Get Back Into Playing Your Guitar: 7 Tips to Succeed
Published on 04 April 2025
Has that prized guitar of yours been gathering dust lately? Do you cast guilty glances across the room at it as it sits there in the corner not being played?
Worse still, is it even out of its case?
It sounds like you need something of a guitar playing intervention here! Lucky for you, I’m here to help.
But why should you bother listening to me? It’s a fair question. I’ve played guitar for 30 years. I’m a gigging and recording player, I’ve sold guitars, taught people to play and basically lived the life of a guitarist since I was a kid. I’ve also interviewed over 200 artists including Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Satriani, Slipknot, Smashing Pumpkins and tons more, and you’d better believe I hassled them for tips! Because of this, I feel like I can offer you some worthwhile insights that will have you not only picking up the guitar again, but actually looking forward to doing it.
Give me a few minutes now and see if any of these strategies resonate. Take what does and leave what doesn’t…
Contents
Get a Guitar Stand
This first tip might sound like I just want you to buy a guitar stand (and I do), but this one is really important, and here’s why…
If you keep your guitar in its case, you are massively less likely to take it out and have a quick little strum on it. I know, I know, you like a tidy house, but please don’t live like this. Every and any factor that puts distance or effort in between you and your guitar needs to be gotten rid of.
Get that guitar out of its case!
Here’s a quick analogy: do you have loads of DVDs stashed away in a cupboard or up in the loft? All of your favourite films, right? But we all stream everything now, so when you want to watch your favourite film, it’s easier to find it on a streaming site - or even pay to rent it on Amazon even though you already own it - than it is to go through the cupboard, dig out a DVD, connect the DVD player etc etc. That is several layers of hassle when you just want to relax and watch Back to the Future, right?
Keeping your guitar in a case or a cupboard is the same thing. You are FAR more likely to pick it up and play it when it’s right there in front of you and you can see it. Conversely, you are far more likely to not play it if you have to go out of your way to even see it.
Out of site, out of mind.
Get a stand and stick your guitar on it. Have it where you’ll see it all the time. The instrument now has a designated space in your home and is not an object to be stashed out of sight.
Go to Gigs
When was the last time you went out to a gig? I know that big name artists are expensive to see these days, but in every city in the world, on most nights, there are all kinds of opportunities available to see live music.
Whether it’s a local night of bands playing original music, an open mic session at a pub, or a tribute band playing somewhere nearby, get off the couch and see some humans playing music. You will not believe how motivating and validating it can be for you as a musician. Even if you’re a beginner, you’ll feel the energy flowing through you from the experience, and it’ll ignite a passion inside you to go and play music yourself.
It doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t have to be out all night, but go and surround yourself with people who are playing music.
Go to a Record Shop
This is similar to my last point, but not the same. I want you to head into your local record store and spend at least half an hour hunting through the racks. When did you last do this? Have you let Spotify completely dominate your music listening life?
That was a mistake. You’ve become lazy and complacent, and you now expect the world to come to you with all of its attendant charms. You’ve forgotten the thrill of discovery, and the excitement of potential. The power of music culture has been diluted by convenience, hasn’t it?
Nope, this will not do. You need to rewire those behaviours and reconnect with the good stuff: you need to remember that you love music; you love being in a place that sells loads of music that you can pick up and look at; music that you’ve heard of but never listened to, and music that you’ve never come across.
Talk to the staff. Listen to what they are playing in the store. These people are your people, because they love music as much as you do. Spotify is what it is, but don’t forget how important all of this stuff is! Reconnect, support your local haven for music lovers, and allow that experience to inspire you.
Then keep doing it. That inspiration will apply directly to your attitude to your guitar, I guarantee it.
Stand Up or Sit Down
Do you tend to play guitar sitting down? Why do you do that? I’m not criticising, but I am asking you to consider the reasons for the decision.
I recommend standing up to practice, particularly if you don’t usually. The reason I recommend this is threefold:
You already sit down all day, don’t you? You know this isn’t good for you, but here you are doing it anyway.
Any time you play live (whenever that may be), you will be standing up. You play differently standing up, because your body and your hands are all at different angles, so you need to know how that feels. Also, you need to decide how high or low you like your guitar to sit on a strap. These elements really impact your whole playing style, and you’ll never learn anything sitting down.
The third reason is about being present. Sitting down can be a very passive way to engage with a musical instrument. Standing up puts more emphasis on everything you do, and actually makes you more ‘there’ with what you’re doing. If what you’re doing is learning some music, then I believe you’ll do better on your feet than you will sitting down.
Don’t believe me? Try it!
Stand up!
Play Songs, Not Exercises
Play songs. Actually, play only the songs that you really want to know how to play.
Don’t play anything else.
Think about it: why would you? And yet so many of us do, whether it’s because a teacher told us to, or we’re chasing what’s popular, or any other lame non-reason. I know this sounds elementary, but loads of folk get stuck learning stuff they believe they’re supposed to know, and it gets boring for them really quickly.
Boredom leads to quitting, doesn’t it?
I say: forget about all of that. Exercises are not music. Scales are not music. You’ll need them eventually, yes. But do you need that stuff right now?
No, you don’t. You need to know how to play the tunes you love, because that’s probably why you started all of this! You want to play music, right?
Focus only on the songs (not exercises) that you actually love and want to recreate on the guitar. Forget about everything else, at least for right now. Learning to play music that you don’t love is beyond pointless, no matter what skill level you’re at.
Learn only the songs that resonate with you deeply and you will find that your motivation and perseverance are already there for you, and do not need to be summoned from some distant fathoms as you try to avoid watching more reality TV.
Focus on what you like, and forget about everything else. The dots will join eventually regardless, trust me.
Little and Often
You will hear this all the time, but do let it sink in. The more you grab that guitar and fool around with it, the more it’ll become second nature. Ignoring it all week and then spending all Saturday afternoon clanking through some impossibly hard tune will not earn you much of anything.
Again, if you don’t believe me, try it for yourself!
Picking up the guitar and just playing notes, looking up riffs online or from a TAB book, and enjoying the act of interacting with the instrument will reap huge dividends in the long run. You might not notice how much you are improving, but you will be, and more importantly, it won’t be tied to any pressure about getting better or ‘putting in the hours’: you’ll simply be indulging in something you love doing, for its own sake.
Buy a Really Expensive Guitar
Hahaha, I’m joking. I mean, don’t let me stop you from buying a gorgeous and expensive new guitar (you deserve it, okay?) but whatever you have right now is fine. It’s all you need to get back into playing music, improving and having fun. Equipment maketh not the musician, even though we all love the equipment. You will spend a lifetime making equipment decisions and purchases (yes, you definitely will), but maybe choose to see that as a fun element of the lifestyle, not the major be-all and end-all. The real thing is the playing, the feeling and the enjoyment. Show up for the guitar, have a sense of fun about it, and the rewards will sink in of their own accord.
And then reward your progress by buying a really lovely, expensive guitar.
(Because you're worth it)
Get Back Into Playing
An unused guitar is a prop. An object. A decoration. Another thing to dust and hoover around.
Who wants that?
But a guitar that’s being used regularly? Well, that’s a different story. It’s a major de-stresser for one thing. It’s also a tool to unlock your dreams, a wand that creates magic with every touch, and the world’s most expressive paintbrush, albeit a sonic one. It’s an old friend who’ll never let you down (it’s not the guitar’s fault that you can’t play that tune!) and a pal who’s always ready to hang out and make a noise.
It’s a mirror of yourself, really. You’ll see in your guitar a reflection of how you’re spending your life, in a way. If it gets a lot of use, I’m gonna bet that you’re pretty happy, or at least able to vent and express, both of which are so healthy and important. If your guitar is out of tune and covered in dust, I’m guessing that things in your life need to change.
Why not start with the guitar itself? Take some of these tips, apply them, and let good change happen to you.
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