We all get frustrated when we are learning. If you are a frustrated guitarist, now is the time to find a solution. I’ve been playing for over 40 years and have found a few ideas to keep myself practicing and enjoying my guitar. First, we need to identify why.
4 REASONS WHY YOU AREN’T PLAYING YOUR GUITAR
Why don’t you play?
1. My guitar sounds terrible – This can be a problem for several reasons. Some guitars, no matter how expensive can slip out of tune even after a few minutes. There are several reasons for this.
- The strings are old.
- The neck needs to align properly.
- When the guitar is on your lap the wood warms up and the tuning changes.
- My advice: Take it to a reputable guitar store and get their guitarist to play it for you. You may just need new strings or a setup to fix the problem. Occasionally, you may find you bought a lemon! It happens. If it’s time to find a new guitar look here for a bargain.
2. Really hurts my fingers – I’m not going to tell you to suck it up! If like myself you have thin skin, then you can learn on a nylon string guitar (it’s a little harder to push the strings down but they don’t cut into your fingers.)
If you are playing an electric guitar, you can get a lighter gauge of strings. Also, check that the
strings are lying close to the frets on the guitar neck but not so low that they buzz. If they are a long way off the neck this is called a ‘high action’ and can be fixed by a good luthier in a guitar shop.
The core of the problem
3. I’m so bored! – Understandable. Boredom can come from a few areas. Perhaps you are not enjoying the lessons you’ve been doing, perhaps they are too hard or too slow. There are lots of YouTube teachers, so do some research for a lesson on something that interests you right now today. Find a song and band that you really like. Look up the chords and play along. Join a community to chat about music gear and guitars.
4. I don’t know any songs – Now, it doesn’t matter what type of music you like to play. Or if you sing or play the lead. At the end of the day, you started playing because you liked a song. No matter if you are just beginning or if you have been playing for a long time, learning a new song is exciting. Here is a favorite song that is easy to learn.
You get to choose which song, find the chords, and decide how you will present the finished work. When you have a reasonable rendition bite the bullet and play for someone or join a group to jam with for fun. Find yourself some live lessons for free.
Share your story and the challenges
This is your chance to vent a little and share your solutions. Head to the comments and let me know how you’ve beaten the challenge of staying connected. You might have a magic bullet, I would love to know your secret or compare notes. Share this post around and let’s get a discussion going amongst our world guitarists.
Play with joy!
LILY
Great to have found your article searching. I was a frustrated pianist growing up and we are trying to nuture a love for music in our daughter now. So we want to learn form your experience and instil a love for a musical instrument – that is not forced. We must do it the right way and help her to find her gifts.
My brother played guitar too, so I can understand a lot of these challenges. But my wife loves guitar. Playing with joy is the most important thing to her and we will try to help our little girl to find her own joy!
I’m honoured that you found value in my post to inspire you with your daughter. Help her to find her way and enjoy her learning journey, this will keep the joy alive.
Happy to help. Lily
The fingers pain is one heck of a problem. I cannot remember how many times I was feeling my finger burning that gave me no desire to play. Also at least for me I was trying never to push myself into it. I was taking breaks, even long ones if i felt i was full of it and somehow i always found the need to go for it again. People can react different so this for me worked, but i don’t know if it would apply to others. I was never trying to push myself into it and I was always coming back with more desire to play.
I really think you are correct, sometimes a mini break works to let your fingers heal, so that when you play again it is a pleasure. Great advice.
Very simple and precise. Really engaging
Thanks for reading
Hi Lily! You’ve done such a nice job helping guitarists find solutions to their frustrations and I commend you on that. The world needs more people like you in it. We all need a little reminder or a kind friend just to listen now and then even if it’s just because we’ve lost interest in something temporarily or our guitar is out of tune. My advice to those that may be bored or lost interest would be to play for someone who loves the music or even someone new and when you see their happiness you will be reminded of why you play music in the first place.
You really understand how important it is to have a buddy to share your guitar journey with. I’m sure you would make a great cheerleader for a musician.
Interesting article. Thank you!
Thanks for having a read. Lily