Biggest Mistakes That Young Guitar Players Make

[brandondrury]

Hey guitar players,

I was wondering what you considered to be the biggest mistakes that young guitar players make.


Brandon

[Matt]

I dunno if its the biggest mistake, but alot and I mean ALOT of us waste money buying the exact same setup our 'heros' had. We do this thinking we'll sound just like them. That approach is futile. Gear only makes up a small percentage of the great players tone.

Its all in 'their' hands.

[Strat-O-Pat]

trying to learn on an 'el cheapo' guitar. It sounds like crap and is hard to play. It's hard to keep tuned, and sounds like crap.

[firefingers]

idk Mine was $99 and was a Ibanez. It is really nice.

[brandondrury]

I've seen some horrendous guitars for $500 and I've seen amazing guitars for $199. I guess it's just a matter of luck.

The biggest flaw I see in young players is the lack of emphasis on timing. It seams that everyone is interested in flashy stuff. In the end this leads bands that sound terrible (because they don't have the timing) and a focus on flash when the average person simply wants to hear a great song. After hanging out with a producer with platinum records on his wall, I must say that flash is almost totally thrown out the window with guitar players. Playing tight as a band is number two...great songs are number one.

So maybe the biggest flaw is not writing enough songs.

Brandon

[TAlderson]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I've seen some horrendous guitars for $500 and I've seen amazing guitars for $199.? I guess it's just a matter of luck.

I have a Takamine G230 guitar I got for $199 and it is AMAZING. I would never think of buying a different starting guitar, even for more money. It has really taken many beatings well, and it still sounds great.

-Tyler

[tyger373]

My biggest problem was not get frustrated. I thought it was such a hard instrument to learn. Sticking with it was key for me. I got my first guitar, played for about a month and then gave up. I started playing again about a year and a half later and haven't stopped yet. If I had that down time under my belt I would a be much better player.

[brandondrury]

Great post!

That's something that everyone in any field needs to understand. No matter if you are playing guitar or drums, building a website, or painting a wall there will always be someone better than you. It is important to see how your work differs from "the best". However, if you get frustrated when you do this, you may need to chill out a little bit and relax.

I used to get SO FRUSTRATED because my recordings didn't sound like like million dollar recordings. Of course, it dawned on me eventually that my recordings are more like $300 recordings in many cases and for $300 they sound alright. While I always push to get better and better, it's way more important to chill out, relax, and keep practicing than it is to be the best over night.

Brandon

[dach]

I was wondering what you considered to be the biggest mistakes that young guitar players make.{/QUOTE]
not so much a mistake but more of an attitude.... too much EGO

[brandondrury]

Oddly enough, I don't deal with too many guitar players with big egos. In fact, I can only think of one.

That could be because I'm a former guitar player turned recording guy who has too big of ego to notice! ;D

Brandon