10 False Beliefs Holding You Back from Playing Guitar

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I have worked with a lot of people and taught many guitar lessons. I like to ask people what they are having trouble with so I can figure out where to start with them. I have noticed some common themes over the years when people answer that question.

Many of the “problems” people identify as barriers to learning guitar actually turned out to be myths.

I summarized what I call “false beliefs” here in hopes that people can learn from them and overcome some myths while they continue on their guitar journey.

False Belief #1 : I am too old to learn guitar.

Fact: Simply not true. If you think you are too old then you probably are. But really, learning to play guitar is more about desire, consistency, practice, and follow through than anything else. If you want to play the guitar, then play.

False belief #2: I have to study music theory to play guitar.​

Fact: Fact: Some of the greatest guitar players in the world never studied music theory. In fact, many never even took lessons. You’ll need to know the basics, but nothing too intense. If you’re fascinated by music theory and want to really dive into it, go for it.

False belief #3: I have to play fast to be good.

Fact: If it sounds good, it is good. Speed has nothing to do with it. It is more about being creative and saying something musically. When you are first starting out you should focus on accuracy and not speed. You don’t want to learn mistakes faster. Speed will come with time.​

​False belief #4: I have to practice scales over and over and over to be able to play lead guitar.

Fact: Playing scales up and down the neck is not as important as some basic knowledge of patterns and understanding how they fit together in music.​

False belief #5: I don’t have the “right” hands for the guitar.​

​Fact: It does not matter if your fingers are short and stubby or long and skinny. When you first start out you will likely have a little trouble fretting chords and notes. This is normal and your fingers will touch the wrong strings. It takes some practice and a little while to figure out your own technique. The guitar was made to fit our hands perfectly.

False belief #6 : I have to spend hours a day practicing.​

Fact: It is more important that you practice a little each day, maybe 15 minutes, than it is to spend hours practicing. If you are intentional and consistent with your practice, you will learn to play just fine.​

False belief #7: I need to spend a lot of money to get a good guitar.​

Fact: Really not true. A thousand dollar guitar is not going to help you learn faster or play better. But you do want a solid guitar to start out with. Something with low action and a solid top if possible. You can get by with about $300 for a great starter acoustic.

False belief #8: I can learn everything I need to know online.​

Fact: While you can find everything you need to know, actually sifting through the massive amounts of content and then working with someone one on one for accountability is your best bet at making progress on the guitar.​

False belief #9: I have to be born to do this.​

Fact: Not everyone can be a virtuoso. But practice enough and you will be good enough. Play and learn with others and you will be even better. The important thing is that you enjoy playing, that music brings you joy, helps you relax and keeps you active.​

False belief #10: You have to be able to read music to play guitar.​

Fact: The guitar is the perfect instrument to learn without having to read music. The strings and frets and the theory are all set up in a way that you can learn simply using numbers. Really.​

Learning to play, or picking the guitar back up again, is totally within your reach! Make it a priority and you will be glad you did!

Don’t let these false beliefs hold you back!​

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about the author
Kevin DePew
Kevin is the founder of learning website Relax and Learn Guitar. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years, and RLG includes a variety of video lessons, personalized instruction, and a dedicated online community of people who want to learn guitar.

11 thoughts on “10 False Beliefs Holding You Back from Playing Guitar”

  1. As a guitar player for almost 10years its good to know early the bad habits in playing your guitar instrument, in this way you will avoid it the future, many guitar players do it and find it hard to adjust when the already built this kind of habit. Rock on!

  2. My favorite one is probably “I need to play fast to be good”. Ah, such a painful topic for so many guitarists. So many people are focusing too much efforts on improving their skill and technique, while completely ignoring far more important things, like timing, melody, phrasing, expression. It’s nice to remind yourself once in a while that there at some point you need to move from being a guitarist to being a musician.

  3. That’s good to know that you improve in playing the guitar if you meet with someone one on one and that you can still research stuff yourself. My son wants to start playing the guitar, so I’m looking into the best way for him to learn. I’ll have to find a guitar class near us we can go to since I think he would like having someone teaching him one on one that way if he gets stuck they can point out what he should do.

  4. Learning to play the guitar is something that I have always wanted to learn. I had thought that I would need to spend hours to learn to play the guitar. I know that I would have 15 minutes a day to learn the guitar and some more time for acoustic guitar lessons.

  5. This article nails so many key points, and every guitarist has these feelings or questions at some point during our life. I especially agree with “False belief #3: I have to play fast to be good.”

    I really enjoyed heavy metal/hardcore bands like (Born of Osiris, The Faceless, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, etc. and played lead in a few Hardcore Bands of my own. The athleticism of guitarists is this genre is staggering, and of course I wanted to mimic them. I spent many hours overcompensating with intense practice and fretboard exercises, but really didn’t achieve the speed I wanted.

    Years later, I’ve learned that every guitar player is unique in their own strengths and style. I’m not ever going to be as fast as Synyster Gates, and thats ok. There are things I can play that Synyster Gates probably couldn’t replicate exactly. My takeaway is that its great if you can play fast, but speed is only one aspect of guitar. You should concentrate on developing your style and be comfortable in your own skin.

  6. This article nails so many key points, and every guitarist has these feelings or questions at some point during our life. I especially agree with “False belief #3: I have to play fast to be good.”
    I really enjoyed heavy metal/hardcore bands like (Born of Osiris, The Faceless, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, etc. and played lead in a few Hardcore Bands of my own. The athleticism of guitarists is this genre is staggering, and of course I wanted to mimic them. I spent many hours overcompensating with intense practice and fretboard exercises, but really didn’t achieve the speed I wanted.
    Years later, I’ve learned that every guitar player is unique in their own strengths and style. I’m not ever going to be as fast as Synyster Gates, and thats ok. There are things I can play that Synyster Gates probably couldn’t replicate exactly. My takeaway is that its great if you can play fast, but speed is only one aspect of guitar. You should concentrate on developing your style and be comfortable in your own skin.
    I have an article about this here, https://www.axedr.com/to-shred-or-not-to-shred. You can also find helpful guitar setup guides and diy hacks. Thanks for the great article Kevin!

  7. false belief 1 too old !
    i started playing acoustic guitar 6 months ago aged 64 and can now play various easy songs. i only strum the main chords but i feel i have achieved a lot in a short time. did all my learning using Andy’s Beginner Guitar Course on-line,very good at explaining everything
    i now practice my playing using https://www.e-chords.com

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