5 Things I’m Re-Learning from Learning the Guitar

It’s nice to be the illiterate moron from time to time. You don’t know much and the only way to go is up.

I’m re-learning 5 valuable things as I am learning the guitar.

1. Learning doesn’t come without pain. In this case, it is literally the case. My fingers have been cut multiple times thanks to pressing down on the strings. The good news is that they seem to be getting stronger as a result.

2. There is no substitute to daily practice. None. None. None.

3. The stuff that actually helps us learn can be quite boring. A big part of being a good guitarist is developing muscle memory. Think of a chord and you get there. Think of the next chord and you switch instantly. That’s how songs are played. Getting to that however means countless switches while practicing – boring stuff but pays off.

4. Understand your learning style. This is a very fundamental question. How do you learn? Do you prefer reading loudly, softly, by yourself or with others? In guitar analogy, do you prefer reading tab, remembering them or seeing someone else play?

5. Understand your motivation. I thought I’d save the most important point for the end. It really helps understand why you are learning something.

In my case, the practice didn’t take off until 2 weeks in when we finally realized that all I wanted to learn was to become an acoustic rhythm guitar. Why? My primary motivation was to accompany songs sung by friends and family. That’s it. Period.

We threw all those funky lead pieces out of the window and started again. I compiled a song list that I wanted to learn and my enthusiasm and energy has been high ever since.

Simple test for this – How do you picture  yourself using what you learn?

In my case the answer is simple – Bonfire, friends, guitar, singing, fun. And then, begin with the end in mind.

Happy Friday!