Can you remember the moment when you first thought about playing the guitar? 

I bet you can vividly picture your first guitar and what you sounded like as you began to experiment with it! 

You were a complete beginner and had no idea how to play anything, 

But it didn't matter…

the feeling of excitement as you embarked on your musical journey was incredible . 

I remember my first guitar. It was summer 1993 and my Dad picked up a second hand 3/4 classical guitar for £20.  

It was hard to play anything at all! You could drive a bus under the strings the action was so high! 

Yet, I was ecstatic about finally owning a guitar and spent hours playing around with it, even though it was just terrible noise at first! 

That initial feeling that most of us experience during the beginning of our guitar playing days is what I call  our ”inner fire." 

Similar to the start of a new romantic relationship, filled with excitement and a strong desire to maintain that passionate feeling. However, over time, this passion may dwindle, and this is where I hope to help you regain your inner fire, or if you still have it, help you to keep it stoked! 

The most crucial first step is to identify what causes us to become less motivated and excited about playing guitar 

For some guys, it may be a lack of confidence or sense of lack of faith in their ability to achieve their goals. 

For others, it simply may be a lack of clearly defined goals in the first place!

Or they don’t have an effective strategy or any structured guidance to help achieve what they want. 

Another big factor that causes a lot of musicians to lose motivation is becoming too fixated on improving technique and totally losing sight of why they started playing in the first place.

It's essential to constantly remind yourself of your initial aspirations and motivations for becoming a better guitarist. 

Besides reflecting on your early playing experiences, revisit your rock roots and listen to the same tunes that really ignited that inner fire and inspired you. 

Think back to the first song you heard that gave you chills! 

What were you listening to during the best years of you life?

What songs did you love when you were say 14? 18? 25? 

I don’t know about you but listening to my earliest influences always reminds me of my early days of guitar playing and I can't help but be transported back and feel those eager “beginner” feelings once again.

I regularly listen to all my old favourites from the 80’s and 90’s, those rock and metal classics from when I was a kid, dreaming of being a great guitar player! 

(Re)Discover what truly inspires you to play guitar , write songs, jam with your mates, etc. Whatever it may be for you, fully fucking immerse yourself in that inspiration!!!

Your inspiration may be musical, non-musical, or a combination of both, but find it and go there, 

and you may be surprised at how quickly your desire to play more, write more, and be more is reignited.

Personally, I find I play better when I’m with other people, whether that’s in one of my bands, recording in the studio or jamming with students! 

Often serious artists and songwriters go on retreats for a few days, weeks or even months to be in an inspiring environment with other players. 

Finally, never compare yourself to others. If you constantly think about how much better or worse you are compared to someone else, it can crush you and extinguish your inner fire.

Instead, focus on yourself, your own progress and what YOU want. 

When you first began playing guitar, what skill level did you think you needed to achieve to feel satisfied with your playing? 

And where are you in relation to that right now? 

I used to think that if I could play along to Guns n Roses or Iron Maiden or Metallica songs, I would be happy with my guitar playing for the rest of my life! 

But…

just like many things I’ve accomplished in life, once I achieved the goal l, I quickly realised that I had already set new targets for myself…

I perhaps didn't take the time to appreciate and enjoy the success of reaching my earlier goals. 

It's essential to appreciate each and every achievement no matter how “small” they may seem. 

and most importantly, to enjoy the journey, rather than focusing on the destination.

Remember that long-term goals take time to accomplish, and progress can be painfully slow at times. 

However, if you really want something, if you truly desire it, then it's important to keep that inner fire burning bright to help light the way so you can keep moving forward and make progress towards playing guitar the way you want. 

Jimmy

There are of course ways to accelerate your guitar playing progress: 

Learn how to practice more efficiently and work with a skilled and experienced guitar teacher. 

Someone who can support and guide you, mentor you and coach you to improve faster. 

If you’d like some help with that, get in touch. Let’s have a chat and see if us working together would pour fuel on that inner fire!