3 Critical Mistakes That Keep You From Becoming A Better Guitarist
You want to become a better guitarist, but don’t know why it’s taking so long... this is the same problem many guitarists face. Fortunately, once you know why this is occurring, you can change and start improving fast. Here’s the main things that you back from becoming better on guitar:
Not Having Clear Musical Goals
Having goals as a guitar player and musician are key for motivating you to practice and get better. Without any clear, tangible goals, you are more likely to play guitar aimlessly. This leads many people to download random lessons or videos and practice in a haphazard manner. Using this approach, you will never become a great guitarist, and the progress you do make will be very slow.
Take the time to sit down and create very specific musical goals for yourself. Imagine exactly what kind of guitarist you want to become, then think critically about the skills you want to master. Be very specific by setting goals that are tangible. In other words, don’t simply plan to “become a better guitarist”... This statement is so vague that it has little meaning. Instead, set goals like: “learn how to improvise guitar solos over backing tracks containing a different chord per measure” or “be able to play X guitar lick at 175 beats per minute.” The more specific you get, the more clearly you can set up your guitar practice to help you do what you want to achieve.
Having Goals That Are Too Small
In addition to simply setting goals, it is important not to sell yourself short. Many guitar players have a strong fear of failure, and because of this they set very small goals… so small that no one notices even if you achieve it. Don’t let this fear hold you back! Set goals for yourself that are truly inspiring and motivating. Think BIG and don’t doubt your ability to achieve greatness. Remember, every great guitar player started with no skills whatsoever. They achieved greatness because they first believed they really could… then they set big goals and followed through until they were achieved.
Guitar teaching expert, Jacob Melling says “Don’t be afraid to achieve great things on guitar. Anything is possible as long as you set your goals, practice the right things/in the right way/in the right order and follow through to the end. I’ve encountered many guitarists who were actually very talented, but gave up on themselves too soon due to self-doubt and negative thinking. Don’t let this be you!”
Learning Too Much At Once
A lot of people don’t know what to practice on guitar or how to practice it. So, they download as many lesson materials as they can find from the internet. This creates information overload and often freezes them in their tracks because they don’t know what they should be doing. This is one of the most frustrating situations to be in as a guitar player and often leads to less motivation to practice or even quitting playing altogether. When you’ve defined your goals as mentioned above, it becomes easier to narrow down the things you should be practicing, but doesn’t totally eliminate the chances of becoming overwhelmed.
Not Having A Great Guitar Teacher
All of the problems discussed above are solved when you find and take lessons from a great guitar teacher. Not only does a great teacher know how to help you reach your goals, but they understand how to design a specific guitar practice schedule to fit your needs, skills and learning style. This helps you become an excellent guitar player fast and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed or not knowing what/how to practice.
Finding a great guitar teacher is the key to becoming an excellent player fast!
Not Having Clear Musical Goals
Having goals as a guitar player and musician are key for motivating you to practice and get better. Without any clear, tangible goals, you are more likely to play guitar aimlessly. This leads many people to download random lessons or videos and practice in a haphazard manner. Using this approach, you will never become a great guitarist, and the progress you do make will be very slow.
Take the time to sit down and create very specific musical goals for yourself. Imagine exactly what kind of guitarist you want to become, then think critically about the skills you want to master. Be very specific by setting goals that are tangible. In other words, don’t simply plan to “become a better guitarist”... This statement is so vague that it has little meaning. Instead, set goals like: “learn how to improvise guitar solos over backing tracks containing a different chord per measure” or “be able to play X guitar lick at 175 beats per minute.” The more specific you get, the more clearly you can set up your guitar practice to help you do what you want to achieve.
Having Goals That Are Too Small
In addition to simply setting goals, it is important not to sell yourself short. Many guitar players have a strong fear of failure, and because of this they set very small goals… so small that no one notices even if you achieve it. Don’t let this fear hold you back! Set goals for yourself that are truly inspiring and motivating. Think BIG and don’t doubt your ability to achieve greatness. Remember, every great guitar player started with no skills whatsoever. They achieved greatness because they first believed they really could… then they set big goals and followed through until they were achieved.
Guitar teaching expert, Jacob Melling says “Don’t be afraid to achieve great things on guitar. Anything is possible as long as you set your goals, practice the right things/in the right way/in the right order and follow through to the end. I’ve encountered many guitarists who were actually very talented, but gave up on themselves too soon due to self-doubt and negative thinking. Don’t let this be you!”
Learning Too Much At Once
A lot of people don’t know what to practice on guitar or how to practice it. So, they download as many lesson materials as they can find from the internet. This creates information overload and often freezes them in their tracks because they don’t know what they should be doing. This is one of the most frustrating situations to be in as a guitar player and often leads to less motivation to practice or even quitting playing altogether. When you’ve defined your goals as mentioned above, it becomes easier to narrow down the things you should be practicing, but doesn’t totally eliminate the chances of becoming overwhelmed.
Not Having A Great Guitar Teacher
All of the problems discussed above are solved when you find and take lessons from a great guitar teacher. Not only does a great teacher know how to help you reach your goals, but they understand how to design a specific guitar practice schedule to fit your needs, skills and learning style. This helps you become an excellent guitar player fast and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed or not knowing what/how to practice.
Finding a great guitar teacher is the key to becoming an excellent player fast!