Subject: Cut Yourself a Break, Man (Part 1)
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, One of the challenges every guitar teacher has is that of students who want to learn more advanced playing techniques before they are truly ready. They get jazzed up and want to play all their favorite songs by their favorite artists. I love the excitement and enthusiasm, but we need to slow down here, Champ.Here's an example... Student: "Man, I really appreciate the lessons. I've learned a lot in these three weeks since I picked up guitar and started working with you. Can you show me how to play 'Stairway to Heaven' now?" Teacher: "Sure, dude, your three weeks of playing has definitely prepared you to play one of the best-known rock songs of all time. Let's start with the lead guitar riff that…" Do you see this scenario having a happy ending, Friend? Hey, I'm an optimist, but the reality is, the student does not yet have the necessary foundation to tackle a song like "Stairway". This is a recipe for sour notes, sore fingers and a "whole lotta frustration". Despite how it looks when a pro plays, guitar is not an easy instrument to learn. Anyone can pick up a guitar, press their fingers against the strings and strum. But until you know how and where to place your fingers, what strings to pluck or strum and when, the sound is not going to be anything anyone wants to listen to for long. As you're starting out, you have to be careful when you attempt to play the things you hear in songs. Without knowing the best or most efficient way to play something, you run the risk of becoming de-motivated or annoyed with yourself. All because you haven't learned the techniques you need to play what you're hearing. It's not your fault at all - you just don't know what you don't know! I'm all for stretching boundaries and trying out new stuff, but it can be a real letdown when the noise coming from your guitar doesn't sound anything like what you're attempting to play. People tend to beat themselves up quite a bit, and when they're beating themselves up, it is easier to quit than to continue practicing the basics that are necessary steps for growth. It's too bad we don't remember the time in our life where we were learning to walk. This is a great illustration of learning something difficult over time. Generally speaking, we take walking for granted because we have been doing it since before we can remember. Maybe that is because we had no way of articulating the experience - we usually learn to walk before we talk. Think about it - you're a baby just lying around all day, someone taking care of every need you have - A life of leisure. But you decide you want more - having servants wait on you hand and foot is fine and all, but you have this compelling need to make it in the world on your own terms - no hand-outs for you! You're not quite ready to tell someone what you want, but you're a (wo)man of action. Hey, if I want something, I go get it myself! I don't need to sit around waiting for someone else to get me my stuff. So you rise up on your hands and knees and... Whoa, wait, what happened there? Let me try this again. Whoops, fell down again! This isn't going to be as easy as I thought. OK, what do I have to do here? I've gotta start working out, get my arms and legs built up so I have the strength to hold myself in place. Oh yeah, alright, I can do this. Getting on my hands and knees... Reaching up and… Aww, come on! Why am I laying on my back now? Oh, gravity. And something called balance… So it's not just strength, now I've got to have some balance and fight against this gravity thing, too! You get the picture. It wasn't just a "walk in the park" (heh heh) learning how to walk. You may have gotten angry, cried, begged, done anything to get Mom or Dad to pick you up. But you didn't give up on walking. There were some definite fundamentals you had to have in place before you were able to stand up and walk around the room. It took some time, but you eventually rocked it out. Once you were standing and then walking, you started running, and then no one could keep you down. The world was yours. Learning guitar is not much different. You don't just pick up a guitar and play amazingly well at your first sitting. It's another example of needing to learn a series of fundamental skills and then practicing these until you're strong enough to take on the next challenge. Then it’s a cumulative process of adding more techniques and skills, merging them with what you already know and incorporating them into actual music. In the next email I'll talk about some of the things you will learn along the way on your guitar playing journey. Until next time, rock on! Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. 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