I think you're right in what you're saying Robert. New guitar players just need to play and have fun, all that other stuff will come when they're ready. Hell, I've been playing for +20 years and just recently become interested in learning sheet music and some deeper music theory. Now I can see how understanding music better can help me evolve as a musician and aid me in communication with other musicians.
Well I am still not that good on guitar but when I finished studying I planned with a friend to try to form a band. She plays piano/keyboard so I need to learn how to read sheet music because if I just throw tabs at her, well then that won't be very beneficial. It makes it easier if you speak the same language. But my brother is fine with just learning songs from tabs because he just wants to have fun, jam with a few friends or play something for them. He also doesn't need chords, scales and all the other things that might be necessary for me. So yeah don't learn all the stuff if you are not going to use it anyway. It is just wasted time in the end.
I totally agree with what you said. I wanted so bad to learn guitar when I was young and my guitar teacher had all these things he wanted me to learn first. I really wanted to learn a lead riff of some sort. Anything would have made me happy, if he would just teach me something I could recognise. I ended up quitting the lessons and that was the end of my attempt at learning guitar.
I've been teaching for 20 years and my results are far higher than my overly indoctrinated co workers who keep bashing me and get mad when I tell the the three following words..... results! Results! Results!
Nice video. I agree with your teaching method. I can't say anything i've learned has been a waste of time though. I almost quit several times, because I couldn't see progress or fervently enjoy what I as playing. A balanced teaching approach gets better results.
Bad teachers would learn more from there students if they listened. But sense they get paid to do so , they feel in-titled (literally speaking) to convince you that they are the wise. Being stuck to a career that you aren't good at or can't switch due to finical reasons is a popular thing in society and what does that do? That limits society as a whole in more ways than one , (i could list a few but lets focus on the big picture). and if we all saw this , changing it would be as quickly as turning on a light switch. I felt compelled to add this for unknown reasons.
It's too easy to blame the teacher. Teachers of children have to bend down to the world of their pupils because a child is not an adult. But you are both adults, so it's an equal relationship. If a teacher teaches you stuff you're not interested in, then you can also try to get interested in it. Discover why it's so important. He/she has more knowledge , skills and insight than you.
Because you reach a point quickly enough of realizing that lack of knowledge of scales, chord structure , and intimate knowledge of fretboard is greatly holding you back . And you then mentally kick yourself for not learning the basics first .
Honestly though, I could have a guitar god or guitar master as my teacher and have the world's best and most expensive guitar in the world and I'll still not be able to play the guitar well.
I'm 61 and started when I was 6 taking lessons using the old Mel Bay guitar books. I found them useful even though I was mainly interested in learning surf and Beatle tunes. Learning to read not only helps you learn where the notes are but how they're divided up rhythmically. Then Classical Gas came out and I bought the 45 and spent some time learning it by ear which lead to learning a lot of 70s rock by ear. Now you have videos on RUclips visually showing you how to play just about anything.
With you. I am terrible, but still devote time and money to it. Listen to all types of guitar music every day at home and at work, and go to live music venues to hear guitarists play when I can.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am a 64 year old male and I just started taking lessons, and I am just doing it for me and not to go up on stage or any of that stuff! Luckily my instructor is a young fella who does play in a band, but also just loves to play! I guess because of my age , I don’t get frustrated when I stumble, I always try to have fun with it!! Can’t play worth a hoot, but I do find it therapeutic!!
Never stop playing man, just pick the guitar even if it feels like a boring day...and strum it at least 20 minutes a day. You will see that in one week you will become so much better. CONSISTANCY rocks...and so do you!
I'm 64 too and have been playing on and off since I was 17, and still rubbish lol, but I enjoy occasionally having a strum and you never forget the chords, probably incorrectly, but all self tought. As long as you enjoy it thats fine. Well done.
paramediccpo I strongly disagree. You should feel sonically waterboarded! Every player experiences a plateau. If you don't feel like quitting, then you aren't trying hard enough!
True for theoretical physics, too! I can see how some part of the truths of learning guitar apply to grad school and why I stopped short of starting a thesis. Your soul needs fuel!
@Spicy Chicken Marsala Cucumber Salad w/ Pico Unwarranted douchy comment. Guitar is like life... Not everything you put effort into will give instant gratification. If you actually believe that you will give up long b4 you get anywhere. Grow up.
so true..initially you have to feel a sense of accomplishment when attempting anything...I'm sure this is what you mean by "reward"...my neighbour's 13 yr old daughter has had a guitar for over 3 years...and not a whole lot of time spent tying to learn...she also takes piano lessons as well, but shows little initiative learning the things her teacher is trying to have her learn... she just got a Ukulele for Christmas and after 2 weeks can play some simple songs quite well....and is actually EXCITED to play and practice...because she has a sense of accomplishment that her efforts are being rewarded. for some reason the guitar wasn't the thing for her...Being the "musician next door" the neighbour has been asking me for my advice for many years on how to get her interested in practicing etc...and in her case it comes down to "being good' at something quickly and without too much effort....something not too uncommon with people of the last couple of generations.
I agree completely. Back when I taught lessons in a music store as my primary job, I did have a curriculum handed down from the owner that I followed as a rough outline - however, I told every student (and every parent, if there was one) during the first lesson that they were the ones paying me, and if they wanted to learn any particular song or technique or whatever along the way, all they had to do was ask and we would break away and do that, even if I had to figure out a simplified version for them. The beginning chords were also taught, by default, in i-iv-v groups using real songs, and we kept a binder full of chord charts of several songs per key. We didn't keep every student who came through the door, of course, but we kept a larger percentage than I think would be considered normal. I never had a student claim that they were bored and weren't learning what they wanted. I honestly don't know why so many teachers seem to have such difficulty with being flexible for their students. Is it power-tripping? Is it a lack of imagination? Is it some misguided notion that the students need to "earn" the right to play what they want? Is it a good-old-fashioned lack of sufficient knowledge? Again, I don't know. If you have an intermediate to advanced student that has expressed a desire to take things more seriously, then by all means tighten things up for them; for most students, though, music is never going to be anything but a hobby, and hobbies should be fun.
If more music teachers had that frame of mind ( like you have ) there wouldn't be so many people quitting their lessons, They came in wanting to learn and because the teacher doesn't understand that not everybody learns the same way they will need to use their imagination to make it interesting so they can and will wanna keep learning, I stopped trying to play guitar and move to keyboard which i picked up here on youtube watching tutorials i had 3 guitars so i didn't wanna buy an expensive key-b, i picked one up at the salvation army for 5$ a 61 keys all keys worked except the lowest C key after learning 3 songs after 6 months i bought a learning "light key" ( the keys light up ) keyboard the kind of music i like to play i see the same 20 chords over and over again so i learn my chords by the song it seems like i can remember them better too now 4 years later i'm looking to buy something better, even tho you didn't teach me i like to say thank you for using your imagination and not following the same cookie cutter guideline one size fits all mentality.
Amen. No one wants to play twinkle twinkle little star. They would just like to play Pantera Walk. That's what inspires people to play. Not boring stuff.
I did the same in high school. I took the final exam and aced but only because the final song happened to be a Pink Floyd song I really liked. I nailed the rest of the exam because the tunes and work he chose was fun. He didn't get that the classroom work was boring and repetitive
I started taking guitar lessons when I was 13 and I hated it. My brother and I both had an instructor that taught classical, and there's not a better way to make someone hate guitar than trying to learn classical style first. We had to learn sheet music and classical pieces and of course, there was a recital in December. I gave up on it after that and didn't touch guitar for 10 years. Luckily for me, I discovered Justin Sandercoe's online lessons and my past year of learning has been great! Learning chords and blues patterns is a lot more enjoyable.
That's exactly what happened to me! The lessons were extremely boring having to learn classic music and reading sheets, I obviously gave up. 7 years later I picked it up again and searched RUclips tutorials of the easiest songs, like Nirvana and AC/DC stuff. It was frustrating at first but I actually loved the songs so I never lost motivation, unlike the boring stuff I was forced to learn as a kid lol I think guitar lessons should be fun and motivational, making the students learn cool and easy riffs at first and letting them pick the songs they want to learn.
I was the exact same, I think it was a mix of me not being motivated and a poor teacher (playing row row your boat was boring). It wasn't until 4 years later that my cousin's friend was absolutely chugging sad but true that I wanted to play. Teachers should really focus on finding material that students enjoy and continue to motivate and challenge them.
I am self taught and I throw down like nobody's business. I learned how to play on my own terms and have been playing for 22 years now. I still learn stuff all the time. But I think if I took lessons and was forced to learn things I wasn't interested in I would have quit and missed out on the joy it brings me whenever I play! Great advice for someone just starting out!
Self taught as well. I’d be much better if I were better regimented. Maybe lessons would help me be more regimented but I kind of like the freeness of it
As a self taught shredder of 7 years, lessons were the best thing that ever happened to me. But that's just my personal experience. And I was very, very good before them. They just shifted my direction and now I play fingerstyle because I was shown that it is less one dimensional than what I was doing before, and offered new challenges that shred would never present. But I hurt myself and can't play much anymore
I started out by inventing an alternative tuning to make movable chords easy to play. My goal was to have something that wouldn't sound too wimpy, but within a few weeks I improved it (final version G-D-d-f-g#-b) so that for most chords it sounds as good as or better than Standard Tuning while still being insanely easy to play. Ironically, I think it's given me more of an appreciation for Standard Tuning than I would have acquired otherwise, though I don't play my Standard-tuned guitar much. One of the things that makes Flat Finger Tuning easy is that it assigns the fingers of the left hands to consecutive frets. If one adapts the same principle to Standard Tuning the standard chord fingerings will make sense, but I don't generally see things taught that way. For open chords, the index finger's job is to handle the first fret, the middle finger's job is to take the second fret on the lower strings, the pinkie's job is to take the third fret on the upper strings, and the ring finger takes over second- and third-fret duties not covered by the other fingers. Assigning duties like that means there's no need for fingers to get in the way of each other during chord changes, but some chord diagrams assign more complicated duties to the first three fingers so they can omit the pinkie (which in turn simply complicates everything else).
My parents stopped hiring my tutor and I just used RUclips videos to learn how to play. I’ve been playing for over 6 years and honestly one of my favorite hobbies of all time
That's how it was when I first started playing. I was eleven and took lessons. I wanted to learn riffs/songs, but teachers were against it. Pretty soon, a friend of mine introduced me to tabs, and teachers scoffed at me for using them, as if I was breaking all the rules. Learning all that sheet music/theory at such an early age is discouraging. It's like showing a kid some legos, then saying they can't play with them until they learn all these mathematical concepts that engineers use to build the ultimate structure. You look like Cliff Burton btw.
I took guitar lessons for 1 year. My guitar teacher wanted me to learn sheet music... So in that whole year I pretty much learned nothing. I still play guitar, and I know pretty much no theory. But i'm able to learn a song just by listening to it. So now all I do is play covers, and do some improve here and there. And that's what makes me happy :)
About to hit 6 months here. I won't ever quit. Ever. Don't care if it take 15 years before I'm actually good at it. I won't quit. I made that decision before I ever bought my 1st guitar. 👍 All it took was learning and actually being able to play my first riff after a week of practicing, breaking it down into separate parts, etc...then putting it all together into something that sounded cohesive when I realized "hey, I can actually do this! F- yeah!" It was ON then! 😆😁
Weight loss is easier for some people though. I've tried a lot to learn the guitar but it only provides frustration rather than happiness or satisfaction. I can play a variety of sports decently and do outdoor activities but I cannot and absolutely cannot play an instrument. I like many others just don't have musical ability. Sure practice helps but if you don't enjoy playing it, what's the point?
I started and quit learning guitar many times over my life time. The reason my last attempt has stuck (over 3 years now) is because I had finally found a good teacher. I have learned this over and over again in life; who is teaching you matters as much as what you are being taught. My very first lesson with him he said 'by the end of this lesson (50 minutes), you will be reading music, and you will play a song'. I almost laughed at him. But that is exactly what happened. Yeah, it was only a three note, four measure song, but that was the first time in my life I had been able to read music and play it. That taste was like a little dopamine high! Everybody before had me just memorizing chords with no context.
1. “I can read music, but not enough to hurt my playin’. “ Bluegrass musician 2. Learning hurts. Burning pathways through neurons for muscle memory isn’t always easy. So, embrace frustration, because it means you’re learning something new. If you already knew it, it wouldn’t hurt. 3. Playing with other guitarists is the fastest path. Especially if you suck. 4. The only kind of discipline is self-discipline. Anything else named “discipline “ is really coercion or punishment.
"1. “I can read music, but not enough to hurt my playin’. “ Bluegrass musician" Classic dumbass. He's trying to turn his own ignorance into a virtue. No book learnin' for me, by gum! Them egghead fellers ain't so smart!
Those were wise words .. Knowing the technical is great but also can be limiting to the imagination .. Also too .. after many years of making that brain to hand connection were it becomes effortless.. I always imagine it to like being underwater .. If you 10 feet down and came up 9 feet .. You are still drowning but keep on .. when you are a 1/2 inch under water still drowning and when you come above the waves , You are like a flying fish
No need to explain yourself my friend. You've got loads of experience and what your saying is based on what you've learned over the years. People can take it or leave it. I thought your previous video was not only accurate but well done. The people with the loudest voices do not necessarily reflect the majority of people.
Learning scales is what got me going! I could figure out a riff or solo but I coundn't do much more than that. Once someone taught me a major pentatonic pattern and once I figured how to find the right position on the fretboard to be in key, I was hooked! 25 years later I just go insane going all up and down the neck when I'm freestyling to any song in a major scale! That is more than enough for me!
@@paolotorres7730 Ok, turns out they're both correct, "spelt" is generally used more in Britain, Austalia, New Zealand (my country) than in the U.S.A or Canada. My mistake.
I feel that many aspiring guitar players give up as soon as their fingers start hurting or to quote some film when one mother says to another mother "How are your son's guitar lessons going?" to which she replied "He took two lessons and didn't sound like Jimmy Page so he chucked it in". In my opinion many guitarists are lazy and want to get immediate results but in fact guitar is a complex intrument with over 8000 possible chords. I took recorder lesson with solfège from age 5-7 then cello for 20 years then picked up the guitar....I agree that too much technique can discourage students and polute the soul but you have to have some passion, will power and perserverence. Thanks for the video!!!!!--
I did the first six months of guitar with no lessons and learned as many songs as I could and learned as much about guitar as possible. I would get good and practice hours a day until I basically got bored. I wanted to create my own sounds and really get into the world of music so I took lessons. I’m learning new stuff and hoping to become a great musician some day. So through experience I would say try the first month or so on your own and discover things for yourself
Yoni Kup i’m going to be totally honest, I’ve never seen the benefit with a metronome. I can never actually use one correctly and it’s a hassle to get used to one. People have told me if I want to alternate pick quickly I need a metronome. I have never used a metronome in my life and am able to alternate pick quite well. Metronomes are not necessary, and I’m sorry, but no one can really change my mind on that.
@@wannaberabbi9302 i almost never use a metronome because i find it very tedious and not fun. What i do is take the song i want to learn and slow it down with a computer software and play with the track slowed down and slowly get it up to speed. Way more fun and works for me =) working on the tornado of souls solo and the solo of the song wait by white lion for the past few days =D
Yoni Kup heh, I’m still trying to do the Crazy Train riff well. Tornado of souls? Good luck with the fret 10 to 17 stretch my dude. I just play a riff until I can do it full speed.
I was in marching band and trumpet first chair in an orchestra so I was always playing to a metronome. When I learn guitar I always use music software that has a click and notation. If I'm doing ear training I just throw an MP3 in my DAW and set the tempo. So when I turn off the song I play to an empty tempo to hear the riff without background noise.
My dad has been playing the bass for his whole life and is very old school, when I started playing guitar he always had me learning to reading sheet music, and I just could not stand it. Now being 17 I got the freedom of practicing on my own, but he still comes in sometimes when I am playing/practicing and throws me a book and says you should be studying this.
I started when I was 13. My grandfather played, and I came up to him and asked him to teach me. He showed me G,C, & D chords and told me the rest was up to me. I've never taken a lesson, used tab rarely and this was before the proliferation of the internet, we're talking around 1988 when I started. I learned to play a lead by listening to, and playing with the bands I loved. Is it note for note? No way, but I did learn how to feel the ebb and flow of the music. Probably one of the biggest learning experiences in my life was actually playing with a band. There is so much there that can't be learned in a classroom, and always try to play with people better than you are because they will push you to be better
I didn't bother with scales or theory until I had been playing guitar for about 5 years. By then, I WANTED to learn scales and theory. People should start learning how to play their favorite riffs, and to teach their hands how to play the guitar before they teach their brains.
Agreed. My initial guitar lessons, back in 1968, were not a lot of help. A cheap steel strung acoustic with a half inch action didn't help either. 😉 After continuing self taught I found myself in bands, getting paid, getting on TV and doing all right. I picked up bits of theory here and there, including I must admit some misunderstandings. A long time later, maybe 20 years after I started, I did pick up some formal theory and a couple of basic qualifications. Now I was glad of that later learning because it cleared up the missing bits in my understanding of music theory and structure. My reading is still pretty pedestrian though ... But all that fancy stuff was in no way essential in becoming a player.
For me, it was learning songs I liked and wanted to learn, just like you said. Randy Rhoads was one of the two or three guys that got me seriously interested in getting a guitar and I knew how he had a very in depth knowledge of modes and theory, so I started to learn about scales and and basic theory. It didn't make a lot of sense at first, but once you start to recognize it in some of the songs you already know, it kind of helps to start making it make some kind of sense. I feel if someones starts learning and like you said gets some encouraging results early on, they'll naturally want to take it to the next level. Everyone moves at their own pace.
I moved several times in the last year and a half, leaving stuff behind and selling my guitar at the time to help with expenses. Finally bought a guitar again and it feels great to have music at my fingertips anytime I want. I feel music in my head again, I'm not great but I love the means of expression it offers
I couldn't agree with this more! I personally wish I had learned more technical things from the start, but that's just because of the kind of player and music I want to be/create. However, everyone is going to be different, and I hate this common mentality that you have to be good/want to be good. There's absolutely nothing bad about being a simple player, or not being great or knowledgeable about music. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is: are you enjoying it? I LOVE playing music. I'm far from great, but I just have so much fun when I'm playing, that's all that matters to me for the most part. On top of that, there are TONS of my favorite riffs of all time that are totally simple to play because it just fucking kicks ass and sounds fantastic and feels great to play. Amazing riffs come in all speeds and technicalities. Just have fun and love what you're doing. On a shitty day, you pick up your instrument or put on your favorite songs and you know what you listen to? Shit you love! You're not going to practice/listen to scales to cheer you up!
i learned playing guitar when i was 11 now im 25, i started learning my favourite songs, it was really hard at the beggining, much more than i expected it to be, but the feeling you get once you can hear your favorite songs being played by yourself, thats worth every single second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year i`ve spend to get to this point. Dont give up guys learning how to play guitar is one of the best decisions i`ve ever done, go ahead and take your first step.
Couldn't agree more. since I was 6 years old I wanted to play guitar due to being exposed to guitar hero and absolutely loving it and wanting to be able to play welcome to the jungle by guns n roses more than anything. finally, when I was 10 my parents finally got me into guitar lessons and my teacher insisted on me playing and learning music theory, sight reading and scales, and as a 10 year old kid that just wants to learn power chords it was incredibly discouraging. I have a vivid memory of actually crying when coming to a guitar lesson (which was my last lesson with that teacher luckily) after that day I told my parents that I don't want to play guitar anymore and that that teacher is not teaching me what I want to play. luckily when I was 12 I was re-inspired to pick up the guitar again and went to look for a new guitar teacher and found an amazing one that I still go to today (i'm 17 and half) and I can happily say that I can play welcome to the jungle (and much harder songs =D )just as my 6 year old guitar hero playing me wanted to, but just as I picked up I could just as easily have not and I would have been added to the percentage of people that quit guitar.
Same dude! When I was 6 I saw guitar hero in the store for the first time and I got to play it. Then I cried because my parents didn't buy it. Lol. But I actually got it for Christmas that year. I got the drums and the guitar. I destroyed the drums tho. Apparently you can't hit them as hard as you want. But I remember playing the guitar hero version of the devil went down to Georgia and that's when I started to like guitar. But damn... I have been playing for years and I still can't play it in real life. I never got discouraged tho Because I don't have a teacher. Haha
I wanted to first play the guitar when I was 18, after two years of having a guitar I’m finally learning how to play it. It would be nice to have a teacher but teaching myself how to play is fine too right?
@@killercameo2091 yes of course. there are some amazing teachers online aswell. but there are some things that i would reccomend getting down early on and its left hand and right hand muting. try playing all 6 strings but have only 1 note come out. its really hard in the beggining but damn is it woth it =) this might help: ruclips.net/video/-71rHPQC96g/видео.html
i work in a music store......last year one of my customers came in and asked to put a guitar on consignment....he bought it some months earlier for his son who in his teens was very proficient at guitar hero...he thought it might be a good idea to buy him a "real" guitar...and didn't make the mistake of buying a piece of crap...he shelled out nearly a grand on a Gibson "lower end" SG...imagining that his son would be inspired and learn to play guitar for real. after 3 or 4 days with the instrument he went back to excelling at guitar hero and never touched the guitar again saying it was too much trouble, too hard, and he was no good at it. ..3 DAYS! absolutely NO patience or desire for anything other than instant gratification! no attention span or desire to work at developing the required skills...nope can't do it right outta the box...no good....not interested in investing any time. just no good at it. THAT is 90% of the problem with the "newer generation of wanna be players" they can't be bothered because it takes some EFFORT to get good at something...so dad decided to sell it rather that watch it collect dust after a couple of months waiting and hoping that MAYBE his son might have a change of heart. blame the education system...where else can you get a gold star or a trophy/ribbon as a reward for simply participating and being on the lowest rung of the ladder in your class? no real effort required, but you WILL graduate anyway regardless of whether or not you can do basic math at 17...never mind read/write or know the capital of New York. Thankfully not everyone falls into this category, but there are huge numbers of people who have no attention span for ANYTHING these days and just can't seem to learn ANYTHING that is put in front of them on any level.....hard to understand why...flouride in the water? chemicals in processed foods? something is wrong...?
I’ll admit while I still enjoy watching others, I quit guitar with 14 years of experience under my belt. It was sadly something I kinda fell out of love with and felt I had hit my limits with it along with monetary reasons. Sometimes I wanna gonna go back to it but for the most part I feel it’s something I’m kind of leaving in the past.
Amen brother....the one thing people who agree with you will have in common is that they have likely done all of the traditional syllabus style theory and performance exams. While I deeply value my formal education and the grounding it gives me I know its not necessary for people who want to play rock and pop (i.e. 99% of learners) and I would have definitely quit if I didn't constantly go dig out a new beatles songbook from the library or buy the motley crue tab books to rock on my own along the way.
Yes but unlike kids back then you have better access to all the music from back then and a better selection of cheap quality instruments. I was born in 95 and inspired to play from all the old stuff, so it's no excuse really.
I just did my first proper guitar lesson yesterday. I have tried many times over the years to learn by myself but decided to get some proper tuition. I enjoyed the lesson and felt good afterwards but as this guy just said there was a big emphasis on learning scales. This was so out of my depth and understanding that i am just at a complete loss with it 😌 The day after the lesson (today) i have given up. The anxiety and scale of the task at hand is so great, added to the sadness that i can’t understand something at all that i now want to give up altogether...
Your fretboard decoder is awesome!!!! I watched the first 2 video and i feel like a whole new world has opend up Hahaha. How you say play the scale out of order, blow my mind, I'm having a lot of fun with it. I can find my way out of random spots and throw in parts of other scales. Cant wait for the other videos. Also i can related to this video and your last one.
Robert, I agree whole heartedly with everything you said. I've learned more things about guitar playing and technique from studying on my own than from any teacher who tried to make me learn music theory, scales, chords or note reading from a book. Now, I do know how to read music, but I don't do that with guitar; I simply don't have the patience to do that and really haven't had a reason for it. You enjoy playing and learn faster when you get quick results like learning a riff, lick, solo or song quickly. 😊👍👍🎸🎶
I’ve been playing guitar for 6 years now. I can play almost every slash song but cannot read notes. My teacher knows I hate reading notes so he teaches me to play songs and improving.
Reading notes is pretty hard. It's why a lot use guitar tabs. But being able to read sheet music distinguishes you as elite. But unless you're going pro. Not sure you need it.
Great video dude, I think you're right. When my dad gave me my first guitar he taught me some chords, how to strum and said have fun. Imo teaching yourself is the best way to learn, or to have someone guide you more or less. Plus, a lot of the times you can tell when someone is playing whether it's learned talent or natural talent. Some guys can shred at 1000 miles an hour, sweep picking, doing crazy crap, but they lack feeling and emotion (which, to me, is what music is all about).
I've been playing for about 20 years, but admit I've hardly played in the past several years. Why? A few reasons: My skills plateaued many years ago, I live in an apartment with paper thin walls, don't really have someone else to riff with and play with much, can't use half the equipment I own, etc
I hit some of those plateaues you talked about. I came to the conclution that I have to take drugs to get to the next level. It was like a threat to my inner spirit. Something hit me I have been climbing up ever since. Never took a drug. I cannot explain what happened. Maybe it will come to me in the future. I am finally at the fluid level of playing.
I'm with ya! The only reason I began learning guitar was so I could play the songs, period. That was 41 years ago and it's basically the same. What a ride it's been and it continues.
I'm a Highschool student and a friend of mine and I started a class at school to teach people guitar, we tried the traditional teaching approach and lost a student in the process. After we introduced some resources like RUclips, online tabs or apps like fender play, they began to create something themselves and only come to us for minor questions. It's so relieving to not teach the traditional stuff, since we are both self taught. I think this was a very helpful video and very encouraging. Thanks man
Usually after I say that I play guitar, people tell me that they used to play the guitar when they were younger, but they stopped playing because it hurt their fingers too much!
Exactly, learn as you go. I didn’t just sit down and learn bar chords or fingerpicking overnight as a skill. It developed based off the desire to want to learn certain songs and techniques and sculpted overtime. I learned little by little and each song I learned taught me someone new about eh fretboard, etc. Until subconsciously I taught myself through observation.
Use to listen to Rap(my faves Bone Thugs and Harmony) But there's nothing like the sound of electric Metal vibrating thru the air.Blues Guitar /Blues Rock is the Brst
Really well thought out follow-up video! It was entertaining reading some of the comments on the last video and seeing the seething anger you inspired by some (maybe?) well intentioned players who didn't quite see where you were going with the video. I can't imagine a scenario where a young child wants to plant a flower in a garden, but we tell them they can't until they learn everything about botany, and horticulture including Latin names, classifications, soil composition, photosynthesis, etc, etc, etc. And yet so often, in so many situations we do this to new students of many instruments! It's crazy! The best teachers, coaches and mentors are the ones who let the child (or any new student) plant a flower and just guide them through simple(and amazing!) discovery, and gradually help stoke the flames of passion into the incredible mind-bending awesomeness that is music (or horticulture)! That was a ramble, but short story long, this video hit some excellent points that I hope ripple through our community to the gate keepers of guitar nirvana.
It’s better to play guitar have fun with it for about half a year to a year till you decide that you are ready to go through the music theory behind it and all the sheet music.
This is interesting because I can relate it to my own experience. I'm 64 and started learning 3 years ago. I started lessons full of good intentions to become a rock guitarist and prepared to do the boring stuff if that's what had to be done. I told my tutor that I had tried playing guitar in my younger days but had struggled to play chords because I have small hands. My tutor's first question was: "What kind of music are you interested in?" So he started teaching me to play songs by the bands that I liked listening to. He also spent some time during each lesson on pentatonic scales but without any pressure. Meanwhile friends were telling me I should be learning chords because 'you can't play guitar if you can't play chords'. I asked my tutor about it and he said if he'd gone down the road of teaching me to strum and play chords I would have lasted 3 months at most and then got bored. Three years later I still struggle to play chords but I can knock out a few rock solos and riffs and enjoy what I'm doing. (not sure if the neighbours do) I know I'm never going to play lead guitar in a band but when I'm banging out those riffs I don't care. In my head I'm Angus Young or Jimmy Paige. Learning a new riff or finally nailing a part of a solo that I've struggled with gives me the buzz to keep playing. I keep reminding myself it's a journey not a destination.
Yep my guitar teacher made me learn shitty Christmas songs and chords so I quit. Tried playing a song from my favorite band a few years later and I was hooked.
i started playing like around 11 or 12 but sadly when i hit 30, i quit playing, sigh heartbreak and cocaine, stay away from cocaine! at any rate 20 more years went by and when my love died i started to play again in fact i even have a YT channel of me doing so, but i agree with what Robert is saying in his video
The real reason is because modern "rock bands" only have the aesthetic of a rock band but without any of the expression. Yeah, you'll hear the guitars but you won't FEEL them play. You won't hear any guitar solos, just easy, uninspiring riffs. So without any contemporary examples to be inspired by, it's not surprising people have given up the guitar. Plus, all your casual guitar playing friends end up playing the same 4-6 songs at open mics anyway, so fuck it.
I used to want to play the saxaphone in 6th grade becuase It was a norm to play an instrument of some sort in my family , basicly she stuck me in clarinet , I hated it , never practiced and my teacher ruined music for me , my clarinet kept breaking too and I overall lost hope . Eventually I quit and never touched an instrument for the next 4 year as I had quit in 7th grade. I grew a passion for Piano though , and self taught myself but made sure I had implemented discipline but not too much to where it was a burden to play the piano , I played songs and eventually got into the scales and music theory as I grew more of a passion as it opened a door to new opportunities I didn’t know of when I started , overall take the message that you need to pace yourself , not force it , learn as you go , and most importantly have fun. So yes I completely agree with Robert as I had the same experience when I was younger.
I remember, when I saved enough lunch money to buy a guitar, my dad managed to convince me to buy an acustic guitar and not the one I wanted, and then I coldent start learning my favourite songs right away and I just quit. But now I think I wana get back on the acusric action! I'm soo pumped dude, I just need to get my guitar from home !
People quit because they can't just enjoy a hobby without trying to be like someone else, as good as someone else, and constantly comparing themselves to top guitarists. They also quit because they can't just enjoy a hobby regardless of accolades, recognition and fame and fortune, they try hard instead of just enjoy and progress at their own enjoyable speed.
I was going to write the same thing. I was a "living room" guitarist for 10 yrs. Never thought I would play on stage because I wasn't even close to what was on records. My high school dance band was Santana at Mission High in SF. Talk about intimidating. When I moved to Santa Cruz I heard so many bad bands playing and people dancing to them. That's when I realized hell I could do that. And I did. There's such a thing as "blue collar bands". So, good point Bud.
@@danieltrickey9285 Santana! WOW! are you guys some kind of an Elite? or did he lower his standard to play in a school dance? :-P [PS: i know it is true]
@@indyjones1173 Santana was a student when I was going there. They called themselves The Santana Blues Band. He was 2 years ahead of me. He was class of '66 and I was class of '68.
I played guitar for years before I learned scales I learned lots of songs. Then I got stuck and wasn’t progressing much. I started learning scales and played around with them and I got a lot better. Teachers have to know how to adapt to each student. I get people started with a basic 5th and jam on that to get a sense of timing and let them go from there. If they want to learn a song or chords whatever. But there is such a thing as showing someone the ropes.
I was taught by my dad and for the first few years he told me to just play what makes me happy even if it sounds bad and I got addicted to playing. I know I tortured my parents ears for hours but after I had plenty of time messing around I was hooked and ready to learn my cowboy chords and scales but I started with Metallica riffs and I'm always grateful for my dad for letting me take my own path instead of forcing me to learn certain things and that's prolly why I'm still playing today.
I agree with every one of your points in this video. The main ingredient to playing guitar (or any instrument) IS inspiration & it's something that just can't come by being forced. I'm currently self studying guitar & in nearly two months I've learned to play a few simple riffs, but omg, it's literally the best feeling in the world. Thank you so much for this video, it's inspired me to play even more.
Good point. Guitar was god in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Everyone played. The music industry has killed that. Notice that when Reagan in the 80's came into power everything slowly became sh.....
Been teaching myself guitar for 2 years now. Started on classical, moved up to fingerstyle covers, then power chords like rock songs, followed by chords and now singing with chords. Love every second of it. Over the past year I've started studying notes, I can now read notes on piano (guitar was too difficult). Seeing how Mark Knofler effortly walks across the fret board and improvise every version of Sultans of swing, made me study scales and keys etc. I nowhere near see myself as a good player in any way, but I love how it makes me happy. Keep playing!
80% of guitarists are not musicians but 100% think they are . Just like everyone thinks they are good drivers . I played for 15 years and gave it up for 3 years because there is more to life than playing in bedrooms and rehearsals with the band and going nowhere gigs. I know guys that have played in bands for 40 years and can only play first position chords . I always thought people were crazy to give up but after 15 years I had 20 guitars gibson and fender mostly custom, 5 amps, 30 pedals and the list goes . I loved playing so much I could never see myself giving up. It was a huge decision to sell it all and go traveling but the right one. Don't let it consume you , there is more to life than playing guitar but have you're fun while you are playing , once it becomes who you are and not what you're doing it's time to take a long break and see if it's something you still want to do later. People give up for hundreds of different reasons . Life is the biggest one .
Grounded post. Probably the answer to why *most* people who give up guitar do lies in the question why did they take up guitar in the first place. The real underlying reason. If the reality doesn't meet the expectation and result in rewarding them with the tangible benefit they were seeking, they will quit. Especially in high school years, IME a lot of kids take it up for peer approval or image association rather than any genuine desire to play guitar, especially putting in the effort of the hard yards learning. Then there's just life which gets in the way as career, and or family take precedence for the majority who aren't making musicianship or guitar their job. Today it's never been easier to learn, but it wasn't always so.
Quiting seems was good decision for you. I'm 64, been playing over 50 years. Was passionate about playing when I was 10, even more so now. I'm good. How good doesn't matter - I've played bands, churches, jam for charity and fun, and for myself at home. Can't imagine voluntarily quitting till I die. That's just me...
Interesting. I'm 68 and still play on stage at my local casino once a month with my wife. We play 50's, 60's songs and never get tired of it. I got hooked when we got our first standing ovation. Been addicted since. Don't care what song I play, just want the crowd to have fun. So rewarding.
Dude that is exactly what happened to me. As a kid I wanted to learn to play. Folks got me an acoustic and put me in lessons just like you said. I wanted to play rock songs. I gave up. When I was about 17 I bought a bass and friends showed me a couple of east rock songs and I was hooked. People want instant gratification . I tell people it is as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. Learning scales and the other stuff will come along much easier with time as the interest is cultivated. I am 53 years old. My brother is 55. I have been teaching him easy things to get him excited and give him hope that he can do it. Awesome video!!!
Sounds just like what I think when trying to learn something. If something does not really interest me at a given time, there's no motivation to learn or practice it. But as soon as I feel a personal need to learn that very same thing, my brain turns into a sponge for information.
I totally get where you're coming from, however if you want to be good shouldn't you learn the fundamentals? I always wanted to play stairway to heaven, I learned I needed to understand the instrument and so much more before that could occur, some teachers don't how to keep it simple for newbies, maybe thats what scares some away. There is nothing worse than a buzzkill teacher.
I guess it depends on what people are looking for when picking up the guitar. Do you want be able to play some basic tunes to entertain your friends and do something fun on a rainy afternoon or you want to be able to play your favourite tunes while understanding the theory or you want to play your favourites and know theory and compose song as well etc etc? I've started to play bass 4 years ago, what I wanted to do is to learn Black Sabbath, Queen and Iron Maiden songs. I did nothing else in the beginning but just basic exercises I've seen on youtube how to strengthen your fingers, how to be quicker and then downloaded the tabs to play them. After a while I managed to play for example N.I.B not great but okay I mean I was happy how far I've gotten. While learning to play these songs I've started to listen to music in a different way, more 'deep' if I can say this and realised that I've been missing big chunks from the songs from like Led Zeppelin, I never really listen to Bonzo's drums properly but now I hear more notes, the small nuances that makes his playing amazing or if you ever heard the band Elder, I really felt in love with them, the music is complex and I got to the point I learnt to enjoy it. Or the good old Genesis with Peter Gabriel and even classical music, I always loved music but know I enjoy it on a totally different level, with more understanding what's going on in a song. Recently I picked up the 6 string as well and soon getting a piano. I'm in my 30's so probably I won't be the next Pastorius or Ray Vaughan but letting the 'expectations' go and start to play just for fun paved the way for me wanting to learn more about music. I was in my teens when I wanted to learn guitar because of RHCP's Californication and Scar Tissue. I got an acoustic guitar and I've got told to learn theory first and go to a proper music school to learn the piano and recorder in order to have good foundations. This is understandable in a way but that time nothing else interested me just to learn to play that two songs. My parents did not force me to attend music school for this but the system tried because this was the 'proper way' to learn about music. As you see I haven't picked up an instrument for 20 years after this. I guess music education is super important and should be part of the curriculum in schools but there is difference why people want to learn, why parents want their kids to learn. Is it for the kid to have fun or to gain proper classical education? And as an adult learner do you want to compose songs and start a band beside your work and family life or just want to find a new hobby, or have fun?
Henry Freeman I took the opposite aproach learnt songs that were beyond my skill level and worked out what I needed to do to get to that level section by section. Gradually I developed the skills to play that song I was learning. Now years later I am devoting time to scales and theory.
I started learning to play guitar in the summer of 1967. Almost 52 years later, I'm still learning. I can play the hell out of what I know, but I have more to learn. In the process, I've taught a few here and there. You have put voice to what I learned and practiced in teaching, many years ago. IMHO, you are 100% spot on. If the student can go home the first day knowing even a small part of a song he/she wants to play, they will be all the more fired up for lesson 2. Peace
Because it’s an art and craft. Because it takes patience, persistence, and perseverance.... qualities all in short supply with today’s ADHD population of screen addicts. The guitar teaches something about you. The guitar calls you. The guitar is a reflection of yourself, your mind, your thoughts, your essence, your energy.
I agree. As does all musical instruments. It is amazing how different people sound on the same instrument. I don't think anybody "masters" their instrument. That's the beauty of it.
As a teacher for more than 30 years I cant tell you that is the wrong way. Forcing things upon students is necessary otherwise we have even more idiots who think they can play when they actually can not. The proplem is not the forced material, the problem is the attitude of the student!
Maybe asking the student what their goals are would be a good starting point. Do the they want to learn to play Dylan's accoustic Watchtower or the Hendrix version? Both are valid goals, keep in mind this is NOT a livelihood for most people but a pastime or a hobby. I also think the teacher needs to throw the dog a bone as a reward so to speak but there is certainly nothing wrong with raising the bar as long as it's attainable, not overwhelming.
That’s totally, true speaking of my humble experience so far. I just started 5 months ago and for me I wanted to read music and be able to see how the music is translated on paper or vise versa but again it is was of an interest. Scales on the other hand, and I know that some ppl won’t share my opinion, but in the beginning they felt like a dead beat to me. I found my inspiration, I Love a lot of bands but I have one that I love the most, ghost. Started learning some riffs and I do love the instrument way more than before and actually now I started to improvise a bit. At this point I realized that I learning scales would definitely help me be more creative. The point is, nothing is not important to learn, those things will fall in place eventually but in a different order IMHO. Great video man. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
So very true Robert. I am 60 & only got serious about guitar 4 years ago. I focused on what I enjoyed learning and have made much progress, the guitar is becoming huge fun to me. I love classic rock & can now play my fav songs. :)
right on. the first thing I ever learned on guitar was the opening power chord riff to rock you like a hurricane. from the beginning, guitar was always about being creative for me. so after learning those five power chords I used them to make up my own stuff. learning songs and techniques or licks and solos is great. but whatever it is i have to be creative with what i'm learning. if not for being creative i'd really have no reason to play guitar. as for teaching and what to teach - you nailed it. you really need to understand the needs and wants of the consumer - the student. what's great is if a student says i want to learn x, y and z and you can then teach that while also showing how it relates to those things like scales and chords - the stuff some find boring. i think once the students tastes the success of hearing the familiar sound of a favorite song coming from their fingers and then a teacher showing how it relates to the technical or boring aspect of learning guitar it suddenly won't seem so boring and will become a part of their passion. well, at least that's how it worked for me.
Best video ever! I went to 3 different music teachers between the age of 6 and 8 or 9 years old.... I wanted to learn songs but was forced to learn notes and chords very similar to your story.... I started to learn by myself at home playing along with songs.... After I put my first EP out, I decided that my lead playing was pretty bland and spent time thinking about how I was going to improve it without going down the same road I went down when i was a kid.... I decided that I needed to choose a very specific style and influence....something that would get me excited about learning... I found Tony Fuentes on RUclips in 2016 and improved my lead playing dramatically just by watching him and trying to copy him. I have also spent a lot of time watching George Lynch and also started my own guitar journey here on RUclips. Thank you for the great videos Robert! \m/
Robert. I taught myself basically , been playing for 15 years and i get lost in the creativity and no band to formulate these works into art. You're a good teacher it seems like , wish you the best. Play for the love of playing , that's an outlook words fall short in grasping.
@Robert Baker I agree with this video wholeheartedly. I taught my son to play guitar when he was 8. The first few months were just chord exercises (D-A7, E-B7, C-G7, etc.). He got SO bored SO fast... One day we were sitting home listening to the radio, and Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" came on. It was his favorite song from his favorite band at the time. I told him that he already knew all those chords and told him to go get his guitar. We sat down and a few minutes later he was playing the whole song. That was the defining moment for him: It wasn't just boring practice routines, it was him making music. While I still think it's critical to learn to read music, scales, modes, and all that, beginning guitarists usually just want to play the music they love. And playing the music they love makes them love playing (It was the same with me as a kid listening to Rush and Sabbath). Once you love playing, then the other parts just fall into place.
I really appreciate what you're doing. I put my guitar away in 92ish. I wasn't very good but I could get by. I started playing again for therapy. I still have my Kramer focus 6000, so I knocked the dust off of it and cleaned it up. It still sounds great. There's so much I have to relearn and with your help I'm getting there. It's amazing how much you have taught me. I just wanted to say Thank You !!
Thanks for your insight. I'm a late beginner to guitar (40s); acoustic guitar...really itching to buy an electric, can't decide between Gibson LP or Fender Strat. Learning to play guitar has been on my bucket list since I was a child. Always been massive music fan. Been playing for 4 months now and I love that it is hard and different. I'm also a teacher, you nailed it about learning at least parts of songs you enjoy. Small victories along the way, inspire a new learner to crave more.
This is 100% true . I learned Songs at first and i was inspired to the point where i was playing 2-3 hours a day in my first year of learning. I think the most important thing to add is that if you go back later on and learn a lot of the less inspiring stuff, its never to late to learn as i went back and did just this since i figured it may be something i want to know. Super great advice i think a lot of people need to hear. Great video !
Excellent, Excellent advice. I almost quit playing after taking lessons. I stopped after about six lesson and the joy of just learning some songs, on my own, that I liked brought me back to enjoying the guitar again and I continue to play after 14 years.
Best tutorial ever. Start with what inspires - the student will naturally want to eventually know the whats and whys - or not. Everyone self taught does this, we learn songs - then when we finally learn _what_ we're playing it just blows the mind. Makes you hungry for more theory.
I was a stringed instrument teacher too and I really agree with what you said. It’s all about about keep them interested and keeping them inspired. Great little tidbit. Homie. 😎
Excellent, inspirational video, and as an older beginner myself what the author of this video is stating really struck a chord with me (no pun intended). I’m 50, and I have to confess that I had tried to take up the guitar when I was much younger, but I made the mistake of trying to learn too fast, which leads to frustration, and of course, giving up. In February 2016, I took up the guitar again as an older beginner (I was 47), but this time I succeeded (I’m not boasting here as I’m only a rhythm guitar player of very modest ability), because I found an excellent on line guitar teacher on RUclips who gave simple, easy to follow tutorials on how to play the rhythm or Malcolm Young part of well over 40 AC/DC songs. Accordingly, I downloaded all of his lessons and from other guitarists on RUclips , and now I can play (not great, but recognisable), over 80, mostly AC/DC songs, I can also play a bit of Airbourne and a few others. So yes, I think the key to succeeding at learning guitar, is to ask yourself, what kind of music do you want to play?, then find a good teacher who is easy to follow (unless you’re self taught), who doesn’t bog you down with too much technical stuff. The guitar is a difficult instrument to play well, but if you put in the work in, and practice effectively, it can also be very rewarding.
Robert, you are soooo correct! I feel like that stuff will come later and in time. People need time to make sure it’s what they really want to do and that it’s not just a phase... and then if they do, they slowly start to WANT to learn those dreaded things they didn’t in the beginning... (ok, not ALL of the dreaded things... but the more practical stuff anyway). I love the way you think and teach!
Robert it's not only about guitar. Many people who plays for years like me (40 years) quit the music performance in 2008 and later. There is the reason for that, but it's to complicated to describe the reason in few lines.
I agree 100% with what you just reported !! I am 43 years old and only now have I found a teacher who understood my needs and I will tell you, it made all the difference !! Keep rocking !!
I'm approaching 50 and preparing to buy my first guitar. Your channel has been extremely helpful and approachable. Teaching and learning the sciences is much the same as you describe here. The most progressive schools and universities are going "back" to the Socratic method, which is how you describe your teaching style. You must first find, or have, the interest level, then break it down as to how and why it works. It makes science so much fun and I think this will make music fun for me to learn. Like you mentioned that life is too short for the stuff you don't need to know. It's true in most subject areas. Keep up the great videos!
I’ve been trained as a vocalist my whole life. I can hear a song for the first time, and sing it pretty accurately no problem. I just started learning to play guitar, and the most frustrating thing for me is to not be able to accurately play what I’m listening to yet. The thing that’s keeping me going, is learning my favorite songs. I would get so bored otherwise.
Here's the other video talking about things you don't need to learn , but are totally helpful if you do learn them :)
goo.gl/tKyrvR
I think you're right in what you're saying Robert. New guitar players just need to play and have fun, all that other stuff will come when they're ready. Hell, I've been playing for +20 years and just recently become interested in learning sheet music and some deeper music theory. Now I can see how understanding music better can help me evolve as a musician and aid me in communication with other musicians.
Well I am still not that good on guitar but when I finished studying I planned with a friend to try to form a band. She plays piano/keyboard so I need to learn how to read sheet music because if I just throw tabs at her, well then that won't be very beneficial. It makes it easier if you speak the same language. But my brother is fine with just learning songs from tabs because he just wants to have fun, jam with a few friends or play something for them. He also doesn't need chords, scales and all the other things that might be necessary for me. So yeah don't learn all the stuff if you are not going to use it anyway. It is just wasted time in the end.
I totally agree with what you said. I wanted so bad to learn guitar when I was young and my guitar teacher had all these things he wanted me to learn first. I really wanted to learn a lead riff of some sort. Anything would have made me happy, if he would just teach me something I could recognise.
I ended up quitting the lessons and that was the end of my attempt at learning guitar.
I've been teaching for 20 years and my results are far higher than my overly indoctrinated co workers who keep bashing me and get mad when I tell the the three following words..... results! Results! Results!
Nice video. I agree with your teaching method. I can't say anything i've learned has been a waste of time though. I almost quit several times, because I couldn't see progress or fervently enjoy what I as playing. A balanced teaching approach gets better results.
There's nothing worse than a bad teacher to kill your inspiration, but nothing better than a good one to inspire you.
Bad teachers would learn more from there students if they listened. But sense they get paid to do so , they feel in-titled (literally speaking) to convince you that they are the wise. Being stuck to a career that you aren't good at or can't switch due to finical reasons is a popular thing in society and what does that do? That limits society as a whole in more ways than one , (i could list a few but lets focus on the big picture). and if we all saw this , changing it would be as quickly as turning on a light switch. I felt compelled to add this for unknown reasons.
It's too easy to blame the teacher. Teachers of children have to bend down to the world of their pupils because a child is not an adult. But you are both adults, so it's an equal relationship. If a teacher teaches you stuff you're not interested in, then you can also try to get interested in it. Discover why it's so important. He/she has more knowledge , skills and insight than you.
@@joere-uploader5766 What's the point in that?
Because you reach a point quickly enough of realizing that lack of knowledge of scales, chord structure , and intimate knowledge of fretboard is greatly holding you back .
And you then mentally kick yourself for not learning the basics first .
Honestly though, I could have a guitar god or guitar master as my teacher and have the world's best and most expensive guitar in the world and I'll still not be able to play the guitar well.
I've had a guitar next to me since I was 8.
55 now, and it doesn't matter if I'm good or not. I love the instrument
Hell yeah!
I've been playing for 38years I love it ,but don't have the fire anymore,.
I'm 61 and started when I was 6 taking lessons using the old Mel Bay guitar books. I found them useful even though I was mainly interested in learning surf and Beatle tunes. Learning to read not only helps you learn where the notes are but how they're divided up rhythmically. Then Classical Gas came out and I bought the 45 and spent some time learning it by ear which lead to learning a lot of 70s rock by ear. Now you have videos on RUclips visually showing you how to play just about anything.
@euclon1 I played semi pro for decades, but just grew weary.
With you. I am terrible, but still devote time and money to it. Listen to all types of guitar music every day at home and at work, and go to live music venues to hear guitarists play when I can.
I quit playing guitar every day, before I go to bed. Then I start again the next day. 😀👍🎸😋
@Max Campo yes. wrong.
@Max Campo you ok? you sound angry about my comment that had nothing to do with you and that you replied to. ok?
@@landonbailey it was funny...
Lando27Music he doesnt have an interesting life apparently
@Max Campo I thought his comment was pretty funny.
That's so sad.
Alexa play eruption
hahaha
LMAAAOOO
Can i use this? HAHAHA
Lol
DES... PA... CITO... oh, you mean...? Right!
100% common sense every word buddy. Great advice. 👍
Thanks my dude. Also love your channel man
@@RobertBakerGuitar thanks bro that's made my day! 👍😁
of course man long time subscriber and fan :)
@@RobertBakerGuitar wow! Blown away! Likewise brother. Love your channel and amazing talent. Maybe hook up sometime? If you have time dude. 👍😁
for sure man that would be great :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am a 64 year old male and I just started taking lessons, and I am just doing it for me and not to go up on stage or any of that stuff! Luckily my instructor is a young fella who does play in a band, but also just loves to play! I guess because of my age , I don’t get frustrated when I stumble, I always try to have fun with it!! Can’t play worth a hoot, but I do find it therapeutic!!
Rock on man \m/
You’ll get there man give it some time and keep making sounds that you think sound good on the guitar
Never stop playing man, just pick the guitar even if it feels like a boring day...and strum it at least 20 minutes a day. You will see that in one week you will become so much better. CONSISTANCY rocks...and so do you!
I'm 64 too and have been playing on and off since I was 17, and still rubbish lol, but I enjoy occasionally having a strum and you never forget the chords, probably incorrectly, but all self tought. As long as you enjoy it thats fine. Well done.
I'm 55 and it took me over a year to be able to chord a few but I'm starting to enjoy it more now.
Guitar has to be rewarding- if you don’t feel rewarded you won’t learn
paramediccpo I strongly disagree. You should feel sonically waterboarded! Every player experiences a plateau. If you don't feel like quitting, then you aren't trying hard enough!
True for theoretical physics, too! I can see how some part of the truths of learning guitar apply to grad school and why I stopped short of starting a thesis. Your soul needs fuel!
@Spicy Chicken Marsala Cucumber Salad w/ Pico Unwarranted douchy comment. Guitar is like life... Not everything you put effort into will give instant gratification. If you actually believe that you will give up long b4 you get anywhere. Grow up.
@Spicy Chicken Marsala Cucumber Salad w/ Pico You're talking shit to the person who's stating a fact you dolt.
so true..initially you have to feel a sense of accomplishment when attempting anything...I'm sure this is what you mean by "reward"...my neighbour's 13 yr old daughter has had a guitar for over 3 years...and not a whole lot of time spent tying to learn...she also takes piano lessons as well, but shows little initiative learning the things her teacher is trying to have her learn... she just got a Ukulele for Christmas and after 2 weeks can play some simple songs quite well....and is actually EXCITED to play and practice...because she has a sense of accomplishment that her efforts are being rewarded. for some reason the guitar wasn't the thing for her...Being the "musician next door" the neighbour has been asking me for my advice for many years on how to get her interested in practicing etc...and in her case it comes down to "being good' at something quickly and without too much effort....something not too uncommon with people of the last couple of generations.
I agree completely. Back when I taught lessons in a music store as my primary job, I did have a curriculum handed down from the owner that I followed as a rough outline - however, I told every student (and every parent, if there was one) during the first lesson that they were the ones paying me, and if they wanted to learn any particular song or technique or whatever along the way, all they had to do was ask and we would break away and do that, even if I had to figure out a simplified version for them. The beginning chords were also taught, by default, in i-iv-v groups using real songs, and we kept a binder full of chord charts of several songs per key. We didn't keep every student who came through the door, of course, but we kept a larger percentage than I think would be considered normal. I never had a student claim that they were bored and weren't learning what they wanted.
I honestly don't know why so many teachers seem to have such difficulty with being flexible for their students. Is it power-tripping? Is it a lack of imagination? Is it some misguided notion that the students need to "earn" the right to play what they want? Is it a good-old-fashioned lack of sufficient knowledge? Again, I don't know. If you have an intermediate to advanced student that has expressed a desire to take things more seriously, then by all means tighten things up for them; for most students, though, music is never going to be anything but a hobby, and hobbies should be fun.
If more music teachers had that frame of mind ( like you have ) there wouldn't be so many people quitting their lessons, They came in wanting to learn and because the teacher doesn't understand that not everybody learns the same way they will need to use their imagination to make it interesting so they can and will wanna keep learning, I stopped trying to play guitar and move to keyboard which i picked up here on youtube watching tutorials i had 3 guitars so i didn't wanna buy an expensive key-b, i picked one up at the salvation army for 5$ a 61 keys all keys worked except the lowest C key after learning 3 songs after 6 months i bought a learning "light key" ( the keys light up ) keyboard the kind of music i like to play i see the same 20 chords over and over again so i learn my chords by the song it seems like i can remember them better too now 4 years later i'm looking to buy something better, even tho you didn't teach me i like to say thank you for using your imagination and not following the same cookie cutter guideline one size fits all mentality.
So true Learn what YOU want to learn.
Amen. No one wants to play twinkle twinkle little star. They would just like to play Pantera Walk. That's what inspires people to play. Not boring stuff.
I took a guitar class at school and decided to not learn any of what I was supposed to and I learned what I wanted to, that was a great decision
I did the same in high school. I took the final exam and aced but only because the final song happened to be a Pink Floyd song I really liked. I nailed the rest of the exam because the tunes and work he chose was fun. He didn't get that the classroom work was boring and repetitive
I started taking guitar lessons when I was 13 and I hated it. My brother and I both had an instructor that taught classical, and there's not a better way to make someone hate guitar than trying to learn classical style first. We had to learn sheet music and classical pieces and of course, there was a recital in December. I gave up on it after that and didn't touch guitar for 10 years. Luckily for me, I discovered Justin Sandercoe's online lessons and my past year of learning has been great! Learning chords and blues patterns is a lot more enjoyable.
That's exactly what happened to me! The lessons were extremely boring having to learn classic music and reading sheets, I obviously gave up. 7 years later I picked it up again and searched RUclips tutorials of the easiest songs, like Nirvana and AC/DC stuff. It was frustrating at first but I actually loved the songs so I never lost motivation, unlike the boring stuff I was forced to learn as a kid lol
I think guitar lessons should be fun and motivational, making the students learn cool and easy riffs at first and letting them pick the songs they want to learn.
I was the exact same, I think it was a mix of me not being motivated and a poor teacher (playing row row your boat was boring). It wasn't until 4 years later that my cousin's friend was absolutely chugging sad but true that I wanted to play. Teachers should really focus on finding material that students enjoy and continue to motivate and challenge them.
@@ketz_165 now for all of you, that remote classic stuff will return helpfull
I am self taught and I throw down like nobody's business. I learned how to play on my own terms and have been playing for 22 years now. I still learn stuff all the time. But I think if I took lessons and was forced to learn things I wasn't interested in I would have quit and missed out on the joy it brings me whenever I play! Great advice for someone just starting out!
😎⚓ 🇺🇸. Self taught myself also .. I'm 62 , an play daily , my neighbors don't complain because they actually enjoy it.. But there was a time 😨.
Self taught as well. I’d be much better if I were better regimented. Maybe lessons would help me be more regimented but I kind of like the freeness of it
As a self taught shredder of 7 years, lessons were the best thing that ever happened to me. But that's just my personal experience. And I was very, very good before them. They just shifted my direction and now I play fingerstyle because I was shown that it is less one dimensional than what I was doing before, and offered new challenges that shred would never present. But I hurt myself and can't play much anymore
I started out by inventing an alternative tuning to make movable chords easy to play. My goal was to have something that wouldn't sound too wimpy, but within a few weeks I improved it (final version G-D-d-f-g#-b) so that for most chords it sounds as good as or better than Standard Tuning while still being insanely easy to play. Ironically, I think it's given me more of an appreciation for Standard Tuning than I would have acquired otherwise, though I don't play my Standard-tuned guitar much. One of the things that makes Flat Finger Tuning easy is that it assigns the fingers of the left hands to consecutive frets. If one adapts the same principle to Standard Tuning the standard chord fingerings will make sense, but I don't generally see things taught that way. For open chords, the index finger's job is to handle the first fret, the middle finger's job is to take the second fret on the lower strings, the pinkie's job is to take the third fret on the upper strings, and the ring finger takes over second- and third-fret duties not covered by the other fingers. Assigning duties like that means there's no need for fingers to get in the way of each other during chord changes, but some chord diagrams assign more complicated duties to the first three fingers so they can omit the pinkie (which in turn simply complicates everything else).
Bullshit. There's no such thing as a self-taught guitarist. Only a bad guitarist who thinks he's good.
My parents stopped hiring my tutor and I just used RUclips videos to learn how to play. I’ve been playing for over 6 years and honestly one of my favorite hobbies of all time
Hi five, bro
That's how it was when I first started playing. I was eleven and took lessons. I wanted to learn riffs/songs, but teachers were against it. Pretty soon, a friend of mine introduced me to tabs, and teachers scoffed at me for using them, as if I was breaking all the rules. Learning all that sheet music/theory at such an early age is discouraging. It's like showing a kid some legos, then saying they can't play with them until they learn all these mathematical concepts that engineers use to build the ultimate structure.
You look like Cliff Burton btw.
I took guitar lessons for 1 year. My guitar teacher wanted me to learn sheet music... So in that whole year I pretty much learned nothing.
I still play guitar, and I know pretty much no theory. But i'm able to learn a song just by listening to it. So now all I do is play covers, and do some improve here and there. And that's what makes me happy :)
People quit learning guitar for the same reasons people quit a weight loss program - it's hard and takes a long term commitment.
About to hit 6 months here. I won't ever quit. Ever. Don't care if it take 15 years before I'm actually good at it. I won't quit. I made that decision before I ever bought my 1st guitar. 👍
All it took was learning and actually being able to play my first riff after a week of practicing, breaking it down into separate parts, etc...then putting it all together into something that sounded cohesive when I realized "hey, I can actually do this! F- yeah!"
It was ON then! 😆😁
@@lazlo686
We've all got a sob story. Don't be a victim.
Weight loss is easier for some people though. I've tried a lot to learn the guitar but it only provides frustration rather than happiness or satisfaction. I can play a variety of sports decently and do outdoor activities but I cannot and absolutely cannot play an instrument. I like many others just don't have musical ability. Sure practice helps but if you don't enjoy playing it, what's the point?
Nah, it’s because I can’t play chords. My brain skips easy stuff.
I think guitar playng is easier than weight loss bcs weighting ur self is so damn difficulty
I started and quit learning guitar many times over my life time. The reason my last attempt has stuck (over 3 years now) is because I had finally found a good teacher. I have learned this over and over again in life; who is teaching you matters as much as what you are being taught. My very first lesson with him he said 'by the end of this lesson (50 minutes), you will be reading music, and you will play a song'. I almost laughed at him. But that is exactly what happened. Yeah, it was only a three note, four measure song, but that was the first time in my life I had been able to read music and play it. That taste was like a little dopamine high! Everybody before had me just memorizing chords with no context.
1. “I can read music, but not enough to hurt my playin’. “ Bluegrass musician
2. Learning hurts. Burning pathways through neurons for muscle memory isn’t always easy. So, embrace frustration, because it means you’re learning something new. If you already knew it, it wouldn’t hurt.
3. Playing with other guitarists is the fastest path. Especially if you suck.
4. The only kind of discipline is self-discipline. Anything else named “discipline “ is really coercion or punishment.
"1. “I can read music, but not enough to hurt my playin’. “ Bluegrass musician"
Classic dumbass. He's trying to turn his own ignorance into a virtue. No book learnin' for me, by gum! Them egghead fellers ain't so smart!
@@JonFrumTheFirst Or maybe he's one badass self taught musician with a sly sense of humor.
@@JonFrumTheFirst Butthurt much, kiddo?
fuck discipline. Consistancy is what makes you grow.
Those were wise words .. Knowing the technical is great but also can be limiting to the imagination .. Also too .. after many years of making that brain to hand connection were it becomes effortless.. I always imagine it to like being underwater .. If you 10 feet down and came up 9 feet .. You are still drowning but keep on .. when you are a 1/2 inch under water still drowning and when you come above the waves , You are like a flying fish
No need to explain yourself my friend. You've got loads of experience and what your saying is based on what you've learned over the years. People can take it or leave it. I thought your previous video was not only accurate but well done. The people with the loudest voices do not necessarily reflect the majority of people.
How very true. "Empty vessels make most noise"
Learning scales is what got me going! I could figure out a riff or solo but I coundn't do much more than that. Once someone taught me a major pentatonic pattern and once I figured how to find the right position on the fretboard to be in key, I was hooked! 25 years later I just go insane going all up and down the neck when I'm freestyling to any song in a major scale! That is more than enough for me!
😎
Learning scales and proper note reading is exactly why I still play after 30 years ☺
Minor Pentatonics, the bread and butter of every great guitar player... :-)
Im just starting to learn just trying some riffs and learning a few cords
First lesson ... It's spelled "chords"
That's the spirit
@@JDines Second lesson, it's spelt "spelt".
Spelled or spelt are correct you moron.
@@paolotorres7730 Ok, turns out they're both correct, "spelt" is generally used more in Britain, Austalia, New Zealand (my country) than in the U.S.A or Canada. My mistake.
I feel that many aspiring guitar players give up as soon as their fingers start hurting or to quote some film when one mother says to another mother "How are your son's guitar lessons going?" to which she replied "He took two lessons and didn't sound like Jimmy Page so he chucked it in". In my opinion many guitarists are lazy and want to get immediate results but in fact guitar is a complex intrument with over 8000 possible chords. I took recorder lesson with solfège from age 5-7 then cello for 20 years then picked up the guitar....I agree that too much technique can discourage students and polute the soul but you have to have some passion, will power and perserverence. Thanks for the video!!!!!--
I did the first six months of guitar with no lessons and learned as many songs as I could and learned as much about guitar as possible. I would get good and practice hours a day until I basically got bored. I wanted to create my own sounds and really get into the world of music so I took lessons. I’m learning new stuff and hoping to become a great musician some day. So through experience I would say try the first month or so on your own and discover things for yourself
SauceTheGold53124 • Same here buddy!!
My Motto in life has always been "if it ain't fun, it ain't worth doin".
what about practicing to a metronome? it ain't fun but you do it to achieve a goal that is fun =)
Yoni Kup i’m going to be totally honest, I’ve never seen the benefit with a metronome. I can never actually use one correctly and it’s a hassle to get used to one. People have told me if I want to alternate pick quickly I need a metronome. I have never used a metronome in my life and am able to alternate pick quite well. Metronomes are not necessary, and I’m sorry, but no one can really change my mind on that.
@@wannaberabbi9302 i almost never use a metronome because i find it very tedious and not fun. What i do is take the song i want to learn and slow it down with a computer software and play with the track slowed down and slowly get it up to speed. Way more fun and works for me =) working on the tornado of souls solo and the solo of the song wait by white lion for the past few days =D
Yoni Kup heh, I’m still trying to do the Crazy Train riff well. Tornado of souls? Good luck with the fret 10 to 17 stretch my dude. I just play a riff until I can do it full speed.
I was in marching band and trumpet first chair in an orchestra so I was always playing to a metronome. When I learn guitar I always use music software that has a click and notation. If I'm doing ear training I just throw an MP3 in my DAW and set the tempo. So when I turn off the song I play to an empty tempo to hear the riff without background noise.
My dad has been playing the bass for his whole life and is very old school, when I started playing guitar he always had me learning to reading sheet music, and I just could not stand it. Now being 17 I got the freedom of practicing on my own, but he still comes in sometimes when I am playing/practicing and throws me a book and says you should be studying this.
Semper Fi... :-)
I started when I was 13. My grandfather played, and I came up to him and asked him to teach me. He showed me G,C, & D chords and told me the rest was up to me. I've never taken a lesson, used tab rarely and this was before the proliferation of the internet, we're talking around 1988 when I started. I learned to play a lead by listening to, and playing with the bands I loved. Is it note for note? No way, but I did learn how to feel the ebb and flow of the music. Probably one of the biggest learning experiences in my life was actually playing with a band. There is so much there that can't be learned in a classroom, and always try to play with people better than you are because they will push you to be better
I didn't bother with scales or theory until I had been playing guitar for about 5 years. By then, I WANTED to learn scales and theory. People should start learning how to play their favorite riffs, and to teach their hands how to play the guitar before they teach their brains.
Jason Newstead that’s crazy, same here
Damn, exactly the same here!
Agreed.
My initial guitar lessons, back in 1968, were not a lot of help.
A cheap steel strung acoustic with a half inch action didn't help either. 😉
After continuing self taught I found myself in bands, getting paid, getting on TV and doing all right.
I picked up bits of theory here and there, including I must admit some misunderstandings.
A long time later, maybe 20 years after I started, I did pick up some formal theory and a couple of basic qualifications.
Now I was glad of that later learning because it cleared up the missing bits in my understanding of music theory and structure.
My reading is still pretty pedestrian though ...
But all that fancy stuff was in no way essential in becoming a player.
For me, it was learning songs I liked and wanted to learn, just like you said. Randy Rhoads was one of the two or three guys that got me seriously interested in getting a guitar and I knew how he had a very in depth knowledge of modes and theory, so I started to learn about scales and and basic theory. It didn't make a lot of sense at first, but once you start to recognize it in some of the songs you already know, it kind of helps to start making it make some kind of sense. I feel if someones starts learning and like you said gets some encouraging results early on, they'll naturally want to take it to the next level. Everyone moves at their own pace.
I could never quit playing. I love it too much
I could quit in a heartbeat.
I moved several times in the last year and a half, leaving stuff behind and selling my guitar at the time to help with expenses. Finally bought a guitar again and it feels great to have music at my fingertips anytime I want. I feel music in my head again, I'm not great but I love the means of expression it offers
I couldn't agree with this more! I personally wish I had learned more technical things from the start, but that's just because of the kind of player and music I want to be/create. However, everyone is going to be different, and I hate this common mentality that you have to be good/want to be good. There's absolutely nothing bad about being a simple player, or not being great or knowledgeable about music. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is: are you enjoying it? I LOVE playing music. I'm far from great, but I just have so much fun when I'm playing, that's all that matters to me for the most part. On top of that, there are TONS of my favorite riffs of all time that are totally simple to play because it just fucking kicks ass and sounds fantastic and feels great to play. Amazing riffs come in all speeds and technicalities. Just have fun and love what you're doing. On a shitty day, you pick up your instrument or put on your favorite songs and you know what you listen to? Shit you love! You're not going to practice/listen to scales to cheer you up!
i learned playing guitar when i was 11 now im 25, i started learning my favourite songs, it was really hard at the beggining, much more than i expected it to be, but the feeling you get once you can hear your favorite songs being played by yourself, thats worth every single second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year i`ve spend to get to this point.
Dont give up guys learning how to play guitar is one of the best decisions i`ve ever done, go ahead and take your first step.
I think it is better to Learn scales and Key families first ,then Chords.But some books start off immediately with Chords
Couldn't agree more.
since I was 6 years old I wanted to play guitar due to being exposed to guitar hero and absolutely loving it and wanting to be able to play welcome to the jungle by guns n roses more than anything.
finally, when I was 10 my parents finally got me into guitar lessons and my teacher insisted on me playing and learning music theory, sight reading and scales, and as a 10 year old kid that just wants to learn power chords it was incredibly discouraging.
I have a vivid memory of actually crying when coming to a guitar lesson (which was my last lesson with that teacher luckily)
after that day I told my parents that I don't want to play guitar anymore and that that teacher is not teaching me what I want to play.
luckily when I was 12 I was re-inspired to pick up the guitar again and went to look for a new guitar teacher and found an amazing one that I still go to today (i'm 17 and half)
and I can happily say that I can play welcome to the jungle (and much harder songs =D )just as my 6 year old guitar hero playing me wanted to, but just as I picked up I could just as easily have not and I would have been added to the percentage of people that quit guitar.
Same dude!
When I was 6 I saw guitar hero in the store for the first time and I got to play it. Then I cried because my parents didn't buy it. Lol.
But I actually got it for Christmas that year. I got the drums and the guitar. I destroyed the drums tho.
Apparently you can't hit them as hard as you want. But I remember playing the guitar hero version of the devil went down to Georgia and that's when I started to like guitar.
But damn...
I have been playing for years and I still can't play it in real life.
I never got discouraged tho Because I don't have a teacher. Haha
I wanted to first play the guitar when I was 18, after two years of having a guitar I’m finally learning how to play it. It would be nice to have a teacher but teaching myself how to play is fine too right?
@@killercameo2091 yes of course. there are some amazing teachers online aswell. but there are some things that i would reccomend getting down early on and its left hand and right hand muting. try playing all 6 strings but have only 1 note come out. its really hard in the beggining but damn is it woth it =)
this might help: ruclips.net/video/-71rHPQC96g/видео.html
i work in a music store......last year one of my customers came in and asked to put a guitar on consignment....he bought it some months earlier for his son who in his teens was very proficient at guitar hero...he thought it might be a good idea to buy him a "real" guitar...and didn't make the mistake of buying a piece of crap...he shelled out nearly a grand on a Gibson "lower end" SG...imagining that his son would be inspired and learn to play guitar for real. after 3 or 4 days with the instrument he went back to excelling at guitar hero and never touched the guitar again saying it was too much trouble, too hard, and he was no good at it. ..3 DAYS! absolutely NO patience or desire for anything other than instant gratification! no attention span or desire to work at developing the required skills...nope can't do it right outta the box...no good....not interested in investing any time. just no good at it. THAT is 90% of the problem with the "newer generation of wanna be players" they can't be bothered because it takes some EFFORT to get good at something...so dad decided to sell it rather that watch it collect dust after a couple of months waiting and hoping that MAYBE his son might have a change of heart. blame the education system...where else can you get a gold star or a trophy/ribbon as a reward for simply participating and being on the lowest rung of the ladder in your class? no real effort required, but you WILL graduate anyway regardless of whether or not you can do basic math at 17...never mind read/write or know the capital of New York. Thankfully not everyone falls into this category, but there are huge numbers of people who have no attention span for ANYTHING these days and just can't seem to learn ANYTHING that is put in front of them on any level.....hard to understand why...flouride in the water? chemicals in processed foods? something is wrong...?
Guitar Works I felt like I’ve never put too much effort into anything, but with guitar it’s different. I want to learn and get better at it.
I’ll admit while I still enjoy watching others, I quit guitar with 14 years of experience under my belt. It was sadly something I kinda fell out of love with and felt I had hit my limits with it along with monetary reasons. Sometimes I wanna gonna go back to it but for the most part I feel it’s something I’m kind of leaving in the past.
same here bro
Amen brother....the one thing people who agree with you will have in common is that they have likely done all of the traditional syllabus style theory and performance exams. While I deeply value my formal education and the grounding it gives me I know its not necessary for people who want to play rock and pop (i.e. 99% of learners) and I would have definitely quit if I didn't constantly go dig out a new beatles songbook from the library or buy the motley crue tab books to rock on my own along the way.
in my opinion the modern pop music is not inspiring to learn instruments as used to be in in 50’, 60’, 70’, and 80’.
So true im so sad that im born in 95...but my dad and my mom inspire me by asking me to play some riff and now i do my own way 😊
@@nangia94 Fucking true. I was born in 1992
Yes but unlike kids back then you have better access to all the music from back then and a better selection of cheap quality instruments. I was born in 95 and inspired to play from all the old stuff, so it's no excuse really.
because singing is the most popular instrument.
Javi Valdi thats why I learned stuff from 70s and eighties and old Blues. Now I am into ambient.
I just did my first proper guitar lesson yesterday. I have tried many times over the years to learn by myself but decided to get some proper tuition. I enjoyed the lesson and felt good afterwards but as this guy just said there was a big emphasis on learning scales. This was so out of my depth and understanding that i am just at a complete loss with it 😌 The day after the lesson (today) i have given up. The anxiety and scale of the task at hand is so great, added to the sadness that i can’t understand something at all that i now want to give up altogether...
Your fretboard decoder is awesome!!!! I watched the first 2 video and i feel like a whole new world has opend up Hahaha. How you say play the scale out of order, blow my mind, I'm having a lot of fun with it. I can find my way out of random spots and throw in parts of other scales. Cant wait for the other videos. Also i can related to this video and your last one.
Thanks my dude
@@RobertBakerGuitar No No, thank you really. Your approach to guitar lessons is great and fun. Keep it up.
Robert, I agree whole heartedly with everything you said. I've learned more things about guitar playing and technique from studying on my own than from any teacher who tried to make me learn music theory, scales, chords or note reading from a book. Now, I do know how to read music, but I don't do that with guitar; I simply don't have the patience to do that and really haven't had a reason for it. You enjoy playing and learn faster when you get quick results like learning a riff, lick, solo or song quickly. 😊👍👍🎸🎶
I’ve been playing guitar for 6 years now. I can play almost every slash song but cannot read notes. My teacher knows I hate reading notes so he teaches me to play songs and improving.
Reading notes is pretty hard. It's why a lot use guitar tabs. But being able to read sheet music distinguishes you as elite. But unless you're going pro. Not sure you need it.
Great video dude, I think you're right. When my dad gave me my first guitar he taught me some chords, how to strum and said have fun. Imo teaching yourself is the best way to learn, or to have someone guide you more or less. Plus, a lot of the times you can tell when someone is playing whether it's learned talent or natural talent. Some guys can shred at 1000 miles an hour, sweep picking, doing crazy crap, but they lack feeling and emotion (which, to me, is what music is all about).
I've been playing for about 20 years, but admit I've hardly played in the past several years. Why? A few reasons: My skills plateaued many years ago, I live in an apartment with paper thin walls, don't really have someone else to riff with and play with much, can't use half the equipment I own, etc
Your skills didn't Plateau, you can always learn more!
I hit some of those plateaues you talked about. I came to the conclution that I have to take drugs to get to the next level. It was like a threat to my inner spirit. Something hit me I have been climbing up ever since. Never took a drug. I cannot explain what happened. Maybe it will come to me in the future. I am finally at the fluid level of playing.
I hear ya on the plateaus and thin walls issues!
I'm with ya! The only reason I began learning guitar was so I could play the songs, period. That was 41 years ago and it's basically the same. What a ride it's been and it continues.
Robert love your course you are one my favourite RUclipsrs
Thats extremly kinf of you man thank you.
I'm a Highschool student and a friend of mine and I started a class at school to teach people guitar, we tried the traditional teaching approach and lost a student in the process. After we introduced some resources like RUclips, online tabs or apps like fender play, they began to create something themselves and only come to us for minor questions. It's so relieving to not teach the traditional stuff, since we are both self taught. I think this was a very helpful video and very encouraging. Thanks man
Usually after I say that I play guitar, people tell me that they used to play the guitar when they were younger, but they stopped playing because it hurt their fingers too much!
Exactly, learn as you go. I didn’t just sit down and learn bar chords or fingerpicking overnight as a skill. It developed based off the desire to want to learn certain songs and techniques and sculpted overtime. I learned little by little and each song I learned taught me someone new about eh fretboard, etc. Until subconsciously I taught myself through observation.
I know of someone who could shred soooo well and he was a great player, but then..... The dark side turned on him
He quit guitar and became rapper:(
Lil' Wayne, right?
You spend most of your life learning guitar and your still stone broke . Rappers are filthy rich
Use to listen to Rap(my faves Bone Thugs and Harmony) But there's nothing like the sound of electric Metal vibrating thru the air.Blues Guitar /Blues Rock is the Brst
Hahahahaha😂😂😂
post malone
Really well thought out follow-up video! It was entertaining reading some of the comments on the last video and seeing the seething anger you inspired by some (maybe?) well intentioned players who didn't quite see where you were going with the video. I can't imagine a scenario where a young child wants to plant a flower in a garden, but we tell them they can't until they learn everything about botany, and horticulture including Latin names, classifications, soil composition, photosynthesis, etc, etc, etc. And yet so often, in so many situations we do this to new students of many instruments! It's crazy! The best teachers, coaches and mentors are the ones who let the child (or any new student) plant a flower and just guide them through simple(and amazing!) discovery, and gradually help stoke the flames of passion into the incredible mind-bending awesomeness that is music (or horticulture)! That was a ramble, but short story long, this video hit some excellent points that I hope ripple through our community to the gate keepers of guitar nirvana.
Great video many thanks
My dad taught me (keyboards) like you are saying. I had to learn chords and stuff WITH each lesson. IT was a good way to do both.
It’s better to play guitar have fun with it for about half a year to a year till you decide that you are ready to go through the music theory behind it and all the sheet music.
This is interesting because I can relate it to my own experience. I'm 64 and started learning 3 years ago. I started lessons full of good intentions to become a rock guitarist and prepared to do the boring stuff if that's what had to be done. I told my tutor that I had tried playing guitar in my younger days but had struggled to play chords because I have small hands. My tutor's first question was: "What kind of music are you interested in?" So he started teaching me to play songs by the bands that I liked listening to. He also spent some time during each lesson on pentatonic scales but without any pressure. Meanwhile friends were telling me I should be learning chords because 'you can't play guitar if you can't play chords'. I asked my tutor about it and he said if he'd gone down the road of teaching me to strum and play chords I would have lasted 3 months at most and then got bored. Three years later I still struggle to play chords but I can knock out a few rock solos and riffs and enjoy what I'm doing. (not sure if the neighbours do) I know I'm never going to play lead guitar in a band but when I'm banging out those riffs I don't care. In my head I'm Angus Young or Jimmy Paige. Learning a new riff or finally nailing a part of a solo that I've struggled with gives me the buzz to keep playing. I keep reminding myself it's a journey not a destination.
Yep my guitar teacher made me learn shitty Christmas songs and chords so I quit. Tried playing a song from my favorite band a few years later and I was hooked.
Das it mane
Most stuff that passes for "Christmas Songs" pretty crappy!
Glenn Lego I agree
i started playing like around 11 or 12 but sadly when i hit 30, i quit playing, sigh heartbreak and cocaine, stay away from cocaine! at any rate 20 more years went by and when my love died i started to play again in fact i even have a YT channel of me doing so, but i agree with what Robert is saying in his video
The real reason is because modern "rock bands" only have the aesthetic of a rock band but without any of the expression. Yeah, you'll hear the guitars but you won't FEEL them play. You won't hear any guitar solos, just easy, uninspiring riffs. So without any contemporary examples to be inspired by, it's not surprising people have given up the guitar. Plus, all your casual guitar playing friends end up playing the same 4-6 songs at open mics anyway, so fuck it.
Go listen to some Kaleo or maybe some Franz Ferdinand, or hell even Greta Van Fleet if you don't have a stick up your ass.
I agree !
I used to want to play the saxaphone in 6th grade becuase It was a norm to play an instrument of some sort in my family , basicly she stuck me in clarinet , I hated it , never practiced and my teacher ruined music for me , my clarinet kept breaking too and I overall lost hope . Eventually I quit and never touched an instrument for the next 4 year as I had quit in 7th grade. I grew a passion for Piano though , and self taught myself but made sure I had implemented discipline but not too much to where it was a burden to play the piano , I played songs and eventually got into the scales and music theory as I grew more of a passion as it opened a door to new opportunities I didn’t know of when I started , overall take the message that you need to pace yourself , not force it , learn as you go , and most importantly have fun. So yes I completely agree with Robert as I had the same experience when I was younger.
3 and a half months in playing guitar, getting a floyd rose as first electric guitar wish me luck comrades
удачи тебе браток)
I remember, when I saved enough lunch money to buy a guitar, my dad managed to convince me to buy an acustic guitar and not the one I wanted, and then I coldent start learning my favourite songs right away and I just quit. But now I think I wana get back on the acusric action! I'm soo pumped dude, I just need to get my guitar from home !
People quit because they can't just enjoy a hobby without trying to be like someone else, as good as someone else, and constantly comparing themselves to top guitarists. They also quit because they can't just enjoy a hobby regardless of accolades, recognition and fame and fortune, they try hard instead of just enjoy and progress at their own enjoyable speed.
I was going to write the same thing. I was a "living room" guitarist for 10 yrs. Never thought I would play on stage because I wasn't even close to what was on records. My high school dance band was Santana at Mission High in SF. Talk about intimidating. When I moved to Santa Cruz I heard so many bad bands playing and people dancing to them. That's when I realized hell I could do that. And I did.
There's such a thing as "blue collar bands".
So, good point Bud.
@@danieltrickey9285 Santana! WOW! are you guys some kind of an Elite? or did he lower his standard to play in a school dance? :-P
[PS: i know it is true]
@@indyjones1173 Santana was a student when I was going there. They called themselves The Santana Blues Band. He was 2 years ahead of me. He was class of '66 and I was class of '68.
I played guitar for years before I learned scales I learned lots of songs. Then I got stuck and wasn’t progressing much. I started learning scales and played around with them and I got a lot better. Teachers have to know how to adapt to each student. I get people started with a basic 5th and jam on that to get a sense of timing and let them go from there. If they want to learn a song or chords whatever. But there is such a thing as showing someone the ropes.
You’re 2,583 subs away from 200k
I was taught by my dad and for the first few years he told me to just play what makes me happy even if it sounds bad and I got addicted to playing. I know I tortured my parents ears for hours but after I had plenty of time messing around I was hooked and ready to learn my cowboy chords and scales but I started with Metallica riffs and I'm always grateful for my dad for letting me take my own path instead of forcing me to learn certain things and that's prolly why I'm still playing today.
I agree with every one of your points in this video.
The main ingredient to playing guitar (or any instrument) IS inspiration & it's something that just can't come by being forced.
I'm currently self studying guitar & in nearly two months I've learned to play a few simple riffs, but omg, it's literally the best feeling in the world.
Thank you so much for this video, it's inspired me to play even more.
Why So many people quit playing Guitar ? 🤔
Shit pop music !!
And motherfucking rap. But classic pop like Britney Spears contains guitar. That's why pop music isn't that bad
Good point. Guitar was god in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Everyone played. The music industry has killed that. Notice that when Reagan in the 80's came into power everything slowly became sh.....
Been teaching myself guitar for 2 years now. Started on classical, moved up to fingerstyle covers, then power chords like rock songs, followed by chords and now singing with chords. Love every second of it. Over the past year I've started studying notes, I can now read notes on piano (guitar was too difficult). Seeing how Mark Knofler effortly walks across the fret board and improvise every version of Sultans of swing, made me study scales and keys etc. I nowhere near see myself as a good player in any way, but I love how it makes me happy. Keep playing!
80% of guitarists are not musicians but 100% think they are . Just like everyone thinks they are good drivers . I played for 15 years and gave it up for 3 years because there is more to life than playing in bedrooms and rehearsals with the band and going nowhere gigs.
I know guys that have played in bands for 40 years and can only play first position chords . I always thought people were crazy to give up but after 15 years I had 20 guitars gibson and fender mostly custom, 5 amps, 30 pedals and the list goes . I loved playing so much I could never see myself giving up. It was a huge decision to sell it all and go traveling but the right one. Don't let it consume you , there is more to life than playing guitar but have you're fun while you are playing , once it becomes who you are and not what you're doing it's time to take a long break and see if it's something you still want to do later.
People give up for hundreds of different reasons . Life is the biggest one .
Grounded post. Probably the answer to why *most* people who give up guitar do lies in the question why did they take up guitar in the first place. The real underlying reason. If the reality doesn't meet the expectation and result in rewarding them with the tangible benefit they were seeking, they will quit. Especially in high school years, IME a lot of kids take it up for peer approval or image association rather than any genuine desire to play guitar, especially putting in the effort of the hard yards learning. Then there's just life which gets in the way as career, and or family take precedence for the majority who aren't making musicianship or guitar their job. Today it's never been easier to learn, but it wasn't always so.
Quiting seems was good decision for you. I'm 64, been playing over 50 years. Was passionate about playing when I was 10, even more so now. I'm good. How good doesn't matter - I've played bands, churches, jam for charity and fun, and for myself at home. Can't imagine voluntarily quitting till I die. That's just me...
Interesting. I'm 68 and still play on stage at my local casino once a month with my wife. We play 50's, 60's songs and never get tired of it. I got hooked when we got our first standing ovation. Been addicted since. Don't care what song I play, just want the crowd to have fun. So rewarding.
Dude that is exactly what happened to me. As a kid I wanted to learn to play. Folks got me an acoustic and put me in lessons just like you said. I wanted to play rock songs. I gave up.
When I was about 17 I bought a bass and friends showed me a couple of east rock songs and I was hooked. People want instant gratification . I tell people it is as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. Learning scales and the other stuff will come along much easier with time as the interest is cultivated. I am 53 years old. My brother is 55. I have been teaching him easy things to get him excited and give him hope that he can do it.
Awesome video!!!
I think it's because of you're mom, tbh.
hahahahahaha
Your*
@@viva6235 pretty sure it's you're
oh yeah Kyle YOU"RE MOM!!!
Sounds just like what I think when trying to learn something.
If something does not really interest me at a given time, there's no motivation to learn or practice it.
But as soon as I feel a personal need to learn that very same thing, my brain turns into a sponge for information.
I totally get where you're coming from, however if you want to be good shouldn't you learn the fundamentals? I always wanted to play stairway to heaven, I learned I needed to understand the instrument and so much more before that could occur, some teachers don't how to keep it simple for newbies, maybe thats what scares some away. There is nothing worse than a buzzkill teacher.
I guess it depends on what people are looking for when picking up the guitar. Do you want be able to play some basic tunes to entertain your friends and do something fun on a rainy afternoon or you want to be able to play your favourite tunes while understanding the theory or you want to play your favourites and know theory and compose song as well etc etc? I've started to play bass 4 years ago, what I wanted to do is to learn Black Sabbath, Queen and Iron Maiden songs. I did nothing else in the beginning but just basic exercises I've seen on youtube how to strengthen your fingers, how to be quicker and then downloaded the tabs to play them. After a while I managed to play for example N.I.B not great but okay I mean I was happy how far I've gotten. While learning to play these songs I've started to listen to music in a different way, more 'deep' if I can say this and realised that I've been missing big chunks from the songs from like Led Zeppelin, I never really listen to Bonzo's drums properly but now I hear more notes, the small nuances that makes his playing amazing or if you ever heard the band Elder, I really felt in love with them, the music is complex and I got to the point I learnt to enjoy it. Or the good old Genesis with Peter Gabriel and even classical music, I always loved music but know I enjoy it on a totally different level, with more understanding what's going on in a song. Recently I picked up the 6 string as well and soon getting a piano. I'm in my 30's so probably I won't be the next Pastorius or Ray Vaughan but letting the 'expectations' go and start to play just for fun paved the way for me wanting to learn more about music. I was in my teens when I wanted to learn guitar because of RHCP's Californication and Scar Tissue. I got an acoustic guitar and I've got told to learn theory first and go to a proper music school to learn the piano and recorder in order to have good foundations. This is understandable in a way but that time nothing else interested me just to learn to play that two songs. My parents did not force me to attend music school for this but the system tried because this was the 'proper way' to learn about music. As you see I haven't picked up an instrument for 20 years after this. I guess music education is super important and should be part of the curriculum in schools but there is difference why people want to learn, why parents want their kids to learn. Is it for the kid to have fun or to gain proper classical education? And as an adult learner do you want to compose songs and start a band beside your work and family life or just want to find a new hobby, or have fun?
Henry Freeman I took the opposite aproach learnt songs that were beyond my skill level and worked out what I needed to do to get to that level section by section. Gradually I developed the skills to play that song I was learning. Now years later I am devoting time to scales and theory.
I started learning to play guitar in the summer of 1967. Almost 52 years later, I'm still learning. I can play the hell out of what I know, but I have more to learn. In the process, I've taught a few here and there. You have put voice to what I learned and practiced in teaching, many years ago. IMHO, you are 100% spot on. If the student can go home the first day knowing even a small part of a song he/she wants to play, they will be all the more fired up for lesson 2. Peace
Because it’s an art and craft. Because it takes patience, persistence, and perseverance.... qualities all in short supply with today’s ADHD population of screen addicts.
The guitar teaches something about you. The guitar calls you. The guitar is a reflection of yourself, your mind, your thoughts, your essence, your energy.
To an extent, yes. But guitar isn't rocket science. It's practice. And from that you get knowledge.
I'm 72 years old and I hurt all over. So much for being inspired to play guitar.
I agree. As does all musical instruments. It is amazing how different people sound on the same instrument. I don't think anybody "masters" their instrument. That's the beauty of it.
I do agree with you in some of the issues you've raised,and in my humble opinion,it has to do what kind of musician you planned to be
As a teacher for more than 30 years I cant tell you that is the wrong way. Forcing things upon students is necessary otherwise we have even more idiots who think they can play when they actually can not. The proplem is not the forced material, the problem is the attitude of the student!
Maybe asking the student what their goals are would be a good starting point. Do the they want to learn to play Dylan's accoustic Watchtower or the Hendrix version? Both are valid goals, keep in mind this is NOT a livelihood for most people but a pastime or a hobby. I also think the teacher needs to throw the dog a bone as a reward so to speak but there is certainly nothing wrong with raising the bar as long as it's attainable, not overwhelming.
That’s totally, true speaking of my humble experience so far. I just started 5 months ago and for me I wanted to read music and be able to see how the music is translated on paper or vise versa but again it is was of an interest. Scales on the other hand, and I know that some ppl won’t share my opinion, but in the beginning they felt like a dead beat to me. I found my inspiration, I Love a lot of bands but I have one that I love the most, ghost. Started learning some riffs and I do love the instrument way more than before and actually now I started to improvise a bit. At this point I realized that I learning scales would definitely help me be more creative. The point is, nothing is not important to learn, those things will fall in place eventually but in a different order IMHO.
Great video man. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
You can quit playing guitar? Wtf?
Love this comment
So very true Robert. I am 60 & only got serious about guitar 4 years ago. I focused on what I enjoyed learning and have made much progress, the guitar is becoming huge fun to me. I love classic rock & can now play my fav songs. :)
right on. the first thing I ever learned on guitar was the opening power chord riff to rock you like a hurricane. from the beginning, guitar was always about being creative for me. so after learning those five power chords I used them to make up my own stuff. learning songs and techniques or licks and solos is great. but whatever it is i have to be creative with what i'm learning. if not for being creative i'd really have no reason to play guitar.
as for teaching and what to teach - you nailed it. you really need to understand the needs and wants of the consumer - the student. what's great is if a student says i want to learn x, y and z and you can then teach that while also showing how it relates to those things like scales and chords - the stuff some find boring. i think once the students tastes the success of hearing the familiar sound of a favorite song coming from their fingers and then a teacher showing how it relates to the technical or boring aspect of learning guitar it suddenly won't seem so boring and will become a part of their passion. well, at least that's how it worked for me.
Best video ever! I went to 3 different music teachers between the age of 6 and 8 or 9 years old.... I wanted to learn songs but was forced to learn notes and chords very similar to your story.... I started to learn by myself at home playing along with songs.... After I put my first EP out, I decided that my lead playing was pretty bland and spent time thinking about how I was going to improve it without going down the same road I went down when i was a kid.... I decided that I needed to choose a very specific style and influence....something that would get me excited about learning... I found Tony Fuentes on RUclips in 2016 and improved my lead playing dramatically just by watching him and trying to copy him. I have also spent a lot of time watching George Lynch and also started my own guitar journey here on RUclips. Thank you for the great videos Robert! \m/
Robert. I taught myself basically , been playing for 15 years and i get lost in the creativity and no band to formulate these works into art. You're a good teacher it seems like , wish you the best. Play for the love of playing , that's an outlook words fall short in grasping.
@Robert Baker I agree with this video wholeheartedly. I taught my son to play guitar when he was 8. The first few months were just chord exercises (D-A7, E-B7, C-G7, etc.). He got SO bored SO fast... One day we were sitting home listening to the radio, and Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" came on. It was his favorite song from his favorite band at the time. I told him that he already knew all those chords and told him to go get his guitar. We sat down and a few minutes later he was playing the whole song. That was the defining moment for him: It wasn't just boring practice routines, it was him making music. While I still think it's critical to learn to read music, scales, modes, and all that, beginning guitarists usually just want to play the music they love. And playing the music they love makes them love playing (It was the same with me as a kid listening to Rush and Sabbath). Once you love playing, then the other parts just fall into place.
I really appreciate what you're doing. I put my guitar away in 92ish. I wasn't very good but I could get by. I started playing again for therapy. I still have my Kramer focus 6000, so I knocked the dust off of it and cleaned it up. It still sounds great. There's so much I have to relearn and with your help I'm getting there. It's amazing how much you have taught me. I just wanted to say Thank You !!
Thanks for your insight. I'm a late beginner to guitar (40s); acoustic guitar...really itching to buy an electric, can't decide between Gibson LP or Fender Strat. Learning to play guitar has been on my bucket list since I was a child. Always been massive music fan. Been playing for 4 months now and I love that it is hard and different. I'm also a teacher, you nailed it about learning at least parts of songs you enjoy. Small victories along the way, inspire a new learner to crave more.
This is 100% true . I learned Songs at first and i was inspired to the point where i was playing 2-3 hours a day in my first year of learning. I think the most important thing to add is that if you go back later on and learn a lot of the less inspiring stuff, its never to late to learn as i went back and did just this since i figured it may be something i want to know. Super great advice i think a lot of people need to hear. Great video !
I appreciate your approach, being overwhelmed by SO much, I get frustrated.
Trimming away, and getting to the basics, seems like an ideal way to learn
Excellent, Excellent advice. I almost quit playing after taking lessons. I stopped after about six lesson and the joy of just learning some songs, on my own, that I liked brought me back to enjoying the guitar again and I continue to play after 14 years.
Best tutorial ever. Start with what inspires - the student will naturally want to eventually know the whats and whys - or not.
Everyone self taught does this, we learn songs - then when we finally learn _what_ we're playing it just blows the mind. Makes you hungry for more theory.
I was a stringed instrument teacher too and I really agree with what you said. It’s all about about keep them interested and keeping them inspired. Great little tidbit. Homie. 😎
Thanks Robert I'm 59 and just learning and don't have time for hard ,just easy stuff
Excellent, inspirational video, and as an older beginner myself what the author of this video is stating really struck a chord with me (no pun intended).
I’m 50, and I have to confess that I had tried to take up the guitar when I was much younger, but I made the mistake of trying to learn too fast, which leads to frustration, and of course, giving up.
In February 2016, I took up the guitar again as an older beginner (I was 47), but this time I succeeded (I’m not boasting here as I’m only a rhythm guitar player of very modest ability), because I found an excellent on line guitar teacher on RUclips who gave simple, easy to follow tutorials on how to play the rhythm or Malcolm Young part of well over 40 AC/DC songs.
Accordingly, I downloaded all of his lessons and from other guitarists on RUclips , and now I can play (not great, but recognisable), over 80, mostly AC/DC songs, I can also play a bit of Airbourne and a few others.
So yes, I think the key to succeeding at learning guitar, is to ask yourself, what kind of music do you want to play?, then find a good teacher who is easy to follow (unless you’re self taught), who doesn’t bog you down with too much technical stuff.
The guitar is a difficult instrument to play well, but if you put in the work in, and practice effectively, it can also be very rewarding.
You sir are absolutely correct.
When you feed inspiration you create an unstoppable passion. Get the loop going as soon as possible.
Robert, you are soooo correct! I feel like that stuff will come later and in time. People need time to make sure it’s what they really want to do and that it’s not just a phase... and then if they do, they slowly start to WANT to learn those dreaded things they didn’t in the beginning... (ok, not ALL of the dreaded things... but the more practical stuff anyway). I love the way you think and teach!
Robert it's not only about guitar. Many people who plays for years like me (40 years) quit the music performance in 2008 and later. There is the reason for that, but it's to complicated to describe the reason in few lines.
Picked up a bass 20 yrs ago. A teacher taught me 12 bar blues lick. Still learning and loving it.
I agree 100% with what you just reported !! I am 43 years old and only now have I found a teacher who understood my needs and I will tell you, it made all the difference !! Keep rocking !!
I'm approaching 50 and preparing to buy my first guitar. Your channel has been extremely helpful and approachable. Teaching and learning the sciences is much the same as you describe here. The most progressive schools and universities are going "back" to the Socratic method, which is how you describe your teaching style. You must first find, or have, the interest level, then break it down as to how and why it works. It makes science so much fun and I think this will make music fun for me to learn. Like you mentioned that life is too short for the stuff you don't need to know. It's true in most subject areas. Keep up the great videos!
I’ve been trained as a vocalist my whole life. I can hear a song for the first time, and sing it pretty accurately no problem. I just started learning to play guitar, and the most frustrating thing for me is to not be able to accurately play what I’m listening to yet. The thing that’s keeping me going, is learning my favorite songs. I would get so bored otherwise.