How to Improve Your Guitar Playing with the Power of…Visualization!

Ha! You thought we were going to say, “The Power of…LOVE.” Guess what? We ARE going to say that but in a bit! Be patient, please.



Visualization involves imagining and creating with images, whether animated or not, of what you want manifested in your real life. This isn’t hocus-pocus like many of you might be thinking at the moment. Be open minded and your life will drastically change for the better. However, in order for this to work for your benefit, you have to have faith in the process, otherwise your outcome will be just as you were not hoping for. Here, skepticism will kill a positive result.

The way you can achieve your guitar goals is by really putting your mind, body and spirit into your visualization and your dreams to become a better player will come true. There is no room for doubt, as doubt will surely quash the process and nothing will come of this visualization. So, set your “monkey brain chatter” (sorry monkeys!) aside and continue with positive feelings, hope and determination that your visualization will materialize.



For example, if you’d like to boost your Travis finger picking technique, imagine that your fingers are part of a well-greased apparatus like you might find in a Swiss watch or other precise mechanical device. Picture your fingers as part of the mechanisms and think that your fingers can have the same kind of control, accuracy and spot-on finger placement. Create this image or animation in your mind and truly feel that you will improve your technique to levels never-before achieved by you. You will be surprised and delighted by your efforts.



Another example would be: you might have a performance coming up and want it to go smoothly, impeccably and simply play your best concert, ever. Now, this might seem counterintuitive but imagine everything going wrong, that you forget what to play, your strumming and rhythm are off, your guitar is not tuned, etc. You can imagine all the bad scenarios, I’m sure. Now, by doing this, you prepare your brain to avoid these situations at all costs. You’ve already “lived” that nightmare, so-to-speak, and so, you will be much more able to handle anything that might come up in an immediate way.



When doing visualizations, always think about how much you love playing, how much you love the audience and your family and friends for whom you perform. This is also an excellent method to improve. You simply cannot go wrong with the power of love.



Overall, visualization techniques are always beneficial in not just guitar playing. By using it, you stress less, gain confidence, calm your mind, power up your inspiration and motivation and become a better person. When you become a better person, you will likely become a better guitar player!