How To Break Through Your Guitar Plateau?

Has your guitar playing hit a wall and you want to improve faster? Any guitarist who has been playing the guitar for perhaps a few years and who has moved past that initial boost has sadly experienced this. Progress slowing to a plateau and lots of time spent with the guitar is not moving their playing forward as they would like. This can be both frustrating and disheartening and can happen to professionals and beginners alike.

So what could be holding you back? And what can be done to keep progress up and get that step closer to your goals? This is where I come in! Through this article I hope to share with you a few ideas that I have learned over many years of performing and teaching. These will help you to understand what it is you need to move to the next level.

Fallacies and general ignorance/Does practice make perfect?

Have you head the phrase “practice makes perfect”? There is a general approach to the concept of practice that is very superficial and flawed. This issue has largely shown in phrases and rhymes that are passed along from person to person. These unfortunately formulate the approach we try to put into practice when we start learning the guitar. So not a good start!

“Practice makes perfect” – Lets dig in and break this down a little! It rhymes, sound good and rhyme is meant to have reason this platitude is far from true! Playing a song or even one line of music incorrectly a hundred times over will not make it perfect. This will only drill into your mind and fingers the incorrect way of playing and the skill you have been working hard to develop will take a step backwards. You will get better at playing it incorrectly! However, we also know that all does not come to they who wait and it does take working at your guitar technique and knowledge to improve. So here is what we need to ask ourselves:

• What it is that has a positive effect on our playing?
• How can we use this efficiently to get the most out of the time we spend practicing and jump forward?

Practice is a skill

It is important to understand that practicing is a skill on its own and only perfect practice makes perfect. By understanding what in your practice is making you a better guitarist and by discarding the things that are not you can gain far more out of your time! So together lets develop this skill and not become the fly that hits its head on the windowpane all day in the hopes of progress. If you do not feel you are improving as much as you could, then advice such as “be patience” or “practice more” that I have seen in numerous blogs and propagated by many teachers should be ignored. Let’s get you moving forward today!

What are the biggest mistakes that could be holding you back?

Everybody has sticking points in their playing. Habits or elements of poor technique that slow down or even stop their development. This is where we can see many hours not producing the results we would have hoped for or expected. To change this and see the results we want, the all important idea and change needed is in your approach to practicing. So lets bring up some points and questions that are seldom talked about.

Practice like a pro!

What is the differences between high level professional players and amateurs? A good place to start! And this lies in an ability to both realise and find ways to move past the sticking points that are holding back progress. If you cannot clearly see what mistakes you can correct or specific areas in which you could improve then how can you head in that direction? So we have a simple thought process that we need to consider before investing our time so we know it is being spent in the best way.

Step one – Diagnose

Look at your playing and get an idea of what you need or want to work on. Listen out for buzzed or dud notes that may hint at a flaw in your technique. Record a video your playing to see what you are doing from a different perspective.

This may seem like a very simple step but it is incredible how many people skip it! This leaves your hours of practice without any idea of what you are trying to improve. In this sense pushing your skill forwards on the guitar can be compared to map reading. How do you get to your destination without firstly knowing where you are? You need to find both your location and that of the destination before you plot a path. All this needs to be in place before you start walking. Then several times along the way you need to revisit these steps to see if you are still on track.

Step two – Problem Solve

You now know what you need to improved but at all costs avoid getting caught in the trap of mindless repetition without any change in the hopes for improvement (the fly repeatedly banging it’s head against the windowpane). We need to do some problem solving! Is a note buzzing? If so ask why this is and what could be causing it. Are you struggling with chord changes? Perhaps look at how you are holding the guitar or moving. See if there is an easier fingering or if your hand is landing in the shape you want.

Over the years I have developed many strategies for problems in technique. My main advice here is get creative and have fun! Think outside the box. You have a goal and you can use anything available to you to problem solve along the way. If you are stuck for ideas, just drop me a message and break your plateau today.

If you are reading this then you probably already have the all-important drive to improve. But do you look at your playing and try to understand what needs to be improved? If you have a few ideas on what you can improve do you spend some time trying to figure out a way to improve this (your guitar action plan)? If you are not seeing big steps forward perhaps it is time for a rethink and time to develop a new approach to your practice that works for you! We have easy access to video cameras, mirrors and recording devices so we can put these all to use.

Stay at your best and know when to rest!

If you have followed and put into practice the ideas up to this point you are getting on the right track. But practicing the guitar can be tiring and if done correctly you will be putting in more thought and concentration than before. After all we are trying to move away from mindless repetition.

Your mind – like any muscle – works at it’s best when it is fresh. So knowing when to step back for a minute and have a cup of tea is crucial for getting the most out of your time. You may also be surprised how short a time you can practice for before your concentration starts to waver. After this you are no longer able to work at your best. Sometimes this can be as short as even a minute or two on a more taxing section of music. Perhaps up to ten minutes at a push with something more simple for you.

Gauge how you are feeling and don’t feel bad about putting down the guitar and clearing your mind. Often all you need is a minute to get back to the place you feel ready and enthusiastic to crack on!

Otherwise the trap we fall into is not a positive one. As your mind gets tired and mistakes creep in it is hard to feel enthusiastic and happy with your playing. But if you are not feeling good about your music, how will you have any drive to improve? So the point here is not just about wasting time with a tired mind. But also keeping the love for the guitar that makes you enjoy playing. This is possibly the biggest message from this article! And I will leave you with the thought that you probably did not google your guitar plateau because you were feeling happy about your playing. But happiness will give you the energy you need to push through your guitar plateau and enjoy what you could be!

Let me help you!

I would like to personally help you and directly offer you my experience. Here’s all you need to do!

1. Upload a video to a site such as YouTube or Vimeo
2. Put a link to the video in the comments below or in a massage to me with a question.

I will personally watch your video and message you back with the ideas and observations that I know will push your playing forward. No strings attached, free lesson!

(p.s. keep yourself in frame and try have enough lighting and good audio/video quality. iPhone videos can be absolutely fine quality)

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