The most critical fact

by Luis BONVIN
You're learning guitar because you want to play on your guitar your favorite music, and you want to enjoy the feeling of drawing out of your guitar those enticing sounds.

And you want to learn to play your guitar in an optimum way, so you'll awaken the admiration of everybody listening to you.

And you can achieve your goals, when you take into account a few and very important concepts, specially when you are self-teaching.

I won't tell you that they are easy. I'll tell you that you can definitively do them, just putting will and work. Like everything deserved in life.

Let's go through them.

Attitude: It is the main thing you must have in mind. I'm talking here about a strong and decided state of mind and body that puts you on the track of all the effort needed to meet your goals. Without hard work you won't get anything great in life. You won't even be a fair guitar player.

Listen in a different way: Until now most likely you listened just to enjoy it. From now on, you' listen music to enjoy it and learn from it. You'll listen trying to find out how the player is playing every specific part of the piece; what is the player intending to give; what difficulties is the player encountering, and how is he/she going through them; how would you like to have that part played.

Practice daily: Yes! Practice daily! Not less than two hours a day (one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, evening or night). I told you that it would be hard.

Practice efficiently: During the time segments you assigned to practicing, do just that. Practice. Practice the lessons, exercises, scales, chords, pieces you must practice. Be clearly sincere with yourself. Don't fool yourself, thinking that you are doing your practice when you're only playing something you like to play and not what you must play.

Play with others: Whenever possible, specially when you have reached a playing knowledge and skills (and it isn't required very much), play sometimes with other guitar players.

You'll be surprised about how much you can learn.

Look for a teacher: Yes. Look for a teacher. If you are learning to play guitar on your own, there'll be a time when you'll need the guidance and advices of a guitar teacher.

There are many things than cannot be written and read. They must be shown and explained over the guitar itself. And I guarantee you that you'll be amazed about what you will learn.

Remember. Attitude, change your listening habits, practice daily and efficiently, play with others whenever possible, and have a teacher to make your knowledge perfect.

There's no mystery in learning to play the guitar, but though rewarding it's a way of hard work.

Take it like that, and you'll become a very good guitar player.