[Artie Owl]

Hey gang,

Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's just a long week at work, but lately I feel like I ain't got no soul playing guitar, and that scares me; what if I never did, never will?

It's hard to say, when typically you're your own toughest critic, but what do you guys think? Are you born with soul or do you have to earn it?

Maybe I've just been listening to too many guitar players who've got soul to spare and comparing myself to them, I don't know. What say you all? Soul is earned or soul is born?

[zigzag]

Soul is born, blues is earned.

[rct]

It's what's in the room the day you took that picture of that song(recorded it), or the night you did that show. Sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not. As humans we do not do everything exactly the same every time, that's just the way it is.

Comparing yourself to others is a dead end one way no trucks over 2 tons median stripped toll boothed pot holed road that hurts yer teeth and you'd rather not go down if you don't have to.

For me, it was about 20 years of playing and I was happy with myself.

There is no Soulful or Not Soulful. Or any other of those words. You either hit it hard or didn't. If you did, hope you do two in a row, or ten, or thirty in a row. If you didn't, hope you hit the next one hard. Either way, be happy with what you did.

rct

[ChanMan]

Fine quote, there ZZ!!


I don't know about soul, but you ARE either born with rhythm or not.


Everyone has dry spells of un-inspiration. Shake it off and keep jamming, man!

[stein]

What the heck you mean you ain't got no SOUL? What is SOUL?

If you mean you are supposed to have this certain sound or quality that makes your playing you, you got that, wether you like it or not. Everything you play sounds like you because it is you.

If you mean playing with feeling, that happens when you do it and it don't when you don't. Just because you don't feel like playing or enjoy it when you are by yourself does not mean a thing, and has nothing to do with your abilities.

Now, if you got the blues, that is a whole different matter. If you are feeling down, maybe get you some fried chicken and pie to eat. That will help to cure your soul.

If you want to PLAY the blues, then just go on ahead. You play it however you want. Happy, dirty, lazy, funky, heavy. One or the ability to play one way does not mean it is better or worse than another, and how much effort you put into it is strickly and only what you DECIDE and do and not a way to judge how much you CAN do or will do another time.

[damian]

" I dunno, but I've been told, but I've been told, a big legged woman ain't got no soul.."

Actually they do...... ....

[stein]

Or, do you mean soul like a big purple cadillac and a sharkskin suit with wingtips? Or, like a pink cadillac with a fur coat? Randy Rhoads had high heels and pokadots. That's not soul, that's style.

[ShredAstaire]

I personally don't buy into the whole soul thing when it comes to playing. For me its about inspiration and skill...You don't always have both.

Some days your fingers don't work the way you wantem to...

Some days you're not inspired...

But you're always you...like Chan said...everyone gets in a rut sometimes. I have recently climbed out of mine...wrote some cool *** riffs last night and i'm stoked. I was in my rut for about a month or so...but I kept playing through it. Just stopped writing and played...

Good luck Artie!

[duane v]

I've never worried about it, because I know I can't play blues stuff nor do I try.... Maybe I'm interpreting your thread incorrectly, but you don't have to be a blues player to have soul in your playing.

[Artie Owl]

No, not blues and soul, just feeling blue because I don't feel like my playing has soul, an essence within it kind of thing. I think everyone's right though it's just one of those things you've got to play through.

I was also curious to see what other players think of "soul" and such too.

[duane v]

Soul comes in different forms.... Dont worry about it and just let it come out.

[ShredAstaire]

I have a metal soul.

[duane v]

ShredAstaire, on 27 April 2011 - 10:22 AM, said:

I have a metal soul.

that's what I'm talkin about ....

[chase1410]

Artie Owl, on 27 April 2011 - 08:34 AM, said:

Hey gang,

Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's just a long week at work, but lately I feel like I ain't got no soul playing guitar, and that scares me; what if I never did, never will?

It's hard to say, when typically you're your own toughest critic, but what do you guys think? Are you born with soul or do you have to earn it?

Maybe I've just been listening to too many guitar players who've got soul to spare and comparing myself to them, I don't know. What say you all? Soul is earned or soul is born?

Soul is born

[stein]

Artie Owl, on 27 April 2011 - 10:11 AM, said:

No, not blues and soul, just feeling blue because I don't feel like my playing has soul, an essence within it kind of thing. I think everyone's right though it's just one of those things you've got to play through.

I was also curious to see what other players think of "soul" and such too.

I think one thing that perhaps we all suffer from is when we are playing, we are so caught up in trying to play the music in our head and making it come out a certain way, that we don't LISTEN to ourselves and hear the music that IS coming out. It's kind of like listening to yourself when you talk.

That is not something that ever goes away. Ever notice that regardless of wether or not you like your playing, other poeple still like it?

And as far as being inspired, why worry? You know when the band strikes up and everyone hits that groove you are going to be right there and it is going to get you going.

[charlie brown]

Everyone has "Soul!" Some just don't "tap into it," musically.
They do it, in other ways, though, quite often. Acting, art,
whatever...

CB

[jnastynebr]

You cant a have a soul and be a good blues guitar player. Everyone knows that you have to sell it. Quit practicing and buy a plane ticket to Mississippi.

[Artie Owl]

jnastynebr, on 27 April 2011 - 12:00 PM, said:

You cant a have a soul and be a good blues guitar player. Everyone knows that you have to sell it. Quit practicing and buy a plane ticket to Mississippi.

I thought you could sell your soul at any crossroads if you burried a box with your photo in it in the middle?

[Versatile]

If I may interject with 0.02

Soul is related to hunger

V

[tazzboy]

I sold my soul to play Rock 'N' Roll. Unfortunately, though that never happen and now I want my soul back.