Originally posted by Incidents Happen



4. jamming with others
10. rhythm
11. other...

llamicofolle (sp?) is gonna have a good answer for this one.

What a cool way to spell my name!!! And here's my answer!!

Everything in your list counts. Technical things are a must have (chords, speed, soloing...) Theory too (helps you improve your playing faster AND communicate with other schooled musicians).
But the ones I left in the quote are WAY more important. Get out of your room when your mom stops threatening you and communicate with better musicians, or with a bassist, or a drummer (hell, both!) and try to fit in the rhythm, or the "groove"...I'm not telling you to form a band, just try and see other musicians, and share your knowledge, and steal from theirs...
I see all those tremendous youngsters that play Malmsteem's licks but they can't strum along to 'happy birthday'...See what I mean?

The 'other' is: if you want to get serious about music, it's not musical stuff that will make you the one that will get the gig.
In any given city, 250 guys can play better than you or I do... Why am I a pro, and they aren't? Well, people like working with me! It's like your English or math teachers. All of them master the same knowledge, but some of them you enjoy going to their class and others you hate... It's just the way they work with you. Some guys are just dedicated to their craft, and others just want their day to be over... Get the idea?

Also, don't think you can live thanks to music, secure yourself a 'normal' job, then maybe you might be lucky! Don't lose your dreams, but work so that you can make them come true, having a day job doesn't mean you can play gigs every week ends...