Beginner Guitar Academy

In this insightful episode, Paul Andrews tackles a question every guitar beginner faces: What’s truly the hardest part about practicing guitar? Drawing on real experiences shared by the Beginner Guitar Academy community, he explores the genuine challenges students face—such as staying motivated, finding time, battling fatigue, maintaining consistency, and not knowing what or how to practice.
Rather than just offering textbook advice, Paul Andrews reflects on honest stories from adult learners juggling work, family, and health, reminding us that it's rarely a technical issue that causes beginners to quit—it's learning how to make practice fit into real life.
What’s Inside This Episode
Community Feedback Spotlight:
Paul Andrews shares responses from Beginner Guitar Academy members, highlighting the diversity of challenges faced by beginners.

Monthly Academy News: Updates on the latest Academy Show, shoutouts for progress checks, and news about the newly re-recorded “Wonderful Tonight” tutorial with improved practice/play-along tracks.
Biggest Practice Hurdles Discussed:
Getting Started: Strategies to eliminate friction and excuses, including the powerful 2-minute rule and simple mindset shifts to make practice part of your daily routine.
Consistency and Streaks: Insights on practice streaks, using a practice log, and tips for bouncing back if you miss a day.
Grinding Through Exercises: Advice on making repetitive practice interesting—set specific goals, use timers, record your progress, and make exercises musical.
Lack of Time: The myth of not having time vs. lacking clarity. The Default 20-minute practice plan and ways to break larger practice blocks into manageable bits.
Forgetfulness: Keeping old skills fresh with smart rotation strategies and connecting theory to everyday playing.
Fatigue and Real-Life Interruptions: Matching practice intensity to energy levels, embracing small chunks, and allowing flexibility in your schedule.
Physical Limitations: How to keep progressing with ear training, sight reading, and mental practice if you can’t physically play.
The Importance of Fun: Remembering that guitar is meant to be enjoyable. Structure matters, but so does making space to simply play and experiment.

Practical Takeaways
Lower the Practice Bar: Even 2 focused minutes can build momentum.
Use Visual Reminders: Keep your guitar out and easy to grab.
Build Streaks, Not Perfection: Track your practice days and don’t worry about missing one—just don’t miss two in a row!
Structured Practice Plans: Use templates and Academy resources to avoid wondering what to work on.

In this week's episode, Paul Andrews dives into a fundamental topic for guitar beginners: what sets a riff, a lick, and a solo apart? Understanding these building blocks is essential for learning songs, improving improvisation, and practicing with intention.
Key Topics Covered
Beginner Guitar Academy Updates
"Wonderful Tonight" Song Study is being re-released on Friday, February 13th, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The updated lesson will have in-depth breakdowns of lead and rhythm parts, along with play-along tracks featuring scrolling tabs.
February’s Live Member Q&A is set for Monday, February 23rd at 9 pm GMT / 4 pm EST / 1 pm PST. Submit questions ahead of time if you can’t attend live—recordings will be available for all members.

What is a Riff?
A riff is a repeating, recognizable musical idea and often forms the backbone or foundation of a song.
Iconic examples: "Smoke on the Water," "Sunshine of Your Love."
Riffs repeat often, sync with rhythm & groove, and are usually played the same way every time.
If you’re a BGA member, check the riff section for 75+ riffs and the workshop section for themed riff collections.

What is a Lick?
A lick is a short, reusable musical phrase, like a "word" you can insert into solos or different playing contexts.
Licks are flexible and show up in various songs and keys. Blues and rock are full of classic licks recycled by greats like B.B. King, Albert King, and Joe Bonamassa.
Key traits: short, flexible, easy to move around.
Find blues licks and "Quick Licks" lessons inside the Academy.

What is a Solo?
A solo is a longer musical statement, usually constructed from multiple licks.
Great solos are like stories, with phrases, space, dynamics, and emotion (think David Gilmour’s "Comfortably Numb").
Solos aren’t just fast runs—they use repetition, variation, and phrasing.
BGA members can check out the workshop "Learn to Play 5 Beginner Guitar Solos" for a progressive solo study.

How Do They Work Together?
Riff = song identity.
Licks = your vocabulary.
Solos = arranging licks into a musical story.
Most beginners miss the "lick" step when trying to solo. Learning licks is crucial.

Common Beginner Mistakes
Calling everything a solo.

Welcome to the final instalment of January Jamming! This week, Paul Andrews wraps up the series with a deep dive into how to shift your mindset from thinking like a guitarist to thinking like a musician while jamming.
If you missed any previous episodes, Paul Andrews recaps the highlights and encourages you to revisit them for a complete foundation.
Key Topics Covered
January Jamming Series Recap
Episode 267: What jamming is and how to get the most out of it.
Episode 268: How to jam musically using just one scale.
Episode 269: The three roles every guitarist plays in a jam—timekeeper, supporter, and speaker.
Episode 270: How to practice jamming to improve as a player, featuring the Simple Jam Practice Loop.

Charity Practice Challenge
Practice tracker and month-long challenge to support Jesse’s Fund, a UK charity using music for children with serious illness. Donations are still welcome at bgapodcast.com/charity.

Main Content: Thinking Like a Musician
Most beginners focus on mechanics (“What scale? Where do my fingers go next?”), but musicians think in terms of the bigger picture.

Musician Mindset:
What key are we in (major/minor)? What’s the home note?
What’s the feel or groove?
Where are we in the structure (building, ending, supporting)?
Who’s leading at the moment?
Listening for these elements creates more cohesive, musical jams and helps avoid chaotic “wall of sound” sessions.
Even if you’re new to theory, you likely already have musical instincts (tapping your foot to pulse, feeling tension/resolution).
Bringing listening awareness into your playing is more important than technical ability—simple, responsive playing can sound advanced if musically engaged.

January Jam Challenge
Next time you jam, focus on listening for one element: groove, structure, dynamics, or who’s leading.
Respond to that element in your playing instead of trying to fill every gap or perform.

Encouragement & Next Steps
You don’t need years of playing or endless scales to start jamming. What matters most is intent listening and awareness.
For more inspiration, revisit previous jamming episodes (including last year’s series).
Rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help it reach more listeners.

Beginner Guitar Academy Membership
Beginner Guitar Academy offers structured online lessons, support, and community for beginners at beginnerguitaracademy.com
Try it out with a $1 two-week trial.

Thanks for listening! Keep practicing and see you next week.

This week, Paul Andrews explores one of the most common struggles guitarists face: how to practice jamming in a way that leads to real improvement, rather than just filling time.
If you’ve ever found yourself noodling over a backing track and wondering why you don’t seem to get any better, this episode is for you!
Paul breaks down a practical “jam loop” that transforms aimless jamming into focused, efficient practice, and offers actionable tips for beginners and seasoned players alike.
Key Topics & Takeaways
1. Community News & Updates
Upcoming Beginner Guitar Academy member live Q&A: New date is Monday, January 26th at 9 pm GMT / 4 pm EST / 1 pm PST. Members can pre-submit questions, and the recording will be available afterwards in the Academy.
January Practice Tracker and Charity Fundraiser: Download the tracker at bgapodcast.com/january. Donations support Jesse’s Fund, a charity helping seriously ill and disabled children in the UK through music. Consider donating via bgapodcast.com/charity.

2. Why Jamming Isn’t Always Progress
Many guitarists spend practice time jamming over backing tracks, but don’t see results.
The problem: not all practice leads to improvement. Deliberate, focused practice is essential.

3. The 4-Step Jam Practice Loop: Transform unstructured jamming into real progress:
Jam Freely: Start by playing over a backing track to warm up and get in the groove.
Notice One Thing: Pause after a minute or two, pinpoint one specific area that felt off (timing, phrasing, technique, etc.).
Isolate: Zoom in on that one issue. Slow it down, simplify, and practice it separately.
Rejam With Intention: Go back to the track, this time focusing on improving that one thing, aim for progress, not perfection.

4. Making the Most of Backing Tracks
Choose simple, slow or mid-tempo tracks with clear chord changes.
Use tracks that inspire you musically.
Beginner Guitar Academy offers curated backing tracks for members.

5. Best Practices for Jamming
Don’t play nonstop; leave space to create musical phrases.
Stop while it feels good: 5 minutes of focused jamming beats 20 minutes of unfocused noodling.
Balance focused practice with fun, unstructured playing to stay motivated and see real benefits.

6. Advice for Beginners
You don’t need long jam sessions; even a few minutes of focused practice makes a difference.
Mix deliberate practice with time to play and enjoy music.

Links & Resources
Download January Practice Tracker: bgapodcast.com/january
Donate to Jesse’s Fund: bgapodcast.com/charity
Access Backing Tracks: Beginner Guitar Academy dashboard (Members only)

Final Thoughts
Jamming should be a fun, rewarding part of your practice routine. By using the four-step jam loop, you’ll start to notice real improvement and avoid the trap of aimless noodling. Remember: improvement comes from intention, not just repetition!

In this episode, Paul Andrews dives into one of the most common mistakes guitarists make when jamming: the belief that you need to be soloing all the time. Whether you’re jamming with others or with a backing track at home, understanding and embracing your role in the music is what truly elevates the experience.
Key Topics Covered:
The Three Essential Roles in a Jam:
Timekeeper:
The backbone of any jam.
Provides solid rhythm, groove, and consistency.
Not just for beginners—crucial for all musicians.
Steady chord strumming or repeating simple riffs anchors the music.
Supporter:
The glue that holds the jam together.
Adds chord changes, small fills, dynamic shifts, and textures.
Reacts to others, listens, and creates space—often less noticed but vital.
Speaker:
The lead voice: melodies, solos, and musical statements.
What most think of when they imagine jamming, but shouldn’t be everyone’s focus at once.
Works best when time and support roles are present.

How Jams Fall Apart:
When everyone tries to be the speaker at once, musical communication breaks down.

Practical Jam Challenge:
Put on a simple backing track and deliberately cycle through each role:
Focus on timekeeping for one minute.
Shift to supporting, adding fills or dynamic changes.
Become the speaker—play a short, clear musical phrase.
Repeat the cycle or reflect on which role felt most natural.
Use this as a roadmap for structured practice rather than just noodling.

Empowering Beginners:
You don’t need to solo to belong in a jam.
Solid timing and support skills mean you’re already playing like a musician.

Action Steps:
Try the four-step jam practice outlined by
Paul Andrews
Reflect after each jam on which role you found easiest or most challenging.