Would you agree with this definition of an intermediate guitar player.

[Silly Moustache]

I participate on another forum - mainly for political discussions but I also get a lot of questions about music and guitar.

Many of the latter ask:

"who is the greatest ...."
"Who is the best guitarist"
"Is A better than B?"
"how long does it take to learn guitar"
"which is the easiest"
"what is the cheapest"
"can I learn without a teacher"
etc.

You get the picture.
My stock replies (when i can be bothered) is that if you want greatest, cheapest, quickest, easiest, then maybe music isn't for you!"
and "playing guitar/music whatever, isn't a competition (which I know it is for some) or a sport.

I learnt my limited guitar skills every wrong way possible.
One teacher said "you are the kind who cannot be taught, but you will learn"
which proved to be right.

I can play what I play tolerably well (when all the fingers are working), and I'm sinfully pleased when folks comment on my style on YouTube comments etc.
If asked to read notation, tab (ugh!), play classical, jazz, etc., I'm an absolute beginner - after about fifty years.

I know a highly rated professional music teacher (piano and woodwind) who showed me her beautiful piano once. She leafed through a music book and played a some of well known classical piece with no feeling whatsoever.

I asked her to play some jazz or improvise. She sternly told me that you (i.e. anyone) can't play music properly without reading the notation in front of you!
Uh-huh!

If you are going to be taught music academically, and progress from level 1 to level 8 or whatever, there are prescribed bench marks.

To play practically - nah!

[sford52]

If you're like some of us who still pretty new, then it's a list of skills you might want to develop. Someday I might try to look for an instructor, but until then I look for youtube vids that point out skills that are useful. So, I have no idea if these are skills that make you "intermediate" (or even what intermediate means), but they are skills I'll to work on

[SFCRetired]

I think he has the basics down in a simplistic way. If you can do what he says then you can play the guitar, maybe not on a professional level but good enough to play with others and/or yourself without embarrassing yourself. I would also put most professional entertainers in the intermediate level of guitar playing. If we are just talking about guitar skill levels. Many of you are great players but I am pretty much what he describes. But I seldom use barre chords unless I have to for a song. I also don't use power chords although I can make them and understand how and when to use them. I just don't like them for what I play. One thing I noticed he did not mention any finger picking. I think you need to know how to basic finger pick at least rhythm's before you need to play any type of lead. Lead playing is a whole different animal.

[TheJackal]

First, and foremost, I disagree with the premise that labels contribute anything positive to assessing one's musical ability.

Secondly, and contradictory to my first statement, to be an Intermediate level video creator, you must make sure that the drums, that have nothing to do with the video you are creating, are not heard in the background.

Maybe it's just me, and it's OK if that is the case, but I felt an underlying hint of arrogance running through the half of the video I watched. Something about it grated on my nerves.

Thirdly, I've been playing for 50 years and have not personally required knowledge of, or ability to play, "power" chords for anything I do. Your mileage may vary. That's OK with me.

Finally, if I can always assess my playing ability as "I'm better than I used to be but not as good as I want to be," then that's sufficient to keep my interest in improving going.

[rick-slo]

Describes an advanced beginner for the most part.

[Christian Reno]

It’s interesting that this person felt he could define this, even in general terms. Based on the incredibly wide range of techniques and skills related to playing the guitar, coupled with the variety of styles a player learns over the course of the pursuit, I personally would not consider what he demonstrated as an intermediate skill level, but I also would not put together a video claiming I can define this level.

To further answer the question posed – would I agree with his definition - If I were to graph a true beginner at the low point, and an accomplished player at the high point of the graph, the skills he demonstrated on this video would not fall anywhere close to the middle. But we all see things differently based on a myriad of experiences.

[numb fingertips]

Just wanted some opinions because I'm an eternal noob. Quit 3 times in the beginning stage already. Hope this time I keep going. Saw some things in the video I could work on. Thanks for the input.

[bufflehead]

He lost me when he got to power chords. I'll bet there are some virtuoso bluegrass guitarists out there who have never even heard of a power chord. Classical guitarists as well.

At a more fundamental level, I don't understand the impetus for making these sorts of judgements.

[DesertTwang]

Interesting. According to the video, I'm an advanced flatpicker, an intermediate song player and a beginner power chord user (as in, I don't know those, since we rarely use them in bluegrass).

[jimmy bookout]

I think I'm an Advanced Novice Intermediate.

or

An Intermediate Novice

or

Maybe I just suck....

But I like to play....so, can I get cookie for that, at least.

..........

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by numb fingertips

Just wanted some opinions because I'm an eternal noob. Quit 3 times in the beginning stage already. Hope this time I keep going. Saw some things in the video I could work on. Thanks for the input.

I think the video is useful for that purpose, numb tips. It gives a pretty good roadmap of the skills that will allow you to accompany a lot of folk, rock, pop and country songs. If you can sing fairly well then you've got an act, find a friend any you've got a band

As far as beginner v. intermediate? That is not an apples to apples comparison. The first term describes a point in time, and the second a level of skill attainment. A kid with a bit of aptitude, good instruction and a lot of time to play could probably nail most of what is in the video in several months. A self taught adult with a job, family and no better than average dexterity might need several years of practice to get it.

Some video instruction comes with a recommend skill level of 1, 2, 3 or 4, with 1 being no skills at all and 4 being the most advanced. That is probably a more useful way to look at it. I'd put the skills in the video at level 2, getting close to 2.5 or what is sometimes called 2/3.

Unsolicited advice: Get yourself a good teacher. You will be making a greater investment of time and money, which will lead you to decide (1) you have other priorities and quit for good (nothing wrong with that), or (2) get over the hump and past your "noob" status. Just about anyone with "normal" physical abilities can acquire the skills in the video, so it really comes down to your desire (and patience, it takes time). Random YouTube lesson viewing will not give you the same level of focus and accountability that a teacher can provide.

Good luck!

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I think the whole concept of rating yourself as "beginner," "intermediate" or "advanced" (or my favorite, "advanced beginner") is usually one of two things:

1. A way to make yourself feel better about your playing

or

2. A way to make excuses about your playing.


The only "level" to ever be is a lifelong learner. If you can play an open E chord you can play guitar better than MILLONS of people. And no matter how good you get, there's somebody better.

Yes! And yes.

[Big Band Guitar]

The only guitar player I have to be better than is the guitar player I was yesterday.

[jimdidier]

I kind of think that beginner, intermediate, advanced are terms best used in my grand kids swim lessons...at 63 years my association with guitars is advanced but beginner in so many ways....