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Guitar improvement: learn faster by playing with your eyes closed

There are quite a few things that experienced guitarists will suggest you to improve, but some of them can be downright weird. To me, telling you to play with your eyes closed might sound like I’m trying to nag and discourage you from continuing. That is really very far from the truth.

In fact, learning to play with your eyes closed will give you a better understanding of your own playing habits, help you better recognize guitar parts, and develop your ability to learn by ear. Check out these 6 reasons why playing with your eyes closed can further improve your skills.

1. Improving your knowledge of familiar chords is faster.

It seems that when you start learning basic chords, it all depends on your ability to see how you form them when that’s not the case. Forming chords correctly has more to do with muscle memory and when you take your eyes off the equation, you have nothing to rely on but your ability to remember the formation of your fingers.

2. Your understanding of the charging board will increase.

Sometimes when playing riffs that make you jump up and down the board, you can get tangled up and start hitting the wrong notes. If you were to practice those riffs with your eyes closed, you would find further guitar improvements in your ability to feel subtle differences between the different frets on the neck.

3. You can more easily admit your mistakes.

When you look at your hands and try to get through a difficult guitar progression, like walking on high mud, you may be overlooking some of your own fundamental mistakes. With eyes closed, however, those mistakes become bold statements that stand out in their perfect tune and you’re almost forced to smooth them over.

4. Your memory will improve.

Looking at the frets and where your fingers go can sometimes cloud your memory when you have some tunes to memorize. Without your eyesight, feeling your way through the song is much more effective and you’ll find your memory improves with each practice.

5. The stylistic features of the song become clearer.

There are musicians who can play music, and there are musicians who can play music the way the composers intended it. When you have nothing but your fingers and ears to rely on, you actually absorb the most important stylistic features of a song that you might otherwise have seen.

6. You can better adjust to the tempo of the music.

If you’re a guitarist who struggles with tempos speeding up and slowing down without warning, playing with your eyes closed can improve your interpretation of the rhythms and tempos of songs. Without your eyes to guide you, you’ll find that your listening skills will increase and your adjustments to the song’s tempo will be more precise.

Any way you can think of to have a better relationship with your guitar parts is beneficial for improving your skills. Try some practices with your eyes closed and see if you can get your fingers to move more regardless of what you see.

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