Like anything that requires hard work and motivation it’s important to understand the challenges before you’re presented with them and have the right mind set for progression.
In a world where we crave instant gratification more than ever it makes something like learning guitar a near impossible feat. Rarely will you get it when learning an instrument. It takes time, discipline, a ‘can do’ attitude and motivation to progress at home and within your guitar lessons.

The half arsers!
We all know these people, either in our workplace, the gym or even at home (you may have teenagers who think getting up at 12 and doing nothing for 8 hours before going back to bed is productive – it’s not).
There are many who hope to achieve greatness through laziness. They hope to coast their way to success. It doesn’t work and there is no place for laziness and procrastination in guitar playing.
If you want to get good quickly set the bar high – don’t aim for perfection, aim instead for progression. You’ll reach your goals confidently this way.
Get inspired!
A creative and dedicated place at home for practice will make the difference. Having pictures up of guitarists you idolise and musicians you aim to be like will give you the motivation when you have none. Having a dedicated space to play will give you the focus required to see it through.
Sore fingers are going to happen – but don’t give up. I honestly believe there is the potential in most people to become phenomenal musicians. With the right coaching, discipline and focus you could be one of them!
The excusers!
Just like the half arsers the excusers will use every excuse in the book to prevent them from reaching their goals – “I was too tired” or “I was too busy”, “my fingers hurt” and “I couldn’t get the music to load on my computer”. I’ve heard them all and I’m sick of hearing them. We all have off days and it’s OK to own that but instead of focusing on a good excuse, focus on a good routine.
Routine, routine, routine!
Get yourself into a routine. For all things from getting fit, to eating healthier, to learning something new. It all begins with a good routine, a disciplined routine. Set yourself time every week to pick up that guitar and play. Do you think Jimi Hendrix, Slash and Brian May spent their time getting distracted by everything and anything around them? They wouldn’t be the great musicians they were and are if it wasn’t for that thirst to be great. Now don’t get me wrong, I know not everyone who takes up guitar is looking to be the next big thing. Some want to do it for a hobby. The principle still applies in my opinion. Look to be the best you can be in all that you do. If you do, you’ll feel earned satisfaction. You’ll feel even more motivated to push yourself further and to challenge yourself more.
We’ve become a lazy, dependant population – the change begins with you and the question you have to ask yourself is – “are you working hard or hardly working?”
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