wow! Similar goals …
One of my goals for 2024 is to play a song in front of someone too, in some form. I haven’t played in front of anyone yet apart from people that I’ve lived with (kids/ flatmates) and they didn’t always seem all that happy about me making the same noise again (for some reason… ), or shared a video with anyone, so I’m including that as accomplishing this goal.
Non-guitar related - I do some yoga too, (my other love ) I’m doing yoga teacher training and will be finished around April, so I’d like to be teaching some classes later in the year. I’ve been working on handstands and would like to do them without the wall there helping me.
Half moon IS challenging
I keep getting asked about doing yoga teacher training at the studio that I go to but I think I’d find it as anxiety inducing as playing the guitar in front of people! It is a big time commitment too. I’ve found that the mindset that I’ve developed through yoga practice as being greatly beneficial to my guitar practice. Handstand remains a distant dream for me. I can headstand but the kick up to handstand (even to a wall) is much harder and I don’t have a lot of space where I can safely try (and fail) at home. Good luck with your training
I don’t do New Years resolutions either but as many, I (re)set some SMART goals.
I usually create a mindmap to make sure I have a broad and complete idea of the fields that need my attention.
I still need to do that exercise for 2024 but I have a good idea what it will include.
Some of it will be expandign chord knowledge AND knowing where and how to use these shapes and flavours. Some new covers, some writing for solo and band, some tech ideas (replacing classic cab with PA/FRFR unit) etc.
Over hte years, I found it easier, less overwhelming and more flexible to make small, achievable things and build on that moving on. A Year is LONG is you do a lot of small things to build a big one. For me, this approach of many small iterations is how I did tihngs as a kid and now the corporate world calls it “Agile”.
I could lose a bit of weight though. Also there, small iterations, I’m gonna start with 5 minutes of exercise a day and gradually add. I’ll use the principe of ‘showing up and doigngthe reps’. As justin recommends it, I do too, Atomic Habit (James clear) is free as audiobook on Spotify and perhaps a good idea to check out for the New Year!
My aims are to get my finger out and do a bit more playing and to record something new to post here, there’s quite a few of you that haven’t heard any of my stuff yet! I’m also going to try to get a video done instead of just sound, but that’s longer term!
My primary guitar goal for 2024 is to get out and play with people.
I found a local non-profit music and arts organization that has adult classes for Rock and Blues. At the end of each semester the bands that get put together do a show. I went to the fall semester’s show in November to learn more about it. It was a fun night, and it is the kind of thing I would like to get involved in. The bands had a broad range of guitar player levels, advancing beginner to advanced, and broad range of ages, 20-30s to 60-70s. Auditions for the Spring semester are sometime in January. I suspect that the auditions are primarily to get a sense of the skill and experience levels and music tastes to help in how to form the bands. The semester runs from January to May and culminates with each band performing a 3-4 song set to an open-to-the-public audience. I’m excited about the opportunity to meet other people to play with and for the coaching that comes as part of the program. The performance part, well… It’s been 55 years since I performed in a band, but I remember it as a fun and exhilarating experience (not that I should trust a 55-year-old memory). Plus, I’m a much better and more knowledgeable player than I was then. Thank you, JustinGuitar! I’ll be nervous, of course, but I know what I need to do to have confidence in what I’m doing.
Non-guitar plans: Snowboarding (come on snow!), hiking, and biking with my wife and the extended family that includes our 5-year-old grandson.
I resolve to be kind to every person and animal almost every day of the week… almost on Monday almost on Tuesday almost on Wednesday almost on Thursday almost etc etc
I wish you all a lot of fun every day at least one moment one big smile ,anyway fun
Non-guitar related - finish the bloody refurb which takes ages (although final touches now!!)
Guitar related - learn songs learn songs learn songs definitely spend more time with guitar comparing to last few months which limited that spare availability I had.
I would love to attend some other local OM again and get myself together to finally perform, although regulars most likely will feel I sound like a broken record every year
I don’t usually set goals (I end up ignoring them anyway :D) but for this year I want to at least finish grade 3, bonus point if I actually start transcribing stuff, lots of song I want to learn that have no tabs or incomplete ones, but my attempt so far have been frustrating to say the last
I think it’s at least important to have a direction to head in. Whether you move quickly along that road or at a more sedate pace, it’s not that important, you’re at least moving forward.
I’ve had phases where I haven’t had goals because I knew I’d probably fail and while I didn’t fail at anything, I also didn’t achieve much either. Ideally goals shouldn’t be simple pass/fail goals. If your target is to run a marathon in under 4 hours, then if you manage 4 hours and 5 minutes, is that a terrible failure? Was all of the training a complete waste of time? Hopefully not. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed some of the steps along the way and being 5 minutes over some arbitrary target is much better than where you’d be if you didn’t try at all. I think we should all set goals, they just need to be well considered
Happy 2024. You definitely can achieve the goal of singing and playing. Start with three easy steps. First write down your song lyrics and write the chord above the exact lyric. Second, play just the chords that change while singing. Strum just once per chord change. Third, play a steady downstrum while singing and change chords as necessary. After you master each step, add the strumming pattern or flavor to the song. A little over a year ago I thought it was impossible and now I’ve done it for about 70 or so songs the past year or so. Good luck.
My guitar goals lately are fundamental. I still can’t play scales and solo when it counts. After failing repeatedly I am going to try again this year. Justin’s blues course seems to be a good fit to improve that. 12 bar blues etc. translates into a lot of music types. I need to master the whole fretboard instead of sticking to the first 4 frets so much. I also plan on doing some open mic shows. I perform in public but never have in an organized show. Modest goals for me. I won’t play like Eddie Van Halen this year, but hope to gain people who like to hear my music.
@pozz
I appreciate the frustration you feel when transcribing. I’ve never been good at it and am still not, but committing time to it has been worth it for me. Having a tool, like transcribe, that allowed me to both slow the song and loop a section, made it less frustrating. Also, I decided that I would transcribe each song suggested by Justin in the various modules, regardless of knowing or liking the song. After the first 6 or so, I was still getting frustrated, but I could see improvement. After another 10, more improvement. I did this over time, spread out with learning other skills and playing songs. While I’m still not very good at it, frustration is no longer the main obstacle for me to take on transcribing a song or a section of one.
Keep at it, don’t expect immediate results, and give yourself bonus points for each success, an into, a riff, a fill, whatever, as you develop the skills.
I like your suggestion of layering when it comes to singing and playing. It’s much like the approach I’ve taken to playing generally (practice the chords, learn the rhythm with muted strings etc) so I have confidence that with patience it can work.
Good luck with your goals too. Modest goals are achievable goals and if you have them all ticked off by April you can always add more.
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), or shared a video with anyone, so I’m including that as accomplishing this goal.
) I’m doing yoga teacher training and will be finished around April, so I’d like to be teaching some classes later in the year. I’ve been working on handstands and would like to do them without the wall there helping me.
definitely spend more time with guitar comparing to last few months which limited that spare availability I had.