Below is your free copy of the G4 GUITAR METHOD P1 to 14

Learning to play guitar takes time but it often takes people a lot longer than is necessary but when done right you can learn to play in much LESS time. 

I remember years ago researching the idea of learning guitar in less time. Not for myself but my students. I didn't want them to waste years making the same mistakes I did. It was when I first began researching almost 30 years ago that I first came across the 80/20 rule which suggests 80% of our results come from just 20% of our efforts. 

When I began to apply the 80/20 I started to see results. In the early stage of learning guitar your first priority should be to practice the most essential skills. The skills that are going to get you playing songs sooner. The 20% if you like. For example we know chords make up a large part of guitar playing but there are a handful of chords that get used in the majority of songs you'll want to play. By focusing on and developing these chords you will be able to play more songs sooner.

If you spend 80% of your practice time on what we call the essential skills rather than those less important skills you will progress 2, 3 or even 5 times faster than most people. Most people neglect these essential skills in the early stages mostly because they aren't sure how to learn and practice them. 

Learning guitar is challenging at the best of times. At a guess around 90% of people who take up guitar end up quitting in the first year and the reason is simple! It TAKES TOO LONG TO LEARN! My 30+ years of experience teaching guitar has shown me that it doesn’t have to be this way. By using a proven system of learning guitar you dramatically decrease the time it takes to learn and as a result, your chances of sticking with guitar go way up. I discovered there are 3 primary reasons people quit guitar.

1. Not enough time to practice. Most people do actually have enough time to practice if their practice time is efficient. What you don't have is time to waste. If you are like me you don't have the patience to practice for years before seeing any real results. I am not saying you can learn guitar in weeks or even a few months. What I am saying is it doesn't have to take years. One to two years doing the right practice will get you there.
2. Lack of motivation. This comes as a result of slow progress. We all lose motivation when we believe our efforts are futile. When you lack or lose motivation my guess is it's almost always the result of slow process which comes from inefficient practice. Practicing the right way will make all the difference.
3. Lack of confidence. This ties in again with a lack of progress. When we don't see progress we lose confidence. It makes perfect sense really. If I am doing let's say 30mins practice a day with little to no results it becomes difficult to sustain confidence and enthusiasm. 

So what's the solution?

All three of these reasons are much the same and can easily be overcome. Research shows that we are more likely to take action if there are clear actionable steps. There is a big difference between being told to practice and been given exact steps as to what to practice. Perhaps you have experienced that frustration when buying a piece of IKEA furniture where the instructions are missing. After several attempts you lose interest swearing you’ll only ever buy assembled furniture in the future. On the other hand if the instructions are included and easy to follow we are motivated to see it through to completion. Guitar is no different.

It would be easy for us to claim that the G4 Guitar Method will help you learn in less time but we want to go a step further by explaining the 3 important principles behind everything we do. 

1. Applying the 80/20 rule. We make a point of constantly looking at how we can improve the G4 Guitar Method to ensure you are always getting the most out of your guitar practice. 
2. Focusing on the 7 Essential Skills. We know not all guitar skills are equal. The 7 Essential Skills are those skills that as the name suggests, are essential to learning guitar. This doesn't mean other skills aren't important. It just means they can take a lower priority during the early learning phase. 
3. Following a structured plan. A structured plan is like a map based on a proven route that will get you to your destination in the least amount of time. Of course not every single detail can't be planned for but it's 100x better than no plan at all. 

But wait...?

The above principles will make a big difference to the time it takes to learn to play guitar but if you want to take it to whole other level you MUST find a great coach. 

It seems we all know of at least one legendary coach who has an amazing track record. I have spent decades researching the best ways to learn and teach guitar. This led me to reading about great coaches and teachers in various fields such as sport, education, business and personal development. When you look at the records of some of these coaches there is no doubt they have a remarkable ability to lift their players and students to new levels of performance. One of the most remarkable coaches is the late John Wooden and former UCLA basketball coach. Wooden’s team won 10 NCAA national championships over a 12-year period. 7 of them in a row. Note, that no other team has won more than two championships in a row. Wooden’s team also sustained an amazing 88 game winning streak. Something that seems almost unimaginable in any sport.

The influence of a great coach can't be overstated

Learning guitar is not easy and the majority of people who decide to learn guitar will quit within the first 12 months. Most people quit due to a lack of focus. It may be that other priorities take over or they lose confidence in their ability to learn or, they simply lose the motivation to practice consistently. A good coach has the ability to foresee these problems and will generally have a plan to counter them. The excuses we tell ourselves for sabotaging our dreams are rarely true and a good coach knows it. John Wooden would have been very aware of the many reasons players quit. In his case I don’t mean quit the game of basketball but to quit trying. In high level sports players don’t easily quit but they do level out. It takes a special coach to keep players giving 100% week after week. A good coach therefore understands that their job is to provide the ideal conditions for optimal effort.

Focusing on what you want  

Let's be honest. We want results. A typical guitar student is focused on being able to play songs first and foremost. They are usually very impatient and don’t want to wait years to obtain the necessary skills to play notable songs. Funnily enough it's not unusual for a guitar student to quit within the first month due to frustration but, expecting serious results in those first few weeks is completely unreasonable. These unrealistic students pick up the guitar each day for a few weeks and become disappointed with their slow progress. They can’t understand why its taking so long. The problem is related to the conditions under which they are attempting to learn guitar. To explain, imagine you decided to get in shape and lose that extra belly fat. You start out doing a daily jog but on day 5 you feel a bit tired so decide to skip it. No big deal you say, its only one day. The next day you resume your jogging routine but on day 9 you again skip due to a business project you need to finish. You also missed day 10 because you were just not in the mood. By the end of week 2 you decide to put it off for a while because your work is just too busy at the moment. You tell yourself that you’ll get back on track next month when things settle down at work.

Providing the right conditions

We could assume the problem was purely a lack of motivation and commitment but we all know conditions matter. A case in point. I recently lived in Japan for 8 months. I did not drive a car because getting my license changed over was a big job. This meant riding a bicycle. Our apartment was in Kyoto and situated on a fairly steep hill. This meant every time I went out I had to ride back up the hill. I literally had no choice. I had created the right conditions for getting fit. Even on the worse days in the cold and wet when I just didn’t feel like exercising I had no choice. I had to ride up that hill. Over the 8 months I lost weight and gained noticeable leg muscle. After about 6 weeks I started purposely riding other hills in the area as I was now motivated. A good coach creates these conditions. They know that they must put you in a situation where you have no choice.

If you are serious about learning guitar I would recommend you employ a G4 Guitar teacher to coach you. The difference it could make is significant. Finding a great coach should be your mission if you are serious about learning guitar. You will know them when you find them because they will stand out from the crowd. We believe G4 Guitar teachers are not your average. They have gone to great lengths to improve their teaching and be the best. They will help you to reach your guitar playing goals sooner and with more certainty.

Some of the benefits to the G4 Guitar Method are as follows;