3 Tips to Improve Your Guitar Practice Daily

I like to make a playlist on my computer with a bunch of songs with awesome guitar solos. When it comes time for me to practice, I have a ton of options!

In March two years ago, I started teaching guitar lessons and thought the biggest challenge would with out a doubt be making the content challenging enough for each of my students. My top fear was that I would go through my whole lesson and my student would say "oh wow. That's all you had? I already learned all of this when I was five!” and then laugh hysterically like those hyenas in The Lion King (cause like this totally happens to people!). To my surprise that has not yet happened (YAY!) but the biggest challenge has been something different than I ever expected- convincing my students that their learning pace and mistakes are absolutely normal and expected! 

I think that there’s this expectation that if you are going to be good at guitar, you should be able to sound pretty good after three lessons and only practicing a few times a week. I think this expectation has to do with some of the social media #instasuccess we see happening along with people using phrases like “this person blew up overnight.” Shows like The Voice and American Idol and the people we see on social media paint the picture that mastering something can be instantaneous if you are truly talented. Meanwhile the hard work and practice is usually all completely cut out because it's not that entertaining to watch!

Here's the thing though: I deeply believe that if you have an ear for music, playing guitar is mostly about hard work. You can definitely become an awesome guitarist by staying positive about your process and finding a way to make your practicing fun! I have put so much time into practicing since Jr. High and it's never felt like a chore for me. I think the more pressure you put on yourself seeing immediate results, the less fun it will be and more of a chance to be discouraging. If you want to get better at guitar, then you absolutely can and you are never too old, naturally untalented, or behind. You really can do this!

So you can stay on track with your practicing, here are just a few of my tips for embracing where you are and enjoying practicing:

For a deep dive on how to get the most out of your guitar practice time, download my free practice planner!

1) Practice with other people

Here’s me an John (aka my favorite guitar practice buddy) with our Fenders!

This forces you to stay on time, have fun, and move on quickly from your mistakes. If you just invite someone over who plays and have a few songs on hand, I promise this will help you learn! Quick note- if you know players who you consider a lot better that you, take the opportunity to jam with them anyway! I spent way too much of my life avoiding guitar players who intimidated me. The thing is you are going to learn so much from someone who is better at guitar than you and you don’t have to be on their playing level to be able to jam. If you are at the point that you know your chords and can solo just ok, you are ready. Maybe you’ll be a little nervous at first, but these opportunities will grow you more than anything else!

2) Get over the expectation that your playing “should” look a certain way by now

There are so many things I am still working on that I think I should have mastered by now. But I have still improved from where I was. Remember there is no rulebook for how long it should take you to master something! I can be a quick learner but can sometimes be too quick and miss important details that give my playing finesse and a clean sound. My husband (he plays bass!) on the other hand is SUCH a thorough learner but takes a very lots time soaking in each detail before moving on. Both are great and have their perks. Accept your pace and know you are doing a great job if you are practicing at all!

3) Focus

Practicing even 10 minutes a day can be huge if you are staying on track. Try to learn just one have new thing each day and avoid playing the same licks and songs you already know. It’s easy and familiar to your muscles to do something they already know, so try to be conscious of what order you play certain notes in and mix it up! Just like you need muscle confusion during a workout to keep getting in shape, your fingers need muscle confusion to start playing new phrases!

I hope this is helpful to you! Please share any tips you have for maintaining a positive attitude for your playing below!

Resources:

The Metronome App

My fav headphones to practice with (if needed!)

Guitartuna app (for quick tune ups!)

Like I said, I have a ton more in my free guitar practice guide here, so make sure you download it!

Being Thankful for The Middle

Also thankful for this amazing Orangewood guitar and dad hat! Also if you use the Code: haleysfriends10 you can get 10% off an awesome guitar!

About 2 months before I got married, I booked an appointment at our local Entrepreneurship Center for a free mentorship meeting. I had been an entrepreneurship major in college and it had always been my dream to start a business and do music. The only issue was figuring out what that looked like. I am definitely someone bursting at the seams with exciting ideas, but like a lot of creative people, sometimes I’m guilty of “shiny object syndrome,” AKA getting bored or giving up too soon on one thing in order to do something that is obviously going to be WAY more exciting and cool than what I already started (I’m a 7 on the enneagram and an ENFJ maybe P on Myers Briggs, so this is just my cross to bear). So anyway, I thought of this business idea (I can’t completely remember what it was but it was some kind of platform for artists? I think??).

I had my notebook and my “trying to be trendy- professional” clothes on and was all set to figure out my straightforward path so that when I get married, I can have this career I know I’m passionate about and then I will have my life all figured out (it works that way right?). So I got into this meeting and it’s this serious (but kindly) business man who listens to my idea and after I’m sure that he’s about to give me all the answers I need to run with it, instead he basically tells me maybe I should just focus on my upcoming wedding and get a more clear idea of what I want to do…

I obviously left feeling a heavy weight of doom and thinking like well now I have zero path and I’m just going to die meandering around trying to find my path (the drama!). Looking back now, I can so clearly see that this wasn’t me being lost or having no path at all. I think God was guiding me on a very clear path, but I just couldn’t see any of it yet.

I think on social media, most people don’t post about the middle of a journey as much because we sometimes don’t see how certain things are important in our lives or how they are setting us up for the next step. If you are feeling a little lost or confused about not knowing how to get into music, not knowing how to get a gig you want, or how to find a career that you love, I wanted to make this blog for you because we have all been there!

So here are my top tips if you are in the middle:

Have we all being thinking of Maren ya?

1) Keep moving!

It’s really tempting to stop trying anything until you are sure it’s the right next step. But I think it’s almost impossible to think yourself to a new career or life decision. I read this book The Defining Decade which is all about being in your 20’s and navigating life. While parts of it definitely stressed me out, it was actually really helpful in teaching me about being “in motion.” Rather than getting some random job you really don’t care about or enjoy while you are trying to figure things out, choose something that is at least in the realm you want or has perks that allow you to work on your dream! I think God has a plan and purpose for all of us and is there to guide us once we start moving!

2) Don’t get stressed when everyone asks what your job is

The fear of telling some random person what you do for a living is so real! I think it’s because it kinda digs into insecurities we have about our jobs. But let me tell you, there is almost no job that is shameful (unless it’s embezzling money from the elderly or something). When I first graduated, I worked at a bean-to-bar chocolate factory and then at a few different breweries and a winery. Then I got a job at a healthcare compliance company and worked at an interior design business… Could my resume look more scrambled?? Also I went from “no way that’s so cool!” responses to my brewery job to “oh wow” with glazed over eyes at my healthcare job. But this tiny response from someone who can’t see or have time to understand your whole journey/dreams/purpose in each job isn’t worth feeling insecure about. So 1) be proud that you are working 2) be confident that there is a purpose for each place you’ve worked.

3) Everyone else is there with you

There is always going to be something that is not perfect and finished in everyone’s lives because we are all humans (and that would also be sad and boring). We all know social media is full of life highlights and doesn’t give the full picture, but also it would be super weird if it did. I don’t think social media was made to share all of our deepest darkest secrets with the world (even though I do think being transparent and sincere is still really important). I think if you are going to use social media, you need to focus on being confident in yourself and stop comparing yourself with other people. I know the times that I find myself looking through instagram and feel worse after are the times that there’s something in my life I’m not happy about or feeling insecure about.

4) Be thankful

I think gratitude is maybe the number one way to accept where you are. I heard once that where you are right now was once your dream. I think about the fact I am completely in the middle of what I’m doing with guitar stuff/this business and that gives me anxiety sometimes and consumes a lot of my thoughts, but quitting my job to go for a dream, moving to Nashville, and marrying the best guy in the world were all previous dreams and prayers of mine that have already been answered. This might sounds a little cheesy, but gratitude journals have really helped me! Writing down the things you see as progress and gifts in your life can help change your focus from feeling like you are lacking to being motivated to do things because you are excited about them.

I really think that you will do so much better going for the things you want to do in your life by coming at them from a positive perspective. Rather than thinking I have to do this thing or get this career so that I can have purpose and value on my life, reframe your thinking to I always have purpose and value in my life and this is a new exciting step for me to impact someone else’s life.

I hope if this is you, it helps a little bit! I am completely there in the middle with you of figuring out how to pursue the dreams in my life and make them work as my living. We are all so much more than what we do and being the type of person that you want to be is way more important than checking something off a to-do list!

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My Letter of Encouragement for You

Here's me!

I had an extremely talented, ambitious, and sweet girl reach out to me recently about breaking into the music industry. I wanted to share this little letter I wrote her with you since so many of her thoughts and struggles related to me so much (and I knew could relate to you!). I don't know if any of you may be living in smaller towns or getting lots of different advice (from possibly unqualified advice givers ;) ) about how to join the music industry, but I wanted to share a bit of what I have learned from being in a similar place in high school/ college. At the time, everything seemed like a very vague and daunting path to get where I wanted to go. Here's a letter I wrote to her, and now to you if you are in that same spot: 

Even a year ago, I felt really stuck thinking about how music would look in my life as a career, and it kinda stressed me out a lot when I thought about where I was currently and the fuzzy idea of what I wanted my life to look like. But you have everything you need to be doing something in music right now! 

It wasn't until about two years ago that I got over some of my fears of not being "good enough" and decided to really go for exactly what I wanted to do (which is be a guitar player, encouraging other people with their music through lessons and my blog). It has been the most exciting time in my life!

If I could give advice to you from what I wish I would have known:

1) Just because other people are doing something you want to do, doesn't mean there is no room for you. There is always a need for more music and people in the industry, and only you can be you and contribute your specific gifts. Someone might connect with the way you do things differently than with someone else.

2) You don't need school, but the connections you make there help a lot! I am not very "school" type of person. I had an amazing experience going to Belmont, but there is no formula or one way that will get you to your goals. Things that work for someone won't work for someone else, so don't let anyone make you think there is this certain path you have to follow. Being gritty, not giving up, and being a problem solver are way more important than any one thing you will do. 

3) I didn't know what I wanted to do until last year, and most of my close friends still don't know. I thought about it so much, but really the only way my friends and I have learned what we want to do is by trying a lot of different things (and failing at a lot!). I think the most important thing is really going with your heart (at risk of sounding super cheesy) because then you will keep getting closer to what you truly love, rather than just what other people tell you to do. Also, going for things you think are too far out of your reach can help you get on the right path and you will be amazed when things do work out.

4) Remember you do have a purpose and a lot of value to add. I spent a lot of time worrying that I didn't have a special enough story or that something about me would be not as good as other people. I don't know what your faith is, but personally, I prayed a lot that God would somehow give me a purpose, and I somehow felt him heal a lot of my insecurities and help me realize I am enough. So just keep that in mind that you are so special, and no one else can add what you will!

5) Write down your options. Having planning sessions with myself and letting myself dream and kind of working backward from where I wanted to go was helpful to get some action steps in place!

I also just listened to a podcast that this book was mentioned and loved what the author had to say! I haven't read the book yet (oops) but HERE is the link!

I hope that helps a little if you were thinking about looking into playing or even working in the music industry! 

Not sure where to start?

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It's Not a Competition

Hey, guys! I wanted to write you all a little letter of encouragement since I know it's really easy to get down in the dumps about your guitar playing. The biggest culprit to the discouragement?! COMPARISON!

Not only can it make you immediately doubt something you had loved only minutes ago, but it can also slow down your progress in moving ahead. When I came to Belmont as a freshman, I was coming from a small and very supportive town where I was able to play a lot with my dad and play out because of a lot of his connections. After about a week of being in Nashville amongst the extremely talented music majors, I essentially felt like I wasn't even a real guitar player. Being a female musician didn't help either because of a few stereotypes about girls playing guitar.

After college, I felt like I had missed a lot of opportunities for playing music out of insecurity and being too worried about failing. I still loved playing music though and started playing a ton with my husband and sister just for fun. There finally came a point where I started playing at my church with my husband and all of a sudden was like "I love this, and am I really going to let a fear of what other people would think ruin my love for creating music?" Not so! This was a really big breakthrough for me and helped me to let go of people's (possibly nonexistent) expectations of me. It was time to quit bein' whiney and get out there and have fun playing! 

From there, I felt a huge weight lifted off and my motivation to practice came naturally just because I felt like it was fun to learn new things again. If I didn't pick them up right away, I looked at it more as an exciting challenge than an unreachable goal.

If you are in this place, I wanted to give you some tips that helped me get out of my guitar rut.

…

1. Play music outside of your house

You may think "but who do I play with?" but I promise you, there are other people who feel the same way you do. If there is a Facebook group you could join or anyone you know that plays, just let people know you WANT to play. It's easy to get in your head and think you aren't getting gigs because of something about YOU, but I promise, most of the time you just have to tell people you want to play. Just getting those words out will open up opportunities for that will force you to practice and get you out of your head!

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2. Remember that no one can do things exactly the same way as you

People can get weirdly competitive with music and I don't like it one bit. You got your own thang goin' on and even though someone can play faster, knows more fancy jazz chords or can solo through chord changes better than you, you have totally different melodies and energy than they do in a band. Everyone can win when you are all working toward making a song better and taking the focus off of you and your playing and on to how you can communicate with music.

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3. Get a cool teacher who will show you new licks

Learning new licks is more fun to me than learning new scales or techniques. You can immediately begin throwing them in, tweak them a little and they give you a boost of confidence! My dad is the king of awesome licks and every time he gives me a lesson when I go back home, I always come feeling more excited to keep playing. I think I may know someone for you who teaches guitar too... (!!!).

I hope these little tips help — the biggest thing I want to communicate though is you are good enough, and you shouldn’t give up playing when you get stuck. We have all been in this boat and it's really normal! If you know anyone who is super talented and needs a little encouragement, share this post with them and let me know any thoughts you have on this!

5 Guitar Lies to Stop Telling Yourself

When I got accepted to Belmont, I was SO excited to get started playing guitar and serve people with a passion I had been cultivating since I was a kid. After only a few months though, I developed a little intimidation and put off really “getting out there” because it scared me so much. I have always heard the things we love deeply and hold close to us are the hardest to be risky with.

After school, I temporarily lost sight of my music dreams and felt that little nagging feeling of God pulling me back toward using music as a way to bring joy to others and encouragement. I know some of you are there with me thinking about your love for music and what you can do with it so I wanted to break down 5 lies that are easy to tell yourself that can kill your passion for playing:

1) It's Too Late for You

For some reason, I have spoken to a lot of people who used to love playing guitar and gave it up because they believed their chance had passed them by. When I was younger my dad used to say I should play music over sports because you can keep playing for as long as your mind and most of your fingers work. He just turned 60 last year and I have yet to see another guitarist shred and engage the crowd like he does! 

2) You Aren't Naturally Talented at Guitar

I deeply believe 95% of playing guitar is hard work and practice. You can't compare yourself to anyone because you don't know how much time they set aside to practice or how they might practice differently. Music is so individual and communicates to everyone differently so you really can't compare yourself to others. So be ok with being where you are and if you find something that's too hard for you, be thankful because that's what will stretch you to be better!-

3) It's Too Competitive

This is especially easy to say in Nashville (guitar players are a dime a dozen!). I always try to think though that a) You don't have to be the best to add value (credit to Christy Wright on this one) B) it's more about having fun and connecting with people than being the best and beating the competition, and C) music would be way more boring if only the same best guitarists played on everything. Never forget that you have something unique to bring to the table!

I don't know about you guys, but when I was young, starting a band mostly meant having a band photo shoot...

4) You Don't Have Time

TBH practicing can be really hard for me when I have a lot going on. It's helped me put my amp in the living room where I am bound to see it and start playing and inviting musical friends over to play- playing with people always gives it a purpose!

5) You Have Decided You Don't Want to be a Professional Musician

You don't have to do music full time for playing guitar to bring joy into your life. Some people quit playing completely if they aren't able to survive on music alone, but It can be amazing to use your guitar playing as a way to serve family and friends, express some creativity and make a little side money while doing it! 

So go make the EP you’ve always wanted to create, get a band together or learn how to play! It’s easy to feel like you are “not good enough” at your talent, but the truth is there is no such thing as good enough and there is plenty of room left for you to affect someone’s life with the music you write or play.

If any of these lies have left you feeling burnt out or are scaring you from getting back into music, I encourage you just to start somewhere! I would love to hear how you've gotten back into music/ gotten past your any guitar fears that were holding you back!