By Jake Wilmot
That’s right.
So why did I write this article and why did I call it this? Well perhaps you are practicing your guitar right now and you have been for some time. You also may be practicing the right things, in the right order and practicing in the right ways. In which case you are way ahead of the vast majority of guitarists.
But maybe you are not getting anywhere despite this. You may be disciplined, determined, have a great work ethic, but you still think that you are not getting anywhere. First of all, if you are learning from an expert guitar teacher, and you are not winging it by trial and error, you are likely making some progress even if you perceive it to be slow. Second, do not let your mindset get damaged. Don’t allow yourself to think “I just can’t do it” or “I guess I am not cut out to play the guitar” or “I bet I am the only one who struggles with this” since this is only temporary.
Here are some things you need to know
1) Times of frustration is part of the process of becoming a great player
Or to do anything really. This may sound obvious and I am sure you already know this on some level. But sometimes it is good to remind yourself that sometimes you will face challenges that take a while to overcome. This is normal. Even at the highest of levels there are challenges you will face. However, these things are overcome with time, even if you do the right things, Rome wasn’t built in a day, you can’t become a great guitar player in a day.
2) If it seems impossible there is a big breakthrough coming
Often it seems impossible to become any better just before a huge breakthrough happens. This will happen multiple times throughout the time you play the guitar. There will be periods where you just can’t get anywhere and then a few days later you make a huge amount of progress suddenly. This is very common. This happens because as you solve problems in your guitar playing, as you fix little things or even big things in other areas, it makes other breakthroughs happen.
For example if you are struggling with at a certain speed and you minimize the size of the picking motions and picking from the wrist and not the forearm, you will find that once you have made these two things a habit you will all of a sudden be playing at the speed or faster.
3) Don’t listen to those who say that it can’t be done. They don’t know what they are talking about.
And also do not let yourself think things like this either. If you are past the beginner level then you already know you can learn the guitar as you once could not do what you can do now. So if you know people who say negative things about your guitar playing or you learning the guitar, do not listen to them and if necessary, cut those people out of your life. Negative people do not help you accomplish anything
Also remember that there is something that those who say it can’t be done don’t realise about learning guitar, music or any musical instrument. They think it is about natural talent, and that you either have it or you don’t have it. In reality, becoming a great guitarist and musician is about removing limitations. There is more things but it all comes down to this.
Whatever you want to do whether it is to play your favourite songs, write songs that actually sound like something you would hear on the radio or to play really fast, you can get there by removing limitations. There are certain skills that you need to be able to do these things and once you remove the limitations you have by improving these relevant skills, you will become the musician you want to be. Everyone couldn’t play the guitar once.
About the author: Jake is heavily into metal music and likes to write his own songs and solos. He likes to shred but also likes to make his guitar talk to you. Here is some more good news, if you are living in Exmouth and you want to play the guitar then it is your lucky day as he is also a guitar teacher in Exmouth. Your playing will improve greatly if you studied with him.