Post by Paul on Feb 23, 2016 13:13:37 GMT -5
When I first started learning to play guitar the internet was not what it is today. Some could say this is a good or a bad thing. I figured I’d write out my opinions on the matter. Keep in mind that what is written is just my opinion. There is no right or wrong when it comes to this subject.
I first started to learn guitar when I was around thirteen, for those keeping score at home that was around 1991-1992. The big Seattle grunge scene was getting its big push and the decadence of the 1980s was starting to seem silly. Back then you tube did not exist. Almost everyone that was using the internet at that time had dial up service over the phone. Those that remember can still recall that annoying sound of screeching when your computer was being connected to the fledgling internet. Welcome! As a new student of the guitar the options online for content was few and far between. I remember frequenting the online guitar archive many a times. The site had a good amount of tabs, but finding that one rare song that you loved always seemed to be troublesome. For those that are interested: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-line_Guitar_Archive.
Another and more common way to find musical content was magazines. I had my share of Guitar World and other magazines of the like. I had numerous Randy Rhoads issues that back then were too confusing for me to understand. Still it got to be frustrating just looking at tabs. Within these last few years I realized that I learn songs better by watching a video of someone showing me then reading tabs. That would explain my initial lack of real progress the first few years. I’ve also heard about some people being able to purchase bootlegs of concerts and rare footage of guitarist and just watching the VHS tapes over and over again to learn new things, however I never did partake in this. To this day people contest that watching videos and reading tab is not the best way to learn a song, I’ve heard many people thing that it is best using just your ear, which is what I did a lot of when I first started. In my opinion this is good and bad. The songs I would pick out by ear I would end up looking up and finding that I did many things wrong. I confess that this was a contributing factor of the original difficulty I faced. I would get down on myself when I got things wrong, but it would feel great when I did get the songs correct.
In today’s world finding content only takes seconds and even some of the more obscure songs have lessons or covers on youtube. On the darker side there are people constantly posting videos of them selves playing, some good and some bad. Heed my warning…… If you post anything online then expect a lot of backlash to your content, even if it is amazing. Everyone online is a guitar god and yet never have any content of their own to back it up. It can be a big blow to your ego, but you MUST NEVER let it get to you. Also you must realize that there are always going to be people that are better than you are. You can take this in one of a few ways. You can quit, try to be better then they are, or just let it go. I learned a long time ago that no matter how good you are, someone is better. You just need to accept this. Guitar should be fun, not a competition as most make it out to be. I will never be as good as Randy Rhoads. I don’t want to be. I accept the fact that I’m a good guitar player that keeps practicing and learning. Will I ever be great? Who know and who cares. I don’t. Also don’t get into the trap of thinking that popularity equals greatness. I’ve seen street musicians better then some of the rubbish that has been put out recently. People online will always bait you into that debate by asking what your last #1 single was. Don’t waste your time as this is a major drawback of the online community.
In closing the current state of online content is one of abundance but one must learn to shut out the critics and keyboard warriors. When I teach I don’t think coddling the student is the best approach, nor do I believe in being a hard ass. Being a great teacher to me is being able to read the student and understand what motivates them based of the cues of the student. This is one of the things I strive to accomplish with my approach to teaching. All the music theory in the world and being the best player doesn’t mean that the person will be a great guitar instructor.
I first started to learn guitar when I was around thirteen, for those keeping score at home that was around 1991-1992. The big Seattle grunge scene was getting its big push and the decadence of the 1980s was starting to seem silly. Back then you tube did not exist. Almost everyone that was using the internet at that time had dial up service over the phone. Those that remember can still recall that annoying sound of screeching when your computer was being connected to the fledgling internet. Welcome! As a new student of the guitar the options online for content was few and far between. I remember frequenting the online guitar archive many a times. The site had a good amount of tabs, but finding that one rare song that you loved always seemed to be troublesome. For those that are interested: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-line_Guitar_Archive.
Another and more common way to find musical content was magazines. I had my share of Guitar World and other magazines of the like. I had numerous Randy Rhoads issues that back then were too confusing for me to understand. Still it got to be frustrating just looking at tabs. Within these last few years I realized that I learn songs better by watching a video of someone showing me then reading tabs. That would explain my initial lack of real progress the first few years. I’ve also heard about some people being able to purchase bootlegs of concerts and rare footage of guitarist and just watching the VHS tapes over and over again to learn new things, however I never did partake in this. To this day people contest that watching videos and reading tab is not the best way to learn a song, I’ve heard many people thing that it is best using just your ear, which is what I did a lot of when I first started. In my opinion this is good and bad. The songs I would pick out by ear I would end up looking up and finding that I did many things wrong. I confess that this was a contributing factor of the original difficulty I faced. I would get down on myself when I got things wrong, but it would feel great when I did get the songs correct.
In today’s world finding content only takes seconds and even some of the more obscure songs have lessons or covers on youtube. On the darker side there are people constantly posting videos of them selves playing, some good and some bad. Heed my warning…… If you post anything online then expect a lot of backlash to your content, even if it is amazing. Everyone online is a guitar god and yet never have any content of their own to back it up. It can be a big blow to your ego, but you MUST NEVER let it get to you. Also you must realize that there are always going to be people that are better than you are. You can take this in one of a few ways. You can quit, try to be better then they are, or just let it go. I learned a long time ago that no matter how good you are, someone is better. You just need to accept this. Guitar should be fun, not a competition as most make it out to be. I will never be as good as Randy Rhoads. I don’t want to be. I accept the fact that I’m a good guitar player that keeps practicing and learning. Will I ever be great? Who know and who cares. I don’t. Also don’t get into the trap of thinking that popularity equals greatness. I’ve seen street musicians better then some of the rubbish that has been put out recently. People online will always bait you into that debate by asking what your last #1 single was. Don’t waste your time as this is a major drawback of the online community.
In closing the current state of online content is one of abundance but one must learn to shut out the critics and keyboard warriors. When I teach I don’t think coddling the student is the best approach, nor do I believe in being a hard ass. Being a great teacher to me is being able to read the student and understand what motivates them based of the cues of the student. This is one of the things I strive to accomplish with my approach to teaching. All the music theory in the world and being the best player doesn’t mean that the person will be a great guitar instructor.