Have you ever felt frustrated when practicing your guitar and wondered if you're actually improving at all?
If so, you're not alone.
Every musician, from complete beginners to professional performers, experiences periods where progress feels painfully slow. One day you're excited because you've learned a new skill or mastered a tricky rhythm. The next, it feels like you've hit a wall and aren't improving at all.
The truth is that like most other forms of learning, learning an instrument isn't a straight line. It's a journey filled with peaks, plateaus, breakthroughs, and occasional moments when you seriously consider using your instrument as expensive decor.
But slow progress doesn't mean you're failing.
Let's explore why progress sometimes feels slow and, more importantly, how to stay motivated when you're tempted to give up.
It's important to remember that you're learning more than you think you are. When you first start learning an instrument, every improvement feels huge. Your first chord, the first riff, the first time it really feels smooth… it's obvious that you're making progress.
But as your skills grow, improvements become smaller and more subtle. Instead of learning a whole new song in a day, you might spend a week refining your timing or improving finger placement.
The gains are still happening, they're just harder to spot.
One of the fastest ways to destroy motivation is comparison.
Thanks to social media, we're constantly exposed to incredible musicians performing flawlessly. We see polished videos, perfect performances, and seemingly effortless talent. We don't see the years of practice, the mistakes, the failures or the frustrations.
When you compare your current ability to someone else's highlight reel, you'll almost always come away feeling discouraged. The only person you need to compare yourself to is you - look at where you are compared with where you were last month. Have you learned a new song or refined your technique?
Keep your journey focused on yourself, and celebrate your achievements, even if they feel small! Reward yourself for each little bit of progress, and keep moving forward.
It isn't realistic to aim for perfection, but consistency will get you where you want to be. If you feel stuck in a rut, take a break and remind yourself why you wanted to learn in the first place - listen to some of your favourite songs and get back to having fun with your guitar.
Check out my Get Going With Slide PDF to get started, or find my courses here. If you're struggling, get in touch and we'll talk.
Happy sliding!