Why should you play guitar along with the radio?

February 13 is World Radio Day. 

Many successful musicians say that they learned to play guitar by playing along with what they heard on the radio, including Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. 

Check out this interview with guitarists Tom Harrison and Sean Bishop of U.K. based band Tigress, talking about how playing along with a track helps with guitar skills! 

Here are some reasons why you should play along with songs on the radio (or a streaming service) while learning guitar: 

It helps develop your ear 

While learning music theory is important to learning guitar, it’s also important to develop your ear and listening skills. Playing along to a track will help you learn to replicate what you hear quicker. 

Learning to play guitar online. Senior woman studying at home, getting online courses, self-development. Caucasian woman using modern devices for education, spending time for new job or hobby.

It’s the closest thing to playing with other people 

Playing guitar along to a song will help you hear where the other instruments come in in a composition. You’ll get a better understanding of the rhythm and feeling for the song by listening to where the guitar fits in among the drums, bass, and vocals. 

It will help your rhythm skills

Learning the guitar part itself will teach you where the notes fall, but learning it with the track  will help you better understand the rhythm. It’s helpful to learn strumming patterns by strumming along with a track on the radio.