If you’ve ever tried to learn how to play an instrument like the guitar or piano, you have experienced the frustration when you practice but don’t seem to make any progress. We’ve all been there. You’re not alone.

It doesn’t just apply to learning to play an instrument. It also applies to any skill you are trying to develop, like touch typing. I remember when I was learning how to type by touch. We had classes where we’d practice, just like practicing the guitar or any other instrument.

Many “wanna be” guitarists think it looks easy and they can learn it on their own and many do. But getting good instruction can cut the learning time and help you to develop good guitar techniques from the beginning.

Many guitarists who are self-taught often develop bad habits that have to later be unlearned. Once it’s a habit, any habit, it’s difficult to shake off or change.

A few years ago, you either learned on your own with the help of books and watching others play on movies or videos. But today is totally different. …

The internet has changed the music industry drastically. The change started in the 90s with the illegal downloading of music by Napster, which is now-defunct. The music sharing sites, like Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and streaming services still have the industry in flux over issues such as the royalties to be paid to artists and labels.

Not all the changes are bad. Currently, more music is accessible to people around the world, but that has made it more difficult for musicians to make money from their music, the old fashioned way. …

If you’ve seen some of the pianists online you’ve probably thought, “It must have taken years of practice to be that good.”

With some of us, it has taken years. I started piano lessons at age four at the insistence of my mother because I was trying to play by ear. Back then, no I’m not going to say how many years, the only people who played by ear were rock ’n rollers. My mother wanted a classically trained pianist. As I got older I wanted to be one of the rock ‘n rollers.

Now, as with the guitar lessons…

Wikipedia states that “an opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts which can be proven. A given opinion may deal with subjective matters in which there is no conclusive finding, or it may deal with facts which are sought to be disputed by the logical fallacy that one is entitled to his opinions.”

Abundance of Opinions

During this election and coronavirus outbreak, the internet, the Nightly News, the local newspapers, especially, social media have had an abundance of opinions floating through the airwaves.

I imagine the majority of us, at one time or another, have shared…

Ben, a better than an average musician, singer-songwriter, had always dreamed of having a music career, performing on stage for thousands of people. Maybe we should say, he always dreamed of being a star, a big-time entertainer. He was doing everything and getting no place with his music career.

Like many other musicians, Ben didn’t handle rejection well. Every time he’d get close enough to see that he might have a chance at a music career, his fear and sense of rejection would surface causing him to back down.

After many years of putting his songs on the shelf, Ben…

As Dr. Caroline Leaf stated in her podcast “Why We Keep Making The Same Mistakes + Tips to Break Bad Habits,” we keep making the same mistakes because we are not learning from our mistakes. She goes on to say that our minds were designed to self-regulate our thoughts. It is up to each individual to observe, analyze, and change thoughts that are not beneficial.

When we do not analyze our thoughts or behaviors, over time, they become behavioral or thought habits. …

We all have things we think we’d like to do or have. We set goals and sometimes they happen, sometimes they don’t, and often, it doesn’t really matter. And if a goal does come to pass it may not be life-changing like we imagined. But, if you want something bad enough… you have to do something different.

There are other goals that won’t happen just by wanting them or giving it a half-ass try.

If you want something bad enough… you have to take the necessary steps to bring it to pass. It takes work. It takes planning.

Simply wanting…