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  #61  
Old 07-15-2019, 08:26 AM
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Mayfair Mayfair is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
Regarding the OP, "do I ever feel this way?"

Answer: nope, never. There's always gonna be somebody better than me. And there's always gonna be folks I'm better than.

Think of it...if you can play an open Em chord, you can play more guitar than MILLIONS of people
And if you can play an F barre chord on the first fret, watch out!

I've read several people on here comment about how they got a late start and will never catch up to those who started early. While there is some experiential Knowledge that goes along with getting to it young, especially if you're focused and tour, do studio work, and so on, there's really nothing barring anyone from getting great regardless of how old you are. Recent studies have shown we continue to develop our minds/brains well into the older years and I'm a firm believer that music can keep our minds nimble and open to new learning if we challenge ourselves.

As I've told students and fellow musicians for ages - it's not about how many years you've been playing, it's how many focused hours it's been in your hands. 15-30 mins/day of focused study of the instrument (or anything for that matter) can yield some incredible results!
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  #62  
Old 07-15-2019, 09:14 AM
erhino41 erhino41 is offline
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The biggest obstacle one faces when learning anything is mental. You have to understand and believe that you can do exactly what Chet and Mark can do.

That doesn't mean you can do it instantly, but the first step is to not handicap yourself from the get go. Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither of these two picked up a guitar and simply started to jam. They both had sore fingers and frustration trying to learn to bar an f chord the same way any of us did.

My other passion is playing pool. I've been playing since I was twelve. I am well practiced and can execute any shot that you see the pros shoot on tv, albeit not as consistent as they do. For years I languished like a lot of players do on a plateau. The break through was simple. I allowed myself to believe that I could do whatever I saw another person do, so long as i understood it would take some commitment. Almost over night I found that the new found confidence combined with practice I have already done had me playing considerably better than I ever thought I could possibly play.

I have since adopted the same mind set with guitar and it is paying great dividends. Now, I'm no Chet Atkins, yet[emoji12].
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  #63  
Old 07-15-2019, 10:19 AM
Tony Burns Tony Burns is offline
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Woodbox- i know what you mean -
but i have meet many great guitarists that didnt think of themselves
as great guitarists - I felt the same -and understand that.
Personnally what i think makes a great guitarist is loving what they
do and working on being better -- if you do this , you are a great guitarist in my eyes !
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  #64  
Old 07-15-2019, 10:21 AM
phcorrigan phcorrigan is offline
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Paul McCartney once said "We all started with three cords."

I've been playing a couple of open mics on a regular basis for the past year or so. One of the pleasures of this is watching my friends (these people have become my friends) get better. Not just in music, either. One of the players was very closed in, wearing a hoodie and playing and singing very quietly and tentatively. By playing, and being encouraged, his personality has changed dramatically. He plays and sings with conviction, and he is much more friendly and outgoing.

This, to me, is the power of music. It can change lives. For me, I have developed a whole new circle of friends and I have greatly improved my playing and singing. For my friend mentioned above, I believe it has changed his outlook and, outwardly at least, it has changed his personality.

In other words, sometimes it's not the destination--it's the journey.
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  #65  
Old 07-15-2019, 10:29 AM
MoJoe MoJoe is offline
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I was looking for a guitarist to join my band in my senior year of high school for the big Spring Jam battle of the bands. I knew of a kid that was supposed to be really good. As luck would have it he was in one of my classes so as I approached him I noticed he had this piece of paper and looked to be autographing it over and over.. I was like, what are you doing? He said "practicing"... seemed odd but he turned out to be an amazing guitarist/writer, and he did end up joining my band and becoming a great friend, and we didn't win our battle of the bands.. but he had something undeniable though even at that age, that kid's name was John Mayer.

If you want to talk about feeling humbled at almost every step of one's musical journey, hah, it doesn't get any worse than knowing and watching John's career skyrocket. But I got to a point that I stopped worrying and comparing my musical accomplishments to his, and just enjoyed watching this spectacle that few are lucky enough to see from the sidelines.

Last edited by MoJoe; 07-15-2019 at 10:44 AM.
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  #66  
Old 07-15-2019, 10:38 AM
Chickee Chickee is offline
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To many, I am a guitar slinger.
To many, I am a total guitar playing hack.
Still in all, the only thing that’s really important is exactly what my signature line states.
I love playing guitar. Always have, always will.
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  #67  
Old 07-15-2019, 01:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phcorrigan View Post
I recently met a guy who just moved to Portland, OR from Nashville. He's a great singer and a very good guitar player. His comment about Nashville:

"Everybody's better than you. Even the guy playing in the bathroom is better than you!"
That sounds like what Vince Gill said somebody told him when he came to Nashville as a hot young Bluegrass player.

"This is Nashville, boy! Go to any diner in town, and most of the waiters are better pickers than you are!"
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  #68  
Old 07-15-2019, 01:27 PM
DesertTwang DesertTwang is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodbox View Post
I just stumbled on to a YT video of Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler.

I'm a fraud.

Do you ever feel this way?
I think I used to feel that way sometimes, mostly during my first years of my guitar and bluegrass journey. I picked up the guitar late in life (in my 30s), and started to perform and sing bluegrass later -- after having grown up in the belief that singing wasn't for me, and well, playing bluegrass as a native German... you be the judge on that.

But I've overcome this after getting more and more positive feedback from people, and just by making a very conscious effort to get over my apprehensions.

As for being star-struck, I don't ever feel this way, and I have little understanding for people who come away from a concert or a workshop and saying something like, "I should just sell all my guitars and quit."

This attitude doesn't do anyone any good.

Think about it: I have come across records that have Mark Knopfler's and Chet Atkins' names on them, but never one that has the OP's name on it.

Why is that?

Short answer: You and I are amateurs, enthusiasts who probably have done and more likely than not, are doing, other things with/in their lives than JUST playing guitar and doing NOTHING else.

There is a reason Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins are who they are/were (not sure if Chet is still alive since I'll admit freely I'm not a fan of his music, much in contrast to Mark Knopfler, whose music I collect) -- they made music their life, and they did so at the expense of everything else.

For some, that works, for others, it doesn't. And we amateurs/enthusiasts should never forget why we call ourselves that, because both terms mean "love" and "joy," respectively.

Do I guess correctly that the OP loves and enjoys playing guitar? If so, you have no reason, and no excuse really, to NOT feel great about your own guitar journey.

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  #69  
Old 07-15-2019, 02:17 PM
jay7347 jay7347 is offline
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I've seen some mighty fine guitarists in my 65 years. In my ten years of playing I've been around and learned from quite a few more. If I got caught up in trying to compare myself I would give up in a heartbeat. No, I'm just so very grateful for the journey. The people I've met. The growth I've seen in my playing. The smiles I've seen when I finish. We are so blessed to play these things called guitars.

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  #70  
Old 07-15-2019, 04:36 PM
j.blay j.blay is offline
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Post content removed as I posted to the wrong thread

Last edited by j.blay; 07-17-2019 at 07:47 PM. Reason: Wrong thread
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  #71  
Old 07-15-2019, 04:56 PM
Skarsaune Skarsaune is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisE View Post
I know most of you on this forum are expert level players. I am not. I am the very description of "imposter."

I strum and sing and play songs. I don't know how to fingerpick and couldn't play a solo if my life depended on it.

I play gigs every week with the fear that someone is going to figure out I really don't know what I'm doing. My agent is never at my shows but I worry that someone is going to one day let him in on my secret and I'll lose all my gigs.

My audiences and venue management and staff seem to enjoy what I'm doing, but I'm sure if any of the experts on the forum ever saw me play, they's shake their heads and say, "What is that guy doing even playing in public?"
I think you have been hanging out in my head.

But then a little kid dances while I’m playing a festival, or somebody stops me afterwards because I played a song that’s been in their head all week - and it’s all good.

So I keep trying.
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  #72  
Old 07-15-2019, 05:59 PM
Skarsaune Skarsaune is online now
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I thought about this some more while mowing the lawn.

I was talking to a coworker today that was a little upset because he had missed the deadline to register for the Galax fiddler’s convention. He’s a good enough banjo player to have placed in the competition before.

Sometimes, here in bluegrass country, music IS a competition. They’re not handing out participation awards at all these fiddler’s conventions. But those are a pretty narrow slice of musicians. I’ve been to some pretty darn welcoming bluegrass jams, where beginners can plonk along with others.
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  #73  
Old 07-15-2019, 08:37 PM
ghostnote ghostnote is offline
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You know, I can't play anything like that, but sometimes when I'm playing I smile just like they were smiling in the vid. My level of skill isn't up to theirs, but my level of enjoyment definitely is!
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  #74  
Old 07-15-2019, 10:11 PM
gmel555 gmel555 is offline
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I saw a video not too long ago of Tommy Emmanuel and Laurence Juber playing around a bit and talking. At some point they were talking about another player who they referred to as the "real, real player". So even they look up to others. I say if it's really in your heart and you get joy when you pick up that instrument and play whatever you can play, then you're genuine.

PS: We probably all know someone who keeps a guitar leaning against their wall, just for people to see it and for no other reason. There's the imposter.
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  #75  
Old 07-16-2019, 05:21 AM
cdkrugjr cdkrugjr is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmel555 View Post
I saw a video not too long ago of Tommy Emmanuel and Laurence Juber playing around a bit and talking. At some point they were talking about another player who they referred to as the "real, real player". So even they look up to others.
So whom did they consider a "real, real player?"
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