Playing Guitar
I've been thinking a lot about how I learned to play guitar. I've never had a formal lesson in my life. I started with a Mel Bay chord book and a Rs. 300 GIVSON guitar (with the cheapest strings available that was pure torture to hands). That's was all for the "WANT TO" factor.
I've played a lot of guitars lately that sounds like a dream. I wish that I had started on one of those decent guitars. Learning to play would have been so much easier that way. Some people say that suffering builds strong character. If that's true, I ought to have character of Steve Vai.
After I taught myself to play some chords and strum with a flat pick, I decided that I wanted to learn how to play power too. I was heavily influenced by maiden and megadeth those days, so I listened to what they did and tried to copy it.
I had a cheap stereo in my room 50w PMPO. No shit--- that's how I learned most of the riffs.
I used to carry that guitar to college and see how Shane (one hell of a guitarist) used to play and I used to watch carefully everything he played and I went home and tried to copy what he did.
Later, I was lucky enough to meet some pretty good guitar players and I tried learning a lot from them, too. The key ingredient why I didn’t learn to play well is simple: I really WANTED to learn to play guitar and I never worked on it.
Yeah I play the guitar, decently, may be not even decently!!! I could play songs, play death metal, play a few Iron maiden Riffs… a couple of Clapton, jethrotull, hootie, nirvana, pearl jam…. power chords… yeah but I cold play only what ever I like… end of the day, I am sure I dint master the art.
I should be playing the guitar way better than what I am doing now!
May be I should have…
1) Started with a decent guitar.
2) Been patient.
3) PRACTICED!!!
4) Studied music theory.
Would I have done the above, hell yeah I should be playing way better that I do now!
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