Guitarists and other musicians understand that it can be very easy for your playing to plateau. Often it is more of an emotional plateau than an actual physical halt in progress but everybody who plays experiences this sooner or later.
For beginners it usually occurs shortly after they have managed to string their initial chords together and established their first strum. The strange thing is many people become discouraged during this period because it feels like they are just playing the same thing over and over and not getting any better, when in actual fact it is in those moments that the real progress takes place.
Here is the crucial point where you have to keep practicing and playing the same chords or strum patterns over and over again without getting frustrating, or even worse, getting bored of playing the guitar.
But how can you do it? How can you keep going?
Keep these three things in mind:
1. Remember. Always remember why you started to learn to play the guitar.
2. Inspiration. Search your best source for inspiration; keeping track of your favorite guitarists and listening to all kinds of music is a great way to get inspired.
3. Routine. Build your own practice routine, a routine that best suits your needs and what you are wanting to achieve.
Good luck with this!
Ben Edwards
