Most guitar students have good intentions when starting out but over time the motivation tends to fade but why don’t we just stay motivated? We still love music and we still want to play but our motivation for practice tends to wane over time. I wanted to understand this question so many years ago I…
Tag: g4guitar
Do your expectations for learning guitar match reality?
Early on in my guitar teaching career I realised many of the guitar students who came to me grew increasingly disappointed with their progress on guitar over time. This made me question my own ability as a teacher and led me to try and understand why. The answer became more obvious as I researched the…
GUITAR is NOT EASY!!!
One day for one of many possible reasons you decide to learn guitar. You say to yourself “How hard can it be? After all every second person and there dog seems to be able to play something on guitar.” You buy yourself a guitar, a guitar book and maybe even some lessons with a guitar teacher. The salesperson in…
“How long does it take to learn guitar?”
While there is no exact answer to this question the best answer I can offer you is 2 years if you practice 30 minutes a day based on average expectations but there are definitely ways to decrease this number. Deliberate Practice The term ‘deliberate practice’ in terms of guitar practice refers to practicing the guitar…
How to succeed on guitar by focusing on the process
Put the process before the goal. The above concept is one that many of us find difficult but is a critical factor in learning guitar. The percentage of students of guitar who actually reach their goals compared to the number who actually take up guitar would have to be one of lowest compared with other…
How do you teach a young child to play guitar?
Check out this 5 year old boy One person asked how do you teach a young child to play like this and here is my answer. This boy is outstanding but its obviously the result of daily practice and parental support. I have taught many young children guitar using the g4guitarmethod including my own daughter…
Memorise the guitar fretboard
Memorising the notes on the guitar fretboard will give you a big advantage. Once you have the notes memorised you will spend less time looking for notes and more time playing. The trick to memorising the guitar neck is to do it one note at a time. So here are the steps. Step 1. Learn the…
Find Your Guitar Sound
I believe an important element of success for any guitarist is establishing your own sound. Whenever you read interviews with high profile guitarists they will inevitable talk about what guitars they use, which pedals, amps, string gauges etc. Each of these elements plays a role in their overall sound and many are very particular about…
5 tips for finding a great guitar teacher
Finding a great guitar teacher is difficult for several reasons. Firstly they are very rare. Secondly great teachers rarely have vacancies. Lastly teaching guitar is an unregulated industry so anyone can teach guitar which means you need to go through a lot of teachers to find those few exceptional ones. The question is how do…
The Idol delusion – Overstating your ability
The TV show American Idol has revealed a well known condition that we all suffer from to some degree in one area or another. That is we believe we are better than we actually are. When we watch Idol and see wannabe singers stand up and audition with no obvious training or natural we…
Why we need guitar heroes
It’s easy to be cynical of idol worshipping. When we see the inside of a teenager’s bedroom covered wall to wall with posters of their favorite pop/rock stars we laugh and think its silly or a complete waste of time and money and in some cases may even seem obsessive. Some people spend their last…
Should you look at your fingers when playing guitar?
The answer is both yes and no. The goal is to be able to play guitar without looking at your hands. Relying on your eyes to guide you will put you at a significant advantage which I will explain. The only time you will want to look at your hands is when you are first…
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