Hey ,

 

when practice becomes a drag ask yourself these 3 questions:

 

 

If you don't LOVE the songs you're learning then your motivation is going to suffer.

 

If you're learning a song just because a friend recommended it or it keeps cropping up as a "guitar classic" then those might not be the best reasons.

 

 

If you're enjoying the songs you'll be so motivated to practice that a whole tsunami of excuses won't stop you.

 

 

In life, we get out what we put in.

 

You can't expect to get better at guitar if you don't practice regularly. That's not to say you have to be seriously disciplined to improve. You don't.

 

We all have those days when our energy levels for learning are lower or non-existent. Don't beat yourself up about it, just play songs you know well and leave the learning to the next day. Your energy for learning will return. It always does.

 

These practice energy cycles can be anywhere between one day to one year. Just ride the wave of enthusiasm while it lasts and keep enjoying every practice. When that wave has slowed down, be cool about it and remember there'll always be another one.

 

 

Without a teacher, this can be a tough one to answer on your own. 

 

You want to learn things that push your skill level just enough without overwhelming you.

 

As a general rule of thumb if you can't get a small part of the song sounding ok within a couple of practices then it might be too challenging for you. It's important for your motivation to choose songs that you can at least hear a small amount of improvement on every couple of days.

 

I hope these tips have been useful for you.