons right now, but I’ll take my time and I think this course will guide me for a long time.

Anything you would like to say to Kiko?

I’d like to thank him, for having a course in English. Also, for all the awesome material he shares generously on his youtube channel (that’s how I have known him to be a great teacher, in addition to an amazing musician.) His lessons on techniques, songs, and licks are really important and unique, both for guitar players and music lovers in general.

If you would like to be featured in the Guitar Hackers Spotlight, please email us at support@guitarhacks.com

Learn more about Kiko’s complete guitar workout Strategy.

Learning How to Play Songs on the Electric Guitar

Learning how to play songs on the electric guitar can be a struggle. Often we get stuck on a difficult passage or phrase and as a result we’re tempted to give up. My goal is to give guitar players the tools to play what they want to play, and to play it well. When learning a new song, it’s important to have a good structured approach.

Choosing a song

When choosing the song you want to play, you want to pick something that will push your playing, but not overwhelm you with advanced technique. Starting with something too technical can leave one feeling defeated. Learning how to play songs on the electric guitar should be fun.

Mapping out the song

Actively listen to the song. Reference tablature if available.
Find the difficult passages.
Pay attention to the technique being used and what technique you need to work on.
Isolate the difficult passages and build musical exercises from them.
Integrate these elements into your practice routing.

Complete Workout Strategy

Break difficult passages into smaller sections. Try it using my four phase Guitar Workout strategy to practice these sections.

I. Play the part very slowly at first (fundamentals).

II. Play along with music to get a feel for how it works in the song (musical exercises).

III. Increase the speed beyond where you can comfortably play it (out of the plateau).

IV. Play the passages in different positions using the entire fretboard. Connect them to other licks you have learned and integrate them into your playing.

Now that you have the difficult passages mastered, play along to the entire song, or backing tracks — this way, you can get a feel for how it works within the song.

This is also a great opportunity to make a musical exercise and include in your regular practice routing as I explain in my “Secret to rapid success” video:

Conclusion

Learning how to play songs on the electric guitar doesn’t have to be frustrating. And with some patience and discipline, you’ll be playing challenging licks and phrases effortlessly. If you’re serious about guitar playing, become a part of our Guitar Hacks community and watch my free videos on how to practice a challenging song.

#1 Batch of students Full, Online Camp Registration Closed

We have reached our capacity for Kiko’s Complete Guitar Workout Strategy online camp.

Registration is now closed and I am going to spend time with batch 1 students to make sure they are making progress and evolving as guitar players.

I wanted to thank everybody who has signed up for Guitar Hacks and joined the community. The free videos are still up and I encourage you to watch them and focus on how to study and not just what to study.

Time is precious and once you’ve spent it you don’t get it back. So spend your practicing time wisely!

Private Live Event Chat for Online Camp Students

Batch 1 students will join me in a private live session Sat, March 7. I will be taking feedback on the course, and look at the needs of each student to make sure everybody is making progress.

When will Kiko’s Complete Guitar Workout Strategy open again?

The date is yet to be defined, as registered members of Guitar Hacks you will get priority status when batch 2 student registration opens later this year.

Stay tuned!

— Kiko
Kiko’s Complete Guitar Workout Strategy

1400 registered users, a winner plus coffee with Ola Englund

Launching a new website is challenging and Guitar Hacks was no exception. I didn’t know how people would perceive it or if it would even be successful.

4 weeks in, we have already reached some encouraging milestones and I want to thank you for being a part of these achievements!

Since launch over 1400 users have registered. In addition, there’s been more than 4000 total video plays and over 1500 plays of “How to divide the hour video” which is the foundation for my guitar workout strategy.

Join me in congratulating Alan Woodward who has been awarded the Rock Star badge. Alan wins my Complete Guitar Workout strategy course.

Commenting and interacting with other active users is an essential part of Guitar Hacks and promotes faster, more consistent progress. For instance, Alan posted 30 great comments in less than a week providing encouragement to other users.

"I think I am going to use these to teach my kids how to build technique. My 6-year-old is showing interest (proud father moment)," said Alan.

Awesome Coffee with Ola in Copenhagen while on tour with Megadeth.

We chatted about many things including Guitar Hacks, my practice routine and teaching philosophy.

You can watch the full coffee with Ola video on youtube.

I want YOUR opinion: Tell me, what guitar lesson next?

To show my appreciation for being a founding member of our community, I would like to produce some specific content for you.

This poll has been up for a week and got lots of interesting answers already! But if you haven’t done so, please complete the poll and let me know what guitar lesson would be most valuable to you.

Many thanks, my friend!

Take a minute to tell Kiko what guitar lesson you want covered next

I want to help every guitar player be the best they can be without being held back by technique.

I want YOUR opinion: Tell me, what guitar lesson you want covered next?

Simply fill in this quick poll below.

After that, we will look at the result to influence what Kiko will record next, it only takes a minute.

Is Anything obvious missing from this poll?

I am looking forward to discussing in the comment section below, what guitar lesson have you been waiting for and why?

How I Eliminate Tension In My Guitar Playing (And You Should Too)

Many of you wanted to know what kind of exercises I use to avoid tension in my playing.

All guitarists struggle with playing with too much tension. And while tension can’t be eliminated completely — and is even necessary to properly play the guitar — playing with too much tension can make things unnecessarily difficult. It can affect our fluidity and accuracy. It can also be painful, and in some cases, cause physical damage.

For this video I’m going to show you a simple yet powerful exercise I use to avoid tension in my playing, and to play softly and more fluidly.

I’ll start by choosing a particular lick or scale. For example a B minor arpeggio, but it can really be anything you want. Once I’ve chosen a particular lick, I rest my fingertips on the strings so they are barely touching, then play the lick. It’s probably not going to sound very good at first, but that’s ok. Rather than a clear, defined note, I should only hear a muted clicking or harmonics when I do the run.

After going through it a few times this way (lightly touching the strings), I begin to gradually add more pressure until I can hear clear, defined notes. Once I start to hear the notes clearly — without any noise — I know I have found the “sweet spot”. What’s happening here is I’m teaching my brain, hands and fingers the minimal effort concept. You’ll quickly find it does not require that much pressure to get to the pure note. It’s barely more pressure than what I started the exercise with, but now I am getting the pure essence of each note and doing it with very little tension.

It’s very important that you practice this exercise every day to achieve positive results. Approach this with the goal of playing with a softer touch. Over time, this simple exercise will greatly reduce the tension in your playing; your playing will become more fluid, expressive and accurate. And best of all, you’ll achieve it with minimal effort.

Don’t forget to Sign Up for more tips and tricks!

Help guitar players express themselves musically

As 2019 comes to an end,

My goal for 2020 is to help as many guitar players as I can achieve the skills they need to be able to express themselves musically. To give them the ability to play what they want, and be creative without being limited by technique. That’s why I created Guitar Hacks.

Learning to play guitar is a process. As a result, it takes time and it takes discipline. Having discipline, and putting in the time, will bring more joy to your playing and give you the energy to take it further than you ever thought possible.

I want to share my practicing strategies with you.

Above all, there are three key points musicians sometimes forget when it comes to practicing.

Practicing is not playing

We should play as much as we can throughout the day, but you must set aside a specific time for practice. Practice means we correct mistakes the moment they are made, analyse our hand movements, set goals, and rotate through different exercises and techniques.

There needs to be metrics

If you want to reach a specific goal, you need a strategy that provides you clear milestones to measure your progress with. Without metrics, you are likely to play beyond (or below) your ability, sacrificing both accuracy and control.

Self Awareness

As you practice you need to recognize and fix mistakes the moment they occur before continuing. This requires self-awareness. By doing this, you will begin to play cleaner with more control and accuracy.

I would love that every guitar player has the tools to be able to express themselves. Whether you want to break speed barriers, or play something simple and emotive, it’s about having the discipline to achieve it. Discipline is freedom — and that freedom is being able to play whatever you want.

Guitar Hacks will help you achieve your New Year’s resolution to become the best guitar player you can be.

Click here to get started!

Kiko Loureiro – Official website