During my time with a guitar, I’ve occasionally (who am I kidding, more then occasionally) ran in to music or practice pieces that have frustrated the living heck out of me.
I really not kidding, there are times where I just about threw my guitar because I just couldn’t take it. (Luckily, I never actually did that; but I have felt like it before.)
While you are learning something new, especially something as complicated as learning to play a musical instrument, you canwill become frustrated. It is just a matter of time.
I stumbled upon this great blog post about frustrations, specifically aimed at learning to play guitar. I liked the article and I think it is very worth while to read (regardless whether your instrument guitar).
My wife and I were watching VH1’s “100 Greatest songs of the 90s” on Christmas Day (don’t ask why, were are boring people) and during a few of the many hours of watching the show they are interviewing MC Hammer, and eventually my wife makes a comment: “MC Hammer is taking himself way to seriously.”She was right; his demeanor was very “I’m so great” (my wife’s and my opinion) and in between the interviews, they are cutting away to his one single (that I know of) “U Can’t Touch this” and he is dancing around in huge-way-to-baggy pants. Additionally, during the interview he was wearing a vary nice suit and sunglasses-very business-like. It was very humorous.
Sometime later, they also had Vanilla Ice. Though, I’m sure many people doesn’t necessarily wants to admit it (and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure why) everyone enjoyed at least one song of his, if not more. (probably more!)
Anyway, Vanilla Ice was very cool and relaxed during the interview. He didn’t act high and mighty. He was dressed as I would expect for a person of his occupation (yes, he is still a writer/rapper). He seemed to enjoy the reminiscing.
I felt that both Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer got in to and out of the spot light in very short times. MC Hammer, quicker than Vanilla Ice, and yet it seems that MC Hammer took his “success” a bit more seriously during that show then he should have. (Perhaps that is just how the interview was cut…)
Anyway, today I was thinking that this probably applies to how you practiceguitar. You probably shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. You should definitively correct mistakes and what not (see post: “Call for Public Opinion - Mistakes“), but you are still learning! You have to expect to make mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes you can’t improve!
I think that if you take yourself too seriously, the increased pressure that you are putting on to yourself will only hinder your efforts at learning; this will only frustrate you during your efforts (leading you to eventually give up on it)
