"Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician..." And here I've been feeling guilty and inadequate for spending so much time learning songs and not so much on scales and metronomes. This is exactly the sort of codependent affirmation I needed. 😁🎸ua-cam.com/play/PLz1Jurlmso417LJLF2DMzam6Om3ssRDEP.html
@@lashedandscorned LOL. Ben makes great videos. And I really do play a lot more songs than anything else. It can get really confusing trying to find a balance (songs/exercises) . My regimen includes songs I wrote, songs from other bands I like, and stuff I suck at. Practicing what you suck at usually yields the best results. Not always fun though . So I watch Ben to infuse a little something new into my practice. He’s a smart dude.🤘🏻
The best reason for why I suck at guitar is that guitar takes coordination of both hands and fingers to create one note. each hand and finger contributes to the potential for inaccuracy in every note with multiple options to suck at every fingering, fretting, plucking, picking action creating unplanned noises, frustrating and distracting non rhythmic, unmusical crap.... the better you get... the worse it gets....
My originality mostly comes from that exact same failure and a short attention span for learning covers. BTW, I can't shred for shit, but I love lots of that flavor! I just do it all at half-speed!
Wise words. Never realized i was "developing my galloping technique or improving my right-hand muting", i was just jamming along with some Maiden & Metallica tunes and having fun. Nowadays, whenever i feel like improving a particular guitar technique, i just pick a song that uses that technique and try to play it as accurate as i can :)
Learning whole songs is the best exercise. From the weird intro noise, to the riff, the chords, the solo, the second solo, the outro. If you can’t do that because it’s too hard, find another song and learn it instead. And also, Tom Petty is a great place to get better. Mike Campbell is a fantastic guitarist.
I’ve been practicing hella Ramones songs in the last month and a half or so. I know how to play power cords i practice Metallica songs and all that cool shit but man, Johnny Ramone is a different beast and their songs are so much fun i just love it.
I guess I've been guitar right by accident because I always play through the whole song. Badly. Very badly. The point is to learn to play songs, not parts. No one learns to two bars of lyrics from a song. You learn the whole thing, and then mumble through the parts you don't know like a normal person.
and I've learned like 2 songs with powerchords and open chords after 2 years of playing guitar.) Somehow it feels uncomfortable to learn easy songs while you know all the mods and all the scales and stuff, but it's even more uncomfortable to learn hard songs because they're too fucking hard. So you keep on playing scales. I hust listen to mathrock and stuff and for me it's impossible to learn it by ear, especially not knowing what is the tuning n the song, but it's nearly impossible to find tabs to something not american football.
One of the best videos you've ever done. As an instructor, drummer, and fake guitarist, this is everything. A perfect example of how a balanced lesson plan will get you where you want to go.
“Pull-outs” best line in the whole video. As a teacher myself, love to throw those off comments to check if students are listening. Keep up the great work.
yo, this is literally a trap that i feel like i have been in for the past 10 years with guitar and I have spent the past couple months trying to get out of it by just actually learning to play some songs. This is soooooo so true and really appreciate the insight - i feel like i am falling back in love with the instrument and its because of this.
Do you ever like just go grab the chords and do the strum through and get that down, and then just try to make up your own parts instead of even copying the album? That's my vibe these days. Fake it. And then fake it slightly better.
I'm in that place right now Connor. My life kinda fell apart 5 years ago and has only piled up way more. It's a bummer for sure, I'm just going to keep scratching and clawing my way out of this dark place I'm in till I see the light again. Hopefully people I love will stop dying on me.
My problem is that I am a perfectionist, and unless I can play a song perfectly, it stresses me... which is why I don't play other peoples songs and stick to backing tracks :( Confidence is also a massive issue as my parents told me I was shit my whole life. I am 42 years old now, started playing at 13 and still lack confidence and skill...
My biggest problem has always been playing infront of people even family, someone will say 'play something there on guitar', i will blank and make excuses lol Ps why does this video have any dislikes!
The trick is to start simple, even if it's just warming up with scales. Don't worry about what popular songs they want to hear, just play what you like without trying to impress.
Thank you Uncle Ben! 53 yr old aspiring guitar guy here. Started at fifty and making progress. And, yes im putting in work to learn and or perfect songs im learning every day. Theres a lot of great guitar instructors on UA-cam but, you're one of the best. Love your style, sense of humor, and instructional content. I plan on subscribing to your pay site once im a little better off financially. Thank you!!!
I agree wholeheartedly with this; I got caught in the exercise trap for way longer than I'd like to admit. When I started focusing on getting to the point where I could play a single song all the way through, I immediately noticed a huge improvement in a lot of the same techniques that I had only been doing exercises for. Still working on perfecting my first but excited to move on to others!
You are 100% right. I picked it back up after a 20 year hiatus when my father passed 3 years ago. I basically started from the beginning again and got tired of messing with a structured practice routine and just started trying to keep up with the songs and artists themselves and it has been better than anything else Ive tried. It forces you to get better or else you will wallow in lameness. Glad I found your channel man.
I’m struggling to get through this, because I can’t stop laughing. That Borat voice “short and intense, like-a my wife” joke had me dying. 😂 This is fantastic!
Probably the first episode of the series ever where I feel comfortable about myself with the topic hahah. Playing full songs is just so much fun and it has helped me improve massively overall. Playing a solo can feel easy on it's own but it's another thing to play a whole song without mistakes. Great video Ben!
"Floor it and do your best to keep up" Michael Angelo Bateo makes a similar comparison to football players being slingshotted with an elastic band to get the feel of running faster to build speed.
I met MAB at a urinal before his show at a concert years ago. He peed standing up just like mere mortals like you or me. Anyone can play a double-neck guitar, see!
There was an Olympic softball coach (for American women's team) that used a technique like this to help players improve batting. He painted numbers on tennis balls, then shot them past the players and told them to call out the numbers. At first, it seemed impossible, but after a while everything seemed to slow down for them and they could read the numbers on the balls while they were spinning and coming at them at 200 mph! They won the gold medal that year (needless to say!)
Playing along with the radio or a random online setlist is like jamming with people you've never played with. Figure out the key, try to mimic, try to play something complimentary, take a solo! Play in tune and in time. It really helps your ears and fingers when it comes time to jam with real people (and you can tell when you jam with people that don't practice this!).
Dude.... I was just about done with trying to learn any Children of Bodom songs, because... You know... Alexi is a solo god. But the words you said about dropping out and playing rhythm instead really spoke to me...
You have no idea how breath taking it is that I have found someone who agrees with me on this matter, I will stop feeling alone I will continue to play my ass off and tackle a large inventory of songs that we have here at home. Good for you Mr Ben. Big hi five from México city. You rock Sr.
Ugh. This is such a good reminder early in the new year. I often do guitar exercises. Learn licks/riffs/song sections but i seldom learn the WHOLE song. I think it's safe to say that it isn't the same thing to learn a section as it is to learn the whole thing. I need to do fix this. I've been thinking that this year my musical goal is to put together a "youtube" worthy song play-through. Whether it's a cover or original. Just the whole thing. End to end. Thanks Uncle Ben!
Yup ...the best thing that ever happened to my guitar playing was joining the School of Rock , I went from taking lessons and not knowing what to do with it to playing live shows with a band on stage for 300 friends and family in 6 months and we did nothing but learn how to play songs from intro to outro, bridges and solo’s , my playing increased 10 fold in 6 months . Now I’m trying to learn how to improvise on my own and jam with backing tracks ...it’s definitely a challenge for me without learning scales and triads and some theory behind and understanding the fret board.....any tips are welcome....thanks
Awesome video Ben! Exactly! The answer to everything you want to learn about music and every guitar playing technique you want to know can be found in the music. Learn 1,000 songs and you will shred on guitar.
Perfect timing. I get really burned out of technique studies. When I came back to guitar I started playing along with a lot of music and having fun again. Great topic, great ideas. I'm glad I don't have to learn songs by scratching up my records anymore.
This is objectively the best advice you can get on improving on guitar imo. You ask any of the old jazz guys how they got so good, and they tell you one word: repertoire. Especially with improvising, it gives you a bag full of tricks and melodies to pull from in order to make melodies from thin air.
Billy Sheehan preaches this as well. When I went to a bass clinic of his he said the most important thing to do as a musician was to learn great songs.
That's the most important thing, but Billy also says you need to break down the technical weaknesses in your playing and work through them, as well… He's very analytical on a micro level as well as seeing the big picture on a song or working level.
This is some wholesome Uncle Ben content! I've played on and off for 15 years, but never really "learned" other than some tabs and I always felt discouraged. I bought my first 7 string a few months ago and it's motivated me to play more and more. It's tough because I still feel I'm not "great" for the songs I want to be playing, especially since guitar is just a small hobby, which can still feel discouraging, but this video reminded me to just try to have fun and learn music I like. Thanks Ben!
Its crazy how learning new songs actually just subconsciously affects your musicality. I've been working on the sweet child o mine solo, and after some improvisation, I noticed I played a little differently than before without me even thinking about it.
I totally love this: "Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician . . . " & I also totally appreciate the concept of figuring out the songs by ear instead of finding tabs & blah, blah, blah Thanks very much!
This method worked for me. People ask me how I learned how to play the way that I do, and I tell them "Judas Priest" and they look at me weird. I would just put on cds and play along from track one until they were done.
Awesome advice. I got myself my first guitar over a year ago, and would get bored to death staring at chord charts and reading guides. What wasn't boring was just going through my favorite bands' song catalogues and finding riffs from songs I could actually play, playing them over and over until I was agile enough to move onto something different. Learning how to play a song on guitar also brings a new appreciation for them, and lets you see them in ways you didn't before. There are so many songs I didn't care for in the past that I now love because of how playing guitar has changed how I see them. I still suck, but every day that I practice, I suck less than I did the day before. Playing along to your favorite songs is definitely a great way to practice, and to keep you motivated.
There was a period where I practiced scales 4-6 hours a day for a few months and I don’t miss it at all lol. I’ve gotten way better, way faster by covering songs and just writing my own material and having fun
same here- well still use scales and exercises to warm up but I don't spend more than 20-30 minutes using them as starter exercise than move to songs. Works better that way and after 30 minutes my hands are warmed up.
Hi Ucle Ben, from the French Alps. What a great video! You have the gift of putting the finger where it hurts (no pun intended), and on what every guitarist is missing nowadays , in this time of trillions of internet guitarists. We also do a great job fooling ouyrselves believing that watching tons of videos will make us a better musicians. What makes us better musicians is playing more Music, not a catalogue of tricks and skills. Thank you for reminding us of that. And please , keep up the good work! Thank you again, as always
I'd say that two other things that are overlooked but *definitely* contribute heavily to your enjoyment of learning guitar (especially leads) are as follows: If your guitar can stay in tune. I cannot stress how frustrating this was for me starting out and wanting to learn Dave Mustaine solos. Your guitar going out of tune with any old bend is easily the biggest deterrent to actually practicing and improving lead skills. If your guitar is absolutely unable to stay in tune to save its life then send it to a luthier to get it looked at, upgrade some parts or - sadly - find a new one. If you're happy with your guitar tone. This is tricky since a lot of people start off with not a lot of money and probably have cheaper gear or don't know any better. But trust me, if you're getting into it definitely do your best to buy some good gear cause if you can make your crappy guitar playing sound *amazing* it'll only make you wanna keep going.
This is the best guitar playing advice. Been playing for 30 years... not only do I feel I’m my best when I spend my time playing along with tracks (when playing alone), but I’m also having the most fun doing it. I spent all of 2 lessons playing scales back in the 90s until I was bored out of my mind, then just started learning songs by ear. I truly believe you learn much better when you’re having fun. I can play for hours straight along with songs and not realize where the time went, but force me to play exercises, and that guitar will be on the stand in about 10 minutes. Playing along with tracks is also a great way to deal with writers block and burnout as a musician, because it keeps you playing and having fun without the pressure of having to be creative when it’s not currently in you.
I'm almost the wrong way round, I play and learn songs all the time and rarely sit down and practice exercises. I'm learning some Twilightning now and it's getting me better at sweeps which I don't really practice on their own.
When I was learning new songs it taught me new techniques and most important of all...A SENSE OF RHYTHM AND TIMING. I've sat down with people who play licks like a madman but can't keep tempo to save their lives. That was a blessing in disguise for me along with learning and appreciating the music that inspired me to pick up a guitar.
Man, you have a delivery style that is second to none. Thanks for the support and encouragement that you provide to your listening base. I've been playing longer than most of your subscribers have been living, but predominantly in the realm of folk and folk-rock oriented, voice accompanied, acoustic stuff (fairly tight finger-style and quick-picking bluegrass was as good as it ever got). Like most of the rest of me, my voice hasn't aged as well as I would've hoped. So, now I am an electric guitar player, only. My weapon of choice is a Les Paul. I likely will never have the dexterity and acuity necessary to play most of the stuff I find myself listening to, but my play-along list affords me sufficient opportunities to shine at my _potential_ level _and_ learn to step back when the water gets too deep. At your suggestion, I am going to focus on sharpening up my ability to contribute when the leads aren't forthcoming. I have a sort of built-in metronome, so keeping solid time isn't an issue, but I have been lazy at chord development. Though I have a good ear, even that could improve and bolster my overall skillset. I have no designs on playing out ever again - though sitting in, on occasion, would be nice - but only were I able to do it with a degree of professionalism. At this stage of the game, my only remaining goals are to perhaps see my daughter off to college and to die with either a rifle or my guitar in my hands. Cheers, younger brother.
I love the message here. I was in band in high school and hated doing warmup exercises, I just wanted to fast forward to actually playing the music we were learning. Now all I do to warmup is pick a few songs that are easy on the hands and fun to play and I've never been more motivated
My greatest year of improvement was the year that I spent jamming with other people on an almost daily basis. If you want to learn a language you have to speak it with others.
Dude your a legend, I've been telling myself not to play songs and to concentrate on the theory, when all I wanted to do was play songs. You've made me understand that all work and no play does not the guitarist make. I've subbed!
Damn Unc, I woke up today thinking this exact thing and I open up UA-cam to see this video. WTF. The Gods are giving me big hints. I usually just noodle with the pentatonic scale and the last song I played in its entirety, fuhhhhh... its been ages. Thanks for the nudge and absolutely enjoy your humor and videos.
%100 right i m 43..and i got it before..but not till recently, i permanently settled in another country (Indonesia), love to see live music and i m constantly asked to jam songs..and what is missing...more songs ..never late to learn to top hits (and great and beautiful songs) bon jovi, green day, rhcp..etc...no body will ask you to play exercises at 200pbm...😅😅😅...excellent advice Ben!
Thanks Unc, I started way too late in life to be a shredder but playing rhythm in the songs and music I enjoy has been one of the greatest joys of life.
I always felt like every song I learn needs to be practiced to perfection. I'd spend so much time in specific parts that at some point I'd lose all interest in continuing to practice. Most of the songs always have one or more parts that kept me from advancing. I guess I'm made to clean toilets and pick up the trash.
What you just did sir is something exceptional. Countless guitar channels on YT, countless guitar "pros" telling us what to do but you just hit the right button - I think 80 - 90% of us, semi-amateur guitar players can relate to this video and sigh "eh, he's right". Thanks for this.
Scales, chord building , triplet techniques etc , are all ingreidients , the flavour is how you combine them into a fine meal you can cook your friends mom for breakfast , good enough she'll invite you back for dinner !
Started doing this about a year ago. Play something i know on YT, play along to warm up, then let YT algo decide what i play next, just let it auto play, and i play along as best i can. Sometimes drop back into something i know and do that for about an hour 3 times a week. It's the most fun i've had with guitar since i started 20 years ago. Up to that point, it was always, "oh look, here's that same alternative solo from Sweet Child, that i know back to back"
@@overthoughtmusik772 I've been working on Crystal Mountain and Without Judgement. On the Bolt Thrower side, Salvo, Anti-Tank, and (the one that's really warping my brain) The Killchain.
@@overthoughtmusik772 honestly, one of my favorite trem picking "benchmarks" is desperately trying to keep pace with Lashed to the Slave Stick lol. Nothing like a blistering 200 bpm to tell you you're still nowhere close.
Invaluable insight and advice. Whenever I’ve had students hit the wall creatively, my first advice has always been to go learn a song they absolutely love to reignite that magic.
This is so true, i just learned hot for teacher all the way through and also Round and round by Ratt as soon as i got them down i noticed my playing was improved plus it adds motivation knowing you can play through a song you been working on great sense of accomplishment. Love this Uncle Ben !!
My best friend told me he would kneel before me if I could play the entire lead of a certain instrumental song. There's no tabs or videos so I had to write everything by ear. I'm struggling with it since 2-3 years and practising almost every day but at the same time I love doing it since I'm learning a lot. I also want to see my best friend kneel before me.
I'm not a metal player or a shredder, but I love your approach and at the age of 62 and with over 40 years of playing under my belt, I safely say, you are giving good advice and instruction! Far better than all of the selling that goes on here in UA-cam world.
Great advice. I only started learning the guitar 5 years ago, but right from the start, my teacher has always had me learning whole songs, start to finish. The complexity and difficulty has continued to build as I add songs to my list. New techniques are just part of the songs I learn. When I started I thought I could never even touch something like Dire Straits Sultans of Swing, but now I can (including the solos). I can play scales, I do picking exercises, but mostly, I just play lots of songs. Thanks Uncle Ben!
"If you're being drug behind a car you'll run faster than you ever have in your life." Hot coffee, right through my nose. Thanks a lot, uncle Ben. Actually, age wise you're more like cousin Ben.
possibly the best "How to play guitar" video ever made. I'm an amateur, and I got better by playing my favorite 'tallica songs at speed, crappily, and then less crappily. Suddenly I got into a "I must play all the exercises starting at 90 bpm and slowly climb to 300bpm" RUT. I kept starting over, because I couldn't stick to it. Jamming with your faves, makes guitar your fave.
@@ATthemusician definately good advice, I do rely far too much on sight reading the tab right now. Once i've stopped playing RS I try to repeat phrases through from memory and usually struggle a bit, so now I do this after each session.
@@ATthemusician It kind of does that on it's own. Once you know a part it starts hiding the notes. The real pain of rocksmith is getting a simplified version of a riff, learning it in a particular way, and then having to learn it again once you get the full riff because the way you played the simplified version doesn't translate to the full riff.
This video makes me feel so much better about myself. 95% of my guitar playing is just playing songs that I'm into and I rarely just play scales or (try to) shred nonsense. Thank you Uncle Ben
So true, a lot of the greats didn't even know any music theory, they just played the guitar to their favorite songs, and learned the guitar that way ,and by playing with others. Something to think about, with all of this technical stuff thrown at us, left and right these days. PLAY MORE SONGS JUST DO IT. Subscribed :)
This is the main way I learned how to play guitar. I actually lack the ability to really improvise and don't know many scales but I learned by doing and playing guitar that was hard like Anthrax, and 6 years later I can play almost anything. Except sweep picking. Fuck sweep picking LMAO
This is honestly some of the best advice, when ever I learn a new riff it never sounds right unless I play it along with the original song enough times. That way I get the timing down just right. More people should know this
It makes me wonder... What kind of donuts it was? What was the icing or toppings? And how big it is? Especially the scale between the dough and the hole. Is that potato donuts with shoestromming as the toppings? No wonder he get offended.
Thanks Ben ! I’m 52 I’ve been playing for 20 plus years, went through several guitars and amps but the last 2 years I’ve become more passionate about playing more than ever!! You are so right, PLAY EVERY DAMN DAY !! I have friends I jam with and they go with out playing weeks , months and blaming it on families and work !! I have 4 kids run a small trucking business and still play up to 30 minutes a night just to unwind!! Thanks again Uncle Ben
I know, maybe it's just boredom of playing the same stuff over and over. That's what keeps me from practicing most of the time. That or just laziness in general. It's like: "I don't lack the passion for playing, I just get bored when it becomes routine".
@@Cthulhu_Awaken always learn new styles- country, jazz, etc. I'm 60 and go back and forth between genres even though I'm a rocker from way back. P.S. jazz chords are hard as Hell but good to learn
I find a challenge. Something that is above my very modest ability, but that I know will make me proud if I learn it. Then if I learn it, I think “If I can play it, it can’t be as impressive as I thought”
My God, SO MUCH I wanna write in the comment section... but I'll settle by saying I 100% agree with you on literally everything that you said. Learning music by ear, learning full songs, and just jamming to records helped me TREMENDOUSLY later in life. Skills like these are why I can lay tracks with just a click/or a drum track. Skills like these are why I can jam with just about anyone onstage and be able to keep up. Honestly, it separates the boys from the men, I think. For some people, it's enough to just learn the intro 'Crazy Train' lick and call it a day. Then there's the folks that push themselves to get better.
This is 95% of my practice, just playing along to my favorite songs. Another thing, practice standing up. Hard to watch even great players sitting hunched over their guitar with their face inches from the fretboard.
You just made me feel so much better about not taking any legitimate lessons until 10 plus years of playing. I heard slash play and said "I wanna do that", then just learned every song I ever heard that had great guitar in it. Found some I never heard along the way. About 3 years ago I got more into theory thanks to you and Robert baker. Still only know the absolute bare essentials but its all coming full circle now. Cheers
Couldn't agree more and great song suggestions! I still find myself in this pitfall occasionally. Though now that I'm a Music Director at an SoR and heavily involved in the Performance program, I've had to dig in and rekindle that spark of just learning and jamming new tunes. You also see first hand the benefit of learning a lot of songs has on young players and myself. These kids have learned (and performed) at least 30 thirty songs over the last year. Great video and important point.
As a segue... Rhett did give the advice of "stop noodling" and he's right. I realized every time I picked up a guitar I noodled. I started playing whole songs, or at least long passages of tunes to be more deliberate in my playing. I am at my best when I am in a band and I have to learn whole songs. Now with this nonsense putting a halt to all things fun, we (the band... not thee Band) have agreed to keep learning songs, and share our parts to keep our chops up. 100% agree with what Uncle Ben is preaching here. Even if you never play a song you've learned live, you have gained the value of the structure it brought you to learn it!
The issue i have is learning the songs. I know it is as simple as sitting down and trying to figure it out, but I have the worlds worst ear and the patience of a 3 year old.
Thank you for giving me the thump in the head. About 5 months ago i decided to pick the guitar back up after 25 years. All the new tools that exists now really fired me up. Though over time i have been picking up more and more exercises, which now take me nearly 30 minutes to get through just the exercises. This a good reminder of why i picked up the guitar in the first place, and why i eventually quit 25 years ago.
A lead guitarist is always better with a damn good player who's locked in with the rhythm section. Every guitarist wants to be a lead player. I've played with guys who could shred but were useless because that's literally all they could do. That being said, I also wanted to be able to solo, if just for a measure or two. I was overcomplicating the whole damn thing. I started with pentatonic scales like everybody else, got nowhere, until I started seeing all these guitar backing tracks popping up here on YT. I find a track I like in Eminor, play that scale from the 12th fret or open, and took off. You can't hit a wrong note if you stay there, if you miss with a flat note, bend that sucker up. Then find a track in Am and do it from the 5th fret, then Dm, Cm etc. Start there. You'll figure out the rest.
the run fast by being dragged behind a car analogy both made me cackle coffee right out of my nose and brought me right back to my years as a teen. thanks uncle Ben.
I think that's what all these super-genius guys on Instagram have wrong, they can play one minute solos like nobody's business, but I never see them in bands
Tbh, though...why should they? Playing in bands to make some cash?...they make more putting up flashy vids on Insta. They could play in bands, I'm sure...but bands are a lot of work, and a lot of risk...risk that most of those guys seem not to want take.
Thank you! A guitar teacher who gets the musicality! This is something I've noticed with skilled composers and generally all my favourite musicians. Many did sit and practice things, but fundamentally you learn to make music by actually participating in music. You can sit and practice turning a steering wheel, shoulder checking, etc, but you won't learn to drive if you're not actually driving.
Thank you for watching This is Why You Suck at Guitar: You Don’t Play Enough Songs!!! What songs are you working on now?!
Thoroughly at home
Apparently thumping and selective thumbing at 8 trillion bpm is a little difficult. Who knew?
Ghost of Perdition.
Iron Man Black Sabbath
"Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician..." And here I've been feeling guilty and inadequate for spending so much time learning songs and not so much on scales and metronomes. This is exactly the sort of codependent affirmation I needed. 😁🎸ua-cam.com/play/PLz1Jurlmso417LJLF2DMzam6Om3ssRDEP.html
Cult of Personality
“Rhett shull transition” 😂
TRADEMARK
Ha! Yea - that was fantastic! :D
LOL, so true.
I was gonna post the same thing, I laughed way too long at that.
Same here, laughed my ass off...
This list of reasons of “why I suck at guitar” is steadily rising 😩
lmao
@@lashedandscorned LOL. Ben makes great videos. And I really do play a lot more songs than anything else. It can get really confusing trying to find a balance (songs/exercises) . My regimen includes songs I wrote, songs from other bands I like, and stuff I suck at. Practicing what you suck at usually yields the best results. Not always fun though . So I watch Ben to infuse a little something new into my practice. He’s a smart dude.🤘🏻
@@Wargasm644 Ben's shit helped me with string skipping & sweep picking. He makes some damn fine content.
The best reason for why I suck at guitar is that guitar takes coordination of both hands and fingers to create one note. each hand and finger contributes to the potential for inaccuracy in every note with multiple options to suck at every fingering, fretting, plucking, picking action creating unplanned noises, frustrating and distracting non rhythmic, unmusical crap.... the better you get... the worse it gets....
the next reason I suck at guitar is I always play over my head trying to do things I have no business doing except to try to show off for chicks...
Every song I've ever written started as a failure to learn someone else's music.
You must be in the band Green Day!
_(Or some joke to that effect.)_
Lmao dude same. “Hmm the way I messed up this riff was pretty cool..what if I slowed it down and added a note here”
@@vu4803 yup
My originality mostly comes from that exact same failure and a short attention span for learning covers. BTW, I can't shred for shit, but I love lots of that flavor! I just do it all at half-speed!
@@j_freed can you name an example of Green Day copying a song or are you just shitting on them randomly?
Wise words. Never realized i was "developing my galloping technique or improving my right-hand muting", i was just jamming along with some Maiden & Metallica tunes and having fun. Nowadays, whenever i feel like improving a particular guitar technique, i just pick a song that uses that technique and try to play it as accurate as i can :)
63 years old here and I still aspire to be a rock legend. Well actually I am one just visit my bedroom sometime. Lol great wisdom Uncle Ben
Wholesome Dave
@@ahyeaman love it. Look up the band Foghat
U go for it brother! It's never too late!
Amen!
Take it easy old man
Learning whole songs is the best exercise. From the weird intro noise, to the riff, the chords, the solo, the second solo, the outro. If you can’t do that because it’s too hard, find another song and learn it instead.
And also, Tom Petty is a great place to get better. Mike Campbell is a fantastic guitarist.
Dude, Mike is one of the most underrated players EVER!!!!
I’ve been practicing hella Ramones songs in the last month and a half or so. I know how to play power cords i practice Metallica songs and all that cool shit but man, Johnny Ramone is a different beast and their songs are so much fun i just love it.
I guess I've been guitar right by accident because I always play through the whole song. Badly. Very badly. The point is to learn to play songs, not parts. No one learns to two bars of lyrics from a song. You learn the whole thing, and then mumble through the parts you don't know like a normal person.
True
👍
Watermelon, watermelon.
@@unclerumple9287 wtf
and I've learned like 2 songs with powerchords and open chords after 2 years of playing guitar.) Somehow it feels uncomfortable to learn easy songs while you know all the mods and all the scales and stuff, but it's even more uncomfortable to learn hard songs because they're too fucking hard. So you keep on playing scales.
I hust listen to mathrock and stuff and for me it's impossible to learn it by ear, especially not knowing what is the tuning n the song, but it's nearly impossible to find tabs to something not american football.
There are so many moments of wisdom crammed into just 14 minutes. Uncle Ben is the Eckhart Tolle of guitar practice here. Gems everywhere
Yeah, Eckhart Tolle is the man! 👍
Step-dad: mow the lawn.
Uncle Ben: play more songs.
Rock on!
I have to mow the lawn.
AND play more songs! Haha
One of the best videos you've ever done. As an instructor, drummer, and fake guitarist, this is everything. A perfect example of how a balanced lesson plan will get you where you want to go.
“Pull-outs” best line in the whole video. As a teacher myself, love to throw those off comments to check if students are listening. Keep up the great work.
yo, this is literally a trap that i feel like i have been in for the past 10 years with guitar and I have spent the past couple months trying to get out of it by just actually learning to play some songs. This is soooooo so true and really appreciate the insight - i feel like i am falling back in love with the instrument and its because of this.
Do you ever like just go grab the chords and do the strum through and get that down, and then just try to make up your own parts instead of even copying the album? That's my vibe these days. Fake it. And then fake it slightly better.
At least it was only 10 years 😂
I'm in that place right now Connor. My life kinda fell apart 5 years ago and has only piled up way more. It's a bummer for sure, I'm just going to keep scratching and clawing my way out of this dark place I'm in till I see the light again. Hopefully people I love will stop dying on me.
@@Jeffmetal42 Been there buddy, hang tough man, life always has a way of self-correcting, I promise!
My problem is that I am a perfectionist, and unless I can play a song perfectly, it stresses me... which is why I don't play other peoples songs and stick to backing tracks :( Confidence is also a massive issue as my parents told me I was shit my whole life. I am 42 years old now, started playing at 13 and still lack confidence and skill...
My biggest problem has always been playing infront of people even family, someone will say 'play something there on guitar', i will blank and make excuses lol Ps why does this video have any dislikes!
The trick is to start simple, even if it's just warming up with scales. Don't worry about what popular songs they want to hear, just play what you like without trying to impress.
Thank you Uncle Ben! 53 yr old aspiring guitar guy here. Started at fifty and making progress. And, yes im putting in work to learn and or perfect songs im learning every day. Theres a lot of great guitar instructors on UA-cam but, you're one of the best. Love your style, sense of humor, and instructional content. I plan on subscribing to your pay site once im a little better off financially. Thank you!!!
Thanks very much, Shaun!
I agree wholeheartedly with this; I got caught in the exercise trap for way longer than I'd like to admit. When I started focusing on getting to the point where I could play a single song all the way through, I immediately noticed a huge improvement in a lot of the same techniques that I had only been doing exercises for. Still working on perfecting my first but excited to move on to others!
You are 100% right. I picked it back up after a 20 year hiatus when my father passed 3 years ago. I basically started from the beginning again and got tired of messing with a structured practice routine and just started trying to keep up with the songs and artists themselves and it has been better than anything else Ive tried. It forces you to get better or else you will wallow in lameness.
Glad I found your channel man.
Thank you for watching, keep shredding!
I’m struggling to get through this, because I can’t stop laughing. That Borat voice “short and intense, like-a my wife” joke had me dying. 😂 This is fantastic!
IS NICE!
I'm 56 and think this is probably the best advice ever given in a guitar video. Thank you!
Probably the first episode of the series ever where I feel comfortable about myself with the topic hahah. Playing full songs is just so much fun and it has helped me improve massively overall. Playing a solo can feel easy on it's own but it's another thing to play a whole song without mistakes. Great video Ben!
As an Aussie, seeing Little River Band pop up brought a tear to eye... your range of music interests never ceases to amaze, Uncle Ben!!!
Love it!!! Gotta stay diverse!
LRB were awesome.
"Floor it and do your best to keep up"
Michael Angelo Bateo makes a similar comparison to football players being slingshotted with an elastic band to get the feel of running faster to build speed.
Exactly right!
I met MAB at a urinal before his show at a concert years ago. He peed standing up just like mere mortals like you or me. Anyone can play a double-neck guitar, see!
@@secularZoo But did you glance to see if he had only one thing in his hand?
@@HeadbangoO to be fair the other thing probably would've been a guitar anyway
There was an Olympic softball coach (for American women's team) that used a technique like this to help players improve batting. He painted numbers on tennis balls, then shot them past the players and told them to call out the numbers. At first, it seemed impossible, but after a while everything seemed to slow down for them and they could read the numbers on the balls while they were spinning and coming at them at 200 mph! They won the gold medal that year (needless to say!)
Playing along with the radio or a random online setlist is like jamming with people you've never played with. Figure out the key, try to mimic, try to play something complimentary, take a solo! Play in tune and in time. It really helps your ears and fingers when it comes time to jam with real people (and you can tell when you jam with people that don't practice this!).
Dude.... I was just about done with trying to learn any Children of Bodom songs, because... You know... Alexi is a solo god. But the words you said about dropping out and playing rhythm instead really spoke to me...
Even then, CoB's music is so full of little things here and there it's a big task to learn/, especially on the follow the reaper album
@@Thijscube currently I'm trying Morrigan and Under Grass and Clover and even the rhythm is destroying me. 🤣
COB isn't that hard tbh
but its fun to play
Rest in peace alexi laiho🙏🤘 he was so good at songwriting and yes i also find COB songs extremely difficult
You have no idea how breath taking it is that I have found someone who agrees with me on this matter, I will stop feeling alone I will continue to play my ass off and tackle a large inventory of songs that we have here at home. Good for you Mr Ben. Big hi five from México city. You rock Sr.
Ugh. This is such a good reminder early in the new year.
I often do guitar exercises. Learn licks/riffs/song sections but i seldom learn the WHOLE song. I think it's safe to say that it isn't the same thing to learn a section as it is to learn the whole thing.
I need to do fix this. I've been thinking that this year my musical goal is to put together a "youtube" worthy song play-through. Whether it's a cover or original. Just the whole thing. End to end.
Thanks Uncle Ben!
Love the Rhett Shull shout out!)) This one of my favorite videos from you Ben, thanks.
My favorite video EVER, i tell my students the same thing, all the time.
Thanks Uncle Ben, Good advice. I really dug the Rhett Shull transition dig. LOL. Keep on smiling...
Yup ...the best thing that ever happened to my guitar playing was joining the School of Rock , I went from taking lessons and not knowing what to do with it to playing live shows with a band on stage for 300 friends and family in 6 months and we did nothing but learn how to play songs from intro to outro, bridges and solo’s , my playing increased 10 fold in 6 months . Now I’m trying to learn how to improvise on my own and jam with backing tracks ...it’s definitely a challenge for me without learning scales and triads and some theory behind and understanding the fret board.....any tips are welcome....thanks
Awesome video Ben! Exactly! The answer to everything you want to learn about music and every guitar playing technique you want to know can be found in the music. Learn 1,000 songs and you will shred on guitar.
Perfect timing. I get really burned out of technique studies. When I came back to guitar I started playing along with a lot of music and having fun again. Great topic, great ideas. I'm glad I don't have to learn songs by scratching up my records anymore.
This is objectively the best advice you can get on improving on guitar imo. You ask any of the old jazz guys how they got so good, and they tell you one word: repertoire.
Especially with improvising, it gives you a bag full of tricks and melodies to pull from in order to make melodies from thin air.
Billy Sheehan preaches this as well. When I went to a bass clinic of his he said the most important thing to do as a musician was to learn great songs.
That's the most important thing, but Billy also says you need to break down the technical weaknesses in your playing and work through them, as well… He's very analytical on a micro level as well as seeing the big picture on a song or working level.
This is some wholesome Uncle Ben content! I've played on and off for 15 years, but never really "learned" other than some tabs and I always felt discouraged. I bought my first 7 string a few months ago and it's motivated me to play more and more. It's tough because I still feel I'm not "great" for the songs I want to be playing, especially since guitar is just a small hobby, which can still feel discouraging, but this video reminded me to just try to have fun and learn music I like. Thanks Ben!
Its crazy how learning new songs actually just subconsciously affects your musicality. I've been working on the sweet child o mine solo, and after some improvisation, I noticed I played a little differently than before without me even thinking about it.
I totally love this:
"Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician . . . "
& I also totally appreciate the concept of figuring out the songs by ear instead of finding tabs & blah, blah, blah
Thanks very much!
This method worked for me. People ask me how I learned how to play the way that I do, and I tell them "Judas Priest" and they look at me weird. I would just put on cds and play along from track one until they were done.
Awesome advice. I got myself my first guitar over a year ago, and would get bored to death staring at chord charts and reading guides. What wasn't boring was just going through my favorite bands' song catalogues and finding riffs from songs I could actually play, playing them over and over until I was agile enough to move onto something different. Learning how to play a song on guitar also brings a new appreciation for them, and lets you see them in ways you didn't before. There are so many songs I didn't care for in the past that I now love because of how playing guitar has changed how I see them. I still suck, but every day that I practice, I suck less than I did the day before.
Playing along to your favorite songs is definitely a great way to practice, and to keep you motivated.
There was a period where I practiced scales 4-6 hours a day for a few months and I don’t miss it at all lol. I’ve gotten way better, way faster by covering songs and just writing my own material and having fun
same here- well still use scales and exercises to warm up but I don't spend more than 20-30 minutes using them as starter exercise than move to songs. Works better that way and after 30 minutes my hands are warmed up.
Hi Ucle Ben, from the French Alps. What a great video! You have the gift of putting the finger where it hurts (no pun intended), and on what every guitarist is missing nowadays , in this time of trillions of internet guitarists. We also do a great job fooling ouyrselves believing that watching tons of videos will make us a better musicians. What makes us better musicians is playing more Music, not a catalogue of tricks and skills. Thank you for reminding us of that. And please , keep up the good work! Thank you again, as always
I'd say that two other things that are overlooked but *definitely* contribute heavily to your enjoyment of learning guitar (especially leads) are as follows:
If your guitar can stay in tune. I cannot stress how frustrating this was for me starting out and wanting to learn Dave Mustaine solos. Your guitar going out of tune with any old bend is easily the biggest deterrent to actually practicing and improving lead skills. If your guitar is absolutely unable to stay in tune to save its life then send it to a luthier to get it looked at, upgrade some parts or - sadly - find a new one.
If you're happy with your guitar tone. This is tricky since a lot of people start off with not a lot of money and probably have cheaper gear or don't know any better. But trust me, if you're getting into it definitely do your best to buy some good gear cause if you can make your crappy guitar playing sound *amazing* it'll only make you wanna keep going.
This is the best guitar playing advice. Been playing for 30 years... not only do I feel I’m my best when I spend my time playing along with tracks (when playing alone), but I’m also having the most fun doing it. I spent all of 2 lessons playing scales back in the 90s until I was bored out of my mind, then just started learning songs by ear. I truly believe you learn much better when you’re having fun. I can play for hours straight along with songs and not realize where the time went, but force me to play exercises, and that guitar will be on the stand in about 10 minutes.
Playing along with tracks is also a great way to deal with writers block and burnout as a musician, because it keeps you playing and having fun without the pressure of having to be creative when it’s not currently in you.
I'm almost the wrong way round, I play and learn songs all the time and rarely sit down and practice exercises. I'm learning some Twilightning now and it's getting me better at sweeps which I don't really practice on their own.
Same
When I was learning new songs it taught me new techniques and most important of all...A SENSE OF RHYTHM AND TIMING. I've sat down with people who play licks like a madman but can't keep tempo to save their lives. That was a blessing in disguise for me along with learning and appreciating the music that inspired me to pick up a guitar.
Satch Boogie is my all time fav by Joey Satch.
Man, you have a delivery style that is second to none. Thanks for the support and encouragement that you provide to your listening base. I've been playing longer than most of your subscribers have been living, but predominantly in the realm of folk and folk-rock oriented, voice accompanied, acoustic stuff (fairly tight finger-style and quick-picking bluegrass was as good as it ever got). Like most of the rest of me, my voice hasn't aged as well as I would've hoped. So, now I am an electric guitar player, only. My weapon of choice is a Les Paul. I likely will never have the dexterity and acuity necessary to play most of the stuff I find myself listening to, but my play-along list affords me sufficient opportunities to shine at my _potential_ level _and_ learn to step back when the water gets too deep. At your suggestion, I am going to focus on sharpening up my ability to contribute when the leads aren't forthcoming. I have a sort of built-in metronome, so keeping solid time isn't an issue, but I have been lazy at chord development. Though I have a good ear, even that could improve and bolster my overall skillset. I have no designs on playing out ever again - though sitting in, on occasion, would be nice - but only were I able to do it with a degree of professionalism. At this stage of the game, my only remaining goals are to perhaps see my daughter off to college and to die with either a rifle or my guitar in my hands. Cheers, younger brother.
Dude, i finally know why i suck at guitar.
I love the message here. I was in band in high school and hated doing warmup exercises, I just wanted to fast forward to actually playing the music we were learning. Now all I do to warmup is pick a few songs that are easy on the hands and fun to play and I've never been more motivated
My greatest year of improvement was the year that I spent jamming with other people on an almost daily basis. If you want to learn a language you have to speak it with others.
Dude your a legend, I've been telling myself not to play songs and to concentrate on the theory, when all I wanted to do was play songs. You've made me understand that all work and no play does not the guitarist make. I've subbed!
Damn Unc, I woke up today thinking this exact thing and I open up UA-cam to see this video. WTF. The Gods are giving me big hints. I usually just noodle with the pentatonic scale and the last song I played in its entirety, fuhhhhh... its been ages. Thanks for the nudge and absolutely enjoy your humor and videos.
%100 right i m 43..and i got it before..but not till recently, i permanently settled in another country (Indonesia), love to see live music and i m constantly asked to jam songs..and what is missing...more songs ..never late to learn to top hits (and great and beautiful songs) bon jovi, green day, rhcp..etc...no body will ask you to play exercises at 200pbm...😅😅😅...excellent advice Ben!
That Little River Band song was sounding nice!
Thanks Unc, I started way too late in life to be a shredder but playing rhythm in the songs and music I enjoy has been one of the greatest joys of life.
I always felt like every song I learn needs to be practiced to perfection. I'd spend so much time in specific parts that at some point I'd lose all interest in continuing to practice. Most of the songs always have one or more parts that kept me from advancing. I guess I'm made to clean toilets and pick up the trash.
What you just did sir is something exceptional. Countless guitar channels on YT, countless guitar "pros" telling us what to do but you just hit the right button - I think 80 - 90% of us, semi-amateur guitar players can relate to this video and sigh "eh, he's right". Thanks for this.
Scales, chord building , triplet techniques etc , are all ingreidients , the flavour is how you combine them into a fine meal you can cook your friends mom for breakfast , good enough she'll invite you back for dinner !
What did she do to merit that kind of treatment?
You’re headed into step dad territory there 😂🤣
Started doing this about a year ago. Play something i know on YT, play along to warm up, then let YT algo decide what i play next, just let it auto play, and i play along as best i can. Sometimes drop back into something i know and do that for about an hour 3 times a week. It's the most fun i've had with guitar since i started 20 years ago. Up to that point, it was always, "oh look, here's that same alternative solo from Sweet Child, that i know back to back"
Been doing this with Bolt Thrower and Death lately. Been seeing way more improvement this way than just trying to to learn the tabs alone
Learning something from the Human album has been on my todo list forever...
@@overthoughtmusik772 I've been working on Crystal Mountain and Without Judgement. On the Bolt Thrower side, Salvo, Anti-Tank, and (the one that's really warping my brain) The Killchain.
@@r3ngokuking That rules, I love BT too. Talk about good music to learn to keep your skills up....death metal
@@overthoughtmusik772 honestly, one of my favorite trem picking "benchmarks" is desperately trying to keep pace with Lashed to the Slave Stick lol. Nothing like a blistering 200 bpm to tell you you're still nowhere close.
BT rules, check out Frozen Soul from Texas, theyre our Texan Bolt Thrower. TXDM REPRESENT
Invaluable insight and advice. Whenever I’ve had students hit the wall creatively, my first advice has always been to go learn a song they absolutely love to reignite that magic.
Feel like you're right on the money. Feel I'm caught in this Music theory / mindless scale trap
Been saying this for years for my friends who suck at guitar. Now they suck less. Thanks uncle Ben.
"your step mom... talks in her sleep" - nice.
Aye, that one was a beaut
Hilarious
This is so true, i just learned hot for teacher all the way through and also Round and round by Ratt as soon as i got them down i noticed my playing was improved plus it adds motivation knowing you can play through a song you been working on great sense of accomplishment. Love this Uncle Ben !!
My best friend told me he would kneel before me if I could play the entire lead of a certain instrumental song.
There's no tabs or videos so I had to write everything by ear.
I'm struggling with it since 2-3 years and practising almost every day but at the same time I love doing it since I'm learning a lot.
I also want to see my best friend kneel before me.
I'm not a metal player or a shredder, but I love your approach and at the age of 62 and with over 40 years of playing under my belt, I safely say, you are giving good advice and instruction! Far better than all of the selling that goes on here in UA-cam world.
Bold of you to asume I was wearing clothes in the first place.
Oh damn, my bad!!!!
well played sir.
Great advice. I only started learning the guitar 5 years ago, but right from the start, my teacher has always had me learning whole songs, start to finish. The complexity and difficulty has continued to build as I add songs to my list. New techniques are just part of the songs I learn. When I started I thought I could never even touch something like Dire Straits Sultans of Swing, but now I can (including the solos). I can play scales, I do picking exercises, but mostly, I just play lots of songs. Thanks Uncle Ben!
"If you're being drug behind a car you'll run faster than you ever have in your life." Hot coffee, right through my nose. Thanks a lot, uncle Ben. Actually, age wise you're more like cousin Ben.
possibly the best "How to play guitar" video ever made. I'm an amateur, and I got better by playing my favorite 'tallica songs at speed, crappily, and then less crappily. Suddenly I got into a "I must play all the exercises starting at 90 bpm and slowly climb to 300bpm" RUT. I kept starting over, because I couldn't stick to it. Jamming with your faves, makes guitar your fave.
meow
(on topic) Rocksmith is fun to play along with proper songs.
It's good but don't let it slow you down, once you learn the song learn how to play it without watching the screen
@@ATthemusician definately good advice, I do rely far too much on sight reading the tab right now. Once i've stopped playing RS I try to repeat phrases through from memory and usually struggle a bit, so now I do this after each session.
@@ATthemusician It kind of does that on it's own. Once you know a part it starts hiding the notes.
The real pain of rocksmith is getting a simplified version of a riff, learning it in a particular way, and then having to learn it again once you get the full riff because the way you played the simplified version doesn't translate to the full riff.
This video makes me feel so much better about myself. 95% of my guitar playing is just playing songs that I'm into and I rarely just play scales or (try to) shred nonsense. Thank you Uncle Ben
"Your step-mom..."
Me: uh-oh..
"... talks in her sleep"
Me: THANK GOD! IT'S NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIND!!
So true, a lot of the greats didn't even know any music theory, they just played the guitar to their favorite songs, and learned the guitar that way ,and by playing with others. Something to think about, with all of this technical stuff thrown at us, left and right these days. PLAY MORE SONGS JUST DO IT. Subscribed :)
Benadryl Cumpersnitch : *exists
Yingyang Milkshake : allow me to introduce myself
🤣🤣🤣
There's so much wisdom in this video that whatever you're earning from it is a paltry fraction of its worth. -from your favorite nephew
This is the main way I learned how to play guitar. I actually lack the ability to really improvise and don't know many scales but I learned by doing and playing guitar that was hard like Anthrax, and 6 years later I can play almost anything. Except sweep picking. Fuck sweep picking LMAO
This is honestly some of the best advice, when ever I learn a new riff it never sounds right unless I play it along with the original song enough times. That way I get the timing down just right. More people should know this
I heard that guy Yingyang Milkshake was offered some donuts when he was touring with Pantera and he got pissed, he said he could buy his own donuts
It makes me wonder...
What kind of donuts it was? What was the icing or toppings? And how big it is? Especially the scale between the dough and the hole.
Is that potato donuts with shoestromming as the toppings? No wonder he get offended.
Bet they weren't Krispy Kreme. Gotta set the bar high.
Yea, dude "don't fu**in like donuts!"
Although Ying-Yang's last name is pronounced Mei-Ku-Sake.
It's Japanese and means 'no songwriting writing skills.'
@@j_freed lol
Thanks Ben !
I’m 52 I’ve been playing for 20 plus years, went through several guitars and amps but the last 2 years I’ve become more passionate about playing more than ever!! You are so right, PLAY EVERY DAMN DAY !! I have friends I jam with and they go with out playing weeks , months and blaming it on families and work !! I have 4 kids run a small trucking business and still play up to 30 minutes a night just to unwind!!
Thanks again Uncle Ben
My problem is once I learn a song then I don’t want to play it anymore.
Got the Same Problem
I know, maybe it's just boredom of playing the same stuff over and over. That's what keeps me from practicing most of the time. That or just laziness in general.
It's like: "I don't lack the passion for playing, I just get bored when it becomes routine".
@@Cthulhu_Awaken always learn new styles- country, jazz, etc. I'm 60 and go back and forth between genres even though I'm a rocker from way back. P.S. jazz chords are hard as Hell but good to learn
Then play it Reggae Style, or Bossa Nova.
I find a challenge. Something that is above my very modest ability, but that I know will make me proud if I learn it.
Then if I learn it, I think “If I can play it, it can’t be as impressive as I thought”
I agree with this. Its hard to get inspired by playing scales but when you hear a song that you love that gets you going you learn how to play it.
I always remember James hetfield saying he strives to play a completely solid rythem I always thought that was cool.
My God, SO MUCH I wanna write in the comment section... but I'll settle by saying I 100% agree with you on literally everything that you said. Learning music by ear, learning full songs, and just jamming to records helped me TREMENDOUSLY later in life.
Skills like these are why I can lay tracks with just a click/or a drum track. Skills like these are why I can jam with just about anyone onstage and be able to keep up.
Honestly, it separates the boys from the men, I think. For some people, it's enough to just learn the intro 'Crazy Train' lick and call it a day. Then there's the folks that push themselves to get better.
This is 95% of my practice, just playing along to my favorite songs. Another thing, practice standing up. Hard to watch even great players sitting hunched over their guitar with their face inches from the fretboard.
Uncle Ben, your delivery, humor, and knowledge are a gift to youtube! Thanks
Rhett Shull transition im DEAD LMAO
Hahaha glad you caught that
You just made me feel so much better about not taking any legitimate lessons until 10 plus years of playing. I heard slash play and said "I wanna do that", then just learned every song I ever heard that had great guitar in it. Found some I never heard along the way. About 3 years ago I got more into theory thanks to you and Robert baker. Still only know the absolute bare essentials but its all coming full circle now. Cheers
That REVV head absolutely killed me. Yes just killed me. I'm died.
REVV Rules!!!!
RIP 1.28.2021
Dead? Get well soon
Couldn't agree more and great song suggestions! I still find myself in this pitfall occasionally. Though now that I'm a Music Director at an SoR and heavily involved in the Performance program, I've had to dig in and rekindle that spark of just learning and jamming new tunes. You also see first hand the benefit of learning a lot of songs has on young players and myself. These kids have learned (and performed) at least 30 thirty songs over the last year. Great video and important point.
I’ve been playing for years and have never learned how to play a single song.
As a segue... Rhett did give the advice of "stop noodling" and he's right. I realized every time I picked up a guitar I noodled. I started playing whole songs, or at least long passages of tunes to be more deliberate in my playing. I am at my best when I am in a band and I have to learn whole songs. Now with this nonsense putting a halt to all things fun, we (the band... not thee Band) have agreed to keep learning songs, and share our parts to keep our chops up. 100% agree with what Uncle Ben is preaching here. Even if you never play a song you've learned live, you have gained the value of the structure it brought you to learn it!
The issue i have is learning the songs. I know it is as simple as sitting down and trying to figure it out, but I have the worlds worst ear and the patience of a 3 year old.
Thank you for giving me the thump in the head. About 5 months ago i decided to pick the guitar back up after 25 years. All the new tools that exists now really fired me up. Though over time i have been picking up more and more exercises, which now take me nearly 30 minutes to get through just the exercises. This a good reminder of why i picked up the guitar in the first place, and why i eventually quit 25 years ago.
Then there's me who can't play lead and always 100% plays rhythm.
A good rhythm guitarist is 100% better than a sloppy lead
A lead guitarist is always better with a damn good player who's locked in with the rhythm section. Every guitarist wants to be a lead player. I've played with guys who could shred but were useless because that's literally all they could do. That being said, I also wanted to be able to solo, if just for a measure or two. I was overcomplicating the whole damn thing. I started with pentatonic scales like everybody else, got nowhere, until I started seeing all these guitar backing tracks popping up here on YT. I find a track I like in Eminor, play that scale from the 12th fret or open, and took off. You can't hit a wrong note if you stay there, if you miss with a flat note, bend that sucker up. Then find a track in Am and do it from the 5th fret, then Dm, Cm etc. Start there. You'll figure out the rest.
the run fast by being dragged behind a car analogy both made me cackle coffee right out of my nose and brought me right back to my years as a teen. thanks uncle Ben.
I think that's what all these super-genius guys on Instagram have wrong, they can play one minute solos like nobody's business, but I never see them in bands
Tbh, though...why should they? Playing in bands to make some cash?...they make more putting up flashy vids on Insta. They could play in bands, I'm sure...but bands are a lot of work, and a lot of risk...risk that most of those guys seem not to want take.
Thank you! A guitar teacher who gets the musicality!
This is something I've noticed with skilled composers and generally all my favourite musicians. Many did sit and practice things, but fundamentally you learn to make music by actually participating in music. You can sit and practice turning a steering wheel, shoulder checking, etc, but you won't learn to drive if you're not actually driving.