Guitar is not rocket science

I must admit that when I started learning guitar it may as well have been rocket science. It completely baffled me and it seemed every time I had a question answered it led to 5 new questions. I had no clue why certain chords were used in combination or what modes were or how any of it related to my favorite songs. I became intensely curious about music theory and would spend hours everyday reading in the hope of unlocking its secrets. Within a few months it started to make sense. There was of course still much to learn and one could spend a lifetime studying music theory but my motivation to learn music was not based on understanding music from a theoretical perspective. I wanted to play and my initial hunger for music theory was simply about understanding how most popular songs were constructed and those few months of focused study gave me a good solid grounding. I strongly encourage you to learn music theory and can assure you that essential theory is not difficult. A good teacher could teach you most of what you really need to know within a few months.

3 habits of my best guitar students.

1. Consistent guitar practice. My best students show consistency in almost every aspect of their practice. They usually practice at the same time, in the same place for the same length of time each day.

2. Followed instructions. My best students would rarely stray from the course. Sticking to the course meant they made faster progress which resulted in more confidence in their playing.

3. Rarely missed a lesson. My top students not only had excellent attendance rates but were also consistently on time.

How hard is it to learn guitar?

Guitar teachers often get stuck on this question because there is no simple answer. Beginner guitar students likely have their mind set on some kind of general goal. For me it was being able to play Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Queen, Kiss and others. When I began I had no idea what was involved. I just imagined guitar was like a puzzle that you just had to solve and once solved was easy. I was partially right but what I did not realize was how much fine motor skill development was involved with learning guitar to the level for which I aspired. I think if I had been told that guitar would take thousands of hours of repetitive exercises I might have thought twice. It was like I was expecting to climb to the top of a small hill but instead found myself ascending Mt Everest. Now I don't want to scare you off from learning guitar because it's not all about reaching the summit. Every level offers a better view than the previous one so it's really about how high you want to go. How hard depends on how high.

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Are your kids watching too much TV? Guitar might be the answer.

According to an article I recently read a TV station aired over 200 junk food ads during the Saturday morning children's shows. Junk food is now big business and it's literally poisoning our children. This is not about to change and if anything the junk food companies are getting more aggressive. They know that parents aren't really watching as TV tends to act like a baby sitter while they get house work done. I would like to suggest a solution that certainly worked for me. When I started learning both drums and guitar at age 14 I soon found myself less and less interested in TV. The lure of guitar became so strong that I would spend hours in my room working on some aspect of guitar. Little did I realize that guitar was actually taking away what would have been TV time. Children I believe watch TV out of boredom. When they have other interests they will naturally spend less time watching TV. Guitar is not the only option of course but it's a great place to start.

Why guitar jams are more than just fun

As a teen I was totally unaware of the benefits of jamming. To me a jam was just fun. Sure there were good and bad jams but overall they generally left me feeling good. A jam was a chance to crank up the volume and feel like a rock star. Simple riffs backed with a bass player, drummer and second guitarist suddenly sounded amazing. But the real benefits of such jams wouldn't truly reveal themselves until later. When we jam we connect with other musicians which opens us up to new possibilities. This in turn connects us to other musicians. As our network grows so do the opportunities. Hendrix is a classic example. Jimi would jam with everyone and anyone in the hope that he would learn something new. He was hungry for anything that was new.

5 ways to motivate yourself to practice guitar.

1. Get a Guitar stand. Keep your guitar out on a stand not in it's case. Just seeing your guitar will increase your motivation to practice guitar.

2. Create a song list. Find those guitar songs that motivate you and put them into a list and listen to them before your scheduled practice time.

3. Find a guitar buddy. When someone else shares our interests we naturally become more motivated.

4. Read a guitarist's bio. When we look behind the scenes of a successful guitarist we usually find someone who was once just like us. It's a big motivator.

5. Teach someone else guitar. Once I decided to teach guitar I realized I needed to practice what I was preaching. This certainly gave me motivation to practice.

You might also like the following blog post; 

"How long does it take to learn guitar?" 

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3 classic mistakes made by beginner guitar students

1. They try to do too much. One of my pet hates is when I hear someone refer to a guitarist as being able to play everything. Firstly no guitarist can play everything but more importantly it's irrelevant. I just want to know if they can something well. Quantity comes a distant second to quality.

2. They fail to develop good technique. In a rush to be the world's next guitar sensation many beginner guitar students try to side step technique going straight to their favorite songs. This always comes back to haunt as they struggle to get past an early intermediate level due to poor technique. If you are serious about guitar slow down and get this one right. You will be glad you did.

3. They focus on the wrong things. This is a common trap. A good example is picking. Guitar students will be trying to learn let's say a new riff and most of their focus is on the fretting hand almost completing ignoring their picking. It should be the other way around. 70% of their attention should be focused on the picking.

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