How to cure the “Beginner’s Blues”

It’s very common to become enthusiastic about something fun like playing the guitar, but the reality of if can often be less fun than we thought.

Now that you have taken a few guitar lessons, you may find that the initial excitement has given way to frustration. Maybe you have been playing for a while, but feel that you have “hit a wall” and are not improving. You know that you want to improve, but you still feel like you are “wrestling” with the instrument. This is most likely due to the fact that the guitar does not feel natural enough to you. I am not taking about “practice” per se, but the fact that when you hold the guitar, it does not feel like a natural extension of your body. It should. I can say that picking up the guitar for me feels like drinking water; few things feel more natural to me. But, I suffered many years of frustration before I got to that point. What I wish I had known, and learned sooner, is that for the guitar to feel completely natural to you, it must be completely natural to you. I know this my sound odd, but it will make more sense as you read on.

I’ll share with you a technique that worked for me: It’s game called “This damm guitar is in my hands every waking moment of the day, except when nature calls…”

Seriously, most people sit down to “Practice” and they tense up, and they get into it, get frustrated, and force themselves through the experience. Yet, when you sit down at your compter keyboard and type in your email password, or when you put the keys in the ignition and start your car, you do so with the greatest of east and familliararity… why? because it is part of your daily routine. You never practice these things, you just do them. So, get the guitar into that same place as typing at your PC keyboards, talking on your cell phone or driving with one hand while you work your car stero.

They key is to try and keep it in your hands as much as possible. Even when you are doing anything else, if you are at home, have your privacy, and it affects no one else, learn to do it with your guitar in your hands.

This accomplishes two things. It removes the “Foreign Object” aspect of the instrument.. it starts to become very normal to have that guitar in your hands. And, the more comfortable you are, practing becomes less structured… timewise. Instead of “Putting in 45 minutes” you just suddenly realize that the guitar is always in your hands, and whenever you are waiting for something to download, waiting for the water to boil, watching a commercial, whatever the moment may be, but in those moments of wasted time…. just waiting for things to happen, you can sneak in 60 seconds of practice. Maybe you just “Twang Out” a G, C D chord… but all those little moment of playing add up, and your general comfort level with the instrument will increase because you simply get used to that dang thing bein’ in your hands all the time!

This is not in any way intended to replace well-structured daily practicing and a good teacher. But, it’s just a suggestion that might help you cross that boundry from feeling like the guitar is a “Foreign object” to feeling as if it is a part of your body. It may feel odd at first, and take some getting used to, but I can promise you, it works.