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BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN ACOUSTIC STUDENTS
By Steve Booke
Lack of confidence in an acoustic guitar student can create a ripple effect in learning and playing. If they’re not confident, they won't be motivated to play. An acoustic guitarist just starting out does not know that eventually they will get over the hump of not being able to play well. Nobody wants to listen to themselves play if it doesn't sound good. We know as experienced players that there is a pattern over time we begin to see. Some days are bad playing days and others are good.
Encouraging a student and emphasizing each achievement, no matter how small, can do wonders for their self-esteem and confidence. I often tell my students that even if you play a bad note with confidence and conviction, it will sound right! Emphasizing to your students that everyone develops at different rates is very important.
Most people start playing guitar in junior high school. They might have friends who also play. A student will notice that their friend who started around the same time is progressing faster. There can be several factors at play in this scenario. Natural ability, how much time they put into practice, if they play music with other people, or have siblings and/or parents who play, etc. The bottom line is this can really hurt a beginning player's confidence.
Instilling in a student that they are their own island as far as their progress goes can really help. Comparing themselves to their friends or even people on the internet can be detrimental to their progress. A useful technique in confidence building is giving your students songs that sound cool and are easy to play. Learning these songs from A-Z and building up a repertoire is a great help in building confidence.
I started playing guitar in the mid-eighties, the heyday of flashy, virtuosic guitar playing. What I aspired to play was well beyond my abilities at the time. Although some people who weren't playing that long could play that stuff, I wasn't one of them. This hurt my confidence. It wasn't until I was a bit older and better that I went after songs and solos that were more within my range. I then progressed much faster and felt better about my playing. My overall abilities followed suit with my new mindset.
Remind your acoustic students often that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and with practice they can achieve virtually anything.
Most importantly, tell your students to never pass judgment on how good they think they should be, based on how long they’ve been playing. Everyone progresses in their own time at their own pace. If they hold this idea and are happy with their abilities at any given moment, their confidence will come through and they will progress that much faster.
