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That’s a great tip, even for difrerent things in life.
Play anyway indeed.
I’ve found in the last year or so that being comfortable with learning songs/riffs that feel like they’re way beyond my current skill level has leveled up my playing significantly.
If a super cool but crazy difficult riff is at 200bpm, I’ll just learn how its played at 100bpm; burn that into my muscle memory and then slowly work on speeding it up. I might only get to 180bpm but now I know how this crazy riff works and crazy riffs often have creative techniques or interesting chord voicings so I pick up a ton of new stuff along the way.
If I could recommend anything for the intermediate guitarist its to aim for stuff that you think is out of your league and don’t worry about playing it at 100% speed. Just absorb the experience you get learning advanced stuff and you’ll get to use it in your own music or slingshot your way to a higher level of playing without making it into a slog through endless exercises.
As a teacher and performer I would also add:
Play with others. Finding a community of friends who accept your challenges and want to see you succeed will turbo charge your ability. Also you get live feedback and each “performance” is pressure to practice towards.
I once had a teacher ask me “you know how to get better?”
“I know, practice, practice, practice”
“No. Perform, Perform, Perform”
Even just at an open mic or a jam. Hell, my favorite open mics were in Chicago dive bars where someone was singing out of tune on 3 chords- so long as there is friends, drink, and music, you’ll be just fine.
I been playing >30 years. You DO NOT have to create music that has ANY commercial value.
I was happy to play whatever I want all this time. I am dope, I do not need any confirmation from anyone.
If I play a song you like, you will say I am good. If I play something you don’t like, you will say I am bad.
I will not change what I am doing to make money off it. That’s it.
Play what you want. I encourage you to create a new style of music, what could be greater as a musician?
Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you… It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.
Ira Glass
I was at an after recital/concert meet and greet with Itzahk Perlman. I was around 8 or 9 at the time. One of the other kid’s mothers asked him if he enjoyed practicing as a child. She was horrified when he answered honestly, saying that he hated it and his parents had to make him practice until well into his teens. I snickered, and my mom swatted the back of my head to keep me quiet.
first… couple of years? i thought i was supposef to sound like shit forever??
Don’t waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind
The race is long
And in the end
It’s only
With yourself.Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) - Baz Lurhmann
Totally agree. I never really go for the advice that it’s good enough just because you tried your best, or put your heart into it, or felt like you were expressing yourself. Sometimes it still sucks. That’s not to say it’s a reason to give up, though. If anything it’s a reason to keep trying. After 30 years of playing music, I don’t think that feeling ever fully goes away, either.
All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.
That’s a pretty daring statement. I’d say “because we feel the need to express ourselves” which is quite a different -and far better defined- thing than “good taste” which is whatever I think it is and you bunch of troglodytes won’t understand anyway. Or vice versa.
Except the point Ira is making is that your tastes are good. He’s trying to build up the listener. I understand your perspective, and you’d be right if he was saying “My tastes are good”, in an exclusionary way
But he’s not. He’s saying “You’re not happy with your work because you know what sounds good and this isn’t it. But it will be. Keep going.”
And I think that’s pretty goddamned positive
Just that something is inclusive and sounds nice doesn’t make it true. And I don’t think anything that is obviously a BS statement could make me feel good. If you’re allright being flattered about your taste by a person that doesn’t obviously give a fuck about taste, fine. I’d find it distrurbing and completely undermining someone’s trustworthness.
That fact that something should be this way or another does not correlate with how it actually is.
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
Jesus dude, who pissed in your Cheerios?
It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
- Anne Frank
There, there. Now let’s cry a little more and maybe try that Am once more if it doesn’t hurt your little hands too much.
Great “creative work” and man, what good taste. Also, on the spot, argumentatively. Hits me so hard. Ouch! I whish I wouldn’t have wasted my time playing guitar so I might have become a social net lizard like you.
Been 30 years. When do I stop sucking?
As the three stooges would say, “keep on sucking til you do succeed”
What kind of sucking were they doing?
Let’s just say some of their bits weren’t exactly timeless
Oh, that kind.
Because “succeed” is short for “suck till you proceed”.
When you figure out how to spin your terrible guitar skills into a brand new genre that takes off just for its novel sound.
I’m literally a noise artist who bought a guitar because I already had dozens of guitar pedals, I hope my novel sound takes off before Nintendo patents white noise.
can confirm. as someone who sucks, just give’er bud!
I’m currently forcing myself to crawl the fretboard like a spider. it’s slowly coming along. I shall be a bluegrass campfire player in no time.
I highly recommend the Guthrie Trapp lessons on brettpapa.com - it’s invaluable if you’re still working to have total fretboard comprehension.
Is that a good app/site? It’s intriguing but what level played should I be before I commit to that site?
Papa is a great player, as is Trapp. I’ve been playing 30 years and have recorded a bunch, but I am always looking to expand my skills. There is no way for me to know how to advise you, but this course informed me and helped me see things differently.
I will for sure check him out. thank you!
I aspire to be like Doc Watson, or Billy Strings. something like this from Billy Strings eyes closed, and just…let go
it starts at :28 seconds, couldn’t find the timestamp link.
just giv’er bud
Agreed, though when combined with a few beers, the ghost of Jeff Beck best beware!
friggin rights he should
You answered perfectly…I’ve been playing 30 years but never well enough to be in a band…if you don’t know guitar I’m pretty good if you know how to play you’d see I’m okay ish at best
I’ve barely picked the thing up in months because of my health and this post got me to re-learn a part
God I suck. I need to practice more.
I’ve been trying to practice daily, even if only 30 minutes. It has really, really made a difference.
It’s not linear. By that I mean that 30 minutes daily is more than twice the improvement over 30 minutes day on day off.
Definitely trying to stick to daily practice.
It’d be interesting to track the number of people who view that image and spontaneous outbreaks of “Wonderwall” over time.
First thing I thought was “anyway, here’s Wonderwall”
Thank you. Good message. Also, stop comparing yourself to master players. It’s ok to aspire, but be realistic.
Keep plucking.
