Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn.....

[Randyrhoads123]

So I'm in college right now, but I'm fairly introverted and haven't really made much of an effort to get to know the people on my floor in my dorm. So tonight I changed the strings on my Schecter and just kept the door to my room open while I was doing it. A few people passed by when I was playing after changing them, but didn't say anything. Then about an hour ago I was walking out of the bathroom and these two girls who I sort of knew and recognized from my floor started talking to me and asked me if I could play guitar for them. I thought, "Sure! Girls are talking to me AND want me to play guitar? What could go wrong?" Well, not too much, but things could've gone a lot better.

It started out alright; I brought out my classical acoustic and played "Blackbird" by the Beatles, but then I sorta blanked on the other "pretty songs" that I know. I tried playing Patterns in the Ivy and Fade to Black, but everyone was soon much more interested in the ping pong game going on across the room. So I sorta just sat around on the side of the room I was on and played quietly to myself until one of the girls called me over to come sit down next to them. So I go and sit next to them and one of the girls wants me to teach her guitar, "easy!", I thought. I taught her a G major and a D major, and it was at this point I noticed everyone was a little tipsy, except for this one guy in front of me... he was totally trashed. But that guy was awesome because whatever I played, he just looked like he was having his mind blown and kept saying, "that's amazing!". The girls were not too impressed. They kept asking me to play pop songs, "Santeria"... "I'm Yours"..."Wonderwall" (really? totally thought that this was a joke and that no one actually plays this) and each time I had to sorta awkwardly turn them down because I don't know them. Could've done "Wonderwall" but I left my capo in my room (seriously, screw capos). So it was at this point that the girls knew they weren't gonna get their musical fulfillment from me and they saw this guy walking by who apparently also plays guitar, and ask him to bring his out. He brings it out, immediately starts playing these songs, and I'm left alone sitting watching the ping-pong game. Man, this is lame. Then finally the universe's infinite wit let me know it was time to go when this guy started playing "Good Riddance" by Green Day. I figured it was time to leave. So now I'm here typing up a thread talking about my super lame night with my dormmates.

Lesson learned, if you want girls to like what you play, learn a couple songs that everyone can sing along to and bring a capo. Only play cool stuff if you want the one way-too-drunk-guy to think you're super awesome. I just have to laugh at myself though, it was pretty funny just looking at this situation from the outside. Total cringe moment.

Anyone else have any stories of social/musical ineptitude they'd like to share?

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

looks like you need to learn more "mainstream" songs bro...

either that or play what you really like. this way you will weed-out the shallow ppl, and when the girl that likes and knows what you are playing comes along, youll know she may be the one for you.

 

[mlp187]

I'm sorry man! Good read though.
When I was in 7th grade, I was an ugly kid. No joke. But I was insanely talented with the guitar. I had my guitar with me at school for some reason, and these three hot chicks came over and asked me to play for them. They asked if i could play up high for them (shred) and I let loose a fury of tapped arpeggios and sweeps, and in the midst of that a giant glob of drool fell out of my face onto my hands and all over my fretboard. They started laughing and walked away.
Pretty damn funny now but was soul crushing at the time.

 

[Randyrhoads123]

looks like you need to learn more "mainstream" songs bro...

either that or play what you really like. this way you will weed-out the shallow ppl, and when the girl that likes and knows what you are playing comes along, youll know she may be the one for you.

Very true, gotta just keep going with it! She'd definitely be the girl of my dreams.

I'm sorry man! Good read though.
When I was in 7th grade, I was an ugly kid. No joke. But I was insanely talented with the guitar. I had my guitar with me at school for some reason, and these three hot chicks came over and asked me to play for them. They asked if i could play up high for them (shred) and I let loose a fury of tapped arpeggios and sweeps, and in the midst of that a giant glob of drool fell out of my face onto my hands and all over my fretboard. They started laughing and walked away.
Pretty damn funny now but was soul crushing at the time.

That's brutal man, but totally a funny story now!

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I've had pretty much the exact same thing happen to me, so I know the feel.

I don't even own an acoustic or know any "pretty"/popular songs, so you can imagine the blank I drew and embarrassment I felt when I was walking across the lobby of my dorm and my roommate was sitting there with his acoustic and decided he'd try to wingman me a bit and tell the girls near him and really everyone in the room that I was "such a ridiculously good guitarist" and I just haaad to show them all something

It's never fun having to explain to people that your first musical language is metal electric playing

 

[Cabinet]

If you define yourself in college by your guitar skills and you aren't -that- guy, you will be disappointed. It can be an anti confidence thing to be around people who want you to play guitar and you can't.
The only popular song I CAN play is Smells like Teen Spirit.

I learned how to play jazz so I can .... around for 7 minutes on a standard and everyone thinks I'm awesome because I know a few 7th chords and throw chromatic notes in my solos.

 

[The Reverend]

Yeah, my knowledge of pop songs is ridiculously poor. I can play some Beethoven, or Pachelbel, and pretty much anything Suicide Silence has ever written, but I'm lost when it comes to Wonderwall or Taylor Swift stuff. Sitting there and bullshitting until I figure out the chord progression doesn't win a lot of point either, so it's a wash.

 

[piggins411]

When I was younger I learned a bunch of that kind of stuff and I have a soft spot for sappy songs, so I can always fall back on that. Of course, no one has ever asked to play guitar for them either, so it's irrelevant anyway

 

[Svava]

Yeah it's true when I sit down with my popular country-boy friend who plays pop rock on his acoustic he gets most of the attention.

However, somewhere off in the back of the room there's a quiet girl wearing a hoodie who is watching me tap/alt pick/sweep out some 7th chord arpeggios in a syncopated odd meter. Her peers don't know what I'm doing and don't care.

But she knows.

My friend will go home with a few of the members of his audience and will have a fairly interesting night. He will ultimately end up disappointing the girls and making an excuse about being drunk and tired from playing all of those excellent pieces of thinker's music. They will not call him back.

I, however, will leave the party early with the girl in the back and we will discuss literature together over a really shitty cup of coffee at a local open-late cafe.

Later that night, at a nearby motel, she will take off her hoodie and reveal herself as a Greek Goddess of music, sex, and tech-djent. We will destroy most of the furniture in the room as the wee hours of the morning spend themselves, ultimately passing out stark naked among tattered clothes and wrecked decoration just as the first rays of the sun begin to ooze over the horizon.




I think I'll stick to my style of music.

 

[Cabinet]

Then she leaves you for a guy who can sweep pick faster and cleaner than you #Feels

 

[Randyrhoads123]

Yeah it's true when I sit down with my popular country-boy friend who plays pop rock on his acoustic he gets most of the attention.

However, somewhere off in the back of the room there's a quiet girl wearing a hoodie who is watching me tap/alt pick/sweep out some 7th chord arpeggios in a syncopated odd meter. Her peers don't know what I'm doing and don't care.

But she knows.

My friend will go home with a few of the members of his audience and will have a fairly interesting night. He will ultimately end up disappointing the girls and making an excuse about being drunk and tired from playing all of those excellent pieces of thinker's music. They will not call him back.

I, however, will leave the party early with the girl in the back and we will discuss literature together over a really shitty cup of coffee at a local open-late cafe.

Later that night, at a nearby motel, she will take off her hoodie and reveal herself as a Greek Goddess of music, sex, and tech-djent. We will destroy most of the furniture in the room as the wee hours of the morning spend themselves, ultimately passing out stark naked among tattered clothes and wrecked decoration just as the first rays of the sun begin to ooze over the horizon.




I think I'll stick to my style of music.

You sir, are a djent[le]man.

 

[JoshuaVonFlash]

Then she leaves you for a guy who can sweep pick faster and cleaner than you #Feels

 

[TylerEstes]

If you wanna be popular then learn to play some Taylor Swift and Adele

They're probably easy to learn. Or write your own sappy stuff.

 

[SpaceDock]

Seriously, just pull out your phone, google "wonder wall chords", forget the capo as no one will be the wiser, and bang out the chords while half heartedly singing "today was gonna be the day"

Most of these songs are really easy to play just by looking at the chords even if you have never played the song before, in my experience.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

When I grow up, I want to be like Svava

 

[TVasquez96]

Yeah it's true when I sit down with my popular country-boy friend who plays pop rock on his acoustic he gets most of the attention.

However, somewhere off in the back of the room there's a quiet girl wearing a hoodie who is watching me tap/alt pick/sweep out some 7th chord arpeggios in a syncopated odd meter. Her peers don't know what I'm doing and don't care.

But she knows.

My friend will go home with a few of the members of his audience and will have a fairly interesting night. He will ultimately end up disappointing the girls and making an excuse about being drunk and tired from playing all of those excellent pieces of thinker's music. They will not call him back.

I, however, will leave the party early with the girl in the back and we will discuss literature together over a really shitty cup of coffee at a local open-late cafe.

Later that night, at a nearby motel, she will take off her hoodie and reveal herself as a Greek Goddess of music, sex, and tech-djent. We will destroy most of the furniture in the room as the wee hours of the morning spend themselves, ultimately passing out stark naked among tattered clothes and wrecked decoration just as the first rays of the sun begin to ooze over the horizon.




I think I'll stick to my style of music.

Never has a more beautiful story ever been told

 

[MemphisHawk]

The moral of the story is that you can play Wonderwall without a capo.

If you want to bag college chicks, then you need to hammer down some slow Dave Matthews songs, all the ones you names, and other stuff you may not like. It won't kill you as a guitarist to know a Dave Matthews song anyway.

If you want to find the girl of your dreams based on what songs you play hr on guitar, I'd skip all that and find one that loves the metal.

 

[GatherTheArsenal]

Yup been there when I was 15-16 in highschool, not a cool feeling whatsoever i feel your pain dude! But I got my ego back with reinforcements when i played in every talent show from grade 10 and on. Covered Foo Fighters Everlong and Monkey Wrench, covered Thrice, Sum 41, Deftones, RHCP Californication, and AFI with a couple musicians in my grade and below. Pretty much whatever was on Much Music (Canadian equivalent to MTV) we tried to play.

And you know what I learned? The kid who's playing on a stage in front of a crowd totally trumps the other guy playing at a party. So if I can give any advice, try to play WITH other musicians around you, not against them. Preferably in front of a crowd if you really want to get the vag to flock over to you. That's 1 option.

The other option is to go the complete other way - bust out the Slayer shirt, grow your hair out, paint your fingernails black, slap on some smoky black eye liner, and tattoo up. Eventually you'll give zero ....s about stuff like, not playing "santeria" for a college chick... pffft!

 

[marshallH]

I'm probably one the best guitarists at my high school that I know, and I really don't mean to brag, but people always seem more interested in people can sing. Seriously, I remember one time at camp me and this girl both had guitars, and I was playing this really dark folk piece i wrote in 6/8 and I had a couple go "wow that beautiful" etc then the other girl strums a few chords and starts singing and they all go over to her. I mean, I didn't care THAT much, since I wasn't really trying to get attention, it was just kind of baffling. I've been told I can sing pretty well outside of choir but the only song I'm really comfortable singing alone while playing is fall back down by rancid. Oh well, whatever.

 

[marshallH]

I learned how to play jazz so I can .... around for 7 minutes on a standard and everyone thinks I'm awesome because I know a few 7th chords and throw chromatic notes in my solos.

THIS

But sometimes I get told my jazz sounds like the old Mario music and my chromatic tritones sound lie, "the sound when you die" and I have to say I kind of agree