← What Meaning Means What Is Your Defining Guitar Memory? →

What to Do When You Doubt Yourself or Guitar Playing

May 7th, 2009 · Posted by Jeff · 5 Comments

Doubt is uncomfortable; Certainty is ridiculous.

-Voltaire

Love and doubt have never been on speaking terms.

-Kahill Gibran

Doubt can only be removed by action.

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Everyone has doubts about themselves, their situations, or other people at times.  Don’t focus on them.  Instead focus on what actions you can take to alleviate your doubts.   Give people the benefit that they are doing the best they can at any given moment.   Turn your frustrations into action plans.  Small action plans that are achievable, but also that build towards a bigger, grander goal.

Do the best you can.  Make good music. And write good songs.

You got this.

Need some inspiration and some information? Check out our interview series with guitar playing professionals who are making their living with the guitar. Studio Guitar Secrets: Making Guitar Your Career

Popularity: 21% [?]

When You Don’t Know Where to Go, Just Move ForwardBorn a Hunter, Die a Hunter‘Climbing Peaks then Finding Mountains’-How to Improve Your Playing Part 1Expanding Creativity By Setting LimitsDon’t Like Your Musical Situation?–Action beats Inaction

Tags: Guitar Lessons · Guitar Player Zen · Mental & Creative Lessons · Spiritual Lessons

5 responses so far ↓

  • 1 MJK (Mike) // May 8, 2009 at 6:16 am

    “Doubt can only be removed by action.” - Something that I need to start doing…Getting in to Action and off the computer.

  • 2 Ron Zabrocki // May 8, 2009 at 7:48 am

    We all doubt ourselves from time to time….be realistic. Be prepared. Practice even harder. Sacrifice even more. Being a musician is not a job…it’s a calling. Feelings lie to us…that’s just a part of our brain with the memory of someone else talking. we all have it in us to do great things. The world needs heroes. Even guitar heroes. Real ones. One’s who sacrifice. This is important.
    Ron Zabrocki

  • 3 jimmy mac // May 8, 2009 at 6:02 pm

    Doubt? I never doubted my abilities until i was injured . Everything had to be re-learned and my confidence had to be regained.
    Losing the use of my left hand due to Ulna nerve damage was a long road of doubt and therapy.
    Finally , a neuro doc told me to keep playing.
    No matter how bad i sounded or how ridiculous it seemed just keep trying.
    It took a year to get 60% abilitty and i started
    sitting in with B grade jazzers not the guys i use to play with but good people who helped me get my ass in gear.
    I totally changed my approach. I had to re-finger chord melodies and go thru hours of beginners exercises. By 2004 i was ready to go
    and got invited to do some studio work . The kid was back ! I began writing and recording with a funk trio and completed “Just a Kid Havin’ Fun”. There are a few copies around on the internet - cdbaby.com but if you want a copy send me your address. contact:
    james_7206@msn.com
    You can hear for yourself -Doubt defeated !
    Well for the time being.
    shalom
    -j

  • 4 Patrick Smith // May 10, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    Great post. When in doubt, practice. Just focusing on a few notes can begin turn this around. Mood follows action is another way to say it.

    A few nights back I was exhausted from my day job and told my wife over dinner I don’t know how I can play tonight. She calmly said you will, it’s what you do. She was right.

  • 5 luckyman // May 15, 2009 at 9:44 am

    This is so true. I think about times before when I’ve doubted my playing but people actually responded positively to it.
    For me now, I have to really focus on those good times to beat the doubt when it creeps back. Gotta visualise the positive, that’s my action. Showing compassion to others builds on that, too.

Leave a Comment