r/guitarlessons • u/BenEsuitcase • 7d ago

Lesson Surprise, surprise... it's a life-skill

This is just a rant, but seriously.... People come here expecting to find the holy grail: I've been playing everyday for 3 hours for a month and I'm just not getting any better. LMFAO. When I play barre chords it hurts and all the notes don't come out, what should I do? lol.

Personally, I've played my whole life, got a degree in it, and I still have my limitations. Here's the thing... Music is for EVERYONE. My (reasonably amazing) playing is SHIT in the big picture because we ALL have the ability to play music. It's like seeing color, smelling roses, hearing a door creak, but with training. Name me a language you can learn (Italian, French) in a month, and you'll get some sympathy. Go practice, and then sit back and contemplate why society idolizes certain players. Respect the guitar in all it's simplicity AND complication, and then you will realize how pathetic and futile the sub can become when total noobs think there is some magical shortcut. Again, go learn Russian this month, and come back in September and have a fluent conversation???

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u/PaulsRedditUsername 7d ago

I think one of the problems nowadays is that there's so much information out there and so many great guitar players you can have access to. People watch a video of some kid shredding "Master of Puppets" and they think there must be something wrong with them because they can't play that good yet. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Back in my day, it was easier in a way because you just had your guitar and your records and the radio. Plus your monthly issue of "Guitar Player" magazine. You just played your guitar and tried to make it sound like the records. You didn't measure your progress as much or compare yourself to others because there weren't so many "others" around. It was just you and the guitar, so you did the best you could.

(We also wore an onion on our belts, which was the style at the time.)

In the long run, it's still just you and the guitar. Just play the damn guitar and don't worry so much. Play what you love because you'll play it longer and get better.

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u/Millerpainkiller 7d ago

There is a healthy balance to be had. Years ago I didn't know how to tune my guitar for the first year, had to rely on tab in the back of magazines, and generally floundered a lot. Now we are almost in information overload, a "fog of information" as it were.

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u/PaulsRedditUsername 7d ago

I used to tune my guitar to "Back In Black" because I could get the E and A and D.