I’ve been playing guitar for 18 years and after that long, you start to notice a lot of things. It’s easy to forget the little things like how to tune your guitar, or how to move your fingers smoothly across the strings when playing a simple chord. There are a lot of little tips and tricks that you learn along the way that make playing guitar easier, even if you’re a beginner.
I’m not one of those people who just picked up a guitar one day, sat down on my couch, and picked it up again the next. For the first 9 years of my musical life (okay, I’m exaggerating, but only a little), I was the same way as most people. I was in and out of bands, and I learned to play by playing along with recorded songs.
A lot of people have asked me about the process of learning how to play guitar. It’s not something that you can learn overnight. I think it’s fair to say that I was pretty bad at it at first, which has helped me to appreciate some of the things I’ve learned over the last 5 years of playing.
Last week, I purchased a guitar and began practicing. I immediately began practicing so that I could share this photo on social media. More significantly, it has given me practical life lessons that can be applied to whatever goal you set for yourself.
As a coach, stepping into something new has been an eye-opening experience. I’d like to share a handful of takeaways from what I’ve learned, as well as how it might apply to you and your health.
6 Life Lessons That Make Sense
1: If I don’t set aside time to practice (even if it’s only for 5 minutes), it’s unlikely that I’ll do so. I tried to convince myself that I could practice anytime I wanted. However, the allure of Netflix was too powerful in this case.
2: I put the guitar out in the open. It’s something I see every day. It serves as a continual reminder that this is an area where I wish to improve. The environment, man, is a strong force.
3: I’ve resolved to practice for five minutes on most days. It’s so simple to do that it’s difficult for me to resist. It’s a huge accomplishment if I practice more (which I generally do).
4: I’m simply interested in learning four chords and a single song. Sure, it’s a little dull, but the four chords are the fundamentals, and they’re what most songs are built around. I could practice other things, but I’d make slower progress. Plus, it’s a simple way for me to see if I’m progressing or not.
5: I didn’t practice yesterday since one of my dogs was unwell and I had other things on my mind. This is completely acceptable to me. It was not a top priority for me. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever I’m going to practice today.
6: I was on the verge of finding the finest guitar for beginners. Best options for beginners, best this, best that, yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yad I caught myself and went out and bought the cheapest one I could find so I could get started right away. This prevented me from procrastinating and persuading myself to do something. All I have to do now is show up and get to work.
###
PS: Are you new to the site? Take a look at my digital garden and learn about why I started it.
PS: I’d want to learn more about online nutrition coaching. Go to my coaching website for more information.
Unsplash photo by Jefferson Santos
How do you make your life more fulfilling?. Read more about guitar learning sequence and let us know what you think.
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- guitar lessons for 7 year old
- how to play electric guitar for kid beginners
- guitar as a hobby
- guitar lessons for kids dvd
- children’s learning guitar
