The Worst Thing About Playing Guitar (and the Best Thing)

This bit of knowledge is something that took me longer to learn than any insane sweep-picking arpeggio or ridiculous alternate-picking run. After I figured it out, though, playing guitar not only became easier; it became more fun.

Everyone has heard the old saying, “Nothing easy was ever worth doing.” And while I agree with the sentiment, I think there are exceptions.

For most guitar players, including myself, it can be daunting to think about practicing something for countless hours in order to achieve it. So here’s a tip: Don’t think about it.

I think we often overlook our more immediate guitar goals. If we’re constantly harping on the legitimacy of our skills, we’ll never enjoy ourselves in the moment. We should use our favorite guitar players and artists as inspiration, not measurements against ourselves.

I used to compare myself to the guitarists I thought were the best, and the moment I stopped doing that, I immediately began to enjoy playing. I even started improving faster due to the absence of that pointless anxiety.

In the end, the worst thing about the guitar is also the best thing about the guitar: You'll never master it.

Enjoy the journey, and do what makes you feel alive when you have a guitar in your hands, because that feeling is what makes music such an awesome part of our lives.

Tyler Larson is the founder of the guitar-centric brand Music is Win. His insightful, uncomplicated guitar lessons and gear demonstrations along with entertaining, satirical content about life as a musician receive tens of millions of video views per month across social media. Tyler is also the creator of the extremely popular online guitar learning platform, Guitar Super System. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Tyler has been teaching guitar for over a decade and operates a production studio in Nashville, TN.