The Guitar Success Story
Or how to become a truly great guitarist…

 

Have you ever seen a really good guitar player perform? I mean a really excellent top level virtuoso guitar player? A guy who seems to be like in another world while playing his instrument, who seems to have absorbed every essence of music and virtuosity from the very first moment of his life with the milk he drank from his mothers chest?
You probably have, either on YouTube, on Instagram, Facebook, Live or even in privacy. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here reading this article because you are curious about the secrets of becoming such a great musician.

I bet that at some time while watching this inspiring person perform his craft like a wizard yielding his magic wand, you thought to yourself:
„Goddamn … that guy is so freaking incredible and his playing is so awesome - I probably will never ever in my life get even close to what he is doing right there! It simply can't be done and one has to be born with this one out of a million chances genetic constellation that enables people to become that great of a player. Unfortunately I have not been born with it and hence I will have to stay at my humble level of playing and make my peace with the situation of where I am right now…“

Guess what dude?
You just told yourself a bunch of complete BS statements!
​
There are no such things as „genetic preselections for musicians“ or „being born with a special talent that makes you better than others“, this is a simple lie and a cheap excuse coming from people who were not ready to put a whole mountain of work, focus, sweat, effort, blood, pain and tears over years or even decades into the process of becoming the person they truly desired to be.
I can tell you something that's very encouraging for you and that might help you think differently about your own potential of becoming a gifted musician:
No matter where you are right now, if you just started out learning the instrument, if you are at an intermediate level and you are able to do some cool tricks or if you are already advanced but struggle to take the step it takes to become truly great: I am 100% sure that every single professional musician has been at one certain point in time at the exact same level where you are at right now. Every single one of these seemingly „inhuman“ guys has…

   - Felt the same frustrations, self doubts and negative feelings about him - or herself to a certain extent
   - Struggled with the same technical, physical, mental, creative or whatever kind of problems that you are struggling with right now
   - Been playing at the exact same level you are at the moment!

None of them were born with a special gift. Let's take the great Mozart for example:
By the age of five he had already spend several thousands of hours with a professional music teacher (!). This little guy was told to be a total genius, but if you think about it and take a closer look, you will come to the realization that there was no other chance for him than to become a genius!
So whats the difference between you and the „inhuman“ guitar player you idealize so much? I can tell you it’s simpler than you might think:
It's basically the sum of all the decisions this guy has taken along the (probably stony) way to where he is at right now over the many years it took him to develop his skills and sharpen his blades…

    - The decision to spend time on his own progress instead of enjoying life with short sighted, non beneficial actions
   - The decision to invest money in his progress and to value these investments more than spending that money on drugs, cars, gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, expensive clothes, excessive vacations or whatsoever
   - The decision to take every step that is necessary to get where he wants to be, no matter how high the price and how much he had to sacrifice to ultimately get there
   - The decision of every day getting up and not getting discouraged by any drawbacks, internal or external distractions and to stay on the path no matter what happens

Now I want you to ask yourself if you are ready to make the very same decisions your idol has made. If you really desire to become like that person, you will find a way to get there, no matter how hard it might be. If you make the right decisions every single day and choose to take the right steps on a consistent basis, there will be no other way for you but to get where you want to be. True success is not what you can do in one day but rather what you can do in several thousand days by using each of them as effectively as possible without getting discouraged or being drawn off the path.

So what do I recommend now for you to do if you want to make sure you take the right steps every single day?
Here is your action plan:

• DECIDE that you want to become a great player and that you will do everything to get there

• REMIND yourself of this decision every morning when you get up

• Look for an excellent guitar teacher that holds your hand during the process, helps you to identify your weaknesses and coaches you through the process of getting rid of them while helping you to maintain your burning motivation

• WORK YOUR BUTT OFF!