# A reminder to those that want to become greatly advanced



## 80H (Dec 24, 2013)

I had a brief run-in with this today, and I wanted to give this one out to anyone that either hasn't realized it for themselves yet or has forgotten how important it is to understand. 


A Christmas present to my favorite forum. 





Being better requires you to push yourself. It requires you to commit to being more than you were beforehand. This has nothing to do with others. It is all about how good you were yesterday and how good you are today. If you are still concerned with being "better than everyone" for some reason, try dropping that for a week and instead try eclipsing yourself. Your own progress is far easier to measure than measuring "everyone else."



However, that is not the point of this post. That's just a basic prerequisite for understanding what I'm really concerned with. 




There are people in this world that choose second best. They choose the path of least resistance. The choose "good enough" instead of "more." They choose the easy way. 


And there is nothing wrong with these people. It is natural, and it is in your best interest as a human being to accept that these people exist. 


However, many of these people believe that is pointless to raise your standards. Many of these people will criticize you for "doing too much," "trying too hard," or "faking." It is completely out of the realm of their day-to-day thoughts for someone to be actively engaged in the process of becoming someone remarkable. They will speak their minds, in confidence, in an attempt to push you into line with their view of reality. But it is not your responsibility to manage their thoughts or opinions of you. It is only your job to push yourself. That is how you become better. 




I have seen this too many times. I try to explain to someone that filing their nails will improve the articulate range of their fingertips and make playing more comfortable. I try to tell them that they can press their fingertips into the outside of their morning coffee cup to build calluses faster. I try to tell them that their speed will eventually cap out sooner than it has to because they lift their fingers far off of the fretboard, and they could instead be conditioning them to stay closer. I try to tell them it's better to take time off of the fretboard and focus on theory as an independent system. I try to tell them massage techniques that will keep them limber and work out tense, tight parts of the muscles that can become painful, injured or simply less effective. I try to explain quirky techniques that I have invented and refined but never had the proper opportunity to share, like wind picking. I try to tell them I've written, rewritten and am still yet unsatisfied with 200 page book and have another 200+ that I want to add. I try to tell them that there's so much to learn that there isn't anyone that has it all at once, and that's why there's plenty of room for more musicians. I try to tell them that I'm only doing this because I love it so much. 



But they don't see this as a simple offering from someone that loves their instrument, music and self-improvement. They see it as bragging. They see it as trying too hard. They see it as faking. They believe that someone either is or isn't, and have left no room for people in the midst of becoming. Hard work is not respected nor appreciated in the world of have's and have not's. 



And in my unfortunate experience, these people are in the majority. They do not listen to information; they listen to people. They idolize, they favor and they prefer to compare themselves to others instead of raising their own standards one day at a time. This is done by seeing the picture for yourself instead of seeking it from others. It is about becoming someone that has enough pieces of the puzzle to learn and play with confidence.



If it was just you in there, and nothing anyone else said could help you, could you figure it all out alone? Community is there to help you. Other people are there to help you. They have their pieces of the puzzle. Divorce yourself from idols, companies, brands and opinions. If you do, you might just understand why I believe this is so important within seconds. 


Please be someone that remembers the value of hard work. Please be someone that remembers that value of learning. Please be someone that is more concerned with growth than managing other peoples' opinions of them or mindlessly holding harsh opinions of others. I am only saying this because you read this far, and you wouldn't have read all of this if you weren't already prepared to invest time in your own growth. Your actions speak of what you truly want, even if you mess it up. You're still human. 



So what do you want to play? What are you trying to get out of all of this, and what do you have to do *right now* to get it?


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## Sir Taffey (Dec 24, 2013)

That was inspiring and very moving. You brought out a revelation stirring within me for a long while now and thank you for bringing it to the surface. I can only be better than myself

Right now you ask? Well I have the expansive theory knowledge, equaling my peers studying composition (save for the questions I put up here about chords). And I have technique to learn most any lick you throw at me. But can I integrate the 2? No. sadly not. Great theory, great technique, keen ear. No application. Not boasting about the first two, they just are because I know where I am. So now, I need to take my 7th chord inversion cycle, run it through the circle of fifths, get the chords in my ear and internalize the way they shift, then start paying attention to theory, find out how they resolve, how does this progression make that? I already have a thread seeking that.

I need to get playing again. Practice only got me so far.


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## TeeWX (Dec 24, 2013)

80H said:


> So what do you want to play? What are you trying to get out of all of this, and what do you have to do *right now* to get it?



I think my end goal is to write and release a metal album someday.

The biggest thing I am working on right now is writing, and I often find that I can't execute the musical ideas in real time without some practice as slower tempos. So I've been focusing a majority of my time on advancing my technique. The hardest thing is fitting in the hours. Sometimes I spread it out throughout the day in little 15-30 minute sections.


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## jbrin0tk (Dec 24, 2013)

I rarely post here, but wanted to say thank you for sharing this and I loved it. It's the exact mindset I try to carry with me each time I pick up the guitar. I've come so far on this instrument and played things I never dreamed possible, but always know there is more to do. Thanks for the extra motivation!


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## tyler_faith_08 (Dec 24, 2013)

Did you write this?


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## 80H (Dec 24, 2013)

tyler_faith_08 said:


> Did you write this?




..? lol yes


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## 80H (Dec 24, 2013)

jbrin0tk said:


> I rarely post here, but wanted to say thank you for sharing this and I loved it. It's the exact mindset I try to carry with me each time I pick up the guitar. I've come so far on this instrument and played things I never dreamed possible, but always know there is more to do. Thanks for the extra motivation!




No worries  It's fleeting sometimes, but if you remember that it's something that takes time to grow into, the situations where you don't live up to your own standards become helpful signs pointing you in the direction of your own weaknesses and shortcomings. 



TeeWX said:


> I think my end goal is to write and release a metal album someday.
> 
> The biggest thing I am working on right now is writing, and I often find that I can't execute the musical ideas in real time without some practice as slower tempos. So I've been focusing a majority of my time on advancing my technique. The hardest thing is fitting in the hours. Sometimes I spread it out throughout the day in little 15-30 minute sections.



Try replacing some day with a specific day. If you had to do it in one month or your kid was gonna die of cancer, would you? Maybe you don't have kids (I don't), but I'm pretty sure someone could bust out an album to save their kid. What that tells me is that everyone is capable of it, but they lack that external stimulus that pushes them to their absolute biological max. Your body hides energy from you, and if you remember that, you should be better off. Gotta figure out ways to tap into what you've already got. 



Sir Taffey said:


> That was inspiring and very moving. You brought out a revelation stirring within me for a long while now and thank you for bringing it to the surface. I can only be better than myself
> 
> Right now you ask? Well I have the expansive theory knowledge, equaling my peers studying composition (save for the questions I put up here about chords). And I have technique to learn most any lick you throw at me. But can I integrate the 2? No. sadly not. Great theory, great technique, keen ear. No application. Not boasting about the first two, they just are because I know where I am. So now, I need to take my 7th chord inversion cycle, run it through the circle of fifths, get the chords in my ear and internalize the way they shift, then start paying attention to theory, find out how they resolve, how does this progression make that? I already have a thread seeking that.
> 
> I need to get playing again. Practice only got me so far.




Practice is love but playing is sex


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## Boss302 (Dec 25, 2013)

80H said:


> So what do you want to play? What are you trying to get out of all of this, and what do you have to do *right now* to get it?


 
I think my goal is to be able to write, revise, and play whatever comes to my mind. Even though I'm not all too involved with theory and have only been playing guitar for a few years, I have licks, riffs, runs come to mind at random moments. I even will get whole orchestrated pieces playing through my mind at times. I've had these moments since I was a young boy, so around age 8.

Unfortunately, my lack of knowledge in theory and my inability to play really complecated pieces don't allow me to write down these and trace patterns or even try to sound them out on the guitar and go from there. 

Luckily, I have a teacher. Luckily, he's a great player who teaches musicianship. Luckily, I have the drive to learn everything someone will throw at me and I have the drive to want to major in theory in college.

However, a lack of funds keep me from all this at the moment. It's tough not being able to come up with the money to invest in success. And all the while I'm not going to lessons, I could be further studying myself, right? Well, yes, technically. But I've tried, to no avail. I struggle to find what to learn NEXT in the extremely vast world scales and modes. I learned at that very moment that that's the whole reason why guitar teachers exist. Not to further your physical ability to play, rather to point out and help you learn what you need to know in an organized fashion.

I think this will end soon though. After paying off some stuff, it seems I might just get the chance to go back for at least a couple more months. This break in lessons might occur often until I get out of college and get a good job for myself. 

Double majoring in college probably won't be easy. But, I can't rely souly on music to be my career. But at the same time, I feel obligated to go get a formal education and learn everything I should know. If I never use this knowledge, hopefully I'll be able to pass it on to someone who will. I hope one day you all will be able to see the results of my planned hard work and enjoy it. 

In the mean time, thank you for posting this.


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## Sugbaable (Dec 25, 2013)

Great post! Now what exactly is wind picking? Haha


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## SnowfaLL (Dec 25, 2013)

I lost a lot of focus after going to music school (ironically) - I used to put in HARD hours over small licks when I was younger; learning pretty difficult shred songs and all that but then I kinda got burnt out from school.. So its always nice to remind myself of the work required to get to the point I want to be, and how I used to put in those 8 hour days on guitar.

It's difficult when you come to the realization that music wont pay the bills, and you need to find another career/job to survive. I fortunately picked a great career, and love my job and feel that I excel there, but I still have that desire to be a talented musician and now that I've settled in my new job, this year is the time to do it. I have "music theory flash cards" of 7th chords at work that I go thru every once in awhile and my co-workers think im crazy, but that extra step is whats required to get to where you want, isnt it??

I have a long way to go, but really pushing hard on finishing 2 albums for 2014.


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## FILTHnFEAR (Dec 29, 2013)

OP. Thanks for sharing that. Rather encouraging. I had to get past worrying how much better others were than myself. Still working on it actually. 



TeeWX said:


> The biggest thing I am working on right now is writing, and I often find that I can't execute the musical ideas in real time without some practice as slower tempos.



Working on the same thing. Where I can hear something in my head but can't play it at the tempo I want. Or I can hear a line in my head but can't quite play it exactly as I hear/imagine it and it comes out "dumbed down". Like a generic version of what I'm wanting to play.


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## Mik3D23 (Jan 2, 2014)

80H said:


> I have seen this too many times. I try to explain to someone that filing their nails will improve the articulate range of their fingertips and make playing more comfortable. I try to tell them that they can press their fingertips into the outside of their morning coffee cup to build calluses faster. I try to tell them that their speed will eventually cap out sooner than it has to because they lift their fingers far off of the fretboard, and they could instead be conditioning them to stay closer. I try to tell them it's better to take time off of the fretboard and focus on theory as an independent system. I try to tell them massage techniques that will keep them limber and work out tense, tight parts of the muscles that can become painful, injured or simply less effective. I try to explain quirky techniques that I have invented and refined but never had the proper opportunity to share, like wind picking. I try to tell them I've written, rewritten and am still yet unsatisfied with 200 page book and have another 200+ that I want to add. I try to tell them that there's so much to learn that there isn't anyone that has it all at once, and that's why there's plenty of room for more musicians. I try to tell them that I'm only doing this because I love it so much.




If I could be so bold, (sorry if you've answered this or have it out there somewhere already), I'm curious about some of your suggested massage techniques and playing techniques you mentioned?


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jan 2, 2014)

Cool post- one thing I would add, is even if you're not yet where you want to be, get out and play with other musicians, in a band preferably. I've seen so many guys that still think they are not good enough for a band, who can play really well, that miss out on the fun of playing with others in front of an audience because they think they are not quite good enough yet.

If you can play a few chords and licks, there's a band out there somewhere that needs you.


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## fwd0120 (Jan 2, 2014)

I cried a little. Been so frustrated with music and life lately.


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## EcoliUVA (Jan 2, 2014)

Great post as usual. I totally do the callous-building/maintenance thing on random objects. I also pick my pants seam like a guitar string. Strange lot, we are . I'd update my sig but I still like your sweep post too much.

The last line is probably the most important bit. Choosing a goal/direction for your self-motivation will help you get there faster. While I appreciate those with the determination to learn every aspect of everything music/instrument related, time constraints (ex: full time job, family, general responsibilities) can eat your practice time right up. You don't need to chicken pick to play metal leads, should that be your goal. Not saying someone couldn't make it work, though 

As for the frustration with "those types," I totally get it. Well put, I wish you the best on your journey.


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## 80H (Jan 2, 2014)

FILTHnFEAR said:


> OP. Thanks for sharing that. Rather encouraging. I had to get past worrying how much better others were than myself. Still working on it actually.
> 
> 
> 
> Working on the same thing. Where I can hear something in my head but can't play it at the tempo I want. Or I can hear a line in my head but can't quite play it exactly as I hear/imagine it and it comes out "dumbed down". Like a generic version of what I'm wanting to play.



@the second part: it's progressive. If it starts generic, that's alright unless you're improvising and fail horribly and a paycheck depends on it or something..? idk. Most of the time, it's irrelevant. If you're making something, you should be refining it anyways, so that process of going back and refining and going back and refining will ALWAYS be there unless you stop pushing yourself and just play the same old thing every day. If you want to play anything even remotely difficult, you're gonna have to practice anyways. Hearing exactly what you want to hear is trickier, because you might want to change it in a week or a year. 




Mik3D23 said:


> If I could be so bold, (sorry if you've answered this or have it out there somewhere already), I'm curious about some of your suggested massage techniques and playing techniques you mentioned?




Really tough to explain massage techniques with text. Would also take a long time considering how many I've accumulated over the years. Basically, you're just moving the muscle lightly and convincing it that being limber is in it's best interest. As for playing techniques, again, there's so much to be said...I'm not exactly sure where I'd even start there. 



VBCheeseGrater said:


> Cool post- one thing I would add, is even if you're not yet where you want to be, get out and play with other musicians, in a band preferably. I've seen so many guys that still think they are not good enough for a band, who can play really well, that miss out on the fun of playing with others in front of an audience because they think they are not quite good enough yet.
> 
> If you can play a few chords and licks, there's a band out there somewhere that needs you.



yep



fwd0120 said:


> I cried a little. Been so frustrated with music and life lately.



internet hugs/backslapping, listening to motivational speakers usually gets me through all that nonsense pretty quick 



EcoliUVA said:


> Great post as usual. I totally do the callous-building/maintenance thing on random objects. I also pick my pants seam like a guitar string. Strange lot, we are . I'd update my sig but I still like your sweep post too much.
> 
> The last line is probably the most important bit. Choosing a goal/direction for your self-motivation will help you get there faster. While I appreciate those with the determination to learn every aspect of everything music/instrument related, time constraints (ex: full time job, family, general responsibilities) can eat your practice time right up. You don't need to chicken pick to play metal leads, should that be your goal. Not saying someone couldn't make it work, though
> 
> As for the frustration with "those types," I totally get it. Well put, I wish you the best on your journey.




ahaha sweet didn't realize I was in your sig, thanks man  funny how much further I've come after writing that...there's so much more I wish I could do for it, but gotta handle a multitude of things I'd rather not but actually seriously have to and none of them involve jamming... which sucks


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## Matthew (Jan 3, 2014)

80H, you might be the most motivating person in my musical world, and I don't even know you.

Thank you.


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## JoshuaVonFlash (Jan 3, 2014)

The OP's post has been my attitude about guitar/music and life in general since as far as I can remember, always push yourself and better yourself, never give up, live life to the fullest and never settle for 2nd best or anything below #1.


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## 80H (Jan 3, 2014)

MStriewski said:


> 80H, you might be the most motivating person in my musical world, and I don't even know you.
> 
> Thank you.



Aw shucks. It's an honor. If it helps, I don't know any of the most motivating people in my musical world either lol  The Internet...




JoshuaVonFlash said:


> The OP's post has been my attitude about guitar/music and life in general since as far as I can remember, always push yourself and better yourself, never give up, live life to the fullest and never settle for 2nd best or anything below #1.




i developed this mentality from either starfox 64 or thinking way too much about death


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## JoshuaVonFlash (Jan 3, 2014)

80H said:


> Aw shucks. It's an honor. If it helps, I don't know any of the most motivating people in my musical world either lol  The Internet...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep Eminem's Lose Yourself sums this thread up perfectly, and Starfox 64, those animal's mouths moved so fast.


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## Mr-Jemhead93 (Jan 3, 2014)

Thanks so much for this pep talk it reminded I need to push myself I've gotten lazy these past few months and haven't progressed much this is what I needed no more excuses thanks again!! I really appreciated this!


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## Edika (Jan 3, 2014)

Great advice that can be applied to everything and not only music. People forget how much hard work is needed to advance in any demanding profession. Personally I don't aspire to be the best, just to meet the standards I have set for my self and the goals I want to achieve. For music it means to be able to play the things I want to and have fun. I have been getting a bit lazy lately and the pep talk is greatly appreciated. The main setback for me is the fact that music is a hobby and not a career aspiration.


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## trayenshreds (Jan 3, 2014)

I share a lot of views in common with you. Particularly the practice work ethic regime and the constant drive to better myself. I'm really reaching a pinnacle of my guitar playing currently as I'm rehearsing multiple advanced techniques as well as reviewing my theory books from college to enhance my knowledge further of everything I do related to guitar, bass, music production, vocals, and piano- and the discipline of these instruments has lead me to further disciplines in my personal life such as health, fitness, social skills, etc. 

I think this is pertinent to anything you are passionate about and desire more from- and the fact that good discipline from instruments/music can permeate into the rest of your life, and vice versa, I find absolutely intriguing. I also think your right that you should always learn to be passionate and desire more from positive things in your life, especially guitar, because, well- we're all here because we love guitar or bass or both. Why watch a player and become defeated? Rather be inspired and study their techniques that you become envious of. I've really learned this in the past few years of my musicianship (and I wish I learned it at a younger age). 

All these great players I've been studying intensively lately (John Petrucci Evan Brewer, Tosin Abasi, Victor Wooten) have been inspiring me rather than defeating me- because as I have properly broke down, accessed, and rehearsed these techniques I consistently become better at them. Now I've been decently advanced at guitar for a few years now, and just in 2013 I made more leaps and bounds with this work ethic than I did in the five years prior. It's all your mindset. It's about being open to criticism. About shelving your envy and pride to learn a new technique that you so badly want to do. About driving yourself to not only become a better guitar player, but a better human being through learning that level of discipline. There is never too much knowledge, and you should never want to stop learning more about your instrument, yourself, life, and music in general. Cheers.

PS: I try to do the same with a lot of players, and I teach guitar as well. It's really hard as with anything else to make someone see your perspective. I believe being a musician, having an openness to the perspective and cumulative knowledge of other individuals can push your boundaries further, and everybody should be willing to listen once and awhile. I've had players kick me from bands because they were afraid of playing with a technical guitar player, etc. It all comes with being a musician and the trials and tribulations we face via having to deal with other humans on a deep and personal level. It's not always easy, but keep trying: and if all else fails, just start jamming, you can always show them better than you can tell them.


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## metalmonster (Jan 3, 2014)

> This is done by seeing the picture for yourself instead of seeking it from others. It is about becoming someone that has enough pieces of the puzzle to learn and play with confidence.


This is what i've been trying to achieve since one month. I'm so much better at this now. It helps a lot to explore my unique capabilities and see where i can improve. 



> All these great players I've been studying intensively lately (John Petrucci Evan Brewer, Tosin Abasi, Victor Wooten) have been inspiring me rather than defeating me


same here  

The speech was excellent. I need that to be reminded to me every day. That's how you get good at something ... and the core of my existence.


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## HaVoC111 (Jan 4, 2014)

Good post. The most inspiring thing is recognizing progress on a day to day basis or even as little as week to week. "I couldn't play this riff a week ago but now I own it!" It's the musicians biggest crutch trying to not defeat yourself while learning something new. You can get super bummed out from not accomplishing something right away or even in several days. It's when you stop beating yourself up over it and realize that the goal will be achieved if you give it the time and care needed that life gets a whole lot better. And we all know that feeling of finally nailing something we've struggled with is absolutely unmatched. 

As for the filed nails- YES YES AND YES. Any time I've taught anyone guitar that's the first or second thing I address (the other is acceptance of the fact that you WILL suck when you first start playing and how to get over it). I keep nail clippers on me every day at work and I always get crap about it (though everyone wants to use them when they find out, hypocrites). 
To add to the "weird" things guitarists do, I'm usually trying to keep my left hand limber when I get a chance. Using either my right or left thumb as a "fretboard", I drum my digits in different paterns or just in sequence to see how fast I can move them. I get a lot of stupid comments about that too - "I bet you're good at guitar hero" "quit playing air guitar" etc. Just laugh it off and remember that people that don't play don't get it. No big deal.


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## trayenshreds (Jan 4, 2014)

metalmonster said:


> The speech was excellent. I need that to be reminded to me every day. That's how you get good at something ... and the core of my existence.



Glad what I said spoke to you man. Makes me happy there are others out there who embrace similar ideologies.



> As for the filed nails- YES YES AND YES.



Hahah THIS. For real though. People act like I'm mad when I gripe on how much fingernails and proper maintenance of them can either enhance or hinder my playing.


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## asher (Jan 4, 2014)

trayenshreds said:


> Hahah THIS. For real though. People act like I'm mad when I gripe on how much fingernails and proper maintenance of them can either enhance or hinder my playing.



I've recently really started to try to play with the tips of my fingers, not my pads - it's insane how much of a difference the nails make doing this. It still feels awkward and uncomfortable as all hell, but.


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## Centrix (Jan 5, 2014)

The original post and the replies have been truly inspiring... I was having quite the bad day after some college issues and yet it's wonderful how something that was originally written regarding music/guitar playing is actually something you should hold dearly in every aspect of your life. It has given me a new perspective on many things that have been haunting my thoughts lately. 

Thank you. This shall prove especially useful for my guitar/music theory practice and I will definitely keep an eye out for some of your other posts, since I have noticed you write out some great material (ex. the sweep thread).


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## The Reverend (Jan 5, 2014)

I think another thing that needs to be addressed is believing in your ability. I've come really far in the three years I've been playing guitar (and posting here), but I often didn't think that my playing was tight enough, solid enough, or skilled enough to hang with people who've been playing longer than me. It took a few random opportunities to find out that I'm actually a decent player. Once I started looking at where I really was, at the things I could do well, instead of focusing on all the things I couldn't do, I realized that I'm happy where I'm at, though of course I want to improve, as well. 

Another thing that helped me was finding a bunch of old songs I had recorded, as well as a bunch of Guitar Pro files I made. Some of them, or really most of them, were atrocious, and I was clearly able to see how much progress I'd made, both as a songwriter and as a guitar player. I'm considering writing and recording one song a month as a sort of musical diary to see where I've been, to hopefully track the maturity of my skills and musical voice. It kind of ties in with the idea of being better than you were the day before, just on a longer scale.


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## asher (Jan 5, 2014)

I have a *much* bigger issue with frustration and inner critic-style stuff than anything from outside sources. Noticing everything that's off (there's a lot!) and your playing just _feeling_ bad gets really disheartening. Not to mention I have lots of trouble prioritizing free time, so I am awful at sticking to practice schedules.


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## 80H (Jan 5, 2014)

JoshuaVonFlash said:


> Yep Eminem's Lose Yourself sums this thread up perfectly, and Starfox 64, those animal's mouths moved so fast.



nevergiveuptrustyourinstinctsfox




Mr-Jemhead93 said:


> Thanks so much for this pep talk it reminded I need to push myself I've gotten lazy these past few months and haven't progressed much this is what I needed no more excuses thanks again!! I really appreciated this!



just remember that the attitude comes first and the results come second and you will be way less likely to slip back into a funk. An excuse is more like a symptom of your state of mind than this arbitrary standalone thing thats preventing you from acting. It's more like a sign that you're not totally focused mentally or physically, and if you're at 60% instead of 95%...are you really even you at that point? How can you be an impartial judge and coach for yourself if you're only producing 2/3 of what you're capable of? That means you'd be losing 1 year for every 2 years you put in, and a year is a long time to be losing 



Edika said:


> Great advice that can be applied to everything and not only music. People forget how much hard work is needed to advance in any demanding profession. Personally I don't aspire to be the best, just to meet the standards I have set for my self and the goals I want to achieve. For music it means to be able to play the things I want to and have fun. I have been getting a bit lazy lately and the pep talk is greatly appreciated. The main setback for me is the fact that music is a hobby and not a career aspiration.



As someone from the other side of the fence that is actively working towards making this my living, no worries man. All of the guys at the top that are decent human beings love everyone of every skill level. Beginners give you that sense of newness and brings up all those old memories from the beginning when you had to scrub the floor just to play a C chord. Intermediates show you what separates the people that push and the people that give up, advanced shows you just how different someone can be while still being impressive, and everything beyond that just becomes this awesome exchange of information between people that love what they're doing enough to stick at it for a decade+ minimum...and that's not easy to find these days. Always great when you meet old man steve that's been playing since he was 12 though, always seek the greybeards when it comes to guitar. As far as I've come technically, my favorite are still the greybearded old dudes that have already lived a life and still have plenty of music to make. Can you imagine if old man Shawn Lane was just your neighbor playing guitar on the porch? 



trayenshreds said:


> I share a lot of views in common with you. Particularly the practice work ethic regime and the constant drive to better myself. I'm really reaching a pinnacle of my guitar playing currently as I'm rehearsing multiple advanced techniques as well as reviewing my theory books from college to enhance my knowledge further of everything I do related to guitar, bass, music production, vocals, and piano- and the discipline of these instruments has lead me to further disciplines in my personal life such as health, fitness, social skills, etc.
> 
> I think this is pertinent to anything you are passionate about and desire more from- and the fact that good discipline from instruments/music can permeate into the rest of your life, and vice versa, I find absolutely intriguing. I also think your right that you should always learn to be passionate and desire more from positive things in your life, especially guitar, because, well- we're all here because we love guitar or bass or both. Why watch a player and become defeated? Rather be inspired and study their techniques that you become envious of. I've really learned this in the past few years of my musicianship (and I wish I learned it at a younger age).
> 
> ...



Agreed all around, especially the group of musicians. The crazy thing is that I *STARTED* with Vai/Satch/Andy Mckee and Trace Bundy, so I got this weird, artificial boost to my standards within the first few months. Tosin's in there, Wootens are in there, Petrucci's in there, no brewer yet. Shawn Lane is really starting to click with me right now too, but I'm in that robotic mode where it isn't natural and I have to readjust my technique slightly with every single move. My brain is getting very Laneified though. 




metalmonster said:


> This is what i've been trying to achieve since one month. I'm so much better at this now. It helps a lot to explore my unique capabilities and see where i can improve.
> 
> same here
> 
> The speech was excellent. I need that to be reminded to me every day. That's how you get good at something ... and the core of my existence.



Just read or listen to it every day until it is so obvious to you that you could never possibly forget it. Will take a month or two before it's a life virtue in my experience 



HaVoC111 said:


> Good post. The most inspiring thing is recognizing progress on a day to day basis or even as little as week to week. "I couldn't play this riff a week ago but now I own it!" It's the musicians biggest crutch trying to not defeat yourself while learning something new. You can get super bummed out from not accomplishing something right away or even in several days. It's when you stop beating yourself up over it and realize that the goal will be achieved if you give it the time and care needed that life gets a whole lot better. And we all know that feeling of finally nailing something we've struggled with is absolutely unmatched.
> 
> As for the filed nails- YES YES AND YES. Any time I've taught anyone guitar that's the first or second thing I address (the other is acceptance of the fact that you WILL suck when you first start playing and how to get over it). I keep nail clippers on me every day at work and I always get crap about it (though everyone wants to use them when they find out, hypocrites).
> To add to the "weird" things guitarists do, I'm usually trying to keep my left hand limber when I get a chance. Using either my right or left thumb as a "fretboard", I drum my digits in different paterns or just in sequence to see how fast I can move them. I get a lot of stupid comments about that too - "I bet you're good at guitar hero" "quit playing air guitar" etc. Just laugh it off and remember that people that don't play don't get it. No big deal.



I stretch in public when I get bored. F*ck texting man, I'm stiff. I gotta get some blood in these bio-organic wire electrochemical things so I can go wanananananana. 

Nails are so pro. So pro so pro so pro. Immediately noticeable change, especially on the left hand. I tap AND fingerpick so I really really have to be on the ball with my right hand's nails. If they are too long I can't tap and if they're too short I lose my fingernail tone. 





asher said:


> I've recently really started to try to play with the tips of my fingers, not my pads - it's insane how much of a difference the nails make doing this. It still feels awkward and uncomfortable as all hell, but.



You're on the right track, definitely. I still use my pads sometimes though. There's a time and a place for them, even if it's more rare. I would say probably 80~90% tip on average and then maybe 10% of what I do verges on pad territory, especially when string skipping. 



Centrix said:


> The original post and the replies have been truly inspiring... I was having quite the bad day after some college issues and yet it's wonderful how something that was originally written regarding music/guitar playing is actually something you should hold dearly in every aspect of your life. It has given me a new perspective on many things that have been haunting my thoughts lately.
> 
> Thank you. This shall prove especially useful for my guitar/music theory practice and I will definitely keep an eye out for some of your other posts, since I have noticed you write out some great material (ex. the sweep thread).



Hey man, thanks  

Most of my skills with guitar come from my approach to life, but sometimes it's the other way around. Every discipline affects every other discipline. 



The Reverend said:


> I think another thing that needs to be addressed is believing in your ability. I've come really far in the three years I've been playing guitar (and posting here), but I often didn't think that my playing was tight enough, solid enough, or skilled enough to hang with people who've been playing longer than me. It took a few random opportunities to find out that I'm actually a decent player. Once I started looking at where I really was, at the things I could do well, instead of focusing on all the things I couldn't do, I realized that I'm happy where I'm at, though of course I want to improve, as well.
> 
> Another thing that helped me was finding a bunch of old songs I had recorded, as well as a bunch of Guitar Pro files I made. Some of them, or really most of them, were atrocious, and I was clearly able to see how much progress I'd made, both as a songwriter and as a guitar player. I'm considering writing and recording one song a month as a sort of musical diary to see where I've been, to hopefully track the maturity of my skills and musical voice. It kind of ties in with the idea of being better than you were the day before, just on a longer scale.



I would say that first part I mentioned is more of just an ingredient than an underlying fundamental. When you say believing in yourself, do you get that there's an end result to that? Like a certain way of diffusing negative thoughts, a certain attitude, a certain work ethic, a certain feeling, etc. That self-trust/confidence/expressiveness is what everyone is really trying to do, and I think that's why you've come to the (logical) conclusion that self-belief is important. Can you immediately diffuse any of the self-doubt/insecurity/deadness that can ruin a practice session? 

You sort of have to foster this personality that makes your weaknesses seem like this insignificant thing you have to schedule more time for. It's really hard for me to not be confident in myself when I understand what it takes to get better. I've already accepted that I'll die before I learn everything so I'm not exactly stressing over here lol 




asher said:


> I have a *much* bigger issue with frustration and inner critic-style stuff than anything from outside sources. Noticing everything that's off (there's a lot!) and your playing just _feeling_ bad gets really disheartening. Not to mention I have lots of trouble prioritizing free time, so I am awful at sticking to practice schedules.




Frustration/inner self-critic is all bullshit. Total self-perpetuated lies. You have no idea what you're capable of. This is a non-deterministic universe. At any moment, you are 1 or 2 opportunities away from being in an environment that pushes you to be better. You may as well focus on your mood and your attitude, because you can change those things quickly, and they usually produce better results. It doesn't matter how sick of a practice schedule I make for the week...if I have a shitty mood and don't want to do it, I'm going to suck. Practice schedule _*almost*_ doesn't matter.


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## trayenshreds (Jan 5, 2014)

80H said:


> Agreed all around, especially the group of musicians. The crazy thing is that I *STARTED* with Vai/Satch/Andy Mckee and Trace Bundy, so I got this weird, artificial boost to my standards within the first few months. Tosin's in there, Wootens are in there, Petrucci's in there, no brewer yet. Shawn Lane is really starting to click with me right now too, but I'm in that robotic mode where it isn't natural and I have to readjust my technique slightly with every single move. My brain is getting very Laneified though.



Haha cool, sounds like we have a lot in common! The players I began with were Petrucci, Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen- which for me set a very high precedent for my guitar playing and musicianship to follow. I basically began guitar learning Dream Theater riffs, and things such as 9/8 time with key shifts feel so natural to me because of that upbringing. I wouldn't change it for the world, because it has driven me to become the best musician I can possibly become- and then to continue pushing afterwards. It's what keeps me practicing day to day every day consistently. I'm also trying to make a career out of this, so I know exactly where your coming from. That fire for knowledge and mastery of music and my instruments burns within me from the minute I wake up until the minute I go to sleep, and then even in my dreams. Cheers bud!


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## axemanrio (Jan 6, 2014)

Thanks 80H, great post to kick off the year!


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## TeeWX (Jan 6, 2014)

80H said:


> Frustration/inner self-critic is all bullshit. Total self-perpetuated lies. You have no idea what you're capable of. This is a non-deterministic universe. At any moment, you are 1 or 2 opportunities away from being in an environment that pushes you to be better. You may as well focus on your mood and your attitude, because you can change those things quickly, and they usually produce better results. It doesn't matter how sick of a practice schedule I make for the week...if I have a shitty mood and don't want to do it, I'm going to suck. Practice schedule _*almost*_ doesn't matter.



What is it that you do if you're in a crappy mood? Sometimes I pick up the guitar and I'm just not feeling it whatsoever. Something else is on my mind or I'm creatively exhausted etc. I end up just kinda chugging on a string for a bit and putting it down, and then doing something else until I get that natural push to want to pick it up again, which usually doesn't take me too long. I do the same thing if I feel any pain. I'm on a break for all of January so I've been swapping between guitar practice, and LoL + background listening to metal albums I haven't heard before to get inspiration. It's been working great.


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## asher (Jan 6, 2014)

80H said:


> You may as well focus on your mood and your attitude, because you can change those things quickly, and they usually produce better results.



I'm working on it - it's been a long running problem. But it's a slow and grinding process.


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## octatoan (Aug 8, 2014)

80H.
You effin' rock.


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## Gregory Frus (Aug 8, 2014)

Great thread!!! All about the mindset. And it's contagious.


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## thatguyupthere (Aug 8, 2014)

thank you for your words. it made me realize how lazy I am about achieving what I absolutely want so terribly bad. I just never knew how to get started. I preferred playing over practicing, but now im going to start practicing even more. 

I'm going to make more progress in the rest of this year than I did last year, I promise myself that. heck, I already made good progress today. I'm better than I was just two hours ago. not by a stellar leap, but a significant step. im going to gather my resources and ....ing use them for a change. I want a career in music, its time I get the ball rolling on that shit. right now.

seriously, thanks a lot. that made me want to do so much more. practice first and foremost, then play. I need to work hard before I play hard.

BTW, what is wind picking?


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## 80H (Aug 9, 2014)

trayenshreds said:


> Haha cool, sounds like we have a lot in common! The players I began with were Petrucci, Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen- which for me set a very high precedent for my guitar playing and musicianship to follow. I basically began guitar learning Dream Theater riffs, and things such as 9/8 time with key shifts feel so natural to me because of that upbringing. I wouldn't change it for the world, because it has driven me to become the best musician I can possibly become- and then to continue pushing afterwards. It's what keeps me practicing day to day every day consistently. I'm also trying to make a career out of this, so I know exactly where your coming from. That fire for knowledge and mastery of music and my instruments burns within me from the minute I wake up until the minute I go to sleep, and then even in my dreams. Cheers bud!



Right? The upbringing was so crucial for me, because as odd as it sounds, it set me off on the path that I'm now. I wanted to play what I heard, but now that I've grown, I want to play something completely different...and I have the mental toolkit to do that. And you _know_ our fire was lit with the same Bic. 



axemanrio said:


> Thanks 80H, great post to kick off the year!



Thanks for the kind words ! 



TeeWX said:


> What is it that you do if you're in a crappy mood? Sometimes I pick up the guitar and I'm just not feeling it whatsoever. Something else is on my mind or I'm creatively exhausted etc. I end up just kinda chugging on a string for a bit and putting it down, and then doing something else until I get that natural push to want to pick it up again, which usually doesn't take me too long. I do the same thing if I feel any pain. I'm on a break for all of January so I've been swapping between guitar practice, and LoL + background listening to metal albums I haven't heard before to get inspiration. It's been working great.



If I'm in a crappy mood, I will usually listen to music and pull out whatever emotion I can to use as fuel. My guitar is kind of like emotional alchemy, in that if I'm feeling sad, I can usually play in minor keys and fandangle my psychology by throwing major sounds in there. It's like a dose of optimism even if you don't want it. It's natural to burnout, but it's also natural to make things so natural that it's impossible to burnout, so there's that. I haven't burned out at all since I started, so maybe I'm weird, but a few cups of coffee in record speed is usually enough to edge me up. Caffeine is drugs! 



asher said:


> I'm working on it - it's been a long running problem. But it's a slow and grinding process.



Steady! As long as it's steady, you'll never have a care nor concern. If you find your groove, ride it as long as you can, because that's the essence of joy. If you love what you're doing, and you do it at the right pace for yourself, you are the embodiment of what it means to live life well. 



Awesoham said:


> 80H.
> You effin' rock.



no u



Gregory Frus said:


> Great thread!!! All about the mindset. And it's contagious.



"The rising tide lifts all ships"



thatguyupthere said:


> thank you for your words. it made me realize how lazy I am about achieving what I absolutely want so terribly bad. I just never knew how to get started. I preferred playing over practicing, but now im going to start practicing even more.
> 
> I'm going to make more progress in the rest of this year than I did last year, I promise myself that. heck, I already made good progress today. I'm better than I was just two hours ago. not by a stellar leap, but a significant step. im going to gather my resources and ....ing use them for a change. I want a career in music, its time I get the ball rolling on that shit. right now.
> 
> ...



First, wind picking was formally renamed to wave picking after I developed it a bit more. It was named after the wind chimes I used to hear outside my window at my dad's old house, because they could seamlessly transition from 64th notes to quarter notes, and it was orgasmic. I eventually found a way to achieve some of the sounds, but I have spent well over a thousand hours with that technique alone, so there's no way I could fully explain it in a post or two. My current goal is to have a 1~2 hour video up with my upcoming channel/mystery project to fully explain what it is and how I got to the understanding that I'm at with it now, so it'd basically be like my sweep picking guide on steroids. 

As for your negativity: 
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/3906233-post2.html

That was intended for someone else in a similar thread, but it should give you an idea of my psychology for dealing with the situation you've found yourself in.

And the sweep picking guide: 
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...-wax-off-fundamental-guide-sweep-picking.html


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## octatoan (Aug 9, 2014)

Ooh. imsoexcited


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