It's never easy learning a new instrument. Guitar playing can be both physically and mentally demanding. In this article you will learn some new methods of motivation that you can not only apply to your guitar playing, but to your daily life as well.

Every guitar player goes through ups and downs in their progress on the guitar. I can speak from experience; I may not learn anything for weeks at a time and then all of a sudden I will learn something that takes me on a whole new journey in my guitar playing and before I know it I find I have progressed. The lesson here is to have patience. If you feel like you’re going no where, stick with it. Here are a few more motivation ideas to help you keep learning the guitar:

• set goals
• incorporate music you enjoy
• practice with other people

Set Goals

Setting a goal is like putting a light at the end of a tunnel.  It can help you achieve focus and dedication on your path. It is important to have a greater goal such as learning to play guitar at an advanced level.  However, it isn't more important to set smaller goals in order to achieve your greater goal.

Consider this as an example; you want to play eruption by Eddie Van Halen.  A question you could ask yourself is what smaller steps would it take for me to be up to play a solo? First, it would be ideal to learn about the scales that he is using in the solo then you must learn the finger coordination in order to play the scales. What makes eruption by Eddie Van Halen so amazing is not just the notes that he is playing, it is also the techniques that he incorporates.  This could be considered another goal learning tapping and the other techniques in which he applies to the song. Once you can break apart what's required in order to play eruption you should have at least a few small goals set by this time:

• learn the scales
• finger coordination
• techniques
• song structure

Incorporate Music You Enjoy

I think “incorporate music you enjoy” says it all. Chances are you started learning the guitar so that you can play all those songs you love. So why the heck are you playing some song you’ve never heard of because some beginner guitar book has decided that’s what you should be playing. Find what you enjoy, whether it’s a Pink Floyd song you love or original song ideas. What really matters is that you are playing something.

Practice with Other People

I can not stress enough how important it is to get out and play with other people. When I reflect on my personal experiences I can say that playing with other people, whether it’s playing in bands or jamming at home with a friend, every time it challenges me to play well and to keep learning. It doesn’t matter how many people you play with or what instrument they play, just get out there. You won’t regret it. Keep an eye out in the newspaper or bulletin boards for open jam nights. Do not be afraid to get out there. So many times I have asked friends to come out to a jam night and they say, “no thanks, what if they think I suck?” It doesn’t matter how good or how bad you are. It doesn’t matter if you started playing guitar 3 weeks ago. Get out there and I know you’ll find yourself progressing fast than you thought possible.