What can you do using consistency as your primary tool? You can do the most amazing things, check this out.
While looking for music to enjoy while doing my daily office tasks, I came across a YouTuber, a young man who had decided to learn guitar and keep track of his progress, and he did so on YouTube.
The first couple of months learning guitar for this young man were the most difficult, it took time for his fingers to toughen up. He could only play 30 minutes at a time. That was May 2011. After 30 hours he could play a couple of simple songs we all could recognize.
He learned by watching others on YouTube. Now, able to crudely play two songs, he became more intense. He began to try playing songs that were way beyond his current ability. No longer willing to just use YouTube tutorials, he started watching performances of outstanding guitar players, slowing YouTube down to .5x speed so he could watch and copy every hand movement.
By September 2011, after only 330 hours of practice time, he was able to play much more complex and pleasing music like Dueling Ninjas by Trace Bundy. This was a huge step forward.
Then after eight months, 836 hours, he just didn’t practice much and his progress stalled. Like so many, he’s playing was okay but not really good.
It was then he posted his first couple of tunes on YouTube. He received positive feedback. Driven by the comments on YouTube more than playing guitar his obsession took hold. Posting more and practicing much more. He was beginning to love playing and growing and posting it. He says, looking back, I wish I had not wasted those hours.
Now, February 2016, after 3056 hours, music was beginning to flow. He’s playing began to change, DRAMATICALLY. He started practicing 6 – 7 hours a day. He saved money for a new guitar, a good step up, and motivation to push his interest into an obsession with consistency.
He started doing his own versions, more advanced versions of popular songs. In January 2017 he began writing his own tablature at 4,440 hours. By May the same year, he reached 5,020 hours but slowed down due to a painful finger, so he searched for a better way to play without pain. At this same time, he posted a cover of an Indonesian song and it reached 3 million views on YouTube.
Then he stepped out. No more cover songs.
He began to experiment, still practicing consistently, but adding percussion, harmonics and tapping to his creative style.
This was self-inspiring, he again rose to 6 – 7 hours of daily practice time. Now with ten methods of playing down, he was becoming very creative.
With 7,000 hours of practice and 245,000 YouTube subscribers, Mattias Krantz has mastered playing guitar.
What area of obsessive consistency would change your life?
It is Better Late than Never!