Today's topic is something I often tell you, but why are quotes considered quotes? Everyone knows them, but people don't follow them, which is why they are called quotes. Today's content is somewhat related to that. However, these aren't just vague or fancy-sounding quotes. You know, there are those abstract sayings that sound impressive, like when someone goes to fix a watch and ends up discovering the meaning of time. Honestly, those phrases sound great, but they're just philosophical reflections on everyday life, like What is life? Today, we will focus on more practical quotes rather than abstract and fancy ones. The principles of improving guitar skills are actually quite simple.

If you can just stick to that, I can forcefully help you put the guitar down, so please make sure to try to follow what I said today. Anyway, let's get started. I will briefly explain the principles of developing guitar skills. Typically, you progress from beginner to intermediate, then to advanced, and so on. However, even from the beginner stage, I often mention that there are specific beginner-friendly reviews when I discuss guitars. To be honest, there isn't a strictly defined category for beginner instruments. But usually, beginners tend to choose more affordable options. The reason for this is that many people start out with enthusiasm, but unfortunately, a lot of them give up midway. This halfway point isn't just about a year or two; it can happen in just a few months.

No, you can give up after a few days or even just a few months. For example, in home education, someone like Maria Song might want to take guitar lessons, but then they could say, Oh, my hand hurts; I don't want to do it, and give up after just one day. They might think, This isn't for me, or they might try it and then quickly lose interest. There are also those who have a grand vision of the world of guitar, but when they actually experience it, they find it quite different. To put it simply, it's like when you think a taekwondo kick looks really cool, so you go to a taekwondo studio, but as soon as you get there, you end up doing splits and it's really painful. You think, I can't do this! This is a common situation. Therefore, most beginners tend to give up within a few months after starting. However, I would like to emphasize a few points to beginners.

What you want is the guitar. You can imagine how cool it is, right? It's really fun, and I think it could be a great addition to my life to have such a hobby. Many of you might know this expectation, and it's all true. However, most people who give up on this don't even get to taste half of it. To put it simply, it's like eating undercooked food and saying, Oh, this is terrible, and then giving up. What I just talked about—how cool, fun, and beneficial it is—includes everything about the guitar. As I mentioned earlier, I want to encourage those who are just starting to invest about three months into it. For beginners, regardless of talent, that three-month period is usually a critical point. The most important thing is to establish your own routine within those three months.

In daily life, a new routine comes into play. In the past, if we consider an ordinary person, they might have gone to work, had a drink with friends, and stayed up late. Wanting to break away from that routine, I picked up the guitar. I was exhausted, but I had to practice the guitar. At first, I was motivated, but after a few months, it became quite easy. Over time, practicing becomes a chore, and at some point, it all shifts from being interesting to being laborious. So, for someone who has lived their life this way, suddenly incorporating guitar into my life means I need to dedicate an hour or two every day, which is surprisingly difficult. However, despite the challenges, if you can establish a routine for about three months that aligns with your lifestyle, some people might practice in the morning.

You might be able to start early. Some people do it before going to work, while others, like me, just wash their hands quickly and try it out, or wash up quickly and just give it a go when they're sleepy. So, spending about one to two hours on this isn't a big deal. It's not like for those majoring in entrance exams, where it's about seven or eight hours a day. I'm just saying to try to establish a routine of at least one or two hours, ideally for about three months. Then, as I mentioned earlier, your body and mind will start to adjust. Your body will recognize that you're getting ready to play the guitar, and it will adapt your lifestyle patterns accordingly. There's a term for this, like biography, or something along those lines. These things change, and your mind will format itself to accept this. Scientifically, we often don't want to exercise, but if we stick to it for just three months, it becomes manageable. Dieting is tough for everyone, but just three months of consistency can make a difference.

You should try it. If you eat a little less and exercise, just for three months, if you wake up early, your body will get set up like that. It's about the biorhythm. Because of that, you should consistently dedicate three months, whether it's one hour or two hours at a time. You don't need to push yourself too hard and try to practice for several hours in a day. It's not necessary at all; you'll burn out quickly. If you try a lesson for about three months, most people who start off strongly will lose their motivation. Those who are consistent, on the other hand, tend to do well with the guitar. It's not about jumping from one thing to another; it's about sticking with it once you start.

If you keep at it consistently, you might think, Well, it will work out. Just doing it steadily for three months will already give you a good head start. The most important thing is to format yourself as someone who plays the guitar through consistent practice. That's the key. Most people, including myself, who have been playing guitar as a hobby for a long time have this ingrained in them. Nowadays, if I can't play the guitar for even a day, I start feeling restless. You know that feeling—if you can't play for a few days because your hands aren't in good shape, it drives you crazy. You start to wonder if this is really living. It feels like someone who usually eats rice suddenly can't eat it and is only eating bread, or someone who is used to having kimchi can't have it anymore and is just stuck eating plain food. It's a strange feeling.

That's the feeling. Because of that, the most important thing is to create a consistent lifestyle pattern. Whether you play well or not is a matter for later. Once a routine is established, from that point on, you will gradually become accustomed to the labor and the guitar. To put it simply, even if you work hard for a few months, your body gets used to it. No matter what you do, if you keep practicing something you're not good at, your hands will get used to it. It's the same with the guitar; eventually, you'll be able to play instinctively. In this process, if you give it about three months, it's like being three months old. You don't really celebrate until you reach a year; that's when you have a celebration. The guitar is no different; you need to understand this compared to other hobbies.

Compared to other hobbies, the cost-effectiveness is significantly lower. With other hobbies, after about six months, you can generally grasp the basics. However, when you play the guitar for six months, it's like you're just a newborn; you're still at the very beginning stage. That's how it is with the guitar. Just because you've played for six months doesn't mean you play well. Even if you go to a class for six months, you won't see much improvement; that's just how it is. I learned guitar for a year, and when I tried to play again, it was expected that I wouldn't be that good. The process of learning for a year is just part of it. 

So, as I mentioned earlier, if I don't create a routine within those three months and make it stick in my body, I won't progress to the next stage. This leads to a lot of doubts about whether I should continue. I start to wonder if I really have any talent. Regardless of whether talent exists or not, improvement won't happen anyway. So, I find myself pondering these issues.

When you worry, it quickly becomes a negative cycle. So if you hold on for three months, it will melt away. You just let it be, and it becomes a habit. The improvement in skill varies from person to person; some improve quickly, while others might not see progress for a long time and then suddenly improve. Some may show rapid improvement at first and then plateau. This variability is why it's important to have a solid foundation that allows for consistent progress. That's the reason why three months is crucial. There's no need to doubt the lack of progress at that point. As you all know, everyone wants to play the guitar beautifully, but whether learning an instrument or any skill, you often start with the least impressive basics. As I mentioned earlier, if you're trying to learn Taekwondo, you might think you're going to learn impressive moves right away.

Let's tear our pants and start from the legs, saying Please save me! That's how it goes, right? I wanted to box stylishly, but then they just made me skip rope. After finishing the jump rope, I just focused on stepping and running, and it was boring. I wanted to do something cool like basketball, you know, trying to do a dunk shot. It’s all about the final showdown, like in a drama, where everything looks amazing, right? I wanted to make it look impressive, like dribbling the ball and bouncing it off the ground. That's how it is, you know? When you're learning something, it usually starts in the most boring way, completely opposite to what you imagined. With chromatics, it’s the same; there’s nothing different. It’s all about timing with your left hand and your right hand. But...

Many people misunderstand something during the process, and there are some who create further misunderstandings. Since chromatic scales are the foundation of everything, it is crucial to master this before progressing. Therefore, practicing chromatic scales is essential in the basics. However, this is not absolute. There are fundamental skills that can be obtained apart from chromatic scales, and what needs to be practiced in regular scales differs somewhat. The chromatic scale is fundamentally basic. It involves practicing the timing of my left and right hands. It is essentially about incorporating movements that I have never done before. So, starting with these basics is obviously necessary. This is because if this is not established, picking must be done down-up, and this must be aligned accordingly.

맞춰서 그다음에 2번 속 업 들어가고, 그다음에 다다요 과정을 태어나서 한 번도 안 해봤으니까 이거 하는 거예요. 가장 기본적인 감각을 내가 생장 안 해봤던 감각을 끌어올려야 되기 때문에 이것부터 하는 거거든요. 이건 살고, 그것도 하겠죠. 다만, 요런 게 너무 이 부분에서 오인하시면 안 돼요. 그래서 가끔 질문 드렸죠. 선생님은 저 아직 90을 못 넘었어요. 못 넘으셔도 돼요. 여러분들이 다 누구나 같이 속죄할 필요도 없고, 누구나 다 블루스할 필요도 없는 거예요. 그러니까 내가 1년 내내 해봤자 여러분들이 크로매틱 90을 넘길 수도, 못 넘기시는 분도 많이 계세요. 그러면 1년 내내 그렇게 하면 그거 넘길 때까지 크로매틱만 하고 있냐? 안 돼요. 그렇게 하면 크로매틱을 얻어질 수 있는 기본 예를 뭐, 타이밍 맞춘 거라든지 손가락 내가 이렇게… 

To match it, then you go into the second speed up, and then you do the process of dadayo, which I’ve never done since I was born. This is what I’m

피킹이 순서에도 헷갈리지 않도록 계속해서 얼터네이트 다운업을 반복하는 것이 습관이 되게 만드는 과정입니다. 머리가 포기하지 않도록 하기 위해서 반복하는 것이죠. 이 연습을 3개월 동안 하게 되면, 이것만으로 기타의 모든 플레이를 일대일로 대입할 수 있는 능력을 갖추지는 못합니다. 그렇기 때문에 어느 정도 익숙해지면 다음 단계로 넘어가야 합니다. 스케일을 통해서 연습하는 것이죠. 스케일에 들어가도 괜찮고, 그 다음에는 크로매틱을 적용하는 연습을 할 수 있습니다. 크로매틱은 쉽지만, 스케일을 하면 손가락이 벌어지고 헷갈리게 됩니다. 손가락은 항상 규칙적이고 일관되게 움직이지만, 이 경우에는 손가락이 자주 바뀌고 사이즈와 운지도 변하게 되므로, 이런 부분에 대한 연습이 필요합니다.

You can go ahead and move on to the majors. It's perfectly fine if you don't exceed 90; it's okay if you don't reach the goal of exceeding 100 BPM. However, it is better to allocate this in proportion. In the beginning, for about three months, you should focus on chromatics for almost 90% of your practice time. If you feel comfortable exceeding that, then you can move on to the next stage. The next stage is memorizing scales. If you want to do more, you can practice this as well, but treat chromatics simply as a warm-up. From this point on, it serves as a basic warm-up when you're learning any kind of exercise. Just like a boxer warms up before a match or a soccer player warms up before entering the field.

First, do some stretching, jump a bit, and loosen up your body. You know this process, right? You just need to do this. However, some of you might be scared because you think the basic process is too important, and if you can’t do chromatics, you feel like you can’t progress. Many of you are familiar with chromatic scales. So, let's set that aside for now. Use it as a warm-up. After that, in the current curriculum, you will memorize scales. Once you have memorized them all, at the end of today’s practice, before you put down your guitar, make sure to finish with a warm-down by doing chromatics one last time. Now, there might be a question: Teacher, even chromatics seem like a lot. We learned this at the beginning, and we need to do this too. You shouldn't skip it. You need to practice it for at least three years.

I can't even get past this. I have to do this, right? I have to do this. Then there's this for three years, and I have to do this too. But it's not just about doing this one thing; you go through a lot, and then after that, you go up a step and get to 10. By then, it’s already 10 minutes. If you do about five of these, an hour will just fly by. You might have these questions, right? For those of you who feel this way, don’t let it all flow away. Today, for example, focus on this; then next Tuesday, do this one; and then on Wednesday, do this. Just stick to one thing like this. You don’t have to do everything. So, before you actually compete, you don’t need to exert all your strength in the warm-up. Think of it as just a necessary option that follows you for life. You shouldn't treat this as the main focus; it's just an option, as the name suggests.

It's good that you are doing this just as a warm-up. Once you master everything and pick up speed, then it will be different. Just imagine how great that would be! However, in a short time, it won't happen within a year. As I mentioned earlier, after a year, you'll just be one year old—still in the stage of learning to chirp. You haven't even entered elementary school yet; you haven't even gone to kindergarten. You're still at the stage of basic sounds. So, it’s normal that you’re not able to do much yet. When you're at that level, it’s important not to invest too much time just in the basics. As I mentioned earlier, the things you can gain from chromatic exercises and the feelings and physical skills you can develop while practicing basic techniques and major scales are different. The learning scope varies by genre, so the progress is...

Please go ahead, it's okay to leave. Now, once you memorize the major scale, the next step is usually to learn the pentatonic scale. It varies from person to person, but realistically speaking, learning the pentatonic scale first is a bit easier since it only has five notes. There are also only five blocks, and by adding the fourth and seventh notes, you can memorize the major scale in this way, which is actually easier. However, since this is a somewhat tedious concept, we typically learn the major scale first. Realistically, we learn the pentatonic scale first, then start with the easier ones, and after that, we can incorporate the major scale by thinking, Ah, I can create this with the major scale. Like I mentioned before, it’s related to the 3, 6, 9, 369, 51, 369, 3, then 25, 25, 369, 369, 5, 25, 2, 1, 36, 2, 1, 3.

이렇게 해서 이제 넓은 곳에서 안쪽에 7도도 있고, 좁은 곳은 바깥쪽에 4도와 7도도 있습니다. 이렇게 해서 메이저를 외우면 빠르단 말이에요. 그런데 음악을 배우기 때문에 일단은 공통 분모로 기타만 가지고 이렇게 할 수 있으면 그렇게 하겠지만, 그래도 좀 음악적으로 보편적인 질서적 면에서 메이저 스케일을 먼저 배우고 그다음에 펜타토닉 스케일을 보통 배웁니다. 그래서 이제 펜타토닉 스케일을 배울 때 여러분들이 음계가 빠지는 것들, 보통 배우잖아요. 그러면서 여러분들이 아, 이게 같은 걸 외워야 되냐?고 생각하게 됩니다. 외워야 되죠. 그런데 꼭 외워야 하는 것은 아닙니다. 많은 사람들이 음계는 무조건 외워야 한다고 생각하는데, 외우면 얼마나 좋겠어요. 그렇죠? 그래서 많은 분들이 이 부분에서 부담을 느끼기 시작해요. 이거, 이거 언제 다 외워? 그렇죠? 이게 양이 정말 많습니다.

It's incredibly overwhelming. There are so many more things to memorize than the periodic table you learned in physics class. The amount of English vocabulary you learned in high school is also quite substantial. This is really difficult. And then there's the need to memorize things like 파다 and 파샵. You might wonder if you can actually use this knowledge in real life, and honestly, it doesn't come to mind right away. That's why you don't need to feel too burdened about memorizing all of this. Even if you do memorize it, listening to explanations isn't necessarily that advantageous. From my own experience, I don't know about those who teach in that way, but in my opinion, it doesn't always work out that well. So while memorizing is definitely beneficial—100% beneficial, for sure—there are nuances to consider.

Investing time in memorization can be very inefficient, and from my perspective, when I tried to improve this, I found it somewhat ineffective. Memorizing is definitely beneficial, right? You understand that, right? Don't misunderstand me; it's not that memorization is unnecessary. Memorizing is good, but it takes a lot of time and is genuinely difficult. You forget things quickly, and even if you memorize them, you often can't apply them right away. So, these aspects can feel a bit inefficient. Don't feel too burdened by memorization; just memorize in a way that feels comfortable for you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t fully understand the meaning. Really, beginners don’t need to stress about these things. You can deal with stress later. In our lives, you are currently at a stage where you are just starting out.

You don't need to worry about how life is going, what the real estate situation in Korea is like, how the economy is doing, or what the Pia index is. You don't need to see this hell of entrance exams. It's already the year, so why carry the weight of life so soon? You can learn about these things later, and it will come to you naturally when the time is right. When you are hungry, that's when food tastes good. Right now, you don’t even know what hunger is, so forcing yourself to eat will just upset your stomach. Instead of that, relieve yourself of such burdens and just memorize your formulas and major scales. Just leave it at that. Whether it becomes a success or a failure, just keep at it. Focusing on that is much better. So, regarding the three months I mentioned earlier, it means that during these three months, you should basically establish a routine.

It's a process, but from my experience, it's true. Of course, not everyone fits into this 100%, as it varies from person to person. However, in my experience, really 19 out of 20 people feel this way. What’s important next is to focus on not losing interest. Do you understand? After about three months, even if you've established a routine and developed some habits, if you lose interest, your mind will start finding reasons to stop playing the guitar. It will come up with excuses to give it up. At this stage, it's best to ensure that you absolutely do not lose interest. So, how can you maintain that interest? I can't just change my mind, right? This is the challenge. I need to find a way to adjust my mindset to feel that interest.

Mind control doesn't work, everyone. Is there a way to do that? Then I'll just run. No, no. In order not to lose interest, I need to maintain that interest. That interest is something I can't control at will. So what's the best way we can do? It's better to remove the elements that cause us to lose interest. It varies from person to person. For some, these elements can be too difficult, and they create obstacles, like playing the guitar. For example, things like theory, memorizing scales, and memorizing intervals and chords can be removed. But for some people, these things are fun. I've taught many people, and some find it really enjoyable. They say, Teacher, I'm really here to learn this, with their eyes sparkling. It's really fun for them, even if their fingers don't move well. This is important.

So, for those people, it's okay if their fingers go back later; what's most important right now is having fun and not losing interest. So, I can remove the elements that make me lose interest, and I can do that later. Right now, I'm not hungry for this yet. From the beginning, I told you all that you need to understand the basics of mode and scale, and I try to explain it all. You all have this expression on your faces when you don't understand. It's like that friend’s expression, right? They are definitely speaking Korean, but you don’t understand anything. It’s not a foreign language or an alien language; it’s clearly Korean, but you just can’t get it. So, in front of the teacher, if you don’t understand even a little, you should say that you don’t understand. But no one does that because they think, I might not get it, but other students probably do.

I have doubts, so I can't boldly and honestly say that I don't understand. It's really hard for me to express this, especially since people in our country have been raised in a somewhat oppressive environment from a young age. For those of us in our age group, it was common to hear, You don't know this? You don't understand that? and getting hit on the back for not knowing something. Because of this culture, it's difficult to admit when we don't understand. I often feel like I'm the only one who doesn't get it while everyone else seems to understand. When the teacher is explaining something to me, I think, Everyone else must already know this, and the teacher is just going to teach it to me because I'm behind. I believe that not just me, but all the instructors at private academies feel the same way. Students often don’t ask questions, and then they come back the next week and have to discuss it all over again. This creates a lot of stress for some people, especially in the beginning.

Some people say that in order to really play the guitar, you have to know this first. That statement is not necessarily wrong, but for some people, it can feel incorrect. Do you know what the most violent statement in the world is? It's the correct statement. I'm sure you've all experienced this. The most annoying and unpleasant thing to hear is not just someone cursing at me or saying something I don't want to hear, but rather when someone stands in front of me and states the truth, talking about facts. That's the most unpleasant thing. The most violent statement in the world is a fact. Let me be honest with you: you know, I'm not trying to be harsh, but honestly, I feel like you really... it's not that I say this because I dislike you, but I genuinely feel like this is the case. Facts can make people feel the worst, right? That's why...

The most violent thing is a fact. So, being honest and speaking frankly means that not everything goes according to the rules. If everything went according to the rules, we would all learn the theory and play the guitar well. However, saying that someone plays the guitar well means that they are truly good at fighting if they want to fight. But if you’re not careful, learning to fight through theory is just like learning to play the guitar without practice. Ultimately, everything must be achieved through practice, and to practice, I need to accumulate experience. This accumulation of experience can be theoretical, and if I try it myself, I can also feel it. However, the sequence is not clearly defined. Will I learn the principles first, or will I learn without understanding and then realize later when I study the theory, Ah, so this is what it was?

Some people learn the principles and can apply them immediately, while others may not understand at first and just go with their feelings. Later, when they see the theory, they realize, Ah, so this is what it was! They find it very interesting and enjoyable. This way of learning is good because it aligns with their interests. So, this is something you can do too. If you think, I'm not really into theory, then focus on having fun. Try playing pentatonic scales and major scales, experimenting as you go. There are things you can do while exploring different scales. You'll start to feel the different emotions that each note conveys. Instead of just mechanically playing notes like Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, you can also try sustaining notes and experimenting with different sounds.

To feel it, why does this not fit? I don't know, I really don't know. Why doesn't it fit? Somehow, I feel like it doesn't match. When I look at the code, I can't quite figure out what it is. I just try playing it like this. So for those of you who don't know modes, you probably don't want to study them, right? The best thing to do in that case is to learn the rules of the scale first. At this point, you would use this skill and that skill, but it can be a bit tricky for beginners. In this case, you can think of modes as a way to add something new to what you already play. Just add one note to what you have been playing. You can also stretch it out a bit. You can do it even if you don't know all the modes.

So, even if you don't know everything, you can just add what you find strange to the skills you're already using. You can try coding and as long as you don't lose interest, that's fine. Later on, everyone will learn it. By that time, you'll be thirsty for knowledge and hungry for more. It seems like the mood is going a bit casually, like some famous guitarists on YouTube, but if you just touch on those things lightly, you might feel like you're just making a little noise. What is this? How about we all study together? In the beginning, you might not understand anything, no matter how much it's explained. You might think, What does this even mean? But if you keep listening, as I mentioned before, it's the same thing. Just try struggling with it for about three months, and I’ll help you understand.

It changes like that. Yes, my mind helps me understand. My mind allows me to understand myself. If you keep doing it, you'll eventually get there. So, after three months, it's better to find a way to maintain your interest quickly. It's not about me having interest; it's about not losing interest. If you just don't lose interest, you can continue steadily for several years. As I mentioned earlier, it's very fun, cool, and beneficial, and it gives me a sense of fulfillment in my life. At some point, you'll find yourself clicking on the internet and thinking, I should go to Japan and buy this. You'll see something on a customer broadcast and think it looks good, and then you'll wonder if you should check it out.

It's coming out well. Just like this, there are additional fun experiences that come along with it. I’m waiting for a delivery, feeling excited, and my heart is racing. Instead of working, I'm tracking the package. Tracking 60 minutes, wondering where it has reached. It’s stuck at some hub, and it’s driving me crazy. You know, like at Gimpo, where they handle shipments. It's just stuck there at some hub. I can't take it anymore! Experiencing this, when a new piece of equipment arrives, brings such joy. It's a kind of excitement I never imagined. For those who might not be interested, watching this kind of broadcast might seem boring, but if you try it, you'll understand how thrilling it can be.

Really, yes, it’s exciting, and now that we’re moving on to the next stage, from here on, we will enter a phase of study. It will definitely come. So, for those who are interested in studying from the beginning, they will continue on, but even if you are very interested, you cannot learn quantum physics in elementary school, right? During elementary school, you might find arithmetic interesting, and up until middle school, you might enjoy math. By high school, it might be different. Up until middle school, there can be some fun with math, like playing with numbers. Also, during elementary and middle school, you might explore literature, trying out poetry, and back in the day, we would memorize the answers in our textbooks, reciting things like “the body goes together” or singing about King Yu and his dynasty, while studying ancient poetry and literature. You might find interest in literature as well.

It can be overwhelming, especially when transitioning from middle school to high school. An overwhelming amount of information comes at you. At first, subjects like arithmetic and math are interesting, but when you enter university, you start learning quantum mechanics. You think you learned enough math in high school, but when you see matrices in college, it’s not just three rows above and three rows below anymore. In university, there can be eight rows above. Those who majored in digital studies will know about matrix Fourier transforms, where you have to memorize a ton of formulas, including summations and other complicated concepts that seem absurd, like transforming time functions into space functions. So, mere interest isn't enough to cover all of that.

It's okay now. After that, in the beginning, those who have an interest in physicality tend to skip the theory and go straight to the physical aspect. However, there comes a time when these individuals must learn the theory. At that point, they realize that they need to learn the basics, which they initially skipped. As we move forward, there will be an overwhelming amount of material and difficulty. It seems like just learning the modal scale would be enough, but in practice, it doesn't work that way. To make it work in real situations, we need to layer the learning by combining code tones and selecting the main notes we should use. For example, if everyone is playing a certain chord, most people will follow along, but when it comes to the challenging parts, it becomes difficult.

Now, everyone will say that it brings a lot of benefits. However, it feels like there is so much information that it’s hard to grasp. But if you learn about concepts like code tones, you start to evaluate efficiency. There aren't many tones, but why is it more efficient and looks cooler? There are things like this. It focuses on code tones, and then there are focus notes, right? Only the strongest ones apply here. You need to know about focus notes. 

Even though there aren’t many tones, why is this efficient? These are things that need to be learned more deeply. Next, for those who practiced physically and those who didn’t, they will also go back to utilizing what they learned. However, there are some things they won’t be able to do, and now they will have to preserve their new physical skills.

It seems like things like this are no longer possible. In the past, I could just follow along when something was a bit off, but now, it’s all out of my reach. Yes, that makes sense. So, what used to spark my interest now feels like a homework assignment. Once you dive deep, everything turns out that way. Even those who were interested in theory eventually lose that interest when faced with overwhelming concepts. You need to have some grit to push through; you really have to be persistent. You have to keep pushing through with that determination. You need to adopt a mindset of just moving forward. There’s no other way. Of course, I had some interest before, I had the physicality, and I had practiced patterns. Even today, as someone who plays guitar, I’m still in a mindset where I won’t give up easily like before. I’ll try to learn somehow, but it’s difficult.

It's a bit like this, everyone. You really need to challenge yourself. After a certain point, your skills don't improve much. Seriously, after one or two years, you might see a little progress, but it really slows down. The fundamental law that applies perfectly, like a physical law, to every stage of the process from the beginning to now is that there are no shortcuts in practice. Whether you've been doing this for one month or ten years, your skills will definitely improve based on the amount of practice and the accumulated time spent practicing. 

And then, at the end of this process, there's a stage where your interest may not be resolved, your physical skills may not improve, and even the perseverance you've shown doesn't seem to help anymore. This happens because music is inherently difficult. After about five, six, or even ten years, you reach this point where it feels like no matter how hard you try, it just doesn't work. Of course, it's good to have a method to break through this barrier.

One of the ways to break through is through composing. If composing feels a bit difficult, you can find backing tracks on platforms like YouTube and simply copy them. You can recreate that backing track using your virtual instruments or guitar, and by doing so, you'll learn the process. Later on, you can even move on to composing your own music and producing albums. However, this part is something you can gradually work on. The challenge arises from the mindset. Most people, after practicing for a long time, encounter a paradox. Initially, for about three months, you should consistently practice to get your body accustomed to it and train your mind.

From that point on, it just becomes a habit, and it continues on. As you accumulate experiences, there will be a clear process where you feel the wall and then don’t feel it. In the next stage, what happens is that the process of not feeling lasts a really long time. Since it lasts for a long time, it seems like there’s some achievement happening in the initial foundational period, but from this point on, the growth is very subtle. It’s compressed and grows like a nightshade, so it doesn’t expand solidly. Along with this, what develops is a habit. The kind of habit that prevents growth, which you might not even be aware of, will emerge. There are things, like habits or mannerisms, that you need to fix, but they don’t get fixed easily. You might need some sort of drag from someone else for this.

One thing is that because it doesn't increase for a long time, I habitually think about how to handle it. I realize that I don't let go; this is my limit, and it becomes ingrained in my body. This is not just about enthusiasm; it applies to everyone. If there are a thousand people, they all have the same experience. Those who make a living from this have to keep practicing to figure out how to survive. However, for those who do it as a hobby, there’s no pressure, so they make a mental decision: This is my limit. As a result, they only practice up to that point and don’t push themselves further. When I first started, I lifted a 1 kg weight. As I practiced, I could lift a 2 kg weight, then a 5 kg dumbbell as my strength increased. After more practice, I was able to lift 7 kg, and then...

I've increased by 10 kilograms. It's been exactly ten years, and that's how much I've gained. Now, the reason is that it's not increasing as much anymore. My strength isn't increasing much either, but even so, this feels challenging. No matter how much my skills improve, it always feels overwhelming. I used to say I was good at playing the guitar, but I always feel like I'm just barely managing. It's difficult. 

In the past, I couldn't lift 1 kilogram, but now I can lift 10 kilograms. 1 kilogram feels very light, but right now, 10 kilograms always feels heavy. When I was lifting 1 kilogram, it must have felt heavy, and I couldn't even think about lifting 10 kilograms. When I lifted 2 kilograms, 1 kilogram felt a bit lighter, but 2 kilograms still felt heavy to me. 3 kilograms still felt heavy. Now, what I'm doing feels the heaviest. If we say it's about 10 kilograms, it feels incredibly heavy. Since I started from 99 kilograms, I’ve just barely managed to increase my weight.

10 kg, it's all the same. I squeezed it out a little. When you do this for a long time, I think 10 kg is my maximum. I set it firmly. So, no matter how much you practice here, even from 1 kg, you warm up and keep warming up. After a while, when you hit 10 km, you just feel like, Ah, I'm done. I've practiced a lot, and I think this is my limit, and that’s where it ends. This becomes the biggest problem. It's really like that for most people. It's the same for everyone. Here, you have to push yourself more. If my sense of rhythm is a bit weak, I need to work on it more. If my music theory isn’t good, then I need to study music theory more. If my physical skills are lacking, I need to practice more and get my fingers moving. People who can lift 10 kg don’t really challenge themselves to 11 kg. That’s why they don’t improve. Most people need to push themselves to try 11 kg. Now, let’s do one more exercise together.

Let's do one more of this. You need to do one more. Here, I want to tell you that those who can lift 10 kg are not just practicing; your past experiences are what you've practiced. If someone who can lift 10 kg needs to lift 11 kg, that’s what your practice is about. Lifting 10 kg when you can already lift 10 kg is not practice. It’s your past experiences that have shaped your abilities; what you are doing now is not something you created. To be current, you need to practice lifting 11 kg. If I want to lift 11 kg, I need to train as if I’m lifting 11 kg. So, always keep in mind that you often think, “This is my limit, I can’t go beyond this.” But if you try, you can do it. I've seen people who couldn't do it for decades, but when they try, they can achieve it. I tell them to try different approaches, and when they do, it works out.

It's interesting because you think you can't do it since you haven't been able to before. It's like an eagle that should be flying but has a fear of heights. You think you can't fly, so you keep avoiding practice, and you don't want to do it because it stresses you out. Moving up to the next level becomes a habit, and as that habit builds, you start to believe, I can only play 10 kilometers; this is all I can do. Then you say, Oh, I can't do it, so I won't try. But if you really push yourself, you'll find you can go up to 11 kilometers. You all have to make a living, and unless you're going to be a professional guitarist, you might think there's no need to push yourself that hard. But it's okay to do it; just don't complain that your guitar skills aren't improving. Most of you probably feel that way. The moment you start playing the guitar, it should keep getting better.

I hope to improve while playing the guitar. I don't do this for fun here. I want to live my life comfortably. Ah, I don't want to live my life like a war. Some people might think that way, but I believe that effort is necessary. It's not like a war where you feel stressed out. You just need to pay a little more attention. If you do that, your mindset will change. You know that, right? It changes and you will naturally improve. I always say this: the principle of learning guitar is like this. First, you need to hold it well for three months, and then you should continue to hold it well. The most important thing is to align your interests with your learning. After that, when you reach a certain level, there will definitely be a wall. Of course, there are walls along the way, but when you finally face that really thick wall, it takes a long time to progress from 10 kilometers to 11 kilometers. But you have to keep pushing.

At this time, if you practice, you will improve. So, skill development is like climbing stairs; step by step, little by little. The only reason you might struggle to climb is that you lack a bit of strength at that moment. Do you understand? You can practice like this today. You can even just mimic what I do. And you mentioned something very important; it may not be the correct practice method, so it might not work. In my experience, a significant part of the issue is often related to bad habits. Most of the time, bad habits are the problem, such as irregular picking or incorrect finger movements. There are indeed many bad habits. Additionally, not knowing the correct practice methods can be an issue. There are general tips that apply broadly, but most of them can vary from person to person. If you just touch on this aspect,

There are people who can do it and some who can't. So, sometimes it's difficult because they don't know the right practice methods. However, it's not as common as you might think. Usually, there are many bad habits that have already formed and are constantly interfering. Most of the time, the main issue is that even when you know the correct practice method, it can clash with your bad habits. When that happens, it becomes really tough. If you don't know the right methods, feel free to ask questions. Especially for members, on Fridays, you can join on Zoom and show your performance to see if it's correct. Alternatively, like Sun-kyu, you can upload it to YouTube and send me the link. If you're uncomfortable showing your face, that's fine too.

Please play it while covering it and send me the YouTube link. Then, during the membership lecture on Friday, I can fully explain it, so if you all want to do it, it's definitely possible. If not, I can broadcast it through Mac, and it's integrated with KakaoTalk. Please upload it to the group chat there. Then, during the broadcast, I can click on it and access it easily. If you send it to me via email, it can be a bit difficult for me to find among the other emails. So, using KakaoTalk is better. Those who have a membership should definitely join the group chat and feel free to ask various questions there. In the community section of my channel, if you scroll down, you will find the link and password for the group chat. You can join by looking at that.

Okay, you understand, right? Today, I will wrap up the lecture like this.

기타실력 느는 원리-딱! 일단 이렇게만 해 봅시다!

기타실력 느는 원리-딱! 일단 이렇게만 해 봅시다!