In this week’s episode of the ArtistWorks Music Series podcast, our co-founder Patricia Butler sits down with ArtistWorks electric country guitar instructor and one of Nashville’s most sought-after session musicians, Guthrie Trapp, to discuss the concept of “How to Get Out of a Musical Slump.” Together, they explore different techniques for staying motivated, the importance of cutting yourself slack when you are in a musical slump, and how to avoid plateaus in your musical progress. The show is available wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can listen here at ArtistWorks.

One of the most difficult things that we face as musicians, regardless of our skill or experience level, is navigating a path to avoid stagnations in our musical growth. Consistent improvement is an enormously powerful motivator and keeps us inspired to take on the next big musical challenge. So, what do we do when we find ourselves stuck in a musical slump? How do we regain our motivation, confidence, and inspiration to take on that next hurdle and overcome it?

“One of the main things to pay attention to if you feel like you’re in a slump is taking it a little bit easy on yourself,” Guthrie explains. “With music, no one’s going to get hurt. If you find yourself falling into a slump, being too hard on yourself may only prolong the problems... Music deserves the utmost respect, but it also shouldn’t be overthought or taken too seriously.”

Monotony can be very demotivating and can act as a catalyst that steers you into a setback. Learning new music, a new style, or even an entirely new instrument can keep you motivated and inspired to push your playing to new heights. Players of all levels can always benefit from exploring a new musical element.

“I’m at my happiest and most creative musically when I’ve got about five or six different musical irons in the fire,” explains Guthrie. “If I’m doing some live gigs, some teaching, some session work, some festival gigs, some songwriting, that’s when I’m at my happiest. I find myself getting into a musical slump when I’ve been playing the same material too often, and I’m not being pushed to grow.”

To learn more about how you can get out of a musical slump, find inspiration, gain confidence, and grow as a musician, regardless of your instrument of choice, listen to the full podcast with Guthrie Trapp here:

If you’re interested in studying electric guitar and learning even more about Guthrie’s methods for staying motivated, his psychology with regard to music, and improving as a musician, check out his online guitar lessons right here at ArtistWorks!

ABOUT THE ARTISTWORKS MUSIC SERIES:

On the ArtistWorks Music Series, CEO Patricia Butler speaks with master musicians across all genres who teach at ArtistWorks. Join them as they dive deep into topics like becoming a musician, playing at all skill levels, and the journey of learning music.

Looking to dive into more music podcasts? You’ve come to the right place. Investigate previous episodes where plenty of topics are explored with fantastic, hand-selected, and knowledgeable guests.

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