6 Reasons Your Guitar Improvement Has Hit a Wall And How to Overcome Them
This article comes from Shawn Leonhardt from Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer!
Regardless of the hobby or skill, we all reach a point where we hit a wall, even with musical abilities like playing the guitar. You can practice the pentatonic scale daily, try new routines, and even try to spice things up, but it still may be hard to overcome certain stubborn problems. Here are 6 reasons why your guitar playing has hit a wall and potential ways of overcoming that hurdle.
The Music Wall Is a Fact of Life
First, it is best to consider it a plateau instead of a wall, and we will all reach that flat point eventually. Like life, music is a rollercoaster of peaks, lows, and sometimes moments of stagnation. Boredom, anxiety, depression, and just a busy life can interrupt progress in all skills. David Bowie wrote a song called “Sound and Vision" from the album Low, which contains these lyrics.
Blue, blue, electric blue
That’s the color of my room
Where I will live
Pale blinds drawn all day
Nothing to do, nothing to say
There is likely not a better song that encapsulates the biggest problem of the musician and artist. Creativity and the desire to play music aren’t always present, and the sooner you deal with that fact, the better. How do you beat this feeling and truth in life? You keep playing and practicing guitar chords. Accept these plateaus, walls, and low moments are going to happen, and don’t give up. Eventually, you will find the right ideas, sounds, and visions.
Try Playing a New Genre
A lot of guitar players find a particular genre or style they like and really run it into the ground. This is a common problem among shredders and players looking to attain virtuoso technical experience. It’s true that you need to play something over and over so that it builds muscle and mental memory, but if that’s all you do, you will quickly hit a wall.
Start playing other genres and styles of music, even if you don’t like them! It’s a great challenge to switch up playing from lead, rhythm, solo, comping, and more in various musical themes. It’s also helpful to try genres that are not guitar-centric and see if you can translate a piano or orchestral riff to the guitar. Expand your musical knowledge by listening to and playing songs that are not your normal cup of tea!
Go Back And Play Old and Well-Known Songs
While switching up can be great, it is also helpful to get back to the basics. When you hit a wall or plateau with your guitar, it can often be because of a lack of confidence. You may have been moving along well and progressing nicely, and then suddenly, boom, it feels like that is as far as you will get on the guitar!
By going back to the basics and easy guitar songs we used to play, we can remind ourselves of the confidence we once had. And we can even improve on our original by playing along with the song and making sure we hit every note and tone correctly. By going through old and healthy playing habits, we can trick our brain into feeling more confident, and that will give us a boost over that musical block or wall.
Play a Different Guitar or Even Another Instrument
Many of the best musicians are multi-instrumentalists, and this is not for talent reasons, but because it helps improve creativity and skill. Picking up a different guitar model or even a completely new instrument will challenge the brain and muscles and break the monotony of regular practice. If you are a songwriter, this method increases the chances of having new ideas and riffs.
Obviously, the goal isn’t to just obtain as many new guitars and instruments as possible but to genuinely try and learn how to play them. Study the new tunings (grab your guitar tuner!), picking styles, and techniques that you can later adapt to your guitar. Novelty and excitement are easy ways to overcome life hurdles, and playing something new is one of the best methods to ease the boredom of the daily guitar practice grind.
Use Social Media to Find New Ideas
Years ago, the advice would be to find some new musicians to play with; while this is still a great activity, it isn’t as practical as it once was. If you are in a situation where you do not have access to other guitarists, social media can make a great substitute. Of course, this method does have some drawbacks as these sites can be addictive and time consuming.
It is best to make sure you curate your media feed to other musicians by being active with content creators that will motivate and educate you. If you follow interesting people, it will not be long until you are inspired by new techniques, tips, tricks, and songs for the guitar. One of the best aspects of social media is that if you use it correctly, there will be an endless supply of creative ideas and new potential skills, especially for a beginner guitar player.
Take a Break And Learn More Music Theory
And sometimes we don’t need to learn new genres or play different instruments! There are times where a break is needed. You do not want to go too long, but giving the muscles and the brain a rest can lead to skill breakthroughs. Especially for those of you who are obsessively learning to play guitar, you might just need to chill for a while. However, it’s not like you must completely avoid music.
During these breaks, use research and social media to investigate deeper aspects of music theory and history. It also helps to listen to well-known and even new music to inspire your future practice. Like the David Bowie song above, you never know when a lyric or lesson is going to be like a lightning strike to the mind and give you a push out of that creative or technical rut!
If you follow these pointers and tips, you will have a better chance of overcoming the wall you hit while playing guitar. It happens to all of us, and it is up to you to trudge through or give up! After learning so many songs as well as music theory, it can all seem mundane and unoriginal, and the idea of playing can give you the blues! But keep trying different methods and learning from other guitarists and soon new sounds and ideas will help you rise above those pesky plateaus.