Stop Comparing Yourself to Online Guitarists...

[@xinyih]

Always remember that in the end, guitar is meant to relieve stress, not add onto it. Just enjoy the sound that's coming out of your instrument, however simple it may be.

[@PressuredSpeechBand]

100%!

[@EricJaegerMusic]

Technically the guitar was made because someone put some noises together with some wood and string. There’s no rules on if something should add or add stress. That’s more of a life philosophy and it’s a mental battle that people have to breakdown themselves

[@Crinkle65]

And ultimately to make music. Not finger gymnastics

[@jrustnef]

You guys are viewing this the wrong way. From my view you guys are a bit salty about it but I can understand. But sometimes I'm just a person where I wanna chase these people and how they play, look at my progress and actually impress myself with the new sounds I wasn't able to play before. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but I wanna reach the same level as them but also taking in the great sounds at my current skill level before going through the next thing and cleaning the basics of my playing.

[@SK23.]

guitar is not "meant" to relieve stress. that is your personal vision for it.

[@rajatisdead]

"We play because we want to live in that moment. We do not play to impress others with how much we know. We play with humility and gratitude, thankful for each moment and for every beautiful sound."

[@jrustnef]

Nah I'd improve for the funnzies and squeeze out every sound on the guitar!

[@alexandrebelair4360]

Proof? Also, who is "we"?

[@redfogwhitefrost2583]

​@@alexandrebelair4360if no one else plays for that reason I guess I'm we.

[@LBR_Guitar]

Use online guitarists to inspire you not to compare to. Great vid

[@iaminsfiredbytrustfration8502]

exactly

[@lolnadroj]

Yo what up Levi

[@LBR_Guitar]

@@lolnadroj hey man 🤫

[@chaster_mief]

Fuck you I can multi task

[@jimvandemoter6961]

I taught guitar well over 35 years. Over that time I developed a philosophy. Music is a toy. That's why we say we "play" not "work" music. I play music for fun. Teaching was my job, but I always wanted my students to do it because they wanted to, not because they had to. I started music in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I'm now 72 years old and I still play because I love it, not because I have to. In fact I just started piano because I never did it before. I started bass 12 years ago because I'd never did it before. Music is a journey, enjoy the ride.

[@tonygluk1]

"Music is a toy" that's beautiful. I'm struggling with self-criticism in everything I do, including music, and this phrase is super helpful.

[@jimvandemoter6961]

@@tonygluk1 I'm glad you got something out of that. Something else to consider, the better you get, the more complicated stuff you'll think about. You'll never be good enough to play what you hear in your head. If you do get that good then there's no further you can go, so there's always something to strive for.

[@fallingsky1984]

Sounds like a nice fantasy

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

​​@@fallingsky1984Exactly. After hundreds and hundreds of days filled with stress and anxiety when you tell yourself "you're not good enough, this isn't worth it" it's hard to keep yourself naive.

[@peedrowchan-man102]

Right there with you: I am still making strides in my lifetime instruments, saxophone, clarinet and singing, but I added flute to the mix a couple years ago, and took up drumming a year ago. Finally learned the whole notes on the bass and guitar fretboard this week. Loving it.

[@PressuredSpeechBand]

Don't play like your idols cause the world already has the best one of them. The world NEEDS the best YOU!

[@sportmaniac10]

Coming back to this after I become a rockstar

[@madmusicianmagician]

Well said

[@ra5hid101]

That is such a beautiful thought , resonates with me so deeply. Will get back to my jazz learning i.e the reason i bought my guitar.

[@Michael-q6t]

@@sportmaniac10 Go for it and don't let anyone tell you that you can't. Be creative and come up with something original and you will definitely become a rockstar

[@Michael-q6t]

@@ra5hid101 I've played many different styles from metal to blues to classical. A few years ago I started getting interested in jazz. Then my Mom got sick and I have neglected my playing ever since with no idea where to start back. Thank u for reminding me

[@kingkrollinvention]

music is an art not a competition. some of the best songs came from people with limited knowledge of technique. play what makes you happy. great video by the way!

[@ИапГоревич]

Being too technical might be harmful to the music, imho

[@richardjamesIII]

The best guitarist I have ever known to this day I met when he was 19, and he already knew that that is the ONLY thing he wanted to do. He literally put in 2 full time jobs worth of practice for YEARS, starved himself for many other typical human interests, and sidelined so much of what "normal" people take for granted.

[@geodude7116]

16 hour practice days 5 days a week? 🤯🤯

[@AL_iVe_now]

talking about Robert Fripp? ;-)))

[@menschlicheswesen84]

​@@geodude7116 Naa, just 3-5 hours over the day... But yeah, every day if possible...😊

[@larslevinberget9558]

@@geodude7116 That was me 20 yrs ago

[@ИапГоревич]

I did the vocals the same way, lol. No idea why tho

[@IshredGuitar]

I don't worry about it....most guitarist these days are better than me. I just love to play and it brings joy to my heart and soul! Here's the thing? I've been playing along time, since late 80s...I'm an old dude, just remember this it's my best advise "there's always going to be someone better than you in fact many will be better than you, but there's also many who want to be as good of player as you!". You see? As a guitarists even if you're dam talented player in your mind you're never good enough. That's healthy as it inspires you to achieve new goals, just don't let it depress you dudes, again there's many of inspiring guitarist's that would give anything to be as good as you!. Don't get down, be happy we live in this time of electricity, cool guitars and excellent gear so rock on dudes! 🤘🙏

[@petersmith143]

We're all on our own journey. No need to compare to anyone. Just try to improve your own playing and enjoy the journey...

[@LostSoulAscension]

It's a promise that most of these online guitarists that shred amazingly flawless have gone to school for music or had lessons from a young age or have a family member who got them into it and pushed them and supported them, and they have at least 20 takes before every video like all of us. It's just the fact that the setting is in a bedroom or what seems to be a home makes us think they just practice all day at home and got good in their bedrooms, which is probably like half the story, potentially true yes, but not the whole story.

[@BlackRoomful]

they play it slow then video edit speed it but they all play with no feeling whatsoever of improvise very boring and so many are the same who cares about some clown that can fake shred see them do it live is a different story but no 99.9% of them are bedroom players.

[@Walduck25]

For me personally, I just play at home and have no plans to play in front of people or for a band or even really post content or anything I just do it for fun. So a lot of the mentality is what you want from playing the guitar in the first place. So when I see someone like yourself or other great guitarist it just spurs me on as there is no jealous or illusion that I think I'm good because my goal isn't to be good. Goal is to have fun.

[@Cr3pit0]

I feel like modern Guitarists and Guitar-Audience are way to focused on Technique. Working on your ability to produce an Interesting Song that really draws and keeps attention is soooo much more important. Maybe you do not (currently) have the technique of the Guitar Gods, but you will have a unique perspective that none other out there has, if you refine it enough (and dont give a S*** what sells and what doesnt)

[@GuitarGuy562]

Loved the vid bro, I spend more hours comparing myself to Tim Henson instead of practicing

[@Ben6Strings]

Why would you ever want to compare yourself to someone who plays such overprocessed music? It's not a fair comparison at all. Fact is Tim looks like an average guitarist if you stick him in ANY live situation.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

I came here to say, "We're not all fake.." but you never really said we were in the video. ;)

[@LeroyGuitar]

Dude yeah its true but to an extent, Love your videos man!

[@sole__doubt]

@@LeroyGuitar Its sad that uploaders feel the need to be dishonest with their thumbnails to get noticed.

[@sportmaniac10]

@@sole__doubtnews has been doing it for hundreds of years. Go after them

[@GenericUrbanism]

@@sole__doubt Thats the KZbin Algorithm for ya.

[@GoddamnTroll]

@@GenericUrbanism that's like someone being conned by a conman and saying, well that's just the weather for ya! Deception comes from the youtubers, not from the algorithm.

[@movefeet661]

I've found that all these guitarist have made me want to get better. I don't know if I'll ever be as good as them and that's completely okay. For the first time in my life, I don't care if there are people better than me, I don't care if my friend is better, I don't care if a random youtuber is better, I finally feel happy just working on my own skills and using them as motivation to show that there is still so much more progress I can make. My music, my guitar is for me and I'm happy just seeing my own progress. Very happy you made this video. I hope some of the younger folks see this and change their mindsets.

[@PressuredSpeechBand]

Good is subjective just keep playing for the love of it! :)

[@LostSoulAscension]

I agree, they all made me realize how much I suck and should have been practicing this whole time xD lmfao, but it's been more motivating than discouraging for sure.

[@qua7771]

Don't try to be like them. Use their music to develop your own over time. Rome wasn't built in a day. Everyone had an influence.

[@Björn_Stahlsaiter]

You are so right! Social media shows the tip of the iceberg only. Stop comparing yourself and you certainly play more confortable and more self-confident than ever before. Your biography is not the biography of somebody else guys but you can be proud of what you accomplished. I play the guitar for 25 yrs and when i stopped to compare myself i even got quickly better because i only compared to myself and also complimented that progress. Great video mate.

[@SashaGarcia]

My new rule of thumb is: if the vibrato doesn’t sync, I skip. Utterly tired of fakery, miming, and the normalization of smoke and mirrors.

[@LesterMitchell]

Yeah and unfortunately that's like 90% of the KZbin guitar community.

[@OffendEveryoneImmediately]

Real musicians are usually out there getting their hands dirty. KZbin only wants any attention at all costs.

[@larslevinberget9558]

Almost all guitar videos are mimery, since most great guitar solos are comped together of different takes. All live performances have mistakes

[@deadshot4245]

when i make music videos i play the parts are true to the recording as i can try to avoid any major edits unless i need to clean something up to serve the song im not serving myself nor hiding anything thats what is lost today most time

[@MattAngiono]

This all extends far beyond guitar playing. Social media is toxic from the very core. Not in the sense of sharing about our lives, but in the sense of how it monetizes us and creates addiction intentionally. Like you said, just DELETE THE APPS!

[@s.markoff666]

can't remember the exact quote but I believe Tosin Abasi said something along the lines "once you get it, you forget you couldn't do it before. so try to look into that hypothetical future of yourself" which was a super helpful way of thinking when I decided I wanted to learn thumping and some Polyphia songs. still can't do either but made huge progress just by not giving up!

[@t-liminal]

Feeling discouraged because of someone else's playing is more of an insecurity issue. The truth of the matter is that not every guitarist is going to show off there skill online or in a KZbin video. The 2 key factors to improving is practice and dedication. If you practice every day and put in the hours, YOU WILL be better than the next guitarist sitting besides you. But you have to do it almost every day. That's the hard part. The fact that the guitar community is full of insecure and toxic people doesn't really help or make things better for anyone.

[@qua7771]

I couldn't agree more. I actually went through a phase like this, until I realized that it was holding me back. That people who appear to play effortless had to work at it. That you have to enjoy practice sessions, and what you have. I noticed that everything is easily after you learn it. Playing is not about instant gratification. Success is about delayed gratification, and a journey, not a destination.

[@fisken1]

For me its more i want to play some difficult stuff because it sounds great and sounds "fun" to play. And really wanting to play something but just not being able to is (to me) discouraging. With a week of practice i cant play the stuff just because my technique just isn't there. Ofc i know it will come with practice but some things just seem like too distant of a goal you know.

[@qua7771]

@@fisken1 The way I learn things that seem impossible at first is one note at a time. I learn in segments, and remember it in shapes. I don't try to think about the whole thing at once. I think of it as a framework, and parts. Don't expect perfection at first. There is plenty of time to develop the muscle memory, and it gets better each practice session. It's about progress, and it takes patience. Plan your practice session with realistic expectations. Make it fun.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

Then there are people like me who need to practice basically every day to keep even some kind of technique despite having played for years. A couple of days off and it's almost like starting from zero. The best I can hope for is somewhat maintain my limited technique, I've given up on the thought of actually making much progress anymore.

[@qua7771]

@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 I think that I have gotten stuck at least one time over the decades. If that happens, something needs to change. I'd try something new to figure it out. Definitely don't play the same riff every time you pick up a guitar. Always be changing, and working on something new. People are always saying not to blame your gear, but in some cases your equipment can hold you back. I started doing better when I went from a high gain amp to a plexi. It's unforgiving, and forced me to play better. I'm not trying to spend your money, just saying. I don't like to try to pull tone out of equipment that doesn't provide it. I'd rather try to control what it has. Articulation can make a player sound bad, or amazing.

[@pipsonja]

I like the noodling, and the ideas and background you're playing. My view is that instead of just putting a nice background music that exists, and sorry if you're playing something that I don't know but exists, but in regard to this topic music is spot on. I respect that.

[@onemoremisfit]

Drummer here. I have my annual practice goal for a specific number of hours each year. I write the hours for each day on a calendar for my personal record. I DO NOT PLAY, I PRACTICE. I define playing as striving to please somebody's ears, so in playing you only do things you are already good at. Even if you are playing by yourself you are still striving to please your own ears if you are doing stuff you already do well. Practice is where you grind on things that you don't do well, striving to do them better, it sounds bad and punishes everyone's ears. My practice is a miserable grinding struggle. There is no daily progress. The progress comes slow and it comes in 3 steps forward, then 2 steps back, or maybe 2 steps forward then 3 back. It's like financial markets with upswings and downturns, but hopefully there is a general upward trend. I look for personal progress from year to year. It takes a whole year of grinding to see a small amount of progress, but there is steady progress. Talent is real. The guy who says talent is a lie always looks and sounds like he got it out of a syringe, then he rubs your nose in it and tells you the only reason you don't compare to him is because you don't try as hard. It's like a billionaire telling working people they aren't rich because they didn't work as hard as he did. Talent determines how much dividend you earn from each hour of practice invested. High talent is having flesh that can withstand 8 to 12 hours of grinding per day, every day, without injury, without burnout or hitting the wall. High talent steadily gains strength and makes steady upward progress. High talent does not make 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. High talent grasps a new concept quickly, gets it in the bag and is ready to move forward to the next concept. High talent occasionally struggles on a difficult piece, then humble brags about it. High talent never struggles with a basic concept for years or decades. High talent never gets discouraged, and even when occasionally overexerted it recovers quickly with rest. High talent enjoys practice because the rewards come steady, and so high talent is always motivated for more and more practice, making snowballing gains. Some people have zero talent, and we all know at least one of them. Some have high talent and a few have gifted talent. Most of us have average talent. We can still break thru and attain excellence with our average talent, but not without the decades of miserable grinding and sometimes discouraging struggle.

[@inconsolablegraphite2126]

One of the most perceptive and accurate comments I’ve seen on this. I’m 64 now and have been ‘playing’ since 1975. I even have a RCM grade VIII in classical guitar and a diploma in theory. For many years I laboured under the delusion that if I kept practicing I’d get progressively better. Maybe. There was some improvement, but not at the rate characteristic of the talented. They have an easy facility many of us don’t, whilst as you've suggested, sometimes being unaware of it. I didn’t want to be a pro, just within touching distance of those I heard on records good. But these people were doing that in their 20s and 30s whilst I was still plunking about producing a godawful noise. When I encounter pros I just realise the huge gulf in competence between them and me. It’s only my opinion of course, but despite all the talk about 10,000 hours of practice, if you’ve no talent, you won’t be able to get there no matter how badly you want it. I don’t resent the talented in any way, but I think it’s important to recognise that what they have is real and some of us just don’t have it. I wish I’d come to terms with it earlier. For me it’s gradually killed my enjoyment of music, maybe it will return one day. Once I thought of little else. I’ve worked either in or adjacent to other areas outside of music, and likewise seen how innate talent distinguishes ‘day job’ guys like me from the real experts.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@inconsolablegraphite2126 I'm 64 also. No formal training at all, 100% self taught. I was blessed with a pretty good ear and that's how I picked things up on my own. I messed around with guitar as a teen and switched to drums at age 20. If I had received theory training as a child I might have done OK but I didn't have parents who would get behind stuff like that. Nevertheless, in over 44 years of experience I've learned a thing or two about practice. The 10K hours theory is an offshoot of blank slate theory, and like most false theories the 10K hours theory does contain a kernel of truth, which is yes, absolutely nobody is born able to play and absolutely everybody must put in the practice time. There is a fair-haired little boy out there who is a world class concert pianist, playing Mozart concertos backed by world class orchestras on a 9' Steinway, and he looks all of 8 or 9 years old. Assuming that child has logged his 10K hours at this tender age, his training/practice schedule has to be insane, and it had to have begun before he was toilet trained. You can't take any random child and ram him thru this kind of training program expecting this kind of result every single time, any more than you can take a random kid and ram him thru a PhD physics or neurosurgery program. In a side by side interview of golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his childhood teacher Jack Grout, Mr Grout said he'd show the young Jack Nicklaus how to do something and young Jack would just do it right away. That simple, that easy. I'm sure it didn't work that way with the rest of Mr Grout's students. Teachers often have a star pupil, while the rest of their students are some various degree of average. I've heard there is a guy who put the 10K hours theory to the test in golf by putting all his energy into hardcore golf instruction and practice, with the goal of becoming a pro, and after 10K hours he failed to reach that goal. And I guess he wrote a book about his experience. Giacomo Turra is a gifted guitar player and multi instrumentalist in his 20s who started about a 15 years or so ago. He surely has logged his 10K hours in those years, and he surely gained large dividends per hour. That guy probably got noticeably better from week to week. I say you will find out where your individual talent level is when you devote yourself to serious daily practice and see for yourself what you gain per hour invested as the hundreds and thousands of hours accumulate. I quit playing 10 years ago and turned to 100% serious daily time-logging practice right after I retired 6 years ago. And like you, the practice has affected my attitude too. Until and unless I reach my personal practice goals that I have set for myself, I don't care if I never play again. The 10K hours theory is easily debunked by empirical observation. The mediocre among us who cling to it are coping in my opinion. Another popular cope is one I call the moral high ground cope. They'll say playing is all about fun and I do what I do and if it's not good enough for somebody else then F-'em. Basically claiming the moral high ground by doing something poorly and accepting it. Closely related to the everybody gets a trophy moral pose. These are people who use the word perfectionist as a pejorative. They're able to have fun doing something poorly. The ones who get out on the dance floor when they can't dance at all. The casual bowlers who grab a house ball and sling it while downing a few beers. I'm one of those accursed people who can't even pretend to enjoy doing something poorly. But at the same time I can accept some degree of subjectivity in the concept of excellence. Like you say you never wanted to actually be a pro, just get close enough to understand what that is. A realistic and self-honest goal. I'm the same, I have a clear idea of what I think should be attainable for myself as an individual, which is why I have a hard time accepting less.

[@LyudmilaÖdi]

I've always resented naturally talented people, and not simply within the realm of art. I've befriended people in my life who are above me in all different kinds of aspects, that it dwarfs my existence. Once you tell them they are impressive, they always resort to this single imperative "I wasn't trying hard", "It was simple". They cannot settle with the compliment and always aim to further boost their ego. My life has been plagued by such kinds of people, however it didn't make me crawl into a fetal position, it only made me more hateful, and hate was what motivated me to pursue aspects I was never talented in. That is both Guitar and illustration, drawing.

[@jeffrowlette]

Be the best YOU that you can be and enjoy the ride.

[@GammaFZ]

Bro knows how we feel when watching his vids 😂

[@JeffKerouactheMusicalWriter]

As Tomo Fujita once said don’t compare, don’t worry, don’t expect too fast.

[@slowswimmer9169]

I've big respect for sensei Tomo, but not to do all these 3 things it's against the human nature

[@BrianBower]

Nailed it! Nothing wrong with watching the people better than you but don’t let it determine your self worth if you’re not as good or don’t have as big of a following. Most guitarists aren’t actually at the top level of skill either. Most are beginner to moderate at best. It’s about having fun whether it’s playing covers or writing tunes. I bet some of the happiest players are the ones that suck the most and just don’t care what others think!

[@hisparussky]

Bro.. this reaaaaaally really touch my soul. I shared this with my friends.. Thanks a lot for this message!

[@jomesias]

Master whatever it is that YOU LOVE! If you love blues and blues bends: practice and master that! If you love neoclassical then master that! Connect with what you like to play, and show that to your audience!! Also let’s talk about the “star players”!! They have a dedicated person to setup their guitars! Which is 90% of the playing right there! ( a guitar well setup with attention paid to leveling the frets makes ALL the difference. btw I love my playing now that I setup my electric guitar Properly! Before it was a dead note nightmare all over the fretboard. Unplayable, so this may be happening to you and it’s not your fault or that you can’t play.) Also, the sound you hear from their songs passed by the mixer the producers hands! the entire song sounds ethereal because of the mastering phase! So it’s ok to not sound like the actual record! 💯

[@selliantuttimusi6735]

My advice as a 20+ year guitar player: Find a player you enjoy and copy his best licks, feel and vocabulary. After that, find another one and repeat the process. Do this as many times as possible. Do the same with musicians who play other instruments. After a while, you'll be good and you'll develop your own style. Just don't forget to have fun in the process, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense.

[@12floz67]

That’s good solid advice, especially the part about having fun. 🍻

[@artessxoxo]

Honestly this is so real. I feel like we as guitarists (and even more broadly humans) tend to fall prey to constantly comparing ourselves to those online (which is more a representation of their peak) and thus in turn demotivating ourselves. I've been such a small yt channel for over two years now and I feel like I've seen zero growth whereas other guitarists online seem to explode overnight and it just adds to the demotivation seeing other guitarists be amazing. That said, these guitarists are also inspirations in a way. Good video and nice music 👍 keep it up

[@seanLeprechaun]

I know one of these "internet guitarists" personally - Marcin. I'm on his Patreon for like $15 a month and so I get to spend 2-3 hours with him on Zoom once a month. I believe he would be deeply disturbed that his playing would discourage anyone from playing. He actually wants the opposite. He lets people play for him at the end of the zoom call and gives them tips and props for progress. These guys are good people. Yes, they practice A LOT. More often than most people. But they aren't cocky. They genuinely want to inspire players, not discourage them. Oh, and I watch him play his stuff live and unplugged on that call each month. No trickery. No fakery.

[@beanzthumbz]

I deleted Instagram sometime last year and I honestly think my motivation to practice has been much higher since then. Not constantly seeing shred masters and feeling inferior every day. The truth is that it takes years of problem solving to get to where they are, but when you actually get as good as them, your skills won’t even feel like a big deal because you can just do them. So you may as well enjoy the process. And if at some point you decide to stop grinding and purely just focus on making music that sounds good (like 99% of guitarists in the world do, lol) then that’s ok too. Because in reality other people really don’t care how good you are. If you can play songs they like then they will be impressed, and they’re not going to know the difference between legato and alternate picking. So if you want to become a shred master, like you say in the video, do it for yourself and try to only compare to yourself.

[@sportmaniac10]

Social medias also an addiction and the companies are working to make it worse every day. I’m trying to kick the habit, doing it one by one. But more and more free time opens up as I get rid of them, just use it wisely

[@RanLavi]

I have zero fake takes in my videos. But I record everything dozens of times until I'm happy with it.

[@broncoxy]

Was at a local festival the other day and my buddy played there with his band, some good ol thrash... And if there's one thing I noticed it was how the solos basically didn't matter because you could barely hear them and even if, the crowd was way too drunk and busy moshing to care if you played a couple wrong notes - all that mattered was the vibe, the aggression, the vocalist throwing shields with stuff written on it into the crowd, the sexual tension between the guitarist and the bassist... What I want to say is that in the end, don't stress too much, get a couple buddies and play a couple fat riffs and you're gonna be fine~

[@foxied]

what the helll with the bassist and that guitarist😂😂

[@broncoxy]

@@foxied some good bromance :)

[@guitarhole]

Thank You. I might try to use what you said to pick my KZbin channel back up. I made a few videos and gave up on it because they aren't as good as the guitarist I watch. " Just don't compare them" is perfect for my imperfections.

[@Dr.JamesA.Wright1]

Excellent discussion, Leroy. I taught sociology at university/college level for 35 years and would talk about this stuff, regularly. I also do social media guitar jive, but not so slick. Some guitaristic troll called me 'grandpa' while also complimenting my playing on one of my videos last year. Passive-aggressive teenager? This video raises a bunch of super-valid questions. My clips don't get much treatment: I barely practice, I just knock them out, off the cuff when I'm in the mood. I almost never compare my playing (or looks) to all these 'perfect' shredders online. And I'm happy to get any likes at all. Tells me someone digs what I'm doing. The guys who get thousands of hits and likes do guitar stuff that I find pretty dull, though it may well be slick and proficient. I strive more for original and in-your-face than slick.

[@daveduffy2823]

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. With practice, you get better. Just make sure you record yourself and listen back. Be patient and don’t beat yourself up.

[@yeserguitar]

Dude I'm living this for the last couple of months, I become more and more insane every single day.. Thanks for making this video!

[@ChipJam]

Thanks for this. I feel like If I’m playing better than I was this time last year, I’m happy. I’m no virtuoso, but I’ve been making music for 45+ years. No releases yet, but having fun doing it.

[@paulmarciano9856]

As an older guitar lover I have learned to focus my attention on superior players who are humble enough to encourage and embrace their fans like Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert and a few others who if you ever watch interviews they always encourage us amateurs to just play like ourselves and do our best to make ourselves happy. It's really important not to give your time to people who make a living belittling others.

[@doomsayr_x]

This is one of the most true breakdowns of what it's like playing guitar I've ever heard.

[@phosphorusmusick]

Great video. What I struggled with in recent years is realizing that I had an amazing start learning guitar, learning quick and becoming sort of proficient with lots of potential to be "one of them" but then somehow falling behind due to a mixture of lack of right people and connections, teachers, money, having brutal mental health issues and depression. It's all I could give. Maybe I could have given more at certain points... and yet again it was exactly what I was able to give. But life itself is complex and each individual life is different. I've learned that it's important to embrace one's own journey, however different it may be. It's okay to aspire to be something/someone but not at the expense of happiness.

[@The_Kiosk]

I'm 44, have always never really practiced hard. I've played shows and sucked ass but was told I was brilliant and talented. I know for a fact that everyone else is better than I am, and I'm comfortable with that. I learn from everyone I watch. Stop comparing yourself to others and compare yourself to yourself 1, 5, or 10 years ago. ❤

[@ramsrock85]

Shredding on your own background track on your own video is such a boss move. Actively comparing as we speak. 🤘🏼

[@erstlouis5899]

I think this video is not only great advice on how you should percieve yourself as a guitar player, but its also just very eye opening on how we use social media and why its so terrible for us. When you said that social media is really only just documented highlights of the best parts of our lives, it really made me realize why that stuff is so terrible for me. Very good and insightful video. I hope to see more from you!

[@juanpablofuentealbamendez]

Amazing video, only facts spoken. I was very depressive because of the exact same reasons you gave. And the truth is that it doesnt matter , guitar is my wire to mental health and I guess for you and a lot of us that is the main reason to keep improving. I started uploading videos , some of them with mistakes, others wich I just uploaded the raw audio showing the practice of some solo. Keep it up, upload your improvement for you and for thoose who can give you some insights to improve 😊

[@rayraylewis9428]

Bro, you need to write a book. Well spoken, and very well made video. Thank you.

[@chris135x]

As a beginning drummer, you're giving wise advice. I've seen a lot of drummers on social media who came up with gimmicks. I've noticed that these younger guitarists are trying so hard to be so technical but they can't put the emotion into their guitar skills. Music is about emotion and having a soul. You can't get that when you try to be technical.

[@mikeyangelis]

I've had something similar with piano. Some jazz pianists have big egos. I remember being very intimidated by someone who was younger than me and it did discourage me. However, although had fantastic technique, he was covering well trodden ground many decades in the making; there is always room for individuality and soul. The guitarists I like often played simply, they carry the feeling to the listener. Paul Kossof was one of my favorites: his playing is at first sight incredibly simple, in terms of the notes used, but he executes those notes with all his being and few can replicate his playing; even if they get his vibrato technique, they lack the soul. Blues players like Albert Collins or Freddie King touch me far more than people like Joe Bonamassa or Eric Clapton: they convey something more intensely.

[@Sonny2299]

I’ve realized this fact a long time ago. I tell everyone I can about using people better then you for success, It’s also brilliantly displayed in the film whiplash. People who truly love their craft and have that undying desire to be the best they can, will not be affected by others. Since the beginning I always seen players better than me as a source of inspiration.

[@DreidMusicalX]

JUST BE YOU. I've been around 55 years, been playing for 39. I have never cared about being better than others. If you do, it will wreck you. There is always going to be others that can do things you cannot. No one can know everything. Literally, there is not enough time that we live on Earth for that to ever happen. Also don't try to be them or sound like them. Do what you feel in your heart and keep it real to what you would play live. It's a better sound and it's honest. People like to feel the music, not listen to the machine. Well for most of us. Just have fun!

[@Stefanoski88]

People, playing instrument is not a race with someone! Use your instrument to feed your soul and start to be creative.

[@JohnMcintosh-dm1gn]

Good job then as I'm snail slow.

[@randomguyonutube-ow4yi]

When I first started electric guitar I remember idolizing Tim hensons playing and got really excited every time I learnt a small part in playing god. Flash forward a year later i realized I started to compare myself without improving on my playing which made me demotivated and stop guitar for a while, this video sparked inspiration to pick it up and practice again lol

[@Applejutsu]

So wise for so young. People eventually get so good at something that they simply make less mistakes when they do it... and well, everyone is naturally good at making less mistakes than you at something. You could be a top 100 best chef in the world who never picked up a spatula!

[@No_Lucks_Given]

Its not just with guitar, Its everything. Be inspired by others but only compare yourself to yourself.

[@3ngi_n33r]

That kid, max, is so sick! I’ve been playing for years and I learn tons from the new gen of players. Very inspiring, actually. Keep it coming! 🤘😜

[@williamcampbell163]

There is only 1 you and it should come across in your playing.Thats the way it has always been.❤

[@XtrovertedArts]

I almost fell into this pitfall but then I realized i shouldn’t compare my one year of guitar to the many hard years of online guitarists. I learned to just kinda vibe with what I can do and to just keep improving.

[@henryslawinski9073]

Lucas Mann once said "It's so weird to me that you need to act like you suck at your instrument (even if you are good) in the metal scene to get praise. Being humble for insecure people is dumb. I am dope af at guitar." And personally I've subconsciously believed that for the whole 12 years I've been playing guitar, I don't remember a time when I've been discouraged from playing, only inspired to learn new things, learning a different song every day just because why not. Being self aware of your flaws and limits as a guitar player is key to progressing. Also great vid, definitely would love to see more of this content.

[@dovydas4483]

Lucas Mann speeds ups his songs lol

[@dalearezzo]

fake humble is not humble. the grass is always greener on the other side. and yes there is a bit of fakery

[@hansmemling2311]

everytime someone asks me if I'm any good at the guitar I say I suck. They then proceed to say I must be really good then kmao.

[@supershaw09]

@@hansmemling2311 yeah. People who are bad think they’re good because they don’t know that they could be better, and people who are good think they’re bad because they know exactly where they can improve

[@henryslawinski9073]

@@supershaw09 the quote is slightly satirical, the point is that it shouldn't matter how good someone else is what matters is you! There might be things that you can do that others cannot and vice versa. Playing in a live band will teach you that a lot of this doesn't matter, as long as you're having fun that's what it's all about.

[@bradsmith7311]

This goes for almost every guitar channel,trogly,rhett,baker,etc.nice guys for the most part.I have been playing ,repairing, tech-ing,selling,consulting for almost 50 years.These younger guys are just getting up to speed on things that were covered,explored and put to rest long ago.its cool that they are discovering things like ....Marshall tone for 1 example. Saying goes " I have forgotten more info than they might ever know.just saying.

[@voidofhope6259]

It’s the same with skateboarding. Most time we only see what to most looks like an effortless kickflip down 20 stairs. What isn’t shown as often are the many many attempts, sometimes it takes days, MONTHS, maybe even years throwing your body down a huge gap just to get that one trick.

[@marlanjn.baptiste8715]

😭😭😭😭😭 this is something we all loose track of from time to time. But its always good to have a reminder.

[@ItsHexa18]

Really really really good video. Last point is maybe the most important thing a young musician needs to hear but thank you for the jacked men analogy also

[@hellscattle]

I used to listen to a bunch of prog metal and always felt bad about how so many people younger than me can play so fast and cleanly, at a level that I will never reach in my entire life... But then I listened to a bunch of other genres that focuses a lot less on technical abilities and I realized that: Playing guitar well is way more than just playing fast, and making good music is way more than just playing guitar well, and sometimes even determining whether a music is good or bad is extremely difficult LMAO... so that's when I begin to compare with other guitarist (and in general, musicians) less and less. Even if I'm still unable to play at the level I dreamt of I feel I'm definitely a much better musician than I used to!

[@Lifesizemortal]

Math rock / speed metal tends to be a competency test on whether you understand the importance of composition over flashy noodling. Some people can't tell the difference.

[@GuitarFRETBOARDHACKS]

I don't believe you've peaked yet bro. You can't say you won't ever reach a certain level, especially if you're not even old and grey yet 😅 you definitely could achieve any level of guitar. Just about what you practice, and how much. All your favorite guitarists spent insane amount of hours on their playing. Don't put a cap on yourself!

[@coacksenmayasse5771]

I know that songs going viral and popular doesn't mean that they're in fact good, but usually what gets more attention and the stuff that sticks to people is the more simple stuff. Don't beat yourself down, don't talk about what you can or can't be in the future, talk about what you are now, and set a short period goal. Practice, practice, practice. Even if you're in your 40's you can still achieve something remarkable (it's obviously harder than when we were younger but it's still possible with consistency). I truly hope that you get what you're wishing for, and i wish you tons of luck, and more importantly, just fucking have fun, bro! That's what music is about. Have a good one!

[@GammaFZ]

@@Lifesizemortal precisely. Thats what an instrument virtuoso exactly is about.

[@ushnamos]

Dude, at first I was feeling so relatable with the background sound of this video, but then suddenly you just started playing so melodically, it sounded so good, and then I got depressed again LMAOOO Jokes apart, this vid just made me not feel alone in this gruesome process of sucking so bad, thanks for the video man!!

[@margaretamorelius890]

Be inspired by others but only compare yourself to yourself

[@karmaceutical3963]

confidence and perseverance is really the key here, ive played guitar a long time, and after a certain point i gave up trying to play the crazy shit, i genuinely thought theres no way i can do that, im not born with X gene that lets it happen, got to a point down the road where i figured fuck it im gonna try and learn a satriani song for shits and giggles (after 15 yrs of playing), it took about a year of everyday practice to play it well, that showed me with enough work it really is possible, now after about 4 years of practicing my tits off, im learning polyphia/vai/bodom all that stuff i convinced myself wasnt possible, im writing better music than i ever have, in 4 years ive improved more than the last 10 by practicing as much as possible this isnt to brag but to reinforce the points in this video, i see so many ppl say "that musician just talented, i could never do that" i thought the same way, but like he stated in the video, what u dont see is the insane amount of hours these ppl have put into their craft, humans are incredible animals and when we do something with everything we have then there is a lot of possiblity, even someone like steve vai had a 10 and 30 hr practice routine, he worked for every inch of that ability tldr: nobody is born with the ability to play guitar like a god, it comes down to positive mindset and putting in the work to do it, if u think u cant then u cant, if u think u can then u can

[@dm8579]

You are spot on. Hard work is the key, and we never really think about the number of hours that it took to get there.

[@clicks59]

Consider this: We constantly try to improve. What are our goals? I am a bass player. I was studying jazz and wanted to become a better soloist. I was fortunate to find a teacher that honestly assessed my abilities. He.politely informed me that, although I was a decent bass player, I was missing key elements of basic musicianship. He asked me if I really listened closely to myself play. I had a tendency to play ahead of the beat. I lacked the ability to play dynamically and tried to play too many notes. He suggested that I work on being more Solid in the pocket. The moral of the story is that one must understand what their mission is as a guitarist or whatever it is they play. Learning and getting good with the basics cannot be overstated enough. You might not be able to play like your favorite players but getting really good at the basic fundamentals will help you to improve as an overall player and you will definitely notice it with your own playing. With every session that I play now, I am focused on being the best that I can be fundamentally. It’s something that I CAN do.

[@cheenu711]

this is why i love players like John Sykes and EVH, they are not perfect but they are great with groove. I remember playing live for the first time and feeling i was terrible because i made some mistakes. Later on I had many musicians come up to me to complement me and i did fuck up on stage many times but seeing others making the same mistakes kind if broke me out of that cycle. Also you have a great taste in guitars. Have that same charvel dk24 and it has been my main guitar for 2 years now. Great vid ❤

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

This was all so true; which is why on my Instagram, I post my early stuff and a lot of my fails. Why? Because it motivates me to acknowledge the mistakes, embrace them as a learning process, and grow. It also makes it to where people will see where I came from even when I’m playing songs like Phantom of The Opera and Stargazer 10 years from now.

[@DuplexIty1421]

I love the editing style. Thank you, Ill strive to practice more and someday achieve my dream as a guitarist

[@benpoe4335]

You’re still young, it will grow on you. I started guitar at 65; fortunately at that age I am not conscientious about what other people think of my playing, so I spend more time learning than 2nd guessing what others think.

[@DanteFrisiello]

Hey dude! I loved your video and I really agree with your perspective. This is an important message for the guitar community. One of my first guitar mentors, my buddy Jim Theriac (my neighbor and family friend) taught me how to play blues and just jam. When he did, he said that if I wanted to get better, I needed to constantly surround myself with players better than myself. He is a smart man, and he was right. Maybe it hurts your ego a little, but if you can drop that shit, as you suggested, then your eyes OPEN. And when they open, you learn, you improve, and you elevate yourself and those around you. When we see great players online or in person, but it seems especially online, we're faced with a simple choice: to be inspired, or to be discouraged. The internet is inherently more discouraging than in person... But regardless of that, I like to be inspired - their success and skill is paving the way for YOU. They're showing you what's possible, and their success is a gift, not a threat. Their success is a gateway. That's how I've always chosen to see it. Especially in the last couple years, I've been fortunate to see many of the greats up close, and it just gets me hyped every time. Their sauce just adds ideas for mine! Besides... mother earth already gave us Pat Metheny, so everyone is just fighting for second place anyway!

[@LeroyGuitar]

Thanks for this message dude. I couldn't agree more with you, people need to realise that no one likes to watch other guitarists suck, as well as commit yourself to the journey of practicing without expecting unrealistic results 🙏

[@cascaveldeboina]

And remember that this aplies to every instrument. I've been playing bass for 7 months and a few weeks ago I realized I was not enjoying because I was forcing myself to practice hard tecniques like Double thumb, tapping and fast fingerstyle since I like metal (I thought it was the only thing that I needed to play to become good), but it didnt feel right. Last weekend, at a friend's birthday, some songs were playing and I liked them, discovered that it was from a band named Ocean Alley (reggae, surf rock psychedelic genre) and I LOVED them, felt good listening something after weeks of forcing myself to listen to complicated stuff because I thought I was not getting good if I listened to "easy" stuff. In conclusion, dont think that easy music is bad music, just enjoy everything that you play and enjoy the process, music isn't a race or competition, just let your soul come out and use people better than you to inspiration, not comparison.

[@tjames6427]

I'm a self taught guitarist and my silver lining to this topic is once you get the major scale down, hone in on what you are good at and you become a true and unique player. Also shredding is not music so don't aspire to be a shredder right out of the gate. Learn to feel the rhythm and hang on certain notes for more feeling. Music comes from the soul. Also my number one advice to any new guitarist is play the pentatonic major scale with Jam tracks to learn the fretboard. Jam tracks are they key to being a better player, you won't fully learn the fretboard by watching others instead get right into it and muck around in the musical playground. But yeahJam tracks are the key to guitar success.

[@Errorfile404]

Insane video upload, Glad someone was able to vocalize this so accurately. I was also trying to explain to a frined why there is an unspoken respect that goes out to those players who record their shit without direct input and actually still upload if they make a few mistakes.

[@therealandrecorbin4050]

Good video, no matter what level you are at, you are going to always struggle. If not, then you might not be challenging yourself. Blessings!

[@kenny.m.olsen95]

Im just vibing to your slow soloing in the back homie 😂

[@ongakutanuki]

Everyone who doesn't understand that multiple angle videos of someone playing weren't done in one shot actually deserves to be fooled. It's all prerecorded and mixed and they're just mimicking it in the video. Could they do it in one take? Most of them yes. But it'd take a lot of time and practice, and these people need to keep posting in order to maintain your subscriptions. So don't blame them.

[@CraigMcGill-u2o]

The pedals they use can change the way you play , i got a boss pocket gt and since using that my guitar playing has changed, but im still humble about my playing, ive watched a few videos for inspiration, so to all the guitarists out there keep on rockin.

[@tanneraustin7436]

For me, having picked up the guitar again after being away for over ten years, I feel that the stress of needing to compare myself to others has melted away. Maybe it's an age thing? Thankfully I just don't feel that burden anymore. I know my weaknesses and I just try to put in the work, get better, and enjoy myself. I also firmly believe that after you reach a certain threshold with your technique, a lot of the stuff you see online just turns into dick measuring. Get good at what you like and cultivate your own voice and relationship with the instrument.

[@pads6367]

Your words are extremely worthy not only for guitar playing but also for other aspects of life like school or careers or sports or hobbies. Whenever I feel this way I just try to remember those other people may have had a head start so their level being above mine doesn't reflect my lack of ability and doesn't mean I should stop trying and getting better. Also, Idk who'll read this, but let me tell you there's other people who look up to you too, precisely because they can only see the good parts of your life and your successes, but they can't see the sacrifices you made, maybe sacrificing even your health or well-being to get where you are. And the same applies for the people you admire. What if their lives are not as good as yours? What if that success has deprived them of other aspects of your life you take for granted? You are doing great just by the fact you care about your craft and your progress. Keep going and you won't even notice how far you've gone :)

[@Rockeman182]

Good video and you raised some great points! One thing to remember in addition to what Leroy said is that the players you see on social media are playing things at the absolute maximum of their ability. When you play guitar (or music), you may not be pushing to the absolute maximum every time. Don't be discouraged! Keep rockin' and try new things!

[@Memike66]

Great reminder about priorities. What's nourishing?

[@benjaminshkurka3261]

this was very deep and wise from you, man! good job. glad to see you grow

[@jaimeflor4181]

Good points & as a musician w/ a sociology and counseling background, I appreciate the Festinger reference. I’m an older guitarist, so when I was at that beginners stage, social media guitarist weren’t around. I was lucky though, to be around shredders that appreciated our differences. I was better at composing catchy soulful songs & singing, while they could play amazing lead guitar. Most pro musicians, who aren’t arrogant, appreciate anyone that’s good at what they do.

[@hcdemoman]

People have understand, music is subjective and not a competition. I can play things like ABR and Lorna shore because that's what I enjoy playing and what I'm used to, but I got SCHOOLED by a high schooler when I tried playing little wings at GC, so everyone has different experiences and different things they are good at. Not to mention, a lot of people on social media track sections of the song and glue it together rather than a one take no cut playthrough. So to other fellow guitarists out there, remember that we're all human and we all have our own limits but we can always push through the limits and progress is all dependent on individuals, and NEVER give up because that's when you accept that you suck at something.

[@MackDaddyVic]

Just learn guitar at your own pace. Dont worry about being the best of the best and the craziest shredder. All that will come soon enough after you get a deep understanding of the fretboard. It’s about the journey, not the destination. The destination is just a bonus. But honestly with guitar, there is no destination. There is ALWAYS something new to learn everyday.

[@natgrant1364]

I love your tripod. Also, this is very good advice. Playing guitar should be something you look forward to doing.

[@mjoopa]

Seen half of the guitarists namedropped in the description playing live. Nothing fake, all of them truly inspiring amazing players! Please enjoy guitar more, clickbaits less ❤️

[@boristosic]

In my simple opinion there are no better than the better. Or the best. It's just different from all the ones exposed because of social networks. I concentrate on that when I make music. NEVER GIVE UP. Be yourself. Otherwise, very good video topic

[@michielvansteenhoven7255]

very important stuff you're saying here. Good stuff!

[@GMByteJavaTM]

Can't say much about guitar playing as I'm not that advanced at it yet, but I used to make programming videos back in the day, and people used to comment my videos as "if only all teachers on KZbin were like you" and all that. And everytime I read those I thought to myself, "if only you saw the original video and how much editing went into that, and how many times I rephrased some of the explanations I gave, you'd probably think I'm an idiot or smth" lol And all that considering I spent at least one day researching more about the topic beforehand. So yeah, there's a lot of stuff that is left out of the frame, that's for sure.

[@jamnblues1]

We only become better when we compare ourselves with what we were before, with what we are now and see the fruits of our progress.

[@Kaz999998]

I like to watch people a lot better than me, because while there may be a tinge of jealousy or self disappointment it makes me excited my skill ceiling can still get higher. It's like self humbling; it's nice to know there are people better out there because it drives me to get better. Just can't get lost in the sauce.

[@jeddhighett4054]

ngl your guitar playing throughout this video was really good

[@tactik5903]

I gave up on meticulous finger playing long time ago.. tone exploration, melody creation, and most importantly: composition & arrangement - all you need to discover your potential!

[@malegria9641]

I think I got pretty lucky in my choice of genre to create. Because in reggae and dub, we don’t have these crazy licks and shredding- we focus on rhythm. But if I was a metal guitarist, I think I would definitely be a lot more bothered and self conscious about it. Idk where I was going with this tangent. Guess I’ll post it anyway.

[@MrDirtydaves]

Fortunately, I’ve never wanted to “shred” so much of the internet guitarists never interested me. I do see some great guitar players that do the style of music I’m aiming for and I see it as a challenge to myself to get better.

[@Tr1s]

This is true, because of how far production values have gone it's hard to even come close if you try to emulate the top players that we see online. I would say try to watch them live at least first. Also this is nothing compared to what classical musicans go through, because in their case the people prodigies tend to be like 6 years old..... which can't feel great on the self esteem meter.

[@Jaspertine]

One thing that kinda gets me, and it sounds ridiculous, but such is human nature, that when I practice, I focus on mood and atmosphere. In other words, I really don't focus on shredding, yet I still feel compelled to compare myself to shredders.