Top Five Principles for Guitar Players

1. Flexibility

Most guitar players start out with an open mind, partly because they're usually young and tend to be open to all sorts of new ideas. The key point being that flexibility of mind means flexibility of body and purpose!

Retain this as a key function of your activity, be flexible in learning new chords with different fingering, play the G chord with the first three and the last three fingers - think about that, if your a beginner - why play with the last  three fingers...because it leaves the forefinger free to move into other chords- playing the other way round also has its advantages, so be flexible, physically and mentally. 

Being flexible in purpose has advantages in that you can take opportunities, however also bear in mind that flexibility works against you as well. If your focus is on achieving a specific goal, which it should be, dont allow your self to become distracted by having a "too" flexible approach to goals.  Generally speaking you cant achieve your goals by doing things for others, dropping your focus and re-focussing. If your goal is achieved by helping others, all to the good. The point being, keep paying attention to your focus. But also remain open and flexible to new opportunity, ideas, and ways of doing things

2. Focus

focus is key to making progress...many guitarist have too broad a focus and end up attempting to be a bit of everything. This ultimately does two things, it broadens your view of music, but likely makes you more a jack of all trades and master of none. Focus is something you learn from asking what you want...do you want to learn a particular piece, style or ability, then pursue that with dedicated focus and build toward mastery of it. 

Focus helps you push aside distraction and isolates your goals. However, you need to maintain it and employ your will power to do so.

3. Time-Priority Management

The third element here is a skill applicable to all aspects of life, the ability to manage time and priority. Everyone gathers baggage and commitments as they travel through life and the decisions you make have to be honoured in one way or another. Management of these and maintenance of your guitar playing goals is a key skill. If you want to achieve a grade exam or win a competition, you have to agree the amount of time with your other commitments, take time to communicate your goals and expectations and fight your corner fairly with the expectations of others in your life.

Failing to realise that your decisions define your priorities and that some priorities like relationships, children, money and a good conscience, can be more important than being able to play a guitar, needs to be kept in mind. Work it out and write down your priorities, allocate the time and use it to the full, but don't be afraid to focus on one thing in that time, or split it across two or three related things, as long as they are all working toward your key goals

4. Money and Resources

 Although these are physical things management of Money and Resources are often a problem for aspiring guitarists. "I don't have what I need to learn" or "I can't afford it" are things you hear people say about why they couldn't achieve a goal. These tend in reality to be excuses for failure to work out a method other than the obvious one to achieve the goal. Beware of self pity and a "poor me" attitude. Go out and earn the money you need, save it and focus it on the goal you want. If your unemployed, your goals are about employment, work and focus...if you have a guitar and your unemployed you have more time in some ways to learn than others, see it as a positive.

Although circumstances can be painful and money and Resources tight, stay positive and use your mental attitude to focus your goals to fit your capacity to earn and to fit with the equipment you have. 

Not having a named guitar doesn't mean your a bad guitarist...don't get hung up mentally on equipment solving your learning problems, it won't. You can have all the best stuff but be poverty stricken in terms of learning and skills, due to bad focus, bad time management and poor mental attitude.

5. Mental Attitude

The final principle I'm talking about is in your head and heart. Mental attitude and Mental health management, these are a key skill for a guitar player. Wallowing in negative thinking about yourself, about your circumstances, about the world and about life will kill your creativity, progress and ability to commit to the other points I've made. All the battles your going to have will be had in your head first and you need to win these to achieve progress. 

Mastery of your thinking patterns, mastery of your self talk patterns need to become positive and supportive of yourself and others. Eliminate negative ideas, eliminate negative self talk and condemnation. If you can't, then find someone to help you do it

 In some respects this is the top skill any artist, creative or productive person has. The ability to over come themselves and produce something creative. 

The power to do this comes from either finding a higher power such as God or finding a source of strength from an ideal that holds up outside of yourself like Love, Hope, or Faith in your vision. Envision your future and try for it along with and including your other commitments. Maybe it's family, your wife and children, maybe it's being a source of blessing to others. Whatever it is, this source of higher power generates the ability to control your mental life. Search it out and begin the journey, without it you will imprison yourself in your own mind and be limited by your mental attitude.