When it comes to guitar playing, a particular giant continusoulsy confronts me, and I find myself having to slay it again and again.  You might expect me to say it’s time to rehearse.  Oh, rehearsal for the amateur guitarist.  How often have we daydreamed about working on our most recent lick or riff while saddled with life’s responsibilities?  But rehearsal time is not what I’m talking about.

So it must be staying focussed during rehearsal.  That’s it.  When I do finally find time to sit down, getting sidetracked or not really having a plan eats away at my productivity.  The precious moments fly away, and I’ve not accomplished much of anything.  We have all felt that frustration.  But that isn’t it either.

Comparison.  Comparing myself to other guitar players kills my progress more quickly than anything else.  I either compare myself to someone with much less experience, and my motivation tanks.  Or, more commonly, I compare myself to prodigies and professionals who are able to rehearse ten hours a day, and I wonder why I don’t sound like them.

I am slowly learning how not to compare myself to other players and be happy with my own talent level.  And, more importantly, to be happy with my own level of progress.

What’s your biggest giant when it comes to progress with guitar?