Are we kidding ourselves?
Barb, I sometimes have that feeling too. I remember when I was young , when we all were trying to be the Beatles, there was was this kid who could just play everything. I had to work so hard to bang out a few chords that I finally said whats the use and gave up.
Now I know I will never be a great guitar player like Niel or some others. But this time I am getting great satisfaction out of the things I can accomplish. We all get frustrated, I'm sure even the best players do, but just have fun and be proud of what you can play.
Kenny
Now I know I will never be a great guitar player like Niel or some others. But this time I am getting great satisfaction out of the things I can accomplish. We all get frustrated, I'm sure even the best players do, but just have fun and be proud of what you can play.
Kenny
Barb,
All that matters is that you are enjoying yourself. As an older individual I do martial arts. Do I think I am ever going to be Jet Li or Bruce Lee? No way. But I enjoy it. Same with the guitar. I started late in life. I stink but I play better now than when I started and I enjoy it. Some folks are born atheletes and some folks are just born musicians. You were born you. That's good enough.
All that matters is that you are enjoying yourself. As an older individual I do martial arts. Do I think I am ever going to be Jet Li or Bruce Lee? No way. But I enjoy it. Same with the guitar. I started late in life. I stink but I play better now than when I started and I enjoy it. Some folks are born atheletes and some folks are just born musicians. You were born you. That's good enough.
BRBbrb wrote:
As I mentioned in another thread; my son's friend is a fantastic musician. He is self-taught, plays by ear, tunes by ear & doesn't even know theory; but just blew me away. You just know someone like that is born to play. Makes me wonder what's the point? I have to copy, pause, rewind - just to play 1 song remotely decent. It makes me feel, as the kids say today, like a poser!
Barb,
I'm glad you had the courage to bring up this topic. I think that most of us can relate to how you feel. I had a similar experience earlier this year; I was hanging out with this young guy, about 22 years old, and he noticed my guitar case and asked if I play. I told him I'd been playing for about a year, but was still very much a beginner. He said, "Oh yeah, me too. I started about a year ago." But then he starts playing my guitar and can play all these riffs, snippets of songs, bar chords, etc. I felt like a fool and there was NO WAY I was going to play in front of him. BUT the experience lit a fire in me and made me decide I was going to practice more regularly and really try to get better at playing.
Now, I think it's possible that your son's friend does have an innate gift for music. But I have no doubt that he's also probably spent hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours playing his guitar. Nobody is an expert at something right away. Professionals practice their trade for many hours a day, every day.
But, as so many people before me said, it's not about what he can do, but what you want to do. What your goal is with the guitar. And I think from what you've said in other discussions, that you are making progress toward that goal. I'm sure you're better at your guitar than you were a year ago! I know I am!
As I mentioned in another thread; my son's friend is a fantastic musician. He is self-taught, plays by ear, tunes by ear & doesn't even know theory; but just blew me away. You just know someone like that is born to play. Makes me wonder what's the point? I have to copy, pause, rewind - just to play 1 song remotely decent. It makes me feel, as the kids say today, like a poser!
Barb,
I'm glad you had the courage to bring up this topic. I think that most of us can relate to how you feel. I had a similar experience earlier this year; I was hanging out with this young guy, about 22 years old, and he noticed my guitar case and asked if I play. I told him I'd been playing for about a year, but was still very much a beginner. He said, "Oh yeah, me too. I started about a year ago." But then he starts playing my guitar and can play all these riffs, snippets of songs, bar chords, etc. I felt like a fool and there was NO WAY I was going to play in front of him. BUT the experience lit a fire in me and made me decide I was going to practice more regularly and really try to get better at playing.
Now, I think it's possible that your son's friend does have an innate gift for music. But I have no doubt that he's also probably spent hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours playing his guitar. Nobody is an expert at something right away. Professionals practice their trade for many hours a day, every day.
But, as so many people before me said, it's not about what he can do, but what you want to do. What your goal is with the guitar. And I think from what you've said in other discussions, that you are making progress toward that goal. I'm sure you're better at your guitar than you were a year ago! I know I am!
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Music Junkie
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Barb:
My oldest son (8yrs) started playing tunes he heard on the TV on his little Playskool xylophone when he was 3! We bought him a 66key keyboard when he was 5 and he can play pretty much anything he wants to. I can play ANY single note or any non-altered chord on my guitar and he can tell me exactly what I played without looking. Blows my mind! We went ahead and put him through a children's music academy here locally and he will graduate from that in November. He has now expressed interest in the guitar, so I ran out right away and bought him one to play. Even if he does not choose to pursue it with all his heart, I hope he plays consistently and keeps it in his life.
Me, on the other hand, I have to work my rear off and still don't get it most of the time. I had to sit down and read and learn theory. He just gets it. I cannot explain it. He knows what chords are made or how they are constructed.
However, sitting down and playing the guitar gives me so much enjoyment! Plus, I can actually play a few songs now and I am learning more all the time. So for me, I am NOT kidding myself. I realize that my goal is to be able to sit down and play for friends, family or just myself. A pretty realistic goal for me. So, keep chugging along and when you get frustrated, check in with all of us and we are always good for some cheer! That's one of the best parts of this site!
Cheers!
:laugh:
My oldest son (8yrs) started playing tunes he heard on the TV on his little Playskool xylophone when he was 3! We bought him a 66key keyboard when he was 5 and he can play pretty much anything he wants to. I can play ANY single note or any non-altered chord on my guitar and he can tell me exactly what I played without looking. Blows my mind! We went ahead and put him through a children's music academy here locally and he will graduate from that in November. He has now expressed interest in the guitar, so I ran out right away and bought him one to play. Even if he does not choose to pursue it with all his heart, I hope he plays consistently and keeps it in his life.
Me, on the other hand, I have to work my rear off and still don't get it most of the time. I had to sit down and read and learn theory. He just gets it. I cannot explain it. He knows what chords are made or how they are constructed.
However, sitting down and playing the guitar gives me so much enjoyment! Plus, I can actually play a few songs now and I am learning more all the time. So for me, I am NOT kidding myself. I realize that my goal is to be able to sit down and play for friends, family or just myself. A pretty realistic goal for me. So, keep chugging along and when you get frustrated, check in with all of us and we are always good for some cheer! That's one of the best parts of this site!
Cheers!
:laugh:
I've known a few of those people who it just seems to come naturally. Not very many but a few. I finally realized that the worst thing I could do is compare my own playing to someone with that kind of gift. I think many of us do just that, compare ourselves to people who are great at something and it really isn't fair to us. Gary