Five Lessons I Wish I Had Learned Sooner

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

As a thirty-year veteran of all instruments and a content creator who wears every hat, I can confidently say that, in my case at least, ALL practice that was not in the context of music, was a waste of time. Any finger exercises, scales, rote and repetition, taught me jack squat. To learn "style," we must learn from those whose styles speak to us.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Amen!

[@a.j.garrett9639]

Our guitar Heroes who y'all grew up listening to and loving and try to emulate they weren't sitting here and watching KZbin videos and taking lessons. So what does that tell you. I can relate to what you're saying. But damn I love watching lessons. I just love everything about guitar. 🎉

[@donvape336]

I need to rethink my playing. Being a long time bass player, I can hear it play it. Guitar not so much. Yes, I need to learn my pentatonic scales better but I need adjust. I am playing too much. I need to play like I do bass songs.

[@J.Carter69]

The internet is not alway a good place, but when Jeff shares his wisdom and knowledge with us , for free! The Internet is a very very good place. Great video thanks Jeff :)

[@michaelclarkphoto]

Indeed, great advice as usual!!! Thanks Jeff.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thank you VERY much!

[@stratman9449]

awwwhhhh...how sweet....

[@fireflyva100]

Jeff - you nailed my musical experience to a tee....it only I could have those hours back.

[@bshiabk]

"What you practice will come out live." My Muay Thai coach once said something similar, "Train the way you fight because you will fight like how you train." Great nuggets of wisdom here Jeff

[@JeffMcErlain]

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙏🏻

[@charliejohnson7703]

You present a tremendous amount of learned wisdom here. I resonate with each of these pitfalls.

[@Wermode]

I’m so glad I learned all this scales when I was very young. I’m equally glad I stopped using them to solo long ago. Thanks, Jeff!

[@treverswearingen8596]

Thank you Jeff. Super insightful! Easy to get caught up chasing technique at the expense of becoming a musician.

[@JeffMcErlain]

🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@TommySG1]

Thanks Jeff, Love your content as well as many of your lessons. You really are such an excellent player and teacher as well man.

[@icarusi]

I'm old enough to remember when there was a new music style every 6 months. It was competitive, and like fashion. The managements were looking for the next big thing, so everyone added something of the new stuff to their original stuff, each time. It wasn't so compartmentalised 'til later when factions started reverting to neo-retro versions of older stuff, and rejecting anything current. There are some good style straddlers who can do a good job in any circumstances, which is very difficult, so there aren't that many, but it is doable. The problem is fusing and merging styles vs flipping between styles. The straddlers do it well, so you don't realise where their unusual playing is coming from. Hendrix used a lot of country stuff he found in the chittlin ciruit, but played with a rock/blues sound. I only realised later when the country rock fashion happened what the origins were.

[@JohnHorneGuitar]

Great video, Jeff. Perfect advice!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks John. Really appreciate that coming from you.

[@ThatOneGuitarDude]

Love the Jeff Beck Esquire! Sounds so great!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Oh man me too! Sadly it’s not mine!

[@ThatOneGuitarDude]

@@JeffMcErlaintime to trade/sell so it does become yours ;)

[@guydouglas6094]

Excellent words! I have always believed " learn songs " then find what you need to do on your guitar to get there. Love your videos Jeff and your wonderful collection of Les Pauls. 👍😃

[@BobJones-kj4pj]

Soooo True Jeff Great advice, thank you

[@GazMoz78]

Wise words Jeff. Love the playing on the PRS in intro and outro. Tone is on point! A nice contrast to Matt's Strat on the gig 😎

[@Jon.simmons]

Thank you for another great video. I wish I had seen this 30 years ago. The best thing for me to learn phrasing is backing tracks! Also knowing where your abilities lie. I'll never be a EVH, so I don't practice that stuff. I know I am a rhythm player, and that is what I work on. I do minimal leads, I can really only do three or four note phrases, so I work on that. Knowing your skills, and working on them, even if it's what you do not want to play.

[@wildatlanticman128]

Thank you - wise words.

[@stratman9449]

1st off.....hey Jeff...!!!....whats that...a Tele..!!???...haha great...but it won't make you a country star...anyway....totally agree with all you said about how and what (and what NOT) to practice....due to my "advanced" age i've realized this long ago......"practice what you preach".....(i.e. live)....i've gone through these "phases" when young, doing spanish flamenco, classical stuff etc....but when all said and done, play what you REALLY love and believe in....in my case blues and blues rock, mainly from the late 60s to mid 70s...golden aera.....cheers

[@VilleKuitunen6]

It’s a journey where we all face these pitfalls. Would you be the player you are if you didn’t practice all that ”useless” stuff, too? I’m honestly sure that even if I was told ”don’t do that” back when I was young - I probably would’ve done it anyway LOL. To be happy with what you have and finding your own style, practicing music, it’s all we need. And it makes us better. This is a very good and thought-provoking video/topic.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks man! Like I said, I don’t necessarily regret it, but I think a little less time obsessing about it and more time obsessing about music would probably have served me better.

[@RickFlynn-zc2pk]

This is the video I needed. I get overwhelmed with the countless things to learn on guitar. Instead of focusing on being the guitar player I want to be.

[@mikedr1549]

You're pretty good at that guitar thing!!

[@Dnell-tb1yd]

Thanks Jeff. What I’ve tried to do is to find the things that connect the styles I like. It always seems to begin with the blues.

[@JeffMcErlain]

For me as well.

[@druwk]

All true, but working on theory, harmony and coordination have all been inspiring for me. Music is the goal. Sometimes what seems like magic, is just simple harmony? It’s all part of the same burrito.

[@JeffMcErlain]

It’s all about keeping the music focus!

[@retiredguyadventures6211]

As an intermediate player I couldn't agree more with wasting time on stuff that doesn't matter. For new, and intermediate players it's to tempting to wander around KZbin looking for inspiration because we haven't developed the disipline to stay focused on what matters yet. I love the blues and that is what I want to learn, but I spent way to much time watching KZbin videos of stuff I thought might be cool to learn but in the end didn't contribute to what I really wanted to be better at. For me this means focusing on my timing, cleaner chord changes, rhythm and learning how to play lead over chord changes.

[@tommythomas7944]

Jeff I am focusing on basic chords and memorizing the fret board. What should I study next?

[@JeffMcErlain]

Pentatonic scales for sure and learning some simple solos.

[@larrys.5249]

GREAT Video. I have come to this same conclusion just recently and this lesson greatly reinforces my belief in what you say. Listen to the music/band/track and play along and make the best music you can.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Excellent!

[@aminahmed2220]

W the 2010s what a fantastic video have a wonderful weekend jeff also my favorite youtuber ❤😊

[@51zodiac]

great advice, as always Jeff - thanks

[@JeffMcErlain]

Glad to help!

[@BrandochGarage]

I love the shinies...

[@joeylodes]

Great 👍 video Jeff

[@chrisquinn9104]

Thanks Jeff I’ve played guitar for 40-sumthin’ years. Every time I see a “see how you’re doing it wrong” video, I figure I’ve probably built my playing on doing all of those things. Turns out ADHD has kept me too distracted from doing them all. I practice scales and some other stuff, but, as you kind of pointed out, it’s not that satisfying when it comes out. That’s when I go into “What would Ringo do?” mode, clear my head of what’s under my fingers a compose something from a different part of my brain.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Right on!

[@guydouglas6094]

“What would Ringo do?” - love that!

[@13thAMG]

You just described my sorry ass guitar life, Jeff. 🤣🤣🤣 I will follow this advice. I kinda knew deep down I needed to work this out. Great as always, Jeff. 😊

[@RedLion88]

Beautiful relic Tele!

[@JeffMcErlain]

No it’s real… ok. No it’s not ! But it’s awesome!

[@stratman9449]

@@JeffMcErlain hahaha......its a REAL "Relic".....as we all are.....

[@jeremyversusjazz]

really great thoughts. now about that “new” esquire?!!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Sadly it’s not mine. It’s a master built Jeff Beck replica one of 100. It belongs to my friend’s store @watchtowerguitars. It’s a GREAT guitar but a little too steep for my wallet.

[@jeremyversusjazz]

@@JeffMcErlain yeah…i draw the line at CS fenders…the MB stuff is harder to justify…maybe it holds value better 🤷‍♂️

[@JeffMcErlain]

@@jeremyversusjazz not so sure about the value. It’s not a real vintage gtr. Sort of a self created market by fender. The annoying thing is this is a really great guitar though…

[@jeremyversusjazz]

@@JeffMcErlain well I think you need it. You don’t have an esquire do you?😀

[@JeffMcErlain]

@@jeremyversusjazz I like the way you think.

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

This was worth a second watch.

[@glh1956]

Interesting post Jeff nice playing at the gig 👍

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks!

[@davidcromwell6805]

Thanks Jeff - sage advice! Also, fabulous playing at the Bitter End, but...how did you manage not to break a string?! ;)

[@JeffMcErlain]

Ha! Change them before the gig!

[@andrewhnorris1]

Often these kind of videos are just bla bla bla. This video actually has wisdom and experience embedded in it. Very very good advice. Thank you.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thank you for watching and being here. 🙏🏻

[@PsionicAudio]

MOAR ESQUIRE!!!!

[@JeffMcErlain]

If only it were mine…

[@kmajor44]

Excellent! Concise and on point. Nice esquire…btw 👊

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thank you!!

[@punchrunliftoutdoortrainin2871]

Great vid.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks!!!

[@mykneeshurt8393]

Practice is my live playing.

[@JeffMcErlain]

🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@t3hgir]

there's a clip of drummer Mark Guiliana, he says "be careful what you practice" ... applies to guitar. It WILL show up in your playing. You don't need to learn every guitarists licks & style under the sun.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Yup!

[@lionPGF]

Hey Jeff, all your journeys through all those styles you mentioned, made you a sofisticate guitar player that you are today. Your advices are not 100% the real thing …not even 10% ! Your hard work and struggle paid off

[@JeffMcErlain]

Ha! Well thanks! I hope I made clear that it more relates to too much technical things and more music!!

[@TheMinorFallTheMajorLift]

I’ll take a respectfully contrary position and ask how can you know these things were the wrong way to spend time? You only have one brain, one life, and one cannot know anything about paths not taken. I take your advice seriously, I do. And I find your advice thought provoking, which is the highest praise I can offer. All that said, you’re probably onto something 😊

[@JeffMcErlain]

Excellent question and when I expected to get earlier! Of course there was no way I could’ve known this, but if someone had said to me at the time, scales are awesome for example but they are just part of the bigger puzzle, I couldn’t see the forest from the trees to use the old cliché. we all are on the road. We’re on, but in retrospect I think of these things were told to me, with examples, I might’ve listened. Thank you for the excellent question!

[@TheMinorFallTheMajorLift]

@@JeffMcErlain🙇‍♂️

[@darrenc8776]

Hi Jeff. Is the telecaster you've got there the custom shop Jeff beck?

[@JeffMcErlain]

It is one of those limited edition ones yes, sadly it’s not mine! But it’s awesome. A little out of my budget at the moment…

[@darrenc8776]

Would you do a little video on it Jeff? And yeah they were expensive when they were released so I'm guessing that price as just gone up and up. I think Jeff Becks Tele was one of the first of these awesome clones

[@Mr.Owl9]

This must be why hearing John Mayer always makes me want listen to the original players

[@JeffMcErlain]

It can be difficult to shake the influences for sure.

[@stratman9449]

i don't listen to John Mayer...but i have nothing "against" him either....

[@williamswanson6424]

Why don't you post more of your local gig videos online?

[@JeffMcErlain]

Honestly I never remember to record them and I have to ask people for clips. And often I’m not happy with the quality.

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

I'm frustrated. My right hand being slow and having a weak upstroke stops me from playing the music I hear in my head and songs that I love. And I see you and others who can play lightning fast telling me not to focus on speed. Is this Zen? Is it "focus on melody, and speed will happen by itself"? I don't think focusing on note choices - which is vital, I get it - will help with speed, any more than focusing on speed will help with note choices.

[@Dnell-tb1yd]

It’s not really a Zen thing but, it’s a way to get you to stop focusing on what you don’t have and start working with what you do have. Obviously we’re always working on adding to our vocabulary but, it’s so important to be able to play something, to say something with what you already have

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

I dunno. Someone with brilliant technique, compared to mine, telling me to not work on my technique, makes my head spin.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Oh, I worked plenty on technique! Believe me. It does take a lot of time and effort, my point was to not spend too much time on it once you have achieved a level of proficiency that you were starting to feel comfortable with. In your case, running scales and concentrating on alternate picking would be very important. I would also suggest that you take a line from one of the songs that you’re working on And focus intently on how you were picking the riff. Work it slowly.

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

@@JeffMcErlain Thank you.

[@JeffMcErlain]

@@ScottfromBaltimore you’re welcome. 😉

[@MAP448]

What does running 3rds mean?

[@JeffMcErlain]

Starting, for example, on the root of the scale, counting up three notes in the scale, then back to the second note of the scale count of three notes from that and play that note, etc. Does that make sense?

[@georgechristiansen6785]

Working on a video on many of these same things. The finger exercise thing drives me crazy...and warmups of any sort EXCEPT before a show when you need to be hot from note #1 are a complete waste of time. Playing stuff you need to learn slowly at first is warm up enough and the only "exercises" should be remedial stuff..like a genuine weakness in technique that need dialed in attention..

[@JeffMcErlain]

Amen!!

[@redstrat1234]

But many of those great YT teachers you mention are as clickbaity as anyone else, and most do this - '10 shapes you MUST learn !' - 'licks you MUST know!' - 'theory you MUST know!' etc. I pity those learning now, by the time they've been clickbaited into learning the thousand different things these teachers say you MUST, the poor beginner has wasted years of good focused practice.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Sadly, that is the nature of KZbin. I’m friends with many KZbin instructors, and we all feel the same way actually, if I put up a title something like, “ here’s something you should practice and I think it will really help’ nobody watches it. So I agree with you the market decides what people watch. And it all comes down to the thumbnail and title. I have made some videos that I was very proud of that nobody watched because I’m can only assume was the title and thumbnail.

[@hankstains603]

Have to disagree a little bit, you are only able to say "you wish you hadn't" (done all those exercises) because you did. Trying going off and doing something "musical" if you haven't spent years getting your internal clock going and getting the muscle memory to tighten up the left/right hand synchronisation....I get what you mean but you can't disregard it and I think you need to say that you wish you'd spent "slightly less time" on the scales and finger exercises etc. You are probably one of the most "soulful" players I have heard (god rest you merry gentlemen almost makes me cry) and I love your lessons but i really don't think you would be where you are today if you hadn't done all the things you say you wish you hadn't. Rant over. I have to go and practise my scales....ha-ha.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thank you for the compliments, especially the soulful comment. Which really kind of brings me to my point and I agree with a lot of your points as well. Itwasn’t too much later that I started realizing that some of the time trying to increase my technique was better spent focusing in trying to sound like me. I was so enamored with other peoples technique that I had no voice of my own. I wasn’t thinking musically. But yeah hindsight certainly gives one clarity. Cheers!!

[@thebigleone1066]

I don't know so many guitarists want these "beat up'" looking guitars?

[@malcolmm1779]

Awesome Jeff you probably just save some one wasting years on fruitless practise.

[@JeffMcErlain]

I hope so!!