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Recent years have brought about the addition of so many musical styles and as a result, many people want to learn how to play guitar. Unfortunately, most of these want-to-be guitar-playing hopefuls who lost sleep over the idea of playing all their favorite riffs never make it past learning three chords. As a guitarists myself, I know the challenges of learning to play an instrument. I also know how to overcome most of these challenges. In this article I will be addressing a few challenges to learning the guitar and their solutions.

1. Learning to play guitar takes hard work.

The only place that success comes before hard work is in the dictionary. No matter how much God-given ability you have, you are not exempt from hard work. If you really want to learn how to play the guitar or any instrument for that matter, except for maybe the Kazoo, you must develop a habit of practicing. It takes the average person 21 days to develop a new habit. One thing that will help is to set aside a certain time everyday to practice and stick to this schedule even when you don't feel like it. Don't just plan on finding time to fit in a practice because it will never happen. You must schedule a 30 to 60 minute block of time each day. If you already have a full schedule, you may have to quit something else. It really just depends on how badly you desire to learn how to play and how much you are willing to sacrifice to accomplish this goal.

2. Learning to play guitar means sore fingers.

During the first few weeks of learning to play guitar, your fingers will be quite sore until you have developed calluses on your fingertips. This is an unavoidable reality of learning to play guitar and many people unfortunately quit due to soreness. The great news is that it's only temporary considering you are practicing regularly. The more you practice, the sooner your fingers will stop hurting.

3. Learning to play guitar requires playing songs and chord progressions you may not enjoy.

Most people want to learn guitar because they were inspired by someone or by some really cool riff. Unfortunately, most of the songs you love and desire to play are just out of your league in the beginning. You must first take the time to learn many basic fundamentals like chords, simple chord progressions and scales before you can tackle your favorite solos. Many people quit trying to learn guitar because they are so bored with the basics. Most worth-while endeavors in life will require the discipline necessary to endure the baby steps. One thing that will help you endure these baby steps is to keep the vision in front of you. Keep thinking about that really awesome riff that you will be able to play one day. Remember that you have to crawl before you can walk.

4. Learning guitar requires good teaching.

There are some good guitar instructors and some bad ones. Before spending your hard-earned money on just any person who claims that he or she can teach you to play guitar, check this person out. It's a good idea to ask for references. A good teacher should be able to provide these for you. Another option, and certainly a cheaper one, is to teach yourself via books and videos. Some of the best guitarists I know were self-taught. If you are a self-motivated type of person, I would highly recommend this latter option to you. There is a plethora of resources to help you learn how to play guitar.

Playing guitar is very fun and rewarding; however it will take hard work and patience. If you really desire to play, keep dreaming about playing your favorite song or riff and keep this vision in front of you. This goal will keep you motivated and determined on those days that you just don't feel like practicing. If you have been dreaming of playing the guitar, go for your dreams. There is no better time than the present.