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Do We All Hate Our Own Guitar Playing?


Randy120

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Do We All Hate Our Own Guitar Playing?

I don't, I gave up perfection long ago.

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1 hour ago, Randy120 said:

Do We All Hate Our Own Guitar Playing?

I don't, I gave up perfection long ago.

I'd say no. I've been at it for a long time, starting in my teens, followed by about a 30+ hiatus, then more focused learning with Steve's LMG. It has been frustrating at times, but I find now I can get around on the keyboard a bit and can play some fairly complex tunes, I enjoy it more than ever. Do I have more to learn? You bet!  The more I learn, the more there is to learn. But, just relaxing on the couch and being able to play a few tunes (rhythm and melody) without the sheet music and hunting for the next chord is a lot of fun. It even (surprise!) sounds a bit like music! 

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Forgive me for repeating this, but it's spot on Randy's topic, and maybe you missed it before. It's a podcast by Brent Vaarstra of "Learn Jazz Standards": Why I Stopped Hating My Playing. Bonus treat: at 4:00, you'll hear me take a bucket of cold water squarely in the face. Thanks, Brent. A little blunt, but I needed that.

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@DianeB Splash! LOL! I bet you play much better than you think. You also have better theory knowledge than most of the people in the forum.

I had very basic goals when I started, but I was determined. I practice and play often. I have exceeded all of my original goals, and I am still learning all the time. Am I perfect? No, but perfection is not required.   

 

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@Randy120  Ha! Yeah, Randy, once I pushed my eyes back into their sockets, I had a good laugh at that. And I'm better now at stopping before frustration sets in. I take smaller bites of the challenging stuff. Hope all is well with you.

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Yup my playing sucks, the recording never lies

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1 hour ago, Eracer_Team-DougH said:

Yup my playing sucks, the recording never lies

  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"   Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7:

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1 hour ago, NeilES335 said:

  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"   Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7:

Now, that is classic Canadian humor!

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On 4/2/2020 at 10:02 AM, Randy120 said:

Do We All Hate Our Own Guitar Playing?

I don't, I gave up perfection long ago.

Great article, Randy! Thanks for sharing it!

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Depends on how I play on the day.  When things are going well and sounding good, I feel really good and proud of what I've achieved so far.  When things are not so good and I'm sounding bad, I wonder why I bother, why I put myself through this, why don't I just give up and trash my guitar!

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Hi Simira: Well, you inspired me with your recordings. I'm getting ready to take the smart phone plunge I and hope to share as well! (warts and all.) In the early years I often felt lousy about my West African drumming and didgeridoo playing. Learning to play music well can be SO demanding. It's an endless journey, which brought me back to music and the guitar.

Thanks for your sharing and honesty.

Rock On!

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i never hated my playing.  i am amazed about what i can do now and inspired to learn to do more.

 

i knew my playing was improving when someone on the phone with me thought i was playing a professionally recorded song in the background but it was me playing live.

Edited by Jusca
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@pkotof Hi Phil, thank you so much for your kind words, I look forward to hear your recordings warts and all.  Many people, myself included, don't feel that that their playing or knowledge is "good enough" to join in with the monthly recording challenges or the open mike or even contributing to the forum .  After being a 'lurker' for many years  I finally plucked up the courage to become a contributing member of the forum and put my playing out there 'warts and all'. Luckily, everyone is very encouraging on this site.  Also I have realised that everything is relative, for example, now and again I visit a music store to noodle around on different guitars.  One day I was just strumming a few chords and playing a couple of bars of a song in the guitar room, nothing fancy.  There was another guy there who was buying a guitar, and the sales assistant asked him, after giving him the guitar which was still in the box, if he would like to try it.  The guy glanced at me and shook his head and I overheard the lady who was with him say quietly, that he was too embarrassed!  Obviously he must have been just beginning his guitar journey and my couple of simple chords must have sounded if I knew what I was doing!

You also play the African Drums and Aboriginal Didgeridoo as well!  You must have a great sense of rhythm and fantastic circular breathing.  How did you come to learn such unusual instruments, do you have any connection to Africa or Australia? 

Stay Safe😊

 

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Hi Simira: I don't feel my playing is good enough either, but what a kick in the pants to get to an adequate level.

I'm glad you came out from "lurking." That's a neat story about the store. I haven't been to a music store since my chords have been improving. I suppose soon when music stores reopen, I'll go try some guitars. Hadn't thought of that.

Years ago--maybe 2004 or so--I worked in a gift shop that sold jewelry and crystals, minerals, etc. We had a performance by a man and woman who played dideridoo. Since I did energetic healing work as well, I felt the tremendous healing energy of the didgeridoos and openness for all. I decided to start learning to play in order to add this instrument to my healing work.

Awhile later a super-talented didge player performed while playing djembe drums strapped to each hip (sitting down). Wow! I had to do that. I found a nice pair of djembes from Africa and started that too. Soon I thought, why not learn from the Africans? They've been doing this a long time. I never did get around to playing the didge and djembes together much, but I studied WA drumming in the Mande tradition for years.

The drums and didges taught me a lot about music. The one thing I would do differently is *always* use a metronome while practicing once I was playing at a speed where a 'nome would fit in. The value of being forced to play consistent time cannot be overstated, imo. I bought a 'nome and the teacher said the Africans don't use metronomes, so I never did. But I also didn't hear and feel that music from the time I was in the womb, like so many Africans did.

One other thing since you are in Australia. Yes, I now have a great love for both Australia and Africa through my years of music study. A neat experience from Australia: I bought a yirdaki (East Arnhemland native name for the didge) that had been used in ceremony. The player sold the 'daki for Christmas money--he could just walk out and cut another easy as pie--and I bought the instrument online. I think it's beautiful, but a friend told me, "That's the ugliest didge I've ever seen." It was hacked out quickly with a machete and not finished, all business by and for a top player. Well, when I first tried to play the 'daki it just sat there. Smiling. It's super thick-walled and I couldn't get my lips to buzz. I relaxed and felt what the instrument was offering. The only way to play it was to forget about my lips and concentrate on moving air from my abdomen. This took me into another realm of playing. Such power and ease! Kind of like leaving a little economy car to a Porsche.

Working overnights as a grocery stocker (still do), I got to listen to years of the music I grew up with, learning the words, singing along, which led me to a much more universally accessible instrument in contemporary society: the guitar.

Rock On!

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@pkotof Hi phil, energetic healing?  Sounds interesting.  The sounds of the drums and didgeridoo really hit you viscerally. The primal sounds must resound to us from our ancestors who knew so much more than modern man about vibrations and sound that connects us spiritually.😊

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On 4/12/2020 at 2:29 AM, Simira said:

@pkotof Hi phil, energetic healing?  Sounds interesting.  The sounds of the drums and didgeridoo really hit you viscerally. The primal sounds must resound to us from our ancestors who knew so much more than modern man about vibrations and sound that connects us spiritually.😊

Hi again. Yes. Healing work relates to guitar playing for me, because after a back operation in early 1998, I could only stand and walk so long. Forget working a physical job or even sitting up long enough to drum, or picking up a heavy drum. I'm grateful and enjoying. I'm fine with my drumming and didging, which is more inspiration to practice guitar.

Rock On!

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