Guitarists...Are You A Victim and A Loser?
I was thinking today about THE most dangerous enemy of musical progress?the victim mentality. What do I mean by this?
Often we can let our personal circumstances dictate our progress. For example, someone may let their guitar practice slide because they were really busy at work. This person may start making excuses such as "I didn't have time". This is victim mentality. It is believing that your musical progress is only possible when external circumstances allow it.
What they are really saying to themselves is that their musical dreams and goals are not as important as paying a few lousy bills.They are letting their boss's goals get in the way of their own.
Now?I can't point fingers at anyone. I've been guilty of having a victim mentality plenty of times! Especially when it comes to things like going to the gym :) But I don't have a victim mentality when it comes to guitar practice. There is virtually nothing that I will allow to get in the way of my musical progress.
So?how can you stop yourself from becoming a victim and a loser?
1.Stop making excuses.
I can guarantee that for every excuse you can make there is someone out there who has overcome that obstacle. Don't allow yourself to make excuses. They are the death of your musical dreams.
2. Watch your language.
For example, rather than saying "I couldn't find the time" say "I am acting like a complete and absolute loser and if I continue acting like this I will NEVER achieve my musical goals". Because that statement is pretty painful to say, you'll soon stop making excuses!
3. Think of solutions.
For excuses that you normally make, think of ways of overcoming those obstacles. For example, if you are constantly using your work as a reason why you can't practice, ask yourself questions like?
"How can I get paid more but work less hours?".
"How can I get paid while I sleep?".
"How can I stay home all day and practice?".
If you ask enough questions like this on a daily basis, you will find a solution eventually.
4. Think of your "Why".
These are the reasons why you want to achieve your musical goals. If your why is strong enough, You will NEVER want to stop practicing for any reason.
5. Think of your role models.
Use your role models to motivate and inspire you to keep on practicing. Every time you start to make an excuse, ask yourself "Would__________make this excuse?" For example, one of my favourite guitarists is Steve Vai. I could NEVER imagine making him excuses for not practicing!
To finish off here's a quote that you may want to memorize?
"You can either become a great guitarist, or you can make excuses, but you can't do both".
Craig Bassett (The Guitar Solutions Expert) is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author living in Auckland, New Zealand.
For free online guitar lessons go to:
Free Online Guitar Lessons.
 Google News Updated : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:06:59 GMT Federal Highway Fund About to Run Out of Money - New York Times
New York Times - By DAVID STOUT WASHINGTON - An important account in the federal Highway Trust Fund will run out of money this month, which could hamper completion of road and bridge construction projects across the country, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said ... Highway Trust Fund Is Nearly Out of Gas Bush reverses course, backs road fund bailout Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:04:00 GMT Electronic Arts spawns Spore -- which may be a benevolent god - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - Spore is one of the most-talked-about video games in years, and it was masterminded by Will Wright, the same game developer who was behind the blockbuster Sims franchise. Spore reviewed EA's 'Spore' Set For Earthwide Launch Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:01:47 GMT Ready, set, go! Real race gets underway - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune - By NEWS SERVICES, Washington Post McCain has turned this election into a soap opera about Sarah Palin and her family. Is this what we need to be talking about during these … read more critical times when people are losing their jobs, their homes, ... Palin intrigues Chinese public Annette John-Hall: Pit bull of a hockey mom leading war on diversity Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:17:06 GMT 'True Blood': Undead On Arrival - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Tom Shales You need a very good excuse to dig up the subject of vampires yet again, and filmmaker Alan Ball seems to have one. His "True Blood" is an audacious, outrageous, playfully grisly comic drama (or dramatic comedy) in which vampirism is ... Vampire tale deserves chance to suck us in 'Blood' lacks that dramatic HBO bite Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:49:55 GMT Machinists Go on Strike Against Boeing - New York Times
New York Times - By MICHELINE MAYNARD The union that represents machinists struck the Boeing Company early Saturday, crippling its aircraft production in the United States and potentially delaying the development of an important new plane, the Dreamliner. Contract talks fail; machinists strike Boeing Co. Boeing machinists walk off the job as talks fail Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:28:42 GMT Seinfeld ads only part of Microsoft push - United Press International
United Press International - REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) says it's banking on a new US marketing campaign to fix the image problems of its Vista Windows operating system and connect with customers. Windows Vista: The OS About Nothing Microsoft Works to Perfect Windows Vista Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:01:13 GMT SanDisk Shares Soar on Samsung Interest - BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek - by Arik Hesseldahl Battered by a year of flagging prices for flash-memory chips and by an inability to get traction in sales of digital media devices, SanDisk (SNDK) may soon get scooped up by South Korean electronics giant Samsung Group. Samsung Weighs Buying SanDisk SanDisk Shares Surge as Samsung Considers Acquisition (Update3) Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:28:25 GMT Amazon Associate Feed |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has launched a... Read More All of us know what jazz is when we hear... Read More Did you know that the health and beauty of your... Read More As an independent musician and/or recording artist, if you did... Read More Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More John Lennon wasn't always my favorite Beatle; at first it... Read More The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music... Read More Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all... Read More As a full-time guitar instructor, I am constantly faced with... Read More There are a lot of factors to writing a hit... Read More In reflecting on the world of the Music Business in... Read More Pop/Rock Recording Artist Amber, who has scored seven #1 Billboard... Read More I was listening to NPR the other day when they... Read More The 'trois Gnossiennes' (1890) is a set of dance-like pieces... Read More Most people these days would associate singing with the popular... Read More Many students think that being able to play what you... Read More P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are... Read More ABA form is like a musical sandwich. You have the... Read More It may surprise many to find that the hobby of... Read More We all want to be in the moment. That's where... Read More When I first started playing the piano I wanted to... Read More A New Breed of Aspiring Songwriters Is In The Making.... Read More Let me guess, you love music and would do anything... Read More So it has come to this... what we see overrides... Read More The first time I heard George Winston play back in... Read More
Adsense
websites
RIAA Files Second Wave of Lawsuits
Jazz: What In The Heck Is It?
Health and Beauty Tips for Your Brass: Keep It Shiny!
How to Make $30,000 with Your Music Before Years End
Reasons to Ditch Your Guitar Pick
JOHN LENNON - The Man and His Times
Creating Your Own Compositions
The Ostinato - What It is and How to Use It
Why Play Guitar?
Writing Hit Songs
The Revolution has begun - and it will not be Televised The new Artist Development Paradigm
CD Review: Amber - My Kind of World
14 Ways Musicians Can Increase Their Tips
Origin of Erik Saties Gnossiennes
Singing: The Tonic of Life
How to Play What you Feel
The Dark Side of P2P File Sharing
How to Compose Using ABA Form
Record Collecting Still Thriving in the Twenty-first Century
Zen and the Art of New Age Piano
Creating Within Limits
People are Turning to Meaningful Songs for Emotional and Spiritual Relief:
How to Become a Filthy Rich Record Label Mogul
The Music Industry and Its Lack of Talent
George Winston and New Age Piano Playing
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
How To Write A Song
Did you ever wish that it was your song playing... Read More
Improvising On The Piano: Jazz Musicians Do It -- Why Not Other Styles?
Why jazz piano improvisation?Why not gospel piano improvisation?Is it not... Read More
3 Secrets To Understanding What Makes Music Tick
It's no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some... Read More
How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano
What in the world is "naked music?"You know it when... Read More
Right-Hand Techniques for New Age Piano
Recently, I had a student ask me to offer some... Read More
Music & Intelligence: Will Listening to Music Make You Smarter?
Will listening to music make you smarter? Will learning to... Read More
Who?s Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros
Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with... Read More
How To Find The Right Guitar Teacher
Finding a good teacher is not always easy, at any... Read More
Music and Healing: The Power of Meaningful Words and Music
We All Have a Favorite Piece of Music that Moves... Read More
How to Construct Chords and Improvise
How To Construct Basic Chords on the PianoThe easiest way... Read More
Beginner Guitar Tips: How to Get a Feel
"I don't like to go into the studio with all... Read More
Warner Music Executive Payments
"In human life, art may arise from almost any activity,... Read More
Micing a Kick Drum
This months tip deals with micing kick drums.You wouldn't believe... Read More
Vintage Guitar Collectors Can Still Find Deals
If you're a recent vintage guitar collector, the stories you've... Read More
Piano Playing and Performance Anxiety
I'll never forget the first time I played the piano... Read More
Just 3 Chords? No Way!
A student wrote me an email about the lesson "Ocean... Read More
Is the Mainstream Ready Once Again for Dance Music?
Not since the heyday of Dance/Pop Artists like Taylor Dayne... Read More
Origins of the Mathers Family
Eminem's roots can be found in Scandinavia through his mother... Read More
How To Play Guitar Like a Pro!
Having taught the guitar for many years, I see the... Read More
Rabbitt Productions - Up & Coming Atlanta Producer
When you think of music in Atlanta you generally think... Read More
Tips on Performing Your Music for Others
Have you ever dreamed of performing a piece you created... Read More
How to Become a Filthy Rich Record Label Mogul
Let me guess, you love music and would do anything... Read More
Interview With Josh Epstein of Vision Music USA
Vision Music USA is a proactive and progressive music service... Read More
Rickenbacker 4003 Electric Bass Guitar
The Rickenbacker 4003 electric bass guitar is one of the... Read More
Is Your Child Capable of Composing Music? Maybe the Next Mozart?
We've all heard of them. Child prodigies who begin composing... Read More
Music & MP3 |