Well I know that I am happy with improvement and I still feel improvement is evident. I feel there is a long, long way to go as well which is one of the things that draws me to guitar. You never feel you have it 'mastered'. Well, when I look at really, really good players I feel like there must be a point where you have it all together, but I ain't anywhere near there that's for sure, so I keep working. I guess I am a results driven person and at times that has led me to mix up where I am actually at with where I want to be. That's a path to nowhere I think.
We all want to be good guitarists and the way to get there is to practice, listen, show patience and probably most of all enjoy. I pretty much gave up golf because I was so wound up on the course that I didn't enjoy myself at all...I was so busy wanting to be a great golfer that I lost all sense of perspective and enjoyment. I really don't want that to happen with guitar and will a little help from my friends, I'm sure I've stopped myself from going down that horrible path.
I remind myself now that I am as good as I am. No more, no less. Trying to get better is a journey that's worthwhile and should be enjoyable because I'm constantly learning. If I keep that firmly in mind, the destination will surely take care of itself.
I always enjoy your thinking posts Chris.
So when did you become a guitarist?
It's funny how my story is almost the same as yours! 
For me it was also a little uke (wood! :cheer: ) I was 3/4 years old. It's one of my oldest memories. I remember playing this two chord children song for my dad's guitarteacher, I was so proud, haha :laugh: !
And I've always been so very grateful to my father for teaching me and letting me play whatever I wanted. He was a singer and a guitarplayer, so watching him at such an early age, I was really like 'I want that tóó'!
Indeed, like you, later I got a bigger uke along with a classical guitar (for children, I always forget the size, 3/4? :dry: ), later an electric guitar, then a keyboard, a drumkit, a steelstring, a bassguitar. And the saga continues!
Indeed HUGE kudos to my dad and all other parents who play music with their kids! The older I get, the more I appreciate it, and really, I tell him every time I see him!
Ness
Guitarmom wrote:
For me it was also a little uke (wood! :cheer: ) I was 3/4 years old. It's one of my oldest memories. I remember playing this two chord children song for my dad's guitarteacher, I was so proud, haha :laugh: !
And I've always been so very grateful to my father for teaching me and letting me play whatever I wanted. He was a singer and a guitarplayer, so watching him at such an early age, I was really like 'I want that tóó'!
Indeed, like you, later I got a bigger uke along with a classical guitar (for children, I always forget the size, 3/4? :dry: ), later an electric guitar, then a keyboard, a drumkit, a steelstring, a bassguitar. And the saga continues!
Indeed HUGE kudos to my dad and all other parents who play music with their kids! The older I get, the more I appreciate it, and really, I tell him every time I see him!
Ness
Guitarmom wrote:
My story starts a very long time ago... right after the earth cooled.
It was Christmas in 1951, when I was three years old, I was thrilled to see a ukulele under the tree with a card that said to Kate from Santa.
The fact that it was plastic didn't matter...I could now strum the rubber band strings and play when we sang... and we ALWAYS sang.
Everything went well for months until I left it in a chair, and my father sat on it! I was heartbroken.
That afternoon he took me out to the local music store and bought me one made out of wood... with real strings!
That little uke went with me everywhere, and just like the post "It's never too early to start turning them into musicians" I was on my way.
The uke eventually made way for a Harmony baritone uke, that is still with me today. The baritone uke made way for a 3/4 Silvertone (Sears catalog guitar).
Eventually that was replaced with a Guild Mark II Classical guitar and a Gibson TB 150 that went with me on tour. Both are in our music room.
And the saga continues... 0:)
Experience now tells me that if you have a child that is SERIOUSLY interested in playing an instrument, buy or rent the best you can afford.
I am not suggesting that you take a second on your house... just pick up a decent instrument. The results that your child will experience with
their first real instrument will either excite or discourage their talent.
Giving your baby an instrument from which YOU, as a guitarist, cannot coax a decent sound, is a sure way to kill any interest.
KUDO's to all of the parents on TG that are making music with their children. They are giving them a gift that will last for a lifetime.
Rev Kate
tovo wrote:
And....I'm still not a guitarist but I do play the guitar.
I feel the same as Tony.Well I know that I am happy with improvement and I still feel improvement is evident. I feel there is a long, long way to go as well which is one of the things that draws me to guitar. You never feel you have it 'mastered'. Well, when I look at really, really good players I feel like there must be a point where you have it all together, but I ain't anywhere near there that's for sure, so I keep working.
We all want to be good guitarists and the way to get there is to practice, listen, show patience and probably most of all enjoy.
I remind myself now that I am as good as I am. No more, no less. Trying to get better is a journey that's worthwhile and should be enjoyable because I'm constantly learning. If I keep that firmly in mind, the destination will surely take care of itself.
And....I'm still not a guitarist but I do play the guitar.
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cosmicmechanic
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- Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:39 am
- Status: Offline
I tend to think that a "musician" should be able to perform in a consistent way, both in private and publicly, at whatever level of competence he may have reached. I guess that at the very least this implies having the skills of an "intermediate" player.
The quality of my own playing varies somewhat depending on surroundings and fluctuations in radiation from the Van Allen Belt, so I hesitate to consider myself a "guitarist". I'd like to be ... only a question of time before sheer determination makes it happen.
But ... I've been one of the many "6th Beatles" (George Martin being the 5th) since I was a teen ... funny how you can be a Beatle and not be a real musician ... but please don't burst my bubble :side:
Pierre
The quality of my own playing varies somewhat depending on surroundings and fluctuations in radiation from the Van Allen Belt, so I hesitate to consider myself a "guitarist". I'd like to be ... only a question of time before sheer determination makes it happen.
But ... I've been one of the many "6th Beatles" (George Martin being the 5th) since I was a teen ... funny how you can be a Beatle and not be a real musician ... but please don't burst my bubble :side:
Pierre
Ask me when I'm 50 . I hope to have an answer for you by then. (I'm 45 this year)
I figure you should be able to play in front of people when requested and not have your mind go completely blank, your hands start to act like you have a bad case of withdrawal and not feel like you need to be beamed out or be looking for somewhere to hide ...well you get the picture.
Sometimes I feel like I can play a little (so I some times feel OK about calling myself a guitar player), but a guitarist I am not.... yet. It's a goal.
I figure you should be able to play in front of people when requested and not have your mind go completely blank, your hands start to act like you have a bad case of withdrawal and not feel like you need to be beamed out or be looking for somewhere to hide ...well you get the picture.
Sometimes I feel like I can play a little (so I some times feel OK about calling myself a guitar player), but a guitarist I am not.... yet. It's a goal.
Chris,
I'm also late to the party but there is still great fun to enjoy.
When I'm practicing at home, trying to overcome all my difficulties and mistakes, I feel like one :laugh: having
as much fun as possible with this beautiful and rewarding instrument and his universal language.
I'm not a guitarist
but I'll be practicing over and over and dreaming, dreaming, dreaming...
Abilio
I'm also late to the party but there is still great fun to enjoy.
When I'm practicing at home, trying to overcome all my difficulties and mistakes, I feel like one :laugh: having
as much fun as possible with this beautiful and rewarding instrument and his universal language.
I'm not a guitarist
but I'll be practicing over and over and dreaming, dreaming, dreaming... Abilio
Just my humble opinion.....
I equate a guitarist to an artist, and a guitar player to someone who can paint. A guitarist/artist is someone who can evoke an emotion from their audience. While painters can paint at various levels of competence and some of whom will eventually become so competent that they will start to evoke emotions from their viewers.
I equate a guitarist to an artist, and a guitar player to someone who can paint. A guitarist/artist is someone who can evoke an emotion from their audience. While painters can paint at various levels of competence and some of whom will eventually become so competent that they will start to evoke emotions from their viewers.
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neverfoundthetime
- Posts: 48
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- Status: Offline
Interesting replies folks! Thanks to all for responding.
@Daryl: Guitarist or guitar player? Artist or painter? Hmmm. Reminds me of that Peter Seller’s line on Winston Churchill having some of his own paintings exhibited:
“Churchill a painter?! Hah! Hitler, there was a painter! One apartment, two coats in one afternoon!”
In sport you have different levels of competitions so that you can play against opponents of about the same ability: Beginner, intermediate, advanced, top notch. They will be all thought of as players by non players.
I like the idea of being able to elicit emotions from your audience as a criterion for an artist. That’s the point where I started to feel, hey I can do something here! Folks would react to Nights in White Satin and If You Could Read My Mind and I realised that I was doing something that most people couldn’t. I still felt it was my voice which was causing the effect but I was accompanying myself alone so….
I remember Bill saying to me in a TG post, Chris, you’re a pretty good guitar player and I started to allow myself that I was at least competent on number of campfire versions by now so, well, maybe I am a guitar player after all?
@Pierre: Don’t you mean the Van Halen belt?
What happens when a performer aligns with that? Will the poles shift for her then?
@Bill: I’m sure the number of guitars you own affects something. Just not sure what.
How does Matt feel about himself as he’s selling off one very spectacular collection of guitars to become the proud owner of a custom built beauty? Guitar player yet?
@Michele: According to Kate and Vanessa there’s no age requirement…. Step up for your Brownie’s badge in guitar playing!
I think the philosophy of looking at yourself as a growing seed in all you do is most helpful. Once you start by planting that seed you become a sapling which needs nurture and encouragement and feeding. Then you find yourself in stages of growth and development but at some point you realise that you are a tree and always were one even as a seed, you are just growing and there are many taller trees around you showing what's possible further down the road. But you always were and are a tree. I like that view better than the top down view of, here's Tommy Emanuel, this is you, wowa, you've got a lot of practising to do buddy! Because you never become TE, you will become a taller, stronger more beautiful you.
Yoda will now leave the building.
@Daryl: Guitarist or guitar player? Artist or painter? Hmmm. Reminds me of that Peter Seller’s line on Winston Churchill having some of his own paintings exhibited:
“Churchill a painter?! Hah! Hitler, there was a painter! One apartment, two coats in one afternoon!”
In sport you have different levels of competitions so that you can play against opponents of about the same ability: Beginner, intermediate, advanced, top notch. They will be all thought of as players by non players.
I like the idea of being able to elicit emotions from your audience as a criterion for an artist. That’s the point where I started to feel, hey I can do something here! Folks would react to Nights in White Satin and If You Could Read My Mind and I realised that I was doing something that most people couldn’t. I still felt it was my voice which was causing the effect but I was accompanying myself alone so….
I remember Bill saying to me in a TG post, Chris, you’re a pretty good guitar player and I started to allow myself that I was at least competent on number of campfire versions by now so, well, maybe I am a guitar player after all?
@Pierre: Don’t you mean the Van Halen belt?
What happens when a performer aligns with that? Will the poles shift for her then? @Bill: I’m sure the number of guitars you own affects something. Just not sure what.
How does Matt feel about himself as he’s selling off one very spectacular collection of guitars to become the proud owner of a custom built beauty? Guitar player yet?
@Michele: According to Kate and Vanessa there’s no age requirement…. Step up for your Brownie’s badge in guitar playing!
I think the philosophy of looking at yourself as a growing seed in all you do is most helpful. Once you start by planting that seed you become a sapling which needs nurture and encouragement and feeding. Then you find yourself in stages of growth and development but at some point you realise that you are a tree and always were one even as a seed, you are just growing and there are many taller trees around you showing what's possible further down the road. But you always were and are a tree. I like that view better than the top down view of, here's Tommy Emanuel, this is you, wowa, you've got a lot of practising to do buddy! Because you never become TE, you will become a taller, stronger more beautiful you.
Yoda will now leave the building
.Hey Chris-(Yoda)
But you always were and are a tree. I like that view better than the top down view of, here's Tommy Emanuel, this is you, wowa, you've got a lot of practising to do buddy! Because you never become TE, you will become a taller, stronger more beautiful you.
Yoda will now leave the building .
Great stuff-But wrong Sir.A seed is a SEED and not a Tree.And a sapling is a SAPLING and not a Tree.But both can be Trees with the feeding you talk about.And yes none of us will become Tommy.Only Tommy can be Tommy.No one can be Neil,Kevin or Chris.Just Neil,Kevin and Chris.But as far as guitarist.Not me!!!Not even someday.I'm happy just playing song, some good some not so good.So with that yes we could all become trees.But remember Trees have a choice also,to be a great Oak or a Fern.Choices.It's what make the world as interesting as it is.Peace Brother.
Kevin
But you always were and are a tree. I like that view better than the top down view of, here's Tommy Emanuel, this is you, wowa, you've got a lot of practising to do buddy! Because you never become TE, you will become a taller, stronger more beautiful you.
Yoda will now leave the building .
Great stuff-But wrong Sir.A seed is a SEED and not a Tree.And a sapling is a SAPLING and not a Tree.But both can be Trees with the feeding you talk about.And yes none of us will become Tommy.Only Tommy can be Tommy.No one can be Neil,Kevin or Chris.Just Neil,Kevin and Chris.But as far as guitarist.Not me!!!Not even someday.I'm happy just playing song, some good some not so good.So with that yes we could all become trees.But remember Trees have a choice also,to be a great Oak or a Fern.Choices.It's what make the world as interesting as it is.Peace Brother.
Kevin