Are we kidding ourselves?

TGMatt
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Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:16 pm

I will Never be Tiger Woods - But I will always love to play Golf

I will never Be an F1 driver but through Marc Weber and my love of fast cars I continue to dream

I will never be as great in Business as my hero Richard Branson , but I will alsways be starting new busineses and looking for new opportunities

I will never be as great a romantic as Valentino , But I will always love women

I will never be an Angel - But I get up each mroning trying my best to become more to become better..

I walked into Neils never having played anything at all musical, and a year later we created this site...


Never ever ever ever measure yourself against others as your only guide...your primary compass is yourself and the primary question is "am I getting better than I was yesterday"....inch by inch its a cinch.........


AndyT
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Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:32 pm

If you improve yourself only by a half percent a day, then at the end of a year you will be a bit more than twice a good as you are now.

I am a horrible guitar player, but I play because I want to. Who cares if I never get to be as good as the kid down the street. That's not the point.


mark
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:40 am

It came as a great disappointment to me when I realised that I have absolutely no music talent and an even greater disappointment when I realised that even with thousands of hours of practice I am never going to play like Eric Clapton.

For me, guitar playing is almost like a vicious cirlce
one day I feel like I'm getting somewhere
the next day it's going really well and I think soon I'm going to be really good
the next day I can hardly play a note and I should give up
a couple of hours later I pick up the guitar and give it another go


Slowly over time I can see that in general I'm getting better but I still go through this vicious cirlce.

It's impossible to do, but try not to compare yourself to anyone and just enjoy playing for what you can do.


Chasplaya
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:35 am

I'm not kidding myself I set myself exceptionally low standards and constantly fail to achieve them lol

Like a few of us I guess I dream of one day being the next eric Clapton, I know that will never happen but its a goal in my dreams, its part of what we call inspiration. I maybe know quite a bit about guitars but it doesn't mean I am a good player, I do know that since using TG the playing has improved and I have a few things to start over and relearn. I know what is good when I see it I know what is good when I hear it, I know errors or technique issues when i see them, mainly through stuf i've learnt here. So I have come a long way and also know I have a way to go. Some songs I kid myself about but it doesn't stop me trying them, recently attempting Fire and Rain (I admit I had never listend to this song until a thread was put up) I started a day ago and it was terrible and just tonight I got most of the intro down and the timing was about right, a few weeks ago that wasn't going to happen. So small steps mostly forward with the realisation that sometimes you go back a little and that does not harm you.

Kidding yourself depends on where you want to be so you need to set SMART goals

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Relevant
T = Time - bound/frame

or if thats too hard set DUMB goals

D = Doable
U = Understandable
M = Manageable
B = Beneficial


willem
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:25 am

BRBbrb wrote:
willem wrote:
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!
when you all day and day's are busy with the music or something there is a develop in yourself and you gonna be self-thaugt... on one day your ear that G chord playing...or other...
Willem; you are saying that with time we can all be self-taught?
i have a big ????? with self-thaught,there's alway something they must read or heard from somebody and with some nowledge they go further, we do the same and can also write a solo lick or something..


suziko
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:36 am

Wow, I think I might print out Matt's post and stick it on my wall! Awesome.


willem
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:38 am

BRBbrb wrote:
True; better than the finger!
so true Image


1robekert
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:06 am

Chin up Barb,
I am in the same boat. My kids make fun of my Cowboy Chord (3 Chord) playing. They say "Dad........we are sick of hearing the same 3 chords. They are exaggerating but I guess it makes them feel superior in some way to me. I explain to them that society is very goal oriented. You have to be at the top of any game or activity. I prefer to look to the example of Special Olympics. Participating is the prize. I have a severely disabled son. Going through his day is an effort. This brings me to my favorite saying "Life is relative". If I compare myself to the best of anything I will always fall short. I am able to get up each day........someone must have a plan for me.

I am the most unlikely guitar player. I did not do well with any instrument as a youth. Now at 46 I have decided to attempt to learn to play one of the most difficult instruments. My hands are beaten up from 25 years as a laborer. The tip of my index finger on my left hand, my fret hand, was cut off. When I attempted a D Chord I saw stars for the first few months. (It is not as bad now. The body adapts). So with all of this why would I try to do this...................because I love it. Sometimes things don't need to make sense. I am getting better but very, very, very slowly. I am Neil's perfect student.......motivated and getting better at a slow pace. He probably has a student for life :blush:
Rob


BRBbrb
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:10 am

A BIG THANKS! Like I said just having a "pity party"; like when I try to sing a Stevie Nick's song :ohmy: I do look at my guitar as my bff; & when I see someone else pick her up & do things w/ her that I can't -- well, the green-eyed monster appears :unsure:

Willem; got one of those in your arsenal?


AcousticAl
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Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:08 am

suziko wrote:
Wow, I think I might print out Matt's post and stick it on my wall! Awesome.
Except the 'Valentino' part?
(not that there's anything wrong with that..)

:)


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