The Importance of Setting Goals

There are so many different things to learn and accomplish on the guitar! Think about why you wanted to start playing guitar in the first place. Was it to impress a girl (or a guy)? To play a song you absolutely love hearing? To create and express your own unique material? As you continue down the road of playing more guitar, I strongly suggest that you set goals for yourself. Having specific goals will help keep you on track when you feel discouraged or perhaps want to quit.

Over the years of playing,  my personal goals for the guitar have changed. Here are some of the big early goals I set for myself:

* Learning how to tune a guitar
* Learning how to play the major chords (the happy sounding chords)
* Learning how to play the minor chords (the sad sounding chords)
* Learning how to play seventh chords (the jazzy sounding chords)
* Feeling comfortable switching between these chords
* Learning how to play barre chords
* Playing some easy famous songs using the basic chords I have learned
* Making up my own songs using these basic chords
* Performing songs at an open mic night in front of a crowd

Sometimes you can reach a level of playing where things seem to level off. It can be rough... I remember being stuck with only being able to play open position chords for many years. However, once I felt more comfortable with barring chords, the rest of the guitar neck slowly opened up for me and led to all sorts of new interesting discoveries. Be patient with your playing and keep focused on your goals. Your guitar (and your future self) will thank you for your efforts.

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