As guitarists, we’re learning all the time through lessons, practising, playing, or even just listening. But when is it time to stop? When will you be good enough?
The Lightbulb moment.
This came just the other day. One of the main reasons I purchased my Fender Player Stratocaster was to have the perfect tool to get really good at the guitar, build up my technical chops and take a few steps toward mastering my instrument. One of the tried and trusted ways of doing this is learning to play something you can’t play, which is always helped by attempting to learn something you’d love to know how to play. In my case that was the Digital Love solo by Daft Punk.
A bit of background. The solo wasn’t originally even played on guitar, it’s a synth that sounds like the best technical wig-out guitar solo you’ve ever heard, the very kind I aspired to be able to play, and the next level for me. A few YouTubers had already worked it out and were blazing away with it, so, Strat in hand, I got down to business.
I had everything at my disposal. The guitar, the motivation, the tab, the perfect YouTube lesson with variable speed…
….and then it hit me like a bolt from the blue, as I laboured at half speed through the first few measures…
I’m never going to be abe to play this.
Will I ever be good enough at Guitar?
Up to this point, I would’ve been frustrated at this hurdle, but this time it reminded me of vid lesson by legendary guitarist Robben Ford. The lesson is this: You will never be that guy you’re trying to emulate. Everyone is different. Everyone has their own gifts musically, be it expression, knowledge, technical skill, you name it. This really sank in with me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating you should try to get away with the minimum on your guitar journey, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that for me at least, I know enough to accomplish my musical goals, which is essentially this: Writing, performing and producing a piece of music in its entirety, usually comprising vocals, rhythm/lead guitar, bass, and programmed drums.
In my own judgement, I think I can just about achieve this, (judge for yourself here).
There’s always someone better than you, so listen more.
But even with the admission that I’ll never be a technical wizard. Even with the excuse of giving up and continuing down the songwriter/producer route, I still can’t find comfort. Only yesterday, along comes young upstart and fellow North Shields lad Sam Fender, with a song Spit of You. And it’s brilliant, and I realise how far I’m behind. Give it a watch/listen.
One thing I really do need to incorporate into my music is to listen to other people more, as without that, where do the ideas and the inspiration come from? Back in the day, it was Queen, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, R.E.M., then later on Pearl Jam and the like. Nowadays, I’ve been in a bit of a vacuum. I should definitely listen more, again.
Should I give up learning guitar?
Maybe the reason we have players like Paul Gilbert and Steve Vai is that I suppose, like a chef or anyone consumed in a trade or a passion, it’s a way to get your head down, shut out all distractions, and build up a specific skill set to really excel in your profession. Maybe they know they’ll never be a Paul McCartney or a Sam Fender, but these types of players don’t care, they don’t need to be great songwriters, instead, they put in the hard yards and make it work for them, which is the beauty of the guitar. As yet another excuse, I never really had the time to compete, or maybe a combination of time and motivation.
So here I am between the two stools of technical and expressive ability, a bit of a Jack of all trades without the time or the talent to excel at either. I should really give up the guitar, shouldn’t I?
Well, as Mr Ford eloquently puts it., even the great Miles Davies suffered these feelings of inadequacy. The truth is, we all do. These days it’s worse. Technical wizardry, thanks to the advent of the internet and YouTube, has become the norm. Kids get really good, really quickly. At the end of the day, I’ll never be that good, but I find solace in knowing I’m not just the one trick pony, and every time I pick up the guitar, I still enjoy it.
Conclusion.
It’s definitely time to stop beating myself up over technique. I’m happy with what I have under my fingers and theory-wise. However, that’s not the same as giving up learning the guitar. As I said right at the start, I’m learning every time I pick it up, it’s just that nowadays this is in more subtle ways like figuring out different inversions and extensions of chords to make a song interesting. It’s not about scales now, it’s about thinking about the listener, it’s about the end product.
But maybe it’s time to go back to the beginning, listen more, and get inspired more often, rather than arrogantly thinking I know best and can do better. I can’t, and it’s that attitude that’s hampered my progress. Even the act of getting these thoughts out in the open has taught me a few things more valuable than learning box 4 of the Mixolydian or whatever.
I never have and never will stop learning guitar, for as long as there’s one in the house, there’s always something new around the corner, from unexpected places, and more exciting than scales and theory, which will ultimately, at my very own pace, allow me to express myself with absolute clarity. Only then will I have peace. Maybe.
