How To Stay Motivated To Play Guitar
Everyone who plays guitar will at times lose motivation. To some this sounds depressing, but this is a good thing. We all go through it. If we are ready for it, we can use it to our advantage.
You are making a mistake if you’re waiting until you feel motivated to actually take steps to get better on guitar. We can not control whether we wake up one day and feel ready to do all the things we’ve been thinking about doing. It doesn’t work that way. Don’t feel bad about not feeling motivated. It is not possible to feel motivated every single minute of every single day. It is difficult to maintain motivation by yourself.
Find An Expert
It’s challenging enough to try to figure out what you should be playing in order to actually get better. You just don’t know what you don’t know. So, what do people do when they are serious about getting better? It is the same as any area of life. They get a coach, a mentor, or a trainer. They hire a pro with experience getting people results who can lead them down the path to success.
When you have a pro level guitar teacher, you can rely on them to help you on the days when you’re not “feeling it.” An experienced guitar teacher helps you re-focus on what is important, on what you should be doing. Part of their job is to remind you of the reasons why you started taking lessons in the first place.
You’re Not Being Challenged
What I’ve seen in my students is that the problem isn’t a lack of motivation. The problem is that we easily get stuck in a counterproductive thinking pattern. This keeps you trapped in the same place even though you feel motivated to want a different future. A great guitar teacher should deliver playing breakthroughs and change the way you think. A good teacher helps you achieve your goals as well as develop and maintain a healthy mental state. They understand that negative beliefs about your playing will hold you back. If you’re feeling stuck right now, you’re not being challenged in your skills or in your mindset. They help you see what you can become.
It’s About You
If you need motivation, look for a teacher to train you according to YOU and not the same old curriculum used on everyone. Playing scales for an entire class is boring. Playing classic rock music when you don’t care about that style is boring. Learning becomes fun when it’s specific to your needs and musical desires. You see yourself making progress because you feel like playing more and more. With an experienced guitar teacher, there is no end to how much you can learn when you are ready for it. If they are good, they will constantly have more for you at each level and it never gets boring!!! Why? Because they know you. And because they are always going to challenge you to do better. A good teacher will help you see things in a different light so you can apply it to your playing.
All in all, how do you stay motivated with your guitar playing for the long term? Finding and sticking with an excellent guitar teacher is half the battle. They will be coaching you and supporting you every step of the way. Whether you have a bad day, you have a busy work load and any other reason that cause you to just not feel like it. Consistency over time is the key. So when life happens, lean on your guitar teacher for the motivation you need to keep moving forward.
About The Author: Ryan Duke is a professional musician, songwriter, and owner of Supertonic Guitar serving up guitar lessons in Franklin, TN.
