Play Guitar With The Goal Of Contentment

This article comes after a life-changing event has happened in my life. I will leave that for another post or blog entirely. The idea of contentment has been the foundation of yogis and religious ideas for centuries. I believe that it is also ideal for learning any skill, including learning to play guitar.

Learning To Play Guitar

Often times when a student begins the instrument there is a focus entirely on what the next piece to achieve might be. This keeps the adrenaline pumping as he/she moves on to newer and harder pieces. Eventually, there is a plateau. This is where the idea of contentment begins to surface. Practicing is many times, not “fun” anymore. This is where introspective observation takes a front seat.

Happiness Vs. Contentment

In our culture and the world at large, there is this idea that happiness equals contentment. But happiness is fleeting. The same can be true of depression or sadness for most people. Our lives are in a constant state of dynamically changing feelings and emotions. We bring these to the practice table when we sit to work on the process of learning the guitar. However, by letting your goal be contentment rather than finishing a piece or reaching a new high, the guitar takes on a whole new meaning in your life.

To be content in playing the guitar one might desire to know that they have accomplished all the tasks of the session that day. One might find that they did not finish all the tasks but worked diligently ironing out another that consumed their entire time. It still might be that a piece was finally polished off, but this happens so infrequently that it falls into the momentary bliss of happiness rather than contentment. 

It’s Neither One Nor The Other When We Play Guitar

Contentment can have a multitude of meanings for each person and for each practice session. Due to the length of time it takes to master even the most mundane of skills on the guitar, it is this focus towards contentment in the process that will allow sustained effort. This effort no longer becomes a success or failure but rather an observation that we are satisfied with the work and effort put forth.

I challenge you to change your attitude to more of seeking contentment and fulfillment during your practice than a momentary high or a possible depression low. Riding the emotions of development will still happen but if you are content in knowing they will, then the ride will be smoother.

Originally Published: February 11, 2017.

Chadwick Becks

I have two degrees in guitar performance and was privileged to study under Aaron Shearer, Tom Kikta, David Skantar, Ken Karsh, Tim Bedner, and currently Christopher Berg. Outside my editorial work on this blog, I teach full-time across many genres including classical, jazz, blues, rock, funk, and metal.