#61
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I think it comes down to your goals...For me it’s strictly about having a hobby that I enjoy and find relaxing...One that I do not feel accountable about in any way to anyone (not even to myself)...The other secret is not caring about what anyone else thinks, and doing it for yourself only...That would include both the buying and playing side of things...
I should have been an imposter syndrome therapist
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2020 Yamaha LL56 Custom 2021 Boucher SG-51-BMV 2020 RainSong CO-WS1000N2 2019 PRS Silver Sky |
#62
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#63
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A little while ago someone asked me how long I'd been playing guitar.
"50 years", I said. Then I thought to myself, "Boy, I should be a lot better than I am." Shortly thereafter someone at church told me how much they love my music. Brought it full circle for me. Best, PJ PS (I still play every day to get better, and I have no idea if I'll ever get any better but I'm having a lot of fun along the way!)
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A Gibson A couple Martins |
#64
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My guitar journey started just over 50 years ago..........and I can relate to the 'should be much better" comment!. However, I'm so very taken when folks let me know how much my music means to them, that the "full circle" concept for me is quite powerful and adds incentive to stay my course (instead THE course) and continue to do what I can in the best way possible. Thanks!
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1993 Bourgeois JOM 1967 Martin D12-20 2007 Vines Artisan 2014 Doerr Legacy 2013 Bamburg FSC- 2002 Flammang 000 12 fret 2000 McCollum Grand Auditorium ______________________________ Soundcloud Spotify |
#65
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I am absolutely nowhere near good enough for the instruments I own.
Trust me, this is not feigned humility; this is fact. I am of the camp that feels fine instruments rightfully belong in the hands of those who can do them justice. (To this point, it has occurred to me more than once to seek out young devoted 'talents' and gift them a better guitar than they can afford ...) Yes, at this point I can afford the guitars I own without undue duress or letting anything "slip" financially. I consider myself quite fortunate to be in such a position and I thoroughly enjoy my guitars and this forum, but I do feel like a bit of an imposter for my lack of expertise. I am one of those who took an extended sabbatical, tended to life, and then came back. To be perfectly honest, I do think I have the raw materials to become respectable in time - what I don't have is enough time left on the orb ... So I play for myself, enjoy the little bit I can do, and do my best to appreciate each hour I have with this great pastime. All in all, it's actually pretty cool ...
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` “Success is falling down nine times and getting up ten.” Last edited by Ludere; 01-17-2020 at 09:33 AM. |
#66
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I use open mics to directly confront my own imposter feelings. I have to focus on songs I can deliver. And then deliver them. It’s hard and honest.
But, past guitar, last night was...validating? There was a piano-and-singer couple playing 80’s songs nicely. And a three-chord folk strummer who had a young woman friend who wanted to accompany him on bass but didn’t quite follow his chording. I called out the chords to The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony - E, Bm7, D, A, cycle endlessly - and got everyone locked in. The bass player could feel what it was like to hold the groove in a group, and the piano player got to occupy a lot of space. At the end, they all kinda looked at me - “hey, that was cool.” I love doing stuff like that - getting folks to groove together. Whether I can play fancy fast feels so irrelevant to what I want out of music.
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An old Gibson and a couple of old Martins; a couple of homebrew Tele's Last edited by WordMan; 01-17-2020 at 10:41 AM. |
#67
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Posted in the music department where I went to college:
The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. It works for me.
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Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry - Padre Pio |
#68
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Great quote!!! Thanks |
#69
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I keep my guitar life simple. I play what I want on the guitars I want to play. I just do my own thing and don't worry about it.
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#70
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Your post hits close to home. I also had imposter syndrome while I was working on my Ph.D in vertebrate zoology. Heck, I still get it sometimes despite recently earning tenure at 32-years-old. My wife is a respected doctor, and she even gets the occasional feeling of inadequacy.
Regarding guitar, I don't have imposter syndrome because I'm not even good enough to pretend to be a musician. I began playing at 12, but I never progressed past a low-level intermediate player. Within a couple of hours or less, I can learn the rhythm for just about any country or pop song I hear on the radio. I know most of my E- and A-shape barre chords, and I can even work out a few leads if I spend enough time watching YouTube, but when it comes to John Mayer-type leads or Bluegrass, forget about it. I also don't know enough theory to play in a band, primarily because I can't change key on the fly. I have a couple of friends who are professional guitarists; their skills blow my mind. But I will say this, they always tell me I'm the lucky one because I have a steady job.
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Eastman: AC630 Super Jumbo (2019) Gibson: Eric Church Hummingbird Dark (2016), J-45 Standard (2013), Gibson L-00 (1930s) Guild: D-55 (1998) Martin: D-41 Reimagined (2019), 000-15SM (2018), OM-28 VTS Custom (2016), D-18 Golden Era (2014) Taylor: K24ce Builder’s Edition (2020), K14c Cedar (1999) Yamaha: CSF3M Parlor (2019) Last edited by jpricewood; 01-17-2020 at 05:18 PM. |
#71
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I've felt like an imposter before. When I first started playing at the church I'm playing now the musicians seemed light years beyond me. Every week I thought I would be kindly told that I just wasn't cutting it. Now five years later I'm the main electric lead.
I still feel like an imposter though and have the occasional anxiety attack. I've given it great thought as of late and I think we take ourselves too seriously sometimes. I, for one, am a serious type A perfectionist. I was that way in my first career as a newspaper photographer and it seems that I've carried that attitude to playing guitar. I think what some of us, myself included, do is that we lose sight of the joy we may bring to others with our playing. I would venture to say that that may be more important than our own tally of mistakes we might keep count of up there. My feeling is that music is a gift to the world. It certainly brings more joy than hate. If we focus on that maybe we aren't imposters at all but part of something that makes the world better. -jay
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'22 Gretsch Falcon 6136PE (Midnight Sapphire) '16 Lowden F35c (Mountain Rosewood) (For Sale) '07 Bashkin OM (Cedar/Mahogany) '98 SRV Fender Stratocaster |
#72
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And the rest... |
#73
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I dont believe in that imposter complex - I could say anyone who loves what they do to a point wonders why any one would pay them to do it becasue their having to much fun - ive heard something like this concerning john Mayer - and a few other musicians -some of them wonder when the ride will be over ( concerning the fun their having and that they make music for a living )
Me- im not a bad guitarist - i could entertain you -how good i am is up to the person who listening
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--------------------------------- Wood things with Strings ! |
#74
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Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this." Doc: "Don't do that!" Don't compare yourself to others. Do what you do. I am not a great guitar player, and I may not even be an average player. But I play out, mostly open mics but sometimes paid gigs, and people like to hear me sing and play. The only way I've found to get better is to play more, and it helps a lot if you play in front of people.
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Patrick 2012 Martin HD-28V 1984 Martin Shenandoah D-2832 2018 Gretsch G5420TG Oscar Schmidt Autoharp, unknown vintage ToneDexter Bugera V22 Infinium |
#75
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The world is filled with people competing, so I suppose it figures that feigning humility, you bring the topic in here in the way you did.
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Chris 2022 Taylor 714ce, 2020 Martin D-28 Modern Deluxe, 2013 Martin D-16GT, 1980 Yamaha FG-335 |