I am fifty have been playing for about thirty five years and I am still not anywhere near the standard I would like to be at. But I still enjoy it and have never given up in spite of periodic breaks. You have inspired me to keep at it.
I’ve been playing for 45 years, not a great player by any means, I learn something every time I pick up one of my guitars, Guitar for the practicing Musician was a great help then came uTube and the whole world opened up. Just a bedroom player but I love it. Guys like you are the best inspiration ever.
Hi Mike ! Just to let your viewers know that I started playing guitar in 1963 . Played in bands almost my whole teenage and adult years . I am 72 years old now , played my last gig in 2012 . I still play every day , still play at parties , still play every day at home , and still LEARNING ! Every once in a while a light bulb goes off in my head , something makes sense , and I have a new tool to use in my playing .Love your videos , I never learned to read music , but still learned theory in spite of that . I would encourage every new player to take lessons , learn to read , have patience , and most of all learn the circle of 5ths , which you will use your whole career . Without music theory you will never be a great player . Even though it might seem like lessons take forever , it is still faster than learning by trial and ever . I always regret not learning to read , it would have made my life so much easier .Love your videos !!!
Loved the trip down memory lane. I started with my brother playing rhythm so he could play the bass and lead over the top. This was in our teens until university and work took over. Now, over 40 years later, as we have retired we are back playing together. I am now desperately learning scales etc. So I can play the lead and bass.!
after years of noodling i recently committed to a more structured theory and technique method of learning guitar. understanding theory and really knowing the finger board makes things so much easier
@3:47 Very similar to the first guitar lesson I ever had waaaay back in 1980! My Old guitar teacher (Old school guitar teachers are undervalued I think) taught me to sight read music. I believe it helped me learn rhythm and timing. I've always had good timing throughout my guitar playing carer. A musical skill not frequently used in the now "TAB Era". Still the ability to sight read music is a skill I still use today. And helped me later in life when I studied Jazz guitar at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
He set you on the right path with learning theory. I’m learning theory now I’ve been playing by ear for 35 years before I decided I wanted to learn theory. It would have made learning a lot faster for sure. As a young man I made my living playing but never knew the names or theory of what I was playing . Many times playing with professionals I was embarrassed because I didn’t know what they were asking me to play but once I heard what direction they were wanting to go I was able to take the ball and run with it. So you were very lucky to have had someone in your life to teach you. I was shown 3 chords and the rest I picked up along the way. But my ears were trained to know either it’s sounds right or it’s off. Anyhow good video it’s cool to see how music drives some to to learn everything they can and the practice it takes to become a good musician most people describe it as gifted and I have to remind them it’s practice that makes you good.
I got my first guitar at 16 and took lessons for a few months and went to guitar camp. I became a campfire strummer for about 6 years and 2 years ago finally decided to get serious. Traded in my acoustic for an electric and got to work. I was completely self taught until about 3 months ago. I felt like I was hitting a wall with youtube tutorials and other online resources (free and paid) and I started going back to the place I took lessons at when I was 16. I can tell how much better I’ve gotten in such a short time. Having someone there to talk you through things is an invaluable resource. We go back and forth between techniques, music theory, and learning stuff I’m actually interested in. I started a lesson’s binder like yours to keep all my materials he gives me organized and in a safe place. I think people have different learning styles, but I’ve found lessons to be the best way for me to go about learning the guitar.
Great video Mike, cheers! You're right about the immediacy of our time, no one's got time for anything. I started learning the acoustic guitar for about 10 years, then jumped in the electric one, then back to the acoustic. Yeah, there was a bit of theory but I wasn't patient enough to go for the long way run as you did. So I always say that I'm not a guitar player, but a chords reproducer. I think you'd agree with me that the more we advance in anything, we find other stuff to learn, and we're never satisfied. Some more music theory would really make a huge difference to my playing, and I think it should be encouraged to new generations, despite this immediacy time
Your whole approach is really refreshing and helpful when learning - I recently asked Andertons in a comment on the tube to do a Captain meets Mike Bradley episode. Hope that happens!!!
Thanks for sharing your guitar story,and how you got to be here,a good teacher is imperative,I pretty much get what I can ,from you tube,used to get the mags .Cant practice as much,due to arthritis/back damage,but still love it.I find the theory helps,when explained clearly,will always love guitar,listening to it/bands ,and playing ,as a pastime/passion.
I’ve never actually had a true one on one lesson before. I’ve learned to play all through RUclips, and just exploring. This certainly comes with its positives and negatives, but there is no set way to learn the guitar.
Fair play for sticking through all those theory lessons at that age! i started learning round the same age and my teacher taught me in a similar manner. It was too boring for me and i gave it up after 6 weeks! once i discovered there was so many great practical lessons on RUclips I picked up the guitar again aged 18 and havent looked back!:)
Cool to share bruh, feeling the love. I've been self learning for 4 years, I've just paid for 6 theory based lessons which is putting what I've learnt in a really good framework. Bit of theory is damn useful ey
My former brother-in-law taught me the basic E Blues thing, rocking back and forth on the open E and the B and C notes on the A string. Later it was a Mel Bay chord book in the early 80s. Then it was turntable and vinyl. A bit later in the 80s came the guitar mags. In the summer, between the years of 83 to 87, during summer break, up at 6 am to 12 midnight playing guitar every day. Mostly wearing out vinyl albums. Somewhere between those years I had visited my former brother-in-law. He just shook his head and said he couldn't teach me anything, because I was way ahead of him on guitar. I was missing any vibrato on guitar though. Everyone said I sounded like I was playing piano. So I started working on that, which wasn't difficult by then. I watched a few players and figured it out. Just added it to what I was doing already. There were no instructors in my area, few guitarists, they'd let me in bars on the weekends to watch bands play. As long as I sat at the front of the stage and didn't move. I didn't. I was studying the guitar players, then I'd go home and try to recreate what I saw. There were no bars where I lived, so it was a journey to towns that had them. Watching others really helped. Internet back then was just starting. DOS and floppy disc drives. My school had a cassette drive computer. Nothing like today. I will say that the vinyl really helped development of my ear. I can listen to something once or twice and figure most, if not all, of it out. Or I'll watch someone play something and figure it out as well. I don't care for tablature much, only in times where I may be missing something. I'll use tab and locate it, then move on. I did learn a classical arpeggio from a tab book a friend of mine had. This was in the mid 80s and I can still play the thing... surprised I have remembered it for this long. Being nearly 50 years old, I agree with what Nuno Bettencourt stated about us old vinyl spinners. We may not be playing it exactly like the artist, but in doing so (incorrectly) we have developed our own style. Chet Atkins was trying to copy Merle Travis when he was starting out. Later he found out he was doing it all wrong, but developed a style of playing that became his signature on guitar. I'm always learning something from someone. Even if it is just one tiny thing. I'll learn something then play it backwards and discover something else. Comes from many many many hours of playing as a teenager...though I'm still not where I want to be on guitar. Mark Knopfler said you'll never learn everything on guitar and he is right. Although I have people tell me that I'm one of the best in the area I live in, I know players who are beyond me. However, they are not judgemental. One friend of mine in Texas said he wishes he could play slow and melodic like me, yet he can melt your face off with speed. We don't discourage each other, we support, help, and teach. Everyone has their own voice, it's just finding it and developing it. Without getting too ethreal, the guitar should become a part of you and your vocabulary. Learn to speak with it and people will listen.
I began learning classical guitar when very young and like you HAD to learn to read. At the time it was dull but now I'm grateful when I learn a new song (read) it's a great help. I too look back on those teachers who helped me immensely with great fondness as they tended to give of themselves which I try to do especially with the young delinquents. Those kids that have an attitude need something to love and apart from dogs music is the greatest thing to love. Always humbling to look back on how far we come from knowing nothing to having some semblance of understanding of this enigmatic thing - Music and the Guitar. Great stuff, Mike !!
That's funny, growing up in England, my old guitar instructor insisted that I stick with sight reading, as opposed to tabs. I was very mixed up, ended up packing it in. Ten years later when I went back to it, I was hardly taught any theory at all. Thank heavens for blokes like you, things are making much more sense, Cheers! 👍🏼
It was crazy way back when. We used to take records go back and forth with the needle back and forth LOL. Forever. I took one lesson but back then they didn't teach you nothing they wanted you to keep coming back. I tell you what RUclips is amazing. I don't think people realize how hard it used to be. Thanks to guys like you I actually play better now LOL. And truly thanks a lot. You're right you definitely need guidance. Or you will end up with bad habits LOL.
Haha yeah I'm old. I wasn't very good at it I would search for a note for days. My friend was better at it but he wasn't always available. Most of the time I gave up. Plus you had to by the record or find one that wasn't always easy. The teachers back then would teach your Mary had a little lamb for like 4 weeks LOL. But I only got on the computer like 4 years ago. I think I've been on RUclips everyday since. Okay nice talking to you.
This just made me be more humble and less better on what seems like my loooong road to progress with the guitar being self taught or well grabbing information from here and there and trying to pave my own way and not feeling like i should be where I should be at.... Thanks for sharing😊
Great story. You had real dedication as a kid that is admirable . Learning music theory always helps you as a musician . You took excellent notes. after watching this video I became a subscriber .
Been following you since a while now.. You are very good at clear tone, soloing melodically, you can play fast stuff too. I'd want you to get into tension playing (blues stuff) as it takes soloing onto another level in general, mess with heavy tones as well.. you've got it dude!!! I'll pray to my gods for your rapid growth and fame. Namaste - from India.
Mike! This was timely and wonderful. I’ve been getting lessons for a year now with a brilliant teacher. He takes a similar approach - I’m doing a LOT of theory and very ‘basic’ classical pieces that focus on technique. I feel some days like I haven’t made any progress, in that I dont have a repertoire of songs. BUT I can read music now (slowly) and I feel like I am beginning to actually understand what one day I hope to be really great at. Thanks for sharing this - it made my day.
Great video Mike, thanks for posting. I think you’ve hit the nail squarely on the head when you say we expect things to happen instantly these days. If I lived nearer to you I’d love to have 1-1 lessons but these RUclips videos really are excellent. PS +1 for the joint Andertons’s vid!
Aww Michael Casswell, is very much dearly missed. I actually did a video talking about him when he passed away, so i'm taking that very much as a compliment.
Hey hey Mike! Cheers all the way from San Diego, CA. This video was diving intervention buddy. I started playing bout a year ago. I can play songs like Sweet Child, etc but trying to learn from you tube is tough, so many point of views. I want to learn theory not only how to play songs, so this was inspiring to see where you started and what you have become! GREAT CHANNEL my friend thank you for all of time you out in to this FOR US!!!!
Really enjoyed this video mike! it came at a time where I've been questioning my ability of where I'm at and where I think I should be so you reinstated some confidence in me :)
Just found your channel via guitcon with PhilX who is a great player but I enjoyed your wide range of styles.I'm an older learner from way back.So when you were talking Noel Gallagher I was hearing Rory Gallagher))subscribed, thanks
As a teenager in the mid eighties, a friend of mine showed me three chords. Now, in my mid 40's, I have learned a fourth one. Thirty years of G-C-D'ing the stuffing out of every guitar I've owned.
I recently picked up on your channel and you're becoming one of my favorite. I've started learning through the internet a little under a year ago and have played everyday since, but would like to see how a 1-1 guitar lesson would benefit me. You're an inspiring player and seem like a cool dude, thanks for this video.
Hey Mike, amazingly entertaining and fresh videos, love them! Was wondering if you could make this book a public PDF so we can learn the way you did, that would mean the world! Keep up the good job, Cheers from Croatia!
Coincidental timing on this video, haha. I just started my first lesson yesterday. I've been playing on and off for about a year but I felt like I needed some structure in my playing (and someone to hold me accountable). My main goal is improvisation and what originally felt like a hopeless goal now feels like something attainable with just a little nudge from a teacher.
Really interesting Mike, thanks for that. Because guitar takes a long time, to get I guess what most people call good, I think maybe which ever route you take, you would think there must be an easier way. I started with a guitar teacher, and went straight into a song, Sweet Child O’ Mine. (Obviously not playing well)As well as an online theory course. I started with tab but after a time it seemed as though the teacher would bring up the next song and I would read along the tab. So I then thought I could do that on my own, And I wasn’t learning anything new. I then felt as though I had a shortfall in theory!
I've been trying to learn to play electric guitar for 10 years, i still can't play to speak of, it amazes me when some people become great guitarists in like a year or two?
It’s funny looking at your music sheets, where you see music I see math. I guess that’s why I can figure out analytical geometry with no problem but can’t play the guitar to save my soul. Thanks for sharing Mike :)
Quality stuff mike! Looks like a bigger version of the folder my teacher was giving me a couple of years ago! Sometimes I get annoyed that I'll never be as good as guthrie govan, but then I remember he probably won't plumb like I can 🤣 take that guthers 😄
My teacher was more into therory I spent lots of the lesson reading and writing music in bass clef too I just wanted to play the songs I liked But like mike I did not want to upset anyone Great video mike got all us old ones thinking back
Great advice mike on people not beating themselves if they’re not at the level they wanted to be. Cheers great video and an awesome channel you have 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
As I never had a "real in person guitar lessons" I of course find this information very interesting. I am playing around 4 yrs now and what I would need is actually someone to watch me and correct me, because this is the hardest thing when you are learning on your own. How often did you practice? When was the time when you've started to learn things on your own and what was that process like?
Good question, after a year or so of playing, I would pick the guitar up pretty much every day, after a few years I would play at least 2 hours a day, I remember when it was the summer holidays I would play pretty much all day every day.
6 лет назад
Mike Bradley so the answer to how to get good at something is do it a lot. I am not where I would like to be because I play maybe 30 min a day...the other thing is to do it right
I enjoy your videos, like your approach to playing. I started playing again a couple of years ago after a long pause of many years. Any tips on staying motivated, I seem to hit ruts and get frustrated. Sometimes it seems I will never improve. Thanks
I had lessons every Monday at 4.00pm :) The first year, not as much as I should off probably. After the first year I play a lot more, at least every day.
Mike Bradley Cool. Thanks. Just as an aside have you seen the NOISEY video interview on RUclips with Keith Richards - he has some interesting ideas on learning to play guitar especially starting with an acoustic which I think you agree with.
Don’t think there was tabs in the early 80s when I had lessons Anyone out there thinking of stopping playing don’t I started in 1980 gave up when my teacher moved in about 82 Started again in 2015 you can never get them years back
I feel the same way too. I stopped playing around 21-22 and started again two years ago, when i turned 31. Almost everyday there's this thought crossing my mind... what if I've never quit...
Hi Was 10 or 11 when I started in 1980 gave up at 12 I was never going to be a Clapton or Hendrix but would have loved to have been able to play in a band
There were definitely tabs in 1983 when I started. PS. There were tabs also in the guitar magazines at the time. I wager they've been around for many decades.
Tabs have been around since medieval times- they were originally for lutes etc. Dropping piano lessons age 13 because I was worried it would jeopardise my O’level grades (!) was a mistake for sure, but hindsight is 20/20. Picked up music again aged 45 and in five years have joined a band and passed several theory & practical exams. Don’t let age put you off- Learning as an adult is different for sure but there are several advantages too: mental stamina, commitment, less peer pressure, determination, money & not having to rely on grownups to take you to lessons / gigs/ exams! Roll on the end of covid when we can play together & gig again
Everybody has a different story ! I started playing when I was 15 , thought I was pretty good at 16, got humbled real quick when playing with older guys . Got in a rock band , thought I was pretty good , went in the navy and got my ass kicked by more experianced guys ! got out of Navy at 22 , thought I was pretty good , got my ass kicked again by much better guys ! I think learning guitar is a series of getting your Butt kicked , licking your wounds , practicing really hard and then getting your Butt kicked again !50 years later , I realize we never know enough about playing guitar , years of bands , weekend gigs , jamming with everybody , and I am still amazed I am getting my Butt kicked ! But , I love it , wouldn't change it for the world, seen the insides of a thousand bars , lots of stories to tell , and I still play every days at 71 years old !! ( oh yeah , girls kind of like guitar players )
It's hard to remember now as it's 20 years ago. I would play what he gave me, then when I started getting the magazines would learn some songs, I remember learning the live forever solo by Oasis and being really chuffed when i got it down.
Haha yep! I had an old school guitar teacher in the 80s..i was 11 and he used to touch my leg alot mmmmm fkin weirdo looking back! Haha same thing tho...he hated modern music at the time and we had to read standard notation or nothing..i was into the jam and xtc at the time but he wouldnt even acknowledge bands i liked...sorry dennis if ur still alive u ol perv! Haha good old days
I am fifty have been playing for about thirty five years and I am still not anywhere near the standard I would like to be at. But I still enjoy it and have never given up in spite of periodic breaks. You have inspired me to keep at it.
I’ve been playing for 45 years, not a great player by any means, I learn something every time I pick up one of my guitars, Guitar for the practicing Musician was a great help then came uTube and the whole world opened up. Just a bedroom player but I love it. Guys like you are the best inspiration ever.
Hi Mike ! Just to let your viewers know that I started playing guitar in 1963 . Played in bands almost my whole teenage and adult years . I am 72 years old now , played my last gig in 2012 . I still play every day , still play at parties , still play every day at home , and still LEARNING ! Every once in a while a light bulb goes off in my head , something makes sense , and I have a new tool to use in my playing .Love your videos , I never learned to read music , but still learned theory in spite of that . I would encourage every new player to take lessons , learn to read , have patience , and most of all learn the circle of 5ths , which you will use your whole career . Without music theory you will never be a great player . Even though it might seem like lessons take forever , it is still faster than learning by trial and ever . I always regret not learning to read , it would have made my life so much easier .Love your videos !!!
Loved the trip down memory lane.
I started with my brother playing rhythm so he could play the bass and lead over the top.
This was in our teens until university and work took over.
Now, over 40 years later, as we have retired we are back playing together.
I am now desperately learning scales etc. So I can play the lead and bass.!
after years of noodling i recently committed to a more structured theory and technique method of learning guitar. understanding theory and really knowing the finger board makes things so much easier
Your teacher was awesome. My teacher made me buy a book. I looked at my teacher and said 'Why do I need you for?'
Exactly! I'm not a fan of those teachers at all!
@3:47 Very similar to the first guitar lesson I ever had waaaay back in 1980! My Old guitar teacher (Old school guitar teachers are undervalued I think) taught me to sight read music. I believe it helped me learn rhythm and timing. I've always had good timing throughout my guitar playing carer. A musical skill not frequently used in the now "TAB Era". Still the ability to sight read music is a skill I still use today. And helped me later in life when I studied Jazz guitar at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
He set you on the right path with learning theory. I’m learning theory now I’ve been playing by ear for 35 years before I decided I wanted to learn theory. It would have made learning a lot faster for sure. As a young man I made my living playing but never knew the names or theory of what I was playing . Many times playing with professionals I was embarrassed because I didn’t know what they were asking me to play but once I heard what direction they were wanting to go I was able to take the ball and run with it. So you were very lucky to have had someone in your life to teach you. I was shown 3 chords and the rest I picked up along the way. But my ears were trained to know either it’s sounds right or it’s off. Anyhow good video it’s cool to see how music drives some to to learn everything they can and the practice it takes to become a good musician most people describe it as gifted and I have to remind them it’s practice that makes you good.
I got my first guitar at 16 and took lessons for a few months and went to guitar camp. I became a campfire strummer for about 6 years and 2 years ago finally decided to get serious. Traded in my acoustic for an electric and got to work. I was completely self taught until about 3 months ago. I felt like I was hitting a wall with youtube tutorials and other online resources (free and paid) and I started going back to the place I took lessons at when I was 16. I can tell how much better I’ve gotten in such a short time. Having someone there to talk you through things is an invaluable resource. We go back and forth between techniques, music theory, and learning stuff I’m actually interested in. I started a lesson’s binder like yours to keep all my materials he gives me organized and in a safe place. I think people have different learning styles, but I’ve found lessons to be the best way for me to go about learning the guitar.
@Mike Bradley So many good nuggets of advice that I had to revisit this video. Thanks again Mike!
I used to read Total Guitar magazine in the 90's too.
Great video Mike, cheers! You're right about the immediacy of our time, no one's got time for anything. I started learning the acoustic guitar for about 10 years, then jumped in the electric one, then back to the acoustic. Yeah, there was a bit of theory but I wasn't patient enough to go for the long way run as you did. So I always say that I'm not a guitar player, but a chords reproducer. I think you'd agree with me that the more we advance in anything, we find other stuff to learn, and we're never satisfied. Some more music theory would really make a huge difference to my playing, and I think it should be encouraged to new generations, despite this immediacy time
Your whole approach is really refreshing and helpful when learning - I recently asked Andertons in a comment on the tube to do a Captain meets Mike Bradley episode. Hope that happens!!!
I don't follow both channels so frequently anymore, but the day "Captain meets Mike Bradley" I will not miss...... What a great idea!!
I did the same!
Aww cheers Marc, I'm sure we will sort something out one day :)
Thanks for sharing your guitar story,and how you got to be here,a good teacher is imperative,I pretty much get what I can ,from you tube,used to get the mags .Cant practice as much,due to arthritis/back damage,but still love it.I find the theory helps,when explained clearly,will always love guitar,listening to it/bands ,and playing ,as a pastime/passion.
you're an inspirational guy and player, you're students are lucky
I’ve never actually had a true one on one lesson before. I’ve learned to play all through RUclips, and just exploring. This certainly comes with its positives and negatives, but there is no set way to learn the guitar.
Fair play for sticking through all those theory lessons at that age! i started learning round the same age and my teacher taught me in a similar manner. It was too boring for me and i gave it up after 6 weeks! once i discovered there was so many great practical lessons on RUclips I picked up the guitar again aged 18 and havent looked back!:)
Cool to share bruh, feeling the love. I've been self learning for 4 years, I've just paid for 6 theory based lessons which is putting what I've learnt in a really good framework. Bit of theory is damn useful ey
Man, I have to say, this was a lovely video.
Well done Mike you have earned your stripes ..top player
My former brother-in-law taught me the basic E Blues thing, rocking back and forth on the open E and the B and C notes on the A string. Later it was a Mel Bay chord book in the early 80s. Then it was turntable and vinyl. A bit later in the 80s came the guitar mags. In the summer, between the years of 83 to 87, during summer break, up at 6 am to 12 midnight playing guitar every day. Mostly wearing out vinyl albums. Somewhere between those years I had visited my former brother-in-law. He just shook his head and said he couldn't teach me anything, because I was way ahead of him on guitar.
I was missing any vibrato on guitar though. Everyone said I sounded like I was playing piano. So I started working on that, which wasn't difficult by then. I watched a few players and figured it out. Just added it to what I was doing already.
There were no instructors in my area, few guitarists, they'd let me in bars on the weekends to watch bands play. As long as I sat at the front of the stage and didn't move. I didn't. I was studying the guitar players, then I'd go home and try to recreate what I saw. There were no bars where I lived, so it was a journey to towns that had them. Watching others really helped. Internet back then was just starting. DOS and floppy disc drives. My school had a cassette drive computer. Nothing like today.
I will say that the vinyl really helped development of my ear. I can listen to something once or twice and figure most, if not all, of it out. Or I'll watch someone play something and figure it out as well. I don't care for tablature much, only in times where I may be missing something. I'll use tab and locate it, then move on. I did learn a classical arpeggio from a tab book a friend of mine had. This was in the mid 80s and I can still play the thing... surprised I have remembered it for this long.
Being nearly 50 years old, I agree with what Nuno Bettencourt stated about us old vinyl spinners. We may not be playing it exactly like the artist, but in doing so (incorrectly) we have developed our own style.
Chet Atkins was trying to copy Merle Travis when he was starting out. Later he found out he was doing it all wrong, but developed a style of playing that became his signature on guitar. I'm always learning something from someone. Even if it is just one tiny thing. I'll learn something then play it backwards and discover something else. Comes from many many many hours of playing as a teenager...though I'm still not where I want to be on guitar. Mark Knopfler said you'll never learn everything on guitar and he is right. Although I have people tell me that I'm one of the best in the area I live in, I know players who are beyond me. However, they are not judgemental. One friend of mine in Texas said he wishes he could play slow and melodic like me, yet he can melt your face off with speed. We don't discourage each other, we support, help, and teach. Everyone has their own voice, it's just finding it and developing it. Without getting too ethreal, the guitar should become a part of you and your vocabulary. Learn to speak with it and people will listen.
Very inspirational
Thanks for sharing
I began learning classical guitar when very young and like you HAD to learn to read. At the time it was dull but now I'm grateful when I learn a new song (read) it's a great help. I too look back on those teachers who helped me immensely with great fondness as they tended to give of themselves which I try to do especially with the young delinquents. Those kids that have an attitude need something to love and apart from dogs music is the greatest thing to love. Always humbling to look back on how far we come from knowing nothing to having some semblance of understanding of this enigmatic thing - Music and the Guitar. Great stuff, Mike !!
That's funny, growing up in England, my old guitar instructor insisted that I stick with sight reading, as opposed to tabs. I was very mixed up, ended up packing it in. Ten years later when I went back to it, I was hardly taught any theory at all. Thank heavens for blokes like you, things are making much more sense, Cheers! 👍🏼
Thank you for this. Really helpful.
Really interesting video, thanks a lot for sharing ! Kinda reassuring as well : )
It was crazy way back when. We used to take records go back and forth with the needle back and forth LOL. Forever. I took one lesson but back then they didn't teach you nothing they wanted you to keep coming back. I tell you what RUclips is amazing. I don't think people realize how hard it used to be. Thanks to guys like you I actually play better now LOL. And truly thanks a lot. You're right you definitely need guidance. Or you will end up with bad habits LOL.
That's what my dad did in the 60's; play records and try to copy them. That's pretty much all the average person had back then.
Haha yeah I'm old. I wasn't very good at it I would search for a note for days. My friend was better at it but he wasn't always available. Most of the time I gave up. Plus you had to by the record or find one that wasn't always easy. The teachers back then would teach your Mary had a little lamb for like 4 weeks LOL. But I only got on the computer like 4 years ago. I think I've been on RUclips everyday since. Okay nice talking to you.
This just made me be more humble and less better on what seems like my loooong road to progress with the guitar being self taught or well grabbing information from here and there and trying to pave my own way and not feeling like i should be where I should be at.... Thanks for sharing😊
Wonderful video thank you very much it opens my eyes, i m too impatient
Great story. You had real dedication as a kid that is admirable . Learning music theory always helps you as a musician . You took excellent notes. after watching this video I became a subscriber .
Amazing, welcome on board! :)
I gained so much more respect for your playing than I’d already had. This is both incredible and intense. Thank you for sharing! Cheers!
Good vid mate ,cheers from Down Under.
Been following you since a while now.. You are very good at clear tone, soloing melodically, you can play fast stuff too. I'd want you to get into tension playing (blues stuff) as it takes soloing onto another level in general, mess with heavy tones as well.. you've got it dude!!! I'll pray to my gods for your rapid growth and fame.
Namaste - from India.
Torendor song. That was sweet.
Mike! This was timely and wonderful. I’ve been getting lessons for a year now with a brilliant teacher. He takes a similar approach - I’m doing a LOT of theory and very ‘basic’ classical pieces that focus on technique. I feel some days like I haven’t made any progress, in that I dont have a repertoire of songs. BUT I can read music now (slowly) and I feel like I am beginning to actually understand what one day I hope to be really great at. Thanks for sharing this - it made my day.
Great video Mike, thanks for posting. I think you’ve hit the nail squarely on the head when you say we expect things to happen instantly these days. If I lived nearer to you I’d love to have 1-1 lessons but these RUclips videos really are excellent. PS +1 for the joint Andertons’s vid!
You remind me so much of Michael Casswell (RIP) from Lick Library.
Aww Michael Casswell, is very much dearly missed. I actually did a video talking about him when he passed away, so i'm taking that very much as a compliment.
Awesome video. I really enjoyed this!!
Hey hey Mike! Cheers all the way from San Diego, CA. This video was diving intervention buddy. I started playing bout a year ago. I can play songs like Sweet Child, etc but trying to learn from you tube is tough, so many point of views. I want to learn theory not only how to play songs, so this was inspiring to see where you started and what you have become! GREAT CHANNEL my friend thank you for all of time you out in to this FOR US!!!!
Thank you Dwaine, keep playing my friend!
Thanks Mike. Keepin it real :)
just found this.I've been taking guitar lessons for several months.My teacher doesn't believe in tab either haha
Really enjoyed this video mike! it came at a time where I've been questioning my ability of where I'm at and where I think I should be so you reinstated some confidence in me :)
Aww that's amazing to hear Will :)
This was pretty great! Kind if reminded me of my early days. I'd be interested in seeing a part 2 with stuff from your ACM days.
ooh good idea!
Just found your channel via guitcon with PhilX who is a great player but I enjoyed your wide range of styles.I'm an older learner from way back.So when you were talking Noel Gallagher I was hearing Rory Gallagher))subscribed, thanks
haha.. Rory is just slightly a better player!! hahaha.. Glad to hear you have now found me! :)
this was brilliant, thank you!
As a teenager in the mid eighties, a friend of mine showed me three chords. Now, in my mid 40's, I have learned a fourth one. Thirty years of G-C-D'ing the stuffing out of every guitar I've owned.
Loved this video. Your teacher seems like a really passionate person. :) Thanks for inspiring us.
Indeed, he was a lovely guy.
I recently picked up on your channel and you're becoming one of my favorite. I've started learning through the internet a little under a year ago and have played everyday since, but would like to see how a 1-1 guitar lesson would benefit me.
You're an inspiring player and seem like a cool dude, thanks for this video.
Thank you for the lovely words Trevor, truly mean a lot.
Hey Mike, amazingly entertaining and fresh videos, love them! Was wondering if you could make this book a public PDF so we can learn the way you did, that would mean the world!
Keep up the good job,
Cheers from Croatia!
man, that would be awesome. This book seems like a wealth of knowledge
Hey Mike, If you could make an pdf of your guitar notes folder , it might help other also someone like me!
Please that happen.
Abu Encontrado just want to comment the same, this comment needs more upvotes.
I'll post a similar comment so he notices this.
Dyou know how long that would bloody well take bro?? Ha
Yo are the best man, keep it going!!
I'm loving the laid back zen vibes in this video. It feels like we're just hanging out :D
That's amazing to hear, and exactly what I was hoping for.
Coincidental timing on this video, haha. I just started my first lesson yesterday. I've been playing on and off for about a year but I felt like I needed some structure in my playing (and someone to hold me accountable). My main goal is improvisation and what originally felt like a hopeless goal now feels like something attainable with just a little nudge from a teacher.
Really interesting Mike, thanks for that. Because guitar takes a long time, to get I guess what most people call good, I think maybe which ever route you take, you would think there must be an easier way.
I started with a guitar teacher, and went straight into a song, Sweet Child O’ Mine. (Obviously not playing well)As well as an online theory course. I started with tab but after a time it seemed as though the teacher would bring up the next song and I would read along the tab. So I then thought I could do that on my own, And I wasn’t learning anything new. I then felt as though I had a shortfall in theory!
I've been trying to learn to play electric guitar for 10 years, i still can't play to speak of, it amazes me when some people become great guitarists in like a year or two?
That strat plus with the locking tuners from the 80's. With Lace Sensor pick ups. Best strats ever built.
Yes they're certainly up there, mine is a 1996 one.
Mine is a 1991
Upvote
It’s funny looking at your music sheets, where you see music I see math. I guess that’s why I can figure out analytical geometry with no problem but can’t play the guitar to save my soul. Thanks for sharing Mike :)
Cool vid, thanks Mike!
Quality stuff mike! Looks like a bigger version of the folder my teacher was giving me a couple of years ago! Sometimes I get annoyed that I'll never be as good as guthrie govan, but then I remember he probably won't plumb like I can 🤣 take that guthers 😄
hahaha.. yes that could be very true. Don't worry, I think we all think like that, Guthrie is in his own league!
My teacher was more into therory
I spent lots of the lesson reading and writing music in bass clef too
I just wanted to play the songs I liked
But like mike I did not want to upset anyone
Great video mike got all us old ones thinking back
Cheers Ozzy! it's good to reminisce :)
Great advice mike on people not beating themselves if they’re not at the level they wanted to be. Cheers great video and an awesome channel you have 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
you had a good teacher ; )
As I never had a "real in person guitar lessons" I of course find this information very interesting. I am playing around 4 yrs now and what I would need is actually someone to watch me and correct me, because this is the hardest thing when you are learning on your own. How often did you practice? When was the time when you've started to learn things on your own and what was that process like?
Good question, after a year or so of playing, I would pick the guitar up pretty much every day, after a few years I would play at least 2 hours a day, I remember when it was the summer holidays I would play pretty much all day every day.
Mike Bradley so the answer to how to get good at something is do it a lot. I am not where I would like to be because I play maybe 30 min a day...the other thing is to do it right
Indeed, try at least an hour if you can do more even better!
0:13 Flipping us off again??? Cmon dude.
hahaha.. Never, I love you all!
hi
I enjoy your videos, like your approach to playing. I started playing again a couple of years ago after a long pause of many years. Any tips on staying motivated, I seem to hit ruts and get frustrated. Sometimes it seems I will never improve. Thanks
Cheers buddy, I think we're all the same like that, sometimes just take a few days off, listen to other players and music then come back to it.
That’s San Diego, California lol!!
Great video. Can I ask how often were your lessons and how much did you practise each day and week?
I had lessons every Monday at 4.00pm :) The first year, not as much as I should off probably. After the first year I play a lot more, at least every day.
Mike Bradley
Cool. Thanks. Just as an aside have you seen the NOISEY video interview on RUclips with Keith Richards - he has some interesting ideas on learning to play guitar especially starting with an acoustic which I think you agree with.
You really are the best!
Wait wait wait, what product do you use in your hair?
Don’t think there was tabs in the early 80s when I had lessons
Anyone out there thinking of stopping playing don’t
I started in 1980 gave up when my teacher moved in about 82
Started again in 2015 you can never get them years back
I feel the same way too. I stopped playing around 21-22 and started again two years ago, when i turned 31. Almost everyday there's this thought crossing my mind... what if I've never quit...
Hi Was 10 or 11 when I started in 1980 gave up at 12 I was never going to be a Clapton or Hendrix but would have loved to have been able to play in a band
Hey people, it's never too bloody late! Embrace your passion, get down on your bloody knees and play like your possessed !!
There were definitely tabs in 1983 when I started. PS. There were tabs also in the guitar magazines at the time. I wager they've been around for many decades.
Tabs have been around since medieval times- they were originally for lutes etc.
Dropping piano lessons age 13 because I was worried it would jeopardise my O’level grades (!) was a mistake for sure, but hindsight is 20/20. Picked up music again aged 45 and in five years have joined a band and passed several theory & practical exams. Don’t let age put you off- Learning as an adult is different for sure but there are several advantages too: mental stamina, commitment, less peer pressure, determination, money & not having to rely on grownups to take you to lessons / gigs/ exams! Roll on the end of covid when we can play together & gig again
Everybody has a different story ! I started playing when I was 15 , thought I was pretty good at 16, got humbled real quick when playing with older guys . Got in a rock band , thought I was pretty good , went in the navy and got my ass kicked by more experianced guys ! got out of Navy at 22 , thought I was pretty good , got my ass kicked again by much better guys ! I think learning guitar is a series of getting your Butt kicked , licking your wounds , practicing really hard and then getting your Butt kicked again !50 years later , I realize we never know enough about playing guitar , years of bands , weekend gigs , jamming with everybody , and I am still amazed I am getting my Butt kicked ! But , I love it , wouldn't change it for the world, seen the insides of a thousand bars , lots of stories to tell , and I still play every days at 71 years old !! ( oh yeah , girls kind of like guitar players )
Man, I want to start to learn this way, anyone knows a teacher in Lisbon?
It looks similar to the berklee method, not exactly but similar.
Thanks for sharing, Mike. What type of practice schedule did you keep between your lessons?
It's hard to remember now as it's 20 years ago. I would play what he gave me, then when I started getting the magazines would learn some songs, I remember learning the live forever solo by Oasis and being really chuffed when i got it down.
Do you like the band foals too?
please use subtitle ..I really can't understand
I gotta say your guitar teacher sounds a bit crazy bruh! Ha; )
Circle of fourths? Ummmmm....
where'd you get that shirt
Have had it for at least 15 years! Lol
So cool. Alan was able to have his own version of stuff because the internet wasn't correcting the fuck out of him every 22 seconds
Very true, It's a different world now.
But is there a hair video??? 😂😂😂
How do you do your hair Mike? Ha ha ha ha ha.
One day.. one day, I will do a hair tutorial! hahahaha
Mike Bradley PLEASE
"Very theory led" my lessons..........theres the answer to the question................................
Would you advise learning to read music bruh? Heavy hitter for sure
If you have the patience, go for it.
Lot of staff notion...
Haha yep! I had an old school guitar teacher in the 80s..i was 11 and he used to touch my leg alot mmmmm fkin weirdo looking back! Haha same thing tho...he hated modern music at the time and we had to read standard notation or nothing..i was into the jam and xtc at the time but he wouldnt even acknowledge bands i liked...sorry dennis if ur still alive u ol perv! Haha good old days
That would bore the tits of me lmao i play guitar but its like all play no theory