Stuck In a Rut

When we're new to learning guitar it is somehow easy and exciting to get ahead in large leaps, and our learning curve is steep and steady.  Fueled by desire to emulate our guitar heroes we just chug along and learn something new every day.
But, sooner or later, we all get stuck in that spot where our playing and practice gets boring, and we don't seem to progress at all.  It is equivalent of hitting the wall in the middle of the road.  Going through the motions of playing familiar tunes, changing chords, and all the other skills we acquired in our guitar training get somehow bleak, old and very uninspired.  Learning curve has just flattened, and we sit there wondering where we went wrong, and what is it we need to do to get out of this uncomfortable rut?...

Some guitar players are perfectly happy to possess basic guitar skills only, and they don't seem to mind staying there as long as they can keep time and play along with couple songs they hold dear and worthy of learning.  For instance, ability to change few basic chords can go a long way for mildly ambitious guitarists, and they can stay on that level for years, maybe even a lifetime.  Others want to improve their musicianship all the time, and this is where it gets somewhat painful, especially for those who are learning on their own.

So, what is the way out of the flats, and back into swing of improving skills?  Learning something new will do it most of the time.  I don't care where you get it, just acquire a brand new skill: be it the new exercise, tip from fellow guitar player, learning unfamiliar song, music theory lesson... and best of all going for the things that are hard to play-that alone can give any musician boost on any day, and should always be kept in a back pocket as a sure way ahead.

We seem to reach this, flat and uninspiring, plateau quite a few times during our musical development, and that certainly should not stop us from bettering our skills.  Recognizing and acknowledging it is the first step towards defeating it, and moving along on our quest of conquering guitar and music.  It should never discourage us, or make us quit.  Especially when we find out that it happens to every musician, everywhere.  It should be us deciding how far and how high we want to go; us and nobody else.  Bumps and obstacles on the road to success will always be there, but the road itself is beautiful and certainly worth taking, wherever it might take us.

Keep on picking and
keep on keeping

Cheers!

Yours truly

Shredd