It's quite normal to feel demotivated when learning something new, even if it is something you always wanted to do. It is proven that motivation works in waves, you're not 100% motivated to do something all the time. So how can you improve this and keep motivated to practice your guitar every day?
Try to figure the main reason why you are not feeling motivated to practice. Maybe it is the lack of time or you can't quite understand a new exercise, or you're just feeling plainly bored. Well, you should know that learning something new is always a challenge, but it can be as effective as possible if you focus on your goal and follow these 6 tips:
1- Define Short-Term Goals
Challenge yourself with short and achievable goals. E.g. Try doing a 14 Day Challenge: practice 15-20 minutes per day for 14 days and see how much you can learn and improve in just this little amount of time dedicated to practice. This way, you slowly build habits and embrace the idea of consistency, which is key to learning guitar. It is surprising how great your evolution can be once you create a habit.
2- Record Yourself
Following the idea of the 14 Day Challenge, why not record yourself doing so? Perhaps record the first day and the last day and compare how much progress you've made, this will show you that even with small amounts of time dedicated to practice, you can still achieve great results. It is always fulfilling to see evolution and improvement in ourselves, give it a try. You can use our app Fretello Stage to record yourself with some cool backing tracks to make everything even more exciting.
3- Change your Routine
Of course, you're going to be bored if you're just doing the same exercises over and over. Even the best guitarists change their practice routine at least once every 2 weeks. You should be doing a list of exercises that will improve your skills and at the same time input different learning aspects. Your practice plan should always lead to your finals goals in the long term. With Fretello Lead app, you have personalized lessons for all levels, real-time feedback and engaging exercises that are tailored to your individual goals as a musician.
4. Keep Your Guitar In Sight
Besides being a very cool decoration item, having the guitar in your living room, bedroom, especially by places you know you're going to be sitting, is known to be extremely effective and a huge factor in motivation. So don't waste your time and remove your guitar from the case!
5. Connect with People Who Are Also Learning Guitar
It is great to have other people going through the same experiences as you. This is perfect for motivation as you can have fun practicing with a friend, even make a little competition and set goals together. Moreover, share your frustrations and help each other. There are also several online communities for people learning guitar, like Facebook groups and Reddit forums.
6- Take a Break
You're not a machine. You need to get some rest, your hands need a break. You will have the rest of your life to practice your guitar, so no need to rush everything now. Take some time to be inspired by other musicians, attend live concerts, look for new bands and music styles to listen to. Although you're not actually practicing your guitar, you are practicing your ears, your creativity, and your mind.
Remember, it's normal to feel demotivated sometimes, but it is important you acknowledge it and realize you can do something about it. Start small and simple, until you are able to create a habit. Don't let this feeling get away with your dreams and goals of playing guitar.
What do you do to keep motivated to practice constantly every day?