Guitar burnout: The easiest ways to overcome burnout

It doesn’t matter what industry you are based in, burnout will occur at some stage. Whether you are a sports person, or maybe it’s related to your working environment, burnout is almost inevitable.

As well as being inevitable, it’s highly dangerous. Some people never recover from burnout, for the simple reason that they don’t know how. They’re not used to not having the motivation that has been with them for years and when this is related to the guitar player, it means that their standard can drop emphatically as their practice sessions decrease.

Bearing this in mind, dealing with burnout effectively is crucial. We’ll now take a look at some of the best ways to do this, so you can tackle the problem as soon as you start to feel your guitar playing motivational levels drop at all.

Don’t be afraid of changing up your style

According to Tom Hess, this is hugely important for any guitar player. While it’s certainly advisable to specialize and master one style, at the same time you shouldn’t be afraid of deviating and trying others. Without this change, boredom is likely to kick in and suffice to say, the burnout swiftly follows.

In other words, if classic rock is your thing, don’t be afraid of trying a bit of jazz. This doesn’t have to strictly relate to style either, it might be the way you play the instrument. For some people, it might just be the case of trying out fingerpicking and subsequently injecting a bit of something different into their routine.

Make sure it’s not just you and your guitar

While some people are more than happy to sit in their room and play alone – this isn’t necessarily going to get you out of the burnout stage when it comes around. Instead, other people are, which is why it is important to play with others, or go one step further and play in a band.

By opting for this route, you are not only adding something different to your routine, but you are also accountable to the other guys you play with. Fail to turn up to a practice session and it’s not just your conscience you have to deal with – you have to think of others as well. This is sufficient motivation for most people to exit the burnout slum, or at least battle through it.

Don’t be overly strict with your practice time

As you have probably already gathered, a solid practice schedule is paramount when it comes to avoiding burnout. In this case, we’re talking about splitting this time up so it’s not overly strict. It means that instead of spending the whole hour on a fixed curriculum, use half of that time to free style and just play what you want.

Not only will this keep your practice fresh, but it will also dig you out of the boredom that a strict learning system sometimes prompts amongst amateur guitar players.