Originally Posted by: studiovape0

Hello everyone. I’ve been playing on and off for about 25 years. I’ve had a few lessons and self taught a lot in that time, but always fell short of really getting to far.

Fretting hand /thumb pain sore neck/shoulder and other setbacks when I practiced hard always made me feel like I just wasn’t cut out for it.

Having another go now, “forcing” a more relaxed technique and posture this time.

also trying to play for shorter spells and do some very day.

Struggleing to find a good path through the lessons that doesn’t bore me but catches any basics I might have missed etc.

anyway looking forward to the newish journey.

Don't let rockstar stories of playing until fingers bled or for '10 hours a day' fool you. I mean, I'm not suggesting that this is what's driving you now but it's the kind of mindset people get in to in the same way someone trains for sports or something. In a way, it's subconcious; 'I must dedicate myself to get better'. Sure, you do have have to dedicate yourself on some level in order to get better.

Confused?

The point is to enjoy playing guitar. Period. It is a mindset change and not as much of a habit change.

What does all that mean?

While dedication to an instrument is admirable, enjoyment is the priority. If you approach it as a 'I cannot fail' approach, you'll invariably fail. That's the nature of guitar. Guitar does not allow for perfection. It does allow for improvement.

Stick with me, I'm gettin' somewhere with this...

Your mindset should be less focused on pass/fail. Where am I getting this? In your post, you mentioned that you 'always fell short of really getting to far'. The question is; fell short of what? You're seeing guitar playing as something that you could possibly fail at.

A few years ago, though not unique, I recall a member on these boards for a brief time that was posting that he 'could not get it'. He had teachers and went to all kinds of online lessons and even with a recent face-to-face instructor, the instructor just told him to quit. The line through all of this was his debating with everyone that he 'couldn't do it'. You can see why he failed, he spent most of his time convinced that he would fail and frustrated as to why that was happening. Yet any objective person could see that he just convinced himself that, despite his wont to play guitar, he couldn't because that's what he told himself.

People don't actually fail at guitar. That's a mindset. You do succeed at improvement.

Key here is to understand that guitar playing is a lifelong improvement project. Playing is always a matter of steps. Some are quick and easy and others are slow and a little more difficult. Guitar playing is always going to be 'those steps'. You never have it mastered but that's ok.

And that's what makes guitar playing awesome. With the right mind about it, you realize that you never really can ever get bored with playing.

Reorient your mind to growth and not worry how fast or slow it's taking you. You'd also mentioned that you're 'forcing a more relaxed technique and posture this time'. Definately you do want to be more relaxed and that starts with your head. While we all want to master the instrument, as mere mortals, we can master the next step in our playing.

It's funny, I've been playing for decades and can hold my own. When I was at a store recently, I guy similar to my age that was probably just starting out and he walked by as I was just noodling my standard 'guitar store licks' on an acoustic and he said to me, 'Man, if only I could ever be that good'. Nice compliment but even today after playing for a long time, there's things I learn and am challenged to play. Heck, I have a run that I made up that I've been trying to get right for many weeks now!! And it's my run!

Take the steps. Be clear in your mind that you're on a journey that the steps are the point. They are what's awesome about playing. I can play because I've been taking steps for decades. I still like playing because I like the steps and I know that around the corner is something new and cool to learn. Even when it's a tougher thing, I like working that that through.

It's like the corny 'Embrace the journey' but it's true. Take the pressure off perfection and realize that guitar is lots of building blocks.

.....it's like I just wrote a guitar player's self-help book ;)