The Hard Truth About Learning Music 

This is an excellent video! I'm 68 years old, been playing keyboards most of my life, and came to a couple of realizations in the last year. 1. I'm better than I think I am. 2. I will never play like Keith Jarrett. 3. My ego is my nemesis! (judgement, fear, comparison, contempt, etc). 4. I need to cultivate a beginner's mind! Thanks for talking about the human side of being a musician.

I played in band as a kid and remember that every sound I could make was cool, it didn't matter how basic or bad it sounded, just the fact that I could play something was amazing. I try to keep this attitude as an adult learner. None of this internal criticism about my performance, just pure wonder that I can make any sounds at all.

Bill Evans once said " Practice the minimum!" Meaning to practice the least amount of material at the given time to fully absorb it to the point that you really own it. Practice the minimum/play the maximum is my one and only religion,, 🙏

I just started playing piano 5 months ago, at 42 years old - a lifelong dream of mine - and the only thing that stopped me from starting sooner was that *story* I told myself that said I was too old to start. We all write our own stories, every day. The story I'm writing now is one of passion and dedication - and it turns out that I'm actually pretty good! I'm writing my own music, playing pretty well for a newbie, and learning more and more every single time I sit down to play. And I just PLAY! It's FUN! It's challenging, pushing myself to learn more, but man is it fulfilling! Excellent video and a great message - I think it's too easy to forget that it's supposed to be FUN - that's why it's called PLAYING =D

I like the idea of scheduling events. That feels very useful. Reminds me of Ellington: "I don't need time. What I need is a deadline."

I feel like I found the Beginner’s Mind by switching instruments. I had been a bass player since college, but switched to bari sax at age 47. I still like those low notes, but I’ve had to sprout a completely different musical mind, and the discovery and exploration has been wonderful.

Thanks for this Adam. Am 77 years young, had to leave music by age 18 in order to climb out of relative poverty. Rediscovered my love for playing at age 53 when semi retired (violin/fiddle) and now coming back to the piano at age 75. Doing some theory and loving more just doodling and making music. I GET what you have just presented. This needs to be recognised by all teens who have the support to engage fully with music. The cuts to free music lessons in schools (as I had in the '50's is a tragedy, and I hope to give back supporting my grandchildren.

Wow thank you so much for this. I never had any lessons as a child but I remember in 5th grade listening to Dave B. for the first time. Something inside that music ignited a passion in me. Fast forward to today, I’m 30 year old female immigrant from Mexico and decided that it’s now or never. So now I practice the sax regularly. I taught myself (via books) basic music theory and learning now to read music from scratch! I sometimes just put music on and play even if I mess up I’m just SO happy to finally do what I never had the chance to do. Thank you for the encouragement!

Boy can I relate I'm 71 I've been noodling on the piano since I was 45 that's 20 something years and then I listened to Joey Alexander who's just a kid play like a an adult of 35 years old playing for 30 years and he plays twice as good as me -- I just get discouraged but I practice anyway. I can play songs and that's about all I ever wanted out of it and it's nice.

This is so true. I am an adult and I struggled a good time trying to implement all that theory and knowledge about harmony. Finally, I made my biggest progress when I stopped thinking of all the harmony rules behind stuff and stopped trying to explain everything. Now I can just play and when I improvise I rarely think about scales, modes, extensions etc. I just play, and somehow call muscle memory patterns that sound good for me. Thats the way!

I needed this message today. I was 14 when I stopped taking lessons. Now I'm 50, and started taking lessons again within the last year.. I feel like I'm stuck.I haven't mastered any of the tunes I've been learning. I feel like I sounded better at age 14. I practice for at least an hour a day. When I get to my weekly lesson, it's like I've never placed my hand on a piano before.

I am sixty one. I started lerning violin about a month ago. I find your talk very useful . Thank you very much.

I'm so thankful for my community orchestra. A place to play, to be inspired, to inspire, to perform, to grow, to connect with other, and to learn.

I love this! Funny thing is, I already know and I still love to be reminded. Grown-up life is habitually serious, and (just going to say it) almost everyone is habitually self-critical a lot of the time, especially when trying to get better at something. A lot of the best musicians I know say that when you practice, you should practice hard and keep at it until you get it to sound the way you want, and then when it's time to play, forget about practicing and just play. Accomplishing anything in any art comes from doing both: practicing hard in practice, then letting go of practice and being playful when it's time to play. Each mental state is its own type of genius: practice builds mental and physical intelligence, and play brings emotional intelligence. It all really requires a lot of work along with plenty of time of no-work.

Agreed on all points, but with a caveat. I sometimes wish I had been forced to play hours a day when I was a kid. I would be monstrous at this point. But I don't think my art would have quite as much depth to it. Kids that spend all day playing music and not just playing around and experiencing life just don't seem to have the depth of feeling in their music that some less prodigal but more life-experienced players do. It's why these days I prefer listening to actual songs instead of just endless jams conducted by technical wizards. Of course, the best of both worlds is totally possible. I think Pat Metheny, Esperanza Spalding, and Miles Davis are great examples. That's what I aspire to; not to be the hottest prodigal player on the block, but to write music that makes people feel deeply while at the same time blowing their minds with musicality. Keep up the good work, guys. This was a great message; I can tell it was heartfelt, and I'll be thinking about it and applying it.

I’ve been teaching piano for quite some time. I’ve radically changed the way I teach in the last 2 years from being militant about reading, to encouraging students to play by ear, make mistakes, JOIN THE SCHOOL BAND. Of course I’m applying it to my own playing as much as possible and my teaching and playing are much, much better. I was terrified to play piano with other people. Now I’m enjoying the hell out of it and getting better much faster improvising. There are so many different aspects to learning music and they all need to be nurtured. Most classical teachers miss this and many of their students lose interest in music and quit.

I know a friend of a friend who picked up double bass as an adult and is now one of the heavies on the scene. He worked his butt off and fell in love in his mid twenties and now is one of the best out there. It's possible to do at any age.

Wow. This is honestly one of the most important talks I've ever watched. I'm so glad I clicked on this, and thank you for the mentorship.

I'm 62 and just got my first keyboard, a generous gift from a dear friend. Will my development be slower? Sure! Brain plasticity is reduced in the older years, but I'm very much looking forward to playing embarrassingly bad Bill Evansisms in a few years time. Exploring chords is huge fun. Can't wait till my left hand has a clue, though. 🤣

I will be 70 this year. Had my own piano since 50 . It's hard not to be judgmental (disappointment) at my progress. This video helps a lot. Be more gentle with myself. Thanks, you did good.

52 year old electric bassist who never learned to sight read, and still struggling with it, but I can swing and have a decent feel and can improvise ( though it is a lifelong project learning) I discovered just recently that I have a real knack for composition- and I am having fun with it and not disgusted by what I am producing

Thanks for making this video Adam. It really resonated with me and I recognize so much in it about my own musical journey. I've spend most of my 20's doing a lot of technical work on the guitar, spending most of my practice time doing technical etudes. It caused me to really burn out on playing the guitar, and almost didn't play for the first years of my 30's. Now in my late 30's I've picked up meditation and mindfulness and managed to reconnect to the simple joy I once felt of just strumming a chord, or even a single note and my playing is better than it ever was. I guess we calledl it 'playing' music for a reason.

It was actually my guitar instructor who once told me that there is an "openness" to the mind prior to the age of about 15 or 16 that facilitates the capacity to learn new things such as playing a musical instrument or speaking a second language. And it kind of just disappears after that point in life, never to be seen again. But he ALSO said that it's important not to treat learning new skills after that point in life as though it's impossible or even particularly unlikely. And then he told me that Eric Clapton had never picked up a guitar until he was about 19 years old. I've never fact-checked that bit of information, though. I'm worried that he only told me that as a means of encouragement,so I just choose to believe it's true.

I read somewhere that neuroplasticicty, the ability for the brain to reshape itself to do new things, or current things better, doesn’t deteriorate with age. Also my experience at 46, learning drums. After 5 years at drums i’m definitely way better than at year 1, and have played paid gigs by now.

I think the main thing is to have fun no matter how good or bad you are. If you have fun then you'll play more and then you'll improve.

Adam, you are a treasure! Fantastic musician and wonderful person.

This is an interesting subject, I saw a study done teaching people to juggle who had never done it before selecting people of all different ages. They found that the prime time to learn something was about 17-24, but that if you're in other age ranges then your learning rate is fairly similar. All of the advice in this video is great, and will absolutely help. But the one thing children have over adults in this situation is TIME, they are time wealthy compared to adults which is why we need to be extra focused at finding time to play as adults so we can advance at the rate we want to.

Awesome advice, worth more than any number of “10 things you need to learn” videos out there. It’s about giving yourself permission and space to grow!

I was going to Dallas high school: Arts Magnet at Booker T Washington in 87. During lunch, went into the auditorium for a lab band performance. On stage, was our lab band, with Roy Hargrove on the right and Wynton Marsalis on the left, trading kicks and blowing the roof off of the place. I had never seen anything like it….A sensational performance I’ll never forget. That may be around the same time when Wynton discovered Roy, not sure…..RIP Roy…

I definitely found listening to my body when practicing helps, if you don't feel it, put your instrument down and do something else for minute. If you really want to play and are meant to play, you'll want to in time.

People say this about language too, and it's like, no, as an adult, if you put in the same amount or time as a kid learning that language, you would reach the level of a 12 years old in a fraction of the time. It's a total myth that children are quicker or more creative that is perpetuated by average adults. Another key factor to this is children can easily be forced into all kinds of areas they would not select into in adulthood. So yes, in that sense it is nurture. You can make a child become better at an instrument than they would ever choose to become as an adult

Only starting playing 2 years ago and being 22 This will chang how I think about music forever

Wow. I'm 26 and learning piano from scratch for a year now. I'm so glad RU-vid recommended this to me. But I'll be honest - I expected some different discussion from the title. Thank you for raising such an important topic and sharing your wisdom. Definitely provides food for thought!

Adam, thanks so much for this video. I’ve been following the channel for a few years, and I’ve always appreciated both of your insight and ideas, but I found this video to be not just especially helpful, but especially compassionate. I’m someone who has very much gone through the peaks and valleys you describe. I got my degree in jazz, which I think makes me particularly susceptible to the pitfalls of “informationing” over playing. It also leads to incredibly high standards and what you might call “self-vibing” (I’m coining that now, but you have my blessing to use it in a future video lol). Anyhow, I found so much of what you had to say in this video to be really encouraging, so thank you again.

I discovered music production, DAWs and VSTs almost two years ago. I used to play keyboard and sing years ago, and before that I used to play guitar at high school. I probably produced close to 100 instrumentals, and I loved each one of them except one that was pure expression of bad feelings which I didn't like later. Different genres, different instruments, mainly between rock, hip-hop and EDM(and several subgenres of both, like speed metal, drill and melodic dubstep). I can't play the physical instruments as well as the phrases I imagine, but I'm happy with just being able to transcribe my thoughts into music. Some of the best producers out there didn't play a single instrument anyway, so it's all good as long as I keep my mind living music.

I think the hardest part about learning music for a lot of folks is coming to the realization that music isn't valued the same way that it used to be and just like any form of entertainment it's competing with other forms of entertainment that didn't exist 100 years ago.

Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard. Thanks Adam and Peter. For many years I’ve believed that the journey never stops, but even at the level (pun intended) of success I’ve attained, what you say about playing for no good reason and letting go of the story you have about yourself really resonated. I’ll be sharing this. Keep up the good work, I downloaded one of your courses but have been procrastinating because I thought of it as ‘more work to do’ - now a new mindset is possible 👍🏽

I was expecting a music lesson but received one of the best life lessons in life

Right now I feel Humble and touched. Listening to what you Said … Hearing what Peter played … memories flooded my mind and tears rolled down my cheeks. I am 61, living in germany … played Keyboard in a band for years but then stopped because of „life“ … now I try to get back (or Forth?) again … but am Kind of frustrated, and „adult“ in a negative way (Similar to what you Pointed out) … thank you so much for reminding me of my „childish joy“ and „beginners mind“ … (I have to stop typing now … I hear my Keyboard calling for me 😉) … Thanks and „love you all“ …

You have hit on pure gold! Adam speaking truths and Peter playing those truths!!!! Wonderful video, Peter and Adam!

Im 40 and i feel sooo stucked. Thanks Adam! this touched me

This is such good advice and inspired me as a piano teacher to help my students get involved in these missing pieces like peer group and mentorship you talk about. Thank you!

Thanks a bunch for this man. Music has been with me my whole life, but I've never really been able to push through and get serious about it.

Amazing video and such an important message. Thank you, Open Studio Pro, for helping me embrace my inner beginner. I can't believe the joy that you bring to my life six days a week through the daily sessions and the one-of-a-kind community you've brought together.

Sage advise Adam both for learn music as an adult and more generally for learning as an adult. What makes us age intellectually is loosing that beginners mind that open approaching. I've enjoyed all your videos but this one is especially resonate. Thank you.

Thank you so much you have no idea how much I needed to hear things you said. Been in a musical funk and not sure what to do and the answers are in there. Thanks again.

More you play more you get better. Respect your limitations is also important along the learning process. To get a mentor, to put in practice the discipline, begginersmind and to be part of a musicians community is vital also. Try to develop your own technique, try to find by yourself your own way to play your favourite instrument, be unique. This is an awesome video. I'm 45.

Sage advice that should help anyone who uses it. It immediately brought to mind an interview that Eric Clapton gave decades ago. When asked about his proficiency, he replied, "the secret is to 'just play. Don't put a time limit on it, just use everyday to play.'" EC was talking about the "process of discovery" where a musician might discover something completely by accident that hadn't occurred to them or solved a mystery on "how that is done." Then the next steps to "learn it" by practice so that it becomes a "part of the player, a tool that the player can use." A story of practical application is the one that Joe Walsh tells. Joe routinely practices and warms up in the dressing room prior to an Eagles concert. One night as he was practicing, Glenn Frey rushed into where Joe was working. "What's that song?" Frey asked. Joe replied, "it's not a song, it's just a little exercise I use to warm up." Frey sat down and had Joe run through the chord progression to learn it. Then he got up to say, "I gotta find (Don) Henley. This is an Eagles' song!" The two knocked heads together and came up with one of the Eagles' signature songs built on Joe Walsh's exercise. The name of the song? "Life in the Fast Lane."

As a drummer I try to make everyone else sound good...But as for my development playing with more experienced players helps me grow

Thank you! I'm 32, I needed this so much! But what I need now is a peer group, to play more and scheduled gigs.

Hi Adam, Thanks for this video. It hits home on so many levels. It's easy to get distracted with all the noise that's in our minds and the outside noise in world. It's important to center ourselves and remember our connection to music.

This has concepts that can elevate any life to the next level, on any skill or thing you'll do. Such potency, you left me stunned.

Hey, Adam, I'd like to write a little essay as a comment on your video to my "audiences" - I don't think you will disapprove of it, but I wanted to ask your permission and also congratulate you on giving concise basic advice on music learning that is directly applicable to any physical skilled activity (I'm thinking sports and dance here) and even scholarly work. I wish first year graduate students on *any* field could watch it, and then again the day after they defend their dissertations. I wish athletes, exercise scientists and coaches watched it. Thank you!

Such a pleasure to watch and listen to Peter Martin play... such a great jumping off point for shed & jam ideas.

This is super inspiring! Especially that "stop looking up information and just explore" mindset. I just need to work up my own confidence first before I do any jamming with strangers though...

Fantastic message and all healthy truths that can easily be applied to develop a sense of wellness and health. When it comes down to it loving what we do and experiencing that joy is what it’s all about. This videos hits some simple things that can be applied to have that experience. Great stuff!

Thank you so much for this video. You have affirmed my intuitions as I have started to work on learning an instrument from scratch with a teacher, exercises, etc. (Not really working.). I had concluded what would be best is just to play around with the instrument for a while rather than taking formal "lessons.". This video is excellent and right on time. Thanks again.

Thank you Adam, sharing your inspirational thought.

Thank you,Adam🌹🌹🌹🌹Beautiful encouragement. Preachin' to the choir,and I sure needed the sermon. Hi Peter! 😎🌹😎🌹

I belong to @OpenStudioJazz and know first-hand what a wonderful community of musicians and instructors it is. The instructors are so knowledgeable and have created an incredible culture of supportive learning. I've made musical friends from around the world, and as Adam says, we DO have each other's backs - and have a lot of fun learning together. Check it out!

"In the eyes of infinity, we'll always be children.." Great vid!

thank you Adam and Peter for this message, it was exactly what I needed to hear.

Frogs,🙈 in my case trying to put myself again into "beginner years" is quite painful. I knew by age 4 I wanted to be a musician, and landed myself the gig of glockenspiel - girl on the Fall recital 😅 got a used keyboard for Christmas that year and within weeks my grandma threw it to the garbage bin 😢 I remember myself crying my eyes out asking neighbors to hand it back to me on our gate, while my grandma told them nevermind... So, my relationship with piano, my very first love, always has that memory imprinted... By the time I turned 11 I got myself a guitar, and while being locked down on closets, and constantly grounded and bullied, my relationship with guitar never got as bitter as with piano (I left my guitar at school to keep it safe)... but then I was constantly reprehend by teachers cause "why don't you practice at home!" and I couldn't tell them playing music was banned at my house 🙆🏻 (yeap, they threw away the record player, and my only way to listen to music was at school, one classmates' dad gave me his old Sony walkman because they actually noticed 🤷🏻 while the rest of the adults thought I was exaggerating)

as children, we took to life with reckless abandon. we had no ego. but as we grew into adulthood, we developed an ego, which leads to fear of failure, worries about how others perceive us, etc. we lose that courage we had as children. so i would say, let go of that ego, and stay humble.

Adam: This is so right on many levels for everything, not just music. Many, many thanks for putting this into words.

Man you got me on my feet! I saw you and Brian Owens do a masterclass during my undergrad at Webster a few years ago about similar topics and it left an impression on me. This video is a nice reminder, thanks Adam.

You guys are the best. I really needed this, bless you ❤

Just a never ending source of inspiration and wisdom! Thanks AM/PM!

Adam this video is genius on every level. Love the production and the live soundtrack by Peter! And there were some wonderful tips in there that I didn’t expect. IMHO part of why we older music students tend to feel frustrated is in part due to entitlement. Older students may have disposable income and been successful in a professional career. They literally don’t have the awareness of just how much shedding it’s going to take. For example they wouldn’t question years of studying law or medicine but forget the music can be equally demanding. I used to make this mistake of wasting my music lesson with psychological questions around practice or lack of progress. My theory now is don’t waste any precious time with a music teacher on psychology, if you need therapy go get that separately 😂 Be kind to yourself, find community like OS pro and have fun! Play on!

Absolutely love your videos in which you teach and share music, and I love equally these videos that focus upon the mental aspects of our music journey. Thank you so much for all you do!

Very intentional self-talk without flagellation. Play for fun, for self, and deadlines place urgency into your process!

Thanks for a great message. I’m 49, and I play for fun but just now learning jazz principles. My biggest obstacle is my mindset! This is inspiring me to go practice with FUN. Hit me, Peter Martin!

it's always great to hear that my struggles are common. i was always obsessed that i need to know all the theory before i start doing something. now i will try to just take more fun from playing guitar and making beats. thank you!

Just perfect for me at this point. Thank you so much! 🙏👏🏻🙏👏🏻

This is the best piece of advice about learning I've heard. I was already thinking half of these things and you just affirmed them. Being part of the music community is one of the most exciting things in the world - playing with people, learning from each other and having a mentor is all about that ❤ I feel very encouraged after this video - thanks you :)

5:38 *this* is why I joined a band before I was competent enough to actually feel like I was good enough to play in a band. thankfully I could ride on "good taste" and "good knowledge of live sound/recording" with them for a while while being able to use future shows as goals for myself to get better at playing keys. also being the 'worst musician' in the room is really inspiring tbh

What a great video! A message that we all need to hear, thanks for all your video work!

Great info!! I’ve been looking for some advice on this topic. Makes total sense. Thank you!! 🙏😎🎹🤘

2 things I will share on what you said.... 1 Guru in Indian culture is considered even greater than god in some sense bcoz he can help n guide you attain enlightenment(moksha).... 2nd in Urdu, which also originated in India, Shagird is a word for a disciple which literally means "Shah k gird rehne wala", a person who is always found around n attached to his master, some 300-500-700 years ago n some places in rural India even today living with the master for years...... Which is something you were sorta pointing out as well....

Adam... May I sum it up as: We need to ALLOW ourselves to become what we desire.

I have to say: as a broke, 25 year old college dropout, living in a backwoods town, everything on this list is easier said than done. I guess, other than numbers 1 and 5. Mindset is key to everything, but there is no way to do essentially any of the other things on this list unless you have clear instructions on how, or direct connections to people that will lead you to those places and give you those opportunities. I say all of this as an independent drummer who has been trying to make it on my own since I started playing at 15. This is great advice for someone who's going to university to study music, and has easy access to mentors, peer groups, and goals/events; or for older folks who have been playing music for decades, and have long established connections with fellow musicians as well. But it's of no help to musicians who simply don't have the means/community to access things like mentorships, peer groups, or musical events.

I started playing guitar in April 1987, at 15 y.o. Chords were hard to form with my hand. Switching between chords was tricky. Guitar lines were 3-4 notes at best. But pppfffttt I'm in it to win it, and it was my dream. Guitar just fit, so in no way was I giving up. Wasn't even a thought. Thanksgiving of that year, we go to a relative's house for the holiday food. I was invited to bring my equipment and set up in their garage. I tore through everything I knew and lots that I didn't. It was like a switch. Even I was surprised. I know I'm giving a rock reference and this is more of a jazz channel, but it still refers to the young mind thinking you're not getting anywhere and then one day the clouds part. It's magic. And kinda bizarre lol.

The amount of effort spent memorizing scales equals the effort it has taken to forget them

This video was so nicely presented! It's gave me great confidence when i could check off every box on the list at the end of the video. Even though I'm always looking to immerse myself deeper into each point! Music is a cool way to live your life..

Inspiring video, I love the intro so much when he started playing it what very cool 🥰

Hi Adam, you are talking about a perfect world here. When I was at school, in the UK in the 1950's I was given a silly triangle to play, when I really wanted to find out about the big piece of furniture in the corner with the black and white teeth....after being threatened with having the lid slammed down on my fingers if I even went near the thing, no wonder it took me an awfully long time before I could find a piano without a threatening ogre looming around it. It didn't take me long to figure out that these so-called music teachers were the devil personified and should be avoided...mentors?? no such thing...Fast forward to Canada, I am now playing sax in a band, and I have my very own accoustic piano, with the lid firmly up at all times, and having had to teach myself pretty much all I know. Kids today have no idea how privileged they are....

Summary! 1 Playful practice just play and don't think about it 2 Events to work towards like recitals or gigs 3 Find a mentor 4 Find a peer community 5 Beginners mind is open and free and without judgement

Adam... I just want to give you a hug. Platonically but a hug none the less.

My advice is find a song that you can easily play then play the heck out of it then play it for (or with) friends. My beginner song was Horse With No Name by America. Being able to play it along with the radio motivated me to keep going for another 50 years.

Thank you! It's a great advices!

When ever you are new at something, the return on effort is high because the skillset is low. As the skillset improves, the return on effort diminishes exponentially, because improvement at a higher level becomes much more incremental. You far more polished with technique, and your ear is far more discerning, so much more effort is needed to make smaller improvements. The best example of this are body builders, the more accustomed their muscles are to the effort, the more work they need to do to increase the muscle mass. The best thing to do is allow for muscle recovery after musical practice. Never forget that playing an instrument is a physical activity.

Thanks for this Adam (and Peter! Definitely made the video more exciting and memorable), these tips are so applicable across many things beyond music. Love it.

Great stuff. I think I'm approaching inspiration overload from this channel along with "You'll Hear It." My poor keyboard is quaking in anticipation of what I'm going to hit it with now. 🤣

So beautiful i could cry.....happy tears...happy musical tears that make melodies 🎶🙏🏻💜💙💗💚💕 thanks a million! Adam

I like playing Bb trumpet (new to me - been at it for 2 years, now) with the cool community band. I played French horn professionally for many years, and now play trumpet for FUN!!!! I have NEVER stopped playing piano - my root instrument. I like to play recitals from time to time. Debussy, Chopin, Peterson-Berger, Dvořák, Rachmaninoff, Bach, etc... Yeah. This video is ABSOLUTELY ON THE MONEY. I LOVE just trying to keep up with the great jazz trumpeters - here on RU-vid. AND I play along with all of Andrea Giuffredi's stuff - especially the DAILY EXCERSISES, 60 MINUTE WORKOUTS - but most enjoyably: All of his play-along arrangements - in many styles. GET DOWN!!!! PLAY like you deserve to!!!!!

Love that picture of the Williams family outing @1:55...

I’m a baby piano student at age 48. I have my first piano recital next month😊. Love your content!

Problem is I feel so cut off from my community that it makes it hard to find other musicians to work with. When I had my guitar I was so overwhelmed by what notes to play so anything I played was just a random mess of notes. Ive watched your previous video on how notes don't matter. So I've taken that into consideration.

Just what I needed at this stage of my life. Thank you for the fresh start. Blessings

This is such a great video and Open Studio is the best!! My situation is this, was a guitarist all my life was divorced at age 62, quit playing all together for 5 years...didn't touch the guitar, didn't listen to music, threw tons of music literally in the trash, sold almost every piece of equipment I owned, etc. figured I'd never touch the guitar again. Then 2 months ago I was checking out a Pat Martino video Live at Ethel's and I thought maybe I'll just pick up my strat (one of two guitars I kept) and try to play something. btw, I studies 2 years with Pat in the early 80's so I am down with his improv. system and what have you. But anyway, I didn't know if I could remember anything at all let alone re-connecting with my chops, etc. Now at 67 I'm having more non-attached legitimate fun with the guitar and yes, I'm approaching it like a kid. Being away from playing for 5 years has completely changed the way I approach the instrument. I'm just having all out fun now.