sparquelito Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Guys and girls, Success or failure (as relates to becoming a musician) is all relative. There are people who pick up the guitar with the ambition to become the next Steve Vai, John Mayer, or Andreas Segovia, and they usually end up horribly disappointed. Similarly, there are guys who begin playing the guitar with the expressed ambition to become famous, impress their friends, and mainly to hook up with the ladies. And with the possible exception of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the lion’s share of those fellows also find themselves on the short end of the stick. I guess what I am saying is that it’s best to set your sights on goals that are reasonable and healthy: “I want to learn how to play this guitar so that I may have a fun, creative outlet” is a fair ambition. “I want to learn how to play this guitar so that I can become famous and revered throughout the world, and within two years I want to kick Eric Clapton’s butt off the stage at Madison Square Garden” is not. My recommendation is to become that guy who becomes reasonably proficient at a given instrument, has fun playing tunes for friends and family at parties, and has the opportunity to sit in on gigs at clubs and bars every now and then. I also recommend that you NOT set your sights on becoming a working musician, i.e., a fellow who makes his living purely from the guitar craft. It’s not that becoming a working musician is not a noble endeavor, it’s more an issue that it’s such a long shot. The music industry is extremely competitive, political, and there are a lot of starving artists out there who have spent years trying to make it big, only to realize that the ‘day job’ is what is ultimately going to pay the bills. That said, here is my heartfelt advice on the technical aspects of ‘learning to play the guitar’: * Professional lessons are a really good start. Work with the instructor to set reasonable goals though, and do not stick with a teacher with whom you don’t click. You’ll know right away whether you and the guitar instructor are speaking the same language, and if the relationship isn’t working, go find another teacher. * Have fun first and foremost. Intersperse scales and chord-transition drills with simple lessons aimed at allowing you to play songs that you know and love. (If I was asked to go home and learn “Old McDonald Had A Farm”, I would kick that instructor’s ***.) If within a month or two you have learned to play at least two songs that you would enjoy listening to on the radio, then you are going to be enjoying yourself, and you will more likely stick with it. * Your basic guitar should be of a reasonable quality, and the action (the effortless playability of your fingers onto the frets up and down the neck of the guitar) is paramount. Way too many beginners scrimp on the cost of the instrument, and cheap guitars are incredibly difficult to form or phrase chords on. The action, or height of the strings above the frets, is just too great. If pressing your fingers into the neck becomes a chore, then you will likely give up after a short period of time. * Cinch the guitar strap up to where your guitar is centered on your navel, not hung low down by your Johnson. While you are learning the fundamentals, it is important that the angle of your wrist and fingers allows you to play barre chords comfortably and without distortion of your tendons and connective tissue. (Hanging the guitar down low, a la Jimmy Page or Slash may look cool in the rock videos, but it is no way to try and learn the instrument.) If the guitar isn’t comfortably and ergonomically-centered on your body, you just won’t be able to learn the thing. * Set aside a certain amount of time each day for practice. Practice and repetition leads to comfortable, instinctive proficiency. Nothing comes easy, and it takes a lot of work at first. * Play with as many experienced guitarists as you possibly can. The more players you are exposed to, the more hooks, tricks, and techniques you will learn. Everybody will have advice, and almost everybody will be able to show you something really cool that nobody else thought to show you. Good players will be eager to guide you along, and most are willing to spend time with someone who is genuinely willing to learn. * Learn the fundamentals before you become addicted to the toys, effects, stomp boxes, and digital effects processors. There are a LOT of cool toys out there that can alter the sound of the notes coming out of your guitar, but they can become a crutch if you let them. Most great songs are written on a simple acoustic guitar. Later on, they may be recorded as blistering, effects-laden art-rock speed/death-metal anthems, but they usually started out as a good tune on somebody’s old wooden box guitar. * If you hit the wall, then put the instrument down for a day or so and walk away from it. If you are doing something wrong, there is no amount of repeating that wrong thing that is going to make it right. Go get some fresh air, seek some advice from anther player, and then go back to it later on with a fresh perspective. * Never stop learning. No matter how many songs you eventually write or learn to play, and no matter how many lead-guitar playing hooks and tricks you become proficient at, there is always something else to be learned and absorbed. Read the interviews with the greatest musicians out there; they will all admit that they’ve still got a long way to go to get to where they want to be. Be humble. * Hit the internet. There are a LOT of really good websites that offer guitar song tablature, lyrics, and even mini-lessons. The internet has a wealth of free information and wisdom for student musicians, so don’t be tricked into signing up for anything, and above all, do NOT shell out any money. Oh well, that’s all I can think of for now. Have fun with it, first and foremost. I know that it’s been a great source of joy to me (for the past 43 years or so, anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 As a person who's also been playing for decades (first lesson was 1966) I do agree with a lot of what you have said. Once you get your stuff together, there's always someone you're going to play circles around,,, AND,,, there's ALWAYS going to be TWICE as many than will blow your doors off. Work hard, be humble, be patient. then there's this: “I want to learn how to play this guitar so that I can become famous and revered throughout the world, and within two years I want to kick Eric Clapton’s butt off the stage at Madison Square Garden” is not. ha! no kidding! a lofty goal... heading for certain doom.. when I was taking piano lessons some years back, the guy I was going to was a real good piano player, had the theory down, and the chops this guy has are great. A while back, while I was still taking lessons at the house, he had just rented a place and had opened a teaching school and was hiring teachers to cover voice, drums, guitar, etc.. He did approach me but I declined, didn't have the time to hassle with it. He dabbled now and then with guitar, and when he'd play one of my guitars he played like a piano player that new a few chords and scales.. We talked more about his plans for his teaching school one day. He had it in his head that if he started taking lessons now in a matter of 9 months to a year, he'd be proficient enough to take on guitar students,, "Show em the ropes"... teach em solos off albums how to improvise etc... So he asked me if I would at least teach him guitar to further that goal. I told him right off, "based on your goals, you are talking to the wrong guy" "oh,, well ok.. Can you recommend someone?" with a straight face I say "maybe see if Jesus, you know, the one from Nazareth, is available, because it will take a miracle for you to be able to ALL THAT in one year" He laughed, and said, Well I'm going to try and see how I do.. Yea,, good luck with that.. Soon after that, I got out of the lessons routine, and I hadn't seen him until last year when we both popped up a a local festival and we had a chance to catch up. I finally got around to asking him about his progress on guitar, "you know, Jesus was actually not available, so it didn't work out all that good. And you were right, it's way harder than I realized, I guess I took a lot of what you guys can do on that thing for granted, you make it look a lot easier than it is" RIGHT!!! just cuz we're a dime a dozen, doesn't mean it aint hard.. To me, this all starts and ends with the motivation. No matter what you set out to do, it's the inner drive and a persons attitude that makes or breaks it. Learning any instrument is a slow and at times, frustrating process. Basically, how badly do you want it, and how long are you willing to climb up hill till you find you actually "ARE" getting it. Guitarists are a lucky lot.. You can get a very playable instrument today to learn on for well under 500 bucks. If you have someone help you snipe out the Ebay deals, you can bag something for around 2bills. The quality of the products are totaly reachable. add to that, what is available on the net for lesson material is pretty amazing. None off that was going on when we were cutting our teeth. Would have made it quite a bit easier, but I'm not sure I'd change a thing.. Part of my nostalgia kick is listening to albums today, that I remember sitting in my room, spending hour upon hour, with the cue lever on my Turn Table, angsting over 20 or 30 seconds of one song, just to get all the right notes down, and then, never really knowing if you did or not.... kids today,, Bah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Great reply, great story, and great wisdom, kidblast! Thank you for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredH Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 To all the GREAT advice given above, I would add: Always, no matter how long you have played or how proficient you may or may not become, approach the guitar with the heart, enthusiasm, and passion of a student. There is always tons of stuff to learn. I jokingly say to my friends that if I had three lifetimes and could spend it all learning the instrument, I still would have tons of stuff to learn. I have played guitar since age 8 or 9 and at the age of 66, I still find lots of things to stir my soul when I play the guitar. And I am always learning new things. Practice is a MUST! One becomes proficient by practicing consistently. Sometimes, if not most times, practice is hard work - in the most challenging sense of the word. You only get better by learning how to do things that at first seem difficult. But patience, perseverance, and practice will produce results. Be patient with yourself. DONT'T compare yourself to other players. There will always be guitarists who can play better than you - don't envy them: learn from them. Musicians can be the greatest teachers for aspiring musicians. And most of us are just insecure enough about our own playing that we willinging share with those trying to learn the craft. But above all, have FUN with it! Rejoice in the things you learn how to do and always be open to learning new things all of the time. Good luck and enjoy. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 To all the GREAT advice given above, I would add: Always, no matter how long you have played or how proficient you may or may not become, approach the guitar with the heart, enthusiasm, and passion of a student. There is always tons of stuff to learn. I jokingly say to my friends that if I had three lifetimes and could spend it all learning the instrument, I still would have tons of stuff to learn. I have played guitar since age 8 or 9 and at the age of 66, I still find lots of things to stir my soul when I play the guitar. And I am always learning new things. Practice is a MUST! One becomes proficient by practicing consistently. Sometimes, if not most times, practice is hard work - in the most challenging sense of the word. You only get better by learning how to do things that at first seem difficult. But patience, perseverance, and practice will produce results. Be patient with yourself. DONT'T compare yourself to other players. There will always be guitarists who can play better than you - don't envy them: learn from them. Musicians can be the greatest teachers for aspiring musicians. And most of us are just insecure enough about our own playing that we willinging share with those trying to learn the craft. But above all, have FUN with it! Rejoice in the things you learn how to do and always be open to learning new things all of the time. Good luck and enjoy. Fred Thanks, FredH. I read an interview with Eric Clapton wherein he expressed that there was so much more that he had to learn in order to be held in the highest esteem of the masters. He never wants to stop learning and progressing in his playing. There are some players who sit atop their own heap, and rest on their laurels. I guess Eric isn't one of those. A good role model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredH Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks, FredH. I read an interview with Eric Clapton wherein he expressed that there was so much more that he had to learn in order to be held in the highest esteem of the masters. He never wants to stop learning and progressing in his playing. There are some players who sit atop their own heap, and rest on their laurels. I guess Eric isn't one of those. A good role model. He is a great model, indeed. Learning the guitar is like travelling through the universe - it goes on forever and there's no limit to the amazing things you can experience. Back in the 60s, I remember the saying "Clapton is God." (or some similar variation. I have followed this career ever since and it is amazing at how many different Clapton variations there have been - all because he was constantly learning and experimenting. He's one of my all time favorite players and truly rate him as one of the "guitar greats" of the times. And I suspect it has less to do with his abilities and more to do with his attitude. Playing guitar for so long, he has learned what few learn: how to be humble in life. Good luck, my friend. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old guy Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 All of this is really good advice. My advice would be, do it because you love it. no other reason. doesn't matter if you are the greatest in the world or really suck, as long as you enjoy playing. If you love it, then be patient and practice. eventually it clicks. you will be listening to a song and instead of hearing the song, you will hear D, A, D, G, D, A, D, G and hear the chords and notes. you will hear a song once, on your way home from work, and be able to pick up your fiddle and play it. you just have to really love and want to play, and be willing to practice, when all your friends are out doing other things. at least that how it was for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZettaVita Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Good post, and some sound advice. As a senior newbie, I can say I have tried almost all of the available learning options - friends, personal instruction, group instruction, books, CDs, DVDs, tab, streaming Internet, etc. I've spent years and hundreds of dollars, with not much progress. For me, the one method that has worked far above all others is....Rocksmith 2014 by Ubisoft. For $35.00, you get a ton of songs to learn, basic to advanced lessons, games to help your technique and skill, custom tone, left or right compatible, lead, rhythm or bass, and so much more. There are forums and Facebook groups, and separate downloadable content for additional songs, with new songs added weekly. And one of the best features, when you start, it automatically senses your skill level and adjusts to your capability. Just a fantastic learning tool. I highly recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveT2 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 My advice is always a case of do as I say, not as I did. That means to learn on acoustic first. Your technique will be better in the long run since you can't hide behind the amp, p'ups, etc. That and the fact that they are physically harder it will let you know if you really have the desire to stick with it. Don't even think electric until at least six months realistically, or twelve ideally. Oh, and the lesson thing... do that too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Reading this has brought me down to earth with a bump. I would have gone about this very differently, and most likely very wrongly. You have got some solid sensible advice here. Evidently well thought through. Good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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