![]() ![]() When I first started, I aimed for at least two 10-minute practice sessions each day. Playing every day will help you build calluses faster, and increase your comfort level with the instrument. During the first month, you need to make playing your guitar for at least ten minutes into a daily habit. There is no quick path to mastering the guitar, but there is a fast track to failing: a lack of practice. You need to practice for at least 10 minutes each day. You’re more than capable of pushing through.ģ. That effeminate kid successfully got through the same pain you’re feeling, and so has every other guitar player on the planet. Whenever you want to quit because it hurts your fingers too much, say to yourself, “Justin Bieber taught himself to play guitar before he was 12.” Yes, that’s right. The most important thing, of course, is to not quit playing altogether because of the pain. The pain you’ll feel is largely unavoidable, but you can reduce it by using a capo (a clamp you fasten across the strings of the guitar – read more on this in “ Getting Started” below). If your fingers get extremely sore, take a day off, and never play until your fingers bleed. Expect the tips of your fingers to hurt for at least a month while they’re developing calluses. Allow yourself several weeks to build “muscle memory” – getting comfortable having your hands in positions they aren’t used to.Ģ. Relax, and give yourself permission to suck. Your fingers will move slowly, your hands will feel awkward, and the sounds coming from the guitar will not be easy on the ears. As much as you’ll desire the ability to play all your favorite songs beautifully, your body and brain simply won’t be able to. The reality? You constantly had to look down at the keyboard, and you’d get frustrated whenever you made a mistake. Remember when you first learned how to type? You wanted to hammer out 100 words per minute, without ever making an error. Here are the three things you need to know before learning guitar, under my plan or anyone else’s:ġ. If you don’t have a clear understanding of what these first few weeks will be like, there’s a good chance that you will get frustrated and give up. In order to get past the initial pain period that comes with learning guitar, it’s critical to manage your expectations. In other words, the process for learning that you enjoy the most is the best one, even if it isn’t comprehensive.Ĭomprehensive comes later. I found it most effective to focus on a few easy exercises, while minimizing boredom and pain. Some guitarists proclaim that you need to tackle music theory first, while others will tell you to learn sheet music while you’re practicing chords. Then my friend Jake Ruff taught me two simple exercises that changed everything, and I’ve been able to stick with guitar ever since. I ended up quitting multiple times for a host of reasons: the material was boring, my teacher moved too fast, my teacher moved too slowly, my fingers were killing me, my wrists were sore, I wasn’t making enough progress, and so on. Sadly, I could never stick with guitar practice. For me, I’d always dreamed of playing guitar with the same mastery as Jimmy Page, Allen Collins, or Mark Knopfler. ![]() This post explains how to get the most guitar mileage and versatility in the least time…ĭo you have any additional tips, whether for guitar or applying the 80/20 principle to another instrument? Piano, violin, flute, or other? Please share in the comments! Enter CharlieĪlmost everyone has fantasized about performing music in front of a huge screaming crowd at some point in their life. My fascination with guitar wasn’t rekindled until Charlie Hoehn, an employee of mine at the time, showed me the 80/20 approach to learning it. It was simply too frustrating, too overwhelming. From hyperspeed Slayer to classical Segovia, I was mesmerized.īut I never thought I could do it myself.ĭespite tackling skills as esoteric as Japanese horseback archery, I somehow put music in a separate “does not apply” category until two years ago. ![]() The fantasy continued with Guns N’ Roses and the iconic Slash. It started as a kid, listening to my dad play around the fireplace during the holidays. When will you stop dreaming and start playing? (Photo: Musician “Lights”, Credit: Shandi-lee)
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