{"id":64075,"date":"2019-11-08T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/?p=64075"},"modified":"2024-07-22T23:41:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T06:41:51","slug":"frustrated-with-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/frustrated-with-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"Frustrated with Guitar? How to Recalibrate and Move Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Like any long-term relationship, we move through many emotions in our guitar practice. We can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/questions\/\">enamoured with guitar<\/a>, and we can be frustrated with guitar. And all points between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what should we do when we get frustrated? How do we proceed when we\u2019re not having fun? How do we move past disappointment and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/progress-vs-success\/\">break through to new levels<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"centerc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xSG8oJm1mVE?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-learning-guitar-is-challenging\">Learning Guitar is Challenging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First, we can acknowledge that learning and practicing classical guitar is enormously difficult. It takes more coordination and precision than most any other hobby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we also have to <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/adventure-practice\/\">keep focus for extended periods of time<\/a>. So the challenge is great in each moment, and we have to rise to each one after the next without pause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that classical guitar demands acrobatic feats of both mental and physical prowess. No small task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it\u2019s no surprise we sometimes become frustrated, discouraged or upset. But what do we do about it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-first-things-first-step-away\">First Things First: Step Away<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we address our own frustration and set to transform it, we must first take a moment to calm down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we are in an emotionally turbulent mood, little will help in that moment. The best course of action here is to put down the guitar and step away. We can go for a walk, have a snack, or do some housework. Anything to create distance and help us \u201ccool down\u201d and relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Alan Watts (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brainpickings.org\/2015\/03\/25\/sense-of-nonsense-alan-watts-tao-of-philosophy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Alan Watts<\/a> once said, \u201c<em>Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once calm, we can gain some perspective and move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-frustration-means-we-re-not-meeting-expectations\">Frustration Means We\u2019re Not Meeting Expectations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What leads to frustration? Where does frustration come from? How about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/guitar-lessons-teacher-fails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disappointment or dissatisfaction<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frustration comes from not meeting our expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We assume something should be different than it is, and we become emotional when it isn\u2019t as we predict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We think something should be easier, or come <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"faster (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/dangers-speed\/\" target=\"_blank\">faster<\/a>. We think we should improve more quickly, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/memorize-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"memorize (opens in a new tab)\">memorize<\/a> more easily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When this belief is in conflict with reality, we don\u2019t like it. And this leads to frustration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-the-cure-for-frustration-manage-your-expectations\">The Cure for Frustration: Manage Your Expectations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The sure-fire way to avoid frustration is to manage our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/perfectionism-vs-excellence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"expectations (opens in a new tab)\">expectations<\/a>. Instead of assuming things should be easy, we can assume they will be difficult. We can expect our progress to take more time than we would estimate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, say we decide to drive across China. If we expect it to be simple and easy, we\u2019ll likely get a rude awakening and become upset.&nbsp; Instead, we could expect the journey to be full of setbacks, surprises and obstacles. Then we can meet each test as it comes and enjoy the adventure.<br><br>On the guitar, we may ambitiously choose to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/pieces-above-current-level\/\">play a piece beyond our current ability<\/a>.&nbsp; Or we may find one we thought would be a breeze is actually difficult.<br><br>Once we adjust our expectations, there is no reason to become frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-remember-guitar-is-for-fun\">Remember: Guitar is For Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For most of us, guitar is an optional pastime. We could stop practicing for a decade or more, and no one would come to the house and scold us. It\u2019s for fun. It\u2019s a hobby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the beauties of guitar as a hobby is that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/balance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">it offers infinite challenge and opportunity for growth<\/a>. We can never reach \u201cthe end\u201d, or finish guitar. It\u2019s marvels are truly boundless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We naturally want to see<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" improvement (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/one-percent-improvements\/\" target=\"_blank\"> improvement<\/a> and meet goals. We\u2019re competitive creatures, even with ourselves. But over-identifying with goals can lead to disappointment. In fact, we may miss \u201cthe point\u201d altogether. Goals are useful and rewarding, but only when they offer positive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/motivation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"motivation (opens in a new tab)\">motivation<\/a> and direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The largest, most over-arching goal most of us share is to enjoy a life of music and discovery. We want rich and rewarding daily work. We want to grow and evolve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If some belief or expectation is getting in the way of this, then it is undermining the whole affair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As lifelong guitarists, we will face difficulties and trials, time and again. We will find that what we thought was right is wrong, and what we thought easy is not. We slip on the &#8220;banana peels&#8221; of our prior beliefs.  It\u2019s all part of the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we <a aria-label=\"accept reality (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/reality-guilt-inner-game\/\" target=\"_blank\">accept reality<\/a>, we can loosen up and embrace each twist and turn. We can avoid emotional pitfalls, and <a aria-label=\"mind the gap (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/review-assess-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\">mind the gap<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bonus-tip\">Bonus tip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best ways to deal with frustration or a lack of inspiration is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/new-strings\/\">change your guitar strings<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like any long-term relationship, we move through many emotions in our guitar practice. We can be enamoured with guitar, and we can be frustrated with guitar. And all points between. So what should we do when we get frustrated? How do we proceed when we\u2019re not having fun? How do we move past disappointment and break through to new levels? &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/frustrated-with-guitar\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,434,20],"tags":[54,59,133],"class_list":["post-64075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-main-content-parent","category-practicing","tag-mindset","tag-pain","tag-practice-philosophy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Manage Frustration in Guitar Practice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you get frustrated with guitar practice? Not progressing fast enough? Things harder than they should be? Here&#039;s how to erase frustration &amp; enjoy guitar.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Frustrated with Guitar? How to Recalibrate and Move Forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you get frustrated with guitar practice? Not progressing fast enough? Things harder than they should be? Here&#039;s how to erase frustration &amp; enjoy guitar.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/frustrated-with-guitar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Classical Guitar Shed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClassicalGuitarShed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-08T14:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-23T06:41:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/frustrated-with-guitar-practice-640-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Allen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CLguitarshed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CLguitarshed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Allen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Manage Frustration in Guitar Practice","description":"Do you get frustrated with guitar practice? 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