Late Beginners/Early Intermediates - How do you stay motivated?

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I feel that, over the years on this forum, that this topic is common. Somewhere in grade 3 we have learned enough to be able to see what is really ahead better. It is daunting and there are choices to make.

It seems to take a little of the wind out of our sails.

I guess I would just try to be reassured that it is normal to be experiencing this and keep plugging along. For me, I took a break from specific lessons and played songs, played songs, played songs. It was fun, let me consolidate somewhat and got me through.

I still like to play songs and learn songs rather than do too many lessons. So that works for me. Could I progress faster or more efficiently with a different approach? Maybe, probably, but I like what I do.

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Hi @sevi I had the same problem towards the end of grade 3. My solution was taking a 1-2-1 lesson with a teacher to try out Classical guitar. I have spent the last year working on a formal path with the option of taking grade exams. (Trinity College London Classical Guitar). Rewatch (or watch if haven’t already seen it) Justin’s goals video. He tells you to go exploring.
Try somewhere like LessonFace to find a teacher who teaches a different style of guitar that may interest you - I joined a free Flamenco taster session, it wasn’t for me long term but great fun to try. I have really enjoyed the achievement of learning to read music over the last year and apply it to some new pieces.
Your thing is out there, have a look round.

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Hi Eva!

As an 18 year old, just out of high school, I found myself in a sales job. My boss had me listening to motivational speakers on cassette tapes whenever we weren’t busy & the overwhelmingly common advice was to SET GOALS. Most of them advocated writing them down - if they’re not written down, they’re dreams - not goals.
My favorite story was about a man who wanted a Lear jet… that was his ultimate dream. He had an 8"x10" picture of a Lear in flight on his refrigerator. He had a picture posted on his sun visor in the car. He had a picture on his bulletin board at work. Finally, all his hard work paid off & he got to buy the Lear! He was so excited that he went to the airport in San Francisco & told his pilots to file a flight plan to Chicago so he could have lunch at his favorite restaurant in the whole world. Off they went to Chicago, he had his favorite meal! What a great day! He got back to the airport & the pilot handed him a bill - for $20,000! “What’s this?” he exclaimed! “That’s the fuel bill, sir.” replied the pilot… :grimacing: His point, set your goals, but take into account not only what it takes to get there & ALSO what you’ll do once it’s been achieved!
We’re pretty lucky that with guitar, no matter how well you play & what skills you master, there’s always more to learn & always another “hill” to climb. I think this is a good thing… the curious cat inside that wants to see over the next hill, what’s around the next corner, who’s going to listen to my next virtuoso performance!!! :laughing:

I’ve found that thinking deeply about what you want to get/do & then posting goals in places that you look at often helps to keep them in mind & keeps you motivated to work towards them!

Good luck finding your “mojo”!!!

Tod

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It can also be important to set limits, or you may find yourself spending $20,000 on guitar gear! I imagine a few people in this community have reached that unexpected goal.

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Ummmmm… :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

I don’t THINK so… :roll_eyes:

Quite consciously have NOT added up the total… nor has my wife. That way, if she EVER ASKS, I can, in complete honesty, say that I do not know!!! :smirk: :zipper_mouth_face:

:lying_face:

Tod

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@artax_2 Stacey, I’ve struggled with that the last 2 years that I have practiced in Grade 3. I finally decided to use the old Intermediate Method book (purchase from Amazon) and add the guitar elements that interested me. Notice that the Barre chords, Major Scale Maestro and Rhythm Maestro are not limited to blues. Also notice that there is no blues studies in grade 5, just the paid course on transcribing blues solos. So I am combining grades 4 and 5 in my plans. My motivation is to spend time leaning the Grade 4 and 5 songs that have website song lessons. I have noticed that some (like @alexisduprey @jkahn and @math07 ) have used the discipline of playing through the songs in the JG Rock songbook to provide structured goals. Even Justin admits that for specific rock specialties like prog or other styles, you might need to look to other sources such as TrueFire lessons. One piece of supplement material for rock I am considering is a book with online video that I recently purchased, a DK complete course book:

I couldn’t find a reference to this anywhere in this site but it does have a series of 10 rock guitar learning session chapters and online videos of all exercises and the performance song at the end of each chapter and teaches the CAGED system.

Another rock tutorial I will probably use is the more detailed 3 book series - beginner, intermediate, advanced which has videos on DVD:

One approach I may try is to focus on blues in grade 4 and add the rock methods when I get to grade 5. UPDATE: I just remembered that I am also reviewing grade 3, which in the classic song organization, is heavy on rock songs, so I’ll still be working on rock songs while learning blues in grade 4, particularly in the JG Rock Songbook.

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@sevi Eva, I hope that you are able to find what you find fun to play on the guitar and can find or create a path that gives you a sense of progress as you continue to explore and discover music on the guitar. UPDATE: I looked back at your learning log and saw that you have decided that playing with others will provide motivation for practice. I wish you good luck in finding the right group of guitarist to jam with :smile:

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Oh wow, so many really good responses, so many people who know what I’m talking about, so much advice. Let’s see if I can respond to it all^^

@stitch Nope, I’m not at 30 songs known by heart, more around ten or so. But I don’t think it is a good criteria for me to judge whether I’m going too fast or not. I have been a fast learner my whole life, and the challenge has always been to keep me interested and challenged, since I tend to loose interest if things get too set in their ways. I have never responded well to fixed schedules, or fixed anything, really, and learning guitar is no different. That doesn’t mean that I’m not practicing basics and techniques, and enjoy getting better at them slowly; it just means I need new things to try out quite regularly, whether I stick with them or not.

@Jozsef I have also never been good at goal setting; it always seems so very rigid and stiff and inflexible to me, so I also jump around a lot in the course. But I’m also not really interested in playing along with recordings, as I have recently found out. For me, music is about playing with/for others, so that’s what I’m going to focus on.

@mfeeney0110 This was what I first thought of as my goal: having enough expertise to figure out easy things fast, and also nail more complicated and fun stuff like solos etc. It was very frustrating, because I know this kind of expertise only comes with years of experience, and it doesn’t tell you anything about how to get there. I’m definitely focusing on fingerstyle and chord melodies, too, since it just sounds so pretty, and the fretting hand gets to dance, and there’s a lot of coordination between hands going on.

@Alexeyd I’m nowhere near good enough with anything to perform on a stage yet. I know I will some day, I’m too much of a theater kid not to, but not yet.

@judi I think we might have different interpretations of what ‘intermediate player’ entails, but that’s fine^^ I’m not much of a technique buff myself, which means I’ve been focusing on songs all along, and learning techniques as I need them for whatever I want to play. If I want to learn a technique (like barre chords), I always need to find a song I want to learn that uses them, or I will not do it. I’ve been thinking about a course as well, to find players. There’s one I could get into for a reduced price at my Volkshochschule (I guess it’s something like a Community College?), and I think I might go if I can manage to still get a space. Thanks for the warning about strong personalities; I’ve found a lot of people in creative endeavours have those :wink:

(I think I’ll get to everyone else tomorrow; it’s getting late here. Have a good night, everyone!)

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Also would recommend Troy Stetina’s metal guitar method at this level as well for rock. While metal is in the title, it’s closer to hair metal than death metal. It’s a good jumping off point post grade 3 if you want a heavier rock sound and are familiar enough Justin’s methods that you can use it to assist you in Troy’s.

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My advice is to play with other musicians every chance you get. If you don’t have any such chances right now, then make it a priority to seek out such chances (without making excuses why you can’t).

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Hi, I completed Grade3 six weeks ago and to motivate me more have decided to concentrate on Blues for 2025 & beyond as I navigate the Intermediate lessons. As I’m 66 years old, time probably is of the essence so have laid out a plan for this year.

I do want to do BLIM but probably in ‘26 when I have an electric guitar - another adventure I am currently diving into to decide on a guitar I like.

All just great fun.

I suppose for me it was to reset my goals and focus, while still playing the songs I have learned and enjoy.

All the best
Murray

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Only 10 songs in a year? Playing guitar is playing … music. Songs.

You really should be learning more songs. That’s the point, otherwise why are you practicing skills and techniques. How do you know you’ve learnt them if you’re not applying them?

Perhaps the seed to your question on motivation is in that. It sounds like you might be learning without having a reason to learn. What is the point if not to play music?

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Errr… that’s quite prescriptive, JK :laughing:
After seven years at this (moved out of ‘newbie’ and into ‘early intermediate’), I’d be hard-pushed to sit down and perform a song from start to finish without a visual prompt to hand. We get better at what we practice. I’m OK at learning how to perform a couple of songs in public (but will still usually have a security blanket prompt to hand).
No one would tell a classical musician they should learn what they play by heart :wink:
Having said that… I do wish I could :roll_eyes: :rofl:

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I know you’re not one to like the clear path @brianlarsen :wink:.

But it’s the context - someone who’s rushed through 3 grades and isn’t sure what the point is, asking a question about motivation and direction.

Using your fine self as an example though, while you might not be able to play songs from memory - although I would wonder if it’s the lyrics you forget, rather than the chords? - to me you seem to personify the concept of it being about the music, about the songs, rather than learning all the techniques?

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Hehe, you know me too well, JK and you’re quite right. :wink:
The song is king!
Funnily enough, whilst I find the vocal melody + and lyrics the essence of any song, remembering all the lyrics without helpis more difficult for me than than the accompanying chord progressions, which are often in repeated groups of maybe 4 repeated patterns.
Whilst I’m glad to see you following your resolve not to waste countless hours blathering on the forum, I’m pretty sure you keep a regular eye on what’s going on.
Don’t be a stranger in sharing any of your newly found blues chops or just what you’re up to musically in the AVOYP :smiley:

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10 easy songs to play at solid level in the first year of learning is quite ok. I think I was around that mark approximately and was happy with that. I probable started or attempted more, but those don’t count. :slightly_smiling_face: Working on grade 3 in a year is either very much rushed or a lot of time spent. In both cases, I would spend the whole year consolidating and working on weak areas.

I couldn’t agree more. This will help in many aspects, but it will mostly boost your motivation in the best possible way. It will help you discover your weaknesses and it will force you to listen, to play your part (orchestration is amazing thing), and to recover and continue when you make mistakes helping you to relax and enjoy. You will be able to try other people’s guitars/amps as well. :smile:

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Alright, now that I’ve slept, let’s dive in again^^

@Silvia80 I think I kinda know what you mean? There are moments when I forget about the playing parts of what I’m doing, because it’s all automated, and can just be in the music, listen to myself, feel what I’m doing. They’re few and far between, though, still, and I hope I’ll get more of them in the future. Sometimes, I am still surprised at how the resonance of the body feels on my belly when I struck a base note just so, and I just have to stop and strike it again because it just feels really great^^

@LievenDV Thanks, I’ll give it a try!

@Stuartw Everyone always says it depends on your goals at this point, and it was quite frustrating to me because I did not have any clear and actionable ones until I asked this question, and interacted with all of your answers^^

@BecA I would love to find a local teacher, actually. I’m afraid they wouldn’t let me try out things anymore, but it would be worth it to play with and for someone else regularly, and have them check over and correct and help me with what I already know. Alas, money is an issue, though maybe I can source a local group class for a few sessions. As for theory, I breezed through the free parts of it because I learned piano as a child/teen, and had good music teachers in school. I think I’ll get back to it someday, and expand what I already know, but it’s not something I want to focus on right now.

@blackLight That’s what I want to do, as well! It sounds really fun, and I would love to do find something like this as well in my neighbourhood!

@artax_2 Interesting perspective. I definitely want to keep learning because it is already very cool to just sit around with friends, and noodle away while everyone is talking. I already like that. How cool would it be if I could actually entertain everyone with songs they like to hear, even if it’s just in the background? I’d like a rock course, too, but until I get the funds for an electric guitar, I’ll stick to things that sound great on my old nylon string^^

@CD02 Yeah, it definitely is. And I’m glad I found it with the help of all the people who commented on this thread^^

@Jamolay Yeah, same. Now that I know the basics, I’d like to browse the lessons for new things to try, but the bulk of my playing is songs. If I want to learn a technique, I find songs I like that use it. If I want to learn a song I like, I find the lessons that teach the technique. It is good to hear that this kind of general looking for direction happens to others as well by this point; I kinda got the impression from various other topics around the forum, which is why I asked directly here.

@KimR There are standardised grade tests you can take for classical guitar? :astonished: That’s really cool, you know? I’m thinking about finding a teacher, but money is an issue. I might be able to swing a group teaching for a few sessions, we’ll see.

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@CATMAN62 Poor guy, he’s worked so hard, and now he’s probably in debt because he didn’t think it through all the way sigh I have to be careful with thinking deeply about goals. It is definitely good to have some, as I’ve been re-learning with this thread, and on other occasions in my life. But if I think too deeply about it, doubt creeps in, and I get into the ‘is this really worthwile/all there is/etc.’ spiral, and end up frustrated and with nothing to show for it. It is, as always, a certain balance that works best for me, I think.

@mfeeney0110 20.000 on guitar gear? :astonished: That’s… a lot :sweat_smile:

@SteveL_G99 Thank you so much for all the ressources, and for your experience with Grade 4 and 5! When it’s time for me to go there, I will come back to this. :sparkles:

@alexisduprey Thanks for the ressource, will check it out!

@J.W.C Will do, thanks.

@Muzzaretti I’m also thinking about buying an electric, and the gear coming with it. Also, it would be awesome to find a steel string acoustic that works for me, and generally just find professional help with choosing a guitar that fits me and my body. I love having quality items around me that are just right for me, but it does take time, and a budget I don’t have atm.

@jkahn and @brianlarsen I hope you don’t mind me saying, I enjoyed your back and forth quite a bit^^ As for the songs, I only counted the ones I can both play and sing through by memory at the same time. I’ve spent a lot of time on this one song that was really very difficult for me as a beginner (a unique fingerstyle pattern in 16th-note tempo, and figuring out how to leasurely sing over it), because I wanted to perform it for my mum at her retirement party. It helped me so much with every aspect of my playing, but it also took focus over learning other songs. And as I’ve found out with this threat, playing songs is not my focus, playing with others is. I expect I will be learning a lot more songs while doing it, though^^

@Boris1565 Oh, I played around with a lot of songs, trying them out for a while, learning their unique challenges, etc. But I didn’t learn them by heart, so you’re right, they don’t count^^ I have also played two times with friends now, and it was exactly as awesome as you make it sound. Here’s to hopefully do it again a lot this year! clinks glasses with you

Thank you so much for this really lively discussion, everyone! :sparkles: :hibiscus: Reading all your perspectives is very cool and also very helpful in figuring out my own. I really don’t know what I’ll do without y’all! hugs everyone

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I found my jam group through meetup.com. If you can host people, you could start your own group and use that site or something similar, though it might cost $ to do so. You can also use neighborhood social apps to see if you can find people to play with.

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As one who feels the same, it helps if you play with someone else at the same time. Don’t think about going solo. If you have someone else on stage supporting you, it really does make it possible. I would try to find a local guitar group, unles of course, you have a friend that also plays guitar :wink:

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