Always remember that in the end, guitar is meant to relieve stress, not add onto it. Just enjoy the sound that's coming out of your instrument, however simple it may be.
Technically the guitar was made because someone put some noises together with some wood and string. There’s no rules on if something should add or add stress. That’s more of a life philosophy and it’s a mental battle that people have to breakdown themselves
You guys are viewing this the wrong way. From my view you guys are a bit salty about it but I can understand. But sometimes I'm just a person where I wanna chase these people and how they play, look at my progress and actually impress myself with the new sounds I wasn't able to play before. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but I wanna reach the same level as them but also taking in the great sounds at my current skill level before going through the next thing and cleaning the basics of my playing.
"We play because we want to live in that moment. We do not play to impress others with how much we know. We play with humility and gratitude, thankful for each moment and for every beautiful sound."
@@sportmaniac10 Go for it and don't let anyone tell you that you can't. Be creative and come up with something original and you will definitely become a rockstar
@@ra5hid101 I've played many different styles from metal to blues to classical. A few years ago I started getting interested in jazz. Then my Mom got sick and I have neglected my playing ever since with no idea where to start back. Thank u for reminding me
@@GenericUrbanism that's like someone being conned by a conman and saying, well that's just the weather for ya! Deception comes from the youtubers, not from the algorithm.
I taught guitar well over 35 years. Over that time I developed a philosophy. Music is a toy. That's why we say we "play" not "work" music. I play music for fun. Teaching was my job, but I always wanted my students to do it because they wanted to, not because they had to. I started music in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I'm now 72 years old and I still play because I love it, not because I have to. In fact I just started piano because I never did it before. I started bass 12 years ago because I'd never did it before. Music is a journey, enjoy the ride.
@@tonygluk1 I'm glad you got something out of that. Something else to consider, the better you get, the more complicated stuff you'll think about. You'll never be good enough to play what you hear in your head. If you do get that good then there's no further you can go, so there's always something to strive for.
@@fallingsky9242Exactly. After hundreds and hundreds of days filled with stress and anxiety when you tell yourself "you're not good enough, this isn't worth it" it's hard to keep yourself naive.
Right there with you: I am still making strides in my lifetime instruments, saxophone, clarinet and singing, but I added flute to the mix a couple years ago, and took up drumming a year ago. Finally learned the whole notes on the bass and guitar fretboard this week. Loving it.
Nailed it! Nothing wrong with watching the people better than you but don’t let it determine your self worth if you’re not as good or don’t have as big of a following. Most guitarists aren’t actually at the top level of skill either. Most are beginner to moderate at best. It’s about having fun whether it’s playing covers or writing tunes. I bet some of the happiest players are the ones that suck the most and just don’t care what others think!
I feel like modern Guitarists and Guitar-Audience are way to focused on Technique. Working on your ability to produce an Interesting Song that really draws and keeps attention is soooo much more important. Maybe you do not (currently) have the technique of the Guitar Gods, but you will have a unique perspective that none other out there has, if you refine it enough (and dont give a S*** what sells and what doesnt)
It's a promise that most of these online guitarists that shred amazingly flawless have gone to school for music or had lessons from a young age or have a family member who got them into it and pushed them and supported them, and they have at least 20 takes before every video like all of us. It's just the fact that the setting is in a bedroom or what seems to be a home makes us think they just practice all day at home and got good in their bedrooms, which is probably like half the story, potentially true yes, but not the whole story.
they play it slow then video edit speed it but they all play with no feeling whatsoever of improvise very boring and so many are the same who cares about some clown that can fake shred see them do it live is a different story but no 99.9% of them are bedroom players.
music is an art not a competition. some of the best songs came from people with limited knowledge of technique. play what makes you happy. great video by the way!
I used to listen to a bunch of prog metal and always felt bad about how so many people younger than me can play so fast and cleanly, at a level that I will never reach in my entire life... But then I listened to a bunch of other genres that focuses a lot less on technical abilities and I realized that: Playing guitar well is way more than just playing fast, and making good music is way more than just playing guitar well, and sometimes even determining whether a music is good or bad is extremely difficult LMAO... so that's when I begin to compare with other guitarist (and in general, musicians) less and less. Even if I'm still unable to play at the level I dreamt of I feel I'm definitely a much better musician than I used to!
Math rock / speed metal tends to be a competency test on whether you understand the importance of composition over flashy noodling. Some people can't tell the difference.
I don't believe you've peaked yet bro. You can't say you won't ever reach a certain level, especially if you're not even old and grey yet 😅 you definitely could achieve any level of guitar. Just about what you practice, and how much. All your favorite guitarists spent insane amount of hours on their playing. Don't put a cap on yourself!
I know that songs going viral and popular doesn't mean that they're in fact good, but usually what gets more attention and the stuff that sticks to people is the more simple stuff. Don't beat yourself down, don't talk about what you can or can't be in the future, talk about what you are now, and set a short period goal. Practice, practice, practice. Even if you're in your 40's you can still achieve something remarkable (it's obviously harder than when we were younger but it's still possible with consistency). I truly hope that you get what you're wishing for, and i wish you tons of luck, and more importantly, just fucking have fun, bro! That's what music is about. Have a good one!
I've had something similar with piano. Some jazz pianists have big egos. I remember being very intimidated by someone who was younger than me and it did discourage me. However, although had fantastic technique, he was covering well trodden ground many decades in the making; there is always room for individuality and soul. The guitarists I like often played simply, they carry the feeling to the listener. Paul Kossof was one of my favorites: his playing is at first sight incredibly simple, in terms of the notes used, but he executes those notes with all his being and few can replicate his playing; even if they get his vibrato technique, they lack the soul. Blues players like Albert Collins or Freddie King touch me far more than people like Joe Bonamassa or Eric Clapton: they convey something more intensely.
I don't worry about it....most guitarist these days are better than me. I just love to play and it brings joy to my heart and soul! Here's the thing? I've been playing along time, since late 80s...I'm an old dude, just remember this it's my best advise "there's always going to be someone better than you in fact many will be better than you, but there's also many who want to be as good of player as you!". You see? As a guitarists even if you're dam talented player in your mind you're never good enough. That's healthy as it inspires you to achieve new goals, just don't let it depress you dudes, again there's many of inspiring guitarist's that would give anything to be as good as you!. Don't get down, be happy we live in this time of electricity, cool guitars and excellent gear so rock on dudes! 🤘🙏
For me, having picked up the guitar again after being away for over ten years, I feel that the stress of needing to compare myself to others has melted away. Maybe it's an age thing? Thankfully I just don't feel that burden anymore. I know my weaknesses and I just try to put in the work, get better, and enjoy myself. I also firmly believe that after you reach a certain threshold with your technique, a lot of the stuff you see online just turns into dick measuring. Get good at what you like and cultivate your own voice and relationship with the instrument.
when i make music videos i play the parts are true to the recording as i can try to avoid any major edits unless i need to clean something up to serve the song im not serving myself nor hiding anything thats what is lost today most time
This all extends far beyond guitar playing. Social media is toxic from the very core. Not in the sense of sharing about our lives, but in the sense of how it monetizes us and creates addiction intentionally. Like you said, just DELETE THE APPS!
As an older guitar lover I have learned to focus my attention on superior players who are humble enough to encourage and embrace their fans like Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert and a few others who if you ever watch interviews they always encourage us amateurs to just play like ourselves and do our best to make ourselves happy. It's really important not to give your time to people who make a living belittling others.
I know one of these "internet guitarists" personally - Marcin. I'm on his Patreon for like $15 a month and so I get to spend 2-3 hours with him on Zoom once a month. I believe he would be deeply disturbed that his playing would discourage anyone from playing. He actually wants the opposite. He lets people play for him at the end of the zoom call and gives them tips and props for progress. These guys are good people. Yes, they practice A LOT. More often than most people. But they aren't cocky. They genuinely want to inspire players, not discourage them. Oh, and I watch him play his stuff live and unplugged on that call each month. No trickery. No fakery.
"Tim Henson, Manuel Gardner Fernandes, Ichika Nito, Mateus Asato, Jason Richardson" I guess I dont compare myself to these people since this is the first time Ive heard of them.
Great video. What I struggled with in recent years is realizing that I had an amazing start learning guitar, learning quick and becoming sort of proficient with lots of potential to be "one of them" but then somehow falling behind due to a mixture of lack of right people and connections, teachers, money, having brutal mental health issues and depression. It's all I could give. Maybe I could have given more at certain points... and yet again it was exactly what I was able to give. But life itself is complex and each individual life is different. I've learned that it's important to embrace one's own journey, however different it may be. It's okay to aspire to be something/someone but not at the expense of happiness.
Feeling discouraged because of someone else's playing is more of an insecurity issue. The truth of the matter is that not every guitarist is going to show off there skill online or in a RUclips video. The 2 key factors to improving is practice and dedication. If you practice every day and put in the hours, YOU WILL be better than the next guitarist sitting besides you. But you have to do it almost every day. That's the hard part. The fact that the guitar community is full of insecure and toxic people doesn't really help or make things better for anyone.
I couldn't agree more. I actually went through a phase like this, until I realized that it was holding me back. That people who appear to play effortless had to work at it. That you have to enjoy practice sessions, and what you have. I noticed that everything is easily after you learn it. Playing is not about instant gratification. Success is about delayed gratification, and a journey, not a destination.
For me its more i want to play some difficult stuff because it sounds great and sounds "fun" to play. And really wanting to play something but just not being able to is (to me) discouraging. With a week of practice i cant play the stuff just because my technique just isn't there. Ofc i know it will come with practice but some things just seem like too distant of a goal you know.
@@fisken1 The way I learn things that seem impossible at first is one note at a time. I learn in segments, and remember it in shapes. I don't try to think about the whole thing at once. I think of it as a framework, and parts. Don't expect perfection at first. There is plenty of time to develop the muscle memory, and it gets better each practice session. It's about progress, and it takes patience. Plan your practice session with realistic expectations. Make it fun.
Then there are people like me who need to practice basically every day to keep even some kind of technique despite having played for years. A couple of days off and it's almost like starting from zero. The best I can hope for is somewhat maintain my limited technique, I've given up on the thought of actually making much progress anymore.
@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 I think that I have gotten stuck at least one time over the decades. If that happens, something needs to change. I'd try something new to figure it out. Definitely don't play the same riff every time you pick up a guitar. Always be changing, and working on something new. People are always saying not to blame your gear, but in some cases your equipment can hold you back. I started doing better when I went from a high gain amp to a plexi. It's unforgiving, and forced me to play better. I'm not trying to spend your money, just saying. I don't like to try to pull tone out of equipment that doesn't provide it. I'd rather try to control what it has. Articulation can make a player sound bad, or amazing.
The best guitarist I have ever known to this day I met when he was 19, and he already knew that that is the ONLY thing he wanted to do. He literally put in 2 full time jobs worth of practice for YEARS, starved himself for many other typical human interests, and sidelined so much of what "normal" people take for granted.
Your words are extremely worthy not only for guitar playing but also for other aspects of life like school or careers or sports or hobbies. Whenever I feel this way I just try to remember those other people may have had a head start so their level being above mine doesn't reflect my lack of ability and doesn't mean I should stop trying and getting better. Also, Idk who'll read this, but let me tell you there's other people who look up to you too, precisely because they can only see the good parts of your life and your successes, but they can't see the sacrifices you made, maybe sacrificing even your health or well-being to get where you are. And the same applies for the people you admire. What if their lives are not as good as yours? What if that success has deprived them of other aspects of your life you take for granted? You are doing great just by the fact you care about your craft and your progress. Keep going and you won't even notice how far you've gone :)
I'm a self taught guitarist and my silver lining to this topic is once you get the major scale down, hone in on what you are good at and you become a true and unique player. Also shredding is not music so don't aspire to be a shredder right out of the gate. Learn to feel the rhythm and hang on certain notes for more feeling. Music comes from the soul. Also my number one advice to any new guitarist is play the pentatonic major scale with Jam tracks to learn the fretboard. Jam tracks are they key to being a better player, you won't fully learn the fretboard by watching others instead get right into it and muck around in the musical playground. But yeahJam tracks are the key to guitar success.
Just learn guitar at your own pace. Dont worry about being the best of the best and the craziest shredder. All that will come soon enough after you get a deep understanding of the fretboard. It’s about the journey, not the destination. The destination is just a bonus. But honestly with guitar, there is no destination. There is ALWAYS something new to learn everyday.
I’m jacked and I’m a good guitarist so I would feel fine in that room but I get it I had the same feeling when I went to a movie night at someone’s house with people my age and I was the only artist/musician there that typically doesn’t watch movies I just was not on the same page at all as these people. and I was one of the few that worked out on a regular basis and didn’t drink.
Was at a local festival the other day and my buddy played there with his band, some good ol thrash... And if there's one thing I noticed it was how the solos basically didn't matter because you could barely hear them and even if, the crowd was way too drunk and busy moshing to care if you played a couple wrong notes - all that mattered was the vibe, the aggression, the vocalist throwing shields with stuff written on it into the crowd, the sexual tension between the guitarist and the bassist... What I want to say is that in the end, don't stress too much, get a couple buddies and play a couple fat riffs and you're gonna be fine~
My advice as a 20+ year guitar player: Find a player you enjoy and copy his best licks, feel and vocabulary. After that, find another one and repeat the process. Do this as many times as possible. Do the same with musicians who play other instruments. After a while, you'll be good and you'll develop your own style. Just don't forget to have fun in the process, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense.
Insane video upload, Glad someone was able to vocalize this so accurately. I was also trying to explain to a frined why there is an unspoken respect that goes out to those players who record their shit without direct input and actually still upload if they make a few mistakes.
i really hope people dont compare themselves to me but instead take inspiration my videos are mimed and punched in during recording, i even pitch shift notes around sometimes which makes the part literally impossible to play live
I'm a master shredder, but an amateur sweeper. The great news is, NO ONE EXCEPT GUITARISTS CARES. Fans love it when you shred it up, but ultimately, people in the crowd just want to be entertained. The guy who can only play 3 chords but jumps around like a maniac and engages the crowd will win the crowd over faster than the virtuoso who feebly locks onto their fretting hand, thanking god they have the excuse of complex placements to not look at the crowd. That being said, you should never stop reaching higher because it's fun. The older you get, the harder it is to hear something you don't know how to do. You go from feeling discouraged to just being happy you found something new. I don't use much sweep picking, but I like learning it. It's my last frontier.
This is true, because of how far production values have gone it's hard to even come close if you try to emulate the top players that we see online. I would say try to watch them live at least first. Also this is nothing compared to what classical musicans go through, because in their case the people prodigies tend to be like 6 years old..... which can't feel great on the self esteem meter.
Why would you ever want to compare yourself to someone who plays such overprocessed music? It's not a fair comparison at all. Fact is Tim looks like an average guitarist if you stick him in ANY live situation.
For me personally, I just play at home and have no plans to play in front of people or for a band or even really post content or anything I just do it for fun. So a lot of the mentality is what you want from playing the guitar in the first place. So when I see someone like yourself or other great guitarist it just spurs me on as there is no jealous or illusion that I think I'm good because my goal isn't to be good. Goal is to have fun.
My problem is that it feels like my progress is growing very slowly and it feels like that if I want to do a song i want, it's going to take a long time to where practice starts to feel like waiting doing the same routine over and over again and doing as well as yesterday until I notice a change of improvement later. It can get annoying feeling like progress is put on pause. Also i don't really like watching videos of some people's progress, it sometimes kills my motivation a bit and makes me feel like either I'm not practicing hard enough, im doing something wrong, or that I'm just a slow learner. But regardless I'm not going to stop. It's going to take a long time tho. I get it's going to tough but not impossible
What causes me to be a decent guitarist(although I broke my index finger and it healed back wrongly and so I can't play like I really used to, I do however have other instruments I play), is that I got into it because I love music..I didnt look at anybody else for inspiration. I simply picked up and played. That causes me to continue in music, even into perfecting myself on other instruments.
I've found that all these guitarist have made me want to get better. I don't know if I'll ever be as good as them and that's completely okay. For the first time in my life, I don't care if there are people better than me, I don't care if my friend is better, I don't care if a random youtuber is better, I finally feel happy just working on my own skills and using them as motivation to show that there is still so much more progress I can make. My music, my guitar is for me and I'm happy just seeing my own progress. Very happy you made this video. I hope some of the younger folks see this and change their mindsets.
I agree, they all made me realize how much I suck and should have been practicing this whole time xD lmfao, but it's been more motivating than discouraging for sure.
I don't like how that thumbnail depicted the vid, but Yeah, i love all this guitarists because they're extremely inspiring, but never once i had compared myself to them. I feel like they've been helpful to what my personal playing style is.
Guitar is just a tool of expression as an artist - the more you enjoy playing, the more you enjoy... As a working musician it is more of a tool to make a living so playing to a standard ix expected but still some fun can be had...finally if its not fun...dont do it because its rarevly an individual venture and who wants others to be miserable.. last thought - discover undiscovered music. Listen and enjoy everything... Music of any variety is there to be enjoyed and inspire
Yeah man, I never could afford a teacher, neither a very good guitar, I've got a bad guitar (not the worst but still not a high quality). Currently I'm playing a guitar without G string taken from a friend since im not at home. And I managed to learn slowly but learned, seeing people online doing cool stuff motivates me but I don't have the time since I started in university basically and I had to study plus I took a break so not very consistent. But still I learnt through the time. I saw ichika from being a no one bedroom guitarist to perform with a lot of great and famous folks, I don't ever think I'll do it but I really like playing some of his licks, it's fun and I'll keep doing it because of it.
You’re still young, it will grow on you. I started guitar at 65; fortunately at that age I am not conscientious about what other people think of my playing, so I spend more time learning than 2nd guessing what others think.
Good video and you raised some great points! One thing to remember in addition to what Leroy said is that the players you see on social media are playing things at the absolute maximum of their ability. When you play guitar (or music), you may not be pushing to the absolute maximum every time. Don't be discouraged! Keep rockin' and try new things!
Good points & as a musician w/ a sociology and counseling background, I appreciate the Festinger reference. I’m an older guitarist, so when I was at that beginners stage, social media guitarist weren’t around. I was lucky though, to be around shredders that appreciated our differences. I was better at composing catchy soulful songs & singing, while they could play amazing lead guitar. Most pro musicians, who aren’t arrogant, appreciate anyone that’s good at what they do.
Mate I'm 44, learnt a bit of guitar for couple of years, when I was like 16 and quit not because of frustration but life. Recently I have picked the guitar back up, I'm terrible but get better every time and I do plateau. It all just for fun for me now and it drives me forward
Can't say much about guitar playing as I'm not that advanced at it yet, but I used to make programming videos back in the day, and people used to comment my videos as "if only all teachers on RUclips were like you" and all that. And everytime I read those I thought to myself, "if only you saw the original video and how much editing went into that, and how many times I rephrased some of the explanations I gave, you'd probably think I'm an idiot or smth" lol And all that considering I spent at least one day researching more about the topic beforehand. So yeah, there's a lot of stuff that is left out of the frame, that's for sure.
Drummer here. I have my annual practice goal for a specific number of hours each year. I write the hours for each day on a calendar for my personal record. I DO NOT PLAY, I PRACTICE. I define playing as striving to please somebody's ears, so in playing you only do things you are already good at. Even if you are playing by yourself you are still striving to please your own ears if you are doing stuff you already do well. Practice is where you grind on things that you don't do well, striving to do them better, it sounds bad and punishes everyone's ears. My practice is a miserable grinding struggle. There is no daily progress. The progress comes slow and it comes in 3 steps forward, then 2 steps back, or maybe 2 steps forward then 3 back. It's like financial markets with upswings and downturns, but hopefully there is a general upward trend. I look for personal progress from year to year. It takes a whole year of grinding to see a small amount of progress, but there is steady progress. Talent is real. The guy who says talent is a lie always looks and sounds like he got it out of a syringe, then he rubs your nose in it and tells you the only reason you don't compare to him is because you don't try as hard. It's like a billionaire telling working people they aren't rich because they didn't work as hard as he did. Talent determines how much dividend you earn from each hour of practice invested. High talent is having flesh that can withstand 8 to 12 hours of grinding per day, every day, without injury, without burnout or hitting the wall. High talent steadily gains strength and makes steady upward progress. High talent does not make 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. High talent grasps a new concept quickly, gets it in the bag and is ready to move forward to the next concept. High talent occasionally struggles on a difficult piece, then humble brags about it. High talent never struggles with a basic concept for years or decades. High talent never gets discouraged, and even when occasionally overexerted it recovers quickly with rest. High talent enjoys practice because the rewards come steady, and so high talent is always motivated for more and more practice, making snowballing gains. Some people have zero talent, and we all know at least one of them. Some have high talent and a few have gifted talent. Most of us have average talent. We can still break thru and attain excellence with our average talent, but not without the decades of miserable grinding and sometimes discouraging struggle.
One of the most perceptive and accurate comments I’ve seen on this. I’m 64 now and have been ‘playing’ since 1975. I even have a RCM grade VIII in classical guitar and a diploma in theory. For many years I laboured under the delusion that if I kept practicing I’d get progressively better. Maybe. There was some improvement, but not at the rate characteristic of the talented. They have an easy facility many of us don’t, whilst as you've suggested, sometimes being unaware of it. I didn’t want to be a pro, just within touching distance of those I heard on records good. But these people were doing that in their 20s and 30s whilst I was still plunking about producing a godawful noise. When I encounter pros I just realise the huge gulf in competence between them and me. It’s only my opinion of course, but despite all the talk about 10,000 hours of practice, if you’ve no talent, you won’t be able to get there no matter how badly you want it. I don’t resent the talented in any way, but I think it’s important to recognise that what they have is real and some of us just don’t have it. I wish I’d come to terms with it earlier. For me it’s gradually killed my enjoyment of music, maybe it will return one day. Once I thought of little else. I’ve worked either in or adjacent to other areas outside of music, and likewise seen how innate talent distinguishes ‘day job’ guys like me from the real experts.
@@inconsolablegraphite2126 I'm 64 also. No formal training at all, 100% self taught. I was blessed with a pretty good ear and that's how I picked things up on my own. I messed around with guitar as a teen and switched to drums at age 20. If I had received theory training as a child I might have done OK but I didn't have parents who would get behind stuff like that. Nevertheless, in over 44 years of experience I've learned a thing or two about practice. The 10K hours theory is an offshoot of blank slate theory, and like most false theories the 10K hours theory does contain a kernel of truth, which is yes, absolutely nobody is born able to play and absolutely everybody must put in the practice time. There is a fair-haired little boy out there who is a world class concert pianist, playing Mozart concertos backed by world class orchestras on a 9' Steinway, and he looks all of 8 or 9 years old. Assuming that child has logged his 10K hours at this tender age, his training/practice schedule has to be insane, and it had to have begun before he was toilet trained. You can't take any random child and ram him thru this kind of training program expecting this kind of result every single time, any more than you can take a random kid and ram him thru a PhD physics or neurosurgery program. In a side by side interview of golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his childhood teacher Jack Grout, Mr Grout said he'd show the young Jack Nicklaus how to do something and young Jack would just do it right away. That simple, that easy. I'm sure it didn't work that way with the rest of Mr Grout's students. Teachers often have a star pupil, while the rest of their students are some various degree of average. I've heard there is a guy who put the 10K hours theory to the test in golf by putting all his energy into hardcore golf instruction and practice, with the goal of becoming a pro, and after 10K hours he failed to reach that goal. And I guess he wrote a book about his experience. Giacomo Turra is a gifted guitar player and multi instrumentalist in his 20s who started about a 15 years or so ago. He surely has logged his 10K hours in those years, and he surely gained large dividends per hour. That guy probably got noticeably better from week to week. I say you will find out where your individual talent level is when you devote yourself to serious daily practice and see for yourself what you gain per hour invested as the hundreds and thousands of hours accumulate. I quit playing 10 years ago and turned to 100% serious daily time-logging practice right after I retired 6 years ago. And like you, the practice has affected my attitude too. Until and unless I reach my personal practice goals that I have set for myself, I don't care if I never play again. The 10K hours theory is easily debunked by empirical observation. The mediocre among us who cling to it are coping in my opinion. Another popular cope is one I call the moral high ground cope. They'll say playing is all about fun and I do what I do and if it's not good enough for somebody else then F-'em. Basically claiming the moral high ground by doing something poorly and accepting it. Closely related to the everybody gets a trophy moral pose. These are people who use the word perfectionist as a pejorative. They're able to have fun doing something poorly. The ones who get out on the dance floor when they can't dance at all. The casual bowlers who grab a house ball and sling it while downing a few beers. I'm one of those accursed people who can't even pretend to enjoy doing something poorly. But at the same time I can accept some degree of subjectivity in the concept of excellence. Like you say you never wanted to actually be a pro, just get close enough to understand what that is. A realistic and self-honest goal. I'm the same, I have a clear idea of what I think should be attainable for myself as an individual, which is why I have a hard time accepting less.
I've always resented naturally talented people, and not simply within the realm of art. I've befriended people in my life who are above me in all different kinds of aspects, that it dwarfs my existence. Once you tell them they are impressive, they always resort to this single imperative "I wasn't trying hard", "It was simple". They cannot settle with the compliment and always aim to further boost their ego. My life has been plagued by such kinds of people, however it didn't make me crawl into a fetal position, it only made me more hateful, and hate was what motivated me to pursue aspects I was never talented in. That is both Guitar and illustration, drawing.
Thank you for the real talk, really needed it. Wish you a great journey in life. PS for everybody in here: To achieve something great, you need to love the journey more then the destination. Practice and just love it, but also put your self out there - RUclips, Tiktok, Instagram, Communitys and learn to record your content as good as possible
I guess one could Also argue that complicated riffs don’t always mean good song writing…sometimes being able to dial it back can be the difference between yngvie malmsteen and dream theatre, both having chops but the latter knowing how to use them tastefully.
I have played fretted instruments for over 50 years: guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, tenor banjo and lap dulcimer. I do like to listen to, and emulate other musicians. But one thing has remained constant: I would rather hear myself playing decently than listening to someone else play superbly. It's like sports: I would rather be playing as an amateur, decently, than watching professionals play great. Have pride in your own accomplishments. Admire others' accomplishments and be inspired by them. But that will never beat the satisfaction of your own work.
This goes for almost every guitar channel,trogly,rhett,baker,etc.nice guys for the most part.I have been playing ,repairing, tech-ing,selling,consulting for almost 50 years.These younger guys are just getting up to speed on things that were covered,explored and put to rest long ago.its cool that they are discovering things like ....Marshall tone for 1 example. Saying goes " I have forgotten more info than they might ever know.just saying.
If you get heartbroken when you see someone ripping it up better than yourself, just life will be a struggle. I never feel bad of my skill level, I can rip pretty good many better many not. Use those better than you as inspiration
Agree to some degree. There are a lot of great guitar players. The guitar rewards you for your time. At the end this is supposed to be an art not a competition.
I always ask the same question when someone shows me a clip of one of those tiktikarists; Have you ever, or would you ever, put this sort of music on a stereo system and actually listen to it for half an hour? Do you actually think that would be an even remotely enjoyable experience?
I'm 44, have always never really practiced hard. I've played shows and sucked ass but was told I was brilliant and talented. I know for a fact that everyone else is better than I am, and I'm comfortable with that. I learn from everyone I watch. Stop comparing yourself to others and compare yourself to yourself 1, 5, or 10 years ago. ❤
Master whatever it is that YOU LOVE! If you love blues and blues bends: practice and master that! If you love neoclassical then master that! Connect with what you like to play, and show that to your audience!! Also let’s talk about the “star players”!! They have a dedicated person to setup their guitars! Which is 90% of the playing right there! ( a guitar well setup with attention paid to leveling the frets makes ALL the difference. btw I love my playing now that I setup my electric guitar Properly! Before it was a dead note nightmare all over the fretboard. Unplayable, so this may be happening to you and it’s not your fault or that you can’t play.) Also, the sound you hear from their songs passed by the mixer the producers hands! the entire song sounds ethereal because of the mastering phase! So it’s ok to not sound like the actual record! 💯
You are so right! Social media shows the tip of the iceberg only. Stop comparing yourself and you certainly play more confortable and more self-confident than ever before. Your biography is not the biography of somebody else guys but you can be proud of what you accomplished. I play the guitar for 25 yrs and when i stopped to compare myself i even got quickly better because i only compared to myself and also complimented that progress. Great video mate.
Some people just play a bit after work, great way to unwind. Scales are good for this as im not learning new material. Can get to see progress over time, use metronome. 360 BPM at the moment. Always use metronomeand, every now and then freestyle it.
People have understand, music is subjective and not a competition. I can play things like ABR and Lorna shore because that's what I enjoy playing and what I'm used to, but I got SCHOOLED by a high schooler when I tried playing little wings at GC, so everyone has different experiences and different things they are good at. Not to mention, a lot of people on social media track sections of the song and glue it together rather than a one take no cut playthrough. So to other fellow guitarists out there, remember that we're all human and we all have our own limits but we can always push through the limits and progress is all dependent on individuals, and NEVER give up because that's when you accept that you suck at something.
I’m 37 and have been playing since I was 12. There will always be some 7 year old in Korea who can outshred me. These online videos are edited to all hell that’s why u don’t hear the camera audio…. My philosophy is just “write cool sh*t”. The only other people that care about playing insanely complicated stuff- is other guitarists. Go ahead and ask someone who doesn’t play an instrument if they listen to polyphia. Sure you can practice those things and add them to your toolbox but writing good memorable songs/riffs is gonna take you much further than the attention you will get for shredding for 30 seconds on Instagram.
I can recognize the talent of the internet guitarists. I feel like most of them relying on click tracks, and the grid of whatever DAW they use has them all playing things that sound similar. It’s all technique and not much feeling.
JUST BE YOU. I've been around 55 years, been playing for 39. I have never cared about being better than others. If you do, it will wreck you. There is always going to be others that can do things you cannot. No one can know everything. Literally, there is not enough time that we live on Earth for that to ever happen. Also don't try to be them or sound like them. Do what you feel in your heart and keep it real to what you would play live. It's a better sound and it's honest. People like to feel the music, not listen to the machine. Well for most of us. Just have fun!
Btw excelent video. I this video doesn't really apply to me, actually watched it to glaze my self for having the same opinion. These extremely talented guitarists had to move oceans sky and earth to get to their technique. I have this friend that is far more technical than with with the common stuff, sweep picking, speed. He is not that clean because he dont practice regularly and has never recorded himself but he is clearly more technical. Should I feel frustrated? Oh, now I remember: He has 15 years playing guitar, went to a music school and got a degree, I have 5 years of experience, got my ground set by a fenomenal jazz guitar teacher for a year and a half then I kept going by myself, AND then a started producing music, which of course divided my priorities, making me into a bass player as well and having to sacrifice instrument technique for composition, production and sound engineering learning. Why should I feel intimidated, 10 years gap of experience and I haven't even focused strictly on the instrument on my 5 years of experience. Behind pretty there is a lot lot of ugly that had to be removed and replaced with time. We gotta think about others context. I have many many responsabilities and different passions and I would loveee to play like Jason Richardson, But Jason is probably playing 7 hours a day, or if he is not, he started playing since he was 5 or something.
If you're getting depressed watching other guitar players, the instrument isn't for you. Every single player has dedicated maximum hours of their lives to get where they are, the instrument owes you nothing. You either change your mindset and knuckle down and get serious or you dont.
The other day... I logged in on instagram after months of not using it for something I don't remember, and I saw a lot of people doing epic solos, riffs, melodies and etcetera... And I LOVED IT, styed for like an hour listening to beasts, inspired me a lot Today I played the guitar for like 5 hours XD and at the end I was testing my solo of Ascend, and I almost got it, that brought me a lot of joy :D
can't remember the exact quote but I believe Tosin Abasi said something along the lines "once you get it, you forget you couldn't do it before. so try to look into that hypothetical future of yourself" which was a super helpful way of thinking when I decided I wanted to learn thumping and some Polyphia songs. still can't do either but made huge progress just by not giving up!
Everyone who doesn't understand that multiple angle videos of someone playing weren't done in one shot actually deserves to be fooled. It's all prerecorded and mixed and they're just mimicking it in the video. Could they do it in one take? Most of them yes. But it'd take a lot of time and practice, and these people need to keep posting in order to maintain your subscriptions. So don't blame them.
tbh for me i like to compare myself to very talented players bcz i feel that helps me and make me put more hours to practice to be able to play their riffs (talking about tim henson here lol )
There’s a big missing piece of comparison of “skill”. It’s infinitely easier to play the piece if you write it. It’s infinitely more difficult to play a piece someone else wrote. Keep that in mind
Lucas Mann once said "It's so weird to me that you need to act like you suck at your instrument (even if you are good) in the metal scene to get praise. Being humble for insecure people is dumb. I am dope af at guitar." And personally I've subconsciously believed that for the whole 12 years I've been playing guitar, I don't remember a time when I've been discouraged from playing, only inspired to learn new things, learning a different song every day just because why not. Being self aware of your flaws and limits as a guitar player is key to progressing. Also great vid, definitely would love to see more of this content.
@@hansmemling2311 yeah. People who are bad think they’re good because they don’t know that they could be better, and people who are good think they’re bad because they know exactly where they can improve
@@supershaw09 the quote is slightly satirical, the point is that it shouldn't matter how good someone else is what matters is you! There might be things that you can do that others cannot and vice versa. Playing in a live band will teach you that a lot of this doesn't matter, as long as you're having fun that's what it's all about.
The average listener, in the end, does not care about shreds, they care about groove. This is why pop music is as... Popular as it is. Think about that.
At one point, guitar players should find their own voice by stopping comparing themselves to others. I say, start by copying others and then finding your own path along the way
It’s the same with skateboarding. Most time we only see what to most looks like an effortless kickflip down 20 stairs. What isn’t shown as often are the many many attempts, sometimes it takes days, MONTHS, maybe even years throwing your body down a huge gap just to get that one trick.
Always remember that in the end, guitar is meant to relieve stress, not add onto it. Just enjoy the sound that's coming out of your instrument, however simple it may be.
100%!
Technically the guitar was made because someone put some noises together with some wood and string. There’s no rules on if something should add or add stress. That’s more of a life philosophy and it’s a mental battle that people have to breakdown themselves
And ultimately to make music. Not finger gymnastics
You guys are viewing this the wrong way. From my view you guys are a bit salty about it but I can understand. But sometimes I'm just a person where I wanna chase these people and how they play, look at my progress and actually impress myself with the new sounds I wasn't able to play before. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but I wanna reach the same level as them but also taking in the great sounds at my current skill level before going through the next thing and cleaning the basics of my playing.
guitar is not "meant" to relieve stress. that is your personal vision for it.
"We play because we want to live in that
moment. We do not play to impress others with how much we know. We play with
humility and gratitude, thankful for each moment and for every beautiful sound."
Nah I'd improve for the funnzies and squeeze out every sound on the guitar!
Proof? Also, who is "we"?
@@alexandrebelair4360if no one else plays for that reason I guess I'm we.
Use online guitarists to inspire you not to compare to. Great vid
exactly
Yo what up Levi
@@lolnadroj hey man 🤫
Fuck you I can multi task
Don't play like your idols cause the world already has the best one of them. The world NEEDS the best YOU!
Coming back to this after I become a rockstar
Well said
That is such a beautiful thought , resonates with me so deeply. Will get back to my jazz learning i.e the reason i bought my guitar.
@@sportmaniac10 Go for it and don't let anyone tell you that you can't. Be creative and come up with something original and you will definitely become a rockstar
@@ra5hid101 I've played many different styles from metal to blues to classical. A few years ago I started getting interested in jazz. Then my Mom got sick and I have neglected my playing ever since with no idea where to start back. Thank u for reminding me
Be the best YOU that you can be and enjoy the ride.
I came here to say, "We're not all fake.." but you never really said we were in the video. ;)
Dude yeah its true but to an extent, Love your videos man!
@@LeroyGuitar Its sad that uploaders feel the need to be dishonest with their thumbnails to get noticed.
@@sole__doubtnews has been doing it for hundreds of years. Go after them
@@sole__doubt Thats the RUclips Algorithm for ya.
@@GenericUrbanism that's like someone being conned by a conman and saying, well that's just the weather for ya!
Deception comes from the youtubers, not from the algorithm.
I taught guitar well over 35 years. Over that time I developed a philosophy. Music is a toy. That's why we say we "play" not "work" music. I play music for fun. Teaching was my job, but I always wanted my students to do it because they wanted to, not because they had to. I started music in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I'm now 72 years old and I still play because I love it, not because I have to. In fact I just started piano because I never did it before. I started bass 12 years ago because I'd never did it before. Music is a journey, enjoy the ride.
"Music is a toy" that's beautiful. I'm struggling with self-criticism in everything I do, including music, and this phrase is super helpful.
@@tonygluk1 I'm glad you got something out of that. Something else to consider, the better you get, the more complicated stuff you'll think about. You'll never be good enough to play what you hear in your head. If you do get that good then there's no further you can go, so there's always something to strive for.
Sounds like a nice fantasy
@@fallingsky9242Exactly. After hundreds and hundreds of days filled with stress and anxiety when you tell yourself "you're not good enough, this isn't worth it" it's hard to keep yourself naive.
Right there with you: I am still making strides in my lifetime instruments, saxophone, clarinet and singing, but I added flute to the mix a couple years ago, and took up drumming a year ago. Finally learned the whole notes on the bass and guitar fretboard this week. Loving it.
Nailed it! Nothing wrong with watching the people better than you but don’t let it determine your self worth if you’re not as good or don’t have as big of a following. Most guitarists aren’t actually at the top level of skill either. Most are beginner to moderate at best. It’s about having fun whether it’s playing covers or writing tunes. I bet some of the happiest players are the ones that suck the most and just don’t care what others think!
I feel like modern Guitarists and Guitar-Audience are way to focused on Technique. Working on your ability to produce an Interesting Song that really draws and keeps attention is soooo much more important. Maybe you do not (currently) have the technique of the Guitar Gods, but you will have a unique perspective that none other out there has, if you refine it enough (and dont give a S*** what sells and what doesnt)
It's a promise that most of these online guitarists that shred amazingly flawless have gone to school for music or had lessons from a young age or have a family member who got them into it and pushed them and supported them, and they have at least 20 takes before every video like all of us.
It's just the fact that the setting is in a bedroom or what seems to be a home makes us think they just practice all day at home and got good in their bedrooms, which is probably like half the story, potentially true yes, but not the whole story.
they play it slow then video edit speed it but they all play with no feeling whatsoever of improvise very boring and so many are the same who cares about some clown that can fake shred see them do it live is a different story but no 99.9% of them are bedroom players.
Its not just with guitar, Its everything. Be inspired by others but only compare yourself to yourself.
music is an art not a competition. some of the best songs came from people with limited knowledge of technique. play what makes you happy. great video by the way!
Being too technical might be harmful to the music, imho
I have zero fake takes in my videos. But I record everything dozens of times until I'm happy with it.
I used to listen to a bunch of prog metal and always felt bad about how so many people younger than me can play so fast and cleanly, at a level that I will never reach in my entire life... But then I listened to a bunch of other genres that focuses a lot less on technical abilities and I realized that: Playing guitar well is way more than just playing fast, and making good music is way more than just playing guitar well, and sometimes even determining whether a music is good or bad is extremely difficult LMAO... so that's when I begin to compare with other guitarist (and in general, musicians) less and less. Even if I'm still unable to play at the level I dreamt of I feel I'm definitely a much better musician than I used to!
Math rock / speed metal tends to be a competency test on whether you understand the importance of composition over flashy noodling. Some people can't tell the difference.
I don't believe you've peaked yet bro. You can't say you won't ever reach a certain level, especially if you're not even old and grey yet 😅 you definitely could achieve any level of guitar. Just about what you practice, and how much. All your favorite guitarists spent insane amount of hours on their playing. Don't put a cap on yourself!
I know that songs going viral and popular doesn't mean that they're in fact good, but usually what gets more attention and the stuff that sticks to people is the more simple stuff.
Don't beat yourself down, don't talk about what you can or can't be in the future, talk about what you are now, and set a short period goal.
Practice, practice, practice.
Even if you're in your 40's you can still achieve something remarkable (it's obviously harder than when we were younger but it's still possible with consistency).
I truly hope that you get what you're wishing for, and i wish you tons of luck, and more importantly, just fucking have fun, bro! That's what music is about. Have a good one!
@@Lifesizemortal precisely. Thats what an instrument virtuoso exactly is about.
I've had something similar with piano. Some jazz pianists have big egos. I remember being very intimidated by someone who was younger than me and it did discourage me. However, although had fantastic technique, he was covering well trodden ground many decades in the making; there is always room for individuality and soul.
The guitarists I like often played simply, they carry the feeling to the listener. Paul Kossof was one of my favorites: his playing is at first sight incredibly simple, in terms of the notes used, but he executes those notes with all his being and few can replicate his playing; even if they get his vibrato technique, they lack the soul. Blues players like Albert Collins or Freddie King touch me far more than people like Joe Bonamassa or Eric Clapton: they convey something more intensely.
I don't worry about it....most guitarist these days are better than me. I just love to play and it brings joy to my heart and soul! Here's the thing? I've been playing along time, since late 80s...I'm an old dude, just remember this it's my best advise "there's always going to be someone better than you in fact many will be better than you, but there's also many who want to be as good of player as you!". You see? As a guitarists even if you're dam talented player in your mind you're never good enough. That's healthy as it inspires you to achieve new goals, just don't let it depress you dudes, again there's many of inspiring guitarist's that would give anything to be as good as you!. Don't get down, be happy we live in this time of electricity, cool guitars and excellent gear so rock on dudes! 🤘🙏
For me, having picked up the guitar again after being away for over ten years, I feel that the stress of needing to compare myself to others has melted away. Maybe it's an age thing? Thankfully I just don't feel that burden anymore. I know my weaknesses and I just try to put in the work, get better, and enjoy myself. I also firmly believe that after you reach a certain threshold with your technique, a lot of the stuff you see online just turns into dick measuring. Get good at what you like and cultivate your own voice and relationship with the instrument.
My new rule of thumb is: if the vibrato doesn’t sync, I skip. Utterly tired of fakery, miming, and the normalization of smoke and mirrors.
Yeah and unfortunately that's like 90% of the RUclips guitar community.
Real musicians are usually out there getting their hands dirty. RUclips only wants any attention at all costs.
Almost all guitar videos are mimery, since most great guitar solos are comped together of different takes. All live performances have mistakes
when i make music videos i play the parts are true to the recording as i can try to avoid any major edits unless i need to clean something up to serve the song im not serving myself nor hiding anything thats what is lost today most time
This all extends far beyond guitar playing.
Social media is toxic from the very core.
Not in the sense of sharing about our lives, but in the sense of how it monetizes us and creates addiction intentionally.
Like you said, just DELETE THE APPS!
As an older guitar lover I have learned to focus my attention on superior players who are humble enough to encourage and embrace their fans like Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert and a few others who if you ever watch interviews they always encourage us amateurs to just play like ourselves and do our best to make ourselves happy. It's really important not to give your time to people who make a living belittling others.
Bro knows how we feel when watching his vids 😂
I know one of these "internet guitarists" personally - Marcin. I'm on his Patreon for like $15 a month and so I get to spend 2-3 hours with him on Zoom once a month. I believe he would be deeply disturbed that his playing would discourage anyone from playing. He actually wants the opposite. He lets people play for him at the end of the zoom call and gives them tips and props for progress. These guys are good people. Yes, they practice A LOT. More often than most people. But they aren't cocky. They genuinely want to inspire players, not discourage them. Oh, and I watch him play his stuff live and unplugged on that call each month. No trickery. No fakery.
"Tim Henson, Manuel Gardner Fernandes, Ichika Nito, Mateus Asato, Jason Richardson"
I guess I dont compare myself to these people since this is the first time Ive heard of them.
I never searched for Tim Henson or Ichika youtube had put them in my recommended a lot at times.
They're all wizards
@@mmmmmmmmdaaaamnnnnbabyyyy have they composed music of humbling beauty?
@@Tityretupatulae yes
Great video. What I struggled with in recent years is realizing that I had an amazing start learning guitar, learning quick and becoming sort of proficient with lots of potential to be "one of them" but then somehow falling behind due to a mixture of lack of right people and connections, teachers, money, having brutal mental health issues and depression. It's all I could give. Maybe I could have given more at certain points... and yet again it was exactly what I was able to give. But life itself is complex and each individual life is different. I've learned that it's important to embrace one's own journey, however different it may be. It's okay to aspire to be something/someone but not at the expense of happiness.
Feeling discouraged because of someone else's playing is more of an insecurity issue. The truth of the matter is that not every guitarist is going to show off there skill online or in a RUclips video. The 2 key factors to improving is practice and dedication. If you practice every day and put in the hours, YOU WILL be better than the next guitarist sitting besides you. But you have to do it almost every day. That's the hard part. The fact that the guitar community is full of insecure and toxic people doesn't really help or make things better for anyone.
I couldn't agree more. I actually went through a phase like this, until I realized that it was holding me back. That people who appear to play effortless had to work at it. That you have to enjoy practice sessions, and what you have. I noticed that everything is easily after you learn it. Playing is not about instant gratification. Success is about delayed gratification, and a journey, not a destination.
For me its more i want to play some difficult stuff because it sounds great and sounds "fun" to play. And really wanting to play something but just not being able to is (to me) discouraging. With a week of practice i cant play the stuff just because my technique just isn't there. Ofc i know it will come with practice but some things just seem like too distant of a goal you know.
@@fisken1 The way I learn things that seem impossible at first is one note at a time. I learn in segments, and remember it in shapes. I don't try to think about the whole thing at once. I think of it as a framework, and parts. Don't expect perfection at first. There is plenty of time to develop the muscle memory, and it gets better each practice session. It's about progress, and it takes patience. Plan your practice session with realistic expectations. Make it fun.
Then there are people like me who need to practice basically every day to keep even some kind of technique despite having played for years. A couple of days off and it's almost like starting from zero. The best I can hope for is somewhat maintain my limited technique, I've given up on the thought of actually making much progress anymore.
@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 I think that I have gotten stuck at least one time over the decades. If that happens, something needs to change. I'd try something new to figure it out. Definitely don't play the same riff every time you pick up a guitar. Always be changing, and working on something new. People are always saying not to blame your gear, but in some cases your equipment can hold you back. I started doing better when I went from a high gain amp to a plexi. It's unforgiving, and forced me to play better. I'm not trying to spend your money, just saying. I don't like to try to pull tone out of equipment that doesn't provide it. I'd rather try to control what it has. Articulation can make a player sound bad, or amazing.
The best guitarist I have ever known to this day I met when he was 19, and he already knew that that is the ONLY thing he wanted to do. He literally put in 2 full time jobs worth of practice for YEARS, starved himself for many other typical human interests, and sidelined so much of what "normal" people take for granted.
16 hour practice days 5 days a week? 🤯🤯
talking about Robert Fripp? ;-)))
@@geodude7116
Naa, just 3-5 hours over the day...
But yeah, every day if possible...😊
@@geodude7116 That was me 20 yrs ago
I did the vocals the same way, lol. No idea why tho
Your words are extremely worthy not only for guitar playing but also for other aspects of life like school or careers or sports or hobbies. Whenever I feel this way I just try to remember those other people may have had a head start so their level being above mine doesn't reflect my lack of ability and doesn't mean I should stop trying and getting better. Also, Idk who'll read this, but let me tell you there's other people who look up to you too, precisely because they can only see the good parts of your life and your successes, but they can't see the sacrifices you made, maybe sacrificing even your health or well-being to get where you are. And the same applies for the people you admire. What if their lives are not as good as yours? What if that success has deprived them of other aspects of your life you take for granted? You are doing great just by the fact you care about your craft and your progress. Keep going and you won't even notice how far you've gone :)
I'm a self taught guitarist and my silver lining to this topic is once you get the major scale down, hone in on what you are good at and you become a true and unique player. Also shredding is not music so don't aspire to be a shredder right out of the gate. Learn to feel the rhythm and hang on certain notes for more feeling. Music comes from the soul. Also my number one advice to any new guitarist is play the pentatonic major scale with Jam tracks to learn the fretboard. Jam tracks are they key to being a better player, you won't fully learn the fretboard by watching others instead get right into it and muck around in the musical playground. But yeahJam tracks are the key to guitar success.
Just learn guitar at your own pace. Dont worry about being the best of the best and the craziest shredder. All that will come soon enough after you get a deep understanding of the fretboard. It’s about the journey, not the destination. The destination is just a bonus. But honestly with guitar, there is no destination. There is ALWAYS something new to learn everyday.
Bro, you need to write a book. Well spoken, and very well made video. Thank you.
I’m jacked and I’m a good guitarist so I would feel fine in that room but I get it I had the same feeling when I went to a movie night at someone’s house with people my age and I was the only artist/musician there that typically doesn’t watch movies I just was not on the same page at all as these people. and I was one of the few that worked out on a regular basis and didn’t drink.
This is one of the most true breakdowns of what it's like playing guitar I've ever heard.
Was at a local festival the other day and my buddy played there with his band, some good ol thrash... And if there's one thing I noticed it was how the solos basically didn't matter because you could barely hear them and even if, the crowd was way too drunk and busy moshing to care if you played a couple wrong notes - all that mattered was the vibe, the aggression, the vocalist throwing shields with stuff written on it into the crowd, the sexual tension between the guitarist and the bassist... What I want to say is that in the end, don't stress too much, get a couple buddies and play a couple fat riffs and you're gonna be fine~
what the helll with the bassist and that guitarist😂😂
@@foxied some good bromance :)
We only become better when we compare ourselves with what we were before, with what we are now and see the fruits of our progress.
My advice as a 20+ year guitar player: Find a player you enjoy and copy his best licks, feel and vocabulary. After that, find another one and repeat the process. Do this as many times as possible. Do the same with musicians who play other instruments. After a while, you'll be good and you'll develop your own style. Just don't forget to have fun in the process, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense.
That’s good solid advice, especially the part about having fun. 🍻
Insane video upload, Glad someone was able to vocalize this so accurately. I was also trying to explain to a frined why there is an unspoken respect that goes out to those players who record their shit without direct input and actually still upload if they make a few mistakes.
When you realize that some Guitarist are just gifted... when your ok with this you will be better off 😊
ngl your guitar playing throughout this video was really good
i really hope people dont compare themselves to me but instead take inspiration
my videos are mimed and punched in during recording, i even pitch shift notes around sometimes which makes the part literally impossible to play live
this was very deep and wise from you, man! good job. glad to see you grow
I'm a master shredder, but an amateur sweeper. The great news is, NO ONE EXCEPT GUITARISTS CARES. Fans love it when you shred it up, but ultimately, people in the crowd just want to be entertained. The guy who can only play 3 chords but jumps around like a maniac and engages the crowd will win the crowd over faster than the virtuoso who feebly locks onto their fretting hand, thanking god they have the excuse of complex placements to not look at the crowd.
That being said, you should never stop reaching higher because it's fun. The older you get, the harder it is to hear something you don't know how to do. You go from feeling discouraged to just being happy you found something new. I don't use much sweep picking, but I like learning it. It's my last frontier.
As Tomo Fujita once said don’t compare, don’t worry, don’t expect too fast.
I've big respect for sensei Tomo, but not to do all these 3 things it's against the human nature
People, playing instrument is not a race with someone! Use your instrument to feed your soul and start to be creative.
Good job then as I'm snail slow.
This is true, because of how far production values have gone it's hard to even come close if you try to emulate the top players that we see online. I would say try to watch them live at least first.
Also this is nothing compared to what classical musicans go through, because in their case the people prodigies tend to be like 6 years old..... which can't feel great on the self esteem meter.
We all sucked in the beginning.
We're all on our own journey. No need to compare to anyone. Just try to improve your own playing and enjoy the journey...
Loved the vid bro, I spend more hours comparing myself to Tim Henson instead of practicing
Why would you ever want to compare yourself to someone who plays such overprocessed music? It's not a fair comparison at all.
Fact is Tim looks like an average guitarist if you stick him in ANY live situation.
For me personally, I just play at home and have no plans to play in front of people or for a band or even really post content or anything I just do it for fun. So a lot of the mentality is what you want from playing the guitar in the first place. So when I see someone like yourself or other great guitarist it just spurs me on as there is no jealous or illusion that I think I'm good because my goal isn't to be good. Goal is to have fun.
There is only 1 you and it should come across in your playing.Thats the way it has always been.❤
" Search for a sound you can call your own.".....Bob Seger
My problem is that it feels like my progress is growing very slowly and it feels like that if I want to do a song i want, it's going to take a long time to where practice starts to feel like waiting doing the same routine over and over again and doing as well as yesterday until I notice a change of improvement later. It can get annoying feeling like progress is put on pause.
Also i don't really like watching videos of some people's progress, it sometimes kills my motivation a bit and makes me feel like either I'm not practicing hard enough, im doing something wrong, or that I'm just a slow learner.
But regardless I'm not going to stop. It's going to take a long time tho. I get it's going to tough but not impossible
What causes me to be a decent guitarist(although I broke my index finger and it healed back wrongly and so I can't play like I really used to, I do however have other instruments I play), is that I got into it because I love music..I didnt look at anybody else for inspiration. I simply picked up and played. That causes me to continue in music, even into perfecting myself on other instruments.
I've found that all these guitarist have made me want to get better. I don't know if I'll ever be as good as them and that's completely okay. For the first time in my life, I don't care if there are people better than me, I don't care if my friend is better, I don't care if a random youtuber is better, I finally feel happy just working on my own skills and using them as motivation to show that there is still so much more progress I can make. My music, my guitar is for me and I'm happy just seeing my own progress.
Very happy you made this video. I hope some of the younger folks see this and change their mindsets.
Good is subjective just keep playing for the love of it! :)
I agree, they all made me realize how much I suck and should have been practicing this whole time xD lmfao, but it's been more motivating than discouraging for sure.
Don't try to be like them. Use their music to develop your own over time. Rome wasn't built in a day. Everyone had an influence.
Great video, thank you ✌️
I don't like how that thumbnail depicted the vid, but Yeah, i love all this guitarists because they're extremely inspiring, but never once i had compared myself to them. I feel like they've been helpful to what my personal playing style is.
Guitar is just a tool of expression as an artist - the more you enjoy playing, the more you enjoy... As a working musician it is more of a tool to make a living so playing to a standard ix expected but still some fun can be had...finally if its not fun...dont do it because its rarevly an individual venture and who wants others to be miserable.. last thought - discover undiscovered music. Listen and enjoy everything... Music of any variety is there to be enjoyed and inspire
Yeah man, I never could afford a teacher, neither a very good guitar, I've got a bad guitar (not the worst but still not a high quality). Currently I'm playing a guitar without G string taken from a friend since im not at home. And I managed to learn slowly but learned, seeing people online doing cool stuff motivates me but I don't have the time since I started in university basically and I had to study plus I took a break so not very consistent. But still I learnt through the time.
I saw ichika from being a no one bedroom guitarist to perform with a lot of great and famous folks, I don't ever think I'll do it but I really like playing some of his licks, it's fun and I'll keep doing it because of it.
You’re still young, it will grow on you. I started guitar at 65; fortunately at that age I am not conscientious about what other people think of my playing, so I spend more time learning than 2nd guessing what others think.
Good video and you raised some great points! One thing to remember in addition to what Leroy said is that the players you see on social media are playing things at the absolute maximum of their ability. When you play guitar (or music), you may not be pushing to the absolute maximum every time. Don't be discouraged! Keep rockin' and try new things!
Good points & as a musician w/ a sociology and counseling background, I appreciate the Festinger reference. I’m an older guitarist, so when I was at that beginners stage, social media guitarist weren’t around. I was lucky though, to be around shredders that appreciated our differences. I was better at composing catchy soulful songs & singing, while they could play amazing lead guitar. Most pro musicians, who aren’t arrogant, appreciate anyone that’s good at what they do.
Being good is not a given, most people need to work at it. Enjoying the process can be so life enriching on different levels.
Mate I'm 44, learnt a bit of guitar for couple of years, when I was like 16 and quit not because of frustration but life. Recently I have picked the guitar back up, I'm terrible but get better every time and I do plateau. It all just for fun for me now and it drives me forward
Can't say much about guitar playing as I'm not that advanced at it yet, but I used to make programming videos back in the day, and people used to comment my videos as "if only all teachers on RUclips were like you" and all that. And everytime I read those I thought to myself, "if only you saw the original video and how much editing went into that, and how many times I rephrased some of the explanations I gave, you'd probably think I'm an idiot or smth" lol And all that considering I spent at least one day researching more about the topic beforehand. So yeah, there's a lot of stuff that is left out of the frame, that's for sure.
Drummer here. I have my annual practice goal for a specific number of hours each year. I write the hours for each day on a calendar for my personal record.
I DO NOT PLAY, I PRACTICE. I define playing as striving to please somebody's ears, so in playing you only do things you are already good at. Even if you are playing by yourself you are still striving to please your own ears if you are doing stuff you already do well. Practice is where you grind on things that you don't do well, striving to do them better, it sounds bad and punishes everyone's ears.
My practice is a miserable grinding struggle. There is no daily progress. The progress comes slow and it comes in 3 steps forward, then 2 steps back, or maybe 2 steps forward then 3 back. It's like financial markets with upswings and downturns, but hopefully there is a general upward trend. I look for personal progress from year to year. It takes a whole year of grinding to see a small amount of progress, but there is steady progress.
Talent is real. The guy who says talent is a lie always looks and sounds like he got it out of a syringe, then he rubs your nose in it and tells you the only reason you don't compare to him is because you don't try as hard. It's like a billionaire telling working people they aren't rich because they didn't work as hard as he did.
Talent determines how much dividend you earn from each hour of practice invested. High talent is having flesh that can withstand 8 to 12 hours of grinding per day, every day, without injury, without burnout or hitting the wall. High talent steadily gains strength and makes steady upward progress. High talent does not make 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. High talent grasps a new concept quickly, gets it in the bag and is ready to move forward to the next concept. High talent occasionally struggles on a difficult piece, then humble brags about it. High talent never struggles with a basic concept for years or decades. High talent never gets discouraged, and even when occasionally overexerted it recovers quickly with rest. High talent enjoys practice because the rewards come steady, and so high talent is always motivated for more and more practice, making snowballing gains.
Some people have zero talent, and we all know at least one of them. Some have high talent and a few have gifted talent. Most of us have average talent. We can still break thru and attain excellence with our average talent, but not without the decades of miserable grinding and sometimes discouraging struggle.
One of the most perceptive and accurate comments I’ve seen on this. I’m 64 now and have been ‘playing’ since 1975. I even have a RCM grade VIII in classical guitar and a diploma in theory. For many years I laboured under the delusion that if I kept practicing I’d get progressively better. Maybe. There was some improvement, but not at the rate characteristic of the talented. They have an easy facility many of us don’t, whilst as you've suggested, sometimes being unaware of it. I didn’t want to be a pro, just within touching distance of those I heard on records good. But these people were doing that in their 20s and 30s whilst I was still plunking about producing a godawful noise. When I encounter pros I just realise the huge gulf in competence between them and me.
It’s only my opinion of course, but despite all the talk about 10,000 hours of practice, if you’ve no talent, you won’t be able to get there no matter how badly you want it. I don’t resent the talented in any way, but I think it’s important to recognise that what they have is real and some of us just don’t have it. I wish I’d come to terms with it earlier. For me it’s gradually killed my enjoyment of music, maybe it will return one day. Once I thought of little else.
I’ve worked either in or adjacent to other areas outside of music, and likewise seen how innate talent distinguishes ‘day job’ guys like me from the real experts.
@@inconsolablegraphite2126 I'm 64 also. No formal training at all, 100% self taught. I was blessed with a pretty good ear and that's how I picked things up on my own. I messed around with guitar as a teen and switched to drums at age 20. If I had received theory training as a child I might have done OK but I didn't have parents who would get behind stuff like that.
Nevertheless, in over 44 years of experience I've learned a thing or two about practice.
The 10K hours theory is an offshoot of blank slate theory, and like most false theories the 10K hours theory does contain a kernel of truth, which is yes, absolutely nobody is born able to play and absolutely everybody must put in the practice time.
There is a fair-haired little boy out there who is a world class concert pianist, playing Mozart concertos backed by world class orchestras on a 9' Steinway, and he looks all of 8 or 9 years old.
Assuming that child has logged his 10K hours at this tender age, his training/practice schedule has to be insane, and it had to have begun before he was toilet trained.
You can't take any random child and ram him thru this kind of training program expecting this kind of result every single time, any more than you can take a random kid and ram him thru a PhD physics or neurosurgery program.
In a side by side interview of golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his childhood teacher Jack Grout, Mr Grout said he'd show the young Jack Nicklaus how to do something and young Jack would just do it right away. That simple, that easy. I'm sure it didn't work that way with the rest of Mr Grout's students. Teachers often have a star pupil, while the rest of their students are some various degree of average.
I've heard there is a guy who put the 10K hours theory to the test in golf by putting all his energy into hardcore golf instruction and practice, with the goal of becoming a pro, and after 10K hours he failed to reach that goal. And I guess he wrote a book about his experience.
Giacomo Turra is a gifted guitar player and multi instrumentalist in his 20s who started about a 15 years or so ago. He surely has logged his 10K hours in those years, and he surely gained large dividends per hour. That guy probably got noticeably better from week to week.
I say you will find out where your individual talent level is when you devote yourself to serious daily practice and see for yourself what you gain per hour invested as the hundreds and thousands of hours accumulate. I quit playing 10 years ago and turned to 100% serious daily time-logging practice right after I retired 6 years ago. And like you, the practice has affected my attitude too. Until and unless I reach my personal practice goals that I have set for myself, I don't care if I never play again.
The 10K hours theory is easily debunked by empirical observation. The mediocre among us who cling to it are coping in my opinion.
Another popular cope is one I call the moral high ground cope. They'll say playing is all about fun and I do what I do and if it's not good enough for somebody else then F-'em. Basically claiming the moral high ground by doing something poorly and accepting it. Closely related to the everybody gets a trophy moral pose. These are people who use the word perfectionist as a pejorative. They're able to have fun doing something poorly. The ones who get out on the dance floor when they can't dance at all. The casual bowlers who grab a house ball and sling it while downing a few beers.
I'm one of those accursed people who can't even pretend to enjoy doing something poorly. But at the same time I can accept some degree of subjectivity in the concept of excellence. Like you say you never wanted to actually be a pro, just get close enough to understand what that is. A realistic and self-honest goal. I'm the same, I have a clear idea of what I think should be attainable for myself as an individual, which is why I have a hard time accepting less.
I've always resented naturally talented people, and not simply within the realm of art. I've befriended people in my life who are above me in all different kinds of aspects, that it dwarfs my existence. Once you tell them they are impressive, they always resort to this single imperative "I wasn't trying hard", "It was simple". They cannot settle with the compliment and always aim to further boost their ego.
My life has been plagued by such kinds of people, however it didn't make me crawl into a fetal position, it only made me more hateful, and hate was what motivated me to pursue aspects I was never talented in. That is both Guitar and illustration, drawing.
Thank you for the real talk, really needed it. Wish you a great journey in life. PS for everybody in here: To achieve something great, you need to love the journey more then the destination. Practice and just love it, but also put your self out there - RUclips, Tiktok, Instagram, Communitys and learn to record your content as good as possible
I guess one could
Also argue that complicated riffs don’t always mean good song writing…sometimes being able to dial it back can be the difference between yngvie malmsteen and dream theatre, both having chops but the latter knowing how to use them tastefully.
I have played fretted instruments for over 50 years: guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, tenor banjo and lap dulcimer. I do like to listen to, and emulate other musicians. But one thing has remained constant: I would rather hear myself playing decently than listening to someone else play superbly. It's like sports: I would rather be playing as an amateur, decently, than watching professionals play great. Have pride in your own accomplishments. Admire others' accomplishments and be inspired by them. But that will never beat the satisfaction of your own work.
This goes for almost every guitar channel,trogly,rhett,baker,etc.nice guys for the most part.I have been playing ,repairing, tech-ing,selling,consulting for almost 50 years.These younger guys are just getting up to speed on things that were covered,explored and put to rest long ago.its cool that they are discovering things like ....Marshall tone for 1 example. Saying goes " I have forgotten more info than they might ever know.just saying.
very important stuff you're saying here. Good stuff!
If you get heartbroken when you see someone ripping it up better than yourself, just life will be a struggle. I never feel bad of my skill level, I can rip pretty good many better many not. Use those better than you as inspiration
Agree to some degree. There are a lot of great guitar players. The guitar rewards you for your time. At the end this is supposed to be an art not a competition.
I always ask the same question when someone shows me a clip of one of those tiktikarists;
Have you ever, or would you ever, put this sort of music on a stereo system and actually listen to it for half an hour? Do you actually think that would be an even remotely enjoyable experience?
I'm 44, have always never really practiced hard. I've played shows and sucked ass but was told I was brilliant and talented. I know for a fact that everyone else is better than I am, and I'm comfortable with that. I learn from everyone I watch. Stop comparing yourself to others and compare yourself to yourself 1, 5, or 10 years ago. ❤
Master whatever it is that YOU LOVE!
If you love blues and blues bends: practice and master that! If you love neoclassical then master that!
Connect with what you like to play, and show that to your audience!!
Also let’s talk about the “star players”!! They have a dedicated person to setup their guitars! Which is 90% of the playing right there!
( a guitar well setup with attention paid to leveling the frets makes ALL the difference. btw I love my playing now that I setup my electric guitar Properly! Before it was a dead note nightmare all over the fretboard. Unplayable, so this may be happening to you and it’s not your fault or that you can’t play.)
Also, the sound you hear from their songs passed by the mixer the producers hands!
the entire song sounds ethereal because of the mastering phase! So it’s ok to not sound like the actual record! 💯
You are so right! Social media shows the tip of the iceberg only. Stop comparing yourself and you certainly play more confortable and more self-confident than ever before. Your biography is not the biography of somebody else guys but you can be proud of what you accomplished. I play the guitar for 25 yrs and when i stopped to compare myself i even got quickly better because i only compared to myself and also complimented that progress. Great video mate.
I got to say. U can’t compare art. As long as you are happy. It is good! Btw, is that you playing at the background? It is fantastic
Exactly it’s subjective 👍 and yes that’s me improvising!
It just randomly popped up in my feed. What you said is spot on.
Some people just play a bit after work, great way to unwind. Scales are good for this as im not learning new material. Can get to see progress over time, use metronome. 360 BPM at the moment.
Always use metronomeand, every now and then freestyle it.
People have understand, music is subjective and not a competition. I can play things like ABR and Lorna shore because that's what I enjoy playing and what I'm used to, but I got SCHOOLED by a high schooler when I tried playing little wings at GC, so everyone has different experiences and different things they are good at. Not to mention, a lot of people on social media track sections of the song and glue it together rather than a one take no cut playthrough. So to other fellow guitarists out there, remember that we're all human and we all have our own limits but we can always push through the limits and progress is all dependent on individuals, and NEVER give up because that's when you accept that you suck at something.
I’m 37 and have been playing since I was 12. There will always be some 7 year old in Korea who can outshred me.
These online videos are edited to all hell that’s why u don’t hear the camera audio…. My philosophy is just “write cool sh*t”. The only other people that care about playing insanely complicated stuff- is other guitarists. Go ahead and ask someone who doesn’t play an instrument if they listen to polyphia.
Sure you can practice those things and add them to your toolbox but writing good memorable songs/riffs is gonna take you much further than the attention you will get for shredding for 30 seconds on Instagram.
I can recognize the talent of the internet guitarists. I feel like most of them relying on click tracks, and the grid of whatever DAW they use has them all playing things that sound similar. It’s all technique and not much feeling.
JUST BE YOU.
I've been around 55 years, been playing for 39. I have never cared about being better than others. If you do, it will wreck you. There is always going to be others that can do things you cannot. No one can know everything. Literally, there is not enough time that we live on Earth for that to ever happen. Also don't try to be them or sound like them. Do what you feel in your heart and keep it real to what you would play live. It's a better sound and it's honest. People like to feel the music, not listen to the machine. Well for most of us. Just have fun!
Btw excelent video. I this video doesn't really apply to me, actually watched it to glaze my self for having the same opinion. These extremely talented guitarists had to move oceans sky and earth to get to their technique. I have this friend that is far more technical than with with the common stuff, sweep picking, speed. He is not that clean because he dont practice regularly and has never recorded himself but he is clearly more technical. Should I feel frustrated? Oh, now I remember: He has 15 years playing guitar, went to a music school and got a degree, I have 5 years of experience, got my ground set by a fenomenal jazz guitar teacher for a year and a half then I kept going by myself, AND then a started producing music, which of course divided my priorities, making me into a bass player as well and having to sacrifice instrument technique for composition, production and sound engineering learning. Why should I feel intimidated, 10 years gap of experience and I haven't even focused strictly on the instrument on my 5 years of experience. Behind pretty there is a lot lot of ugly that had to be removed and replaced with time. We gotta think about others context. I have many many responsabilities and different passions and I would loveee to play like Jason Richardson, But Jason is probably playing 7 hours a day, or if he is not, he started playing since he was 5 or something.
Guitar is supposed to be fun. I could be wrong. Nobody will get discouraged watching my guitar videos.
If you're getting depressed watching other guitar players, the instrument isn't for you. Every single player has dedicated maximum hours of their lives to get where they are, the instrument owes you nothing. You either change your mindset and knuckle down and get serious or you dont.
The other day... I logged in on instagram after months of not using it for something I don't remember, and I saw a lot of people doing epic solos, riffs, melodies and etcetera... And I LOVED IT, styed for like an hour listening to beasts, inspired me a lot
Today I played the guitar for like 5 hours XD and at the end I was testing my solo of Ascend, and I almost got it, that brought me a lot of joy :D
Good video. I agree wholeheartedly :)
can't remember the exact quote but I believe Tosin Abasi said something along the lines "once you get it, you forget you couldn't do it before. so try to look into that hypothetical future of yourself" which was a super helpful way of thinking when I decided I wanted to learn thumping and some Polyphia songs. still can't do either but made huge progress just by not giving up!
Everyone who doesn't understand that multiple angle videos of someone playing weren't done in one shot actually deserves to be fooled. It's all prerecorded and mixed and they're just mimicking it in the video. Could they do it in one take? Most of them yes. But it'd take a lot of time and practice, and these people need to keep posting in order to maintain your subscriptions. So don't blame them.
tbh for me i like to compare myself to very talented players
bcz i feel that helps me and make me put more hours to practice to be able to play their riffs (talking about tim henson here lol )
There’s a big missing piece of comparison of “skill”. It’s infinitely easier to play the piece if you write it. It’s infinitely more difficult to play a piece someone else wrote. Keep that in mind
Lucas Mann once said "It's so weird to me that you need to act like you suck at your instrument (even if you are good) in the metal scene to get praise. Being humble for insecure people is dumb. I am dope af at guitar." And personally I've subconsciously believed that for the whole 12 years I've been playing guitar, I don't remember a time when I've been discouraged from playing, only inspired to learn new things, learning a different song every day just because why not. Being self aware of your flaws and limits as a guitar player is key to progressing. Also great vid, definitely would love to see more of this content.
Lucas Mann speeds ups his songs lol
fake humble is not humble. the grass is always greener on the other side. and yes there is a bit of fakery
everytime someone asks me if I'm any good at the guitar I say I suck. They then proceed to say I must be really good then kmao.
@@hansmemling2311 yeah. People who are bad think they’re good because they don’t know that they could be better, and people who are good think they’re bad because they know exactly where they can improve
@@supershaw09 the quote is slightly satirical, the point is that it shouldn't matter how good someone else is what matters is you! There might be things that you can do that others cannot and vice versa. Playing in a live band will teach you that a lot of this doesn't matter, as long as you're having fun that's what it's all about.
I love this style of content. Keep it up mr man!
Remember it's not about technical skill, it's about putting together a good song.
Bro.. this reaaaaaally really touch my soul. I shared this with my friends.. Thanks a lot for this message!
The average listener, in the end, does not care about shreds, they care about groove. This is why pop music is as... Popular as it is. Think about that.
To fkn true
I don't even want to sound like them, I just want my fingers to fcking cooperate lol
I watch other guitarists like Tim, Manuel, etc to inspire myself to be like them, not to demotivate myself
At one point, guitar players should find their own voice by stopping comparing themselves to others. I say, start by copying others and then finding your own path along the way
If watching something much higher than your skill level doesnt excite you to get into it more idk man sounds like a sad excuse to be a guitaris
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It’s the same with skateboarding. Most time we only see what to most looks like an effortless kickflip down 20 stairs. What isn’t shown as often are the many many attempts, sometimes it takes days, MONTHS, maybe even years throwing your body down a huge gap just to get that one trick.