I started playing after I retired from the military. I was a Vet who just got back from Afghanistan with multiple injuries to include dealing with the loss of 8 of my team mates. I was in a very dark place because I was used to being very active and couldn’t be anymore which led to more depression. I got my guitar and that was my escape and therapy. My goal was to be able to play a song for my fallen brothers. Well it happened and I can’t tell you how great a feeling that was because not only was I very emotional about it but I guess I touched a few other people also with my playing. Now that’s my whole goal and it keeps me practicing wanting to be able to touch people with music and allow them to feel again like guitar has done for me. That’s my motivation and I have definitely been using your practicing tips to keep myself improving thanks so much!!!
Lenny,first I want to thank you for your service, It is GREATLY APPRECIATED! I'm sorry for your losses. I've always said "Guitar kept me out of prison "" It channeled my energy and focus away from the destructive and negative influences in my everyday life. You have inspired me to double down on my woodshedding and reminded me that music can bring light into some really dark and fucked up places. Godspeed!!
Lenny Serauskas I too am a vet currently enrolled in the “Guitars for Vets” program where they give you your own acoustic guitar after a 12 week course. Hands down this is the best therapy for me right now. Never realized I would love guitar so much.
You really stand out from all the guitar teachers on youtube. Please continue the good work man. It's clear that you really want your audience to learn.
I know I'm shit at guitar (30 years of playing) but I was inspired to never give up by BB King. He pointed out that 90% (probably much more) of his audience know nothing about guitar and think he is great. My non guitar playing friends think i'm great and that's enough but I know I'm sloppy and shit.
You have a point. I'm 15. Played guitar around 5 years. Trying to motivate myself to start putting covers on RUclips or maybe even start making songs. My friends and family say I'm great. Have a friend who makes awesome songs on his own. Hes around 19. He says he wants me in his band. But to me. I mess up loads and am worried about other people noticing it and slating me on it.
Im really happy because ever since I started playing the guitar around a month ago I stopped playing league which was really toxic for me and everyday I come out of school I just wanna play and watch guitar videos and gear on the internet. Also I feel somehow my studies are going better and I just feel motivated all around :)
A little more than 2 years ago I had the desire to pick up guitar at 39 years old. My wife said "this will be just like bass fishing" which I loved but I wanted to be home with my family and fishing with the guys all weekend isn't the best idea for a father. Mind you I hadn't fished in 4 years! I was so motivated just to show her! I was kind of also hurt by the words . A year later exactly her mother passed away and to motivate me I dedicated my second year to her and it worked. Now I am on year 3 and I'm loving it and have all the motivation I need. I'm doing it for me! Best of luck guys and gals. Great channel BTW your calm nature and honesty is very comforting method that some of us really need to get something. Thanks
Some days I'm tired, and don't feel like practicing. Then I practise anyway, but maybe only the homework from the music school. After playing a while I forget that I was tired :)
The main motivation that keeps me playing is money. I see you coming but let me explain: My first guitar costed me $200, which means all my savings and knowing that I sucked at something I spend all my money on really helped me. Give a $1000 guitar and I'd probably spend my lifetime trying to be worthy of it
I'm a white guy. Asian guys rock! There are lazy guys of every race, but on average, Asian guys are harder workers, and just a bit smarter as well. Just talking averages, here. Ya can't tell just by looking at someone whether they will be the lazy stupid kind, or any other... But ya just have to look around to see that on the whole, overall, if you lump everyone together, the average for the Asian dudes will be slightly better than that for blacks or whites as groups. Same thing goes for Jews. They have a cultural thing that promotes hard work and study and excellence. Not to say the rest of us can't achieve the same levels. Just that you will find slightly more of that among Jews and Asians. Just a statistical fact! :) www.amazon.com/Bell-Curve-Intelligence-Structure-Paperbacks/dp/0684824299
I learned basics from an old guy in church. He sat on the front pew with an old Gibson electric and I used to go sit by him and watch. The day he taught me "Amazing Grace" was something I will never forget. I was terrible, but the exhilaration of accomplishment has never left. I was only about 8, but that was a very important moment in my life.
if I practice every day and I listen, I can hear my playing gets slightly better every day, and thats motivating! I bet anyone if they listened could hear little tiny improvements if they practice continuously.
Being in a band has always been a huge motivation for me to practice wayyy more than I would if I'm just playing all by myself. Unfortunately I haven't been in a band for over 6 years now, and guess what, since then I only picked up my guitar once in a while and only for a few minutes.. But I definitely want to change that right now!!!!! It's one of my biggest passions and I don't wanna let it die!!
My biggest motivation now that I'm not much more of a beginner at 47 years old is my regret for not doing this while young and having all the time in the world. Even when I picked it up again in my early twenties, I had to sell my gear to make rent and buy christmas presents for my kid, I got so angry that I didn't pick it up again for over 15 years. All that time wasted. I may never be good, but I play because it makes me feel good.
What frustrates me is, anyone I ask to help me, they say "This song is easy to learn, it's only tab, they're telling you the answers right there." Yeah? Then why does my playing sound like I'm strangling a bird if it's soooooooooo easy to play????
I promise you I wish my mother put a guitar in my hand when I 4 and forced me through my tears to play it every day for at least an hour lol..... Who knows I proly woulda loved it Dx I believe music can be taught to any child like a language is taught....... (fully functioning motor skills i guess would be necessary to know it and be good at it) It's the only regret I have and it's somethign i could never have controlled. (I was alittle austic bastard too... to this day I can't really sit down and listen to music it hits me far too hard and i don't like being in that state too often.... I find myself crying when I hear certain songs or even parts of random songs..... Watching Angel vivaldi play that song at NAMM for instance. I really wonder if I woulda taken to it on a deeper level that can only be achieved as a brand new fresh developing brain.
Mike - well said. Thank you for being so open. I like what you said about the guitar prodigy. Sometimes I hear one and think I''ll quit - what is the use and sometimes I am inspired and immediately reach for my guitar. So far, the reaching has won out over the quitting. If it comes too easy maybe we won't appreciate it. On TV there was a special about a genius kid (age 12?) going to college. When asked what he wanted to do with his life - his goal was to become a game show host. You listed good motivations. Others, for me, are satisfaction and stress relief. I can be upset about something and play guitar a while and be well again. When I try something new on guitar and finally learn to do it - it is so satisfying. Another reason for me (spoiler alert - religious content to follow - bail now if you want to) For me - playing my guitar is a way to worship. It is my belief that God created music and playing my guitar is a way to thank God for music and to praise God.
I'd say the most satisfying moments are when you try hard to learn some of your favorite riff and you dig it all the time and one day you just see you got it on another level, youre really feeling it! (sure youre not playing it as advanced player but youre able to notice that it wasn't rly bad and that you moved forward with that riff or you just literally felt that when you played that part. And when you learn the whole song and can finally play it through decent, that makes me a lot passionate there... This kind of stuff pushes me further, either when I sometimes try to improvise a bit and find out some nice part that just feels good there!
What always helps me stay motivated is keeping in mind my achievements. I see a lot of people that play great stuff but they're so used to playing it that they think what they're playing IS easy. Appreciating achievements you make shows you that you're moving forward and that if you've come as far as you have, it's only a matter of time before you get where you want to be.
This is me! I'm at that beginner stage where I just enjoy the novelty of being able to play guitar. I feel like I know enough that I'm able to learn anything I need to learn in order to play any song. So when I hear a good song, I can barely wait to get home and start learning it. Like when Comfortably Numb re-entered my ears I had to drop everything and learn the solo. It's out of my ability to play it in time but I know it isn't out of my grasp. I know all the techniques he's doing and how to do them. It's just a matter of practice. It's a great feeling.
5:06 peace is a lie, there is only passion, *through* *passion* *I* *gain* *strength* , through strength i gain power I gain victory, through victory I my chains are broken... I can now Shred!
The last one, just how you feel when you are playing the guitar is a *HUGE* one for me. When I get home from work, tired and cranky from fighting traffic, I will just pick up my Strat and just noodle around unplugged. It is like "okay, all that is over, I am home, got my ax, all is good" and I get back to earth. Great video, all those points are spot on.
Im 40 yrs old and just got into guitar playing in a garage band with some other 40ish friends... that motivated me to get better because in highschool i had no idea on how to really play the guitar... now after a year or less we got to play live covers on small gigs and local bars and that is giving me an extra boost for continuing to practice... thanks to guys like you im getting better and your motivation keeps me going.. Thank you.
After having my hands and arms burnt in a house fire, i've lost some ability and i miss playing, you inspired me to keep trying and not give up. So glad i found you here...keep up the good work, i'm sure i'm not alone.
I've been learning via Rocksmith 2014 and YT videos, without doubt Rocksmith has helped immensely, as it forces you try different styles and from entry level to Godliness level, and as journey along you can revisit the higher levels and discover that each of levels becomes within reach, e.g you don't pick up guitar and ever expect to be expanding of comfortably numb solos. Whilst things like 'portions for foxes' is still way way up there in difficulty levels for me at least and reminder to keep working at it.
The last of us part 2 made me start playing and I'm very grateful! I used to think instruments were "nerdy" in a way, but now I respect everyone that puts the work in. Playing & learning guitar is waaaayy more complex than I initially thought.
I first wanted to learn to play drums since i had played them in school. Few years ago i discovered what music i liked. Mcr, Green day... and i found guitar tutorials of them on youtube. I was excited and then got a guitar almost a year ago. I love the feelings when i play. I never thought i would be able to play the guitar. I am very proud about how far i've come only with the help of the internet.
What I love about your teaching is that it shows that you love it! That's why I think (like all the rest of us) That you're the best teacher a guitarist can get! Thanks a lot Mike!
I've always marvelled at and, frankly, been jealous of people who could sit down to an instrument they have never played before and just know how it works, and know how to make it make music, and know how to play a favorite song on it. I had 3 friends like this in my youth and I can't carry a tune in a bucket. So it was really reassuring to hear you say that you'd rather be someone who has to work really hard to learn guitar and to get good at it instead of being someone born with that incredible talent because the payoff is so worth while. I really look forward to this for myself :)
Great advice. I want to share something I had to learn over the years that helps me that I wish I realised long ago. I'd get discouraged when I'd reach new plateaus and feel good, only to find I wasn't able to play at that level next time I picked up the guitar! That happens to me if I miss two(or more) days of playing. I'd get so frustrated I'd put it down and not play it sometimes for months, which just made it more difficult to get back into it. I still find myself missing(I know right away) sometimes but it comes back sooner than I use to think.
i find hard to concentrate on something for long ,got some sort of dyslexia ,then im depressed always been since i remember, plus im always strugglig with money, rent ,food , literally my life s constantly falling apart no matter what i do, lost all my social skills ,cant keep a job not that im not good , just cant deal with people anymore expecially fake people , the only thing that really keeps me going is my guitar and my cat when i grab my guitar is like i can finally speak ,i wish id practice more but i sometimes i just really have to play the blues and cry , i also learned to play harmonica whenever i had to put my guitar in the pawn shop.... sometimes the shit that i played 1000 times dont come out the way i want it to ,thats because the guitar is defiant ,love it its all i have ,music is a friend
I started playing in quarantine and struggled cuz my fingers are tiny. But once you get through that phase it's amazing. I started making song covers now on RUclips. Already
Woah when you talked about the first encounter with your guitar I recalled the craziest memory. When I was really young forgot what age I was possibly only 7 years old some older teenage kids showed me their electric guitar and tried to teach me some basic power chords. I fell in love with the instrument and I did not want to leave it's side, I wanted to keep playing guitar and learn more but the teenagers wanted me out. One teenager carried me out and I hit my head on the door when he took me out, I got a concussion that night and kept vomiting the rest of the night. I don't really know what happened cause I kept falling in and out of consciousness. I really need to ask my parents what happened that night now but that was my first encounter with a guitar. I guess it was my fault for my very refusal to leave the instruments side whatever I'm over it, that shit is so old.
I agree with you on a number of point's...Yes there are amazing guitarist that are very young!!! Mind blowing...but as you said they get bored and find another hobby...those who have to work for it have a longevity to keep going!!! Teaching is not my cup of tea but I do appreciate all the teacher's and ideas available on youtube!! A god send!! Thank you!! We all get stuck no matter what the level!! It's a rush to play in a band but I'm happy just playing something that felt good....next day you think you could have done it better hahaha but it's the thrill of the chase!! I could write alot of stuff but to keep it short on what you said @ the end is very true with me anyway....the feeling and JOY of just playing for yourself whether anyone is listening or not!!! Hit Home ;) Cheer's!!!
Thank you for so many great videos. I am glad that you are recognized as a top RUclips artist. I can see from sitting here how hard you do work. All your videos are seamless and provide are great deal of information. I love your Jazz Master. Talk about your guitars some day and how you became a Fender man. I am doing a full circle and play my acoustic now like I did years ago growing up in Ireland. I bought a Martin D28 for a project and use it for almost everything now. A good way to stay ahead of your game is to get into things that are over your head. I am writing my second Mass for the dead, a Requiem High Mass. our first one was accepted by Rome. It is too expensive for perform. I hope this one will be more realistic. Thank you again. Great job.
my problem is my hand i was an idiot and i was playing with dry ice and soda bottle and damaged my fret hand so my hand gets very painful very quick tried learning right handed but hard
what motivates me is learning SRV's version of little wing. Only been playing for 10 months and so far ive gotten through about a minute and half of the song. hopefully i'll keep on learning and eventually learning this song. I just love that song so much.
I think i don’t really have a specific motivation. I just play cause i want to. I like creating sounds (or recreating them). I think I love music. Maybe the thing that gets me hooked with my guitar is the desire of getting an electric fender, since im playing rock songs on my cheap, acoustic guitar. I really want an electric guitar but i want to be good enough or at least be decent before getting it.
pretty much sums up life as a guitar player....i, like really, fit his journey in this video, to a T....just love and feel whatever you play, and all the other stuff will follow....
Great work on these videos Mike...I've been playing for almost 50 years now & I still find valuable info in your videos ..wish I'd had your great instruction starting out, instead of learning the hard way over many years..congratulations on sharing such a fantastic series of instructional and inspirational lessons :)
Thank you so much man, these days I pick up the guitar just because I spent a lot of money on them and I'm really frustrated. hope I can get my motivation back.
My biggest motivation now aside from my band aspiring to succeed... is that I'm in that level now where when someone hears me play, they can compare me to other musicians.. and losing comparisons just doesn't stick well to me. So I keep on striving and striving to get better and better. There's this food hub at the back of my school that has a daily open mic and I met a lot of older college friends there and they were shocked with my skills n stuff.. Then I got soooo intimidated when the person they said was the best among them went to the stage and sat down with us.. Even to this day I'm sooo intimidated by people I meet that are better than me. That's why I keep pushing myself to break my limits and get better.
My main motivation to play has always been the feeling I have when I play any that I like or even when I don't like but I create a new versions with my own way of playing. It has always been this way with me since the beginning.
Sometimes I say I'll quit, but now that I am back into it, I don't think I could. I spent many, many years away from music. This was a mistake! Stick at it. Best thing I ever did was find some players I admire and workshop their techniques. Back in the day, I would make excuses as to why I could never play like that. Sure, there are some physical limits but you work around those.
I don't know what it is with the guitar for me. I once borrowed a friend's guitar and really got into it, then got my own, was into it a bit longer - and then simply stopped, burned out or so. Probably because what I want to do first and foremost is to sing - guitar is merely something that should complement my voice. And with singing I already am at a decent level so I get quite frustrated with how much I still suck at guitar. Also, at a certain point my joints always start hurting. So that is something that really ruins the guitar experience for me: the physical pain coming with it (and yeah, I checked out how to correctly hold a guitar). I probably have to see that it isn't my instrument, even though I do not want to sell my guitar because I might someday start taking lessons.
I love how you explain things, your such a kind soul ✨🙏🏽 As for me I have always loved the guitar, But it wasn’t until a few month ago I brought my first guitar, I love it sooo much and practice every day! And can already see my progress, For me playing well is one thing , but this will be a forever journey of mine if you know what I mean ❤️☺️
I was always that kid that whatever instrument I picked up I excelled at it really quick and with that it got me bored because nothing was really challenging me enough. So in the long run I just lost interest and stopped playing. But now 5 years later I've had a burning desire to play again and this time around everything is a lot more difficult for me. I'm not sure why, I'm the same person but my friends say it's because of all the drugs I do. But who really knows why. I like my heroine I'm not gonna stop
i feel that sometimes i see that i do really well, i seem to learn so much, and then at other times i feel like i suck and cant learn anything. Knowing this i can make my self move on because ill know soon ill start doing better
I play in my school band, we have a rhythm section that includes me and my friend on guitar, our drummer, and our two bassists (one can't really play that well, so we let our better one play at football games.) And I've seen some of the popular girls at the games and they'll talk to me when they see me, so hey, that's enough motivation for me. 😂 They always tell me that I did so well, when really I just play simple stuff like E chords and A chords and D chords, and power chords for when we play some rock music 🤘
Great vids. I must admit that I find more practical information from some other videos, yours are the best when it comes to the motivational aspect. Keep it up
My motivation is to play holy wars and through the fire and the flames for my first song im a beginner and i never touched my guitar in almost a year. Yet i wanna play extremely hard songs but im extremely lazy to do it
What gets me down is seeing guitarists only in their, like, 20s, being absolute gods ie Jason Richardson/Lucas Mann. Like, what are they doing that I’m not? Like it’s inspirational but also a bit frustrating
It is only frustrating if you let it frustrate you. I have been learning guitar for about 15 months and I'm happy with my progress so far. I knew going in it would take a long time to get good and that is all you need to know.
I'm stuck. I am a beginner, and have learned power chords (to my potential downfall), and because I can sound decent, it is hard to stay disciplined and actually practice. I will start practicing, and 5 minutes later find myself playing Offspring songs. Any advice for just plain discipline?
There's a video on RUclips called sth like "Metallica's James hetfield at guitar center", after seeing that video I got out of bed and practiced for 5 hours straight. I even saved it to be able to get back there quickly if I really need motivation to pick up my instrument. Such a great guy.
please don't quit and give up people. guitar requires patience! guitar is a beautiful instrument! I remember before I started playing, whenever I'd come across a music store, I'd just drool over the guitars like a 4 year old, and my first encounter with the guitar was real heaven, much stronger than a shot of heroin! Of course, I sucked in the start, everybody does, but you figure that you can't quit, just keep practicing, and I promise one day every one of you new, beginner guitarists would become accomplished guitarists!
The Competition Thing also applies to pressure i mess up all the time even in the easiest Songs when i'm alone but i've Never fucked up in front of an audience
I am sick of being stuck in the same old rut. I can read music and tablatures really well which is great, but I suck at playing anything fast. I can play sixteenth notes on the same note pretty easily, but when it comes to changing frets and strings well, my picking and fretting becomes unsynchronized, and my fretting hand gets slow like an obese man doing cardio. Any advice???
What motivates me is reminding myself that guitar is hard. lol like, don't play guitar if you think it's going to be easy, its not easy at all. if you know it will be difficult and takes tons of practice, you'll be fine. And because music is a mysterious eternal object that you can experience, the struggle is worth it. play until you're nauseous
I guess what motivates me to play is simply that I hear guys like Death, Slipknot or Mick Gordon and think "I want to be that, I want to be able to perform with that kind of bombastic style and effortless aplomb to create music that's truly passionate, something I can be proud of, where I can look and say that yep; I made that and I gave it all I have." That's the feeling I get after sewing some cool patches on or making a RUclips video I'm proud of, or even getting play of the game when I played overwatch (yes I'm a glory hog.)
You said you practiced 6-8 hours .. seriously? How did you conduct that practice ? Did you do 6-8 hrs straight or broke it down? Can you make a video explaining in detail how you would practice ? Thanks
Hey Mike quick question. I picked back my Fender classical guitar (the forgotten guitar race) after 10 years of not playing guitar and I was wondering if you have any advice on playing classical pieces. I was able to play Romance D'Amour within a month from starting off just to give you an idea of my mediocre skill level, I want to up my game and commit so I think it would be nice to have some insight from you on classical guitars. Thanks!
Two things among many that keep me at it (bass, not guitar) are a sense of responsibility to the musicians I work with and the certainty that there's always more cool stuff to learn.
I believe I was born to play music. Played much rock and gospel violin but now learning guitar. If I don't play, I feel much less alive. That's my motivation.
I wish I had close friends who played guitar around my same level.
Me too. All of my friends don't play an instrument. I like your profil pic.
Find some.
Too :v
Andrew D yeah it'd be a big help..
You do Andrew! It's just that I live in Australia so...
I started playing after I retired from the military. I was a Vet who just got back from Afghanistan with multiple injuries to include dealing with the loss of 8 of my team mates. I was in a very dark place because I was used to being very active and couldn’t be anymore which led to more depression. I got my guitar and that was my escape and therapy. My goal was to be able to play a song for my fallen brothers. Well it happened and I can’t tell you how great a feeling that was because not only was I very emotional about it but I guess I touched a few other people also with my playing. Now that’s my whole goal and it keeps me practicing wanting to be able to touch people with music and allow them to feel again like guitar has done for me. That’s my motivation and I have definitely been using your practicing tips to keep myself improving thanks so much!!!
No doubt you are an inspiration to everyone who knows you, and many who don't. Thank you. For everything.
Lenny Serauskas awesome!!
Lenny,first I want to thank you for your service, It is GREATLY APPRECIATED! I'm sorry for your losses. I've always said "Guitar kept me out of prison "" It channeled my energy and focus away from the destructive and negative influences in my everyday life. You have inspired me to double down on my woodshedding and reminded me that music can bring light into some really dark and fucked up places. Godspeed!!
❤😞
Lenny Serauskas I too am a vet currently enrolled in the “Guitars for Vets” program where they give you your own acoustic guitar after a 12 week course. Hands down this is the best therapy for me right now. Never realized I would love guitar so much.
You really stand out from all the guitar teachers on youtube. Please continue the good work man. It's clear that you really want your audience to learn.
This is my favourite guitar channel... He explains the exact same things i went through !
Agreed
I know I'm shit at guitar (30 years of playing) but I was inspired to never give up by BB King. He pointed out that 90% (probably much more) of his audience know nothing about guitar and think he is great. My non guitar playing friends think i'm great and that's enough but I know I'm sloppy and shit.
Dude, I can relate.
Give yourself some credit, you probably rock my man
Same energy
You have a point. I'm 15. Played guitar around 5 years. Trying to motivate myself to start putting covers on RUclips or maybe even start making songs. My friends and family say I'm great. Have a friend who makes awesome songs on his own. Hes around 19. He says he wants me in his band. But to me. I mess up loads and am worried about other people noticing it and slating me on it.
Im really happy because ever since I started playing the guitar around a month ago I stopped playing league which was really toxic for me and everyday I come out of school I just wanna play and watch guitar videos and gear on the internet. Also I feel somehow my studies are going better and I just feel motivated all around :)
What keeps me motivated is listening to my favorite guitarists and knowing that I could be as talented as them with enough hard work and dedication
Same here. It hurts even more when you miserably fail at trying to play one of their solos
A little more than 2 years ago I had the desire to pick up guitar at 39 years old. My wife said "this will be just like bass fishing" which I loved but I wanted to be home with my family and fishing with the guys all weekend isn't the best idea for a father. Mind you I hadn't fished in 4 years! I was so motivated just to show her! I was kind of also hurt by the words . A year later exactly her mother passed away and to motivate me I dedicated my second year to her and it worked. Now I am on year 3 and I'm loving it and have all the motivation I need. I'm doing it for me! Best of luck guys and gals. Great channel BTW your calm nature and honesty is very comforting method that some of us really need to get something. Thanks
Great story, man.
Some days I'm tired, and don't feel like practicing. Then I practise anyway, but maybe only the homework from the music school. After playing a while I forget that I was tired :)
I've done that too. I feel so energised after playing that I sometimes can't fall asleep that quick.
The main motivation that keeps me playing is money. I see you coming but let me explain:
My first guitar costed me $200, which means all my savings and knowing that I sucked at something I spend all my money on really helped me.
Give a $1000 guitar and I'd probably spend my lifetime trying to be worthy of it
That's how I am with my 1971 fender p-bass. I got it when my GP passes, and since then I've been trying to get better and better, in his honor
I have a SRV Stratocaster and still am not good enough to be worthy of it 😪
No matter how hard you try, there is always a 5 year old Asian kid who can do it better.
Truth!
No kidding! Where the hell do they come from? Do they start playing before they can walk? 😅😅😅
Mike Hunt They play better just unpacking the guitar than I can even if I practice every day for ten years
Ha ha yes, and it's usually a girl.
I'm a white guy. Asian guys rock! There are lazy guys of every race, but on average, Asian guys are harder workers, and just a bit smarter as well. Just talking averages, here. Ya can't tell just by looking at someone whether they will be the lazy stupid kind, or any other... But ya just have to look around to see that on the whole, overall, if you lump everyone together, the average for the Asian dudes will be slightly better than that for blacks or whites as groups. Same thing goes for Jews. They have a cultural thing that promotes hard work and study and excellence. Not to say the rest of us can't achieve the same levels. Just that you will find slightly more of that among Jews and Asians. Just a statistical fact! :) www.amazon.com/Bell-Curve-Intelligence-Structure-Paperbacks/dp/0684824299
I learned basics from an old guy in church. He sat on the front pew with an old Gibson electric and I used to go sit by him and watch. The day he taught me "Amazing Grace" was something I will never forget. I was terrible, but the exhilaration of accomplishment has never left. I was only about 8, but that was a very important moment in my life.
if I practice every day and I listen, I can hear my playing gets slightly better every day, and thats motivating! I bet anyone if they listened could hear little tiny improvements if they practice continuously.
Being in a band has always been a huge motivation for me to practice wayyy more than I would if I'm just playing all by myself. Unfortunately I haven't been in a band for over 6 years now, and guess what, since then I only picked up my guitar once in a while and only for a few minutes.. But I definitely want to change that right now!!!!! It's one of my biggest passions and I don't wanna let it die!!
My biggest motivation now that I'm not much more of a beginner at 47 years old is my regret for not doing this while young and having all the time in the world. Even when I picked it up again in my early twenties, I had to sell my gear to make rent and buy christmas presents for my kid, I got so angry that I didn't pick it up again for over 15 years. All that time wasted. I may never be good, but I play because it makes me feel good.
I find that best motivation is to pick up the guitar, every day, smile, and have a good time playing.
What frustrates me is, anyone I ask to help me, they say "This song is easy to learn, it's only tab, they're telling you the answers right there."
Yeah? Then why does my playing sound like I'm strangling a bird if it's soooooooooo easy to play????
I promise you I wish my mother put a guitar in my hand when I 4 and forced me through my tears to play it every day for at least an hour lol..... Who knows I proly woulda loved it Dx
I believe music can be taught to any child like a language is taught....... (fully functioning motor skills i guess would be necessary to know it and be good at it) It's the only regret I have and it's somethign i could never have controlled. (I was alittle austic bastard too... to this day I can't really sit down and listen to music it hits me far too hard and i don't like being in that state too often.... I find myself crying when I hear certain songs or even parts of random songs..... Watching Angel vivaldi play that song at NAMM for instance. I really wonder if I woulda taken to it on a deeper level that can only be achieved as a brand new fresh developing brain.
Mike - well said. Thank you for being so open. I like what you said about the guitar prodigy. Sometimes I hear one and think I''ll quit - what is the use and sometimes I am inspired and immediately reach for my guitar. So far, the reaching has won out over the quitting.
If it comes too easy maybe we won't appreciate it. On TV there was a special about a genius kid (age 12?) going to college. When asked what he wanted to do with his life - his goal was to become a game show host.
You listed good motivations. Others, for me, are satisfaction and stress relief. I can be upset about something and play guitar a while and be well again. When I try something new on guitar and finally learn to do it - it is so satisfying.
Another reason for me (spoiler alert - religious content to follow - bail now if you want to)
For me - playing my guitar is a way to worship. It is my belief that God created music and playing my guitar is a way to thank God for music and to praise God.
Amen!
I'd say the most satisfying moments are when you try hard to learn some of your favorite riff and you dig it all the time and one day you just see you got it on another level, youre really feeling it! (sure youre not playing it as advanced player but youre able to notice that it wasn't rly bad and that you moved forward with that riff or you just literally felt that when you played that part. And when you learn the whole song and can finally play it through decent, that makes me a lot passionate there...
This kind of stuff pushes me further, either when I sometimes try to improvise a bit and find out some nice part that just feels good there!
What always helps me stay motivated is keeping in mind my achievements. I see a lot of people that play great stuff but they're so used to playing it that they think what they're playing IS easy. Appreciating achievements you make shows you that you're moving forward and that if you've come as far as you have, it's only a matter of time before you get where you want to be.
You just changed my mind to not quit guitar. Thank you!!
Thank you for the constant encouragement and realness! You have helped me get through quite a few ruts and I greatly appreciate it!
The best motivation I have is to learn a song, that you absolutely want to play.
This is me! I'm at that beginner stage where I just enjoy the novelty of being able to play guitar. I feel like I know enough that I'm able to learn anything I need to learn in order to play any song. So when I hear a good song, I can barely wait to get home and start learning it. Like when Comfortably Numb re-entered my ears I had to drop everything and learn the solo. It's out of my ability to play it in time but I know it isn't out of my grasp. I know all the techniques he's doing and how to do them. It's just a matter of practice. It's a great feeling.
5:06 peace is a lie, there is only passion, *through* *passion* *I* *gain* *strength* , through strength i gain power I gain victory, through victory I my chains are broken... I can now Shred!
The last one, just how you feel when you are playing the guitar is a *HUGE* one for me. When I get home from work, tired and cranky from fighting traffic, I will just pick up my Strat and just noodle around unplugged. It is like "okay, all that is over, I am home, got my ax, all is good" and I get back to earth. Great video, all those points are spot on.
Mr. Mike you are the best guitar teacher ever ☺
Im 40 yrs old and just got into guitar playing in a garage band with some other 40ish friends... that motivated me to get better because in highschool i had no idea on how to really play the guitar... now after a year or less we got to play live covers on small gigs and local bars and that is giving me an extra boost for continuing to practice... thanks to guys like you im getting better and your motivation keeps me going.. Thank you.
After having my hands and arms burnt in a house fire, i've lost some ability and i miss playing, you inspired me to keep trying and not give up. So glad i found you here...keep up the good work, i'm sure i'm not alone.
I've been learning via Rocksmith 2014 and YT videos, without doubt Rocksmith has helped immensely, as it forces you try different styles and from entry level to Godliness level, and as journey along you can revisit the higher levels and discover that each of levels becomes within reach, e.g you don't pick up guitar and ever expect to be expanding of comfortably numb solos.
Whilst things like 'portions for foxes' is still way way up there in difficulty levels for me at least and reminder to keep working at it.
I just need to take lessons. I cant keep motivated by searching through RUclips.
The last of us part 2 made me start playing and I'm very grateful! I used to think instruments were "nerdy" in a way, but now I respect everyone that puts the work in. Playing & learning guitar is waaaayy more complex than I initially thought.
You're so right about the lack of boredom these days hindering so manybasoects of our development and creativity, imagination... couldn't agree more!
I first wanted to learn to play drums since i had played them in school. Few years ago i discovered what music i liked. Mcr, Green day... and i found guitar tutorials of them on youtube. I was excited and then got a guitar almost a year ago.
I love the feelings when i play. I never thought i would be able to play the guitar. I am very proud about how far i've come only with the help of the internet.
What I love about your teaching is that it shows that you love it! That's why I think (like all the rest of us) That you're the best teacher a guitarist can get! Thanks a lot Mike!
This is an amazing video. Tbh the best thing about it is how you just talk to the camera just like you would to a friend so it feels really personal.
I've always marvelled at and, frankly, been jealous of people who could sit down to an instrument they have never played before and just know how it works, and know how to make it make music, and know how to play a favorite song on it. I had 3 friends like this in my youth and I can't carry a tune in a bucket. So it was really reassuring to hear you say that you'd rather be someone who has to work really hard to learn guitar and to get good at it instead of being someone born with that incredible talent because the payoff is so worth while. I really look forward to this for myself :)
Yahtzee! And, frustration is a feeling. That is all it is. Feel it and play anyway.
Ur way of talking is so nice :) u have really a down to earth energy I'm really motivated to continue with guitar
Great advice. I want to share something I had to learn over the years that helps me that I wish I realised long ago. I'd get discouraged when I'd reach new plateaus and feel good, only to find I wasn't able to play at that level next time I picked up the guitar! That happens to me if I miss two(or more) days of playing. I'd get so frustrated I'd put it down and not play it sometimes for months, which just made it more difficult to get back into it. I still find myself missing(I know right away) sometimes but it comes back sooner than I use to think.
My friend, you motivated me so much rn, i thank you from the bottom of my heart✊😔
i find hard to concentrate on something for long ,got some sort of dyslexia ,then im depressed always been since i remember, plus im always strugglig with money, rent ,food , literally my life s constantly falling apart no matter what i do, lost all my social skills ,cant keep a job not that im not good , just cant deal with people anymore expecially fake people , the only thing that really keeps me going is my guitar and my cat when i grab my guitar is like i can finally speak ,i wish id practice more but i sometimes i just really have to play the blues and cry , i also learned to play harmonica whenever i had to put my guitar in the pawn shop....
sometimes the shit that i played 1000 times dont come out the way i want it to ,thats because the guitar is defiant ,love it its all i have ,music is a friend
I started playing in quarantine and struggled cuz my fingers are tiny. But once you get through that phase it's amazing. I started making song covers now on RUclips. Already
Woah when you talked about the first encounter with your guitar I recalled the craziest memory. When I was really young forgot what age I was possibly only 7 years old some older teenage kids showed me their electric guitar and tried to teach me some basic power chords. I fell in love with the instrument and I did not want to leave it's side, I wanted to keep playing guitar and learn more but the teenagers wanted me out. One teenager carried me out and I hit my head on the door when he took me out, I got a concussion that night and kept vomiting the rest of the night. I don't really know what happened cause I kept falling in and out of consciousness. I really need to ask my parents what happened that night now but that was my first encounter with a guitar. I guess it was my fault for my very refusal to leave the instruments side whatever I'm over it, that shit is so old.
I agree with you on a number of point's...Yes there are amazing guitarist that are very young!!! Mind blowing...but as you said they get bored and find another hobby...those who have to work for it have a longevity to keep going!!! Teaching is not my cup of tea but I do appreciate all the teacher's and ideas available on youtube!! A god send!! Thank you!! We all get stuck no matter what the level!! It's a rush to play in a band but I'm happy just playing something that felt good....next day you think you could have done it better hahaha but it's the thrill of the chase!! I could write alot of stuff but to keep it short on what you said @ the end is very true with me anyway....the feeling and JOY of just playing for yourself whether anyone is listening or not!!! Hit Home ;) Cheer's!!!
Thank you for so many great videos. I am glad that you are recognized as a top RUclips artist. I can see from sitting here how hard you do work. All your videos are seamless and provide are great deal of information. I love your Jazz Master. Talk about your guitars some day and how you became a Fender man. I am doing a full circle and play my acoustic now like I did years ago growing up in Ireland. I bought a Martin D28 for a project and use it for almost everything now. A good way to stay ahead of your game is to get into things that are over your head. I am writing my second Mass for the dead, a Requiem High Mass. our first one was accepted by Rome. It is too expensive for perform. I hope this one will be more realistic. Thank you again. Great job.
Martin’s are legit! Sounds like you have some great projects going my friend.
my problem is my hand i was an idiot and i was playing with dry ice and soda bottle and damaged my fret hand so my hand gets very painful very quick tried learning right handed but hard
what motivates me is learning SRV's version of little wing. Only been playing for 10 months and so far ive gotten through about a minute and half of the song. hopefully i'll keep on learning and eventually learning this song. I just love that song so much.
I think i don’t really have a specific motivation. I just play cause i want to. I like creating sounds (or recreating them). I think I love music.
Maybe the thing that gets me hooked with my guitar is the desire of getting an electric fender, since im playing rock songs on my cheap, acoustic guitar. I really want an electric guitar but i want to be good enough or at least be decent before getting it.
pretty much sums up life as a guitar player....i, like really, fit his journey in this video, to a T....just love and feel whatever you play, and all the other stuff will follow....
I love your voice
Some do, some wanna kick me in the throat. ;)
Hahaha
Your channel, Ben Eller, and Samurai Guitarist - top 3
Great work on these videos Mike...I've been playing for almost 50 years now & I still find valuable info in your videos ..wish I'd had your great instruction starting out, instead of learning the hard way over many years..congratulations on sharing such a fantastic series of instructional and inspirational lessons :)
Thank you so much man, these days I pick up the guitar just because I spent a lot of money on them and I'm really frustrated. hope I can get my motivation back.
My biggest motivation now aside from my band aspiring to succeed... is that I'm in that level now where when someone hears me play, they can compare me to other musicians.. and losing comparisons just doesn't stick well to me. So I keep on striving and striving to get better and better.
There's this food hub at the back of my school that has a daily open mic and I met a lot of older college friends there and they were shocked with my skills n stuff.. Then I got soooo intimidated when the person they said was the best among them went to the stage and sat down with us.. Even to this day I'm sooo intimidated by people I meet that are better than me. That's why I keep pushing myself to break my limits and get better.
My main motivation to play has always been the feeling I have when I play any that I like or even when I don't like but I create a new versions with my own way of playing. It has always been this way with me since the beginning.
There's always someone better than you - if you were always the best, you wouldn't have the need to be any better.
Kind of you to share. I’m learning because I want to be able to work out melodies for my lyrics. It’s frustrating but also fun.
Sometimes I say I'll quit, but now that I am back into it, I don't think I could.
I spent many, many years away from music. This was a mistake! Stick at it.
Best thing I ever did was find some players I admire and workshop their techniques. Back in the day, I would make excuses as to why I could never play like that. Sure, there are some physical limits but you work around those.
Girls
Yeah just feeling, It allows me to escape my life!! Sometimes it brings out emotions that are hidden deep inside me!!
Very good motivational video
This video is really, really inspiring; excellent advice that's not chockablock full of the usual guitar clichés.
I don't know what it is with the guitar for me.
I once borrowed a friend's guitar and really got into it, then got my own, was into it a bit longer - and then simply stopped, burned out or so. Probably because what I want to do first and foremost is to sing - guitar is merely something that should complement my voice. And with singing I already am at a decent level so I get quite frustrated with how much I still suck at guitar. Also, at a certain point my joints always start hurting. So that is something that really ruins the guitar experience for me: the physical pain coming with it (and yeah, I checked out how to correctly hold a guitar). I probably have to see that it isn't my instrument, even though I do not want to sell my guitar because I might someday start taking lessons.
JUST EXCELLENT LOVED YOUR ADVICES!Thanks for sharing!
Both genuine and professional. I love your videos man i hope you keep it up !
The thing you said about prodigies is so true, never thought about it that way
I love how you explain things, your such a kind soul ✨🙏🏽 As for me I have always loved the guitar, But it wasn’t until a few month ago I brought my first guitar, I love it sooo much and practice every day! And can already see my progress, For me playing well is one thing , but this will be a forever journey of mine if you know what I mean ❤️☺️
I was always that kid that whatever instrument I picked up I excelled at it really quick and with that it got me bored because nothing was really challenging me enough. So in the long run I just lost interest and stopped playing. But now 5 years later I've had a burning desire to play again and this time around everything is a lot more difficult for me. I'm not sure why, I'm the same person but my friends say it's because of all the drugs I do. But who really knows why. I like my heroine I'm not gonna stop
i feel that sometimes i see that i do really well, i seem to learn so much, and then at other times i feel like i suck and cant learn anything. Knowing this i can make my self move on because ill know soon ill start doing better
I play in my school band, we have a rhythm section that includes me and my friend on guitar, our drummer, and our two bassists (one can't really play that well, so we let our better one play at football games.) And I've seen some of the popular girls at the games and they'll talk to me when they see me, so hey, that's enough motivation for me. 😂 They always tell me that I did so well, when really I just play simple stuff like E chords and A chords and D chords, and power chords for when we play some rock music 🤘
Great vids. I must admit that I find more practical information from some other videos, yours are the best when it comes to the motivational aspect. Keep it up
You're a great teacher man. Can't tell you how much this has helped, keep up the good work!! :)
What really motivates me is the thought of teaching family members in the future.
Well said man! Gotta do it for enjoyment first and foremost!
Motivation: "Oh! Master of Puppets is down-strokes?!? Son-of-a...!!"
My motivation is to play holy wars and through the fire and the flames for my first song im a beginner and i never touched my guitar in almost a year. Yet i wanna play extremely hard songs but im extremely lazy to do it
I'm into Guitars For Vets and they have a once a month jam session that is a real motivator for me.
What gets me down is seeing guitarists only in their, like, 20s, being absolute gods ie Jason Richardson/Lucas Mann. Like, what are they doing that I’m not? Like it’s inspirational but also a bit frustrating
They’ve been playing since they were little kids.
It is only frustrating if you let it frustrate you. I have been learning guitar for about 15 months and I'm happy with my progress so far. I knew going in it would take a long time to get good and that is all you need to know.
I'm stuck. I am a beginner, and have learned power chords (to my potential downfall), and because I can sound decent, it is hard to stay disciplined and actually practice. I will start practicing, and 5 minutes later find myself playing Offspring songs. Any advice for just plain discipline?
Play some Ramones.
Always.
This is me. I learned how to play power chords, and now all I play is Fall Out Boy, which is mostly power chords.
The-Art-of-Guitar I have moobs
Same.
There's a video on RUclips called sth like "Metallica's James hetfield at guitar center", after seeing that video I got out of bed and practiced for 5 hours straight. I even saved it to be able to get back there quickly if I really need motivation to pick up my instrument. Such a great guy.
Congrats on the award!!!
please don't quit and give up people. guitar requires patience! guitar is a beautiful instrument! I remember before I started playing, whenever I'd come across a music store, I'd just drool over the guitars like a 4 year old, and my first encounter with the guitar was real heaven, much stronger than a shot of heroin! Of course, I sucked in the start, everybody does, but you figure that you can't quit, just keep practicing, and I promise one day every one of you new, beginner guitarists would become accomplished guitarists!
Can I get some motivational comments ?
I aspire to better my picking speed and my legato. Thanks guys. Hugs to all !
Van Halen and other amazing guitarists and trying to get to play like them is what motivates me.
The Competition Thing also applies to pressure i mess up all the time even in the easiest Songs when i'm alone but i've Never fucked up in front of an audience
I am sick of being stuck in the same old rut. I can read music and tablatures really well which is great, but I suck at playing anything fast. I can play sixteenth notes on the same note pretty easily, but when it comes to changing frets and strings well, my picking and fretting becomes unsynchronized, and my fretting hand gets slow like an obese man doing cardio. Any advice???
What motivates me is reminding myself that guitar is hard. lol like, don't play guitar if you think it's going to be easy, its not easy at all. if you know it will be difficult and takes tons of practice, you'll be fine. And because music is a mysterious eternal object that you can experience, the struggle is worth it. play until you're nauseous
Love your vids, you've taught me so much more than other channels on youtube
Awesome hearing that.
I guess what motivates me to play is simply that I hear guys like Death, Slipknot or Mick Gordon and think "I want to be that, I want to be able to perform with that kind of bombastic style and effortless aplomb to create music that's truly passionate, something I can be proud of, where I can look and say that yep; I made that and I gave it all I have." That's the feeling I get after sewing some cool patches on or making a RUclips video I'm proud of, or even getting play of the game when I played overwatch (yes I'm a glory hog.)
You said you practiced 6-8 hours .. seriously? How did you conduct that practice ? Did you do 6-8 hrs straight or broke it down? Can you make a video explaining in detail how you would practice ? Thanks
awesome video man. thx for not mentioning the website. just flash it onscreen like u did thats great
I make no promises. haha
For me #10 is what has kept me playing for 27 years. Still never actually been in a band though... maybe someday!!
thanks for all your videos dude, top notch quality
Love your videos. I needed to watch this video. Thx. CANADA 🇨🇦
Canada, my neighbor to the north.
Nice work
Hey Mike quick question. I picked back my Fender classical guitar (the forgotten guitar race) after 10 years of not playing guitar and I was wondering if you have any advice on playing classical pieces. I was able to play Romance D'Amour within a month from starting off just to give you an idea of my mediocre skill level, I want to up my game and commit so I think it would be nice to have some insight from you on classical guitars. Thanks!
Strangely I bought a Beatles Fingerpicking book and it really helped because I knew the songs and it forced me to up my fingerpicking game. :)
Thank that was very inspiring just in general. Thank you for your positive outlook.
Two things among many that keep me at it (bass, not guitar) are a sense of responsibility to the musicians I work with and the certainty that there's always more cool stuff to learn.
I believe I was born to play music. Played much rock and gospel violin but now learning guitar. If I don't play, I feel much less alive. That's my motivation.
you are motivating me to stick to the instrument I love =)