About getting stuck...

[peanuts56]

Sometimes we're just not ready for a new piece. I came from the trumpet and had to be patient.
Over the last 10 years I've had to put a few difficult pieces aside until I was ready. Early on I attempted Jake's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I was in over my head and put it down. I'm capable of playing it now but can't find the copy I had. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[sbcrikey]

find your passion piece make a goal...maybe your song for the year....take small bites....don't get frustrated. that last step might be the hardest but if the song is truly your passion, you'll come back every day and learn it. having a goal like this is also a good great way to assess your progress when you see how long it takes to learn a new piece. if it doesn't take you the whole year, then find another piece that you really want to learn

I've done this on guitar and ukulele the last couple years I've been learning and it's inspiring to see it take less and less time to learn songs.

also, when I get stuck I will either record myself playing the pieces I already know or play them for an "audience". this is an important step because it not only shows you your progress over time, it will test precisely how engrained those songs you play all the time really are.

lastly, cut yourself some slack even if you don't have a dedicated program to follow, pick up the instrument, hunt along the fretboard and try to find some chords that interest you. try finding the next chord that your ear tells you will work. make up your own chord progression and then try to make a song. it's great for ear training and there's nothing more satisfying than playing something that YOU created!

love the support in this group of people and I'm so thankful for finding UU