Michael

I’ve been working on learning a new song on the guitar for many days now. It hasn’t helped that I’ve been traveling a lot and haven’t had a guitar to practice on. Even so, I was having a difficult time getting the rhythm part which included a lot of single string picking. The more I tried, the more frustrated I got. I decided to take about a week off from playing that part. I wanted to let my frustration cool down.

Tonight, I picked up the guitar and tried the part again. No luck. I was not getting it. My determination only increased. There was no reason I couldn’t get this. So, I played the song several times on my stereo trying to play along with it. I then turned off the stereo and played the part at about half speed.

Viola! I finally saw/felt the pattern of play that I was reaching for. I practiced for about 30 minutes on this one piece. I continually improved over that time. It was a great feeling.

Every time I reach an impasse with my music, I give myself some leeway to make a bunch of mistakes, stay relaxed but focused, believe that I can figure it out and remember that I’m doing this to have fun. Sometimes I have to release my frustration and replace it with some patience, but generally speaking my four part formula works. I use it for other aspects of my life also.

If you are working on something new, just remember my four steps and maybe you will have the breakthrough you are looking for.

Have a great day!

Michael