Guitar players of all levels have to constantly be on the lookout for potential blocks to the progress. In fact, the whole process of guitar playing is a course in "problem solving".
How far you progress down the guitar playing path depends on your ability to clearly identify and overcome obstacles. Firstly, let's identify the type of common obstacles guitarist's encounter.
Guitar playing obstacles:
1. physical 2. mental - data 3. psychological
Physical obstacles can be overcome by (a) making c were riding on a bus and someone made a comment about dentistry hardly anyone would make a remark about what was being said, since dentistry is considered a specialist field therefore unless you were a fellow dentist you would figure it would be best to say nothing. Now, if you were in the same bus and made a comment about Elton John, Elvis or Green Day everyone would be climbing over each other with something important to say about a each artist.
Why ... because music is everywhere, radio, TV, Internet ... you name it, it's there ...music is to human beings like water is to fish it's everywhere therefore the general public consider themselves self appointed experts. Very few would think of opening their mouth if the discussion was about accounting or the medical profession yet music is a specialist field that requires years of dedicated training just like all other professions.
Here's a few tips to safeguard your guitar playing when next you come in contact with these "experts".
Tip 1 - family and friends (music expert) this species of expert means well however the comments can be fatal to the sensitive guitar player. Comments such as, can't you play "Smoke On The Water" etc., yet? ... you have been learning for months, everyone knows how to play "Smoke On The Water"!
Solution - don't say anything, just ask yourself what degree of musical expertise has the person making this comment ever achieved. There's a good chance their only musical achievement is to be able to turn on a CD player. By the way ... not every person wants to play "Smoke On The Water", it's a good rock song but if "your" musical preference is jazz you would be better off listening to someone like Charlie Christian or Louis Armstrong. Do I make my point clear ... you are learning the guitar for your own musical enjoyment ... you don't have to entertain everyone by playing "their" favorite tunes.
Tip 2 - Guitar player (music expert), this variety of expert is quite hazardous to your guitar playing career. Sometimes these well meaning "experts" can easily set your guitar playing back 50 years! Remember a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous ... and with these part-time experts you have to be careful.
Solution - Always check the source of the information before you take it on board. Has this player ever played in a professional group ... I'm not talking about a messy, jam session where everyone gets to play for a cut of the door takings. Beware of where the advice is coming from otherwise you could end up just as confused as them!
Tip 3 - Internet - (guitar guru/music expert) possibly the most harmful of all the self appointed "experts". My favorite cartoon about the Internet comes from the 2000 edition of The New Yorker Collection at cartoonbank ...it's a cartoon with two dogs typing on a computer, one dog says to the other "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." And that sums it up ... anyone and everyone is an expert on the Internet and boy when it comes to guitar there's no shortage of musical geniuses. You know the type ... learn the guitar in 5 minutes, play like a star, promoting guitar TAB.
Solution - An important distinction I discovered with offline music stores was that they are essentially "paper merchants" not information givers... that's not their role. This applies to online products as well ... are they simply well marketed digital products or do the actually teach you something of value? As with our previous tips check out the vendor's musical track record ... quite often the course was "ghostwritten" by some other hot shot player. Keep in mind, good players don't always make good teachers and visa versa.
Bonus Tip 4 - like everything else in life, it's always "buyer beware" ... learn to read music, become musically literate then you are in control of your musical progress! I invite you to use these tips and tools when you play the guitar.
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