Myth 11: Criticism. Turn bad or unwelcome remarks into motivation. What happened to me was when I started playing guitar. I'm up early in the mornings, so I use the extra time to practice. One Saturday morning, it was a bautifull sunrise, and I played guitar, and as the morning progressed, the wind picked up, and it got clouded very quickly. As one of the family members came out side the patio and saw the clouds, I said it changed so quickly. It was so nice when I came out to play......and the remark i got was....IT'S BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO PLAY GUITAR AND THAT WHY THE WEATHER CHANGED.... I was cutted off this remark BUT then just thought to myself, "ATLEAST I'M TRYING." So i can now play a couple of riffs and can hold 2 strumming patterns with some rhythm. Not perfectly, though, but I'm better than what I was on that cloudy Saturday. As for the remarks I get... I just think to myself. "One day, they will clap along to the songs I will play on my guitar." Thank you for the motivation, James. Throughout your videos, I'm learning and getting better at guitar.
Theo… Thank you for sharing your story. Remember, there’s always an element of jealousy from people, especially when it comes to musical instruments, because I believe deep down they want to play as well, 0:45 but I don’t have the patience or discipline. I’ve had criticism like that from family members, early on 12 years ago when I started and even today I get some criticism still… But I also get complements. The number one reason you should play is for the love of the music, number two should be for yourself… To bring peace and joy to your own Soul. As for others, some will enjoy and give you the credit you deserve, others will not… Consider the source.
@Doug Smith Thank you for the kind words.friend. Yes, I play for myself. It's challenging and 100% rewarding. Agree the good remarks outshine the bad ones.
@@theolombard7396 Hello again Theo, sorry I am late in replying… YES, it is very challenging! The crazy thing is, as you get better you will want to strive for even more… So the challenges never end. That’s OK, I find that Guitar is analogous to life… We learn so much about life through music/Guitar... I have come to realize that my guitar playing is a journey, as is life. Like life, with Guitar, we derive meaning in the day to day and yes, we achieve goals along the way, but we always strive to understand more. ENJOY THE JOURNEY THEO!
watching an old john denver/ johnny carson interview last night, carson asked if songs were easy for him. he said oh, no! sure once in awhile a song comes from nowhere, but usually, it is a difficult, trying job. and if you ever see bob dylans video of him writing a song on an airplain at a typwritter...he has hundreds of pages torn off on and on thre floor...proving it was being a difficult job. i write songs...and every once in awhile the words spit out from nowhere...but the actual fine tuning, the arranging, the changes that take place in the final version, all take a long time. i wrote my last song quickly because suddenly a series of chords that have been hanging around suddenly showed up in a line the way they were always meant to be. but is still haven't the words. and this last song...basically two partsof two songs that are telling me they are the DSAME song...but i need to find a way to bring them together...still is in its working stages. so yes...song writing is a journey, not a trip to the refrigerator.
Your videos are always spot on, thank you. I'm not a "beginner" and I teach beginner guitar occasionally, using some of your stuff as part of that. Getting to the point, about size of fingers. Years ago as I was preparing for our band's reunion that was to be 8 months away, I suffered and accident that severed some tendons and nerves in my left hand ring finger. I had to keep up practicing for the event so I learned to use the other three fingers in chord formation, such as using my index and middle finger to do the A Major chord where I bridge the B and G strings with my middle finger and the D with my index. To this day after the ring finger healed completely, I still do chords this way.
Thank you James, your lessons and your inspiring posts like today’s always help me in moving forward and make my guitar journey more fulfilling … You’re a great teacher!
I seriously want to find a baby guitar now lol. I purchased my 1st guitar 3 weeks ago. I have no worries. For me, the guitar is a journey, not a destination. Lastly, how people practice without a metronome is beyond me. Good video, love my new guitar. And cheers to all beginners.
i tell everybody my only reason for playing is writing a song. i practice my chords and rhythms all day...then suddenly it dawns on me...heyy, these last chords sond like a song. i rearrange, combine, mix -up... then on another series of practices, a few more chords and ideas come jumping up in my mind and tell me...dude, we are trying to tell you we belong with that last bunch you were messing with. helloooo....are you seeing this???? it just happens...but as a result of work!!!
good stuff-my favorite myth- place capo on nose to sing exactly like Bob Dylan. its a painful approach. An attribute worth mentioning is patience - because we know you don't get thing to sound good instantly. thank for keeping this series going, its been excellent!
James, have you any intermediate Courses for Rhythm… Adding Arpeggios, Triads, mixing Major and Minors for Blues/Rock?… in other words, Closer look at good Rhythm with lead mix?
I think in these times of immediate gratification and seemly no time for anything is hard for people to not quit. I enjoy music but do i have the passion to put the countless of hours needed to get good at guitar? Probably not. In fact absolutely not. Haha. Just my personal situation.
Hey there, I agree with you that that's the common mindset. It's actually a myth that you need to put in countless hours to get to be a competent player. I think it matters HOW you practice. Practice smarter not harder, right? That's what we go over in my courses, anyway. I teach how to practice. courses.goodguitarist.com/
I think you sorta covered this with Myth #2, but the myth that put me off learning to play guitar for YEARS is that you have to be able to "play by ear" & be able to magically figure out everything there is to know about a song just by listening to it once & only once or you weren't a "real" musician & you just needed to quit fooling yourself about it & give up already. It may sound crazy, but I grew up totally believing this lie. My family were all musicians & my Dad especially had absolutely NO PATIENCE for anyone who couldn't "get it right" the first time. Yes, playing by ear is super important & is a real gift, but the problem came in when nobody ever explained to me anything about how theory or practical musical experience plays a role in playing by ear. I honestly believed it was like some sort of Marvel super power that "real musicians" were just born enabled them to just somehow know everything about music with absolutely no effort at all just because they were The Chosen One anointed by God to play music, while the rest of the world were all just fakes & posers & just needed to die already. Lies like this might sound ridiculous when written out like this, but they run really deep & hurt really bad & sometimes they rob a person of a life's dream for years, if not even forever. I'm glad people like James are out there setting all these lies & myths to rest & doing what they can to help make their students' Musical dreams come true.
my realproblem is this.... i still can practice and play because this removes me from the state of madness we are in. however, after i lost my son to a year long battle with his cancer...my words have lost their meaning. i cannot write more than a line or two before i begin laughing at myself, my hubris attempt at thinking i have meaningful thought! and that i have something to say that people throughout the milleniums haven't already said and in better, prettier and more beautiful ways! stop it, paull..., get ahold of your nonsense, you have nothing to add!!!!!!!!!! jeffrey's loss to his sarcoma at 25 has shown me the reality of uselessness and wasted, no meaning living. i tried help...but nobody can take this reality away from me with words.
I know, Paul, nobody can help with such . things. Moreover, few try to I have been there for almost my whole life. Hang on! Music really keeps me alive. Music, books and flowers.
@@No_Name_Really thanks. i think understand why older writers cannot produce the volumes they have in youth. as you get older, you realize your real position in life, that others throughout time have been through rougher and more painfull times as well, AND told their stories better... had really more to say. its your story and your story only. so i just allow the song MUSIC playing and construction to make me feel good. because song production sounds are individual, and especially when new. and i can see why many artist tell that playing their hits begin to tear at their souls and hate doing so. and why some say they have never played the song the same...they can't do it!!! its pains them. and friends all ask mewhy i beat on the guitar so hard...and i try toexplain tyhis helps in my recovery! i guess like richie havens playing freedom! it JUST FEELS GOOD to beat it out!!!
Hey Paul, I feel very touched by your message. Not because I can relate to your pain and suffering, but because life recently gave me some perspective and it actually has made it harder to write music than ever. My daughter, at 3 months old, was diagnosed with a rare syndrome and she will live with and battle for the rest of her life. Before her diagnosis, I was so carefree and would write about heartbreak and a bunch of other bullshit that I realize has very little meaning now. But here's the thing... It all carries meaning. And it's all worthy and sacred no matter the moment in our lives. Paul McCartney can literally write a song that was originally called "Scrambled Eggs" (Yesterday) and yet everybody attaches their own meaning to that beautiful song and it becomes something to someone else. So, I think writing is still worthy. As hard as it is to sit and have words lose meaning. Because meaning is mined from experience And sometimes we are sitting on more gold than we realize. I'm so sorry for the loss of your son.
@@willolux9564 thanks for your words.... i think the worst mistake on my life, and there were/are many, was having children. when my body's "triggers" were guiding my "independent" moves, and thoughts. i thought life was special. today, not so much...life IS an illusion and really a long horrible struggle to suvive. there is no fairness, no justice...only catch ohrases by which we are led along. we were/are used! by nature, by the universe. freedom is an illusion. meaning is an illusion. and bringing innocents into this was a nasty selfish error. i AM trying to write, but enjoying the release of learning and playing, but there's nothing there lyrically. But like McCartney, i still do write my "scambled eggs" songs. that's basically how i have always written...the music and then lyrics usually following the emotion and color of the song music. basically my scrambled eggs until the words present themsel;ves. but they are staying a piled up mess of scrambled egg songs. they just are not. and my own inner voice keeps criticising me while trying. i am the one stopping myself, i am the one slapping every effort down. i remember that story on mccartney...i am trying to remember the group whose recording room he walked into and showed it to them, as they were across the hall. i think it was the hollies. maybe it was grahm nash that told it...saying ya, brilliant song...especially when words come!!
Hi Paul. I'm really sorry that life threw bullshit your way. I hope the guitar can ease even a tiny bit of that pain you must feel. Truly sorry for your loss.
Have you had a student who has an index finger that tilts toward the middle finger making it hard to press on the string? This is the case for me and it hurts after fifteen minutes of paying. I am not sure how to solve this issue and really want to play the guitar. Thanks for any suggestions.
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💻 Check out James' Beginner Guitar Course: goodguitarist.com/beginner-guitar-course/
Myth 11: Criticism. Turn bad or unwelcome remarks into motivation. What happened to me was when I started playing guitar. I'm up early in the mornings, so I use the extra time to practice. One Saturday morning, it was a bautifull sunrise, and I played guitar, and as the morning progressed, the wind picked up, and it got clouded very quickly. As one of the family members came out side the patio and saw the clouds, I said it changed so quickly. It was so nice when I came out to play......and the remark i got was....IT'S BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO PLAY GUITAR AND THAT WHY THE WEATHER CHANGED.... I was cutted off this remark BUT then just thought to myself, "ATLEAST I'M TRYING." So i can now play a couple of riffs and can hold 2 strumming patterns with some rhythm. Not perfectly, though, but I'm better than what I was on that cloudy Saturday. As for the remarks I get... I just think to myself. "One day, they will clap along to the songs I will play on my guitar." Thank you for the motivation, James. Throughout your videos, I'm learning and getting better at guitar.
Theo…
Thank you for sharing your story.
Remember, there’s always an element of jealousy from people, especially when it comes to musical instruments, because I believe deep down they want to play as well, 0:45 but I don’t have the patience or discipline.
I’ve had criticism like that from family members, early on 12 years ago when I started and even today I get some criticism still… But I also get complements.
The number one reason you should play is for the love of the music, number two should be for yourself… To bring peace and joy to your own Soul. As for others, some will enjoy and give you the credit you deserve, others will not… Consider the source.
@Doug Smith Thank you for the kind words.friend. Yes, I play for myself. It's challenging and 100% rewarding. Agree the good remarks outshine the bad ones.
My wife only criticism person but I'm still going Play and sing and my church choir
Hi Theo, I loved your story and the way that you tell it. Could you send me an email at info@goodguitarist.com, I'd love to chat.
@@theolombard7396 Hello again Theo, sorry I am late in replying… YES, it is very challenging! The crazy thing is, as you get better you will want to strive for even more… So the challenges never end. That’s OK, I find that Guitar is analogous to life… We learn so much about life through music/Guitar... I have come to realize that my guitar playing is a journey, as is life. Like life, with Guitar, we derive meaning in the day to day and yes, we achieve goals along the way, but we always strive to understand more.
ENJOY THE JOURNEY THEO!
James, you have spoken my mind! You are right on every single point. Thanks for sharing and bless you for being you!
watching an old john denver/ johnny carson interview last night, carson asked if songs were easy for him.
he said oh, no! sure once in awhile a song comes from nowhere, but usually, it is a difficult, trying job.
and if you ever see bob dylans video of him writing a song on an airplain at a typwritter...he has hundreds of pages torn off on and on thre floor...proving it was being a difficult job.
i write songs...and every once in awhile the words spit out from nowhere...but the actual fine tuning, the arranging, the changes that take place in the final version, all take a long time.
i wrote my last song quickly because suddenly a series of chords that have been hanging around suddenly showed up in a line the way they were always meant to be.
but is still haven't the words.
and this last song...basically two partsof two songs that are telling me they are the DSAME song...but i need to find a way to bring them together...still is in its working stages.
so yes...song writing is a journey, not a trip to the refrigerator.
Your videos are always spot on, thank you. I'm not a "beginner" and I teach beginner guitar occasionally, using some of your stuff as part of that. Getting to the point, about size of fingers. Years ago as I was preparing for our band's reunion that was to be 8 months away, I suffered and accident that severed some tendons and nerves in my left hand ring finger. I had to keep up practicing for the event so I learned to use the other three fingers in chord formation, such as using my index and middle finger to do the A Major chord where I bridge the B and G strings with my middle finger and the D with my index. To this day after the ring finger healed completely, I still do chords this way.
Hey Dan, great story. Sounds painful. Glad you pushed through and kept going!
Thank you James, your lessons and your inspiring posts like today’s always help me in moving forward and make my guitar journey more fulfilling … You’re a great teacher!
Hi again Doug, it's my pleasure!
I seriously want to find a baby guitar now lol. I purchased my 1st guitar 3 weeks ago. I have no worries. For me, the guitar is a journey, not a destination. Lastly, how people practice without a metronome is beyond me.
Good video, love my new guitar. And cheers to all beginners.
So happy to have you on board as a guitar enthusiast now! It's a great life, I guarantee it!
i tell everybody my only reason for playing is writing a song.
i practice my chords and rhythms all day...then suddenly it dawns on me...heyy, these last chords sond like a song.
i rearrange, combine, mix -up...
then on another series of practices, a few more chords and ideas come jumping up in my mind and tell me...dude, we are trying to tell you we belong with that last bunch you were messing with.
helloooo....are you seeing this????
it just happens...but as a result of work!!!
good stuff-my favorite myth- place capo on nose to sing exactly like Bob Dylan. its a painful approach. An attribute worth mentioning is patience - because we know you don't get thing to sound good instantly.
thank for keeping this series going, its been excellent!
Hilarious
Never heard #7 -- I just have trouble using the metronome and I really want to.
The more theory I learn the better my songs are. Also , theory is fun and fascinating. I have a Martin 3/4 guitar as my hands are not gigantic.
Theory gets a bad reputation but in fact it is very, very useful. Glad you know that!
James, have you any intermediate Courses for Rhythm… Adding Arpeggios, Triads, mixing Major and Minors for Blues/Rock?… in other words, Closer look at good Rhythm with lead mix?
Hey Doug, yes he has a lead guitar course that covers all those bases and it is fantastic
Hey Doug,
Yes, I do. You can find more detailed description of my courses here: courses.goodguitarist.com/
You are absolutely right. 🙏
Playing with a metronome kills ...my ego! I'm mostly a strummer, so I think I don't need a metronome, until I use one.😊
Yeah it's like playing with a perfect "master" it's much harder than you think! Keep it up!
I'm a senior player and I took the advice of Ricky Skaggs...."Search for a sound you can call your own"......
Hello Annamarie Hewitt, I actually specialize in helping senior players. Currently working with someone who is 90! Never too late.
I think in these times of immediate gratification and seemly no time for anything is hard for people to not quit. I enjoy music but do i have the passion to put the countless of hours needed to get good at guitar? Probably not. In fact absolutely not. Haha. Just my personal situation.
Hey there, I agree with you that that's the common mindset. It's actually a myth that you need to put in countless hours to get to be a competent player. I think it matters HOW you practice. Practice smarter not harder, right? That's what we go over in my courses, anyway. I teach how to practice. courses.goodguitarist.com/
I think you sorta covered this with Myth #2, but the myth that put me off learning to play guitar for YEARS is that you have to be able to "play by ear" & be able to magically figure out everything there is to know about a song just by listening to it once & only once or you weren't a "real" musician & you just needed to quit fooling yourself about it & give up already.
It may sound crazy, but I grew up totally believing this lie. My family were all musicians & my Dad especially had absolutely NO PATIENCE for anyone who couldn't "get it right" the first time.
Yes, playing by ear is super important & is a real gift, but the problem came in when nobody ever explained to me anything about how theory or practical musical experience plays a role in playing by ear. I honestly believed it was like some sort of Marvel super power that "real musicians" were just born enabled them to just somehow know everything about music with absolutely no effort at all just because they were The Chosen One anointed by God to play music, while the rest of the world were all just fakes & posers & just needed to die already.
Lies like this might sound ridiculous when written out like this, but they run really deep & hurt really bad & sometimes they rob a person of a life's dream for years, if not even forever.
I'm glad people like James are out there setting all these lies & myths to rest & doing what they can to help make their students' Musical dreams come true.
my realproblem is this....
i still can practice and play because this removes me from the state of madness we are in.
however, after i lost my son to a year long battle with his cancer...my words have lost their meaning.
i cannot write more than a line or two before i begin laughing at myself, my hubris attempt at thinking i have meaningful thought! and that i have something to say that people throughout the milleniums haven't already said and in better, prettier and more beautiful ways!
stop it, paull..., get ahold of your nonsense, you have nothing to add!!!!!!!!!!
jeffrey's loss to his sarcoma at 25 has shown me the reality of uselessness and wasted, no meaning living.
i tried help...but nobody can take this reality away from me with words.
I know, Paul, nobody can help with such . things. Moreover, few try to I have been there for almost my whole life. Hang on! Music really keeps me alive. Music, books and flowers.
@@No_Name_Really thanks.
i think understand why older writers cannot produce the volumes they have in youth. as you get older, you realize your real position in life, that others throughout time have been through rougher and more painfull times as well, AND told their stories better... had really more to say.
its your story and your story only.
so i just allow the song MUSIC playing and construction to make me feel good.
because song production sounds are individual, and especially when new. and i can see why many artist tell that playing their hits begin to tear at their souls and hate doing so.
and why some say they have never played the song the same...they can't do it!!! its pains them.
and friends all ask mewhy i beat on the guitar so hard...and i try toexplain tyhis helps in my recovery!
i guess like richie havens playing freedom! it JUST FEELS GOOD to beat it out!!!
Hey Paul,
I feel very touched by your message. Not because I can relate to your pain and suffering, but because life recently gave me some perspective and it actually has made it harder to write music than ever. My daughter, at 3 months old, was diagnosed with a rare syndrome and she will live with and battle for the rest of her life. Before her diagnosis, I was so carefree and would write about heartbreak and a bunch of other bullshit that I realize has very little meaning now.
But here's the thing...
It all carries meaning. And it's all worthy and sacred no matter the moment in our lives.
Paul McCartney can literally write a song that was originally called "Scrambled Eggs" (Yesterday) and yet everybody attaches their own meaning to that beautiful song and it becomes something to someone else.
So, I think writing is still worthy. As hard as it is to sit and have words lose meaning.
Because meaning is mined from experience
And sometimes we are sitting on more gold than we realize.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your son.
@@willolux9564 thanks for your words....
i think the worst mistake on my life, and there were/are many, was having children.
when my body's "triggers" were guiding my "independent" moves, and thoughts. i thought life was special.
today, not so much...life IS an illusion and really a long horrible struggle to suvive. there is no fairness, no justice...only catch ohrases by which we are led along.
we were/are used!
by nature, by the universe. freedom is an illusion. meaning is an illusion. and bringing innocents into this was a nasty selfish error.
i AM trying to write, but enjoying the release of learning and playing, but there's nothing there lyrically.
But like McCartney, i still do write my "scambled eggs" songs. that's basically how i have always written...the music and then lyrics usually following the emotion and color of the song music.
basically my scrambled eggs until the words present themsel;ves.
but they are staying a piled up mess of scrambled egg songs.
they just are not. and my own inner voice keeps criticising me while trying. i am the one stopping myself, i am the one slapping every effort down.
i remember that story on mccartney...i am trying to remember the group whose recording room he walked into and showed it to them, as they were across the hall. i think it was the hollies. maybe it was grahm nash that told it...saying ya, brilliant song...especially when words come!!
Hi Paul.
I'm really sorry that life threw bullshit your way. I hope the guitar can ease even a tiny bit of that pain you must feel.
Truly sorry for your loss.
Have you had a student who has an index finger that tilts toward the middle finger making it hard to press on the string? This is the case for me and it hurts after fifteen minutes of paying. I am not sure how to solve this issue and really want to play the guitar. Thanks for any suggestions.
Yes. Try moving your thumb around, sometimes it's not the angle of the finger but the positioning of the thumb that makes a difference.
@@Good_Guitarist Thanks a lot and I will try it! If it doesn't work, I may try switching to my right hand like a left handed guitar player.
🥰
without the 450000 dollar goldtop you can't get to Nirvana.