The level of guitar motivation is subject to changes in your life as a guitar player.
In fact, in some ways, this stage even builds you as a musician and guitarist if you pass it properly.

In this article, I’ve summarized for you 12 proven tips which I based on my guitar journey and my colleagues and student years of experience.

Start with ‘why’?

Can you tell me why are you playing?
I assume that you are already playing at one level or another and if you read these lines you are probably at some point where you lack the same enthusiasm that motivated you to grab the guitar in the first place.

You probably had an imaginary picture in your mind where you saw yourself playing the guitar in
a certain situation or fulfilling a childhood dream.

I know that when “the rubber meets the road,” like in guitar practice that sometimes it can be very dull and the results come less quickly than what we thought, it’s hard to remember why we started at all.

Hold on!

From my personal experience, when you get the same initial picture you’ve dreamt of,
your “high” feeling will be so high, and if you have already fulfilled some of these,
and still love this beautiful instrument nevertheless feel low guitar motivation set other goals.

Set goals

Evaluate your guitar experience.
You can measure the table in meters and centimeters, the pregnancy period by weeks and months, and so on.

You need to construct the development of your guitar by goals.

Long-term goals– number of weeks to a year. Guitar goals like challenging guitar intro of a song, complex fingerstyle composition, arranging your concert, etc.

Setting such goals will simplify you entire guitar process and will provide you with your “big picture.”

Short-term goals– Days to week. Such goals will give you small victories and a sense of immediate success.
Make them SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time Bound

Commit to an external factor

Announce your goals with specific times to someone you appreciate and don’t want to disappoint as a friend,
a family member, venue to have a concert at, a recording studio where you are going to record your piece and so on.

Perform

Play for someone!
I know, if you don’t have this experience it’ll probably arouse fear and opposition on your part.

Many years ago I even built an agenda around the resistance to perform that I based on the perception that music is directed into the soul and is a tool for self and spiritual development.

This is true, but it’s only a partial picture.

If you want to boost your guitar experience to entirely other dimensions play for people.
It’s stressful at first, but it’s just the sign that this is the right thing to do.
Because our development lies just outside our comfort zone.

Start with audio recording yourself on your mobile phone – just 10 seconds.
Repeat it every day and each time make five seconds longer.

The goal is not to play perfect or the whole piece, but just to get used to this habit and hear yourself playing on the recording.

Record yourself in a video – Th same like you did with the audio.

Play 10 seconds for someone with whom you feel most comfortable.
Extend the duration time later on in the week and find another person to play with.

Upload it to YouTube or a social network and share it only with someone who you feel comfortable to share with.
In this stage, you play virtually to several people.

You’ll continue to upload ten more of your videos for a month.
Read the reactions, even the critical ones.
Play for 2-3 people. Five for 30 days each time for different people.

Play at a family or friends gathering of 10 to 20 people.

Set a concert in a small pub or venue. At the beginning play background music and after a few times as a frontal concert.

You’ll see that it’s like training a muscle and your mental side and self-confidence will skyrocket.

Play only the music you connect to

For a few years I used to play solo concerts with classical works that I didn’t like or at list enjoyed only the prosses of studying those compositions, but then I lost interest in them.

Each time before going on stage my stress level was high.
Although there was an improvement from time to time, it was a minor one.

It was only after I started to play my pieces or arrangements of well-known pieces 
that I noticed that I was much less nervous and during the performance dived into the music
and didn’t think about “what I look like?” “what the audience thinks of me?” or “Oops, I played the wrong note.”

Change the environment settings

Diversify the place where you play the guitar.
Inside the house play in your study room, the living room, the yard, the balcony.

And play outdoors as well- at the beach, by the river, on a bench in the city, etc.

Feel the energies of each place and play in places where you felt more comfortable and inspired.

Join a music group or set up a band

You can play a duet to full band.
If you are a “doer,” great! If not, make sure that one of those guys you play with is a doer and let him run the rehearsals, performances, etc.

The sense of commitment that exists as soon as you tie your guitar playing to other people creates a frame for you that brings life into your guitar world and leaves you in a high positive field.

Play on different types of guitar

Allow yourself to be pampered with another guitar and different pedals than what you already have.
You’ll hear yourself in a new refreshing way.

new sounds coming out of your guitar can be very inspiring and get you to new musical ideas.

Do not play!

Like any relationship, the one with your guitar can get a new boost if you don’t touch it in for few days/weeks.

It’s fine.

Once I was obsessive to take my guitar anywhere, including a romantic vacation with my wife.
Today I understand that to play guitar better sometimes it’s best to stay away from it.

And don’t be surprised if after you return to it you play better technically and musically.

Consume other types of art

You will be amazed at how much spiritual benefit and musical inspiration you get if you go dancing performance, art gallery, etc.

Once you are exposed to the art of a particular artist, he is manifesting his own life through it. Be open-minded to get what he has to give.
The abstract thinking and artistic mindset of all types of art are the same.

Read biographies of musicians and guitarists.

When you dive into the stories of famous musicians you discover that they have not succeeded despite their difficulties but because of it.
Many guitarists I know experienced a “wavy”  level of guitar motivation, and there were moments when they thought to give up everything and to get a day job.

You are neither the first nor the last to that feel what you feel.

Observe the current period in your life

Look if in general, you feel at this point in your life an energy drop and
that it’s not just a matter of guitar motivation.

Maybe your initial answer would be “not at all,” but sometimes the things that affect us
are elusive and very subtle.

Conclusion

You are not alone.
In fact, if you feel that way, you are at a certain point of progress in your guitar playing.

I identify the guitarist journey full of ups and downs by default.
like the music itself that progresses only by tension and resolving it.

You can apply those 12 proven tips to improve your guitar motivation and to build your personality as a guitar player.