stupid question (maybe)

This might be a stupid question to all you great guitar players on here, but seems like a good place to ask.
Is it possible for anybody to learn to play like this, or is it something you are born with.(natural talent) As a beginner i can never ever imagine playing like this and i dont think this guy is famous or anything.. How the heck do you get your fingers to move that fast without them falling off and he's only playing careless whisper for goodness sake LOL.. ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Hatm9xP00&NR=1

To some extent, there is the factor of "natural talent". You look at some of the top players and virtuosos and it's safe to say not everyone can do that, even if they practiced just as hard. You are born with certain skills.

On the other hand however, if you practice hard enough I'd say you can definitely get to places that you never thought were possible. Speed comes with time. Just remember that speed does NOT equal skill. A lot of times you'll see people doing really cool stuff and thing they are amazing, but they might just be running a simple scale really fast. Don't think that in order to be considered good you have to be lightning fast. You'll get there eventually if you stick with it.

That guy has some cool videos by the way. I'm jealous of his abilities myself haha.

Although I agree with hunter I put my doubts with the answer of 'being born with some skills.' Although this is somewhat true ofcourse you mostly develop your skills when being a child.

For example if you were a kid and throw a lot of stuff you might be better at basketball at a later age because you developed throwing more accurately as a kid. Then people will say he/she is a natural talent but is he/she really? I studied a minor child development so that's where I'm coming from.

Also almost every guitar virtuoso has really put together countless hours of practice and effort. If you got a good practice routine you will succeed at the things you want if you practice long enough.

I also would like to add that you always need to practice within your capabilities. Don't try stuff you can't handle. Ofcourse it is very important to keep challenging yourself if you want to get better, but do it at a tempo first when you can play it and then gradually speed it up still keeping in mind that you play at a tempo where you make no mistakes and it is within your capabilities. Speed will come with time, but alot of players just get caught up in the trap of wanting to get fast on guitar within a really short amount of time. This is somewhat an illusion. Getting up to really high speed on guitar takes a lot of time.

So in short, yeah you can achieve that but it will cost you time.

BTW, how are your fingers doing Steve?

JJ

Hi Everyone,
Newbee here. Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc. basically wrote the way we interpret musical ideas today. There are other types, India, the Orientals and others have scales and positions we would not use in our everyday playing; the western influenced music. The Beethoven's, Mozart,s, of the world did have an advantage that they were born with. You can train all you want but, to be able to pull the musical thoughts out of your brain and write them down on a napkin without changes takes more than practice. The hand dexterity is practice. Piano vs. fretted neck require different approaches. This can be learned and practiced. Natural rhythm; we are all born with a natural internal clock that beats to a different drummer. I think the answer is associated with finding the right instrument for you. There will always be lesser and better persons than ourselves. Don't compare yourself with others. Just be happy and determined to do the best you can.
Steven

Originally Posted by: JJ90Although I agree with hunter I put my doubts with the answer of 'being born with some skills.' Although this is somewhat true ofcourse you mostly develop your skills when being a child.

For example if you were a kid and throw a lot of stuff you might be better at basketball at a later age because you developed throwing more accurately as a kid. Then people will say he/she is a natural talent but is he/she really? I studied a minor child development so that's where I'm coming from.

The how would you explain the kids that are "naturally" better at an instrument than the others? There are extremely young kids that can do things at an early age without practicing as much as they should to be at that level. Take 5 young kinds and put them all through the same amount of practice. If 1 is really excelling much faster and the others are left behind.....then you have to put that on natural talent or skill.

There is also the way that peoples minds work. Everyone thinks differently and there is no way to "train" your mind to think like someone else. So as far as creativity goes, you can't really learn certain things. People either have it or don't. Take Buckethead for example. Nobody can really compare to that guy.

Originally Posted by: hunter1801The how would you explain the kids that are "naturally" better at an instrument than the others? There are extremely young kids that can do things at an early age without practicing as much as they should to be at that level. Take 5 young kinds and put them all through the same amount of practice. If 1 is really excelling much faster and the others are left behind.....then you have to put that on natural talent or skill.

There is also the way that peoples minds work. Everyone thinks differently and there is no way to "train" your mind to think like someone else. So as far as creativity goes, you can't really learn certain things. People either have it or don't. Take Buckethead for example. Nobody can really compare to that guy.

Yes that is also true in some matter. But also creativity is learned in one way or another. Research proves that children who are exposed to lots of things come up with creative ideas more easily.

But as I already said in my first post in this topic I said your story is somewhat true. By that I referred to people already having some skills in them, mostly by genes from their parents. Sometime it is just a shame that people who really can have talent don't develop that specific talent. Anyway I think we are going way off topic here haha.

JJ

Originally Posted by: JJ90Anyway I think we are going way off topic here haha.

Next topic: Pancakes vs waffles

Hey Wingman
I asked a similar question of one of the shedding instructors...he told me that some people are born with that talent but were still the ones who practiced 10 hours a day...It doesn't matter who you...only severe amounts of practice will get you anywhere...:)

I believe that it is a brain thing, not a physical ability. If you think about it, there are times where a simple phrase on the guitar seems impossible to get. But, then you realize that you just played something very similar in another song. It is your mind that says, "this is a different song, so you dont know how to play it yet", even though the truth is, you absolutely do know how. The practice increases your speed and finger memory, and dexterity, but the mind is what tells you what you can or cant do. Lots of times, when I couldn't play something on the guitar, all I had to do was think about it, and correct it in my head, and it became very easy to play. So being born with ability, is probably more being born with a musically dominant portion of your head being used.

I agree with all the people here saying that the most important thing for everybody is practice and practice and practice. However, I think we should always keep in mind that other than the hours we spend practicing, the progresses we make will be a result of how good we are to FOCUS on it, whenever we re trying to learn something new.

Davide

Originally Posted by: Marshallmk1Hey Wingman
I asked a similar question of one of the shedding instructors...he told me that some people are born with that talent but were still the ones who practiced 10 hours a day...It doesn't matter who you...only severe amounts of practice will get you anywhere...:)

While people have physical limitations, barring anything specific, there isn;t anything practice can't overcome.

Let me say this, those people wh are the amazing players, practiced hours, and hours a day. Name a great player and I'd be willing to bet you could find an interview of them talking about playing for hours a day.

I was never a Steve Vai or Malmsteen but back 'in the day' (as many have heard), I had decent 'shred-ability'. I could play fast and clean....and I practiced for hours a day and I felt when I first picked up the instrument that it was somewhat natural for me. It still took lots of practice.

Let me say this, they key is comfort on the fretboard and muscle strength plus muscle memory to make it easier. Drills are the key, I think. Look at Lisa's Spider Legs drill on this site. That is one of those tools that helps you make that leap.

Lol, at spider legs... ive tried that and its murder... :-)

I Seem to think though that perhaps some people are born with a knack to do something as a sort of 6th sense. just look at mozart composing at 5 years old, when i was 5yrs old i was throwing bricks at windows... ;-)

People talk about motor skills and muscle memory, ive not been at it long enough though to have experienced that, so perhaps in 12 months time who knows, although i still cant imagine getting as fast as that lad on the video. That to me seems something you are born with, when you watch his video's it looks like he's not even trying, just stands their smiling to himself. im sure if you zoomed in on his face without the sound, his expression would look like he was waiting for a bus. But i bet he has practiced his guitar morning noon and night, he certainly doesn't look like he's been out much, certainly hasn't been anywhere near a haircut for 20 years..

;-)

Originally Posted by: wingman23This might be a stupid question to all you great guitar players on here, but seems like a good place to ask.
Is it possible for anybody to learn to play like this, or is it something you are born with.(natural talent) As a beginner i can never ever imagine playing like this and i dont think this guy is famous or anything.. How the heck do you get your fingers to move that fast without them falling off and he's only playing careless whisper for goodness sake LOL.. ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Hatm9xP00&NR=1

That actually isn't a stupid question at all, it is very commonly asked, no worries :)

The truth is, it is actually possible for anyone to get this good, or even better! Yes the guitar may come more naturally to some than others, at first. But, this has nothing to do with how good you CAN get! Studies show that it takes about 10,000 hours of practicing something before you truly master it. This holds true to the guitar and music. In fact, one doesn't even have to practice 10 hours a day to achieve these sorts of results on guitar. Someone who practices even just one to two hours a day, if they have the correct practicing methods/schedule, focus, and efficiency, can get a lot more accomplished than someone who practices aimlessly on guitar for 10 hours at a time.

It takes years of consistent, focused, efficient practice, to refine technique to this level. I'm 100% positive that anyone who has the right mindset and is dedicated, can do this :D

one more thing, it is also important to practice the RIGHT things in order to get towards your goals as a guitarist in the shortest time possible. keep that in mind :)

All these replies are good, but you have to get the fun out of it. I am playing on and off for 50 years and I still suck but I am having fun. Make sure your playing comes from the heart and yes you have to practice. I play every day now that I am retired and I have come a long way since I joined this site, just in a couple of months. What you put into it, you will get back double. You will find your groove! Wish you the best, Pete

Originally Posted by: Sgt TeeAll these replies are good, but you have to get the fun out of it. I am playing on and off for 50 years and I still suck but I am having fun. Make sure your playing comes from the heart and yes you have to practice. I play every day now that I am retired and I have come a long way since I joined this site, just in a couple of months. What you put into it, you will get back double. You will find your groove! Wish you the best, Pete

Ya that's another good point. In the end it is really up to your level of passion for the guitar as an instrument. If the passion isn't there, then hours of practice won't happen because it won't be fun. You can't really be forcing yourself to practice 4 hours a day. Those people sit there for hours and hours because they LOVE it.

So it is going to take long hours to get extremely good, but even if you practice less and aren't shredding, but you're still having fun, it's still worth it. That's my situation. I love playing guitar and I wish I could be much better, but I can't sit there for hours and practice so I know I won't get to the level I wish I could be at. But I'm OK with that. I progress slower, but still have fun playing. I've been playing for 13 years by the way. Play bass for my band too.

I don't want to get in an argument here or p**s anyone off because that's not what this forum is about...

But I have to say this...so many people come out with the line that it's better to practice for an hour a day than two hours every other day and that is fine if you want to become an average guitarist...but the fact of the matter is that the greats of the guitar especially the speed demons practiced for many hours a day every day of the week...

It is a well known fact that Steve Vai practiced for 10 hours a day...Joe Satriani practiced for up to 12 hours a day...!!! Yngwie Practiced for about 28 hours a day then went back in time and played a bit more...:D

The plain fact of the matter is that 1 hour a day will make you a very good guitarist over the years but if you want to be great you have to make it your whole life and dedicate every spare minute to your art...

I've been playing for 27 years now and there was one point back in my early 20' where I would play for 6 hours every work night and then 12 hours a day ay the weekends...I had no life...It was work...Guitar ...sleep...and I made more progress in the few months I did this than at any other time in 27 years.

The hour a day thing is for the average guitarist...40-60 hours practice a week is for the guy who wants to master the instrument...

If anyone want's to disagree then that's fine...but what I've said is based on facts ( apart from the Yngwei thing) and from my own many years of experience. The basic fact is that the longer you play each day the better you will get...!!!

The trash heap has spoken...:P

By the way...I've had a similar conversation with Ben Linholm the instructor and he would agree...it's the hour you put in that will make you great...!!!

hi marshall.. Does make sense the more you put into something the more you are going to get out of it, i suppose it depends what your goals are in the end. If you just want to strum along to your favorite music, or have a sing song around the ole campfire then an hour a day will probably be enough, but i would imagine if you want to be some sort of " hum it and i'll play it, and stick an awesome lead into it while im at it" kind of a guy/gal, then it makes sense you are going to have to practice long and hard to get to that point.
not sure i can manage 28 hours a day..

:-)

This is a long post :)

I do not believe there is such thing as "natural talent"...

See, as many have stated before, it doesn't really matter how much time you spend doing something, but rather HOW you approach practicing it...

If you get a really good teacher, he'll help you to get serious results in way less time than you'd think. I believe everybody has the ability to play guitar at a virtuoso level. The only barrier that exists is the one that one has in his or her own mind.

If you believe it's going to take you 10 years to get that good, you will act consistently with that belief. If you believe it will take you 10 months, you will act consistently with that belief. ;)

Practicing guitar for 10 hours a day is physically impossible.

Yes, you can practice MUSIC for 10 hours a day, and spend about 2 or maybe even 3 hours specifically focusing on technique...

But the rest of your time would be spent practicing other things, like memorizing the fretboard, training your ear, writing songs, improvising, etc.

If you spend more than 2 or 3 hours a day on technique, you will injure yourself.

That being said, I've spent a whole month where I practiced music for 16 hours a day. But technique was only a very small part of all that...

Hope this helps! :D

I think it probably is possible to practice 10 hours a day, i know as a beginner (as i am now) i was practicing 4 to 5 hours a day, you know that saying " time fly's when you are having fun" it was only when my finger got sore and finally blistered that i cut back. (no blisters now but still sore and healing)
i think all this depends on your drive, some people just fancy being able to play the guitar so they dabble a bit, but some people have a yearning or such a strong drive that they just wont put the thing down and are constantly looking for things to play or improve.
Depending on why you are playing,trying to learn, will probably determine where you will end up and how good you will be.