by William Terrell
Have you been thinking about learning how to play the guitar? One of the best things about the guitar is that it is such a versatile instrument. You can study to become a lead guitar player in a rock and roll band, or just learn how to play a few of the major chords so you can play around the campfire. No matter why you may be thinking about learning, It is a great hobby.
It's a funny thing, but music is unlike most other activities. Take football for example, there is no escaping the fact that if you want to play pro-football you had better be good and there are no short cuts. Technique and fitness is an absolute must.
When playing music on the guitar you will find that it shares many of the same characteristics as speaking. A couple of words can mean a lot more than a speech. The same goes for playing the guitar. Playing a few chords is sometimes better than playing hundreds of notes.
Bob Dylan was one of the most successful songwriters of all time. However while he was a talented guitar player he was no better than many other players out there today. But he also had a great talent of writing songs that moved people. So by combining his skill as a lyricist and guitar player, he became one of the biggest names in the music business.
So the fact to take in is that technical ability has little to do with musical talent. If your groove is a simple country, reggae or blues feel you can be damn good and highly relevant without being a technical genius.
The person who chooses to play music with there heart and soul becomes a musician. If you see classical guitarist's, the kind that went to college to become a great player and plays in orchestra's, are usually the worst type of player when it comes to playing rock or country music. Even though they are great at what they do.
One thing you should never do is to follow what other guitar players are doing. That is a sure path to failure. Get the right attitude, and combine that with your heart and do your own thing. One style of guitar playing that is perfect for one person can be completely wrong for another person.
A great example of this, is the amazing B.B. King. If you ever heard any of his music you know that he puts his heart and soul into his playing, which is what makes him such an amazing player. While many other's can play the same music it just never sounds the same as when the King plays it.
Playing guitar has an infinite number of possibilities. It is the most adaptable, usable instrument, and it's the journey to your goal that's the fun part. You will never stop learning guitar. Each time you pick it up you will discover something new and it needn't be hard to play to be relevant!
It's a funny thing, but music is unlike most other activities. Take football for example, there is no escaping the fact that if you want to play pro-football you had better be good and there are no short cuts. Technique and fitness is an absolute must.
When playing music on the guitar you will find that it shares many of the same characteristics as speaking. A couple of words can mean a lot more than a speech. The same goes for playing the guitar. Playing a few chords is sometimes better than playing hundreds of notes.
Bob Dylan was one of the most successful songwriters of all time. However while he was a talented guitar player he was no better than many other players out there today. But he also had a great talent of writing songs that moved people. So by combining his skill as a lyricist and guitar player, he became one of the biggest names in the music business.
So the fact to take in is that technical ability has little to do with musical talent. If your groove is a simple country, reggae or blues feel you can be damn good and highly relevant without being a technical genius.
The person who chooses to play music with there heart and soul becomes a musician. If you see classical guitarist's, the kind that went to college to become a great player and plays in orchestra's, are usually the worst type of player when it comes to playing rock or country music. Even though they are great at what they do.
One thing you should never do is to follow what other guitar players are doing. That is a sure path to failure. Get the right attitude, and combine that with your heart and do your own thing. One style of guitar playing that is perfect for one person can be completely wrong for another person.
A great example of this, is the amazing B.B. King. If you ever heard any of his music you know that he puts his heart and soul into his playing, which is what makes him such an amazing player. While many other's can play the same music it just never sounds the same as when the King plays it.
Playing guitar has an infinite number of possibilities. It is the most adaptable, usable instrument, and it's the journey to your goal that's the fun part. You will never stop learning guitar. Each time you pick it up you will discover something new and it needn't be hard to play to be relevant!
