Guitar has never been a consistently upward trajectory for me. Like anything it has had it’s ups and downs. Over my years of playing there have been a few times where specific actions I took helped me breakthrough to the next level of learning. Here are a few of the things that have helped over the years.
1. Find a Few Good Buddies and Start a Band
When I started out I was in 6th grade and had no friends that played any instruments other than a few that were forced to take piano lessons. That year learning was tricky and I didn’t make it very far. Then, the music store closed and I stopped playing altogether.
Fast forward to Eighth Grade and I had a friend that wanted to start a band. At the time I only new a few chords and I had started to take lessons from a guy that had a band that played at the local VFW. Did my friend play an instrument? Nope, but he got a bass and we started working out how to play a few songs. Being in a band, even a bad band, gave me a goal and a deadline and helped accelerate my learning faster than if I would have tried it on my own.
Has this always worked for me?
No. I personally need structure. I like for whatever group I’m in to have a purpose. When I have gotten together with folks that just want to “jam” I haven’t had much success, but that is just my preference. Having a more relaxed environment may help you.
2. Take a Break
The other thing that has helped me breakthrough learning difficulties is taking a break. I’m not talking months, but a few days or even a day wouldn’t hurt you.
I remember early on I couldn’t play a simple blues rhythm no matter what I tried I just couldn’t get it. I was getting really frustrated to the point that I just didn’t want to play…so…I didn’t. A few days later when I picked up the guitar I could do it.
I’m not saying it will happen that fast for you, but sometimes our brains and muscles need time to work together.
3. Record Yourself
Nowadays my Youtube channel helps me improve. I don’t play in bands much anymore and when I do they aren’t super challenging and so for many years I felt like I was in a rut.
When I started my YouTube channel it wasn’t meant to help me become a better player, but it did.
You don’t have to start a YouTube channel, but picking a song and working on recording yourself playing that song sets up a goal to work to and you actually get to hear the results.
One of the great things about this is it allows us to really hear ourselves. You will find that many times you were harder on yourself than you needed to be and you are closer to nailing the song than you thought.
Conclusion
In all of this two main things persist: Action and Purpose. Even if you are taking a break it needs to have a purpose. Setting a goal is one of the best things you can possibly do for your playing.
Try some of these out and let me know if it helps!