Saturday, September 11, 2010

Crank Up Your Commitment Level

What will raise your commitment level?

There's nothing like a goal to get you fired up about your playing. One of the rewards of giving guitar lessons is to see a student break out of a period of complacency. Just recently I had a student who was struggling to learn, then he decided he'd play his guitar in the school talent show. His practice sessions went from just about zero to more than an hour a day, even more on weekends. He got a standing ovation for his performance, and then decided he would work out a song to play at church. His enthusiasm is absolutely contagious and his commitment to playing is at an all time high. If you want to get excited about learning guitar, you must have a goal.

Some ideas for a goal to set.

Set up a date to perform somewhere. It doesn't matter if it's a coffee house open mike, a recital, a talent show or a concert for your family and friends. There's nothing like a deadline to make you take the guitar out of its case.

Play with other people. No matter if you're a beginning guitar player or an expert, making music with others is a motivator.

Find an accountability partner or practice buddy. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get you going. When I first started guitar I had a friend who was about 6 months ahead of me. If I learned something at my lesson and decided to show off, you can bet the next day he could play it too!

What do you do to motivate yourself?

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