I know what you're thinking... "I'm not insane and what the **** does Albert Einstein have to do with the guitar?!" A lot. If you've been banging your head against the wall for years and not getting any better, then you're probably insane according to Albert Einstein's definition of insanity.
Video Transcript:
Hello everyone, this is Dan Vuksanovich at WhyISuckAtGuitar.com, and today’s lesson is called, “I Suck at Guitar Because, According to Albert Einstein, I’m Insane.” Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I’m going to give two examples of this. One is a non-musical hypothetical example and one is a real-world musical example that I experienced myself.
First the non-musical example. I’m in a room with only one door, and that door is closed. I attempt to exit this room by simply walking through the closed door. For ten years I stay trapped in this room because every day I try to walk through a closed door thinking that today will be the day that I get through to the other side. This, according to Albert Einstein, is insanity, and we do it all the time trying to improve at guitar.
So now the real world musical example that I actually experienced. For years I head the same advice from lots of people on how to build speed. We’ve probably all heard it. Start slow, use a metronome at all times. Increase speed gradually bit by bit. This never worked for me, but for years I kept trying it. According to Albert Einstein, I’m insane.
So how can we “not be insane”? We can “not be insane” by challenging assumptions. In the first example, maybe we can try turning the doorknob (I never said the door was locked) instead of running into a closed door every day. In the second example, I tried a different approach to building speed which you’ll see in some of the other lessons, and it’s working.
The basics of challenging assumptions – what are examples of some basic assumptions about learning the guitar? First, physical assumptions… how is playing the guitar supposed to feel? Are my hands supposed to be all tense and rigid? Is it normal to make mistakes all over the place regardless of how much time I spend practicing a piece of music? Assumptions related to practice… what is practicing? Can I get better at it? Am I spending my time in a way that’s most beneficial? When you start challenging assumptions, it’s going to feel awkward at first, and that’s OK. Changing habits that you’ve been developing over a long period of time is going to make you feel like your brain is inside-out.
When I set out to figure out how to not be tense all the time, I was up against decades of bad habits and at times I literally felt like my hands were inside-out. But with calm focus it only took a few weeks to start developing new and better habits.
Challenging assumptions is the second prerequisite on this site because after the ability to define problems, I believe that the ability to challenge assumptions is the second most important basic skill that you can have if you want to improve at guitar quickly. If you can successfully combine these two skills, the results can be absolutely amazing.
Your homework for this lesson is to try to find at least one way that you’re insane according to Albert Einstein. Usually you’ll find your insanity hiding behind something you’ve been trying to accomplish for a long time, but you just haven’t been able to get over the hump. Somewhere in there is a bad assumption about how to improve. Challenge that assumption and try something new. If the new thing doesn’t work, try something new again. In other words, don’t keep walking into a closed door in an attempt to get out of a room.
In conclusion I’ll leave you with pretty much the same thought I left you with in the first prerequisite, that the lessons on this site show different examples of how I’ve challenged assumptions in order to improve. The real value for you is to learn how to challenge assumptions on your own.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time at WhyISuckAtGuitar.com.
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