How You View Your Long-Term Guitar Playing Effects Your Short-Term Progress

A Little Question With A Big Effect

The question to ask yourself is

"How long do you think you will play the guitar for?"

That's a very small idea that effects your progress on the guitar in both the short term and long.

If you have low commitment level towards playing the guitar. The result is that you are more likely to do less practice.

On top of that. Even if you did do the same amount of practice as someone who has a long-term commitment to play the guitar. Based on the simple idea before you've even started. This very little thought affects your progress by up to 400%!

So if you start playing the guitar with the idea that:

"I want just to try it out."

"I will carry on if I enjoy it in the first month."

"I want to just learn a couple of chords, shouldn't take long."

All these things that you may be saying to yourself can affect your progress all term.

Aim Sky High

I love the quote:

"Shoot for the moon, and if you miss. You will still land amongst the stars." By Norman Vincent Paele.

While this quote isn't astronomically true. I still love the meaning of it.

If you are not going to aim very high in your guitar playing. You will struggle to get very far with it. If you believe you have the potential to be as great as you want to be at the guitar. And you have the long-term commitment to get you there. Then you will achieve it. Or at least a lot further than if you would have been able to, if you hadn't believed it to be possible.

Everyone has the ability to learn how to play the guitar if you really want to do it.

Even people with missing fingers, even no hands. There is no excuse for why you can't learn.

Your Perception Of Yourself

The only thing that is holding you back is yourself. If you want to do it bad enough, you will get the best tuition and teaching you can get to get you there.

If you aren't sure about it, want to try it out. You will most likely end up going to a cheap guitar teacher. End up having a bad experience. Think all guitar teachers are like that and give up before you've even started.

Positive Attitude Goes A Long Way

Having a positive attitude towards your learning is so important.

The guitar is hard in the beginning, it takes a lot of coordination, but if you have the right instructions. Then you can have faith that you will get there as long as:

You have the right attitude towards learning
You believe in yourself and your ability to learn
You have the right training from your guitar teacher
You have long-term commitment towards learning the guitar

Your perception and your long-term commitment to learning the guitar. It will affect your progress both the short term. Which based on how it goes in your short term can massively effect your long-term playing as well.

In the Beginning...

If you "pick it up quickly". As many of my students say. You may think you are more capable, and carry on. (There are downsides to this too, which we won't cover in this article.)

If you are only going to try it for a month, and you think you are struggling. You won't have the willpower to keep going. You need that determination to get you through the challenges.

An amazing guitar teacher who understands the psychology of learning guitar will help you. But you are the one in charge of your own belief system about learning the guitar.

Setting The Bar

I recommend that if you decide to pursue learning the guitar, you set the bar higher for yourself. Whether it's able to play your favourite songs effortlessly, and confidently in front of your friends and family. Be able to sing and play at the same time. Be able to be creative and understand how the guitar works.

Have those ideas in your mind, that are longer-term targets for you to aim for. This will help you a lot with your short-term progress.

About Author:

Darryl is the head of Guitar Tuition East London. Training his guitar teachers at the school to provide the best guitar lessons in London. He wants to help anyone wanting to make a big change to their guitar playing happen.