Motivation Archives - Page 3 of 16

10 Tips on How to Make Yourself Play Guitar Everyday

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Most of us would like to play guitar everyday, but the reality is there are so many other things on our todo list we sometimes forget to practice at all.

So I tried a little experiment a few weeks ago. I took a piece of a paper and wrote down the most important scales, songs and exercises I needed to work on.

I placed the notes on the fridge, the toilet and living room walls. It now keeps reminding me of what I need to be practicing even when I’m too busy and get lost in other things.

The fact that I’m constantly reminded, triggers me to pick up my guitar several times a day and just play. That’s what I need.

Along with this effective trick I use some other strategies to make sure there’s nothing in my way. Read and apply them.

Here are 10 tips to get you playing everyday:

And remember The more you practice, the better you get, the more fun it will be!

1 – Unescapable reminders
Place reminders everywhere. Put reminders in your cell phone and your computer calender. Place reminders on the kitchen fridge and the toilet wall. Wherever you spend most of your time you want to put up a reminder that makes you start practicing. Continue Reading

Guitar Playing and The Power of Failure

By Klaus Crow 10 Comments

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We all recognize those awkward moments of embarrassment, when it feels like everything you’ve worked so hard for suddenly falls and shatters to pieces.

In an instant you’re desperately seeking for that nearest whole in the floor to jump in and disappear quickly or better yet just vanish into thin air.

Reality sucks sometimes. But these are the crucial moments when the tables are about to turn.

The times in my life where I made dramatic improvement in guitar playing, performing, teaching, blogging and other areas, is when I failed. Failed and painfully confronted.

Yes it hurts, but you will get over it and if you have an open mind and listen to what just happened you can learn and benefit from it tremendously.

I still remember the time when I was asked for a pop rock cover band with musicians ten years older than me. I thought I could play pretty decent guitar (Satriani, Metallica and SRV songs were on my repertoire). Then during one of the first rehearsals the drummer of the band told me my rhythm playing s#cked and that I’d better head back to my room to practice.Continue Reading

The Most Effective Way to Accomplish Your Guitar Goals

By Klaus Crow 3 Comments

Setting goals and writing them down in a notebook is a fun activity that gives your guitar life a meaningful direction. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.

For me that’s the easy part. The second part is a little trickier: Figuring out The Most Effective Way to Accomplish Your Guitar Goals.

I can’t say I’ve been lousy at accomplishing my guitar goals, but in the past there were always some goals that I somehow couldn’t get off the ground.

Maybe one reason is that I had too many goals (blame it on my enthusiasm). Well, we all have excuses.

Eventually I tackled this hurdle by creating accountability. When you feel accountable you are assured of achieving your goals. The steps you have to take become a priority!

For me, playing in a band is the perfect way to learn and become skilled at a new style of music (pop, rock, blues, folk, metal, jazz). I really get on top of it and make sure I do everything in my power to be ready for the next band rehearsal. I respect the people I’m playing with and I don’t want to let them down.

Another example is that I often create a challenge for my guitar students to study a song or solo within a couple of weeks and then have them perform it in front of their co-students. It works.

Accountability gives you the boost you need to get things done!

What is The Most Effective Way to Accomplish Your Guitar Goals

Reevaluate Your Guitar Goals

By Klaus Crow 7 Comments

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What more can you wish for when you’ve achieved most of the goals you had in the past?

I’m pretty grateful for my life right now and all the things I’ve experienced and accomplished.

I’ve played in a lot of different bands, done hundreds of gigs, played music for a living, met a beautiful girl, got married, traveled to beautiful countries, started teaching guitar for a living from my home studio, started a blog, got three kids and made some really good friends along the way. Of course, that’s the short version.

While I’m really happy with accomplishing a lot of the goals I had, goals can also change once you get older. Life changes, circumstances change, you change and so it’s not that strange your goals change along with you.

Lately I read something in a book that really struck me.
Let’s fast forward a couple of years. Suppose you are somewhere around 85 years old, you are lying on your death bed and look back on your life. Are there still things you wish you had done in your life or regret you didn’t have? Think about it for a moment.

Now let’s rewind again.Continue Reading

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