Starting Guitar Today VS. When I Started

-7 Reasons Why Starting Guitar TODAY is SO Much Easier!
We'd also walk to guitar lessons through blizzards uphill both ways! haha
Learning guitar in the late 80's was no picnic but it did have its charms. Thanks for watching.
Check out all my lesson vids at: www.the-art-of-guitar.com
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Thanks!!!

[@TheArtofGuitar]

If you want to learn how to play guitar from me, be sure to check out my entire lessons program at www.the-art-of-guitar.com. 👍🎸🎸

[@JD-vj4go]

I had all of these experiences in the 80s. There's one big advantage we had back in my day. There were lots of places to play live. Gigs were plentiful even for crappy local bands made up of 15 year old kids.

[@creepingequinox7359]

It’s pretty disappointing imo I just wanna play play live bruh 😭

[@mindtorquemusic]

Spot on!!

[@mike04574]

Nowadays can’t even find people, enough friends who play instruments to join a band.. maybe that’s just my area

[@mindtorquemusic]

@@mike04574 nope same here. Most people stop either when they have kids or haven't 'made it' by age 30.

[@shakebabyhitler]

Yeah, my old bands got plenty of live gigs, I don't remember ever having to audition or submit demos. But you only got weekend spots when you proved you could pull (and keep) a crowd.

[@thedr.zeroultrazone984]

For any younger folks that aren't aware of this very accurate history lesson, I hope it helps them to understand that the availability of music and tutorials should not be taken for granted. If I had a time machine in 1987 and traveled to today, I would have been in heaven. I remember the first time I saw a Tab book, it was the OZZY Songbook that had very accurate transcriptions of all the songs from Diary of a Madman and most of the songs from Blizzard of Ozz. I seriously would have mowed 50 lawns and paid $500 if I had to in order to buy it had they priced it that high. It was better than gold because it was actually at that time scarcer than gold. You could go to a jewelry dealer or whatever and actually buy gold. But a book with accurate transcriptions of Randy Rhoades' entire catalog? Up until that time, it was impossible to find because it didn't exist. I actually still have my MXR Phase 100 from '83. First pedal. It was bigger than the Phase 90 and had an extra parameter knob.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Somebody somewhere would eagerly pay you a ridiculous amount of money for that MXR 100 today. I know exactly what you mean about that book. For me it was the tab books for "We Sold Our Soul for Rock'n'Roll" and "Kill 'Em All." I was so flush with cash I bought them both in one week! Good times.

[@Mogwai06]

i still have my ozzy tab book. i have a bunch of my old tab books. this video was dead on accurate

[@simplesam5793]

I used to draw 6 lines on my arm with a marker,and go to the magazine rack at the grocery store. Just so I can "copy" the tab to a song..Cause I couldn't afford magazines at the time

[@gtdcoder]

Haha, I used to try to memorize the tab instead of buying the magazine. And if I forgot something I had to wait a week to go back to the store!

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@gtdcoder damn straight, stand there and try to memorize that one passage or chord you couldn't quite figure out by ear, then leave without buying anything LOL. I wish I had thought of drawing lines on my arm or bringing paper and pen along, that's probably smarter. :p

[@willmcbride4435]

Yeah. In the 80’s, in northern Minnesota, that felt like a million miles from anywhere, we had like 1 guitar teacher, so everyone who took lessons all learned the same songs. It made it easy to form a band since we could all play the same stuff.

[@StonedOrchard]

Every month, Guitar For the Practicing Musician, Guitar world, and Guitar School magazines

[@tomomyuu]

Getting my first guitar (first instrument!!) tomorrow so I watch this with the utmost gratefulness of everything that’s helped me get one easily!! Haha thank you!

[@m.a.r.c.u.s8563]

Have fun bro and don’t give up🤘🏻

[@microsoftpain]

have fun :)

[@ericwarrington6650]

What are y getting? Do u play at all already or beginning?

[@tomomyuu]

@@m.a.r.c.u.s8563 dude thank you so much🤙🏽

[@tomomyuu]

@@ericwarrington6650 never played an instrument other than the recorder about 16 years ago in middle school and a vague guitar memory so im a super beginner. I grabbed a glarrys electric and a stage right amp for starters. Literally just ready for solo jams with me and my inner teen who’s crazy about the mars volta, beach house and the rocket summer!

[@saywhat9158]

On the other hand, the difficulty of obtaining something is also related to how much you value it and in turn the effort you are willing to put into it. It also means that instead of training and tuning your ears for sound, people will depend on tuners for it. Thus, in some respects, tech can also be a handicap in advancing a skill to higher levels but who does not like easier.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I've met a few players who were fairly good technically, but literally could NOT tune their instrument without an electronic doo-dad. That's just weird, and somehow kind of wrong. Interestingly enough, none of them could ever write anything. They could play covers they learned from tabs pretty well, but they were almost useless if you just showed them a part you wrote, or asked them to simply play along with you. I don't think that's a coincidence.

[@ChicagoJ351]

I’ve had a lot of the same experiences learning guitar in the 80s. A few items I’d add: 1. If you took 2 cassette decks that both had inputs for recording you could do muli track recording with it. You could also plug a guitar right into the Rec input of a cassette deck and crank up the input gain and get Hendrix style distortion. We’d figure things like that out. 2. I learned most songs by using a turn table aka record player. 3. Never had a tuner or effects loop in my amp. Not even reverb. Still have it today, a Marshall jcm800 combo. Still sounds great. Tried to get a tech to fix some things, but he told me not to. Keep it the classic amp it is and live with a few imperfections. I took his advice. 4. I’d add guitar pro as a another game changer. The ability to get all the tracks of a song and learning tool is pretty awesome. Not to mention the huge archive of tabs that are available. 5. I felt behind the times when I didn’t have an effects loop in my amp or a digital multi effects processor. Modeling wasn’t even a thing back then. Ironically, some players still prefer old school setups with analog and tube gear. Wish I knew about this at the time. Thought I needed all that tech to sound like Steve vai. 6. KZbin pretty much changed everything. Too many things to mention. It’s just a new world with access to it. Every song, lessons, ability to slow it down, etc… 7. Modern daw’s are light years in front of what we had. I had a fostex 4 track and always sounded amateur with it. Wish I would have known about the sm57 mic back then. It would have changed everything. 8. Guitar magazines were huge for most of us. It’s where we learned how to play new songs, found out about new gear, new artists, etc…

[@Mogwai06]

i did that too! the first i ever did that way was all along the watchtower. after a few tracks of the recording, the audio quality got super shitty but it was the only way!

[@luigizanellato2959]

Man, I remember the struggle with cassettes, but I'm glad I experienced it tho. That's how you listened and even captured the music you wanted to have. 🎸🎼

[@BawesomeBurf]

Remember waiting hours to record your favorite song off the radio, and then it finally comes on and the friggin' DJ talks over the entire intro?

[@kristopherkrahl1597]

@@BawesomeBurf OMG I hated that! I would sit there all night next to our console stereo waiting for a certain song and then that would happen! Funny thi g is I started doing that in the 70s with blank 8-tracks before cassettes. Whew...the memories! 😯🤔😁

[@lordjoemott1683]

Fucking hell dude talk about a trip down memory lane.

[@JDog_Unchained]

When I was a boy, we didn't have the art of guitar to give us all these fantastic tips

[@jjennings5150]

The dial-tone of a land line phone is at A440 pitch, I used to tune to that before I had a tuner. Also had an Ibanez Rock n' Play cassette player. You could plug in and play along, as well as slow down the cassette speed to half-speed to learn solos.

[@HazeOfWhearyWater]

_"The dial-tone of a land line phone is at A440 pitch."_ If only someone had told me . . .

[@brandoncrow3741]

What's a land line phone? 🤣

[@mikemiller6628]

I didnt know that ,You learn something new every day...Interesting.

[@BawesomeBurf]

I would always find a song that had a nice long open note. I used to tune a half step down back then, so the intro to South Of Heaven was perfect for that.

[@ChicagoJ351]

@@HazeOfWhearyWater I was thinking the same exact thing lol.

[@joebob344]

Remember when you had to make up a flier for your upcoming show and draw it out then head to Kinko's to get copies made? Those were the days.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Yep, dime a copy. "I got five bucks, I can make fifty flyers. Oh wait, they charge sales tax, I can only make 49 flyers." If you were lucky someone in the band worked somewhere they had a copier, and he'd sneak into the office and do it, or sweet-talk someone there into making a pile of flyers for you :D

[@marcsangiuliano4273]

You really brought some memories back! I’m 60 years old now and still playing guitar but I didn’t think you were old enough to remember all that stuff. I went all out and picked up a Tascam 4 track recorder after I saved up enough money when I was a kid.

[@mindtorquemusic]

I had s Yamaha 4 track. Hundreds of hours were spent on that thing. The limitations made me think ahead about the song and plan it as opposed to just winging the whole thing. Great times, especially when I bought my DD3 and used it on vocals.

[@stoneagedjp]

Before I bought a four-track recorder, my multi-track recording consisted of recording back and forth between two tape player/recorders. Because of slight differences of speed, the recording would gradually get a little faster.

[@NotBenCoultry]

Got a 424 mkII to this day. Christmas 1998.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Hell yeah, I don't even remember the model number, but a little used Tascam 4-track and two beat-up mics was my "studio" for many years. I used to call it "studio in a bag" because I would just throw it all in a paper grocery bag with a couple cables and bring it all to practice or friends' houses. I eventually got a cheap Peavey 32-band EQ and some reasonably good monitors, and that was fantastic to us lol. I used to mix stuff down to stereo on a VCR :p

[@mindtorquemusic]

@@dogslobbergardens6606 I used to mix down to VCR too!👍👍

[@JabezVidz]

Dude I forgot about the pitch pipes! Also, back in the day when everyone had a phone in their house, I used the dial tone to tune to E. And lets not forget about the, I think it was Tascam 4 tracks! Oh and talk about being poor... I used to unravel bicycle brake cables, wind them around the old string's ball and then used it as the high E that would always break. Once you tune it up and stretch it out it would get the job done.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Tascam and Yamaha both made pretty decent little four-tracks back then. I think I paid 50 or 75 bucks for mine, used. Breaking down cables to make your own strings is HARDCORE! I salute you.

[@rosieotis]

Oh and no gear demos and unboxings. The only guitars I saw and lusted after were the ones I’d see on the wall weekly at Gary’s Music Mart when I went to lessons.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Good call. Buying something big back in the day yielded many surprises.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

We had two music stores in my town. One had all the Fender and Gibson stuff I really wanted, and the other had Hondos and other knock-offs. Guess what I played for the first few years? Both my first "Strats" had bodies made of plywood! One fine glorious day in about 1990, a friend brought over a real '84 Gibson Explorer that he only wanted four hundred bucks for, and I didn't have the cash but I refused to let him take it with him. I paid him off a little every payday for a month and a half. I still have that Explorer. I've been broke a few times and sold off other instruments, and I've had other more expensive guitars in the meantime, but that's a keeper.

[@sydneyhalliwell2513]

Growing up learning in the mid 90’s, tab books and electronic tuners were gold when you were 14. Looking back I almost miss it, it made you work harder

[@jasonstewart5649]

80s were great, memorable times! Miss those days 😪

[@tboneoutdoors688]

I had a subscription to “Guitar for the Practicing Musician” Magazine in the 80”s. I remember I bought Doug Marks “Metal Method” guitar course from an add in the mag. Good times!

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I can still see the ads for "Metal Method" and see that guy's smiling face :D

[@Davidmallen429]

Amazing impression of a beginner playing Fade to Black at 6:59 lol. Exactly how it would have sounded when I played it in `88 or so. 😄

[@rockytrail3893]

Back in the day, I had a devil of a time using my pitch pipe to tune my acoustic guitar. So love my snark.

[@NoExitLoveNow]

Yeah, I could not do it. It really stopped me. The pitch pipe sounded so different, and it seemed I was hearing multiple pitches in the buzz of the pitch pipe. Buzz Ding Buzz Ding Buzz Ding - forgetaboutit

[@rockytrail3893]

@@NoExitLoveNow Exactly! 😅

[@nathanielzuranski]

I haven't even started watching but I had to pause listening to a recording I made on BandLab, with multi-tracked guitars, with drums, bass, and anything else I want to add in (and for absolutely free) to chime in and say I'd never imagine back in 2004, while using a cassette player to record just me playing guitar, that we'd be where we are today. It's so much easier today - so, so much.

[@mikeking453]

Guitar for the practicing musician was a cool magazine in the day. They usually had a lot of transcribe music that was from pretty cool bands

[@charlesb7831]

Holy crap ! Brings back so many memories. I still have all my old guitar magazines etc. I still have the old Korg tuner lol. Something completely different about sitting and figuring out a song by ear rather then hitting the interweb for how to stuff. I think the older players definitely have a bigger appreciation for music for having gone through this. I personally think people absolutely take it for granted and don't realize how different things were back then.

[@mykneeshurt8393]

Everytime I pick up my guitar i feel like I am starting over.. I used to steal tapes from church and give them to kids at school to record rock N roll for me. you know, you'd put tape over the holes to record onto them..

[@jamesmcbride7621]

I remember plugging the headphone out of my amp into the input of my tape deck and record myself playing. Then I would playback that recording into the left input of a second tape deck while my amp was plugged into the right input so I could double track my guitar and listen back to harmonies and leads. Then I got a 4 track and my mind was blown

[@theresurproblm]

So true, and rewinding the cassette was down to the millisecond to the start of the solo you were learning from hundreds of times.

[@rawkinj6609]

Still have my grandpa's pitch pipe! The auto compression on the mic of those Boom boxes was awesome for recording jams! I've spliced fixed many tapes back in day. Also respun Back in Black upside down and had it playing backwards!! The breakdown in "What do you do for money" says "Snake was sneaking out cause he had no more food!" Haha! Cheers, love the show!

[@thephoenixhasflown]

Oh this I've got to see

[@BawesomeBurf]

The shipping thing was always such torture. Why did everything take 6 to 8 weeks back then? You did kind of touch on these subjects, but I'd like to add a few things. Trying to be a solo artist and recording full songs by yourself was incredibly challenging. If you didn't have a mic, you would have to go direct into a 4 track, which sounded like complete garbage. Since I didn't have a drummer or drumset, I would have to find a decent drum loop on my Radio Shack keyboard, and use that same loop and tempo for the entire song. And then I would have to record guitar and bass tracks for the entire song in one take. And if I messed up, I would either have to do the entire guitar part over, or just live with the mistakes. It's so nice now to be able to just cut out and re-record small parts and also drop in various drum grooves, tempos, and time signatures. Plus there was no easy way to get your music distributed back then. You had to try and get a record company to listen to your music and sign you to a deal, or do what Mike did and just try to sell music to random strangers. It's so great to have tools like Distrokid, CD Baby, etc that will distribute your music for you for a very small price.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

In the early 90s I got a little Yamaha sequencer, about the size of three stompboxes, that had both drums and synth/keys sounds on it. I'd tap in the drum patterns one "note" at a time, and you could store and arrange different patterns to make up a song. It took forever, but it was a lot of fun. It only had enough memory to store a couple songs like that, so I had to make sure I got them the way I wanted and then bounce them to 4-track so I could work on something else. Back then nobody I knew even had a CD burner. You either coughed up a bunch of cash to have a minimum amount of CDs or vinyl made, or you just copied cassette after cassette on your own. And "distribution" meant just handing them out at bars and parties :p

[@GaryHubbs]

I remember going downtown to the big music store and trying to memorize the tab books I wasn’t going to buy haha. Nope, by the time you get home it’s gone bro.

[@andym2612]

Exactly what we had, a pitch pipe and a tuning fork.

[@Krullmatic]

You're awesome Mike! Your so wholesome and laid back, and I love your format. I've been playing about as long as you (38 years) and I've never owned or used a tuner. I've always put on a song that's in E standard, tune my lower E string to that, and use harmonics on the 5th and 7 strings, well except for B. For that, I just finger the 4th fret of the G string and tune the B string accordingly. I sometimes just finger the 5th fret strings all the way down as well. I've never had any problems tuning this way. It was just the way I was taught back then. Edit: Man, you nailed the good old days! My first pedal was a Boss DS1. Man I held on to that for about 25 years. It was all beat up, the paint was peeling off, and it was missing two knobs. It worked all that time, but I lost it moving. It was Dave Davies of The Kinks who slashed their speaker to get distortion. When I started, we didn't even have tabs. I was so grateful when they came out, but it's untelling how many songs I learned were wrong because of the tabs lol. Keep on Rockin' my dude!❤🤘😝🤘

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

That's how I was taught to tune, too. When I finally got a pitch pipe I felt sort of guilty, like I was cheating :D I really think every beginning guitar player should learn to tune to a reference pitch. It's kind of a big deal for ear-training. I also found it really helpful when I got a book about guitar tech stuff and learned how to intonate a guitar properly. I've gotten a couple good deals on guitars people thought were garbage, and all they needed was a simple set-up and intonation.

[@jjvshreds]

Watching this while at the gym

[@nicok2670]

I'm 19 but I kinda wish that time back. It sounds exciting that I have to find out everything by yourself

[@thrash1337]

I started learning guitar with your help in 2019 (I was 24 back then) but I understand and appreciate what you’ve had to go through in the past… the other day I tried to play an old cassette tape with some Eminem tunes on my walkman, and the tape got messed up and that took me all the way back man… it’s crazy.

[@Dadnatron]

FLASHBACK~~~ That George Lynch cover 'Guitar' magazine! That's the same mag from which I learned Alone Again. I learned 4 songs a month... because of those tabs! 1986 summer... I wore the covers off those things. The reason I'm here, is because I love KZbin and I am thinking about playing again. New players will never know the struggle of figuring out a song from a cassette.

[@TheFruitMugger]

"This is a cassette tape" It's a good one, too! Those Maxell XL II tapes are awesome.

[@adambickford8720]

On the flip side, you didn't need to be a prodigy to stand out due to the barrier to entry. Just competent and willing to put in the work was 'enough'.

[@brandoncrow3741]

Ahh, the memories...great video Mike. All of these things I went through as well. I lived and died by my guitar mags and tab books. Even though some books are WAY wrong, they're ingrained in my mind now ! I STILL play Dyer's Eve "2-3-2-3-2-3-B5" 🤣 I can't help it! That Boss chorus pedal you showed is still the best sounding chorus pedal ever, in my opinion. Thanks again! 🤘

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Came here to say, that simple little Boss blue box is the shit. I don't know what the heck I ever did with mine, I should get one again.

[@CooperWinters]

Mike, I’ve been watching you for like 3 years. 1, You personally have definitely made me a better guitarist. 2, You have shown me songs I’ve never heard and have come to love. 3, you’ve shown me how easy songs are that I’ve been scared to even attempt. I appreciate you man. I watch like 85% of your videos that show up in my subscriptions. Thanks man❤️

[@blakeanderson7906]

" back in the day" ha ha I love it. I am old. All true stories! Enjoy the journey everyone! 🤘

[@ImYourOverlord]

If memory serves, one of the Davies brothers in The Kinks was the first Rock guitarist to cut a speaker cone to get distorted tone.

[@matthewonusz2953]

At 8:04 when you mention wanting to hear a song I remember BLOWING UP the radio station's phone calling in to request the song! OMG I loved this video!!! MEMORIES!!!

[@daveelson213]

dave davies of the kinks sliced his speaker cones for you really got me

[@muleblues71]

Man, you nailed it 100%. Same age as you,75. I can so relate. Luckily the town in SD I lived in had a guitar shop that started my journey. Buying single strings, started a band with my friends,recorded us playing creeping death via boombox was epic.

[@captainedscythe]

I started playing in 1984, and we had plug-in electronic tuners back then - I think my first one was like $30-35. Granted, that was a lot more than today's $15 for a Snark, but they were available, and not overly expensive.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Sure, but in 1984 it took me a month of mowing lawns every weekend to make 35 bucks. And frankly I'm glad I had to learn to tune by ear, anyway.

[@bernieconatser1028]

OMG that BC Rich is soooo badass!!!

[@1ProShooter]

Ha that cracks me up. Great video. I'm a 64 year old guitar player, so you can imagine how I feel. Remember watching Don Kirshners Rock Concert and Midnight Special to see the bands you could only hear on the radio.

[@youWoNtLikeMe04]

When I was 13 I never thought I'd plug my amp into my computer (laptop) and create any sound I want... find a backing track and then record it. I am my own musician.... Btw, first computer. Tandy 1000sl.... sold by an unfortunately defaunked company. And to add to that, that radio shack was a franchise store (could sell whatever they wanted too) is where I got my first real guitar that I still own today. A Yamaha rgx-421d.... still a fantastic guitar.

[@dean9498]

If I had KZbin back in the 80s I probably wouldn't of quit playing. I put the guitar down for almost 30 years. Now I'm teaching myself with help from sites like yours. It was so frustrating when you don't progress any. I had a subscription to "Guitar for the Practicing Musician "magazine,but that was all. Now learning is so much easier. Every thing you talked about I can relate to!

[@trumpingtonfanhurst694]

Ha you young whippersnapper I remember when 8-tracks were new. Pitch pipe and tone deafness is what I had, my tuning was often a disaster. Still can't get the G string :) Yes youtube is unbelievable, but you have to remember back when without any of that to appreciate it. Cheers!

[@totallyawesome80s55]

I was 17 when I bought a Fender Bullet and a small amp from a co-worker at KFC for about $50. A little while later I picked up the August '97 issue of Guitar magazine because it had "If You Could Only See" by Tonic, which was all over the radio at the time. I taught myself how to read tablature and I was on my way. I still have that magazine, but, sadly, not the Fender.

[@brooksroman2918]

“You just went to bed not hearing it.” I don’t know why but that cracked me up 😂 kind of like “you ever had sleep for dinner?”

[@rjlong89]

True. It seems like now theres a million type of strings too. I just remember the regular ernie balls. Now theres cobalt, paradigm and so on. Oh and i remember having a little fender tuner. Microphone built in... Could plug your gtr up to it... Clip ons didnt exist. And this was just 04-05. Came a long way in a short time

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I was constantly pulling my plain 3rd string out of tune. I liked .10s and .11s, but all the available sets still had plain third strings in them, so I used to buy a box of sets and ten single .18 wound strings. That way my G stayed in tune. Finally in the late 90s my local store started carrying light top/heavy bottom sets with a wound third for me, and I was very happy. A couple years ago I went to a Guitar Center looking for some, and the young whippersnapper told me no such thing existed. Dude. I've been buying and using them longer than you've been alive LOL. He refused to even look it up, he just got mad/snotty and told me I didn't know what I was talking about. So I went home, ordered them online and I haven't been back to that store since.

[@saracunningham7923]

Awesome relation to reality vs. now reality. Pro and cons are super tangible, so thank you. Also, the Dana Carvey clips are priceless. I always appreciate the reality and motivation you bring to the table. 🤩

[@1980djanderson]

Funny that back in early 90s I just failed to play guitar for all those reasons. And a few years ago when entering my 40s I picked it back up with success due to all the new things you mentioned. It’s better now for sure but I definitely appreciate it. Great video fella 🤙🏻🤘🏻

[@colinmitchell9212]

The Kinks guitarist was the first to slash the speaker cone with a razor blade. The first ever recorded song like this was 'You Really Got Me".

[@jobibar9937]

im 34yo, play guitar for about 20 years. those days was the best days ever! i used to play back then 10 hours a day , never took a guitar lesson , all by hear. it was amazing! today we are too lazy to jump in to youtube and watch lesson for a song. i miss "back in the day" !

[@ImYourOverlord]

KZbin has become an invaluable resource for musician me 😁

[@shakebabyhitler]

In my mid fifties, been playing since I was 12. When I started they hadn't even invented tab yet. In fact, the first "tab" I ever saw was written like fractions. The top number was the fret and the lower number was the string. They came with a cassette tape, think the company was Star Licks?

[@johnmenna7391]

These kids will never be able to appreciate that Nagel artwork guitar or that creepshow T! Some of us do and absolutely love what you have done here and continue to do. Keep it going

[@Demiglitch]

I only recently upgraded to a clip on tuner that is rechargable. Good stuff, it's the red Snark there. My previous ones were powered by CR2023 button batteries. My first tuner was a real cheap chinese tuner pedal. It worked perfectly but it's a hassle to have to tune through the pedal every time, especially since it's not one that takes batteries. Frankly I'm glad I'm not from the old curmudgeon days. I have a pitch pipe and a tuning fork but I think the pipe might be broken. It sounds off. I don't know about razors, but Link Wray shoved pencils through his speaker cones and there were people before him who damaged them in other ways. I live in the sticks and the nearest music store is about an hour away and charges above RRP, so I just order strings online and make sure I've got a stockpile.

[@YaYa-lz1zt]

Omg I know exactly what you’re talking about, people don’t understand how hard it was to learn in the past. There are so many options available to those who want to learn... well, anything.

[@wllmmttwht7240]

Agh. This video makes me think of the good old days. When mxtabs was only a dial up connection away…

[@My-Channel_forever]

I enjoy hearing stories from the perspective of a guitar teacher.

[@Jettblack98]

Mike, it was Ray Davies who cut his speaker for "you really got me".

[@woodfireguitar]

I always thought I was a few years older than you, but we must be the EXACT same age!! We had all of the same limitations when trying to learn. I remember the first time I had enough money to buy 2 sets of strings at a time so I'd have a backup. That was liberating!

[@stevesmith5198]

This is great! I was just having this conversation with my guitar teacher. Things were tougher in the 80's but things were a lot more fun too.

[@chardochickentimber9109]

if you ever saw the Grateful Dead live... half the concert was tuning up between songs. lol :)

[@someguy999]

Social media and KZbin have a major drawback that I think many people don't appreciate. When the internet came along, music was even more homogenized, whereas, in the past, unique music styles developed locally. This was common even in the 90s, where you'd get the Seattle grunge scene, New York hardcore, etc. That's something I miss today.

[@sairaleblanc5329]

Thanks for making me feel old again! I expected the KZbin / Amazon angle, but "this is a cassette" threw me. Loved seeing your Say Anything boombox make a return!

[@barters8124]

I feel like I must be a similar age, cause this is pretty much exactly my childhood and starting to learn. Good times.

[@romansingleton8831]

I was a desperate sponge for any guitar info I could get my hands on in the 80's. Even seeing someone play guitar in front of you was rare as a kid! If I could have seen into the future and saw the tools people have for learning guitar now I would have been extremely jealous I'm sure. It had its charms but it was a slog too due to the lack of access to abundant info. I literally would go to the library...I'm not kidding. Also I can totally relate to the string story, my life lol

[@rayyanshamshad7546]

Im currently learning guitar, and Mike you have been Such a big Inspiration and Teacher and I want to thank you🤟🏻

[@markxivlxii1390]

My friend in the early 80s had a sub to Guitar Player mag, I remember it didnt have tabs so I had to painfully figure out the sheet music. I used my dads fostex 4 track cassete recorder to slow down songs too even though the tuning would be out of whack. My ear got really good though. When later Guitar for the Practicing Musician came out with tabs I was sooo happy.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

The funny part was that a month or two after the magazine came out, suddenly it seemed like every band in town was playing the same 2 or 3 "new" cover songs LOL

[@robertaugustine5350]

Great reminiscing video. I started playing my freshman year in college, 1987. I ended up taking a semester of music theory in 1989 and then 2 guitar courses. The college would not let me take any more guitar classes as I wasn’t a music major and the seats were reserved for students who needed the class(es) to graduate. I learned more in those three semesters than the entire time I was just noodling around and trying to learn songs on the radio (I could read music, as i had played clarinet and trumpet in Jr High and High School). Takeaway here is get some formal lessons early on and your progress on guitar will accelerate exponentially over just trying to learn brute force. I do well with YT now because I had the foundational stuff and know how it all fits together.

[@leviathan_is_me]

Whenever I get asked who taught me to play guitar and I can see recognition when I say "Curt Mitchell", I know that I have found a kindred spirit.

[@andrewskz]

I learned guitar in the late 90's, so kind of in between your experience and today's kids. Back in my days we had some tabs, i didn't have access to internet conection, but knew someone who had and i would go the their house and beg to get a printed copy of that specific tab song i wanted to learn. Also i had a neibour (old guy) who was really good to tune by ear, so he helped me with that.

[@eddiejr540]

I’m a product of the 80’s...learning songs off records by ear, etc...I often wonder, would I be better if I started learning today with all the tech and gizmos...who knows ...looking back, it was a lot of fun...and time well spent!!!!! “when I was a kid, we didn’t have air...and we liked it “....classic!!!!

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

I am familiar with all these stories. Got my start in the early 90s. I hated pitch pipes, and was so stoked when I got an electronic tuner. Even had a bunch of the same brand of tapes!

[@GsrDc]

Started playing in 1985, and the evolution of guitar gadgets/equipment and learning resources to improve your playing over the years makes me appreciate the amazing stuff there is today. I simply have a blast with Fender’s micro mustang currently. Can you imagine this being sold in 1985? Probably for $3000 bucks if it was available back then. Sadly many of today’s younger people have no idea how good they have it by just getting their favorite chugging stack amp and go crazy for a few bucks.

[@sciomancy6]

I remember the pitch pipe. I was fortunate to take lesson in my small town where I learned the basics, read tab and even find the fret he played when he hid the neck from me. It was to teach me how to pick up by ear. VHS tapes was my KZbin version. Guitar World and even hitting up the music stores to buy tablature books from my favorite bands. I'd even write it on paper if I was too broke to buy them 😂

[@mindtorquemusic]

The great thing about no social media was that: A) there wasn't a barrage of clones that all sounded the same B) people developed their style in isolation. I still think learning songs by ear is the best way as you tend to play it differently and develop your own style or techniques. Funny thing is, I taught guitar for about 20 years and every kid aged 6-19 wanted to learn the songs I grew up learning. So nothing really changes much. Dig that C.C guitar too, I nearly bought one back in the day.

[@switch1e]

I only started learning guitar 2 years ago and this video really helped me appreciate the amenities for learning we have nowadays. It was also very interesting learning about the ways you had to do things back in the past. All in all, great video!

[@JonMB357]

Being a beginner guitarist since 2021, I am honestly grateful that things are so easily accessable. A few problems I can think of is that there's too many options for lessons, guitars and gear, and with that I can get overwhelmed. Especially when it comes to finding lessons to learn first. Besides that, I have a lovely Sawtooth strat-style guitar and a Fender Champ-20 amp that has several possible combination with effects and tones. I have an app I use to tune, and I've never had to leave my house to get what I need, haha.

[@bryanfowler5449]

Your videos have inspired me so much. I used to be a pretty decent player but divorce and life stuff got in the way. I appreciate you.

[@ImYourOverlord]

I used to tune to record albums, but at some point, I discovered that my turntable played slightly fast, so everything was a half-step higher in pitch than normal.

[@ladyevil64]

Back in the day in our town, once you hit 7th grade (Junior High), you had to pick either guitar or piano for your music class. I picked guitar, for both 7th and 8th grade. I remember doing chords, and nursery rhymes for grades. I did have a blues riff down at home, but didn't have the support to get anywhere with playing. Got an acoustic in 2001, when I had the money, and would tune it with my pitch pipe, and to the other strings. I like my Snark, but I do like checking it by ear to see how accurate the thing is. I still have back issues of magazines, and Siler jewelry that I ordered from the back of my Hit Paraders back in the 80s. Too funny! Been having issues with my fingers, but once they clear up, I do plan on finally taking advantage of the online courses. I hate staring at my guitar, and ukulele, getting dusty. It took me a few years to get my guitar back from my nephew, and just want to get back to relearning the chords.

[@glissem]

Don't forget the compilation cassette of songs recorded from the radio.

[@juspat2]

I remember running to the 7-11 to see the next issue of guitar world or guitar mag…and praying that the at least ONE of the three songs were one that i wanted to learn. Really, it was down to two…because one song was always some strange b-side that no one was asking to learn… lol.

[@xStillDreaming311x]

Music go round in Columbus, OH used to sell me single high e’s as a kid!

[@POLLOTROM]

8:30 that is definitely my case back in the 80's.

[@anthonyw5261]

Listening to the radio waiting to hit record on a song I didn't have so I could learn it 😁. Oh yeah, I remember all of this well👏👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@tjames6427]

i absolutely love that boombox

[@littleguitarontheprairie4843]

I'm about the same age as you, and I remember there weren't electric guitar lessons at our music school, only acoustic. As a girl I was not allowed to learn guitar, my mom said the musicians would give me drugs. Totally ridicilous, but I didn't give up and started later in life, thank god for the cheap and decent beginner guitars you can buy online, and video lessons with nice instructors like Mike. I'm having a ball.

[@USMC19777]

the Boss Heavy Metal pedal, everyone had one of those back in the day..i still have mine 🤘🙂

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

If you were REALLY cool, you had the Metal Zone pedal. People are paying stoopid prices for those now.

[@Beavis4pres]

I started in the 80's. Information available today for learning is overwhelming. If I want to replace the fuel pump in my truck, I can find 33 different videos showing 14 slightly different techniques by 26 different people. Back in the day, experts and their knowledge were tough to come by.

[@jean-francoisdavid3694]

I had to ask for tab books for Christmas or my birthday if I wanted to learn songs. But back then you were buying albums and listen through all the songs. Leads to playing most of the songs in tab books.

[@racrboy]

So true. The ol cassette tape recording etc off the radio ahh the memories. I remember when Napster came out and I was able to listen/download a much wider range of songs almost instantly. Well it seemed like instantly compared to anything up til then.

[@texasturner2313]

I learned all my songs by ear, usually a cassette tape listing to a song over and over again. Or someone would show me how they thought the guitar part went. A lot of time I’d be somewhere talking about music with someone and we’d literally hum the parts to each other and say, “ok it’s 3rd fret E string then 2nd fret E string, then hammer on on the 5th fret”……..lol those were the days.