Guitar Success Guaranteed

8/3/2019 Guitar Success Guaranteed

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GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED...THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS

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Art is never finished, only abandoned.

-L eonardo da Vinci

2011 Matt Coffman all rights reserved

Thank you for purchasing this guide.

Dont just read this handbook--

take action and make these habits your own.

May you always improve in your guitar playing,

and may you fill this world with beauty and harmony.


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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. ATTENTION is the name of the gameAttention Action Steps

3. PAY THE PRICE, every dayDaily Practice Action Steps

4. SLOW DOWN, speed racerSlow Practice Action Steps

5. REPEAT AFTER ME, I love my metronome

Metronome Action Steps

6. HONE YOUR TECHNIQUE, master your methodTechnique & Method Action Steps

7. DONT BE A DABBLERMastery Action Steps

8. LIGHTS, CAMERA, PROGRESS!Progress Action Steps

9. GET BUSY LIVING!

pg. 4-5

pg. 6-7pg. 8-9

pg. 10-11pg. 12-13

pg. 14-15pg. 16-17

pg. 18-19

pg. 20-21

pg. 22-23pg. 24-25

pg. 26-27pg. 28-29

pg. 30-31pg. 32-33

pg. 34-35


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The Seven Habits of Great Guitarists

A fewkey behaviors distinguish the guitaristswho reach the heights of guitar playing.

Thesesevenkey habits of great guitarists areavailable to anyone at any level willing to paythe price required to master these habits.

eAchhAbiT is very powerful on its own, butall seven habits work together to produce

exponentially explosive results.

successon the guitar comes down to a fewgood habits practiced every single day.

nomATTerwho you are, no matter what yourbackground, these seven habits can carry youwherever you want to go on the guitar.

i hAveseen them work wonders in my ownplaying, and I have seen them work for mystudents, friends, teachers and guitar idols.

humAnbeingsoften fear change. The fear comesfrom feeling out of control--we like the changesthat bring us joy and pleasure and abundance,but we dislike the changes that bring us pain andpanic and catastrophe.

ifyouare a guitarist, then youre in the businessof positive change. Music is possible only becauseof the continual change from this note to the

next.

youwouldnTbe reading this if you didnt wantto push the limits of whats possible for you onthe guitar. And so, these seven habits are yourmagic ticket to the heights of Guitar Mountain.

AsAlwAysin life, it all comes down to knowingwhat to do and then actually doing it.

The sevenHabits of Great Guitarists work.

willyou?


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The guitar, by its very nature, the nature of its sound, by the soft nuance of its

powerful and ancient voice, by the magic of the tone, goes directly to the part of

oneself where love is felt. When I hear the sound of the guitar, it goes to some part

inside of me that opens the door that holds feelings of love and everything that is

beautiful which lives inside of me. - Pepe Romero


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ATTENTION is the name of the game

ifyouwant to get better at playing the guitar,the first thing you need to do is pay attention.

sTArTbyacknowledging this likely fact: whatyou currently consider paying attention likelyisnt enough.

youneedto cultivate incredibly sharp awarenessin order to notice the tiny details that affectyour ability to make music on the guitar.

buT heres The Problem:

Ourusualmode of attentionis very dull and sleepy.

righTnow, wherever you are, take a momentto notice all the sounds happening all aroundyou. Listen for every little noise that you can

hear.

The n, Try to find additional sounds that arehappening underneath the most obvious noisesin your environment.

evenTheseemingly quietest moment concealsa universe of sounds to explore. Dont make themistake of assuming that youre experiencingeverything wherever you are.

ThesAmeholds true for the music you learn andthe movements you make on the guitar.

TheresAlwAysmore that we can sense if wellonly stop and pay very close attention.

TogeTbetter at the guitar, the most importantingredient you bring to your playing is thesharpness and intensity of your attention.


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The guitar is a small orchestra. It is polyphonic. Every string is a

different color, a different voice. - Andres Segovia


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Attention Action Steps:

1. PickUp Your Guitar and Form a Chord.

Then, marshall all your attention to scan thefingers of your fret ting hand. Notice how yourfingers are tensing or fighting to press downthe notes.

Notice any tension in your arm from the handstraight up to the shoulder. Notice your entirebody. Feel your breath and your heartbeat.

Theres always more to pay attention to.

2. now, strum across the strings to play thechord youre holding.

Notice how your strumming hand reacts tothe strings as it strums through them.

After youve done it once, go back and payeven more attention as you strum the stringsa second time.

3. everytime you pick up your guitar, striveto become MORE aware.

whenyourhands touch your guitar, noticethe temperature of the wood. Feel the guitarsweight.

seeThenicks and scratches that ripple acrossthe surface of the soundboard.

becomeexTremelypresent, centered andgrounded with your guitar in your hands.

condiTionyourselfTowAkeuPAndbecomehyPer-AlerTwheneveryouAre

holdingyourguiTAr.


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It was my 16ThbirThdAy

mymomAnddAdgAvememy

goyAclAssicAlguiTArThAT

dAy. i sATdown, wroTeThis

song, And i jusTknewThATThATwAsTheonlyThing i

couldeverreAllydo wriTe

songsAndsingThemTo

PeoPle. - Stevie Nicks


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PAY THE PRICE, every day

rememberThechildrens story about therace between the tortoise and the hare?

inTheguitar world, the hares are thoseplayers who dive headlong into learning toplay the guitar by going from zero to an hourof practice a day or more.

iveseena number of these folks quit outof frustration, burn-out or injury after just acouple of months.

TheTorToises, on the other hand, are in thisguitar thing for the long run. They start smallwith maybe 10 or 15 minutes of practice aday, but they build.

slowAndstaedy, for 10 or 20 or 30 minutesa day, they pick up their guitar and practice.

six monThslater, these tortoise types aremaking all kinds of music on the guitar.

APPreciATeThepower of small daily efforts.These efforts multiply over time.

so, PickAnumber.

whATsiTgoing to be? 5 minutes a day? 15?30?

30 minuTesa day is the amount I encouragemy beginning students to practice. Its amanageable amount of time, but its enoughtime to see some solid progress really quickly.

whATeverAmounTof daily practice time youpick, just commit to it and make it happen.Every day. Day in, day out. If you miss a day,dont sweat it. Just get back after it tomorrow.

guiTAr mounTAintakes a while to climb.

resTeAsyknowing that youll make it to thetop one day and one practice session at a time.


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Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, youll hate the guitar. But if you stick

with it, youre gonna be rewarded. - Jimi Hendrix


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Daily Practice Action Steps:

1. find

A

Time

in

your

schedule

whenyou can practice guitar regularly.

Early mornings are often the best becausefatigue, busyness or socializing are less likelyto spring up unexpectedly.

Stick to your regular practice time asconsistently as you can. If you miss a day,dont sweat it--just pick yourself up and getback at it the next day.

2. sTArTouT smAllAnd build.

How much you can practice depends on allsorts of factors.

Decide on a minimum amount of time thatyoure going to practice each day.

Then, stick to your minimum practicecommitment and grow it over time.

In the beginning, do what you can and aim for30 to 45 minutes of daily practice.

5 minutes of practice a day every day is betterthan an hour of practice every other Sunday.

Consistency is your friend.

3. keePa PrAcTice journAl.

Simply write down when you practiced, whatyou worked on and any relevant benchmarkslike the speed you played at and anybreakthroughs that occurred.

A practice journal makes your progress morevisible, which will help you feel excited aboutlearning to play the guitar over the long haul.


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If I can get out of the way, if I can be pure enough, if I can be selfless enough, and

if I can be generous and loving and caring enough to abandon what I have in my own

preconceived silly notions of what I think I am and become truly who in fact I am, which

is really just another child of God then the music can really use me. - John Mclaughlin


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SLOW DOWN, speed racer

you

don

T

have to take a nasty little pill to

be addicted to speed.

welivein a fast-paced full-time society.Every single beginner I have ever taught hastried to play too fast right from the start.

TheAbsoluTebesTThingyoucAndoforyourguiTArPlAyingis slow down.

everygreATguitar player will sing thepraises of slow practice. But that doesntmean you get what theyre saying.

ThebesTstarting point to take is the ideathat YOU DONT KNOW WHAT SLOW MEANS.

forsTArTers, slow can mean actual slowmotion. As in: Super Slo-Mo. You barely even

look like youre moving when you do this kindof practice.

iPromise

you that every minute you spend

practicing in super slo-mo will be worth 30minutes of mindless too-fast practice.

AfTeryoumap out a tough move or transitionor measure with super slow practice, thenslowly bring that piece of music up to speed.

AgAin, Thename of the game here isSLOWLY.

evenwhenyou can play a piece of music fullspeed, it will always behoove you to practicethat same piece very, very slowly.

ThesloweryouPrAcTice, ThefAsTeryougeTbeTTer.

iTsoneof guitar playings most powerful

paradoxes.


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Practicing something fast rarely leads to perfection, but working on accuracy

always leads to the ability to play faster.- Jody Fischer


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Slow Practice Action Steps:

1. Picka small chunk of some music youfind challenging. Dont take on more than ameasure or a few notes.

Play that chunk of music in super slow motion.

If what youre playing sounds like music,youre going too fast.

2. Asyou practice in super slow motion,tighten up everything about your playing.

Make all your movements per fect.

(Find a great teacher if youre not sure whatperfection looks like on the guitar.)

hereAresomegoodsTArTingPoinTsTofocusonAsyouPrAcTice:

Are my fingers (and the rest of my body)relaxed?

Are my fingers coming down perfectly right onthe fingertips?

Do my fingers all stay low to the strings as

they move from note to note?

Those are some good general guidelines forgreat guitar technique.

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS


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If you play music for no other

reason than actually just because

you love it, the skills just kinda

creep up on you.

- Nuno Bettencourt.


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REPEAT AFTER ME...I love my metronome

hereAresome powerful ways practicing witha metronome will help you:

1. Thesteady click of a metronome enforcesslow practice. Set the metronome to 50 or 60BPM and stay with it.

2. Themetromome reveals your naturalsense of rhythm.

3. workingwith a metronome helps youdevelop your ability to play in time.

4. usinga metronome allows you tomeasure and track your progress.

5. PrAcTicingwith a metronome forces youto pay closer attention to what youre doing.

mosTguiTArstudents Ive known resist themetronome. Its natural to prefer playingwithout the annoying click of the metronomerevealing all the inaccuracies in your playing.

ulTimATely, youwill want to alternatebetween periods of practicing with themetronome and periods of practicing without it.

inThebeginning, however, err on the side ofhaving the metronome on. It will force you toslow down and concentrate more intently.

Asyoulearn how to hear whether youreplaying with the metronome or not, it helps tohave a friend or teacher sit with you while youwork with the metronome. They can let youknow whether youre on or of f the beat.

GUITAR SUCCESS GUARANTEED THE SEVEN HABITS OF GREAT GUITARISTS


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The guitar is a meditative tool to touch God and find love within yourself. Look

for the perfect truth in the pieces you play. Playing a piece too fast is betraying

the truth to ourselves and the universe, producing more garbage sounds and

littering the universe. Nerves never attack a person in love. - Pepe Romero


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Metronome Action Steps:

PrAcTicingwiTha metronome is a deeptopic.

ifyoudlike a thorough presentation ofhow to make the most out of your practicetime with the metronome, check out JamieAndreas fantastic book The Principles ofCorrect Practice for the Guitar. The BasicPractice Approach at the back of that bookwill give you a valuable and extremely

effective framework.

however, hereare some nuggets to get youstarted practicing with a metronome.

1. ATfirst, its easiest to go slowly and tryto play with the click. Set the metronome toa slow speed like 50 or 60 and work througha passage of music while only playing on the

click.

2. Asyou get more familiar with metronomepractice, resolve to use the metronome for agood chunk of every practice session.

3. keePtrack of the speeds at which youpractice your music over time. Notice yourprogress and celebrate!

4. i regularly remind my students: if themetronome isnt clicking, you probably arent

practicing.

Be prepared for some resistance when it comesto using the metronome to practice. Pushthrough whatever resistance emerges andmake sure you use the metronome for at leasthalf of the time youre practicing.

(ifyoudonTyeThAveAmeTronome, i

recommendTheseiko sQ50-v. AmAzonsellsiTforAround $22)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LFCXL8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=creativerelat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000LFCXL8


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One day you pick up the guitar and you

feel like a great master, and the next

day you feel like a fool. Its because

were different every day, but the

guitar is always the samebeautiful.

-Tommy Emmanuel


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HONE YOUR TECHNIQUE, master your method

TwoessenTiAlsform the foundation ofevery great guitarist the world has ever seen:Technique and Method.

TechniQueiswhat your hands do to makemusic spring from the guitars strings.

meThodishow you go about learning newthings on the guitar.

ifyoucombine a versatile technique and apowerful method, you can master any piece ofmusic written for the guitar (with enough time!).

TechniQueishow your body interfaces withthe guitar. The technique you use will dependon the kind of music you play and who yourelearning from.

however, Thegoal of any technique is tohelp you play music effectively and efficiently.

ThecArdinAlruleofTechniQueis:moveAs liTTleAs PossibleformAximumimPAcT.

meThodishow you learn new things on theguitar.

evenTuAlly, youwill develop your own uniquemethod, which will include bits and pieces ofthings you learn from other guitarists as wellas from your own trial and error.

ThemosTimportant thing to say about Methodis: donTleAveiTTochAnce.

mAnyPlAyersarent even aware of Method asone of the keys to learning to play the guitar.Dont make that mistake.

findTheapproaches and strategies that work

to help you get bet ter at the guitar. Refine andimprove your Method over time, and notice howyour confidence grows.



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Ive looked at photographs of myself during concerts and it sometimes looks as if

Im in a fencing move, with a guitar in my hands instead of a sword.

- Neil Diamond


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Technique & Method Action Steps:

1. finda teacher who can help you get clearon the technique that will work best for themusic you want to play.

Then, get to work mastering that techniqueand its many applications.

2. geTa copy ofThe Principles of CorrectPractice for Guitarby Jamie Andreas.

Read it carefully, and pay special attention tothe Basic Practice Approach. This is the mostpowerful method Ive yet seen in print.

3. consciouslycreate the Method you useto learn new things on the guitar.

Write your Method down and keep refining itas you discover what actually works to help

you get results in improving your playing.

hereAresome aspects of my Method thatIve learned and discovered over the years:

PlAyingThe Picking hAnd Alone wiThouTThe freTTing hAnd

PlAyingA PAssAge while counTingiTouT loud

singingAlongwiThThe PAssAge

im PlAying

visuAlizingA Tough PAssAgein exQuisiTedeTAilAndThen PlAying iT

PlAyingA PAssAgeAT full volume

PlAyingin suPer slow moTion

TAkingA Tough PAssAgefrom suPer slowmoTion AllThe wAyTo my ToP sPeed



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iT

s

been

very

imPorTAnT

ThroughouT

my

cAree

ThAT ivemeT AllTheguys ivecoPied, becAuseA

eAchsTAgeTheyvesAid, don TPlAylikeme, PlA

likeyou. - Eric Clapton


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DONT BE A DABBLER

TheguiTArreserves its secrets for thestalwart few who traverse all the way to thetop of Guitar Mountain.

howevermucheffort and intensity that ittook you to learn a piece from scratch toabout 50% of perfect, it ll take you that muchwork again to go from 50% to 75%.

Togofrom 75% to 90%, itll take as much

work as it took you to get all the way to 75%in the first place.

from 90% To 95%? You guessed it--another big batch of Super Effort.

buTThosefinally 4.999% to go from 95% to99.999%? Thats the hardest stretch of all.

TheresAlot of talk these days about the80/20 principle and doing things well but notnecessarily at the level of Mastery.

forsome, playing below the level of Masterycan be enough. Its fun to play and sing andhave a good time making music on the guitar.

however, inmy experience, playing guitar atthe highest level you can manage is so fun youwont believe it til youre there.

ThePAThof mastery starts with a single pieceof music. Draw your line in the sand and decide

to push hard until you can play a single pieceat as close to per fection as you can manage.

whenyouget that one piece of musicpolished as close to per fect as possible, youllbe hooked on Mastery as the best game intown.

donTbea dabbler--rise to the challenge of

your guitar and push yourself to play at thelevel of mastery!



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Caption

The guitar is your first wings. Its assigned and designed to unfold your vision and imagination. - Carlos Santana


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Mastery Action Steps:

1. PickoneofThePiecesofmusicyourecurrenTlyleArning.

Commit to learning this piece all the way tomastery.

2. Then, geTbusyAPPlyingeveryoneofThese 7 hAbiTsof greAT guiTArisTsToThisonePieceofmusic.

3. geT busyAndenjoyTheride.

4. donTsToPunTilyoureuPinToThAT99.999 PercenTileofmAsTery.

Recognize that the path to per fection isneverending. Theres always more to learnand perfect.

5. PlAyyourmAsTeredPieceinPublicforAnAudience.

Play your heart out, and knock it out of thepark.

Do this once, and youll never be the same.

6. onceyouve completed steps 1 through 4with one piece of music, pick another piece and

go through those four steps again.

Congratulations!

Youre now officially a master-in-training!



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everyTimeyouPickuPyourguiTArToPlAy, PlAy

AsifiTsThe lAsTTime. - Eric Clapton

PlAyingguiTArislikeTellingTheTruTh. you

neverhAveToworryAbouTrePeATingThe sAme

lieif you ToldTheTruTh. youdonThAveTo

PreTendorcoveruP. ifsomeoneAsksyouAgAin

you donT hAveTo ThinkAbouT iT or worryAbouTiT. iTsyou. - B.B King


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LIGHTS, CAMERA, PROGRESS!

ifyoudont notice the actual, tangibleprogress you make in your guitar playing,youre much more likely to quit trying.

iveseenthis over and over again--someonewill be making genuine progress learning toplay the guitar, and yet theyll completelyignore and deny that theyre actually gettingbetter.

iTsmucheasier to feel frustrated if youdont actually see your progress.

so, mAkeyourProgressobvious.

keePAjournal of everything you practice andmake a ritual of taking note of how far youvecome over the past few months...

OR

recordyourself playing something once a

month and watch yourself improve over the

course of months.

ifyouhave to compare yourself to something,compare yourself to where you used to be andnotice how far youve come.

donTmAkethe grave mistake of comparingyourself against some ideal in your mind ofwhere you think you should be.

doyourbest each day and document whatyour best is as you move forward.

Then, mAkea habit of stopping on a regularbasis to look back and really notice how muchprogress youre making.

APPreciATingyourprogress as it unfolds is

one of the most important things you can do toensure you continue enjoying your journey onthe guitar long into the future.



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CaptionYoure always learning about this thing every time you pick it up - Keith Richards


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Progress Action steps:

1. choosethe medium youre going to use to

chart your progress.

Will you keep a written journal? Audiorecordings? Video?

2. ArrAngethe details of how you willdocument your progress using your chosenmedium.

Buy the journal and keep it handy. Figureout your recording setup. Make your progressdocumentation process as easy as possible.

3. ATthe beginning of every month, take asnapshot of where you are.

Play something you are working on. Then, amonth later, play that same piece again.

Document your performance and appreciatethe progress youve made in the last month.

4. esPeciAllywhen youre feeling like you

arent making progress, go back and lookthrough the records youre making of whereyouve been and what youve learned on theguitar.

5. Then, either celebrate the progress youARE making or, if you really dont see anyprogress whatsoever (though this is highlyunlikely), go back and figure out which of the

previous habits of great guitarists you arentapplying.

Bring the new habit into your practicing andplaying and get on the fasttrack of guitarprogress.


A


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APProAchyourguiTArinTelligenTly, AndifThereArelimiTs, donT

denyThem. workwiThinyourresTricTions. some ThingsyoucAn

do beTTer ThAn oThers, some Things you cAn T do As well. so

AccenTuATeThe PosiTive. - Chet Atkins

iTTookme 20 yeArsToleArn i couldnT

TuneToowell. And byThATTime i wAs

Too richTocAre. -Chet Atkins


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GET BUSY LIVING!

Thereisliterally nothing you cant

accomplish on the guitar if you will applythese principles consistently over a longenough period of time.

PATienceisyour friend when it comes tolearning to play the guitar as well as you wantto be able to play it.

ifyouapply these habits to your guitar

practice and playing, you will absolutelyseeresults that will blow your mind. I promise.

ThesehAbiTspresent the laws of nature thatgovern how we learn to make music on theguitar.

TheyhAveworked for me, for my teachersand for the many students I have helped on

their way to playing their favorite music onthe guitar. They will work for you too.

hArmonyisthe reward for successfully

incoporating these habits into your guitarplaying life.

iTiseasy to read an idea, but it is hardindeed to put an idea into practice.

donTjusTread this manual for guitarsuccess. Live it.

mAkeThesehabits come alive in your guitarplaying.

Thejourneyof Mastery begins anew each day.

eAchdAy, you have another chance to showup as who you really are.

eAchdAy, you have a chance to take bold

strides in the direction of mastery.

goodluckAnd godsPeed.



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I wish you much joy and beauty in the process of discovering the

music you were born to make.Always remember that true success is 10% theory and 90% Practice!

Pour yourself into your music and into your practice, and youwill be amazed at the sounds that will flow forth from your fingers.

If I can help you, encourage you, or assist with tips or pointers,do not hesitate, contact me at www.stringloveguitar.com
http://www.stringloveguitar.com/http://www.stringloveguitar.com/

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