There is no short cut to becoming a good player. Being constant in your practice is perhaps the main secret. This reminds me of Aesop's fable about the Tortoise and the Hare. Some talented young players did not reach their potential as guitarists because they were getting by on talent and didn't put in the daily work. Others have surprised us and reached much farther than we would have expected because they have put in the continued work.

要成为优秀的演奏者，没有捷径可言。持之以恒地练琴也许是最主要的秘诀。这让我想起伊索寓言中关于龟兔赛跑的故事。一些有天赋的年轻人没有挖掘他们可能成为吉他家的潜能，因为他们错过了天赋，没有投入日常的练习中。而有些人却令我们吃惊地达到了超过预期的水平，因为他们投入了持久的努力！

So the only short cut is to practice every day, be constant. With tenacity and perseverance you will be able to make beautiful music on the guitar.

因此，唯一的捷径是每天都练琴，持之以恒。通过不屈不挠、坚韧不拔的努力，你将能够从吉他上奏出美妙的音乐。

AESOP'S FABLE: THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

伊索寓言：乌龟与野兔

Once upon a time a hare saw a tortoise walking slowly along and began to laugh and mock him. The tortoise challenged the hare to a race and the hare, thinking himself the fastest animal around, accepted. They agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.

有一次，一只野兔看见乌龟慢吞吞地走过，便开始嘲笑他。乌龟向野兔提出挑战，与它赛跑。野兔想自己是周围跑得最快的动物，便答应了。它们同意了赛跑路线，开始赛跑。刚开始，野兔跑得很快，把乌龟抛在后面。于是，它便坐在树下休息起来，没有继续跑步。

He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise, plodding on, overtook him and finished the race. The hare woke up and realized that he had lost the race.

坐在树下休息，野兔很快睡着了。乌龟慢慢地跑，不久便超过了野兔，赢得了赛跑。野兔醒来时，才发现他已经输了赛跑。

The moral, stated at the end of the fable, is, "Slow and steady wins the race."

这则语言的结尾寓意是：慢而稳，才能赢。

David Russell.