Everybody's Still Free To...

Enjoy playing guitar.

Don’t live to practice, even if you know one chord or one simple melody, take pleasure in playing it. If you learn how to love your playing you will want to do it more and therefore play more.

Be realistic of how good you are. Record yourself playing and LISTEN. What you hear is the truth of your skill, not what others say, not what you think to be true when you are playing. What you hear when you listen back is the truth.

Don’t worry about how fast you are progressing with your learning and playing. There’s a lot to learn so never think that it’s a race to know it all. It’s whether you are enjoying the journey that matters the most.

The odd little mistake, unclean note, accidental open string or out of tune bend don’t really matter. Be aware of them but also be patient and these things will work themselves in time.

Try learning something new every day. Even if it’s just a new chord or lead guitar lick. A little bit of something new will help you to stay fresh with your playing and remind you that there’s a huge world of music out there that’s exciting and inspiring.

Don’t look down your nose at other players because they are less experienced and skilled as you. You were as good as them once upon a time. Similarly, don’t beat yourself up that you are not as good as player XYZ. There’s always time to learn more.

Keep your guitar in tune.

If someone pays you a compliment then recognise that someone was impressed with your playing and thank them. Don’t turn it aside and and think about much better you could have done. You made someone happy. That’s an important thing. Ignore insults, the person dishing these out probably has their own issues so feel sorry for them.