Originally Posted by: jasim.hdHi, guys.
I honestly have a major concern and it's been on my mind for quite sometime: am I ever going to be good?
I started playing guitar a year and little now, I've been through many websites, and now I'm here and love it. Learned most of the scales, chords, theory, power chords, barre chords, tabs, and you name it. I'm not saying I've learned everything but I did learn a big chunk. But I always feel like I'm stuck on the same place, same level, same music and it worries me big time. I'm always watching amateur players on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and other places and I get really impressed and overwhelmed by their playing, their tone, their amazing improvising and I get really jealous, and then I ask myself if I'm ever going to be THAT good. If I'm ever going to be a professional player? Write beautiful music, make mesmerising improvisation? Am I going to be able to play all those great and fast songs?
Is it because I'm 32 years old and started late? Should I have started very young? Am I doing something wrong? And what worries me more is that every time I read about a great guitarist they always seem to start playing when they were 3 months! (I'm kidding, but you get the idea)
I'm sorry for the long post but I needed to let it out, I guess.
Thank you.
When I first started playing guitar at 16(ish), I took to it quickly. My first two songs were Led Zep-Black Dog and Rush-Fly By Night.I didn't realize it was supposed to be hard, I just knew I wanted to learn and play those songs at that moment. So I did. At that time in my lifew, guitar came very naturally for me.
That's after failing at many instruments over a number of years prior, including guitar.
When I finally got it at 16 it's because I stopped trying so hard. To be clear, I practiced all the time. When guitar stuck, I just enjoyed doing no matter how good I was. I didn't get frustrated with it.
Let me tell you, if there is any song in this world that will challenge a guitar players playing with regard to the riff and timing, it's Black Dog. That single string verse riff is a real doozy. But I wanted to take it on and get it down. So I did. But not with crashing and burning a lot. A lot.
Even when I was playing like crap, I still enjoyed playing. I would be dillegent in get better and figuring out what I was doing wrong.
So moral of the story part one is this; greatness in anything is a result and not a goal. If you set out to be great, you will never get there. If you work hard and have a joy and passion, it's moe liklely you will get to a better (and maybe great) place.
Part two is this (and is something I was rather lazy about early one..despite my story of my first two songs above); spend a lot of time learning other peoples songs and from as many different genres as you can tolerate.
Take improvising for instance; it doesn't come from the sky. It comes from understanding the underlying vocabulary of a genre. There are riffs and licks that are common to a genere of music. How can you know them if you never play them, much less be able to improvise.
You've probably seen this guy popping up on your Facebook feed for GuitarZoom. Steve Stein. He is from Fargo North Dakota (US) and was someone on the periphery of what that music scene was in the late 80s. What he was not was an amazing player. I only kinda knew him and seemed like a good guy but no one had him pegged as making a living at guitar. But....What I am sure happened is that his passion for playing took over and he committed himself to the instrument but if you watch his videos, he has a joy in teaching it. He wants to share it.
The real deal is to stop trying to be something great with the guitar, remember that greatness is a result. But enjoy the guitar while you apply yourself to playing it. Get better but don't foget that it is not about greatness but enjoying your love for it.
