The Psychology of Guitar

[flux]

Some of you may remember when I said that I am afraid to play a guitar in the music store. Since then, I've seen one other person declare this, so I thought that maybe a thread on the psychology of guitar might be interesting. We'll see.

There was some simple advice given, which was "do not care what others think." It's good advice, but the issue is complicated, so I think it's worth a thread. Not caring can be as difficult as the Buddhist not desiring. Do not desire to not desire.

I've also experienced some issues with learning guitar, from how to learn, to how to practice, to how to think about the guitar. If others are interested in this type of thread, then I'll get into more detail about those issues and what I've learned.

At the same time, I'm interested in learning from others.

What issues have you encountered that are related to guitar? From learning to performance, and anything between. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts, because I never became a worse person for knowing more.

Marvelous topic and presentation, my compliments. These discussions resonate with me from a lifetime of dealing with anxiety. Regardless of individual circumstances there's always so much to learn.

When I was young, I had no problem at all. Heck, in the 90s, I even wrote an album for a singer, and supervised the hired guns.

But then I started learning more. The more I learned, the more I realized I did not know. Meanwhile, there was also this attitude that the shredder is king, and if you cannot shred, then you are worthless.

Of course, in the guitar store, you are most likely to encounter shredders.

Part of me does not care what they think. But then I wonder if I really want an encounter with any of these people. So if they are present, then I do not play.

One thing which may not be as apparent from these experiences: the time period itself.

I practically lived on sales floors throughout the 1990s, if not as an employee, a customer. With the caveat that it could have been an artifact, or limited to the markets I was in: I recall it being a much more cut-throat sort of affair back then, before the days of online shopping, and far less pleasant than present-day environments. To many shoppers, the guitar department wasn't so much a place to demo gear, but display one's prowess, and some folks were really aggressive about it. I actually had to intervene in a few spots to protect other customers.

Or, certain retailers themselves had reputations for being harsh to shoppers, which I didn't quite buy at first until I saw it in action, and saw people's kids be affected by staff with an attitude. Nobody should have to suffer nonsense like that... and it all adds up to affect everyone's comfort level, which (I maintain) contributes a measurable effect on our overall experience, and consequently, output.

I think it was all an unfortunate product of the period, and again, not necessarily universal. My intent is not to cast aspersion here, but rather to highlight it was a different time for the industry. Fewer folks with university education or specialized training, no social media...

On the whole, my personal impression is that the bulk of the industry has changed for the better. Since anyone can buy almost anything, almost anywhere, I think that's forced a lot of practices to better favor the consumer than days past. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but that's my gut. YRMV, as always.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I am of the “musicians should encourage and nurture those less experienced and skilled as them”, I appreciate that some of the levels that other members are talking about is a different “kettle of fish”. If you are employing someone to do a job, then you expect them to provide the goods.

However this thread appears to be primarily about practice and confidence.

Play a song until you can put the emotion into it that you want to, or that you feel it should have.

I don’t go to music stores anymore. I don’t have to/want to. I don’t like the atmosphere in our local music shops, I appreciate the employees have to sell, but the general bravado and belief that they have to intimidate customers isn’t cool

I appreciate that music is a competitive industry, however the level at which most of us perform, the band members we play with should be encouraging.

Most pros probably are, because they know how hard it was when they started out.

Springsteen always has the ethos that you play a gig like it was your last. @GuitarDrummer I mean no offence to your friend by that comment.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, whatever standard you are, yes you can improve, but don’t forget that music should give you a feeling of well being and hopefully give you a positive outlook on life.

 

[flux]

My personal story:

While I consider guitar my main instrument, I began on piano at a young age, supplemented by a typical concert (and later, marching) band path on trumpet. Along came guitar, bass in the school jazz band, and stints doing marching percussion, and later a kit. I always wanted to be a guitarist first and foremost, because hey, who doesn't? (How many people can name three french horn players? ) In all seriousness I love huge swaths of classical and jazz, and too much to mention otherwise.

Passion extends to everything about drums, cymbals and percussion for me just like guitar, it's just not my destiny for a performance path. As a serious student once, I took lessons from a dynamite player, fresh off study with Aronoff. Amazing experience really, I just don't perform anywhere close to that level in reality, not remotely. In an alternate universe maybe I'm parked in that fancy snare line I always dreamed of, or able to keep up with the Rush catalogue, or Dave Weckl CDs. My attempts with drums though have been invaluable for learning about rhythm and structure, even as a hack.

Of any of the above, guitar and keyboards are the only things I've played semi-professionally, studio and live.

Anxiety about my playing plagued me on every instrument except the horn. I got butterflies before recitals and performances as a kid, but we practiced like mad, and I was fortunate enough to have top-notch instruction. That contributed to a strong sense of confidence that I never felt in any other niche. Problem was: my heart just wasn't in it. That internal conflict simmered for years. I still have strong regrets about hanging up the horn, simply because of the untapped potential. My nagging thought: "I'll never be as competent on anything else." Hearing unsupportive reactions from my sphere when I said I wanted to play music full time didn't help much, either.

I ended up at M.I. for guitar, at the height of the shred-pocalypse. Learned a ton from some great mentors, but in all it was too much for me to process at age 19. My live workshops suffered from me being so uptight about performances. I put way too much pressure on myself and was unreasonably afraid of mistakes. Plus, we were doing ridiculous things like trying to really nail Marty Friedman guitar parts, instead of learning how to work together better as musicians and focus on the big picture. All in front of monster players and of course Tim Bogert. Ah, youth.

That anxiety continued though several band attempts, mostly failures, real shake-in-the-knees type stuff sometimes, too. What broke the cycle eventually, strangely enough, was making my way into retail music.

My skill level wasn't awful or anything, I was just pretty green. At first I had terrible anxiety about demoing gear for customers, but that subsided quickly, to my surprise. After a while, I was too busy worrying about purchase orders, when the FedEx truck was going to show, or five dozen other things. It became so natural that a great weight had finally been taken off my shoulders. I went from hiding in a shell to rattling off the intro to Hot For Teacher if called on. I guess all it took was job stress.

I did reach a point where I thought the thrill of music had gone, and I took several years off. For some time I thought about just dumping all the gear I'd accumulated and calling it. My interest in listening to music even vanished for some time.

Then, a really wonderful series of life changes (and move across country) left me invigorated, and I started browsing guitars again just to see what was new. At the time, it was a model called the McCarty 594... which kick-started my great PRS awakening. Now, here I am actively playing and practicing again, and strangely enough, wanting to get back into retail, or at least customer service. There's really nothing like it, when done well.

P.S.: The support of this community along the way has been incredible, and I'm most thankful. The level of conversation here is truly exceptional.

I still battle anxiety sometimes, but it thankfully doesn't affect my playing (that I know of...).

Thanks for tagging along. Apologies for the length.

 

[flux]

I go in to audition gear. I'm checking TONE. I might chug muted bar chords to check for bottom end tightness and punch, bend notes to check sustain on a guitar, etc... I don't go in and start playing fast lines or anything.
...
Heck when I'm checking out amps, I usually get someone ELSE to play guitar and I twist knobs on the amp and listen.

Right there with you! My approach follows whatever simple tests get it done. To the outside listener it probably sounds like disorganized nonsense anyway. I don't mind playing in a store situation at all, as long as I can hear myself (and not drive anyone else nuts). If I were intently hunting for a piece and feared a busy floor might interfere with an evaluation, I'd make an appointment to prevent the background noise.

 

[László]

My issue is age and my hands slowly wearing out, cramping, and just getting older and feeling the pain coming to my joints, specifically my right index at the first knuckle from so much finger style guitar, and my left wrist from so much chording.

I’m older than rocks and dirt. I get it. Maybe you can relate to my story.

Two years ago I had ulnar nerve transposition surgery on my arm because the nerve got pinched, resulting in complete loss of control over the fingers of my fretting hand. The surgery worked, and gradually I could play again.

The speed’s gone, so I find it’s good to concentrate on ideas and more melodic playing. That’s where age and experience are advantages.

I’m discovering that it’s not about what we can’t do. It’s about what we can do.

 

[GuitarDrummer]

If I'm trying out gear, I do not, almost ever, play anything that would impress anyone.

That's my thing. I am NOT trying to audition. Plus, when my adult responsibilities kicked in long ago, and time was of a premium, I felt that I had to choose between being one who impresses, and playing for the song. I chose the latter.

Still, self-conscious, and the thought is that I'll never be good enough to shake that.

Something tells me that it will always be like that, based on my psychological challenges with learning. No matter how far I advance, gotta keep it secret. Ssshhhhhhhhh

 

[GuitarDrummer]

As I'm getting the day started, I remembered this Victor Wooten video, where he talks about music as a language.

Overcoming this sensitivity is something that is obviously important to me. Otherwise, I'd just keep it to myself and quit. Just as I'm willing to work on my studies, I'm also willing to work on this.

I've tried to remind myself that, while Hendrix and Clapton were putting out albums, so were Young and Baez. Besides, I picked the "for the song" path a long, long time ago.

 

[flux]

As I'm getting the day started, I remembered this Victor Wooten video, where he talks about music as a language.

Overcoming this sensitivity is something that is obviously important to me. Otherwise, I'd just keep it to myself and quit. Just as I'm willing to work on my studies, I'm also willing to work on this.

I've tried to remind myself that, while Hendrix and Clapton were putting out albums, so were Young and Baez. Besides, I picked the "for the song" path a long, long time ago.

That's a wonderful clip. VW remains one of my all-time favorites, and I wish that kind of wisdom had been available when I was a kid.

His philosophy about performance and growth is just the sort of thing I needed and didn't have access to; being encouraged to make any measure of mistakes along the way (they're invaluable learning experiences!) would've been more valuable than getting chided for errors. I also wish someone had also been around to stress the importance of developing your own voice as a musician. When you become hyper-focused on duplicating the work and stylings of others, it's sometimes unfortunately easy to neglect creating your own. (At least in my case...)

 

[Alnus Rubra]

As I'm getting the day started, I remembered this Victor Wooten video, where he talks about music as a language.

Overcoming this sensitivity is something that is obviously important to me. Otherwise, I'd just keep it to myself and quit. Just as I'm willing to work on my studies, I'm also willing to work on this.

I've tried to remind myself that, while Hendrix and Clapton were putting out albums, so were Young and Baez. Besides, I picked the "for the song" path a long, long time ago.

Yes, yes, yes! GD, use this as your mantra!

This man epitomises all that I learnt as a young musician, receiving praise for performing. Encouraging others, achieving so much enjoyment from entertaining others.

If I made a mistake, make it two more times and make it seem like I meant it.

VW was right, mistakes sometimes reveal a new path that you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered!

Have fun forum brother!

 

[GuitarDrummer]

When you become hyper-focused on duplicating the work and stylings of others, it's sometimes unfortunately easy to neglect creating your own. (At least in my case...)

It was a long time ago, maybe late 80s or early 90s, when a band I was in had an ad out for a lead guitar player. The band leader noted "GIT Need Not Apply," explaining to me that they were pumping out EVH copies as players.

Being a copy of someone else is typically not useful, unless one wants a life of playing in a tribute band. I'll copy some things here and there. I love certain EVH rhythmic riffs. I've borrowed from them and spent time working them around to be my own. As a result, nobody knows.

I think that education is helpful, and I know that the day I stop learning is the day that I start to sink like a stone. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not trying to get too much education, or trying to go too far, too fast, or maybe just too far in general.

The school is run for the benefit of the teachers and administrators. I do not say the same about my current mentor, for his goal is to make himself obsolete, as soon as possible. Every lesson that I have is because I've wanted it. In college, I felt like I was going to be the one idiot who wasn't going to get it.

Getting chided for errors..... man... if you've seen WHIPLASH, then you've met my old drum teacher, Richard Paul. He was exactly like that. "King Richard" had a harsh hand, a stern stare, a loud voice, and sometimes used threats and insults. I studied with him through two years of junior high school, four years of high school, and my first year of college. Oh, the stories.

Before him, when I was in grade school, I studied with John W. McMahan. We had lessons in a dark and creepy basement of a music store in Anderson, where they now make L&M guitar straps. He was a guy who held a stick over mine, with demerits if I hit his. For most of the lesson, he'd sit behind a desk, with a 1,000-yard death stare, while the metronome clicked at maximum volume over a school PA speaker.

They were both brutal, and did not resemble fun.

 

[GuitarDrummer]

Yes, yes, yes! GD, use this as your mantra!

That sounds like good advice.

Music is a language, and my issue is that I spend way too much time talking to myself. I haven't gotten out in the past few years. The longer I don't get out, the more scary it gets.

It's a passing note
It's jazz
It's... ah, just drink your beer

 

[Alnus Rubra]

It was a long time ago, maybe late 80s or early 90s, when a band I was in had an ad out for a lead guitar player. The band leader noted "GIT Need Not Apply," explaining to me that they were pumping out EVH copies as players.

Being a copy of someone else is typically not useful, unless one wants a life of playing in a tribute band. I'll copy some things here and there. I love certain EVH rhythmic riffs. I've borrowed from them and spent time working them around to be my own. As a result, nobody knows.

I think that education is helpful, and I know that the day I stop learning is the day that I start to sink like a stone. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not trying to get too much education, or trying to go too far, too fast, or maybe just too far in general.

The school is run for the benefit of the teachers and administrators. I do not say the same about my current mentor, for his goal is to make himself obsolete, as soon as possible. Every lesson that I have is because I've wanted it. In college, I felt like I was going to be the one idiot who wasn't going to get it.

Getting chided for errors..... man... if you've seen WHIPLASH, then you've met my old drum teacher, Richard Paul. He was exactly like that. "King Richard" had a harsh hand, a stern stare, a loud voice, and sometimes used threats and insults. I studied with him through two years of junior high school, four years of high school, and my first year of college. Oh, the stories.

Before him, when I was in grade school, I studied with John W. McMahan. We had lessons in a dark and creepy basement of a music store in Anderson, where they now make L&M guitar straps. He was a guy who held a stick over mine, with demerits if I hit his. For most of the lesson, he'd sit behind a desk, with a 1,000-yard death stare, while the metronome clicked at maximum volume over a school PA speaker.

They were both brutal, and did not resemble fun.

Yes I too have had experience of Dickensian music teachers, without the “ensian” sometimes as well!

I remember being struck by a brass teacher, he only did it once I might add.

Ultimately, we are both now in a position to enjoy our music. My bills are paid by my day job, so I please myself with my choice of music and practice timetable.

I have a couple of projects in the pipeline and they will materialise when they are ready.

Hopefully you can enjoy your guitar playing and not get too stressed.

 

[flux]

It was a long time ago, maybe late 80s or early 90s, when a band I was in had an ad out for a lead guitar player. The band leader noted "GIT Need Not Apply," explaining to me that they were pumping out EVH copies as players.

Being a copy of someone else is typically not useful, unless one wants a life of playing in a tribute band. I'll copy some things here and there. I love certain EVH rhythmic riffs.

Yeah, I quickly learned that the GIT bumper sticker on my old Honda did not attract the sort of attention I had in mind. I stopped telling people I attended, honestly. That coupled with my existing anxiety really got in my head for a while and my playing suffered significantly, I just feel fortunate I was able to climb out of it.

Can't remember precisely how it all happened, but the EVH copy thing fits to the point of comedy. Check out the poster child of stereotypes!

I was so in the VH kool-aid that I ended up writing some content for the website and had an email address ending in @van-halen.com. It was fun, but... there have been better uses of my time. I wish I'd been studying under a good instructor instead of chasing rainbows.

I think that education is helpful, and I know that the day I stop learning is the day that I start to sink like a stone. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not trying to get too much education, or trying to go too far, too fast, or maybe just too far in general.

What you describe really hits home for me also, in addition to your earlier mention of having to break up practice routines or study into sections. What I've found works best for me is a rotation of sorts, where I have to sit on my desire to crawl deeply into new material or improving technique. I'm prone to get lost doing ten things at once instead of diligently focusing on one item. That sort of variance keeps my concentration level optimal, and I internalize more consistently with better results.

The cram-it-in format is great for those who can keep up with it. My brain just doesn't function that way. It's my hope, through growing awareness of individual conditions, that music education can be better tailored in the future to accommodate everyone's needs.

Getting chided for errors..... man... if you've seen WHIPLASH, then you've met my old drum teacher, Richard Paul. He was exactly like that. "King Richard" had a harsh hand, a stern stare, a loud voice, and sometimes used threats and insults. I studied with him through two years of junior high school, four years of high school, and my first year of college. Oh, the stories.

Before him, when I was in grade school, I studied with John W. McMahan. We had lessons in a dark and creepy basement of a music store in Anderson, where they now make L&M guitar straps. He was a guy who held a stick over mine, with demerits if I hit his. For most of the lesson, he'd sit behind a desk, with a 1,000-yard death stare, while the metronome clicked at maximum volume over a school PA speaker.

They were both brutal, and did not resemble fun.

I was so trying to avoid a Whiplash reference in my earlier post but it's so apt -- that film drives me nuts. Great acting and performances, but c'mon... that's just abuse, not instruction. Argh!

My horn experience that I gushed about earlier -- my instructor was playing for the Chicago Symphony, and one of the nicest people I've ever known. He was as genuinely interested in people and their well-being as music, and he was a consummate pro along the way. An ideal teacher. I wish that were the standard.

 

[GuitarDrummer]

Can't remember precisely how it all happened, but the EVH copy thing fits to the point of comedy. Check out the poster child of stereotypes!

Eek, hope I did not offend. Certain schools have this idea that they're going to pump out nothing but geniuses. I have to wonder if it does not crush certain individual attributes that would actually be desirable because they are unique.

That's a sweet pic. I never met Eddie, but my ex-wife did. We bumped into Valerie Bertinelli while power-walking at Ocean Park in Santa Monica, with baby Wolfgang. My ex was a child educator and caregiver, and she ended up babysitting him a few times.

I agree completely about the WHIPLASH thing. I think it is abuse. Back then, I viewed it as a challenge. I was young, dumb, and full of gumption. Yea, that's it. I think that's how it goes. I would not tolerate that behavior in an instructor for one second today. My current instructor actually cares and is easy to work with.

Today, the only person who really beats me up is me. That's the toughest boss to beat, but talking about it here seems to be helping. As I noted before, I talk to myself way too much. I do talk to my wife, too, and she runs some solid damage control at times.

I actually put on a relatively recent album my current band released. Gave it a listen, and made notes of all the tracks that I performed on the songs. It's hard to convince myself that it was real sometimes.

 

[flux]

Eek, hope I did not offend.

Oh no, not at all! I was trying to be self-deprecating, and sometimes my posting style isn't very clear. No worries, all in good fun!

That's a sweet pic. I never met Eddie, but my ex-wife did. We bumped into Valerie Bertinelli while power-walking at Ocean Park in Santa Monica, with baby Wolfgang. My ex was a child educator and caregiver, and she ended up babysitting him a few times.

Thanks!

Very cool, those were fonder times indeed.

 

[IKnowALittle]

I just play. A lot. Have been for 32 years now.
If someone asks me for advice, or to show them a lick, or wants to chat, I do.
I try to "pay it forward" (damn, I hate that term), as best I can.
I generally find (including myself), that people are way to hard on themselves.
Do what you do. Enjoy. If you want to improve then do it. It isn't that difficult.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

The physiology of music seems to be unpredictable, and I felt a genuine sadness in your story. My teacher [I should say mentor] and I discuss this as well, in the context of practice. Still, there are times when there is nothing you can do.

I've had physical issues relating to music. There was a labrum tear in my right shoulder that took me off the drums, so I gravitated to guitar.

There was another time, when I had ended up with Tendinitis, thanks to a workstation that was designed by an artist instead of ergonomic engineers. I was drumming with some guitar players, when I dropped a stick. I went to pick it up, and it fell right out of my hand. I had no grip. Physical therapy was helping, but I feared that I would never return.

I ended up going to a meet-and-greet, where Premier drums had Marilyn Manson drummer Ginger Fish, autographing posters. When the crowd died down, I approached him and told him about my story. He owed me nothing, and yet we spent 90 minutes talking about warm-ups, stretches, and ideas on what I could do to get back into the game. I found anti-vibe sticks, did as he said, stuck to my workers' comp therapy routine, and got back into the game after about a year, with full power returning in about three years.

My focus is on guitar these days, because of the physical toll associated with lugging gear around and playing.

A friend of mine, a hard-hitting pro drummer, got the news that he had a heart condition and needed to "take it easy." He did not want to take it easy, and had been active his entire life. At his next gig, he blasted the hell out of those drums, until he died from cardiac arrest. He was six months older than me. Because of this, my wife isn't too keen on me drumming again. He was also into playing guitar, and had custom guitar picks made. He gave me one over 20 years ago, and I always keep it in my pocket. I saw one on Ebay for $100, but there is nothing that could get me to part with it.

To tie this in with the psychology of it all, I know that there is a chance where something could start going wrong, I'll have to stop, and there will be nothing that I can do about it. In the back of my mind, I sometimes wonder if I would be prepared for that.

Is that Nick Menza (former Megadeth)?

 

[GuitarDrummer]

Is that Nick Menza (former Megadeth)?

Yes, it is. I once worked with his mother, and she introduced us some time before Countdown to Extinction was released. We became friends instantly, and it was that was for half my life. He passed away almost two years ago, and was only six months older than me. I saw him two weeks before he died, and I'm glad that happened. It was purely by accident, at a music store.

He loved to play guitar, and that custom guitar pick represents a beef that existed between him and Mustaine. He had an interest in playing guitar, making music, and growing as an artist. I remember when he was let go, Mustaine said that he "wanted a drummer who was actually interested in playing drums." I always felt this was horrible, because playing guitar did not get in the way of his drumming, any more than his mountain biking, swimming, or acrylic painting. I'm sure there were other issues. Mustaine will be Mustaine, and I should probably leave it at that.

After Megadeth, we would have some jam sessions, where I would play drums. Lots of good times. He is missed.

 

[Steve's addiction]

I think a lot of musicians (myself included ) struggle with the fact if they can't play like their hero they aren't that good but really they (you )are. The world already has EVH, Steve Vai, Jennifer Batton. What the world needs is you! It's alright to learn their technics and tricks but in the end your best is always figuring out who you are and running with it.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Great thread! The twists are making it even more interesting.

It's always interesting when people discuss their feelings/beliefs on education/instruction/practice for perfection, etc. vs. playing what you feel. When SRV says in an interview that he doesn't know what chords he's playing, he just plays them the way he knows he wants them to sound, it's hard to argue that you "have too" have study/have knowledge of chords and theory, etc. And the answer to which is right, is really simple. BOTH. And, whichever works for you, is right.

Now, that's my easy, generic, general, non-offensive answer. Now for how these things apply to ME.

Since I started piano lessons at 5 and played til I was 15, I was taught in the normal classical way. You play this exactly as written, with the appropriate dynamics as indicated, perfect timing, perfect fingering, etc., etc., OR you are playing it wrong. I had a good enough ear that I was busted at an early early age for being able to hear something, and then play it back. Without reading it off the sheet and thus maybe with the wrong fingering or even in some cases, with the wrong hand! It took my teacher a while to get it through my head that "just getting the notes right is not good enough. You have to play them the right WAY." And that was because with each step up in level of music, you needed the previous things to be done correctly as those skills would carry you to that next level. So yeah, you can play that song with the wrong fingering, but now this song is harder, and if you don't use the correct fingering you'll never be able to get in the right place for the next passage because it's more complex. My teacher was great. Not like you guys were mentioning. But she was quick to correct. She knew what the expectation was and she wanted to make sure there was no slacking off on the way.

Warning: This post will be way too long and probably boring. But hopefully will explain where I am with all this.

So then I started playing guitar. I started at about 15. I quickly found that some of the stuff I loved, was very easy to play. As impressed with my ability as I was at the time, it didn't take long to realize that in fact, it was just simple music! Kiss and AC/DC and some of the other stuff I loved was really easy to learn. I could get a new Kiss album and by the end of the first night, play every song on it and by the 3rd night, all the solos. I was really something! LOL I didn't even have a problem with Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin, which had much more difficult solos. Now Yes, and Rush and some of them were a different story. Instead of almost listening and playing along after the first verse, I had to "learn" the songs because they were much more complex and not just "3 chords and a solo." After about 1 year playing, I was gravitating away from the simpler stuff and much more towards the harder stuff. I went form AC/DC and Kiss being my two favorite bands, to hardly listening to either. Rush, and Yes, and Kansas and Zeppelin and Uriah Heep and groups like that became my favorites. And of course Hendrix and Trower.

Then during year two of my playing, two things happened that changed my life. First, I discovered Al Di Meola. Second, just a few months later, Van Halen (1) came out. Now, this is my opinion so take it as that. If you think SRV and Ace are better than VH, that's OK with me, but... in my mind, the bar wasn't raised, it was blown away. Even the guys I thought were great before, like Lifeson and Page, I could really play with a little practice. Al and Eddie sounded impossible! But to me, that was not only a challenge I was willing to embrace, but I wasn't going to be happy until I felt I could play like they did.

Instead of sitting down, putting an album on, and playing along, which is what I had done since day one, I had to keep stopping the record to get down these blazing fast and way more intricate parts. I've mentioned this before, but it took me about week to have all the songs off VH1 down, and another few days to have the solos. Except one. 3 months later I still had no idea how he was playing Eruption and I just couldn't "reach" the notes to play it. Then I saw him on TV and immediately saw "oh that's how he does that." It took me about a week to get the tapping part down.

At that point, I was once again convinced that I was a bad ass. LOL But it was only a couple more years til Yngwie came along and I again realized "I can't do that and that's going to take a LOT of practice."

So, I'm not saying I'm as good as any of those guys of course, but my motivation was always simple. I wanted to be great at it. I loved it, and so I wanted to be great. Not to "enjoy" playing like some of my friends to played, but to really be great at it.

The next part will sound weird after all that. I never learned how to read music on guitar. From classical training on piano which was "read everything" to playing even fairly complicated Yes and Rush songs, or DiMeola and VH solos, and didn't even know what chords or notes I was playing. Now, I know basic chords and always have. What I mean is, I never even think it terms of Eb, Cm, G etc. I play them, but I don't sit down and read the music to learn those songs. I played along with albums. Of course I "know" all the notes on a guitar, but only because of piano. If you say "what was the third note you played in that solo." My answer would be I'd look at the fretboard, find the third note, and it would take me a second to go .... that's a C or whatever.

I guess the only reason that I THINK all that is of interest, is because it's like a mix of the two extremes. It's no secret that I like more complex forms of music. But Hendrix and Trower are two of my all time favorites. I LOVE the "feel" stuff. But I love the complex stuff. But unlike most people who like the complex stuff, I am not into theory, I can't site read anything but basic chords, etc. So on one side, I am closer to the blues guys who can't read music or at least not at a high level, and play what they feel. On the other, I like to play faster, more complex stuff, but have no clue when they start talking harmonic minor diminished blah blah stuff.

But I always thought I had to learn the really hard stuff SO that I could play anything I wanted. Meaning, I might play a VH riff note for note IF I'm playing a VH song, But, that skill helps me when I'm playing what I "feel" or helps me when I want to play my own thing. SO I wanted to have the VH thing and the DiMeola thing and the Yngwie thing and the Hendrix thing and etc., etc. all in my bag so that when I wanted to play "my own thing" I can play anything I wanted. Learn the riffs perfectly. But not JUST for cover tunes. You put them in your bag of tricks for your use.

Now if I really could DO all those things as well as they do, well you know, I really WOULD finally be a bad ass! But at my age, I've given up. LOL

To sum it all up, I like Winger!

Edit to say: I hope this doesn't sound like bragging. I was stating my objectives to be able to play like those guys, and not claiming a complete ability to do so.