When you are learning to play the guitar, you are probably inclined to do your lessons and practice by yourself. While this is fine for drilling scales and chord exercise, you should strive to find some friends to jam with. I can hear you now – “What if they think I suck?” Let me tell you, you can drop that line of thinking right now.

First off, anyone you get together with is likely having the same thoughts. It’s what we humans do, constantly comparing ourselves to other people. In reality, you can learn something new from everyone you meet. And they can learn from you. Your jam partners will be happy to have another guitar in the mix (or a guitar, for that matter, if you’re the only one).

Maybe you have mastered a particular chord or riff that your buddy is having a hard time with. You can be the teacher and show him how it’s done. The next time, you may be the one getting the tip.

The quickest way to improve your playing is to work with others. True, there is benefit to playing along with jam tracks (music recorded without vocals or guitar parts so you can practice/improvise) or with your favorite songs. But when you rock out with other musicians, you learn additional dynamics such as timing and rhythm.

Another benefit is you may end up jamming with people that are much better players than you. This might seem intimidating, but don’t let that stop you. You will learn so much more from that interaction than you would sitting in your room by yourself.

Let me tell you a story. When I was in high school, I had never played guitar in front of anyone. Sure, I had taken some lessons, but I was too shy to play for even my family. During the first week of class, I met a guy who played bass. He had the same annoying habit of playing “air-guitar” as I do. Long story short, we decided to get together after school to jam.

After that one session, we decided to put a band together and started gathering friends who played various instruments. What started as a couple of buddies jamming to some Eagles tunes turned into a full-fledged rock band and a life-long pursuit to make music.

So don’t be afraid to open yourself up a little and play the guitar with some friends. Learn a few guitar chords for songs and set up a meeting. Not only will you sharpen your skills, you’ll build your confidence and you might just have some fun, too!