Why Don't People Succeed in Learning to Play the Guitar?
author: robgtrto
Discussion of some of the most common reasons why many people don't
become the guitar player they want to be, and how you can prevent this.
Why do people give up on things that they know they want?
Why do people start taking lessons or start learning on their own and sooner or later let their instrument sit idle?
Why do people not enjoy learning to play guitar enough to keep at it?
Here are some of the more typical answers to these questions. People often say that they:
- don't have the talent;
- just too busy;
- don't have the necessary drive or desire;
- know they have to stick with it, but it's just too hard;
- it turns out it's just "not my thing."
There
are of course some people who make excuses, who are not committed, who
aren't willing to do what it takes, but I'm not writing this article to
point the finger at anyone who may seem to have these symptoms. I don't
wish you to read this only to find out that there are "winners" and
there are "losers" and if you don't do such and such then you're a
"loser." This is not the way I roll.
I'll say it simply - people
quit because they're not having enough fun with it. The fact is,
learning a musical instrument should be fun! And that, taking the
correct approach is what will make or break the fun factor.
When
thinking about having fun playing guitar, one of the first thoughts
that comes to mind for many people, is that of impressing others who
hear and see you play. This may seem vain, but let's be real. 95% of us
feel this way. And it's perfectly healthy, as long as you have a
reasonable grip on reality.
Close behind this or perhaps at the
same time are the cool vibes, excitement or even euphoria we experience
with certain pieces of music while listening, but then to be playing it?
Wow! Even just to play this music alone with no one listening may be
fantastic already, but then to be able to share it with an audience, to
do it really well, and be the envy of your peers? Wow and double wow!
Seriously.
But the fun doesn't end there. And most importantly, it doesn't start there.
Whether it be status, recognition, attracting people to you, or the
pleasure, excitement, euphoria, some or all of these things together,
these things are products of you being able to play your instrument.
The other fun that I want to tell you about is a different kind of fun.
This kind of fun is more crucial to your enjoyment, and continued
success in learning to play.
It is the fun of learning how to do
something we didn't know how to do before. I'm not just talking about
the sense of accomplishment. The sense of accomplishment is another
product of your being able to learn to play.
It is the fun of
discovering exactly what needs to happen in order to learn a particular
skill and making it happen. In most cases, if we have made a
satisfactory effort in developing decent understanding of what it is
we're attempting to accomplish, then we have 95% of the job in hand. It
is the other 5% of the job that we are not able to figure out yet.
Now here's a sweet idea:
learning just what that 5% is, is often enough to get it done! In many cases this is all that is required! Just finding out what it is! And there it is - 100%!
Now this may or may not mean you are now ready to go play rock star and
feel the magic glow. However in any event, you are now ready to go to
the next level in your learning and developing of this particular item
or skill.
In many other cases of course, this 5% may require
more than simply identifying the problem area. And here is where our
problem solving skills are put to use and given a chance to grow, to
build strength, stamina, focus, patience, persistence. This is it
people!
This is the real fun. The serious fun. The confident
fun. The most useful fun. The skill that we need in order to truly
succeed in life! Not just in music, but in all areas of life.
And this is why learning to play music is so good for people. Once we
have experienced this on a deeper emotional level then we can naturally
feel this way when trying to overcome other challenges that face us. The
payoffs are huge. When you apply your problem solving skills in other
areas of life the same as you do with music, you are unstoppable!
It was more commonly said in the past that music is simply part of a good education. Why? Because it's true!
Is there something else you can do to grow your brain, and develop your
life skills that gives you as much personal pleasure as music? And that
gives all those other fantastic products of being able to play? Is
there?
Now why do so, so many people not have enough fun when learning to play an instrument? Is it their own fault? Very rarely.
In the vast majority of cases, it is simply the teacher's fault. Fault
may be a harsh word. "Shortcomings" may sound more reasonable. It's not
realistic on your part to expect every teacher to posses the needed
skills to make your experience fun.
This is why you need to
find not only a good teacher, but the best teacher you can find. A
teacher who understands you, your personality, your learning style, your
goals, your aspirations. If your goals and aspirations are not clear,
then it is just as important that the teacher help you to start
developing your sense of what you truly want to accomplish.
Once you have found this teacher and established a good student/teacher
relationship, you will be willing and able to do whatever they instruct
you to do in order to achieve your goals. You will then be achieving
them. You will then be... having fun!
About the author:
By robgtrto. www.torontoguitarlessons.com
