2. Set Goals – Setting goals will ensure you are always on track and not wasting your time. They also are a great way to evaluate if the time you are putting in is effective.
3. Make A Schedule – leaving a productive practice time to chance ultimately leads to missed practice. Urgent, less important things always come up and if there isn’t a schedule in place it is very difficult to build any momentum.
4. Pay Attention To the Details – Music is simple as well as being complex. The joy is in the details. Take your time to explore and discover the subtle things that make music so passionate, so emotional, so undefinable. There is no detail in learning a scale. The detail and challenge is in making that scale sound sad as you try to connect with an audience.
5. Push Through Being Uncomfortable – To build skill in anything it takes hard work. Being a musician and guitarist is no different. The myth that says “he was born with such a gift” is just that, a myth. Any great player has worked hard to be able to do what they do. At times the work is very frustrating and uncomfortable. Those who continually push through that feeling come out the other side as great musicians.
6. Be Consistent – heading in a direction requires consistency. Consistent practice, consistent time, energy and thought. Without consistency it it takes much longer for the hours of practicing you put in to add up to anything tangible.
7. Have Realistic Expectations – If guitar is #47 on your priority list, then don’t expect to be a rock star after a few months. But if you are practicing 45 – 1.5hrs a day then you can expect to get better very quickly.
8. Practice Is For What You Can’t Play – continually practicing what you already can already play does nothing to make you a better player. Practice what you can’t play 99% of the time and you will see a huge difference in your playing.
9. Challenge Yourself – set your bar high in the players you emulate. Don’t base what songs and styles you learn on your musical preferences entirely. Step out of your comfort zone and tackle unfamiliar styles. It will make you a better player.
10. Don’t Give Up – Becoming a great guitar player takes time, patience and tenacity. Keep coming back to the things that make you a better player. (Even when you want to chuck your guitar out the window.)
