Rekindling Your Love for THE GUITAR

Trembling from the cheers of the crowd as you blaze through that Van Halen song; inducing awestruck silence as you land that last note on “November Rain” or just hoping to create some good music – whatever our motivation may be, most of us set out to master the guitar at some point in our lives. Yet, many of us quit at the early stages, closing the doors to what could've been. You grow apart. The once “effective” wingman now sits there in the corner gathering dust while you frolic with your newest obsession.

So how can you prevent yourself from abandoning the Way of the Axe? Well this article shall attempt to help you do just that. Some of the advices provided apply to other instruments as well so that bassists and drummers don't feel left out.

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD:
The first few lessons are far from entertaining. Exercises to improve finger flexibility and creating muscle memory are crucial no doubt, but they get monotonous quickly. Solely practising the basic fingering drills can make you lose interest. You signed up to shred your pants off, not practice picking three frets per string for 40 minutes. Well, there are easy songs even beginners can play which should serve to spice up your practice time and keep you hooked. In this case, YouTube is your new best friend (if you weren't already in a love-hate relationship with it like me). There are literally hundreds of videos that teach you how to play your favourite songs, so take a break from the drills and try learning a new riff you can show off to your friends when things get mind-numbingly repetitive. Protip: you can play Smoke On The Water even if you have never picked up the guitar before.

However, remember not to overreach. One mistake beginners make is trying to learn a song that is beyond their skill level, which usually leads to frustration. Start simple and move on to more demanding songs when you're ready. According to a certain famous YouTube guitar instructor with an unhealthy love for fedoras, when you learn one song, you are actually learning hundreds of others in the process. It is important to strike the right balance between practicing the tedious exercises and actually playing a tune since both are equally significant.

THE “IF I CAN'T BE AS TALL AS PAUL GILBERT, I'LL AT LEAST PLAY LIKE HIM DAMMIT” SYNDROME:
Annoyed that your friend's little brother plays faster than you? Do you cry yourself to sleep because you can't nail that pentatonic run in Mr. Crowley? Did you put in hours of practice time and have nothing to show for it? We've all been there. When you don't make progress it usually has more to do with your practice methods than talent. Try more efficient exercises and be more organised with your practice sessions. Set specific and realistic goals for yourself, divide them into different areas and assign small chunks of your practice time to each area. Use a metronome if you don't already. Every good musician and instructor will agree that 10 minutes of practice using a metronome is worth an hour without. Don't practice the same thing over and over again, take a break and try something different when you're stuck. You have a virtually inexhaustible pool of tips, tricks and advice on the internet; use them. It's the age-old argument of quality over quantity.

UNLOCK YOUR INNER SPRINGSTEEN:
Music theory can be overwhelming at first. All that talk of keys, intervals and modes can go over your head pretty easily and memorising the plethora of scales in different positions can be daunting. But the rewards for your efforts are considerable as well. Learning why those particular notes make that certain chord or how some notes sound better together than others will open doors you never even knew existed. Having some theoretical knowledge under your belt will allow you to jam with your friends or play along to a backing track on YouTube, creating your own music. Soon, you will be expressing yourself through your instrument and the hours will go by without you even noticing. Although I won't promise that you'll write the new “Stairway to Heaven” overnight, you'll certainly see that you don't need to have a dead son or an addiction to make good music.

THE GRASS MAY BE GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE:
Stuck playing the same riffs over and over again? Can't crank that distortion any higher? Maybe it's time to broaden your horizons. Trying a new genre of music is not a sin, no matter what your metalhead friends say. Maybe try out a new instrument; the guitar master race will allow it. Go see a live performance. Watching your peers can be an enlightening experience even for the most advanced players. Try incorporating what you see into your own style. Go. Be inspired. Shoo.

And finally, learn to play with your ears. Don't just rely on tabs to pick up music. Do ear training exercises as well.