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  1. Day 121: Life gets in the way sometimes...

    by , October 15th, 2012 at 11:30 PM (The 40-Year-Old Music Virgin)
    My hiatus is officially over and it's time for an update.

    Since my last post I:
    1. moved my family out of one house and into another,
    2. had a serious bout of bronchitis and pneumonia,
    3. was promoted at work,
    4. turned 40,
    5. lost over 25 pounds (including 1.5" from my neck, 2" from my chest and 4" off my waist),
    6. and suffered a ligament injury to the thumb on my fret hand, which still hasn't fully healed.

    Even if I had the time or inclination to play ...
  2. Day 27: Reflections on a clean axe...

    One of the easiest and most expensive ways to motivate yourself and practice more is (you guessed it!) buy a new guitar.

    Justifications for the investment:
    • you can't wait to pick it up and hold it
    • you want to play it non-stop
    • it's more comfortable/easier to play than your current guitar
    • it provides a better tonal range for expressing yourself musically
    • you haven't purchased a new guitar in almost 5 years
    • this is the Summer you turn 40
    • you recently received a
    ...
  3. Day 6: Insidious rationalization...

    I wanted to play the guitar tonight. So I did, but I didn't.

    I wanted to play the guitar tonight, but I didn't want to practice fretboard fundamentals or learn foundational music theory. I told myself to play the guitar because practice is just practice and it's not really playing. I convinced myself to play/not play.

    This is perhaps the most insidious trap in adult learning: rationalizing procrastination. In effect, I played myself.

    All I've ever wanted to ...
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