Motivation

You may have heard of the 10,000 hours rule to becoming a master at any skill, and in this article we are going to talk about how this applies to practising and improving our guitar playing.

Simply put, the 10,000 hours rule states that in order to become a master at a subject, you have to put in at least 10,000 hours of practice. 

In this article we’ll talk about the rule, where it came from, it’s consequences and  how we can apply it to becoming better guitar players.

Doing your first studio recording is an incredibly fun experience. 

At least… if you are prepared for it, it will be fun.

If you are not prepared, it will be stressful and embarrassing. 

After doing 2 professional albums and a handful of EPs with various bands over the years, I’ve (unfortunately) experienced both sides of the spectrum when it comes to recording in a studio.

Here are some of the best tips I’ve learned when it comes to preparing for recording in a studio - if you follow these, you will be completely prepared and have a lot of fun in the process. 

In 2012, Carol Dweck published a book called “Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential”. In this book (which is a great read - especially if you are learning or looking to start learning guitar), she identified two types of mindset, the ‘fixed’ mindset, and the ‘growth’ mindset.

What is a Mindset?

Before we start to think about how the two approaches apply to learning to play guitar, let’s quickly look at what mindset is. It’s turned into a bit of a buzzword in recent years, but, it is a valid concept.

Quite often, as guitar players, we feel unsatisfied with our progress.

We feel like we are not learning fast enough, or that whatever we are working on is more difficult than other people find it to learn.

Nearly all my students have felt this way sometime or another. I know I’ve often felt this way, and I’m sure you have too.

This feeling is unpleasant, and quite often it is demotivating. It can lead to self doubt, and leave us wondering why we are even bothering to learn guitar, as we are learning it so slowly.