Self Taught??

HuskyInDenial · 07-28-2009, 06:19 PM

Here's the thing.

Different methods work for different people, and neither one makes you more badass than the other.

Self-taught people who are actually decent at what they do either have musical intuition, or they're diligent and work hard to learn what they want to know.
The downside is that it's a lot of homework on your part, and unless you learn to read music proficiently, you will have a hard time communicating your musical thoughts to others.

People who learn music have the advantage of guidance and motivation from an outside source, as well as a wealth of information from experts and books. They can also read music better.
The downside, though, is that many people who are taught an instrument have a hard time writing music. They can play other people's, but they can't make their own.

All this I speak from experience. I'm a happy blend of both worlds. Teaching myself my instruments allowed me to bypass the extensive learning process, and to explore the instrument freely. Learning after that, though, opened up a world of possibilities, as i could now "speak music" with the people with whom I played.
I am of the intuitive variety. My old guitarist, Ping, taught himself with books and magazines, and practiced everyday. So while I played strange chords, and he could run slick riffs over them.

There's my two cents.

07-28-2009, 06:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
HuskyInDenial Groupie Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Memphis Posts: 10	Here's the thing. Different methods work for different people, and neither one makes you more badass than the other. Self-taught people who are actually decent at what they do either have musical intuition, or they're diligent and work hard to learn what they want to know. The downside is that it's a lot of homework on your part, and unless you learn to read music proficiently, you will have a hard time communicating your musical thoughts to others. People who learn music have the advantage of guidance and motivation from an outside source, as well as a wealth of information from experts and books. They can also read music better. The downside, though, is that many people who are taught an instrument have a hard time writing music. They can play other people's, but they can't make their own. All this I speak from experience. I'm a happy blend of both worlds. Teaching myself my instruments allowed me to bypass the extensive learning process, and to explore the instrument freely. Learning after that, though, opened up a world of possibilities, as i could now "speak music" with the people with whom I played. I am of the intuitive variety. My old guitarist, Ping, taught himself with books and magazines, and practiced everyday. So while I played strange chords, and he could run slick riffs over them. There's my two cents. __________________ [and the little ones chewed on the bones]