Here's a sobering statistic
It's been calculated that across all the main social media platforms...
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and, the big one for us guitar geeks...YOUTUBE!
the average user will spend up to 6 years
just ...
scrolling...
SIX YEARS!
Not engaging...
just the SCROLLING part!
Literally looking and thumbing through a news feed or search results!
Man, I read this and it has really stuck with me since.
Imagine what could you do with SIX years of your life instead of scrolling?
I'm not a doctor or neuroscientist
Obvs
But I have done a lot of looking into this...
Here's the "problem" as I understand it.
When we scroll through news feeds,
check out new YouTube videos etc.
The "feel good" chemical Dopamine is released
and the hit can be SO strong and instantly satisfying...
that it makes it REALLY hard for some of us to stop searching.
The anticipation of "shiny new things" is so attention-grabbing and addictive
So exciting and engaging at first
But once that wears off
It leaves us feeling. tired and unproductive.
I've spoken to lots of guitar players recently who feel exhausted by social media
and they're sick of searching for stuff on Youtube.
They find themselves constantly tied to their laptop, tablet or phone,
and wish things could be different.
Again, the problem is...
It’s easier to just keep watching YouTube videos
instead of actually practicing guitar!
Don't get me wrong
Technology has made learning and practicing guitar easier than ever to do
BUT, when you hit a wall with your guitar playing
it is also EXTREMELY easy to then pick up your phone, or fire up the tablet and watch more videos, scroll social media or check your emails
(even really cool and interesting ones like this one haha…..)
Does this sound familiar?
Do you dream of being able to step back a bit from social media?
Or not spending so much time searching on YouTube?
Well I'm here to tell you it CAN be done!
We can get in charge of our brain chemistry
and actually train our brains for guitar gains!
We most certainly can build our guitar skills
whilst rewarding ourselves,
making guitar practice an enjoyable habit
and something you will always WANT to do.
Here's 5 BETTER ways to STILL get the “reward” your brain responds to:
and re-build your attention span too!
1.Practice Consistently:
Obviously the most effective way to improve your abilities is by practicing consistently.
The habit of making a practice schedule and actually sticking to it,
gives us a nice sense of accomplishment,
means we're making progress
and gives us that lovely little dopamine "bump"
and the great things is, it doesn't matter whether its a long session or even just a few minutes each day.
2. Inspirational Playlists:
I'm a huge fan of these. You can listen to a mix of your favourite tunes and be transported right back to a time when you first discovered music
or fast-foward to imagining yourself playing along with the songs you wanna learn on guitar.
Either way, you're releasing a cocktail of chemicals that'll motivate, inspire and fire you up to play guitar!
3. Attend Gigs:
A great way to learn from your favourite players of course
but that feeling you get being around other like-minded punters eh!?
Whether you're at a pub gig or a stadium...
Going to a gig gets the feel-good chemicals flowing!
4. Join a band or jam with others:
100% joining a band or jamming with others musicians can help you develop your musical skills in a fun and collaborative environment.
You'll improve your timing, gain confidence as a performer AND you'll feel amazing!
5. Get a new/better method of studying guitar.
It could be that it's simply time to shake things up a bit if you're feeling stuck and guitar practice has become stale.
For example...
Instead of watching lots of random videos,
get some specific instructional material on things that matter to YOU.
There will be TONS of great books out there that are about specific things you need to work on and/or enjoy practicing.
Create a list on Amazon, ask me or others for recommendations and seek out authors/teachers that inspire you.
Of course, cheeky little plug here, but the best way is to get personalised 1-2-1 lessons and training...
Getting that instant feedback on your playing and progress as well as learning how to practice guitar in a focused manner
not only makes you feel better about your guitar playing
but is the fastest of all the ways to get your fix haha!
Hope that's shaken and stirred your brain chemistry cocktails a bit and has given you some food for thought for your guitar playing!
And if there's anything I can help with, give me a shout.
Jimmy