Technically, winter has only five more weeks to go here in the Northern Hemisphere. But when you’re going through it one day, one hour at a time, that it may never end. You could be stuck forever exactly where you are.
You can certainly feel that way about learning to play the guitar, or learning any instrument for that matter. No matter what you do it’s always the same old, same old, and you are not only going nowhere fast, but you’ve also got a return ticket back to nowhere.
Fortunately, I live with Charley, whom some of you have met either in person or via the Internet. And he has a good philosophy about what to do when it seems like you’re stuck in a rut, or on a “plateau,” as guitarists tend to think of their predicament, and that is to simply take a break. Usually for him, a “break” means a “nap,” but there’s a lot to be said for his idea.
In fact, ages ago I wrote a column for Guitar Noise called Recharging Your Batteries that discusses how important it is to be able to get past the initial malaise of the dreaded plateau through calm, detached and honest observation of your situation.
And we’ve recently run a great piece by the great guitar teacher, Jamie Andreas, called Guitar Plateaus – What To Do When You’re Stuck, which is also an excellent read.
And when you are feeling stuck, taking time out to unwind and read is an excellent way to rest up your fingers and get the brain fired up to start playing again. Right after a brief nap, of course!
Peace
February 14th, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
Now if that isn’t a picture. Charley has the right idea. Nap time!