Is Everyone on the AGF Really a Hack?

[Guitars44me]

I don’t call myself great, but I can play and sing like I MEAN it. And I have written and recorded some good songs, too.


I have played music all my life, but did not get serious on guitar until I had 35 years of serious drumming and 20 as a bandleader! After disaster piano lessons at 6…. I was almost 42 and now am almost 72. So thirty years of guitar …

Fortunately I sing and play harmonicas, and have done so since age 4, so I don’t need to spend much precious mental energy on that.

And my meter is solid after 8 years of drum practice with a metronome. Now my feet can continue drumming, again without much conscious effort. But I try to give it a rest and play with rubato often.

As for being able to do whatever I want, good luck with that. There is always something to learn.

Segovia at 90: “I practice every day. I have every intention of being much better before I die!” There it is. Hahahaha

Play on and do have FUN.

Cheers

Paul

[Railroad Bum]

I am not very good, been playing a long time and enjoy it. For me it's a hobby. I don't play in public or for money, and I know enough chords and licks and technique to keep myself amused. I have decent guitars, nothing very expensive. I would consider myself a hack, but there are definitely some very good players on here.

[rollypolly]

I'm not old, nor a hack. I got on AGF during covid and I'm not tired of it yet. My main goals are to be good enough to create interesting songs, be able to sing along with my playing, and be able to record some songs well. I don't care too much about being the best player in the world, but I think there's some competition and social comparison that comes into play. That makes me want to be a better player so I guess it can't hurt. But yeah, I should probably spend less time on here and more time practicing.

[TBman]

I've decided that I'm worth the best guitar my wife will let me buy.

[Corndog]

Not a fan of the word hack. I also didn't care for the categories the OP wrote all that much. I didn't vote in the poll.

But if the OP wanted to get a sense of the level of playing people on this site have, based on their own evaluation, then a numerical value might be better.

1. being an absolute, just picking up the guitar beginner
-and-
10. being Tommy Emmanuel

I'd like to think of myself as a 3, maybe 4 on a good day

[xaxinojo]

Comparison is the thief of joy.
-Dr. Ray Cummings

[buddyhu]

Who cares how I evaluate myself? Or where I land on the spectrum from unlistenable to awe inspiring talent?

[usb_chord]

"I truly suck and I always will"

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by Corndog

Not a fan of the word hack. I also didn't care for the categories the OP wrote all that much. I didn't vote in the poll.

But if the OP wanted to get a sense of the level of playing people on this site have, based on their own evaluation, then a numerical value might be better.

1. being an absolute, just picking up the guitar beginner
-and-
10. being Tommy Emmanuel

I'd like to think of myself as a 3, maybe 4 on a good day

In the guitar playing universe, there is nothing derogatory in the label.

The term “hack” is almost every time self assigned by the player themselves. It’s the answer guitarists offer up, no matter how experienced, trained or savvy they are at slicing up a fretboard when asked “so, how good are you on that guitar?”

And to think you feel you are almost half as good on a guitar as T.E.? Man, I must really be a hack!

fd

[ewalling]

I remember playing tennis with a guy in Spain back in the late 80s, and we were having quite a tussle, In the two-game break, I could see him looking across to the adjacent court, where two other guys were playing hard. "They play much better than us," was my partner's comment.

I felt like breaking my racket over his head ... figuratively speaking, of course! Okay, if you have to be so competitive that you feel the need to constantly compare yourself with others and trash yourself if you think someone is better than you, fine, but don't drag me into it. I'm enjoying my game, and I'm pleased with what I can do, so button it!

[Bluenose]

I'm not Willy Springs or TE great but I've been playing a long a** time and am well over the 10000 hour mark so yes I have some things 'under my fingers'.

I'm constantly working on ragtime/blues/jazz pieces I find on Y/T either by ear or tab. Over the past 10 or so years I've downloading plenty from SGs' Guitar Workshop and recently bought some Clinton Davis arrangements of Jelly Roll Morton Tunes he's adapted for guitar. Really fun stuff to play and very challenging.

Lately I've also been learning some of the tunes Leon Redbone used to do. He was a master and judging by recordings he made way back in the 70's when he was young, maybe in his early 20's, he could have given clinics on the guitar styles of Blind Blake, Gary Davis, Robert Johnson and many others. He was amazingly absorbent. RIP Leon

[SRL]

All I can say on this is that guitar is a big hobby. You can be great at one type of playing and terrible at everything else. There's just not enough time to learn it all.

So any time you see an amazing player, just remember, they're good at THAT style, THAT song, on THAT recording. But they probably aren't good at many other styles or skills (singing, songwriting, etc) or even on every recording they've done.

Don't compare other player's best takes to your day-to-day experience. It's not fair to yourself and it'll make you crazy. Just focus on your own goals and play every day.

[MJ Slaughter]

You comment is perfect and made me laugh because it is so true. Sometimes it's good to have a governor on our wallets. I wish the forum had the feature to like posts.

[Eric S.]

I'm a better than average vocalist who happens to know enough chords and fills to accompany myself, but have no delusions of being a good guitar player.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by SRL

All I can say on this is that guitar is a big hobby. You can be great at one type of playing and terrible at everything else. There's just not enough time to learn it all.

So any time you see an amazing player, just remember, they're good at THAT style, THAT song, on THAT recording. But they probably aren't good at many other styles or skills (singing, songwriting, etc) or even on every recording they've done.

Don't compare other player's best takes to your day-to-day experience. It's not fair to yourself and it'll make you crazy. Just focus on your own goals and play every day.

I can honestly say that most professional, madly-skilled guitarists are very humble and always trying to get better and learn more. And they are all extremely supportive of anyone playing the guitar. That is my experience anyway, from talking with people like Steve Kimmock, Tony Rice, Jimmy Herring, Doc Watson, Jimmy Thackery, etc.

That being said, the advice of not comparing yourself to others and having your own goals and being consistent is the best advice you could offer anybody. The worst player in a room of guitarists can teach the best player something. I guarantee it.