How To Achieve Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness

by Tom Hess

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Bold statement, I know.

It also happens to be true.

Artistic guitar playing greatness (or in any form) doesn't require natural talent.

It requires:

• Having something to say (that you want to express artistically through guitar playing).
  
  This includes your life experiences, thoughts and emotions (more on this below).
   
• Having freedom to express yourself fully through your artistic medium of choice.
  
  (The artistic medium for you is your guitar).

I know what you are thinking:

"Sounds great, but how do I do this?"

Good question.

Watch this guitar playing greatness video to learn how to achieve artistic freedom to express yourself:

Question: “Tom Hess, if artistic guitar playing greatness doesn't require natural talent, why do so many musicians struggle to achieve it?”

Answer: There are 5 common reasons why musicians (especially most guitar players) do not develop truly expressive guitar playing. Most musicians are not aware of these reasons and do nothing to try to overcome them. They instead blame their lack of results on perceived lack of natural talent.

A great guitar teacher helps you identify which reasons are holding you back from becoming a true artist and guides you through the process of reaching your guitar playing goals quickly. 

Avoiding these common obstacles makes guitar playing greatness a lot easier to achieve.

5 Obstacles That Get In The Way Of Your Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness And What To Do About Them

Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness Obstacle #1: You Don’t Truly Understand What Artistic Greatness Is

Most musicians don’t truly know what artistic greatness is. It’s impossible to pursue something you cannot even define. Artistic guitar playing greatness is the ability to express yourself accurately, fluently, consistently and reliably through your guitar playing. Everything else is secondary.

Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness Obstacle #2: You Don’t Focus On What You Want To Express

Expressing yourself starts with having something to say. Your expressive message is the driving force behind your music. Sometimes the message might be intentionally obscured, other times it is crystal clear.

Great artists such as: Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Wagner, Michelangelo, Renoir, Delacroix, Picasso, Goethe and Shakespeare all had a lot to say. It is the one thing that enabled all their other talents, skills and knowledge to bloom. They mastered their art (medium) to express themselves fully and completely (more on this below).

Everyone has something to say, but some people have a lot more to say (express) than others. Certain life experiences, thoughts, and emotions may simply be more vivid and intense for some people than they are for others.
 

Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness Obstacle #3: You Lack Skills That Make Artistic Greatness Possible

All artistic mediums are imperfect vehicles for self-expression. Their imperfections are amplified by lack of mastery over your chosen medium. Guitar players are often limited by:

1. Ear training - your ears transform the sounds in your head into specific notes you play on guitar. This allows you to express what you want to hear.
    
2. Understanding of music theory. Music theory teaches you to explain and predict musical emotion. This helps you express what you want much more easily and accurately.
    
3. Lack of fretboard knowledge (visualization). This goes much deeper than knowing the notes on the guitar neck. Fretboard visualization is your ability to visualize scales, arpeggios and chords in every area of the guitar, in any key.

Note: you do not need to master everything about guitar playing or music to achieve artistic greatness. You only need enough skills to express what you want to express. Wasting time developing skills you don’t need is just as bad as lacking musical skills you do need. This often leads to musical frustration.

Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness Obstacle #4: Your Desire to Express Yourself In Music Is Not Deep Enough

All great artists had a lot to say and were driven by an intense need to say it. This inspired them to master their craft to express themselves fully.

Many guitarists don’t have a strong enough desire to express themselves and develop their guitar playing. This is a key reason why people with a lot of potential for musical greatness never achieve it.

Artistic Guitar Playing Greatness Obstacle #5: You Don’t Believe In Your Own Potential

Most guitarists falsely believe they need to have natural talent to become a true artist. They think that musical masters were born with some special skills not available to them.

This is false. The only prerequisites to artistic guitar playing greatness are: having something to say and a strong need to say it. This is the only thing great artists had in common when they started. They had to work hard to develop the skills needed to express the art inside them.

Finding something to say starts with digging deep inside your life memories, pains, loves, fears and moments of personal triumph. This critical piece is completely within your control.

Acquiring and mastering the skills you need to reach artistic guitar playing greatness is the easy part. Seek out a great guitar teacher who has helped many other musicians to become great and study with him/her to reach your guitar playing goals.

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