20 Little Mistakes That Keep Even Long Time Players Stuck

Below are 20 little mistakes I noticed common with players who have been playing a long time but get stuck.

If you are newer to guitar, take note of these. They can help you get it right from the beginning so you don’t have to go back later.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity here. Getting these fundamentals right is very important.

 Here we go:

*Can’t play to a metronome

*Can't tune without a tuner

*Thinking that if they can play something once, they’ve mastered it

*Bad posture and body mechanics

*Notes are buzzing

*Playing with too much tension – this will stop you in your tracks and make you choke up on stage

*Not having a system for fingerings to play guitar

*Hitting other strings everyone can hear by accident

*Thinking one note can only be played one way. When really any one note could be played 1,000+ ways.

*Can’t tap foot while playing

*When they go to sing, the strum hand stops 

*Does not understand time signatures

*Tries to play a bunch of songs not appropriate for their skill level

*Does not practice slowly and accurately before increasing speed

*Does not have a consistent written down practice plan 

*Does not know how to track and measure improvement

*Can’t play a single thing from beginning to end

*Chord changes aren't smooth

*Can't play through the blues without dropping the form

I could keep going…

But this is a short list of little mistakes that block players from playing like they’ve always wanted. Mastering simple concepts like these is what sets you up for success. They are fundamentals that help keep you from plateauing later down the road.

The final mistake I want to warn you about today is players not having a way to learn the fretboard. If you need help with this grab my free fretboard guide at the link below. It's the simplest and fastest way to start learning the neck for rhythm and lead guitar.

Just go to:

Jon MacLennan