Things Guitarists Should Never Do

[@samuraiguitarist]

For a bit longer save 50% off my new course Elevated Open Chords here: samuraiguitartheory.com/p/elevated-open-chords?coupon_code=launch50&product_id=5063529

[@artistlovepeace]

Eye always do that

[@EpIcHoBoGuY]

I don't know if you will see this but the timestamps are super messed up.

[@alexmott507]

Played with a bassist who removed the ground pin from his amp. If he made contact with anyone else at any point while playing, we'd both get shocked. We banned that amp from rehearsal REAL quick.

[@yahbella----23]

That's a saw trap lol

[@joshuabarron8535]

Oof, and a bass player too lol.

[@joaojahnke9684]

Always the bassist

[@kingatheist7231]

Yep. Seems like something the bass player would do.

[@redhorsereincarnated]

Although you should never remove the ground pin that issue you describe is not caused by a missing ground pin and can occur on amps that have a ground pin. It's very dangerous even with a ground pin and is usually a fairly simple fix for an amp tech. There should never be current on the ground.

[@Swim2TheMoon]

One I would add: Never bring a piece of gear to a gig that you didn't use in practice. I had a bandmate bring a delay pedal to the biggest gig we'd ever played. As we were setting up, we got a microburst of rain and didn't get to sound check. In about the third song of our performance, he hit the pedal for a solo and it sent a burst of feedback that echoed throughout the gorgeous mountain setting that we were playing. We weren't invited back.

[@littlebritain64]

O.M.G.!!😄

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

My fave is seeing two guitars and a bass all tuning up from different brands of expensive tuner ... ignoring each other because they don't know any better. Oh, and those stupid things clipped to headstocks or, ow, my sides, music stands!

[@That70sGuitarist]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver Within fairly broad limits, 440 Hertz is still going to be 440 Hertz, regardless of manufacturer. I keep a very sensitive Seiko chromatic tuner in my case, and always use it before going on stage. While on stage, I use a Snark SN-10 tuner pedal, and it always aligns perfectly with my Seiko tuner. The days of having everyone pass around the same tuner "just so we're all on the same page," passed long ago. That's a good thing, too, because it was a colossal waste of time and energy!😉

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@That70sGuitarist So, The days of having everyone "on the same page," passed long ago. That's why today's bands sound like shit a lot of the time. What we call 'bad improvements'

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@mal2ksc If there's a house piano, you have to tune to that. Also, everyone having different tuners ends up, nine out of ten, exactly the way you describe it. Everyone must tune up from one known, reliable machine. That's the only method that works. Anything less is amateur buffoonery

[@BlueJayWaters]

100% Samurai is right on ear plugs for soundchecks, especially when you start playing mid-tier and up venues. I had perfect hearing before I got big with my blues trio, and one show we did a soundcheck and my right ear was right next to a PA stack that was "muted" according to the soundguy. Next thing I know a sharp feedback hit me and I instantly lost some hearing, ear bled, and started me down the painful road of tinnitus. I was 23, and now at 31 I'm partially deaf in that ear and literally can't use ear plugs live cos I won't be able to make out definition in the music

[@Yoda8945]

Get a set of active earplugs (Etymotic makes them.) They drop the level by almost 30dB and have a control that allows more high frequencies in.

[@dgwachtel]

Years ago my band got to the mid-tier level and was invited to play the big showcase clubs, but never did :(. To fill these crowded mid level rooms we were pretty loud. I never turned my 100w Marshall past about 5 and only brought one cab to the gigs, a set up which was plenty loud enogh. We had the equipment to be really loud though! Like everyone else back in the day I didn't wear earplugs. We were always careful to position our speakers such that they weren't pointing in band members ears. It sort of worked over the five years that I played out. Even so, I've had mild tinnitus for fifty three years. Most of the time the "buzzing" is low enough so it isn't much of a bother although I have lost a bit of my high frequency hearing. The bottom line is use ear plugs and save your hearing. -dave

[@hughbarton5743]

Absolutely correct on ear protection. Since unwelcome discovery of a horrendous feedback potential of my not so high powered pa system and not overly powerful amp, I have the great joy of partial deafness in one ear, and frequent ringing in my ears. This incident took place when I was 18, so, even given 50 years to get better, it hasn't.

[@EdBender]

Totally. That advice should be printed on guitar boxes and labels. It's crazy that kids are handed these ear destruction equipment without a clue.

[@Riverdeepnwide]

Drunks yelling into your ear to be heard over the music don't help either.

[@stevehurl298]

This is the single best "beginner" guitar video I have ever seen. I'm a long-time player, so I personally didn't see/hear about anything unknown to me, BUT I would vouch for EVERY concept and every word presented here. This advice is golden. Much of it are ideas that I've offered to my guitar students for decades. Also, there are no wasted words in this presentation. Excellent job.

[@InvestmentJoy]

Been shocked more than once with an amp that had it's ground prong broken off.

[@philbeau]

Back in the 70s (when electrocution amps were common) I would leave the high string untrimmed so I could brush it briefly against the mic. If it threw a spark I knew it was time to flip the amp polarity switch.

[@SvenTviking]

If it was in the UK, a removed Earth pin would cause the plug socket to not let the live and neutral pins to plug in. The Earth pin opens two doors thar cover the other two holes.

[@pipespeeps5349]

@@philbeausmart

[@TheHesseJames]

@@pipespeeps5349 yeah American sockets are the most flimsy things I've ever seen. But then you have only 110 volt, so no need to bother...

[@YskarAlbumLuna]

@@TheHesseJames Here in Brazil, sometimes we don't even have grounding in houses or apartments.

[@hal_of_a_time]

I love that you mention using jealousy to create something positive, rather than making it toxic, or negative. An awesome outlook, takes practice, but it is such good advice! Thank you

[@Whatmeister]

Not just that: the best way to elevate your playing is to play with people who are better than you are

[@foogod4237]

This actually highlights the key difference between "jealousy" and "envy", IMHO. "Envy" is looking at something that somebody else has, and wishing you had it too. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It can lead you to work towards getting better, etc. "Jealousy" is feeling that somebody else shouldn't have what they have (and you should have it instead). That is very different. Jealousy is pretty much always toxic, but envy can sometimes be useful and productive, if directed in the right ways.

[@hal_of_a_time]

@@foogod4237 I like this way of viewing things. Thank you, I will use this phrasing in the future, as I really like it. English is not my native language, so picking up phrases like this is useful.

[@johngutierrez591]

Dude, I had this tech who screwed up my board when I had him re-wire it. And he was SO adamant about me removing the ground cause it'll be better. Thanks for confirming he was full of it haha

[@That70sGuitarist]

You raise a lot of important points in this video. The ones that resonated the most with me were the fingernail thing and the amp ground pin. I always keep my fingernails trimmed so short that there's no visible white end, but I clip them first, then file the rest of the way. It's a lot quicker and easier than just filing them all the way down. Back when I was a busker, often playing as much as 8-10 hours a day (not including practicing and teaching) I always kept a tube of cyanoacrylate glue in my guitar case, but it wasn't necessarily just for the occasional fingernail peel situation. I would often get little rips or tears where the fingertip callous gave way to normal skin, and I'd use the superglue to create a seal over the little rip. It also acted as a sort of "instant callous," as I had a bad habit of gnawing on rough bits of skin on my fingertips. As for the grounding pin, I once knew an idiot who cut off his amp's grounding pin. He thought it improved his tone, until he got a bad shock and ended up in hospital from stepping on a wet spot on the stage at an outdoor concert. He got the power plug replaced after he got out of the hospital, some three days later and a whole lot wiser.🤣

[@CineSoar]

I was jamming with friends, in HS. None of us had cut off our ground pin. But... apparently, we were on two separate circuits of the electrical system. I was playing bass, and I swung around, at the same moment our guitar player was swinging in the opposite direction. Our strings connected, and with a flash, spot welded together. We were both forced to change 4 strings.

[@stapler942]

Ahahah, I remember my naive teenage self and a buddy of mine getting shocked by lack of circuit awareness. I was at this guy's top floor suite of an old-looking house, we had our little amps plugged in on opposite sides of the room, one of us with a guitar and the other with a bass. While rocking out, my high-energy friend calls for us to quickly swap guitars. We both grab the necks of the others' instrument, suddenly I feel my guitar vibrating really fast, we see a spark fly between our strings and both feel a bit of a shock. Luckily we and our instruments survived.

[@xjunkxyrdxdog89]

Yeah everyone clapped on that one.

[@Allie-w1l]

Sh*t that's horrifying!!

[@pemo2676]

@@xjunkxyrdxdog89yeah buddy, i also clapped at your OW clips

[@xjunkxyrdxdog89]

@pemo2676 you replied to a 4 month old comment, to talk about videos uploaded 6 years ago? There are better hobbies than seeking attention online.

[@simonjhudson7378]

My Dad was a Factory Inspector (Now referred to as an HSE Inspector). Most of the fatalities he was called to investigate were where people had bypassed the things that were there to keep them safe. Deaths from removing the Earth from an electric socket were quite common. Some other common causes of fatalities or severe injuries were: Using Duck Tape to cover bare wires; Jamming a spanner to disable the protective shield on cutting machinery, Scaffolding, being a farmer.......

[@DustyMagroovy]

Definitely wear ear plugs, for the snare and cymbals alone. bass tone hurts too if it's too loud.

[@trickfall8752]

Don't only practice sitting down, unless you never plan on playing with a band, or doing a gig.

[@Plexyglazz]

Exactly! Practise in the way you will be playing it live.

[@nullfield]

Steve Hackett, Jeff Healey, Robert Fripp, Jose Feliciano got a few gigs.

[@christopherlewis1847]

​@@nullfieldadd Joe Pass to that list

[@ToxicSentinelTTV]

I learn a song sitting down, then practice standing

[@MatthewSwasta]

My guitar is basically at the same position sitting as it is standing, based on left hand wrist position. Does it look cool or slung real low while standing?...no, and I don't give a shit!

[@rodrirm]

Just in case someone was wondering about it, yes the tuning machine tip also applies to steel and nylon acoustic guitars.

[@marksteinemann4063]

And Basses... same truth to that.

[@TheHesseJames]

@@marksteinemann4063 and Stradivaris.

[@tsargoyle]

I put airtags inside my guitars control cavity using a strong 3M double sided tape to stick it to the plastic cover. I also make sure the speaker is disconnected so that other people can't ping it. That way if the guitar gets removed from it's case or a thief thinks the airtag that's following them is in the case they have to work a little harder to find it. Also very much yes on the ear protection! It's not uncool or expensive to protect your ears!

[@kaedeschulz5422]

As a bassist especially practicing with an amp it's very different as there's some SERIOUS air movement! Makes playing extremely different with all the air around you moving.

[@CyclesAreSingularities]

thank you for mentioning the grounding pin, it's disturbing to know how much this gets recommended. especially cause most people will never know how dangerous it actually is.

[@DoTheDishesOrElse..]

'Never tell yourself you'll be happy if..' That's not only a guitar tip, but a life one lmao

[@ApusApus]

I won't be happy

[@azy6868]

A ground isolator in the signal path is the fundamentally correct way to eliminate system ground loop problems. A transformer does this by magnetically coupling the signal across an electrically insulated barrier. Ground loop problems are caused by small voltage differences that normally exist between the ‘grounds’ at the send and receive ends of a signal cable. In an unbalanced interface, this ground voltage difference directly adds to the signal. This generally produces hum or buzz in audio. In a balanced interface, the ground voltage difference may reveal inadequate common-mode rejection at the input stage of the equipment or other design defects.

[@flatfingertuning727]

Things which are connected via ground-referenced cabling should have grounding paths that connect to the earth through the same metal grounding stake. If two parts of a building are fed from different utility service entrances and have separate grounding stakes, a path from one grounding stake through a safety ground wire into a mixing board, through a ground-referenced audio cable, a player's amp, the amp's safety ground, and another ground stake may be annoying, but if anything the player might touch has a grounding connection to the same ground stake as the player's amp which is at least as solid as any connection it might have to the mixing board's ground stake, that would be far less dangerous than floating the player's amp ground. Doing that would eliminate hum, but also mean the player's body might provide the best available grounding path between something that's connected to what would be the player's amp's grounding stake and the mixing board's grounding stake.

[@ChunterInfo]

The only time I feared losing my hearing completely was during a soundcheck when I was in the audience. An electric auto harp made the most howling feedback and I spent the night thinking the PA sucked. It was my favorite gig as a spectator besides that. The ringing in my ears cleared up after two and a half weeks.

[@Whydoyoureadme]

12 years ago I invited another band to my rehearsal studio, their drummer hit the crash and china so hard all night and because we were crowded I was like a foot away from it. I definetily lost some hearing permanently that night and it still rings, but I got used to it and don't notice it unless I'm sleepless at night. But, a year ago I went to a Death Metal concert in a bar and everybody and their mother's dog had half and full stacks for a place where they literally only played for the 10 other musicians (there was no audience, since everybody forgot to promote it) and I was DEAF for two days, I was so, so, so scared that I would never be able to hear good enough again to do anything music related, but it cleared up. I swore never to attend extremely loud music events again.

[@dman3316]

You were very extremely lucky the ring went away

[@KiLLJOY1056]

When I was 14 and got my first guitar, My mom, who doesnt play guitar or instruments at all, taught me to always tune up and not down and it will stick with me for my life. I have no idea why or how she knew this, but its nice to hear that she was totally right! Mother always knows best, love you mom :)

[@alexweisbeek5335]

One I learned recently, if you played a gig or rehearsel where you sweat. Make sure to not put the guitar straight back into the case/bag. Let the sweat evaporate for a bit. Same with tube amps and quick changeovers, give tubes as much time to cool down before moving them after a gig.

[@DrKevGuitar]

Re: selling to the guitar store, Any guitar store I ever knew/or worked for offered no more than 50% of what they could sell it for. Your old place at 60% sounds great! 😄

[@mrbaris0]

i absolutely agree with the tuning up one. i have a guitar with not so good tuners and whenever i tune down, pitch goes down even more but when i do it like he said, tuning is stronger and more stable.

[@eddywinter5153]

Great advice (as ever) and great Open-chord course! 🙂 Thanks Sammy-G

[@pscheidt]

Hey SG, I do not play guitar and do not even care about playing guitars. I do care about you and you frequently give great general advice. Like this video. Thanks.

[@squidcaps4308]

As sound engineer: use earplugs during the sound check. Feedback is the #1 worry, we are often looking for the edges deliberately to know where it is so occasional whistle is possible. Be prepared for it. We are also often troubleshooting behind the desk and since time is of the essence, that troubleshooting is quick and dirty, wires may be connected while hot. Nothing that breaks the gear but can make your ears ring if you aren't wearing protection. Everything that was said in that bit happens about every single soundcheck as a guarantee. And the millisecond drumset is set, you know what will happen next. The animal stays happy in its cage if it can do that one drum fill, so, wear earplugs.

[@salazar_music513]

Always tune up when the string is out of tune! Thank you! Finally someone said it

[@mandolinic]

But my instrument was in tune when I bought it.

[@mandolinic]

@@thatoneguybones8036 But that assumes that the tension on both sides of the nut is always the same. That isn't necessarily the case. If you tune down then there is a risk that the tension between the nut and tuner will be higher than between the nut and the bridge, so you start playing and suddenly the string drops a little in pitch. Tuning up reduces the impact of the these problems, although it doesn't entirely eliminate them.

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

​@@mandolinic Tuning up or down' tug on the string in-between time doing so. If sharp'tune down and then stretch the string, sneaking up on it until it's in tune. Either way' stretch the string while tuning.

[@mandolinic]

@@BryanClark-gk6ie Good comment.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

The thing about selling to the store is valid, but at least they won't agree on $500 via email/dm/whatever, then show up at your house with $100 in nickels and dimes and whine at you when you tell them to fuck off. And then 6 months later, because you've gone through several variations of that, you still haven't moved the thing on.

[@scamp7887]

Right. It's like trading in a car. Do you get full value? No. But it's a pain in the ass otherwise. If it's a cheap trade in, just turn it into a parts guitar or practice your soldering etc on it

[@joeblankenship377]

That little tip about tuning. I feel like I've always done that, instinctively. Because when you tune down, you usually overshoot it and have to come back up anyway.

[@ganjiblobflankis6581]

There is backlash in the gearing and the tension in the string wants to flatten the tuning. If you tune up you take out the backlash and the mechanism can only freely move a little sharp but the tension prevents that.

[@Henrix1998]

You can also tune down just a bit and then do big bend on that string

[@JillandKevin]

Thanks for some great advice. However, your first piece (tuning up) needs a bit more. As a professional guitarist, teacher, and guitar maker, I always: first, as you said, tune UP. But THEN, I give it a bit of a pull around the octave area, THEN re-tune. THEN give it ANOTHER pull and again re-tune. REPEAT this until the string keeps it's pitch after pulling it! Also, although a guitar should NEVER be left in the trunk (I used to wrap my guitars in kid's sleeping bags, which insulates them and keeps them out of view thru windows). However, my wife and I are professional musicians, and on the road permanently, so I built an insulated vault in the back of our tow vehicle, so the guitars still get some extremes. It's more important to let them acclimate BEFORE opening the cases! As for humidity, well, I've had many very expensive vintage archtops that were well over 50 years old and never had humidification in their lives and survived just fine, but yes, it's still better to keep humidity stable IF POSSIBLE.

[@joermnyc]

Also make sure any gig space has ground on the microphones. Keith Richards was almost killed by a shock from an ungrounded microphone several decades ago. (This may be why he now cannot be killed by conventional means.)

[@dizzykwalla1198]

When you clip a fingernail it's like breaking a 2x4 piece of wood in half and it leaves small jagged edges along the cut. Make sure to file down your nails after cutting them creating a smooth surface preventing the cut nails tiny jaggies from catching and splitting the nail.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Use an emery board too; not metal file.

[@HeatMyShorts]

This is great stuff. Great insight into the guitar stuff and the life stuff! Thanks for sharing this!

[@reeenji]

very good video samurai sama. As a guitarrist, personally a don't like play guitar at parties or social gatherings, I don't wanna force myself to learn "popular" songs or play that song everyone plays at these kind of situations. 🤷

[@markbrown7103]

I’ve been playing guitar since 1974. And I have always heard it sad never tune down always tune up not down. Yeah and I’ve also heard of people cutting the ground cord off of a plug. That is very deadly dangerous. Great advice. Thanks for the video.👍🏼👍🏼😁😎

[@michael9410]

The explanation for the ground pin in the video isn't quite right. The ground pin is tied to the amp chassis, which should be electrically connected to anything else metal on the amp. When you plug your instrument in, your strings, tuners, etc are also connected to ground. If something goes wrong with your amp and a live wire comes into contact with the chassis, it will trip the breaker and prevent you from being shocked. Without a ground pin, the metal in your amp as well as your instrument are now hot. If you're touching your strings and touch anything else properly grounded, like a mic or another musician with a functional amp, you (or both of you) will be shocked.

[@NickdeDrummer]

Drummers don't have that house party issue. People are always thrilled if you arrive at a chill gathering and start blasting solo's on your 22-piece DW kit.

[@greatkingrat]

Been playing for ages….still learned a bunch of good “don’ts”. Thanks Sammy!

[@bkmeahan]

If your getting noise through the ground it's because the building has a wiring problem. carry a power conditioner with you. Sure it's more gear but it is worth it to save your amp.

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

On the "don't remove the ground" topic, I believe that's how Keith Relf died. He had been both the lead singer of the Yardbirds and a founder of Renaissance, whose original lineup was reuniting (under the name Illusion, since a different lineup of Renaissance was still active), and had to restructure after his death.

[@drbluzer]

KEITH RELF was playing an electric guitar while taking a bath , which is dangerous ! Also the power standard for U.K. electricity is 220 volts @ 50 hertz compared to the U.S. standard of 120 volts @ 60 hertz . I don't think that the U.K. has an "earth ground" on their plugs as we do in the U.S. . I lived in Europe in the 1980's and there were no ground plugs on the sockets . If I recall correctly , there were no grounds on electrical sockets in the 1950's and it wasn't until the 1960's and 1970's that the "earth ground" was made as a standard safety feature in houses and commercial buildings .

[@o00nemesis00o]

@@drbluzer You kidding? We had earthing prongs on our plugs from the beginning, waiting for the yanks to catch up

[@drbluzer]

I AM NOT KIDDING ! I would not have posted this if I was kidding ! I was born in America and I am an American Navy veteran and I lived in Rota , Spain in the province of Andalusia from June 1985 to July 1988 . I also traveled to Portugal , Germany , Italy , and Greece and I never noticed a ground connection ( no 3 prongs! ) on any of the European country's sockets ( all of them had only two prongs with no ground prong ). You might be relieved if you do some research on Europe's electrical power grid's history to verify my remarks . My command told me that you can't use an electric digital clock bought in the United States for use in Europe , because U.S. made clocks are made for the U.S. standard of 60 hertz ,whereas Europe's standard is 50 hertz . And like I said : verify Europe's electrical power grid as they may have added an "earth ground" prong since I left there 36 years ago.. @@o00nemesis00o

[@suffoc8]

@@drbluzer The UK doesn't follow the same conventions as the rest of Europe, we've had grounded plugs since the 1920s. It's a point of pride that our plugs and sockets are very safe, as the covers on the live and neutral holes won't open without the ground pin going into its hole first, making it far harder for some kid to stick a fork in the socket and get zapped. As well as many other features

[@drbluzer]

HEY !Thanks for the information .I could only respond as far as what I saw in Europe . I have never been to the UK .@@suffoc8

[@colindeer9657]

By your comments, you seem to be attuned into harmony of life this will serve you well in life. 😊 The session is brilliant for everyone involved in getting into guitars . Best video I’ve seen on it all so far. Technical advice to, some people skills but when put together it’s golden advice that really needs to be followed if you want to get ahead with out hassles or death in case of tampering with power cords ( that’s just plain wrong). All very sound presentation about guitars I’d highly recommend. Cheers Colin.

[@quailstudios]

Check the links in the video. They are off quite a bit. For instance Tense Up starts at 3:52 but you have got it at 2 minutes 53 seconds. This throws everything else off.

[@andrewlloydpeterson]

I remember i went to a party. I played the guitar all the time, another dude smoked too much weed and barfed all over the floor and refused to clean after himself. Guess who wasnt invited to the party the 2nd time?

[@Typical.Anomaly]

Great opportunity to write a song on the spot! "Party foul man, pretty please clean up your puke." ...or something lol

[@Woozy.0]

You were never invited back

[@EdBender]

Yeah. After 15yo only bring your guitar anywhere if you are requested to do so, preferably paid also. I have a lot of friends who are AMAZING guitarists, myself included. I love to hear them play. But not when I'm chatting with other amazing friends.

[@andrewlloydpeterson]

@@Woozy.0 correct

[@fueyou]

Addendum: if you’re going to wear ear plugs at sound check, don’t keep telling the engineer to keep turning up your monitor. Better yet, invest in IEM’s.

[@waltjames407]

I sell gear at guitar stores a lot of the time, take the 50-60% of what they think they can sell it for, and I'm content with it. You get the money now, nobody wastes your time with lowball offers or failing to show up, no opportunity for scammers to try their crap on you. For a lot of items, paying half of its value to not have to deal with the hassles of finding a legit buyer is totally worth it.

[@killslay]

When it comes to selling cheaper gear, 40% less than what you'd get selling it yourself is just the cost of not having to deal with the idiots on Facebook marketplace

[@valvenator]

60% for a used instrument from a guitar store is actually a deal. I sold a P-Bass once to a guitar store that had some major issues. Weeks later I found it listed by them as is for over 3 times the price they paid me. This was also the same place that offered me $300 for a Les Paul. The followig year I found some at a musicians flea market marked at over ten times the price.

[@johnnymacsmusic]

Your second point, extremely valid. I'm an electrician here in the states. The equipment ground on ANY cord is put there for the safety of the consumer (as you stated in your video). If it's there by design, leave it alone!

[@Mr_TXG]

The ground pin isn’t a issue in the uk because u can’t plug anything in without one

[@the1khronohs40]

Yes! That last one (and the ‘don’t electrocute yourself’) is really important. I so bad with that last one, always needing just one more thing. Always. It never stops.

[@PBTophie]

6:00 Imagine you have the thing that they have, which you want. Imagine how having that thing must make you feel. Imagine being them and having this same feeling whilst being them. Your joy is their joy. Let yourself embrace this moment of empathy. Let their joy be your joy, as joy is to be shared; never coveted or taken away. This is the practice of being happy for the successes of others.

[@rstevenhanson]

Nailed it. I especially like the life lesson there at the end about the hedonic treadmill. Lots of wisdom from such a young feller.

[@rogerbartlet5720]

1:18 So when I showed to a party with my guitar and amp and cranked up Ace of Spades, that's why the people left?

[@liamcristello2591]

As a recovering acoustic-guitar-at-the-function guy, I’ve had the fortune of being around people who were very chill with it, so it can depend on who you’re with. Main thing I’d say is Know The Vibe. If everyone’s just chilling and hanging out, it might be fine to bring your guitar and just provide a little background ambience. Maybe don’t tear into a complex and really flashy finger style piece if the vibe isn’t concert hall performance. Also understand what hangouts the guitar may be welcome at, vs. the times where it comes off kinda presumptuous to have brought your guitar with you in the first place. Social dynamics are hard, at the end of the day just don’t take it too personally. If you’re like me, over time you’ll just kinda laugh at yourself for having done it in the first place and move on.

[@PBTophie]

I have pretty bad social anxiety. I'm getting a lot better, but it used to be horrible. I'd always inadvertently find myself at parties anyhow; craving for that social interaction. My guitar was always my safe space. So, I quickly became the background guitar guy. Never taking center stage unless someone asked me to play something (even then I'd play a song up to the end of the bridge/solo and then stop, because the rest of the song was the same as what came before the break; and I assumed they'd have been bored of hearing the same chord progressions =p). I got good at matching the vibe of the stories and conversations with my guitar; providing depth to the dialogue. I guess a more subtle lesson would be to not be the arrogant guitar guy. Know the piece you are, and where you fit in the puzzle of the gathering.

[@RaccoonHenry]

I'm guilty of not wearing ear protection, even though while working at a music studio I've been blessed with drummers testing out their kits while I'm mic-ing the kick drum!!!

[@Typical.Anomaly]

I only file my nails, never cut. And Flea uses tape and crazy glue on his slapping thumb! I use it on cracks in my hands or fingers if needed- I work in a kitchen and we've lost a few dishwashers recently.

[@johnnycbad]

Try to use gloves when washing dishes for long periods if possible. Dish soap can be quite harsh on skin. I've had a skin condition that took a long time to heal because of daily contact with dish soap. Took me a while to realise that it was making it worse.

[@mrmojoridin]

You are very open when giving advice on jealousy. I just wanted to say that everyone should take that advice to heart and the world will be a much better place . Everyone has their own unique God given talent and no one is better than anyone else .

[@AngelicusImmortus]

in the UK if you remove the ground pin, you cant use the plug. That pin pushes a switch (of sorts) that opens the slots for the other two pins.

[@mandolinic]

But (unless the plug is moulded onto the cable) you can open the plug with a screwdriver, and remove the earth wire from the earth pin. That's actually far more dangerous because (a) the pin is still in place and gives no clue that the plug is modified, and (b) you have a loose earth wire inside the plug just waiting to hook up with the 240 volts live pin....

[@FortressofShred]

What kind of idiot breaks the ground off of an electrical device? That's not negligence, that's idiocy.

[@hepgeoff]

Great tips, thanks! I'm guilty of your last tip. I see so many guitarists on KZbin that are way better than me. I usually think, "I'll be happy when I can play as well as that guy."

[@expertarcher8542]

I usually end up saying to my self “I wanna be able to play like that”

[@astridlenore]

"I'd be happy if only..." applies to a far greater playing field than just guitarists, just good general advice for living. ;) Thanks for your sound advice, pun very intended.

[@xTheDeerLordx]

I learned about grounding amps the fun way after picking up a second hand one where the plug was bad and wasn't grounding properly. Puts a new meaning to electric guitar .....

[@Riverdeepnwide]

The helpful guy who "Here let me plug that in for ya" and doesn't know you have an adaptor for the two prong socket helps out by breaking off the ground pin of the new cable which your Amp Tech installed on your vintage Fender last week.

[@travisguide4516]

My grandma is usually imposing sonics wherever she goes if it is at the house she asks for a acoustic guitar, if we’re in a music store she has to show the clerks she can play violin it bugs everyone except me

[@Aeduo]

that's cute

[@BeefNEggs057]

I played my first chord yesterday and now I want a dumble. That’s a natural progression, right?

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Always tune UP. THANK YOU. I always tell people this, they never get it. It eliminates mechanical slop. Same for tightening wheels on a car or motorcycle, or anything. If you build an engine and the spec says 80 ft/lbs for a particular bolt, and you take it to 85 by mistake, you have to go below it first, then tighten.

[@RobbyBlitz]

Great video. Lots of subtle, well thought-out tips even for experienced players. Thanks!

[@anthonyr598]

@8:44 I felt like I needed to hear that. Most importantly because that can be applicable to other aspects of your life. Such as exercising, studying, getting through the shift of the day etc.

[@rockerbuck967]

Earplugs are a MUST. I played in a band years ago, and my amp was to my right. Guess which ear has tinnitus? It might seem cool that your ears are ringing after a gig, but let me tell you - Tinnitus is PERMANENT - Now I have to live with that sound the rest of my life. At 3 in the morning, when the world is quiet, that sound can be deafening. PLEASE - protect your ears!

[@SamuTheFrog]

I always felt the tune-up rule was pretty straightforward & common logic. Even without giving it thought, on some unlubed nuts, it forces you to cause the string sticks and finally breaks free, dropping it a whole step, forcing you to go back up.

[@m4ssee]

Oh man, it's been so many years since I've had that fingernail separation thing that I almost forgot how it feels like. It's even worse than the skin pain you get when starting out on a guitar.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Never had that happen. Are these injuries caused by 13-56 gauge?

[@satevo462]

I miss playing live and last summer my sister moved and her new neighbors had a teenage son that could play and sing. So we played and entertained the campfire or just group of drunk people that wanted to sing something. The teenager moved away for college but I still wanted to jam around the campfire. Most the time it was on request, but I can admit sometimes I just wanted to play. Didn't force anyone to listen to me. Would even wander off and play away from the group. But I still totally felt like "that guy". I hate that feeling.

[@mattduffyw99]

Fun fact: Superglue was originally invented for surgical purposes. Modern dermabond is a better, safer alternative to superglue for wounds, but for something trivial like a nicked fingernail superglue should be fine.

[@SurfBandFan]

Never watch videos that say "Never do this". Although I concur with your point, a more positive title would not have prejudiced me from watching all the through and giving you a thumbs up.

[@AllofJudea]

I had a very old Ampeg guitar amp that didn't have a ground. If you touched a mic and your strings you'd get absolutely fried. Good times

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

What if most of the people at the party would think the guy who plays Wonderwall is _that guy?_ The parties I've been to lean more towards prog, jazz, classical, soul, blues, rap, punk, funk, and metal. Certainly you could get the jazz band to play that or any song, but it's going to still be jazz. I do really enjoy a lot of pop music, but it's not "the thing" where I grew up.

[@chance2smoke]

I agree with all but the milestone point. If i didn't have milestones I wouldn't have been as committed as i became. Reasons for your milestones are what make or break you. Example. I wanted to be able to play improv lead. Now i can because it gave me something to work on as a rhythm player who had to step up in that role in my band. Then i wanted to play a combination of the two interchangeably. Now i can. If a milestone is selfish or about gear then yeah i agree with your point. I wasn't happy with my ability and setting milestones about skill level has given me confidence to carry my weight in my band.

[@mapowey]

“your tone should be something TO die for, not something YOU die for.” i agree, unless you are playing metal. in that case, your tone being something you could die for only makes it more metal 🤟😈

[@raoulbrandon4150]

Nail filing is generally better than nail clipping because nails consist of microscopic layers that can separate when cut. Or at least that's what an aunt who's a manicurist told me. (Hence: if you want strong nails for fingerpicking you never want to cut them, just file 'em every day.)

[@dgwachtel]

I cut my nails with a small scissors and then file them to set their appropriate length and end profile. Never had any problems. -dave

[@racheltyrellcorp9694]

8:40 Exactly ! You wan't the guitar of your dream ? Build it from a kit (or from scratch if you have the tools) - You're not sure of your skills ? Go very slowly : if you need a day to sand that little part down then enjoy your day (it's ways better to still have a little to much wood left than not enough wood being there for what you're aiming for) - Will it be perfect ? Probably not to the commercial standard, but every little imperfections will have a story for you. And I can guarantee you this guitar will be worth way more to your eyes than any shiny PRS. - Will it take time ? Hell yeah, that's the point. And the closer to your dream you want it to be, the longer it will take ! As the Samurai said, the PRS will get "normal" thus boring and thus not enough. That guitar of yours won't ever get normal. And don't break your amp grounding pin

[@BCTGuitarPlayer]

All old and very important information! 👍👍 Michael Bloomfield always used to say: keep those fingers loose;)

[@alexsmart5452]

Im new to playing guitar, but have worked in the Film industry for 16 years. I was doing a "Spec" commercial for Fender (based on a marketing idea "Live the Dream") as a film student. Fender lent me their "Newest" guitar a butterscotch Tele Hot Rod 52(the 7th one they made) and (real)Vintage '65 Twin Reverb Combo Amp to do the commercial. I got a band called "Scissors for Lefty" to play the guitar during a gig at the Key Club in Hollywood. When they were done they put the guitar next to the amp at the edge of the stage, and that was the last time I saw the guitar and amp. So yea, use those tracking devices. I never told Fender what happened. and they never asked.

[@dw7704]

I bend strings all the time,and I have never had that fingernail issue (Now watch it happen next time I bend a string, but I’ll know what to do) Pretty good list

[@bigdemi]

The trick is not to avoid tension entirely. It's to train yourself to release tension while playing. You need some amount of tension to play certain techniques.

[@tinystar3010]

The tuning tip at the beginning needs updated slightly. Any time you tune down, ANY TIME, first stretch the string some before tuning back up to pitch again. Tuning down releases some tension in the windings and if you skip stretching before going back up again, on the first bend or so you do on that string, you'll be right back to slightly flat again.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Bro dropping the knowledge like me as a baby

[@garethevans2650]

Agree about practicing with sound as close to gig as you can. I sing at home with a mic because that's super useful live. I wouldn't stay long in band that didn't rehearse with full PA

[@MrChopsticktech]

The amp grounding issue is very serious. Keith Relf from the Yardbirds was electrocuted by an ungrounded amp.

[@drbluzer]

I am an American that lived in Europe in the 1980's and there was no "earth ground" on the electrical sockets. They were all 2 prong 220 volt @ 50 hertz outlets .

[@Wrayson]

My dad's Bassman didn't originally have a ground pin. That was my first introduction to the feeling of electrical current.

[@Dragoon91786]

The correct way to deal with the hum problem is to fix your actual electrical problem which is (barring internal electrical problems or electronics degradation within the particular piece of equipment you're dealing with) the fact that you're building is ground for that particular line is probably bad. This is why it's incredibly important in recording studios and other type venues to make sure that every single outlet is independently grounded. If you fix your grounding issue, your hum problem usually goes away

[@SamuTheFrog]

0:55 Im just a mechanic & general tech enthusiast so i'm not exactly strictly electrical certified or anything BUT The power would never go through the guitar and into you, straight up impossible. 1. You touch wood and strings, the strings are connected via bridge, bolted into wood, and tuners also bolted into wood. There is at no point a circuit in the guitar involving you. The pickups are actually coiled magnets which magnetically interact with the strings, this creates an electrical signal within the pickup(hence the name pickup, and not microphone). What this means is that electricity won't go inside the pickups anyway, in fact, they create it, and it merely gets sent & amplified by the electronics on guitar to be sent into the amp for further more specitic amplification. 2. Lets say electricity COULD go the other way AND the strings are part of that circuit, well, the wiring in the guitar's electronics is so thin they would simply melt far before it ever damaged you. This could create a fire, sure, but won't electricute you. Still, VERY unsafe fire hazard. They put the ground pin there to reduce the chances of a house fire. I will also say, an active pickup system works different and does have electricity within, but not much, it is powered by a small 9v, NOT the amp's power. Further, they make microphonal pickups, but they are rare, and still are piezo-electric, meaning the vibration of sound creates electricity, so still technically no electricity coming in, and the wiring is still very very thin. Same goes for microphones on the thin wiring front.

[@mfcfbro]

Super glue is amazing for finger cuts in general if you play guitar. I've split my entire fingertip working on my car and glued it and could play perfectly with not much pain at all. They use a medical grade version of it in hospitals on wounds that can't otherwise be stitched easily or the stitches would cause more scarring than they would help.

[@Birkguitars]

I heard a story that sealing wounds was actually what superglue was invented for. The other uses were just a happy accident. I don't know if it's true but it's too good a story to debunk.

[@RaccoonHenry]

I sliced off half the tip of my left index finger while cooking at home alone once, and I superglued it back on. when I got to the doctor she didn't even need to give me stitches, and it reattached perfectly. (there's obviously a slight scar, but the spot has perfect irrigation and even got back sensitivity!)

[@rakninja]

@@Birkguitars just so, it's why "superglue doesent stick to anything but skin."

[@mfcfbro]

@@RaccoonHenry That's kind of amazing. Good eye for getting everything lined up!

[@_Yep_Yep_]

My tile guy was a Mexican fellow who would return home to Mexico and gig with his band. He indeed died from electrocution setting up the amps. I suspect it was a cascade failure that likely showcased a few dangerous conventions touring bands going from one sketchy place to the next have to deal with, but not being grounded certainly sealed the guy's fate. Also note; baking soda under your picking thumbnail/fingernail + superglue can be shaped up and filed down to make this claw sort of thing that you can savagely pick with without separating the nail or busting it.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

some good tips , some things you don't have options to not do as a touring band and tight time turnarounds, hot guitars go into cases and semi trucks and planes after gigs and get opened from freezing the next day , shit happens on the road, you do what you gotta do, one major one people forget is don't leave your strap on and place away if your a sweaty player as the salts in your sweat can leech into paint finishes like nitro and eat away and make it hazy, also wash your straps in with your cloths once a month or more if your real sweaty. always acclimatise your guitar as much as you can at each new venue, much like you said, but a guitar left in a case and pulled out late before a set can have detrimental tuning effects. ALWAYS carry gear from your van into your hotel/motel room, I don't care if your tired or its been a long drive, the one time you leave stuff in a van or trailer that looks like a band trailer it will get boosted, if you think its priceless you can carry it to your room, if you can afford to replace it you do you. also don't tune down or loosen your strings to fly, its all BS. leave it tuned at pitch. if your flying with a bunch of band gear call the airline ahead and notify them, they can often make your life and tour a whole lot more bearable by prewarning and not just turning up with 30 bits of gear that's all overweight .

[@manuele.itriagom.728]

Growing up in Venezuela, outlets didn’t have the ground pin hole. And we didn’t have that much access to the adapter, so most amps were missing the ground pin haha

[@humanbeing2420]

8:10 - Yep. The fact that I can play Eruption perfectly has not made me any happier than I was when I couldn't.

[@fretmaster79]

I made a 4 ohm resistor with a speaker jack to plug into my tube amp without a speaker so I could run it directly into a mixer. No more blown fuses on my tube amp.

[@MrBerryK]

I once bought a very, very nice bass at a very good price from a guy who played in a country band you’ve probably herd of. They toured a lot in the South, where there’s lots of humidity in some places and not so much in others. He wanted to switch to a Modulus bass with a carbon fiber neck so it would be more stable. Humidity changes can mess you up!

[@howlinhobbit]

I used to have regular Saturday jams in the basement at my place in West Seattle. I had a big ass amplified Peavey board, and a regular guitar player as well as a regular bass player stored their amps there. anybody respectful was welcome to use them. nobody had broken the ground pin off of their equipment, but the house itself was elderly and poorly grounded. several of the regulars (including myself) were multi-instrumentalists, and we’d do the little square dance thing occasionally to give more folk a chance to shine. we weren’t that good, but *damn* we were good and loud. but I digress. one hot summer day we were rocking out, and I was on rhythm (with my electric guitar) and vocals. we were all sweating profusely. I stepped up to the microphone to sing and watched as a blue spark leapt from the mike to my moustache. it wasn’t life threatening, but *damn*, it was more of a thrill than I was looking for. great video as usual Sammy G.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

I got a mic shock once at an outdoor evening gig. People said my teeth were blue for an instant. My amp had a ground polarity switch which spared me further pain--the only time I had to use it.

[@5red5red]

Love the combination of physical and mental pro tips 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼