Fletch

When it comes to music you never stop learning (unless you want to!).

I`m a guitar tragic, and buy a few magazines here and there. There`s the occasional nugget of wisdom or insight that keeps you inspired, so i thought i`d post some....


Slash printed way back in 1992, regards learning the guitar...

"A lot of people feel like they have to reach a certain point, and that point is always hanging over their head. They`re always trying to reach it, but its a lot more difficult. Wherever i was, was fine. I just kept working hard at it..."

I find this a HUGE thought. How many of us want (so much) to play like all our heros? But i can`t be Hendrix/Knopfler/Page/Hammet all in one life time - i find this Slash quote, good to focus on - be happy with who you are, what you can do & sound like, and take it further step by step.


Tommy Emmanuel printed in 2007...

"The guitar is a challenging instrument. You pick it up one day and you think `I`m the king of this, I`m gonna whup this thang`and the next day you pick it up and you feel like a total idiot, like a fool, you know? So its a humbling instrument...."

If this guy can feel like that sometimes, well... - don`t beat yourself up if nothing sounds right and your having a bad day. Some days you just gotta do something else eh? Or just practice scales, get technical, or listen to someone else...


Editor Australian Guitar printed this month 2008...

..There`s no right or wrong way to play guitar. There`s no ultimate guitar or amp that cannot be beaten. Its about finding something that works for you and playing the hell out of it until it really sounds your own. Then, as we do around the office on a daily basis, its just a matter of defending your selection of skills, sounds and gear amongst your peers! And daydreaming about the next piece of gear to add to your rig...

I can relate to a lot of that above!



Thats just 3 Gems of wisdom that spring to mind, of course sometimes the polar opposite opinions are just as valid. I know this is all guitar stuff, but maybe it can apply to more instruments, or even singing?
Music inspires Life!

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No Bosses, Just Music

FireInCairo

no one can be Hendrix/Knopfler/Page/Hammet except Hendrix/Knopfler/Page/Hammet
people really should just try to play like themselves
playing like someone else is a waste of time...there is already someone doing it....

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O G MUDBONE: Only You can prevent forest fires.

spook

All that matters is that you're ENJOYING IT, no matter what level you're playing at.

I know guitarists who seriously beat themselves up if they can't master some highly technical piece within a few hours, which to me is plain stupid.
Try to find your own style and do it your own way.

As a REALLY famous blues player once said to me when I was asking his advice many years ago: " Play from the heart and from the guts, play from the balls - if you don't have the feel, the soul, all the technique in the world won't help you sound good. Don't try to do too much, any fool can be flashy and complicated, but it doesn't mean a thing."

Amen to that.

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It seems that lately, everybody's crying in their beer - I know that only the good die young - That's why I'm still here!

GuitarBizarre

I take the approach that if you're not getting better at SOMETHING, you should be, regardless of what that thing is, songwriting, technique, theory, anything.

And personally, I have something of a distaste for comments that talk about 'playing from the soul'.

Playing from the soul doesnt mean what most people think it means. Hell, it doesnt even mean improv. The most soulful pieces of music I can think of were largely written over incredibly long periods of time with incredible care and attention to each and every note, by people who really really knew what they were doing.

Sadly though, most people take 'soul' and 'balls' to mean some innate ability to play a guitar with a few nice slow bends, and that if you mystically channel your head through your arse and into the back of the guitar, you'll know which notes to hit.

And thats just not what its about. Its about CREATING a feeling, not just indulging your own, and thats where being 'better' at songwriting or technique is the best choice, because it gives you more tools and options to do that effectively. Sure, blues people might just focus on the feeling of what they're doing, but they're still doing it in blues scales and chords, and someone had to teach them those to et those feelings. The difference is just their application of an established concept.

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walker

Yoko Ono "John always played from his heart. I hope you will learn to do the same."

I've always felt alot can be said for 'playing from the heart'. It will always mean more for me than technical music etc.

GuitarBizarre

Not to be rude, but Yoko Ono is hardly the most credible source of musical advice.

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Now playing: The Beatles - When I'm Sixty-Four
via FoxyTunes

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cardboard adolescent

i would trust yoko ono as a musical/artistic adviser over you any day

GuitarBizarre

I lol'd.

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Now playing: Maaya Sakamoto - Hikari Are
via FoxyTunes

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cardboard adolescent

not to be offensive but what credit do you have? the only way to assign anything in the art world any value is to relate it to other artistic endeavors or artists who/which already have credentials. such as yoko ono. such as not you.

Cobe Kai

Personal experience with guitar is that one day you can pick it up, and everything will sound perfect, everthing you write sounds great, but the next day... nothing sounds right, even if you're playing it perfect and everything is fine... it's a strange instrument that really reflects moods.

I've found that you need to know stuff to play... you need to know scales and techniques in order to solo (well) for example. Which is why I, after a long time, have resumed guitar lessons... or more specifically, BLUES guitar lessons.

I've been playing with bands for a while now, even recorded, I've written a good setlist of songs with my newest band, but I always want to learn and do more.

I think you need that. You need to WANT to learn more. There is no point playing or learning more if you don't WANT to. You can learn how to play a few songs and never want to play anything else, so don't force yourself to. Don't take lessons just to do it. You need to WANT to do it... and overall ENJOY it, feel accomplished.

I know I'm somewhat skilled with the guitar, but then I meet people who play solos and riffs that I can't play, and it used to put me down. Then I realised, that's what they like to play, I'm content with powerchord songs and improv solos.

You shouldn't go learn to play a genre of music (e.g. blues) unless you like it. If you like it, then learn it, or at least appreciate it.

For example, as previously stated, I'm taking blues lessons, yet my favourate genres are grunge and sludge... not much blues in there, but I appreciate the genre and enjoy a select few songs from it and by God do I respect it. I wouldn't go and learn to play classical guitar, because I genuinely don't like it, though I know I'd benefit, I wouldn't do it so well because I don't like it. So my gems are:

1) Enjoy yourself
2) Want to learn
3) Don't learn something you don't like all the time. You need to do stuff you DO like to get through it (e.g scales)
4) Stick with it. You'll have off days. We all do.

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