Subject: Ya Gotta Do The Time
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, What kind of investment does it take to become a proficient guitar player? I'm not talking about the money to purchase your equipment, or even the cost of guitar lessons. No, what I'm getting at is, what kind of time can you expect to commit to learning guitar before you start to sound like you think you should?I think we all have a vision in our minds of being able to pick up our guitar and easily play a song, but the time and practice that is needed to get to that point doesn't usually enter into the picture we have of the journey. It doesn't help that there are companies out there promising to give us that silver bullet to guitar mastery. For example, these are actual headlines for programs I've seen advertised online (the names have been omitted to protect the "innocent"):
Want to learn guitar? Here's the quick 5 step process to becoming a Guitar God in 3 days! Buy now to learn all the master techniques that will take you out of the basement and on to the stage rocking stadiums! Do you believe it? It's easy to get excited by the stories and images that pop into your mind as you read the material for that new guitar training product. It's not too difficult to hit all the hot buttons we have as guitar players and pull us in to their circle. There's an emotional attachment to the idea that we can take a desired goal and achieve it quickly. I mean, we all want to see our vision come true, and if there's a quick, easy route to getting there, we're in, right? Here's the thing that is usually left out of the conversation until after you have the package in your hot little hands... There's no overnight success when it comes to learning guitar. There is no quick fix. With "gurus" out there promising to turn you into a guitar god weeks after you buy their program, it's easy to get sucked in. But regardless of the quality of the material, it still comes down to you and the amount of work you put into it. I've said it before - guitar is not an easy instrument to learn. We tend to get the wrong idea when we see "untrained" musicians step on-stage and amaze us with their skills. There are tons of Youtube videos showing us amazing teenagers playing virtuoso-level guitar, and kids still in their single digits rocking classic tunes. It's almost enough to make me want to just put the guitar down (I said almost!). I think the illusion is enhanced even more by the fact that rock music is such a young form compared to the various classical styles. We inherently accept the level of training that classical musicians commit to, often starting on their first instrument when they are barely out of toddler status. Nearly their entire non-academic schedule is devoted to lessons and practicing their instruments. These kids amaze us with their proficiency. When you listen to a classical piece of music performed by an entire orchestra, it's very easy to accept that these musicians are highly skilled artists that have likely been training their entire lives to perform at this level. It's even difficult for those of us without this training to imagine the amount of work it takes just to write out each part for every instrument. So as we watch or listen to a classical composition, we have no problem accepting that it takes a lifetime of practice to play so well. But when we see a highly polished band get up on stage and rock the house, and their ages are no more than early twenties, it's natural to think that if these kids can play guitar with rock-star proficiency, it can't be that hard. They make it look easy. What we don't see is the years of daily practice that happen. Even for the phenoms - believe it or not, they still need to put in a bunch of practice time to perform in those videos. No one picks up a guitar one day and plays even the simplest song with any proficiency. It's particularly hard for us adults - we don't have the kind of time the youngsters have to play our guitars, and yet we still want the dream. Our time lines are shorter, but that's no reason to skimp on quality time with our guitars. Getting back to those quick-fix products - are they a waste of money? I don't necessarily think so. I believe most of these programs can teach you techniques and provide skills to play better. But we're back to the first requirement for learning guitar - you need to be willing to put in the effort to do the exercises and practice. You have to be willing to do what they suggest you do and give them time to work. How much time? Unfortunately, I can't tell you how long it will take you to achieve the level of guitar playing where you feel you are proficient. Since every human being is unique, with different strengths and weaknesses, there's no way to give even a semi-accurate guesstimate. Here's what I can tell you. If all you devote to learning and practice is a few minutes every few days, you will never play guitar like you imagine. At a bare minimum, you must give yourself 20 minutes of practice every day, and ideally 30 or more minutes per day. With a commitment to daily, consistent practice, I can promise you there will be improvement and over time your learned skills will produce the results you want. How long will it take? Again, I don't know. Some people will have a level of success in months, and others it might take a couple of years to get to a point of satisfaction with their progress. In the end it comes down to the same formula for success: Get started and don't quit. If you follow this recipe in your pursuit of guitar-playing mastery, you'll get where you want to go. Some of us are in Ferraris, and some of us are on scooters, but we can all get to our personal destinations by fixing our sights on our goals and getting on the road towards them. I believe in you - keep rocking! 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! 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