hey all,
I dont know if anyone else gets this, but learning guitar is kind of like climbing stairs, one big jump, then a period of flatness, then a big jump etc.
also it usually comes right after i get so frustated that i dont pick the guitar up for a few days. does anyone else find this ?
i think there's a hendrix quote that goes something like 'sometimes you'll hate the guitar, but if you stick with it you'll be rewarded' (slightly abbreviated version but you get the idea).
anyone else find this to be true? do share :D
This is my signature. Fear it.
Being a teacher I can tell you first hand that you are going to run into plateaus with EVERYTHING you try to learn. That is just the nature of learning. Sometimes its due to boredom and sometimes its due to lack of confidence. Still sometimes it could be because of something not even related to what you are trying to learn. Something else may be going on in your life that will effect your learning.
I have quit the guitar in the past because I felt I wasn't good enough to be able to play. It was "too hard" or "I'll never be able to do this". The key is keeping the joy in what you are trying to learn.
Oh yes!! Little story. I had come to a place with my teacher where I wasnt very happy to say the least. First I started playing less, then not at all, then I just quit seeing him. I was frustrated cause I felt like I sounded horrible. A few weeks later I had a chance to think about why my lessons werent going well and started seeing him again. The first lesson back it was like I couldnt make a mistake. He would show me something and I would pick it up first try.
Putting a little logic into this. I think the thing that happens is that we all try to play just a little bit (sometimes alot) better than we really are. As were reach the potenial to actually play what were are trying to play then we are on that plateau and it gets a little easier but then its not as much a challenge so we go onto the next peice.
If you think about it, when you couldnt even play a chord it was VERY difficult. But even after a few months if you look back on that same chord.. its not hard at all.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
I kinda have the same thing right now. I always play electric, and lately I havent been improving much, and I cant get a part of a song down rite. Also, Im having some trouble soloing decently. Recently, Ive put all that stuff down, and Im jsut playing some acoustic songs, and hopefully trying to sing. Maybe when I come back, Ill have an open mind and grasp the skills I need.
Hey, be glad you're learning in plateaus! Mine's been more like hills and valleys.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Yes, it is like that with everything.
Sometimes we just need to give things a break and go back to it fresh and ready to go. :)
If it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing.
any guitar player that you emulate has played about a thousand times as much as is on any album he's released. you're only seeing the tip of the iceburg. it's a continuous sort of thing, and it's not always going to be about improving your skills. try to enjoy what you're doing. that way, when you're not technically improving, at least you can have fun and are still playing, and you're internalizing what you have learned at a deeper level.
