Transcript included below…
Today I’m going to provide some gentle nudging to help get some guitar players off the bench and onto the field, and perhaps that might include you.
I’m not a follower of baseball, but I definitely remember some noteworthy quotes from famous players. Jackie Robinson, is one of those. He is known for this quote:
"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you're wasting your life."
Now, Jackie’s career was supported by spectators and people who watched him play baseball. Audience members are needed, right?
But for many of us, it’s super important to take the leap and play our instruments for other people.
This can be as simple as taking the guitar out of its case and playing it for a friend or family member…or something on a larger scale, like on a worship team, or in a concert setting.
That’s really where I’m going with today’s episode – I’m not asking my readers to do something nearly impossible. I just want to encourage them to make music, and to do what’s needed to get there.
So, let’s keep it real again today as I share some thoughts.
Sitting in the Audience
If you’ve ever attended a concert or listened to someone play any instrument, especially the guitar, you know what it’s like to receive a musical offering, to be uplifted, inspired, or even transported in a way.
Music is powerful.
So, we can be music listeners…or content readers, like you with the blog you’re reading right now. For that, I thank you!
Sitting in an audience can be a passive posture, or we can actively listen, but like it or not, audience members are not typically contributing musically in that moment (unless they’re singing or clapping along.)
That performance or musical offering may inspire audience members who are also musicians to go back and practice, and to make music.
But some musicians do not take action.
I’ve offered guitar instruction long enough to cross paths with guitar students who are more like audience members.
If that’s their preferred means of enjoying music, that’s great!
But if these guitar students are claiming to be guitar players, there can sometimes be a disconnect. Because by and large, some folks aren’t actually playing their guitars.
Not really.
Some of them profess to be guitar players. They sign up for a learning experience, some of them invest good money in tools, instruments, and education, but we’re all comes down to it, they don’t really lean into the process of developing their skills.
They don’t really practice much at all.
They’d rather talk about it. They’d rather watch someone else do what they want to do, and they’d rather not be held accountable.
That’s a harder place to be, because it doesn’t actually lead to results.
Watching other people get results can be fulfilling in a way, because we can live vicariously through them. I’ve heard some people say, “I don’t have a lot of talent, so I like to cheer on others who have more talent than I do.”
So, perhaps they get enough satisfaction from watching someone else get results as they play.
There are a lot of audience members out there watching shows like America’s got Talent, or American Idol. These kinds of experiences can be very engaging and inspiring for an audience, especially people who are not investing time in developing their own gifts.
But that’s the primary posture of an audience member – to receive what’s being shared.
I’ve seen cooking shows that lay out the entire process for how to make a recipe.
But if my hunch is correct, the vast majority of the viewers are just enjoying watching the cook bring their recipe to life, without any real plan for duplicating the process themselves.
Now, of course, some may! And I know people personally who find recipes out there on the web in video form and they follow those recipes and make food for their families. But isn’t it easier to just be a consumer, an audience member, or a spectator?
It sure is.
I have been an audience member or a spectator, but only temporarily.
I am an active guitar player, whether a creative songwriter, performer, worship guitarist, or even a teacher. I place myself in an active posture in each of these roles as I share, sing, lead, create and teach.
I am a copious producer. I’m always coming up with content and musical ideas that I take great joy in sharing. And for some folks, that’s contagious and inspiring for them to do as well.
But for others…not so much.
Why?
The Obstacles We Encounter
Reasons for not developing our guitar skills might include the following…
1. Life is too full.
Yes, I agree. Sometimes with work, family, kids, and other responsibilities, it can be hard to make time. But we make time for things that are important to us, right? Even just a few minutes a day can transform our skill level over time on the guitar.
2. Fear.
Believe it or not, fear can paralyze us and keep us from reaching for our goals. For more about this, check out Episodes 50 and 51 of Guitar Serious Fun – The 10 Fears We Face as Guitarists – Part 1 and Part 2.
3. Procrastination.
We can live in the weird space that says, “I’ll get to that tomorrow.” But tomorrow can get pushed out further and further. Procrastination does not pay off, usually.
4. Laziness.
Can guitar players be lazy? Sure. I’ve met them. And you probably have as well.
Hard work is not glamorous, but man, can it help us get the results we want.
When people ask me how I’ve achieved the level of skill I’ve developed on the guitar, I usually respond with “Good, diligent practice and consistent hard work over time.”
Some folks are looking for an easy way to learn. But that’s not how it’s done.
The opportunity to grow is there, but, as Thomas Edison is credited with saying,
“Recognizing opportunity is so difficult for most people because it goes around disguised in overalls, looking like hard work!”
Now, there are different seasons of playing the guitar, as I unpack in Guitar Serious Fun Episodes 17 and 18, “Guitar Through the Seasons” – Part 1 and Part 2.
So, if someone is walking through a season where it just does not make practical sense to play, I understand. Every person has their reasons.
But let me encourage you to find the joy of music in your guitar playing…even when it’s not practical or easy.
Wounds from a Friend
If today’s episode has been a little less uplifting and a bit more of a coaching posture, that’s not by accident.
I’m a leader, but one of the main reasons I’ve become the leader I am is because I’ve literally had people in my world growing up who have said, “There’s leadership potential in you, David. Don’t sit back.”
Even if I wasn’t thankful in the moment for these exhortations, I’m thankful now.
Proverbs 27:6 states,
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
I’m here to gently wound you in a way that might inspire you to take action.
How? Well, I’ve got a few ideas.
Action Steps
1. Set some reasonable goals.
Goals give us a framework, and some tangible thresholds we’re hoping to cross.
2. Share those goals.
Sharing a goal gives it a super-charged amount of momentum, because others are now aware of what we’re working on, and this can provide gentle accountability.
3. Celebrate victories.
When we achieve a goal, we need to celebrate what we’ve done (more importantly what the Lord has done through us.) And if we’ve got other like-minded folks in our lives who can cheer us on, all the better.
Inside GuitarSuccess4U, we call these kinds of victories “wins,” and every time we gather on Zoom, I ask if any of my members have “wins” to share, and usually, many do.
4. Remember the long game.
Those who want to get real results play the long game. They know that this guitar thing will take time.
5. Make real music.
Stephen Humphries, a national Hammered Dulcimer champion I had the privilege of studying with, once said this to me:
“Technique is a means to an end. Make sure the music you want play is that end.”
Mic drop, right?
I’m all about techniques that lead me in the direction where I want to be playing music.
6. Don’t go alone.
One African proverb I’ve always appreciated says:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Journeying with like-minded folks will take you much further, even if it takes a bit longer.
On that subject, if you want a way to find measurable progress on the guitar, please consider GuitarSuccess4U.
And if you’re open to setting aside some intentional time to discover what we’re all about and how we can help you, I highly recommend our new free guitar web masterclass, called The Guitar Success Formula.
I recommend watching it from a browser on a desktop or laptop, rather than a smartphone. The URL for that is GuitarSuccess4U.com/formula.
But be warned – it’s not for those who want to sit on the sidelines – it’s for those who want to get in the game.
These action steps could be game-changers for you, and I’d love for us both to find out.
But if all that today’s episode does is serve as a catalyst for you to pick up your guitar, then that’s a win for both of us.
So, go grab your guitar and play it. Because that’s what guitar players do.
And maybe set your sights on playing it for someone else, because music is best when shared. Any music you play for anyone represents you setting aside the posture of a guitar spectator and instead becoming a guitar player.
Thanks for reading Guitar Serious Fun. We are fast approaching 100 episodes, which is exciting.
I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you in the future, even if we – spoiler alert – decrease episode frequency and length as I lean into other content platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
Once we cross the three-digit mark for this blog, we’ll be near to 2 solid years of Guitar Serious Fun which will provide a curated collection of thoughts, both practical and inspiring.
And these episodes take quite a bit of time to put together. They are a labor of love.
So just know that although I love sharing my thoughts here, it may make more sense for me to lean more deeply into other forms of content, based on time, which as you know, is a non-renewable resource.
So, if you like these thoughts, please share them with others – any episode could be passed along to someone else, but only if you forward it!
I’d love to be able to reach more people in this way.
I’ll see you next time!
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