“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Also said, in part, by Phil X about his recent video of Deep Purple’s Highway Star keyboard solo. Trying to cop a keyboard solo on guitar is tough but try the one in this song and your fingers might fall off! Phil X is an amazing guitarist but he said that he worked out and then practiced the keyboard solo just about every moment he could until he got it. His parting comment was a paraphrase of this quote, “When you think you can…”.
Golf is first won in the head
I’m not a golfer but I love the mindset the pros have and maintain especially under tremendous pressure. It is a version of this same idea that you need to win the game in your head first. Confidence is everything as it propels persistence and then success. Everything accomplished in life comes from this, including guitar. You can do this.
The beginner
Ok, so you are just starting to learn to play guitar. How does this apply when everything seems like a challenge? If you are tempted or even say, “I can’t…” follow that up with “…right now.” You might not be able to make the music you hear in your head right now but you will.
I had a student some years ago who would say, “I can’t” when I would show her something new. I told her to just practice and keep at it. A year later she could not understand why she thought it was so difficult! Now she is bored with what she can play and asks for something more complex and challenging almost every time I work with her.
The biggest challenge
Besides getting in the right frame of mind, the biggest challenge I see new players make is taking on something too big, too soon. Breaking down the music into much smaller chunks helps to avoid the sense of being overwhelmed and then defeat. My jazz guitarist friend, Tom Monaco, alludes to this when he talks about taking on a song that you can do about 80% now. You may not know that much of the song right now but it is within your ability.
For those of us who have been playing a long time, discouragement may not be an issue. So, tackling a large challenging piece may be just the thing. For example, I plan to learn Donna Lee on bass. Each individual part is well within my grasp but it will take some time to get each part satisfactorily and then put it all together. Add that to my already full practice schedule and Just 2 Play Guitar class development and – Whew!
Forget about The Little Engine That Could, this is an engine that can and will.