Have a guitar lesson tonight, and I'm happy to report I've had a breakthrough (not a breakdown, a breakthrough!) this week on the guitar. I will hopefully go tonight and be able to play the chord progression Cmaj, Fmaj7 and G7 without looking at the fingering chart. It has been such a struggle, looking at the chart every time I move from chord to chord, that it really felt great to get this progression down.
I've spent half of my lessons with my teacher discussing the guitar... I told him last week that maybe it would be easier if I were eight (like most of his other students) and had never played another instrument before. Then I would just come in, sit down, listen to what/how he tells me to do something, and JUST DO IT. But my mind wants to think through it, compare it to the piano, and it is nothing like the piano.
I'm really enjoying lessons, and think I will learn eventually - but it is going to take a lot of time and practice. I'm so used to the ease that I have with playing piano- playing by reading music and by ear- that I just hate that I'm struggling with the guitar! I guess I think it should come easier, but that's not the case.
We're reading John Maxwell's Talent is Never Enough in our leadership bookclub and in the chapter I just finished is an concept that I need to apply to my guitar practice. The "Grab 15" principle says that the most successful way to learn something is to consistently find fifteen minutes every day to work on it. This keeps it fresh in your mind, throughout the week. I've practiced each week, but it is usually in longer 30+ minute sessions, fewer times per week. Think this upcoming week I will put this principle into action and see how it goes.
