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The-Art-of-Guitar I feel ya man and I don’t even know how to play yet I always look at the bands that I look up to and consider my hero’s and I see all those bassists and guitarist playing mind blowing riffs at mind blowing speeds and stuff like that and Sometimes I feel like I will ever be able to play just like them and be as cool as them and it really lowers my self esteem but one thing that I learned is that don’t let them demotivate you let them inspire you just because they play at a higher level than you doesn’t mean you will never get to that level with enough time dedication motivation and determination you could find yourself on the cover of rock magazines in a legendary band NEVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELF OR YOUR DREAMS if anyone knocks you down you gotta fight harder and harder until you reach the top it won’t be easy but I believe in you WE ALL DO including your music hero’s they believe in you too ❤️SEE YOU AT THE TOP MAN 🤘🤘🤘
Killer story. Those kinds of traumatic earth shattering events are what really shape a young mind. My first live show was in a battle of the bands kind of show, I was in a high school band called Plastica (a Metallica kind of tribute) and we all sucked ass. There was a heckler in the crowd and he tore us apart. We were so afraid of letting him say something that we didn't allow any dead time between songs! Between songs, the drummer would just keep hitting his bass drum to keep it from being quiet enough to hear him. I would just chunk on the low E to keep it going. It was horrible. We did five Metallica songs and got the fuck out of there. I didn't even hang around to see how we placed.
I did a similar thing, our band was called MCB (Metallica Cover Band) It sounded like we were a 80s Hip hop group or something, then we blasted the crowd with some Metallica lol
I have 3 horrible gig stories 1.) I was 12 or 13 years old in a rock and roll academy where you learned rock songs in a band and then performed them on stage. My band did aint talkin bout love, whole lotta love, war pigs, and sweet child o mine. I had a lot of the solos and really sucked it hard on war pigs and sweet child o mine. Especially sweet child o mine. And I practiced it sooo much. I ended up crying in bed that night, feeling incredibly disappointed. 2.) I was 16 years old. My friends Dad wanted us to play for his birthday. He was a filthy rich middle age guy who did real estate. He went all out for us because his son was our drummer. Tons of lights and PA he even hired a sound guy. We were just doing classic rock covers. We practiced for weeks leading up to the party and there were a SHIT LOAD of people there. We were playing in his enormous projector room above his 4 door garage. Long story short we start playing and boom the power cuts out. The power cut out 4 or 5 times in the first song. Even after we stopped using the lights. We ended up not using the lights or the sound guy and just used our amps and 1 PA for the microphone. It was pretty embarrassing but the show went on and we played good. 3.) This was the most recent and is in my opinion the worst gig story I have. Im 22 years old now this happened about a year ago. I play in a heavy metal band, we right our own songs and play local gigs in Virginia Beach. Some random guy contacts us to come down and play at his bar in NC. We think it's going to be so hype cause we never played a show out of state and he got another band from VA who we were friends with to come play too. It was for a "halloween party". Gig day comes, we drive 3 hours to get down there, show up and fucking nobody is there. The owner is some old hag wearing disgusting cloths and his bar looks like shit. He didn't even take credit cards and he was the ONLY PERSON WORKING. The shitty PA he had for the microphone was small as hell and you could barely hear it over the drums. We played for 20 minutes to hardly anybody. There were probably 7 people there total including the owner and the other band plus my girlfriend and a couple friends of the other band. We didn't get paid, and we drove all the way back that night. The owner was the dumbest man I think I ever met and had no idea how to run a business. His bar is probably gone now. I was so pissed we did that. I can't believe how stupid we were. At least there were a few good lessons that came out of it.
Nick Weber no offense to you but if it weren’t for that last experience you probably wouldn’t have learned what you did and another word of advice, talking bad about owners and their businesses NO MATTER HOW SHIT and few people are there won’t get you far in the music industry at all.
Gabriel Gonzalez I don’t think it matters honestly. I’d be talking shit too, people need to hear these kinds of stories to know what kind of gigs to avoid.
Speaking of not getting paid my band played in a club one night and we had a great following. It was packed. While tearing down the other guitasrist went to get our pay. The bar maid said the owner had gone home and he had to work in the morning and didn't leave her any money to pay us. We made her call him. this was pre cell phone for the average person. He gave us some horse shit story and we just watched her count down the register. So on the last load while loading up I started loading the poker machine on the dolly. She said she was going to call the police. I said please do. We would like the money that you owe us. You can have your machine back when we get paid. She handed us our money.
Appreciated. I'm subscribing now. I completely identify with that level of frustration. I've noodled around on guitars for 35 years, and still the whole concept of being able to solo around the fretboard eludes me. It's like a mental block. The thought of it has intimidated me for so long, but i'm newly dedicated to figuring it out. Maybe you have 'the trick' to getting my mind to recognize something that most people find so simple....
CentaurusRelax314 I hear you brother! I’m 51 years old and still write and play hard rock and metal, but I never put time into theory. Maybe it’s time!
I've had the same thing, but here's how I fixed it: Learn to play the first position of the pentatonic minor scale (you can look this up), learn some pentatonic licks, search backing tracks and just start playing! You WILL get better and have the urge to learn the theory behind everything!
It's very simple to solo all around the fretboard, firstly you have to learn a bit of theory, just like make a sheet of paper with all the notes in the fret board. Secondly, you have to learn some scales, like A minor, C major or even a pentatonic. After you did this just go on youtube, search for a backing track that sounds cool to you and play in that key all that comes into your mind, using the pentatonic or the different shapes of the scales. Keep in mind to stay in that key.
My two worst gig stories: 1.) November 2009: my old band was asked to play the fall dance at school and we agreed. The party was 1980s-themed, so our singer came up with an idea: we'd all dress up as an 80s Hair Metal band (think Poison, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, those kinds of bands.) We thought that was a great idea and we were so hyped about playing at the dance. On the day of the dance, we went home from school, got changed, collected our gear, and raced back to school, where we set up in the gym while the dance was just getting underway. I had a spiked wig on my head and wore a zebra-print vest, a pair of (don’t laugh) salmon-pink spandex pants, and a pair of silver boots that my then-girlfriend added lifts to; she was in the sewing club. The principal announced us and we began playing, making our way through various covers and two original songs. Our second to last song was a cover of Mötley Crüe's _Shout at the Devil_ and I decided to to a reverse spinning jump off of the stage monitor as the song ended. This bit me in the ass, as I felt something "crack" when I landed; it was my right ankle. I finished our last song - a cover of _Helena_ by My Chemical Romance - with my right foot on the monitor to reduce the pain on my ankle. I got a friend's brother to drove me to the emergency room as soon as the show ended. Sure enough, I broke my right ankle and had to wear a large, clunky brace until April 2010. Luckily, the brace was off by the time of the formal dance. 2.) August 2011: The same band & I played a charity show in Philadelphia with a number of other bands. We were the only band that got pelted with beer cans, probably because we covered Nickelback's _Gotta Be Somebody;_ hold the Nickelback hate BTW. Anyway, during our best original song, titled _Heart to Heart,_ our female singer took a beer can to the head. She flew into a rage, stopped the show, and demanded the culprit come on stage. Two "biker chick" type girls walked on stage, which scared me and the rest of the band, but the singer had been drinking and was belligerent. She challenged the two girls to a fight and the next thing the rest of us knew, she was flailing at them in front of the crowd. Finally, one girl slapped the singer, who went down. The bouncers escorted the two girls out of the venue as our singer carefully got to her feet. She ultimately finished the set sitting on the drum riser though because she could barely feel her legs. After our set, we watched the rest of the bands and later went out to eat. When we got back, the promoter told me the worst news a guitarist can get: my Gibson Les Paul Special double cutaway had been stolen. I was ruined at the news but then decided to go to the local Guitar Center to buy another simple guitar until I could afford about Les Paul Special. Now, this story has a happy ending. I bought a used LTD Eclipse the next day and returned to the venue, so we could pack up for the drive home to New Jersey. It was then that I was told the police wanted to speak with me. I thought I broke the law, but it turned out they had found my Les Paul earlier that morning. They brought it to me, covered in fingerprint dust, and with the strings cut off, and asked if it was my guitar; I said it was and thanked them for getting it back to me. I didn’t tell the band, as I didn’t want them to get mad at me, and hid the Les Paul in the gig bag I bought for the LTD on the drive back. I still have both guitars and I will not part with either of them for any other guitars.
@I identify as Randy Savage my man you can do it. Your fingers are not too small to play guitar. I bet you anything I have smaller fingers than yours. I was diagnosed with Russel silver syndrome, a growth hormone deficiency which also causes for my pinky to be cricked. Get back into it man, it was tough and frustrating but I am on my 7 months going strong, playings scales, and making my own music. It is not world class but you can get back into it. Try to look C-shape necks with a wider radius. The MitchellMS400 or 450 has a great neck for all hands, you got this.
What if you feel like you can’t get any better and you’re struggling to learn songs but feel conflicted as you want to continue but you’re just stuck in a rut?
@@randomgraham4302You can always get better that’s not a real reason. The more hours you put in/the more effort you put in the better you’ll inevitably be
Sounds very familiar. I've been "noodling" for more years than I care to admit. I can play a few songs half decently, but I feel like a guy who has memorized a few notes on a fretboard...a long way from being a "guitar player." You are top-notch the way you explain the guitar. Thanks.
@@schizophrenicgaming5007 the issue for me is the only way i could ever dream of writing a song is to noodle.. if i try to write it from scratch i get really annoyed and feel a bit depressed then go back to not playing much guitar... fml.
Your amp CAN screw up your guitar playing and the MOJO of it all. A band member had 2 identical amps(except for tone). He would always use a certain one. On a particular practice I forgot my own amp and used one of his. Somehow they got switched around without notice. During the practice he looked at me and said " Man, you are on fire tonight and I can't even seem to get two licks out without screwing up." It was then we noticed the amps had been switched. Once we switched amps he was hot again and I couldn't get back in the groove. It just seemed like there was no response from the amp. The strings sounded dead, reverb sounded sick and you felt like you had to fight the strings. With the other amp it seemed like you just to think of the notes and they would play themselves. I loved that amp.
@@minigungaming5915 its very hard to accurately test an amp.. the settings are NEVER going to be the same what i mean is if you set something to noon it is different given what amp/pedal you use even if its the exact same model. and its really just up to you to spend 5 seconds out of your day to adjust a few knobs.. really if you work for ages saving up for an amp you should spend a few more minutes making it twice as good.
Ive felt the same, but mine was due to the fact I get intimidated easily by those above me, aka teachers who play guitar and all. I still feel like crap but I play what I want and no one will stop my itch to learn songs and improvise
Alessio Cristofoletto hey I had the same problem of being intimidated by better players too. The only way to get rid of that fear is to find what genre you like the most. If it's metal, blues, country, pop, etc just stick with it and forget about trying to learn everything on RU-vid buy yourself some books and study your theory as well as technique. Always grab your guitar when you have time and READ YOUR THEORY BOOKS. seriously when a musician starts telling you don't buy books or learn by ear that's when you know you have to get away from them because it'll be a waste of time in the long run. Also write down your goals, what technique you need to accomplish, what song you wanna learn, what chords you wanna memorize, which scale do you want to start playing in, when will you be able to start writing your own solos, Always question yourself and if your second guessing it's ok to take a few steps back and take a pause to see the bigger picture. Lastly take breaks because the road to music is long and sunny it's rainy when you don't study or become lazy😂 hope this helps you out dude cuz it sure did to me
I learned by ear, I do ok. You can learn some theory from playing and talking to other players or lessons like art of guitar. Not everyone can understand theory as it is written down, or at least I certainly can't.
I've been on guitar for 15 years now and never came even close to mastering it, but i don't beat myself up for that. I never wanted to be a really virtuoso guitar player, i just wanted to have fun, always. By the beginning of this year my band was playing this gig with a lot of other bands. The house was crowded, everything was set. We started the first song and boom, the amp was gone. My guitar went mute. The sound guy (which was a very nice guy) helped me out, but the schedule was tight, the band could not stop. My friends continued playing while i was trying to understand what went wrong along with the sound tech and the guitar player of another band. I've changed pedals, cables, the amp and the guitar until i finally figured it out to play again, but it was already on the very end of the gig, i played like the last two tracks only. I was very frustrated by this specially when i got home and realized that all my equipment was working just fine. I've never really figured out what happened that day. Other bands used the very same amp after us and everything went fine for them. And even though i was very upset about it, i just made my peace with it. Sometimes, shit happens specially when you play in small places, have limited budget for gear and no backup plan. The thing that made the experience a little bit less of a pain in the ass was the fact that people were very kind to us, we tread lightly, while i was trying to fix everything, i was talking to the crowd in the mic, making jokes between songs and singing them along with the main singer. The lesson learned that day was to take guitar very seriously UNTIL you are on stage. Train hard, always try to be better, improve your playing, search for your tone. Invest money on gear and anything that can help you. Be a hard try. But once you are on stage, you should remember that you're just a grown up kid who though it would be fun to play guitar. Everything else will be fine.
That's a really crazy story. The only time I ever came close to giving up guitar was the first time I was tuning the e string and it broke. For the next week I was deathly afraid of tuning so I just stopped but then after a while, I forced myself to re tune and started playing again. Oh and I don't really care what my friends think about me playing though. If I ever want to impress them... Thunderstruck and Ghost busters really makes the "crowd" go insane
Zachariah Cargo I had that happen to me but the scariest part for me is actually re-stringing a guitar, Tuning a guitar isn't so bad when you been popped accross the hand with a High E string as much as I have. I contribute this fear to having the guitar either neck or eyeball level and House on the Haunted Hill fucked me up when that piano string popped and went in that girls eye.
When I joined my first band, I was only playing for two years, I was self taught, same kinda thing, pushed myself to learn a bunch of stuff, but was very lacking, and not really ready for a band. For months, when we would play live, I would freak out, get nervous, and play like complete shit. Then at one of the many "playing in front of the other bands and their girlfriends" type show, I finally had a break out. We played hardcore, with breakdowns and stuff, and in one of the second or two pauses between the chugga chuggas, all I heard was just about everyone in the bar conversing with themselves. No one cared. Something clicked in my head after hearing all the chatter, and my nerves were gone. It was like someone took a leash off my hands, and I never had a problem playing live again. It's kinda weird, you really need that shitty moment to make huge strides in playing.
Dude, the 'hollow shell' feeling is exactly what I'm dealing with now. 15 years with this instrument and I have zero technique and no theory. In the last 2 weeks I have picked up the guitar with a more academic mindset. Learning the notes of the neck and starting to learn chord theory. Set a goal that this time by next year I can play "Pride and Joy" front to back. Thanks for this video.
Mistshinobi Keep practicing and work on it as much as you can. Don't give up and keep pushing yourself to learn more. Believe me pride and joy may feel like a obstacle but keep playing your guitar and keep your chin up and always try to improve on your weaknesses. Also learn your theory and you'll be the best that you can be dude. Just don't give up!!
You ever practice with a loop pedal? I found that really helped my playing. You can play your rhythm part, and then practice soloing over top of it. It really reinforces the importance of knowing the relationship between chords and scales.
Love the honesty, not everyone can do this, be humble and share the bad with the good. I think this is a very good example of picking yourself up and making it happen. I appreciate your channel and your time to help us out here! Thank you.
I've been through a similar situation, glad that you shared this with us. Also very happy that you are around and didn't quit playing guitar. you are great!
You're being soo candid about how hard it was for you and how you ALMOST gave up; I felt as though you were talking to me directly. I'm soo GLAD you stuck with it and look at you NOW!!I have one issue, I tried to join your website but it won't except my email address, says it's not "valid". Your a BLESSING to all of us!! Keep those videos coming!
I recently discovered this channel. I know a lot of the things that you are saying...however you explain things so clearly and in such a seemingly kind natured manner. It makes me excited to "relearn" and go back on the basics to improve even further. Thanks Dude!
Man im really glad I found this channel. This is exactly the point Im at at in my guitar playing. I've been playing awhile now (about 5 years) and experienced that awful loss of drive. I already kicked myself back into practicing, but this definitely reinforces my motivation. Thanks a lot man! I subscribed and now I'm gonna work on those Randy Rhoads licks.
Thank you so much for this! Recently my friend got a record label signing and is on tour and I always compared myself to him. I’ve always wanted to learn guitar for myself and make myself on my own for my own benefit but I could never stop comparing myself to other people. I just feel as a senior in high school I’m learning guitar late and everybody else has everything going while I’m barely getting started. I can play a lot of riffs but not really any chords.
You are such a gentleman and admitting something like this will really help the kids out there who feels the same. same type of thing happenend to me when i was 15....thanks for sharing !
This is an open, good guy. Thank you. Actually I'm ok regarding guitar but I was feeling bad about language studies and work and this gave me a bit of a push to keep going. Thanks man
Thanks, I'll subscribe. I think you've got the best guitar instruction thing going on youtube, the advice you give kids IS GOLD, I hope they apreciate what you're giving them.
Thanks again for the vids I've been practicing more and realize everyone is at a diff level and you really have to persevere with guitar. Some people make it look so easy!! Thanks again
6 лет назад
Glad you didn`t quit. You are a great teacher and player. Cheers!
Great teaching moment story! It helps to hear these experiences for the sake of encouragement, as well as "navigational" advice from people who have charted the territory of experiences that others are likely to encounter later on. Here's my contribution to that: My "blocks" happen while I'm playing. I think about all of the things that I don't know. Rationally, I realize that the "flipside" of all that insecurity is a passion for learning, but sometimes trying to synchronize the rational with the emotional becomes a necessary skill unto itself. What works for me is to remember that the creative process is like going "Through the looking glass", so to speak, where everything works seemingly backwards, and yet makes as much sense (and nonsense) as the rest of "reality" does. The key seems to be to trust my intuitions and obey my instincts, which although absolutely dangerous in most situations is required, especially where timing is involved. Most of my mistakes happen when second guessing throws my timing off. Maybe that will help someone, I don't know, but that's what I have discovered, and it has helped with my development.
Thanks man, I can relate. My absolute lowest point was when I destroyed my 1987 Ibanez RG550 out of frustration 2 years ago. It slowly gets better since then but I know there's more that I can do so I try my best to pull through.
I am SO glad you never gave up - you are one of my favorite players/teachers. I went to a pretty highly-esteemed music school for jazz saxophone/performance. When I first got there, I realized how behind I was in terms of knowledge. This kid played after I did at our first department-wide class, and he was mind-blowing. I was crushed. And my teacher would push me to get up during masterclasses and play with these world-class jazz musicians, even though I basically sucked. But these were the things that needed to happen for me to get humble enough to take the whole thing a lot more seriously. Guitar, my second instrument, has become my first after all these years, and my theory knowledge translates beautifully to an instrument with frets!! My point is the fact that all of the things I can do musically stem from that first humiliating experience. It was painful, but Music is so much more important than my ego.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I have my first outdoor gig on the 14th and I'm a little anxious but I feel pretty confident. It's a 2 hour set and all I've got is my bass playin buddy with me. We live about an half hour+ away so we don't get to practice much unfortunately. But because I know that we'll have a great time just having fun. :) Keep up the great content. (:
I have been learning guitar for a little over a year. I'm proud of my progress but I have much more to learn indeed. The guitar humbles a person. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thanks Mike...I really needed to hear that story right about now. I can't tell u how many times that I have got so upset & just broke down in tears. Wanting so badly to quit to just lighten that load. Thank u again!!!!
Thanks Mike! I had that same experience in High School about 3 times in the 12th grade. I didn't have the courage to cry though. If I had I might have put far more into learning and became at least an unafraid amateur who can play in front of people without over self consciousness. You've inspired me! I'm 70 years old but I learned the fingerpicking pattern to Dust in the Wind just a few weeks ago. This video helped increase my motivation a lot!
Thank God you didn’t quit on yourself. I will follow the advice I actually have thanked God for you. Just happy to have heard your musical art. Lots of Love, Ilona
Great story , you're going to be a guitar player all your life , i can see you back in that Rockin ' chair one day teaching your grandchildren ! thanks for all your hard work and lessons they are appreciated .
Thanks for sharing this video sir. Really honest and motivating! It does feel like it's the end of the world when we can't play up to a certain mark we've set for ourselves but not anymore! Love and support from India :)
I feel ya. For 30 years, I relied on calling my music "experimental" and buying more and more gadgets to make up for my lack of skills. This summer however, my friend and I played our renegade style late night music at a bluegrass festival. Everything was fine til a professional musician from one of the bands asked if he could sit in and jam with us. I ended up just handing him my guitar and watching. The next morning I decided to practice guitar every day for a year so the next time we play in public I will actually have some theory and skills to play with purpose. Truly enjoying your tips and lessons. Your honesty and humility are gold. Thanks for making these videos.
Mike, I can relate. I for one am glad you stuck with it. I quit playing for twenty years you have helped me a lot since I started again a year ago my girl bought me a guitar and amp for my B-day and I hate to admit it i cried because i missed it like something I wanted back in my life but always used excuses to not get a guitar. You have helped me more than you could ever know the main way is how to get out of the rut of having only one style. God bless you bro for all the people you have helped other than me. If you have any vids of you and your band I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to see them. PS: I think she is sorry she awoke that beast because since then I have gone from a 10-watt amp to a 65 watt. Have any idea what a 65 watt can do to relationships with the neighbors living in an apartment?
I wish I had that realization a lot earlier. I've always known that I'm not great, but I thought that occaisionally learning songs and noodling around for less than an hour a day would propel me to where I wanted to be. It took me 10-11 years to realize that I need to be PRACTICING. One hour at least per day, doing exercises and learning scales and going through all that boring shit in order to play how I want to play. Luckily, someone on the guitar subreddit posted your 30-minute workout video and I have been using that as my daily practice requirement since the middle of last month. I found that I really like to discipline myself to do as much as I can and learn new exercises, so I have been steadily adding routines and regimens on top of the workout to create a full-fledged practice. Thank you for your videos, they have been a huge help!
Thanks for this post. Learning a bit of theory is crucial. It helps you to remember songs a lot better, to get back on track when you make a mistake, and to write better songs. Aim to get to the standard where you can read a book at the same time as playing, or hold a conversation, make a telephone call, etc..
Good story. Really appreciate your videos. It's really nice when I hear something like this because it makes me feel like it's ok to fail and keep coming back at it. I used to be very psyched out by guitarists...like you have to be some badass or something. But the more I hear artists like yourself it's like, no wait, this is where I belong.
First, love your channel and unique content you bring to the subject of playing guitar. Thought provoking and greatly helpful. Second, I had no clue there was a Charvel branded version of the Rhoads,which is funny considering I got my first Jackson Rhoads Custom new in 1984, so you’d think I’d know these things.
I'm in those dark times that you mentioned, I've never had a teacher I've always played on my own and I feel like everyone else has surpassed me and I'm not getting any better. Feel like my playing is an empty shell, this really speaks to me on so many levels. I feel like I should just give up but I dont want to ever give because I love music and playing so much and I just want to get better but have been struggling to find something to help guide me to surpassing the old way I have taught myself.
Thanks for sharing.....I think anyone that has played live has experienced that!! The worst for me was listening after the gig to a video somebody made for us. The gig was also outside and every wrong note was over amplified. Just horrible!!
I was tryn to play along all these Metallica songs today n realized,again, how bad i suck. I want to quit sometimes but i want to get better so bad. Hearing your story definitely inspires me to just keep going no matter what. Thank you
Hollow shell of a player.. great analogy when u learn songs and some techniques without a good foundation.... that is where I am now coming out of... good to hear that great guitarist had that as well... tks
Inspiring story. As a guy approaching mid 50s I have always felt disappointed in myself for not learning to play guitar though I’ve always wanted to play. Your story will help reinforce my recent efforts and putting in the work to help me achieve my dream.
Very inspiring and relevant information. I had a similar experience in high school. Our school had an onstage musical production involving singing, instruments and skits of comedic social and political commentary. While I was not part of that production myself, my best friend was and he sang and midway through the school year, they held basically a fundraising event at our local library for the production. It featured numerous mini musical sets from individuals in the production as well as their friends and family. My buddy wanted to sing a couple acoustic cover songs for it (Blue October’s “Blue Skies” and The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Name”). So I agreed to play for him and learned the songs on my acoustic, and the day of the event we spent all afternoon just repeatedly rehearsing those two songs. Even when we had to leave and go to the event, I missed several performances in favor of just sitting by myself outside the library and running through the songs again. We were the very last act to play that night. There weren’t tons and tons of people there; maybe 60-80. But it was in this conference room with a bunch of long tables perpendicular to the front of the room where people performed (there was no stage). The applause from the act before us died down, and we went to the front of the room. He sat front and center on a stool in front of a mic, and I sat to his left on a stool with just my acoustic. It was dead silent, all these faces just looking at us blankly, evaluating. We did “Blue Skies” and it went fine, no real mistakes or anything. Then, I had to drastically retune my guitar afterward to accommodate “Name” having a highly unusual tuning. So it’s dead silent for what felt like an eternity as I tried to get into the tuning by ear and have it stable enough to play. My buddy tried just talking to the crowd while they all were waiting on me, even joking at me at how long it was taking. Finally I thought “good enough, it’ll have to work” and we began. Things started ok, and then it came time to do the little solo break and as I had been playing, one of my strings had gone horribly flat from being in that tuning, and I could feel panic in my heart as I realized that suddenly what I was playing sounded ugly as sin. Obviously I couldn’t stop playing, so I quickly figured out what string it was mid-song and tuned up to pitch as I continued. I didn’t miss any notes in the solo, and the rest of the song went fine. Everyone stood up and applauded, and I just immediately headed for the door in embarrassment. I felt so ashamed that I actually wanted to die. Everyone was being nice to us and trying to congratulate us, but all I felt was shame. Later someone came up to me and said that we got the loudest applause by far and that people really did still like it. I found a video that had been taken of us performing (I think by my buddy’s mom, actually) sometime later, and as it turns out it seemed just fine and I felt what was more embarrassing was how I just had my head down hiding behind my wall of hair with a purple sweater lol and even years later, we both would get nice comments from people who were there that night and remembered us playing. Point being, I didn’t give up playing because of it and it taught me a tremendous amount about not only what playing in front of people can actually be like, but how some of us really are our own worst critics and how the majority of audiences will not necessarily see a flawed performance as the soul-crushing, world-shattering experience it can feel like to the player. Awesome video though, very inspiring and relevant to anyone who’s ever tried to entertain people on the merit of whatever they have in their arsenal.
In addition to short term memory loss I also suffer from bi-polar disorder which has always made me super critical of anything I tried to do. I got my first good guitar in 1990, and now it's 2017 and I look back and wonder why I never got any better. I relate so much with your story because for years I'd just beat myself up because I wasn't as good as say my brother who just picked up a guitar and was just awesome from the get go. My depression always held me back from putting in the time and effort to learn to play better. I'd hear a new riff and the minute I couldn't pull it off I'd feel so defeated. Now I'm trying it your way. I try to always remain teachable nowadays but still feel less than in alot of what I do. I feel quite comfortable with your way of teaching as I can take my time with each step before moving on. Hopefully I can better as time moves forward. Thanks again....
Yeah, I felt like that too when I started recording. But I figured out techniques that make you sound clean. It's still extremely hard. So many people who think they're good need to record through a backtrack or a metronome and hear if they feel the same.
Sure do understand where you're coming from. In the beginning, about 40 years ago, I could only play the pentatonic scale, the 12 bar blues pattern, and Barre (Bar) Chords. It was a humiliating episode. Because I knew guys that could play like a dream come true. Or at least in my juvenile mind, this was seemed to be the case. It would have been easy to quit, but I had decided to keep on playing, keep on learning, and enjoy the guitar for the sake of the guitar itself. Your story is a reminder of what has probably happened to every guitar player worthy of the name. Great video, like all the rest, and thanks for sharing your experience.
Well and here you are now. An amazing player and teacher who gets at least one 44 year old man watching your videos early in the morning before work lol. I have had the same moments of deflation myself. I get over it with the mindset of "okay, time to work harder". I love to play, so the work is very enjoyable.
I started guitar lessons with a friend of mine when I was like 7 years old, but he quit a few weeks later and I gave it up because I had wanted to learn to play guitar with him. I started lessons again a year ago and I deeply regret having given it up all those years ago because I lost over a decade of time I could have used to learn and improve. The point is, if you want to do something, you have to see it through to the end, you can't just quit after starting because then you'll never improve and you'll regret it later. Love your channel man, you're really inspirational!
I'm going through that period, and that's exactly how i feel, I try to play hard songs because i have these high expectations of my playing and then i just suck in the end, i just quit everything and go to bed crying and i keep thinking that I dont have time and i started guitar too late and I'll never be a professional guitar player, but this video made me feel so so much better, thank you very much
Mike, It took a lot of courage to tell that story about yourself. But in doing so you have ENcouraged your viewers to never give up and keep pursuing their dreams. As a part-time college professor I always relate to my students how I almost flunked out of college but I never gave up and also had some professors who really encouraged me. Later, after finishing graduate school, I went back to teach a course that I got a D in as a slacker Freshman. I tell them that if I can do it, they can do it too! There's no magic just hard work. But if you love what you do, it's not really work at all but play! Guitar players have the word play built right in. So, again, thanks so much for all you do! -- Joe
I had something like that as a turning point, i got an opportunity to try out for a band and brought along a friend of mine i played with because i really wanted to start a band with him. they took him and ditched me. it hurt real bad, and i thought about quitting. but it was beneficial, it made me realize why i played (i enjoyed it). it also got me to be brutally honest with my own playing and to realize what my goals were with playing. i always made sure i had fun playing ever since, and i have improved immensely. i think these moments are good for players, really seems to give insight into your goals and exposes the work needed to accomplish those goals
Thank you so much for this video. It came to me in the nick of time cuz I seen it right at the very moment when I was sitting, holding my guitar, crying & not wanting to let it go but thinking it's probably for the best. I am having bad thumb pain right in that thumb muscle. Some wrist pain too. I think alot of the problem is technique. It's mainly with rhythm. I just cant figure out what I'm doing wrong. But again, thank you. I know this has kept more ppl than just me from giving up.
So crazy I had an almost identical experience to this. And I almost quit but didn’t and I’m so glad for it and for anyone that has or is feeling like that. Don’t quit even when it’s tough because it’s so satisfying when you get past it
