Have you ever looked at a song and thought, “That’s not for me”, before you even tried?

Have you caught yourself waiting for the “right moment” to finally get serious about guitar?

Or told yourself that a certain riff, solo, or style was simply out of your league?

You’re not alone. And here’s the reassuring part: that feeling is not a sign of your ability. It’s a sign of fear. The good news is that fear can be unlearned - often faster than you think.

There’s a difference between a skill you haven’t learned yet and a skill you’ve decided isn’t yours. One is a matter of time and practice. The other is a story you’re telling yourself.

The Solo I Was Afraid to Touch

A while back, a few of my students came to their lesson buzzing about the guitar solo from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. They’d seen it on TikTok and decided they wanted to learn it. Just like that. No hesitation, no self-doubt. They simply saw something they liked and went for it.

I, on the other hand, had been avoiding that solo for years. With over 15 years of playing behind me, I had somehow convinced myself that Queen was “untouchable”, that I hadn’t “earned” the right to play their music. It sounds a little absurd when I say it out loud. And it is.

Watching my students dive in without a second thought inspired me. I picked up my guitar, learned the solo, and after 15 years of playing, it was easy-peasy.

What I had built up in my mind as a wall turned out to be a step. My students learned it too, almost as quickly as I had. That was the moment I realised: fear might have been costing me years.

What Fear Actually Does to a Learner

Fear doesn’t usually show up as panic. In learning, it tends to wear more subtle disguises. It sounds like:

“I’ll start when I’m more ready.”

“That song is too advanced for me.”

“I don’t have enough time to practice properly.”

“I’m probably too old to get good at this.”

Each of these thoughts has one thing in common: they keep you from starting. And not starting is the only guaranteed way to never improve.

Fear of failure is not the same as a lack of ability. One is an emotion. The other is a fact. And facts can be changed with practice.

Why Beginners Sometimes Outpace Experienced Players

Here is something I’ve noticed again and again as a teacher: students who have been playing for a few months often tackle challenging material more fearlessly than people who have been playing for years. Not because they’re more talented - but because they haven’t yet built up a long list of things they’ve decided are “not for them.”

They don’t know yet that they’re supposed to be intimidated. So, they just try. And trying, consistently, is what builds skill.

Three Ways Fear Shows Up in Practice (And How to Recognise Them)

1. Avoiding the hard part.

If you always skip the difficult section of a song and loop the parts you’ve already mastered, that’s fear at work.

The comfortable parts feel good. The hard parts feel risky. But progress only happens in the hard parts.

2. Setting impossible conditions for starting.

"I’ll practice seriously when I have a better guitar." "When I have more free time." "After the summer."

These conditions are rarely met: because their real purpose is to protect you from the discomfort of trying and struggling.

3. Comparing your insides to someone else’s outsides.

You watch a guitarist on YouTube and feel like you’ll never reach that level.

What you don’t see is the thousands of hours of awkward, frustrating, imperfect practice behind the performance. You’re comparing your struggle to their highlight reel.

Progress Is Slower at First, Then It Isn’t

One of the most common things I see with students who stick with structured learning is this: early progress feels slow. Sometimes frustratingly slow.

But at some point - and it’s different for everyone - things start to click. Chord changes that once felt impossible become automatic. Songs that seemed out of reach start to sound like actual music.

That shift doesn’t happen because of talent. It happens because of consistency and because someone kept showing up even when it felt hard.

Your Next Step

Pick one song, riff, or technique you’ve been telling yourself is beyond you. Write it down. Then ask yourself honestly: have I actually tried, or have I just assumed it’s too hard?

Try it this week. Not perfectly, just try. You might surprise yourself the same way my students surprised me.

And if your skill is nowhere near the satisfactory result: just use the parts from the solo as your daily exercises, where you slowly but surely build your technique and skills, while becoming a better musician in the process.

Fear is a terrible reason to stop before you start. You picked up the guitar for a reason. Don’t let a story in your head decide how far you go.

 

About the Author

Janez Janežič is a guitar teacher based in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. If you’re looking for structured, encouraging guitar lessons that help you move past the blocks and actually enjoy playing, visit učenje kitare Novo Mesto to learn more or get in touch.