The Importance of Learning How To Play

[garbeaj]

I think it must be said that spending time learning how to play the guitar is very important. I'm far from a technically perfect player...my playing sucks just as much as the next guy's. That being said...

I'm just saying this because it needs to be said. Please, for the love of Pete, please practice. Please learn the riffs you are playing when you make clips. It is just insane to me that the vast majority of clips I hear feature some incredibly wrong versions of even the most basic of riffs. It is just a comedy of errors. There are some people who can actually play the riffs they are emulating, but these are few and far between.

Maybe it is just me, but I just don't understand someone chasing the tone of a song that they can't even physically play.

Here is some unsolicited advice. You will get 1000% closer to the tone of whatever song or riff you are trying to emulate if you actually learn how to play it. I'm not talking about being completely technically perfect...it is just clear to me that most people that are making clips don't really know how to play what they are half-ass trying to play.

I'm sure I'll get lots of hateful responses, but you all know I'm right in your heart of hearts. Playing guitar requires dedication and hours of practice. You only cheat yourself when you don't put in the effort.

[Scumback Speakers]

No hate here. I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your post!

[julkke]

Somebody had to say it! I've also noticed how a lot of people who can't really play don't realize how much pick attack and fingerings change tone for ex. They buy all the gear and expect it to sound like someone else was playing. Gear wanking and playing the guitar have parted to be two different hobbies and thats fine with me. People need hobbies to keep life interesting. Still, it is indeed pain to listen someone demonstrating tone when he can't play even smoke on the water in time.

"Practise cures most tone issues" -John Suhr

peace

[demonufo]

I couldn't agree more.

[garbeaj]

I want to be sensitive about this, because I'm just a hack player myself. But it is also bizarre how people will comment on clips and be super complimentary about the guy's playing-even though the guy's clip is totally wack. I guess that's because they can't play either and as a result they can't judge? I don't know, but it is weird.

I'm totally open to and welcome criticism on my playing by the way...I know I'm not perfect. But sheez, sometimes it blows my mind how it seems like people have fooled around with guitars and amps for 30 years and yet they seem to have put in maybe 100 hours of practice over all those years.

I personally strive to learn everything I listen to as note-for-note accurately as possible. Sometimes I miss the mark and sometimes I will have been playing something totally incorrectly for 30 years (check out the "Where Ed Plays On The Neck" thread to see how true this is), but at least I put in the work.

[Scumback Speakers]

They buy all the gear and expect it to sound like someone else was playing. Gear wanking and playing the guitar have parted to be two different hobbies and thats fine with me. People need hobbies to keep life interesting. Still, it is indeed painful to listen to someone demonstrating tone when he can't play ATBL or other Van Halen tunes in time.

I fixed that for you. But I totally agree with your original post as well.

[Tone Slinger]

I agree with everything posted on this thread so far. BUT, I must say that 'some' player's, who arent particuarly good players, have an ability to hit a simple chord sequince or play a few muted note riffs, etc, and from that, DIAL in a great amp tone/spec (good ears and can judge/feel the strings). I'm not gonna call anyone out by name on this (but you know who you are).
That being said, the VAST MAJORITY of guy's who have poor playing abilities ALSO have bad ears and they use WAY too much distortion.

[garbeaj]

I fixed that for you. But I totally agree with your original post as well.

I see what you did there!

[garbeaj]

Look, I hate to sound like an old guy here ("When I was your age...") but the last two decades have seen an explosion in guitar instruction videos and TAB of all the songs anyone would ever want to learn. So many guitar magazines, DVD's, On Demand videos, YouTube videos, slow down software, forums, this forum...I mean for fuck's sake all I had was a turntable and a cassette deck. Sometime in my teens, guitar magazines with TAB came out and it was like a miracle...admittedly this was often a faulty miracle that was often wrong, but at least it was something.

But the one thing that never left me was having a work ethic and caring enough to try. I mean goddamn, you have to practice and you have to care. Even if you are playing in your bedroom, if you love playing guitar you owe it to yourself to work at it. I mean I don't know how these people just don't have any sense of shame or embarrassment when they make clips...I think to myself "Don't they realize that they don't know how to play this piece?!" I mean don't get me wrong, I have posted clips with mistakes...but they were usually genuine mistakes. Which means I basically know how to play the lick, but I made a mistake. These people just plain don't know how to play these licks at all.

And when people like this are congratulated on their great playing, it just reinforces their perception that it is OK to not give a shit about learning to play. I mean it is one thing to say "Hey I can hear that you are getting a good tone there" and quite another to add "And great playing too man" when in fact they are stumbling through the riff to "________".

[Scumback Speakers]

Garbeaj, you had a cassette deck? Wow...just a record player for me!

Most of the song books had the chords wrong, or at the least where they were played on the neck was off.

No tab, either.

Cassette decks showed up years after my brother's 8 track burned out in his 67 Mustang from me listening to Cream and Hendrix.

Now I marvel at the amazing array of learning tools kids have (yes, when you can play circles around me and your six years old you're still a kid!).

CD's, DVD's, Amazing Slow Downer, Youtube lessons, Skype, FaceTime, live internet feeds with cameras on each end of a computer, the list is long.

But many of them can't tune a guitar without a tuner. Or they can't keep time without a metronome, or a click track. Ask them to sit in with a band and improvise and they get the "deer in the headlights" look.

But for Pete's sake...I was a cover band guitarist for years without all that help, then went on to two original bands, both got signed, both had albums that went nowhere.

But I did practice and learn the licks pretty close to the original, cuz that's what I was paid to do. I didn't realize you could make embarrassing clips online and get kudos for it. That's a recent development...and not a good one.

[garbeaj]

I just hope people take this thread in the spirit in which it was intended. Namely, I just want people to have a realization that they should CARE enough about themselves to NOT make embarrassing clips and to have a realistic view of their own playing. I just can't believe how often this situation occurs...Someone makes a terrible clip where the lick or riff or whatever is barely recognizable and several people reply "Great playing man!", I mean WTF?

[FL6]

Not sure if this belongs in this thread but I would also add that if you're going to post clips of certain tones or riffs, please don't play along with the original guitar track. Backing tracks are fine but omit the guitar track you're trying to emulate. It's very distracting and difficult to hear the OP's tone and playing when it's along side the original track. Half the players out there would get lost if they didn't have the guitar track to follow so I think it's in the same vein.

[JimiJames]

In the scale of things;
Does this mean that BrownSound1,

Bunnest,

Thorny,

& zaphod777

can hold the rest of us to a higher level ?

or... ?
This guys' swing is off..... Who's a' gonna' tell him, ah ?...

[Beavis]

If you hear something wrong, why not say so?

I'd like to think that if someone posts a clip they would be open for constructive criticism. If they aren't they shouldn't of posted it.

I do hear some clips that make me wonder as well, but as the player I am, I shouldn't be throwing any stones. I am getting better though and must admit I do enjoy hearing someone's clip that I know I can do better than, but couldn't of bested even 3 months ago. Practice and the right hand are HUGE.

[efraser68]

I understand where you're coming from Garbeaj and I believe I get the spirit or intention of your post. And I certainly won't knock the importance of practice or learning guitar like any other discipline. However, Metro is an amp building forum for people who really want to immerse themselves into the ever-so-slightest of nuances of a particular player's tone. I've heard guys here who I thought had the ultimate tone or setup, and they keep digging further because you can always get closer, right? As it pertains to the VH portion of Metro, seems to bring out a lot of good and bad at the same time. My own 2 cents, I would much rather have someone relentlessly perfect a tone because it has the potentially of benefiting all who want to get to that same place.

I would much rather hear someone strum chords on a slightly outta tune guitar of a sweet rig than someone being able to shred VH licks perfectly in the bedroom using Line 6 bullshit...I have no use for that. Just saying, having people that can build these dream amps AND that can deliver a lick with perfect fingering, timing, attack is pretty damn rare. I'm not sure I agree with shamming people for their playing ability in an amp forum?