When you're a teacher of a particular instrument (or a teacher in general) you can't take anything for granted. Your students are always looking to you for guidance, inspiration, and knowledge. You can't assume your students know anything about anything, and it is a teacher's job to instill in his or her students good practicing habits. As I was reflecting on these ideas, I started to think about some of the things that made me a better player. Here are some ideas to help you in your journey as a guitarist and as a musician:

Openness and Willingness
Great guitarists are always open to new concepts, new ideas, and different approaches to the instrument. On a personal level, I've never sat down and said "I have to play this style of music" or "play this particular way" because I'm just not wired that way. I have a wide variety of interests, ranging from Classical to Jazz to Hard Rock and I've learned a lot from each. I once had the opportunity to fill in on guitar for a Country band. I decided to do it because I knew that it would stretch me as a guitarist. The end result was that I learned a lot of new licks and techniques and I'm a better player for it. Just because I'm not a big fan of Country music doesn't mean that it had nothing to teach me. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Watching and Listening
This is something that I suspect many guitarists don't do often enough. Although it has nothing to do with developing your motor skills or muscle memory, it has everything to do with understanding music and technique on a deeper level. When I first started playing guitar I was fascinated with Jimi Hendrix and the way he played. Naturally, I bought a number of his CDs and videos in the subsequent months. While watching the videos I studied him intently even if it wasn't the best quality video. Not only did this give me a better understanding of how he played, I learned some new licks and I improved my vibrato. It has probably affected my formative development in ways that I'm not even aware of. Watch and listen to guitarists and other musicians. If it gets you interested or excited, it will stimulate your learning process.

Practicing
I don't care who you are, you need to be practicing your instrument if you want to get better at it. Once certain skills are learned you may find that you don't need to practice them as intensively as before, but great players still prepare themselves for every situation. Make the most of your practice time by focusing on your weaknesses. Practice is not about playing all the licks you know as fast as you possibly can. Practicing is about taking everything at a speed where you have complete control over it. If you can play something slowly and accurately, it will be much easier to speed it up once you've mastered it.

Studying on Your Own
Even while taking lessons I never stopped learning on my own. I discovered very quickly that there's a huge community of guitarists out there and a ton of resources for people that want to learn. There are books, videos, magazines and complete websites dedicated to the art of guitar. If you don't like the resources you currently use, there's always something else. Just be humble and open enough to learn something in every situation. Never stop being a student of the instrument. Every time you learn something new a world of possibilities will open up for you.

Believing in Yourself
In the end it doesn't matter how long it takes for you to develop your skills, as long as you have the willingness and determination to continue. For the most part it is destructive to compare yourself to people who you think are superior. Don't allow yourself to think that you are unworthy or that you can't accomplish your goals. Believe in yourself and act on those beliefs. If you think that you are capable of more than you are currently capable of, you're probably right. It doesn't matter what other guitarists or musicians think about you. If you're trying your best, then you're doing your best. This article was written by David Andrew Wiebe, web designer, graphic designer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitar instructor, and music expert. Interested in winning a free CD? Click here for more info! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Recommendations? Email me.

Published on January 7, 2008