Then and now...

Maybe because I'm old...and still insecure about my own playing (almost 50 years now) that I'm compelled to comment here. I guess it's the whole be-a-star-overnight, get-noticed thing. Any given Saturday, at any given music store, there they are.....the kids...all sitting and playing a hundred notes per second with the amps on hyper-drive. "Look how fast I can play.....". And I confess....I can't to this day play an arpeggio, or even flat-pick worth a shit, but somehow, I made it on to a couple of national albums by major artists, probably because of what I DIDN'T play(learned that from Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler). I think if I heard one of these Saturday music store shredders actually play a major seventh chord with no distortion, I'd pass out. When did guitar playing stop being just fun and become a gymnastic display? Okay, off the soapbox. My advice to you new guitarists: learn to play SONGS, not licks. And for God's sake learn to read. Not knowing how to read cost me a lot of great sessions. Take gigs backing up singers with just your guitar. Do that and you'll be way way ahead of the shredders. Every time you see a guy who you think is the fastest you've ever seen, remember that there's probably a kid on the next block even faster. And above all, play guitar for the sheer enjoyment of it. Over and out....

Everyone's got different motivations for playing...maybe its generational? The real challenge is playing with other people. If someone is shredding their way through 32nd note runs on full blast and not giving the other players a chance to be heard... not very many people are going to find it fun to jam with them.

I agree on reading music.... but more important is knowing chord/scale theory; How to transpose songs for singers. Knowing how to blend into an arrangement, etc. I rarely have had to read music like a pianist unless I was learning a classic piece or pre-arranged jazz chord solo.

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I agree that it's generational. I also agree that it's maddening to walk into a guitar store and here all of that shredding going on - especially when most of them aren't very good at shredding.

I had one great experience that goes against the grain of this thread. I was in Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI ( great guitar shop - Elderly Instruments - Welcome - Elderly Instruments ) and I was in the amp room quietly playing I Want You (She's So Heavy) through a small Fender tube amp. This kid walks in and sits down about 5 feet away, plugs in, and immediately starts playing the same song about 10 times better than I was. He must have listened to Abbey Road 1000 times. He knew every nuance of that song. I had to admit defeat, so I walked over and complimented him. He just smiled and said, "Thanks." He knew he was good, and I had no problem with that.

As for all the speed demons...at least they're playing guitar.

I completely agree with you here. I'd rather a kid be motivated to play guitar/music than get into trouble, no matter how much l dislike the music than have. And, like it or not they keep the guitar economy going. A few years ago turntables for DJs outsold the number or guitars sold at Guitar Center....thank god that trend has reversed itself.

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Well, Badger, at least he didn't crank up and play a totally different song over you! So much for respect....he might have just politely said "Can I show you a better way?" I generally just play some quiet, clean rhythm when in the store. My one favorite recollection is the time I was playing the intro to Steely's "Josie". When I hit the last chord of the intro (G#MAJ7 add6th?), about half a dozen guys came running over asking what that chord was & how I played it.

True enough. I remember when I was a kid I was a decent golfer, and if I was on the practice tee hitting a few good shots, I was always hoping one of the adults would notice. I figured the kid at the guitar shop felt the same way.

Badger...what happened to the golf skills?

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Well, the beverage cart certainly didn't help. Golf is hard enough without adding beer to the mix.

I guess the bottom line is this: I still like to play golf, but to be good at it I need to play a lot, which I don't, so I don't play well, which makes it less enjoyable to play. (Does that make any sense?) These days, on a nice Saturday, I'd rather go for a bike ride, take the dog for a walk, and spend time with my wife. And probably sneak in an hour or two with my guitars.