Help me get motivated to learn the guitar

[Sean447]

Hi everyone. I've been wanting to learn the guitar for nearly three years now. I've tried picking it up several times, but I've never gotten any further than learning basic chords, and it's been so long since then that I've forgotten what little I had learned. I can't seem to motivate myself to stick with it and get past the boring parts.

How can I motivate myself to persevere with it? I don't need to buy anything, we already have a guitar and an effects pedal in the house. The only problem I have is actually picking it up.

[moondream]

I'm kind of going through the same thing myself. I spent 3 and half years in high school taking classical guitar classes and eventually drifted away from playing because I wasn't noticing a lot of improvement...probably because I never really practiced (then again I was stubborn and felt that my I "practiced" enough during class each day). All of these years I've had my dad (he really is a great guitar player) tell me (and the students he taught) that practicing the things you know...even if they are just a couple of basic chords for even 15 minutes every single will have huge effects on your playing. I have this bad habit that if something doesn't come naturally to me then I pretty much give it up and now I'm trying to get past that.

Now for the actual advice...find a way to fit the 15 min. (or more but 15 min. seems reasonable to start with) of playing in each day. Just play the same chords over and over again. After a few days of playing the chords that you already know, find a new one that you can learn and work on it. It does sound kind of boring but maybe it really is worth it.

If you want, we could be moivational buddies, haha. Each day we could check in on this post and verify that we each accomplished a daily round of practice.

[Sean447]

Originally Posted by moondream

If you want, we could be moivational buddies, haha. Each day we could check in on this post and verify that we each accomplished a daily round of practice.

That sounds like a good idea. When do you want to start?

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by moondream

I'm kind of going through the same thing myself. I spent 3 and half years in high school taking classical guitar classes and eventually drifted away from playing because I wasn't noticing a lot of improvement...probably because I never really practiced (then again I was stubborn and felt that my I "practiced" enough during class each day). All of these years I've had my dad (he really is a great guitar player) tell me (and the students he taught) that practicing the things you know...even if they are just a couple of basic chords for even 15 minutes every single will have huge effects on your playing. I have this bad habit that if something doesn't come naturally to me then I pretty much give it up and now I'm trying to get past that.

Now for the actual advice...find a way to fit the 15 min. (or more but 15 min. seems reasonable to start with) of playing in each day. Just play the same chords over and over again. After a few days of playing the chords that you already know, find a new one that you can learn and work on it. It does sound kind of boring but maybe it really is worth it.

If you want, we could be moivational buddies, haha. Each day we could check in on this post and verify that we each accomplished a daily round of practice.

YouTube - The Eagles - Hotel California

play from 4.20

[z1freeride]

The beginning stages of learning the guitar are really hard because it seems like you're getting nowhere. It's been awhile since I can remember what it's like but my roommate just started taking lessons so this is what I've noticed:

1. Don't expect immediate results. You're not going to be playing like Eddie Van Halen the first day.

2. Set small goals. There are a TON of songs with just 3 chords in them. These are easy songs that you can learn to play within your first month or so. Here's a list of songs with G-C-D chords: Need G-C-D songs @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com Forum

Learning my first song was VERY motivational. When you hit small goals, it helps a lot to keep you going.

3. Do you have a friend that can teach you? or a teacher? This helps a lot starting out. Then you can check out youtube for a myriad of guitar lesson videos. However, sometimes teachers teach inane stuff...

When you do learn these songs, start slow. Practice them at half speed. Keep in your mind that eventually you'll get to full speed but it's ok that you're not there yet. Remember - small goals.

4. Play the music you like. Find an easy song that you love and have somebody teach it to you. This is very motivational for me.

Hope this helps!

[moondream]

Originally Posted by Sean447

That sounds like a good idea. When do you want to start?

A.s.a.p.!

[lasti]

I'd like to learn the guitar, too. Can I join your motivational club?

[vai123]

What you really need is a great teacher, and a desire to play. Listen to your favorite songs, playing air guitar, or imagining that you are playing onstage...
If you don't have a teacher it is much harder to keep a schedule because you don't have feedback. If you have a teacher you will be pressured slightly to practice which is obviously all you need because it seems you want to play.
Also I think that half of being a good teacher is being able to motivate your students so if you find a good teacher they will be able to help you find that motivation.

[A.K.Light]

Have FUN!

[moondream]

Originally Posted by lasti

I'd like to learn the guitar, too. Can I join your motivational club?

It's cool with me if it's cool with Sean447. It's probably a good idea to have several people involved to keep the motivation going.


And I'd like to check in and note that I completed the 15 min. of daily practice just now.

[Sean447]

Yeah definitely. But I haven't started yet, because:
I was hungover on sunday.
I was sick on monday afternoon.
It's tuesday morning and I'm home from school, sick.

But as soon as I get better, I'm starting.

[Kaspian]

Taking lessons is great. Not only do you have someone to guide you, answer questions, and help you avoid bad habits early, but knowing that you have a lesson coming up each week gives you another reason to pick up your instrument and play.

A couple years ago, I taught group horn lessons at a couple of middle schools. One day per week, instead of going band, they'd all pile into a practice room and we'd work together. All but one of the kids was relatively new to the instrument—They started in September; I began working with them in December. In only a couple months it was obvious from their playing skills who took private lessons. Group lessons helped a little, but the one-on-one instruction made a much bigger difference.

[Trezker]

Why don't you start (or join an existing) IRC channel...

Internet Relay Chat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think this one's good, though I don't play guitar and I just found it through google. At least it's populated. I'll leave you to research how to use IRC though, it's not complicated.
The Official Undernet #guitar Website

[Sean447]

I've practiced today, but I think I'll have to start taking lessons, because I honestly just can't see myself persevering with this on my own. As someone mentioned before, I feel like I'm getting nowhere, and it's overwhelming when I think about how much time and effort I'll have to put in before I even start enjoying myself while playing.

[Syr]

Two questions:
- Why do you want to play guitar?
- Are you sure guitar is the right instrument for you?

I have several musical instruments here and I hardly practice, but I see that I prefer my bassguitar or drum over guitar.

[songwriter]

Here I come.

I'm with freeride in what he says.
Basicly there are 2 paths you can go by but in the long run there's still time to change the road you're in.

One path, is, taking one of these handbooks to play guitar, or going to a musical school, and you'll see how to play one chord or a bunch of notes and you will play them again and again in practice. Like if it was a gimnastic exercise. Somehow it is, but music it's not only about the body.

Ok, that's kind of the classic path, then there's the modern one, the rock and roll, folk one.
It's about enjoying since the beginning. If you don't enjoy playing you hardly gonna get motivated to play again. How are you gonna enjoy?. Playing music you like.

Don't start with things are very complicated, that took years for the greatest guitar players to be able to play them, you ain't gonna do them either.

Do you know the riff of Satisfaction of the Rolling Stones?. Three notes, play them. You got it. Actually I think it's way more important to play a note well, that to play 25 notes without any feeling.
Same with chords, there are songs with even only 2 easy chords.

What I use to do is playing with a record on. I don't do that with piano cause you can do the chords and the melody together. But not with guitar... at least it's not easy at all.
So you can play chords along with your fav band, or you can play notes along with it too. I use to play the notes the singer sings.

Yeah, but I come from learning piano first.... maybe you're wondering bout a thing. Ok, how do I know what notes I've got to play?. Not everyone has the musical ear.

In the Internet, there are lots of sites where you'll find tablatures, the guide of what notes to play. I believe it's more funny to guess them for yourself (no-one's gonna hear you if you are wrong...)... so you'll be able to play what's on your mind in the end.

Motivation... playing with your fav band... that's always great. Even if you do kind of a bassline. I get a kick of putting a Queen record and play kind of rhythm guitar over the band... So with the Beatles, or even more, cause they didn't use much feedback distortion (they kind it created it that thing too...) so adding that to the sound of the records is great.

I think that music got to be "enpowering". So exercise likes scales and such... are the most boring thing ever... how many great melodies have a scale into it?

Like there are riffs of three notes (Satisfaction), there are riffs of three chords (lots of them).

It depends on the music you like, tell me about it, if you want to, and I can point to some songs, to play when you're starting to learn. (Cause there's no end to learning)

[uberinquisitive]

Do you know how to read music?

Learn to read music, and have private lessons once a week.

Learn how to play Johnny B. Goode, or some other early rock n roll song, which are often more simpler than later rock songs.

Why don't you post YouTube videos of your progress? You can be accountable to us!

[uberinquisitive]

Woa, I found this awesome site by this British guy, Justin - he offers free online lessons!

Well, now I feel like learning guitar myself!

[songwriter]

Originally Posted by uberinquisitive

Do you know how to read music?

Learn to read music, and have private lessons once a week.

Learn how to play Johnny B. Goode, or some other early rock n roll song, which are often more simpler than later rock songs.

Why don't you post YouTube videos of your progress? You can be accountable to us!

that video of Johnnie B. Goode is what I call boring. Cutting something into parts and learn note by note. Probably you would want to quit before playing the whole song. But that's the way of reading music, the first way I mentioned.

[songwriter]

believe it or not I'm trying to find a video in youtube of someone playing Satisfaction and no-one does it well. They just don't play the same notes.

Okey, let's try with Smoke on the Water.There are other ways of playing it, but this works anyway.

YouTube - Smoke on the Water: Main Riff (guitar lesson)

Another more of the same guy. This is Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker, it has vibrato.

YouTube - Heartbreaker main riff lesson

Metallica's Sad but true
YouTube - Sad But True: Intro & Main Riff (guitar lesson)

a great example of a great riff with just 4 chords, Nirvana's Smells like teen spirit

similar... Free's All Right Now
YouTube - All Right Now: Main Riff ( Guitar Lesson )

that's Eric Clapton "Wonderful Tonight", no more rocking riffs... I enjoy playing this a lot, it's somehow easy to play but not easy to play like Eric Clapton...
it's Eric himself live, the famous slow riff it's on 1.20 and you can see Eric playing
YouTube - wonderful tonight

[Sean447]

Great advice, songwriter. Cheers. I had downloaded this "Guitar for Dummies" DVD, but it was mind-numbingly boring and I gave up on it pretty quick. I'm feeling more motivated now that I've started learning something I actually like. I'm mainly into hard rock/heavy metal like Judas Priest, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Guns N' Roses, WASP, etc. and at the moment I'm trying to learn AC/DC - Hells Bells.

[z1freeride]

Originally Posted by Sean447

Great advice, songwriter. Cheers. I had downloaded this "Guitar for Dummies" DVD, but it was mind-numbingly boring and I gave up on it pretty quick. I'm feeling more motivated now that I've started learning something I actually like. I'm mainly into hard rock/heavy metal like Judas Priest, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Guns N' Roses, WASP, etc. and at the moment I'm trying to learn AC/DC - Hells Bells.

vanderbilly.com also has some classic rock video lessons. You know what else inspires me? I like to watch other young guitarists on youtube (like vanzeppelin77). If they can do it, so can I!

[jbsmith]

Try adjusting the idea in your head from being a masterful, complete guitar player to someone who is creative with what you know.

For example, many complete songs have been written with simply 3 chords - so make that your first objective. Now allow yourself to fool around with those 3 chords.

Then, next lesson, learn one new scale, record yourself playing a simple 3 chord progression and see what you can do with your first scale over top of the chords.

You've got to lighten up on yourself and understand that playing guitar is half technique and half feeling and intuition so let yourself have fun.

What type of music or influences are you aiming for?

Jeff

[Gavin]

Originally Posted by uberinquisitive

Woa, I found this awesome site by this British guy, Justin - he offers free online lessons!

Well, now I feel like learning guitar myself!

Yeah it was only a matter of time before this man was mentioned. He give brilliant lessons on youtube and through his own website. He seems like a really nice person and he recorded a good blog on his charity trip to Ghana.

Free guitar lessons - justinguitar.com

[teenphenom]

The key is to write down why you would benefit from learning the guitar. Make a list of about 10 reasons why you would gain from learning a new instrument. Here's the key though, add on to it EVERY DAY. Day one you would write 10 reasons. Day 2 you would review those 10 reasons and add new motivators. This would keep you pumped and keep the desire burning.

[Alexjstrandberg]

I'm going to suggest that you stop putting pressure on yourself and if you learn to play, good, if not don't worry about it.

To tell if someone really desires to do something look at their behaviors, not their words. If a person says they want to get in shape over and over but do little to nothing to do anything about they really don't desire to get in shape. If they really wanted to be in shape, they would be taking steps to do it.

When you truly desire something, it becomes effortless to motivate yourself. You will truly want something and you will spend a lot of time on it.

[hkalchemy]

I've been meaning to learn the guitar for years - I can play a bit but havn't gone out and bought one yet. So I know the feeling ...

[Sean447]

I've actually started now. I took songwriter's advice, I found that it helps me a lot to sit in front of the computer while I play, so I can look at tabs without needing to print them out, and look at videos of my favourite bands for motivation and/or to play along to. This is a much more interesting approach than slaving over a huge book about guitar theory like I was trying to.

I've been learning a few fairly basic three-chord rock songs, like jbsmith suggested, and some simple riffs and licks. I'm feeling a lot more motivated to play now, because I'm actually enjoying it.

[z1freeride]

Originally Posted by Sean447

I've actually started now. I took songwriter's advice, I found that it helps me a lot to sit in front of the computer while I play, so I can look at tabs without needing to print them out, and look at videos of my favourite bands for motivation and/or to play along to. This is a much more interesting approach than slaving over a huge book about guitar theory like I was trying to.

I've been learning a few fairly basic three-chord rock songs, like jbsmith suggested, and some simple riffs and licks. I'm feeling a lot more motivated to play now, because I'm actually enjoying it.

Cool. That's awesome. I love playing along with my favorite songs as well. It's just fun! Keep focusing on doing what's fun and you'll become an awesome guitar player.

[JMonkey]

If you want a good site to learn Guitar this one looks to be very very good.

Home

I was in the same position last year. Then I just imagine myself in 4 or so years playing to my friends and then all listening as I jam out an awesome riff without any mistakes. Vision the change then move into it. I've become much better since, also when I next get paid I plan to buy a web cam and record my practice session so I can watch back and see myself improving.