50 REASONS WHY GUITAR PLAYERS FAIL

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1. NOT HAVING FUN
The main reason why so many folks quit playing guitar shortly after they begin is because they aren’t having fun. They get frustrated, discouraged or just finding practicing to be grueling and dull.
SOLUTION: Keep it simple. Playing a song in a simpler way will sound far better than adding and messing up more complicated parts.

2. LACK CONFIDENCE
It should come as no surprise that many guitaists fail because they simply lack enough confidence to push on. It’s a classic catch-22 scenario: how can you have confidence in achieving something like playing guitar if you’ve never done it before?
SOLUTION: Find a good guitar teacher who will act as a coach as well and cheer you on through the tough times.

3. GIVE UP TOO SOON
Getting through your first 6-12 months of learning to play the guitar is the hardest part. In fact, an estimated 90% of those who embark on their guitar-learning journey give up before that. Many abandon the instrument within a couple of months. In the beginning the learning curve is somewhat flat and playing will be barely rewarding. Perseverance is key.
SOLUTION: Commit to sticking with it for 6-12 months. If you can manage that, you may very well be playing guitar forever. Having a private teacher will also help prevent you from giving up too soon.

4. DON’T HAVE A GOOD ENOUGH GUITAR
Many guitarists give up becausre they try learning how to play with a poor-quality guitar. A poor quality guitar will not only go out of tune easily and sound bad, it’s also more difficult to play and could cause physical discomfort. For example, the strings may be too far away from the fret board, making it hard to press on the strings adequately.

5. FEAR OF PRACTICE
What too many musicians do not realise is that even playing/practicing in small increments is beneficial and far less daunting than thinking you have to put in an hour or so of practicing on a regular basis.
SOLUTION: Just knowing that practicing for shorter periods at a time will make practicing less daunting and even more enjoyable is what you need to avoid ending your guitar-playing journey altogether.

6. LACK OF PROGRESS
One of the main reasons why people give up learning the guitar is a lack of progress. This applies to both beginners and even folks who may have been playing guitar for years. Not progressing only breeds frustration and discouragement. It’s important to understand that even though you may not recognize your own progress, no matter how little, in all likelihood you are in fact progressing. The increments are merely very small and not obvious to you.

7. EXPECT TOO MUCH TOO SOON
Learning how to play the guitar, or any musicasl instrument, is about little steps. Many go out and buy a brand new guitar and are dissapointed when they discover that learning to play like Eric Clapton isn’t quite as easy as they thought/hoped.

8. TRY TO RUN BEFORE THEY CAN WALK
Lots of folks make the mistake of trying to learn or play too much at once and become frustrated. Working on small parts one at a time and eventually combining them is the name of the game. For example, learn to change the chords in the song you’re learning as quickly as required before working out a challenging strum pattern.

9. POOR GUITAR SETUP
Most beginning guitarists don’t know that guitars need to be setup (adjusted) for maximum playability. For example, lots of guitars when first purchased have what’s known as “high action,”meaning the strings are further away from the fretboard than they should be.

10. UNREASONABLE EXPECTATIONS
So many beginning guitarists hold themselves to too high a standard when practicing. They expect to improve instantaneously and become very hard on themselves when they do not and berate themselves whenever they make mistakes.