PRESENCE - Volume 35
Inspiration For Guitarists
There’s an old saying my brilliant wife once dropped on me that stopped me in my tracks:
“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
I see this all the time with guitarists. They want practice to be perfect—
the perfect routine, the perfect length of time, the perfect gear, the perfect space.
And when it’s not perfect, they tell themselves it’s not worth doing at all.
“I don’t have enough time to practice.”
“I don’t even know what I should be practicing.”
“Maybe my gear isn’t good enough.”
“There’s just too much to learn.”
Sound familiar? That inner voice can be the biggest obstacle between you and progress.
Here’s the truth: any time spent with a guitar in your hands moves you forward. Even five messy minutes are better than waiting for some mythical “perfect” session.
Set yourself up so nothing gets in the way:
Guitar out of the case, sitting on a stand
Cable plugged into your amp
Pedals dialed in and ready
A quick way to pull up a track or YouTube backing
Make it effortless to grab your guitar and go.
Now, yes—some things will move you forward faster than others. That’s why I keep hammering on the foundations. When you spend time on the 3 Essential Skills, you’re not just “getting in reps”—you’re building a framework that makes every minute count.
Perfection is overrated. Progress comes from showing up, even in short bursts, and putting your energy into the skills that matter most.
Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing details about my new Essential Skills Guitar Course — the system I’ve been building to help you take focused, consistent practice and turn it into real progress.
It officially launches Tuesday, and I can’t wait to show you what’s inside.
In case you missed them, here are a couple videos that might be helpful to you:
See you next week,
Dustin