I’m not talking about volume here, and I’m actually not talking about guitar lessons either although that can obviously help. I’m talking about just ‘turning up’ and getting the work done. There’s no big secret and you don’t need to be a natural.
I recently took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and despite basically a lifetime of martial arts experience, I am AWFUL at it. I really enjoy it though and I fully intend to continue get better. Sure, I could spend a lot of time trawling YouTube, learning about loads of fancy techniques that are way beyond me at the moment and watching experts talk about how not to panic in your first sparring session etc. but honestly, right now, all of this is superfluous and if I truly want to progress then all I have to do is just turn up. I’m really not worried that I’m terrible right now because I know, that if I just continue to show up to class, put the time in and drill the fundamentals then everything will move in the right direction and I will get better.
Once I’m a bit more adept at the absolute basics then sure, I can start paying more attention to the ocean of techniques, styles and approaches that can be taken but the most important thing will always be for me to simply turn up.
Learning and progressing, as a guitarist or musician, is no different at all. To progress, you need to ‘turn up’ above all else. It doesn’t matter if you’re a bit tired today or not feeling particularly great, if you want to move forward as a musician then just got to band practice and get it done, or step into your practice space at home and apply backside to chair. Even if you just spend 20 minutes drilling the fundamentals, you will end up thanking yourself further down the line believe me!
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