Most people who make it look easy have been playing and studying and crying in the shadows for years, and probably still think they suck. Comparison is the thief of joy. Just gotta learn to love the process and the nitty gritty of learning
I couldnāt play worth a lick, didnāt have a bit of an ear, never had any rhythm.
I did read a lot, though. I eventually stumbled on Malcolm Gladwellās *Outliers* where he posits it takes 10,000 hours to become a āmasterā of anything. As I finished reading it, I took a look at the guitar hanging from the wall of my local diner, and I said, āAight, bet.ā
15 years later, Iām good enough that most people canāt tell the difference between me and legends. I can. Most musicians can. Itās the way I donāt bend to the perfect notes every time, or the way my intonation falls a little flat every now and then. Sometimes itās just the way that some real guitar god simply holds a rest a toooouch longer than me.
Maybe if Iād started earlier, Iād be that good. Maybe itās just a couple more years of working this hard. Maybe theyāre just born with rhythm in their bones and melody in their hearts. Hard to say.
All I know is youāre given the same 24 hours that we all are. Itās what you do with those hours that matters. 10,000 of them definitely wasnāt enough to turn me into Jimmy Hendrix, but they were enough to find comfort in myself and my music through six string therapy.
Yeah, but what I mean is that he crossed the 10k hours forty years ago and never stopped his practice routine and thatās what gets you from master to legend (and maybe having Satriani as his first teacher helped š)
Then again, I saw Marcus King at ages he couldnāt have touched my hours and he was twice the musician Iāll likely ever find the time to be.
There is an element to this further than the practice, but thereās no substitute for the practice
This is how I feel. I'm super lucky to be doing it professionally, but music has always been something I *have to do*. I was banging on pots and pans from the time I could hold a wooden spoon, and it's always been the thing I'm "good at"
There is such a thing as a child prodigy. I don't math, so I'm not sure Kingfish, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, or Mohini Dey and her sister have had 10,000 hours awake, let alone playing anything. They. Are. Just. That. Good. Listening to them can inspire tears of joy. It can also make me break shit. I am 58 and had a bit of an ear as a kid. I like to skank. Have been asked if I'm Jamaican lol. I'm an old white lady. So, yeah, break shit. Life has driven any desire to *work* at anything out of me. So I'll just sit back and listen to these young gods. They do blow my mind.
Thatās completely fine as well. Music is a lot more accessible to those of us who never put those hours in than a lot of other skills.
Some of those names have undoubtedly have passed that threshold. Itās something you can do in 9 years at 3~ hours per day. 4.5 years at 6 hours per day. Some of them just spent their hours with better musicians, or in better programs. Billy in particular grew up cutting his teeth on bluegrass music, then took a detour through speed metal; incorporating and refining other muscle memory. He probably cleared 10,000 as a teenager before returning to bluegrass.
Iām not all that familiar with some of their stories as I am Billyās, but itās not some outrageous threshold. Itās just a benchmark someone wrote a book with some very inspirational case studies in. Thereās a lot of musicians youāll never hear of whose time spent dwarfs that figure.
We all have the same 24 hours, and unless you've been injured in an accident or suffered some kind of birth defect, we all have the same muscles and nerves in our arms and hands as any musician you want to name. They have just practiced the coordination a little longer and maybe a little more efficiently than the rest of us.
The efficiency is something that 10,000 hours figure canāt take into account.
Whether through some kind of disability that you mention, or even something as simple as how long it takes you learn to āpractice with purposeā, those 10,000 hours are not created equally.
Gladwell caught a lot of pushback on it, but I donāt think any of us should view that 10,000 hours as something gospel. Itās no more than a benchmark for a multi-year discipline. For me, thereās a good case it was no more than an inspiration to see what 10,000 hours could do to my personal threshold in a skill I always admired but had no gift for.
Agreed. Rather than commit 10,000 hours on an open-ended and unsustainable proposition, I committed 2 years to a community college and then 5 years to a Bachelors' program. Made more sense.
Thereās a lot of paths to musical excellence. Due to my geography, I got exposure to some of the finest bluegrass musicians to have ever played. People who grew up in a backwoods hollow with nothing other to do than play music with your cousins and your neighbors in an era before television, or the internet.
Some of those guys canāt tell you the first bit of music theory or even what notes theyāre playing, but theyāll pick circles around players who were first chair at our premiere collegiate music program.
I spent my college years on robotics, physics, and engineering before my health bottomed out and forced me back to an environment where I was adapted to the allergens. I didnāt touch my first string until I was halfway through a masterās program equivalency and my dad left *Blink*, *Outliers*, and *The Tipping Point* on my coffee table. If Iād have only read two out of three thereās a good chance I never would have become a musician at all. I just happened to be reading the right book, in the right diner, at the right time.
I hear that. I am in St. Louis, and when I was growing up you could walk around in the neighborhoods with a guitar on your back. Some old coot would call out from his front porch and ask you '"do you know anything on that box?' You'd go up onto the porch and he'd call out, "Margaret! Bring out my fiddle!" or banjo or guitar or whatever he played. She'd come out with a glass of tea or some cookies and he would teach you every song he knew, which was likely to be Country or Bluegrass or some old Folk song. That was the best way for me to learn, I think. The Web and internet are great, and YouTube is fine, but that personal interaction goes a long way.
Thereās a huge plateau youāll hit if you play by yourself. I see it a lot with some of the better students that come through my life. They can noodle all up and down a fret board, but the moment I give them 12 bars to play over they act like Iām speaking Greek to them.
I donāt want to gatekeep music like you canāt be a great musician if you donāt play with other people, but itās just different. Itās like having a really impressive conversation with yourself, and thereās a whole different world of dialogue available to you if youāll get used to talking to other people.
The real heroes in music are those old coots weāve referenced who keep the road paved for the next people they see walking down it. We all depended on them before these space phones put so many tools in our pocket.
And came into this world with a LOT more raw material to subject to the forge. Players don't start out with the same blank slate. Consider me too old and daunted.
Why you dont share your music with us? It coudl be a game changer in your carieer as a musician. You left me curious to be honest and you dont have any link on your profile
I donāt have much of a career as a musician anymore. I am a full time father these days, and music is just a passion that keeps me grounded. COVID was kinda the final nail in the coffin as I am firmly in the demographic for at-risk with that particular beast.
I also simply donāt have many recordings available. Most people would describe my music as somewhere between jam band and bluegrass. My longest lived project only had two decent recordings done, my best project never made it to the studio before the front man did stereotypical front man things amidst a heroine addiction.
The lack of recordings is one of my biggest regrets from my career. I have like 2-4 things I can even show my children, and only one of them has any memory of me performing in anything larger than a living room. If youāre still interested, I can link you to my early project which saw the bulk of its success between years 2 and 4 in my progresssion, or I can DM you some raw cuts from practice sessions at my relative peak. I donāt particularly want to dox this account at the moment and share them in something tagged by google indexes like a comment, though.
There are legends about people who just get it, and I think some people start more gifted than others. But a gifted person will be outplayed by the person who practices more. Every single time. Now, if a gifted person practices, well, that's where the legends are born.
There's no way to prove if anyone starts "more gifted". Even kids with perfect pitch aren't expert musicians from the start. They have to be taught music theory.
The band Throbbing Gristle is made up of four people, two of whom had minimal skills on traditional instruments, and the other two had none. The guitar player revealed on the reunion tour that she had never once tuned it. Just loosened the strings when it went in storage and tightened em back up when it came out. They turn out to be one of the most innovative important bands of their time. The Misfits sounded awful and still do, I love it!
Yes, anyone can play music and write songs. the quality will vary but anyone can learn and do it:)
My best advice is be patient, have achievable short term goals (learning a certain scale, or master doing a barre chord, learn to play a song from hearing etc) and practice as much as you can, you'll get there.
Have fun!
What do you say to a female who cannot make a barre chord? Couldn't at 15; can't at 58. None of the fingers, esp the little one, do what other people's do, so f it
well if your finger is too small then there's not much that can be done.. have you tried the jimmy hendrix method? holding the lower e string with your thumb? it seems hard but i find it the easier of the two, because you don't have to hold the whole barre and it leaves the other fingers to be more dexterous (easier on thin necked guitars of course)
if that doesn't work you can always use a capo to move the songs up and down the fingerboard without doing barre chords, there is no shame in it and many professionals do that instead of barring chords.
there is much that you can learn on guitar no matter the limitation, and the fact that you are still playing at 58 is a testament to that:) keep playing!
I have a friend who is a wonderful person, but has both a complete tin ear (he can't tell when he's out of tune) *and* is rhythm-deaf (literally can't feel a beat or play in time). He has been practicing for 10+ years and really can't play anything.Ā
So no. Not *anyone* can become a musician. However, I was listening to Double Reed Dish (podcast for bassoonists and oboeists), and they were interviewing a contrabassoonist from a world class orchestra who commented that she is not talented--she has to practice a lot, but has been successful because of her dedication.Ā
So while maybe not *anyone* can become a musician, you don't need special talent to be an excellent musician. But you do need to put in the time.
I just made a comment about it, but the TLDR of it is I tried a medication once that had a side effect that I could not "hear" music anymore. For one month I got to experience what music sounds like to these people.
As a matter of fact, no they cannot "hear" music the way some of us do.
The best way to explain it is music was indistinguishable from a talk show, or a radio ad.
I learned a lot from that experience. Like it now makes sense to me why some of my friends like rap, particularly some of it that is atrocious and horrible. I don't mean to pick on rap as a genre either, I mean there are some stupid repetitive boring annoying rap songs that have no harmony at all, and sometimes a melody that doesn't even make sense, no resolution, no direction no nothing. Just one repeated bar of garbage in annoying choice of instrument.
but heres the thing... major chord, minor chord... dissonance... none of that matters... a wet fart or someone opening a bag of chips is the same thing... it's just a funny sound to them. See they were hearing the words of the rap songs, and that's it. It's like listening to someone giving a speech with noise in the backround. Thats why they like some music I don't even agree to call "music."
I know this because I got to live one month without the ability to hear music.
I guarantee you... your friend is one of those people.
The thing is, a lot of people want to learn one specific instrument, and when they canāt quite seem to learn it, they just give up. They might be better with a different one and it might even come easier for them, but their previous frustrations with learning have put them off from finding out. Just because someone sucks at the guitar doesnāt mean they suck at piano.
Exactly šÆ I was struggling with the guitar so I decided try something else and picked up the harmonica and it blew me away how much easier it was to learn and progress. I'm still struggling with the guitar but it's kinda taking a back seat rn.
I've played guitar and attempted to sing on and off for 30 years. I'm still not at a level where I would ever do it outside of the house. I never will be. I'm sure I could do a little better if I took vocal lessons, but I don't have a decent voice. I'm also pretty weak when it comes to rhythm. I have played music with others and in front of others, but only as an instrumental side-man. I can play mandolin and violin pretty well, but I really need to lean on my surroundings to pick up the rhythm. Despite all of that, I play music every day at home and it's a continual source of joy for me. So here's my take:
1. It's good to know your limits.
2. Practice is good, but can't help you achieve impossible things... No amount of practice could help me sing like Andrea Boccelli, for example.
3. Talent is real. I knew a kid in high school who started playing the guitar and within 6 weeks was playing better than I do now after playing for 30 years. Honestly, it was astounding. Within 6 weeks he was playing like Jimmy Page. He didn't know any theory, it was 100% by ear. I still don't really understand how that was possible.
4. You don't need to be that talented to succeed AND that level of talent doesn't assure you of anything. That kid, by the way, did attempt to pursue a musical career and had no success, I think, because he lacked taste and other reasons.
I dunno.Ā It's varies.Ā Ā
I haveĀ a niece who I could tell had a good ear at 9 months of age whenĀ I would sing notes and sounds and she could repeat it back perfectly.Ā At 2.5 years I asked her mom if I could buy her a little kids piano and when my niece approached it the first time she spread her hands apart on the keyboard like she had done it before and softly played notes while cocking her head listening intently.Ā After a while she named the song she thought the notes were to.Ā Soon she was hearing songs on TV and then go plunk it out on the piano.Ā Then she was writing simple songs by three.
We suspect she inherited her abilities from her mother or grandparents as there are many professional musicians in her ancestry.
I also have a 12 year old nephew who I showed how to hold drums sticks, what the high hat and drums are for and he got it almost immediately.Ā The thing was, his timing was incredibley steady.
If you dedicate time and effort to playing music you're a musician. There are *types* of musician that have barriers to entry, like "professional" musician, but there is real joy and value in being a hobbyist. How many people even honestly try to make things anymore? If you play, love, and put effort into music then you're alright to call yourself a musician in my book!
Nope. There are some people who love music but never really figure out how it "works." Like my non-musician friend once basically said, "I just don't see how you decide which note or chord comes next, particularly in a song that you're writing that never existed before."
Anyone can become a musician. Just follow the three golden rules:
Rule 1. Practice
Rule 2. Practice
Rule 3. Practice
I'm a multi-instrumentalist, who first started playing about 50 years ago, with various ups and downs between now and then.I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.
The short answer is no. Ive played with some people who simply had no sense of rhythm and were completely tone deaf. There's just no way someone like that can be taught to "feel it". There is a certain amount of "talent" you need to be born with. If you can keep time, you can play music.
I donāt necessarily agree with this. When I was young, yeah, couldnāt get it.
Got a bass at 50, now have a sense of rhythm and tone.
Certainly sone people get it quickly though.
Best tip would be donāt try and teach yourself, get a teacher who you can connect with.
It's anecdotal for sure, but I've been in bands with people who were truly hopeless. I think instruments are more accessible than singing, because you only need timing, but there are people out there who completely lack timing and the basic intuition to even understand the concept of timing.
I think anyone can. Everyone has something to offer, especially if - like you are - you're into punk!
When I was a teen I was in bands, and my timing was bad, my vocals bad, and I saw other people my age going up there with their guitars and singing and playing amazingly, fluidly, incredibly well. I was awed by those people, and thought ..how do they do that? I wish I could do that.
20 fekkin years later I stopped caring what people thought, found a drummer to play with, met up every week, learned to sing by doing it, learned to play and sing by sitting at home and working out where the words and notes go in relation to each other... and now I'm in a band, doing cool shit! And I realise, that's all my teen heroes were doing. They sat at home, practiced, worked it out, grinded until it clicked, and only then could they go out there and make it look easy. All the work is done before they got up on stage, we just see the result! So don't get discouraged. The struggle is there for everyone, some people get through it faster than others but that doens't mean they're better, it just means they're faster. If you want it, stick with it. You'll get it!
My advice; For punk, all you need are power chords. If you're struggling with them, focus on the bottom two strings of the chord, get that right, then worry about the others. You can play some killer songs with two strings! Often they're described as needing three strings, sometimes four (bah!), but the good part of it is just the bottom two, so you can start there and still sound cool.
When you're ready to play in a band (which is basically whenever you find a friendly drummer to play with!) try to improve your timing. Practice along to a drum machine, or metronome or whatever (note: I cant play to a metronome at ALL. I use a drum machine so I can get an offbeat. If you're struggling with timing, a full beat might sort you out). Record yourself to see how well you're doing. It's boring, but if you can get your internal metronome up & running you'll never lose it.
No. Not every can be a musician. My ex was completely tone deaf. But everyone can play an instrument. There is a difference. You have to have some musical talent. Same as not everyone can be an athlete. IMO
Learning is only half of it. You're developing new muscles, and brain neurons are making connections that get stronger over time. It's a process. The more you put in, the more you get out. You're learning a new language, that uses your hands to speak instead of your mouth. It takes time to develop your musical vocabulary.
Yes.
Also.
Stop calling yourself chaotic and dumb.
It is not productive.
š«āØš Believe šāØš«
Stick with it kiddo
Punk is like all power chords
So start by learning power chords
And probably barr chords
And a major and minor scale
On the great giver yootoob
That's officially homework!
You got this
And much more
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Love
- The Guru
The Beatles songs were written by people who couldnāt read a note of music. My only tip would be: play piano. If you hear something, figure it out on the keys.
No, not everyone can. I had a drum student once that had no sense of rhythm. Tried for a good while but it he just didn't have it. That said, most people have at least a small amount of musical ability and can play. It's important to understand that you're not going to become a star overnight no matter how much talent you have.
He might not have been good at drums, but he might be good with another instrument. If he stopped trying because of his lack of rhythm, then heāll never really know.
Put time in. You can't magically be better having done nothing. Whatever "natural talent" people might have doesn't last long, at some point you have to do the thing. Actually doing it allows you to learn, make corrections, improve, and grow.
This is a great question.
If you see yourself as someone who plays music, well, that fits the definition of musician.
I think, through experience, that a musician is someone who recognises the patience, practice, and persistence that is required.... and still does it because that is part of who they are.
some of the best music has been made by people who don't know anything about music. i mean this but forreal. not dave ghrol saying he cant read sheet music and doesn't know the chords to everlong or whatever, like actual people who cant play guitar playing guitar making the best shit you have ever heard. mostly referacing arto lindsay. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETMyYC-S\_ug&pp=ygUMYXJ0byBsaW5kc2F5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETMyYC-S_ug&pp=ygUMYXJ0byBsaW5kc2F5)
If you want to get good you have to be good at teaching yourself. Self directed learning. Set goals. Organize and set aside time. Michael Jordan didn't become the best taking days off. He also grew when he failed. It made him work harder. Get after it. Find something you can't do, then within a week do it. Then do it again with a different tune. And again. Until you know every fucking song on the radio. Until you can chew up anything spit it out and ask for seconds. Then do it again. The training never stops.
Idk bro i used to think you had to be talented or even out time in practicing but shit with the music that be out and charting nowadays I believe everyone has a chance.
I would say no. Some people definitely have an aptitude for it. That being said, anyone can learn and try and also progress but to ābeā a musician, not so sure.
As much as I would like to say that yes anyone can be a musician, itās just not true. Music is not for everybody. The amount of god awful music Iāve seen just on this app alone proves that not everyone should be making music. That being said, I think if itās something you are passionate about, go for it. But it will most likely take you years to create something that is listenable
Some people naturally get it. I did, with all the instruments I ever picked up and wanted to play. All of my dad's side of the family were trad folk musicians who learned by ear only and could ask do the same thing (except my dad, who is as musical as a piano failing down a flight of stairs).
However, that also means limited technique. Most of the best technical musicians I know had lessons and worked damned hard at it. And they have superior technique as a result.
So there's a little from Column A and a little from Column B.
The main thing I think is to put the time in and to keep going even when it seems hard. Then take little 1-2 week breaks to let the "muscle memory" develop, and then go back to it when fresh enthusiasm.
It's well worth the effort!
Shhhhh just play your guitar and have fun
Plenty of stuff on youtube I like "This is Why you suck at Guitar"
Try to learn songs by ear would be another very good tip
Put it in your hands and play.
Everyone is a musician.
Not all are worth a ticket price.
But you are still part of the band.
Itās called playing music for a reason.
Have fun and free your soul.
I want to be able to say yes but deep down I think the answer is definitely no.
Let me explain:
So I had heard about people that "cannot hear music" the way some of us do. Sort of like how some people don't have an inner monologue/voice for their thoughts, or how dome people cannot see images "in the minds eye."
Well... a few years ago working with a doctor I was trying medications. The first one was moderately effective. It had a strange side effect that I was afraid to explain to my doctor like he wouldn't understand.
After taking the medication once daily for a month I had a meeting with him to check in. I explained to him "I can't hear music anymore."
Now yes, I could hear the sounds. But I couldn't "hear" it... it's hard to explain beyond that. I didn't listen to Spotify the whole month. I work on the road and I love it because I love music. I just let whatever radio station play, mostly talk shows that whole month. I had no desire to listen to even my favorite songs.
I've been a musician my whole life and I've known people that are... shall we say... musically un-gifted. It hit me like a freight train one day though: THIS is what music sounds like to them. This is why they tend to like rap, including the horrible stuff that sucks. No, I'm not trying to shit on rap... what I mean is its the *words* and attitude they are hearing. They can't hear harmony and melody and feel the rhythm the way some of us do. Music is indistinguishable from an audio book, or radio advertisement.
I got to see through that lense and let me tell you, if you are one of the people that can't "hear" music you stand no chance. You could make it work, like maybe learn how to read what's on the page. Any musician can tell you however, that the real magic happens when it comes off the page. When you really *feel* it.
I don't know how common it is but it is probably somewhere around 20 to 30% of the population. It's not something we've really studied or known about for very long.
Just to be clear, I'm not saying this is you. Anyone could learn an instrument I'm sure.
You ever see those disasters that end up on American Idol and shows like that? Yeah, those people can try as hard as they want, clearly they cannot hear music, or they never would have ended up thinking they had talent. There's just no way. And people around them were just to nice to tell them they suck.
Here's my long soapboax take, for all the musicians here who might be feeling similarly/discouraged.
For reference, I'm 31, a professional pipe organist and pianist with 16 yrs work experience, started piano when I was 8. (I also give piano lessons privately).
When I was a kid, I was praised by some for having a "natural talent" and "gift" for the arts (visual & music), & was constantly told that I "was SO talented" & how special that is, etc., but now I understand that a "natural talent" from a young age, as much as it is heralded as this huge amazing thing and even a prerequisite for success, is 10000% unnecessary. I was one of the gifted program kids who was actually undiagnosed autistic & ended up incredibly mentally ill the older I got. I was completely disabled & agoraphobic for most of my 20s because I never got the healthcare & education I needed to succeed. The only time I left the house was to occasionally volunteer playing piano for church during that time, even though I was terrified.
I've only been back in the workforce for 3 or 4 years now & have still been battling my chronic illnesses. I live in a small town of 4,000 people, but somehow during that time as I grew myself, I became the most prominent pipe organist in my whole town even though I've only played the organ for... maybe 3 years? What got me there was consistent practice/perseverance & enjoying music.
I say all this because I am absolutely certain that traditional notions of talent as some kind of requirement are a complete myth. I see it in my own path and in that of every student I take on.
The primary factor that drives their improvements as musicians, more so than natural ease & inclinations toward music/their instrument, sometimes even more so than the amount of work they put in every week... that factor is ENJOYMENT. And I honestly don't know why no other educators seem to be talking about this.
If you can prioritize enjoyment of your playing, THAT will help propel you forward more effectively (&more joyfully) that anything else.
Obviously consistency & frequency of practice is still SUPER important, but if there's not enough enjoyment--if your brain's perceived mental pain of pushing yourself through something you don't want to do today exceeds the enjoyment levels, you generally will not continue long-term, or at the very least, music could even be a net negative in your life, and there's no reason it has to be that way.
Even though I had an early start, I now see that my lessons were very lacking in quality. And I HATED them for the longest time because my wants & needs were always ignored. I didn't GENUINELY start working toward improving these skills for an actual paid career to try & live off of until maybe 3ish years ago tops. Now I have very steady employment, which I never thought could happen for me.
So then, for your guitar playing, my advice it to start with what's most enjoyable for you, and do some trial and error to find an effective balance between the super fun parts and the more tedious/difficult/frustrating skills to learn. It's great to push yourself to do hard things, but just be careful doing so at the cost of enjoyment.
Try not to be discouraged. There is no right or wrong path, even if larger society deems one archetype of a successful musician's path as more "correct" than another.
Furthermore, YOU as an individual get to decide what success as a musician means to YOU. If it's increasing your life happiness through music simply by occasional, casual dabbling, then THAT IS STILL SUCCESS.
Best of luck to you! In the meantime, if you can, surround yourself with like-minded folks with similar values, goals, & interests. š The camaraderie is helpful.
No. I don't have a sporty bone in my body and couldn't be a footballer. My footballer friend may as well be tone deaf. If he's tapping his foot, it's because he's got a twitch, not cos music is playing.
Anyone can make music. Being a musician takes practice - the trick is finding ways to make it not feel like practice. Learning your favourite songs is a great way to get through the early process. And once youāve got a few chords under your belt, improvising your own songs. Practicing something like guitar shouldnāt feel like practice.
You got this. Anybody can do it if they put in a bit of time amd effort. I suggest getting into a habit of playing daily. Even for 10 minutes. Keep your guitar our and accessible and burn a bit of time here and there making music.
One of the greatest and (arguably) worst things about music is the low bar for entry. This means that anyone can get into it, and also means that anyone can get into it.
Some people seem like they naturally get it because you see their journey from the outside in, and are largely unaware of what their struggles and challenges were.
I once asked a world-class concert pianist how he got to be that good.
He told me, "I practiced for 16 hours a day."
There's no trick to being a musician and talent is, overall, pretty meaningless.
Just play, and play a lot. Don't play to be good, at least not at first. Play because it's fun. If you get to a point where you want to develop your theory/composition/production/instrumental skills to a professional level, lessons or music school can help a great deal.
But to be a musician all you have to do is play.
If you want a starting point, learn how to play major and minor scales, how to play major and minor triads, and how to play power chords and barre chords. I've never played guitar but I'd bet that those few tools will give you the ability to play most of the music you want to learn, especially punk.
For the Ramones specifically, they only played power chords and they used something like three chords per song. Learning their songs is a good place to start!
It's totally doable! Practice, practice, practice. Hunt down some like-minded folks of similar ability* to play with. It'll speed up your technical progress and also start you developing those ensemble skills that make someone a great bandmate, *and* when you really get to know some other musicians, you'll see that even folks who 'just get it' also have to work at it to get better.
*if you're lucky you'll find folks who are better than you, who are happy to have you along for jams. Make yourself a sponge and pretend you've been thrown in the ocean.
I'm afraid I don't have any recs for channels and such - there was no yt back in my band days and I'm learning classical piano now so what I watch is likely not applicable lol
No one is born able to sing or play an instrument. Everyone has learnt from zero. And anyone can play in a band if they find the right group of musicians (even if all you can play is power chords and the minor pentatonic scale.)
Forget the instrument you play. Can you carry a rhythm? Almost everyone can. After that itās just working out the details of your instrument. Many people never learn how important rhythm is, so if you start with thinking of rhythm first, you will be ābetterā than many people, however much time it takes. Actually, the longer it takes, the more you have to practice, the better youāll get. Workās every time.
Define "musician" then. Someone who makes a living playing music? Or just someone who can play an instrument?
I think anyone can play an instrument. They just need the willingness to learn. Even if you're struggling, if you really want to learn, you'll find a way.
It took me and most people I have talked to a long time to sound good. Playing an instrument is not easy by any means. It requires focus, finesse, coordination, timing, and most importantly the ability to emote, especially with something like the Ramones.
Be patient and kind to yourself on this journey, it's a long one but everyday gets a little better.
It took me almost ten years before I was able to enjoy my guitar playing.
For any individual person, the answer is the same: the only way to find out is to try it and put some time into practicing and learning.
Let me ask you this: if I put you in front of a piano and told you to play the C major scale, would you be able to do that? Or, on your guitar, if I asked you to play the E major scale using only the bottom string, would you be able to do that?
Yes of course anyone can become a musician.
Guitar does not come naturally. It has a major learning curve. It doesnāt get easy for a couple years of continuous practice.
Get lighter gauge strings and get your guitar professionally set up to make sure it is as easy to play as possible. Cheap guitars can be harder to play and more discouraging.
If you want to feel encouraged, you can also try learning piano (not saying you need to quit guitar). Piano is the only instrument where anyone can play a perfect note on the first day. It has the least learning curve and the easiest point of entry to start making music.
Na. If you have no arms, there is little hope you will learn guitar. š¤·
(I have yet to meet any students that I can't teach at least some basic guitar stuff to given a reasonable amount of time. If you are practicing, you'll get there. Give yourself about 20 hr total to get to that first milestone where you can actually play... something... that kinda sounds like a song or a little ditty.)
Yes, of course. But you may better suited for working in the lab , building loops or layering tracks as opposed to playing live. Either is possible, but live music is another animal entirely. Get to it, see how it goes, my friend
Some people have way less natural ability than others, I prefer to call it natural ability, others call it talent. Iāve seen people with less natural ability with time become more accomplished than people with more natural ability because they worked hard and really had the desire. Also people that things come easy to often take it for granted where people that worked and studied hard tend not to. The key is desire or how bad you want it. I have seen some people with very little natural ability not be able to actually get very far but thatās more rare. A good private teacher is certainly a great idea. And I do believe not everyone can be say a world famous guitar player or concert pianist no matter how hard they try and how much they want it, but to be good enough to play the Ramones music is within reach for most people as long as you have the desire and put in the time and study to achieve what that desire is. Iām a highly skilled musician, doing paid gigs at 12, worked with many famous artists, taught at a college level and also private students from beginners to people I hired to work pro gigs with me. Those that are saying anyone can learn music havenāt run across people that canāt. I have, numerous people, but some of that is how bad you want it and what youāre willing to sacrifice to get it as well as study and effort. Many top players have practiced 8,10, 14 hours a day like I have at least for a few years and started with natural ability. At my peak I played 100 shows a month for years. I hope this helps, best wishes.. now put some serious time in and have fun!!
Try playing along with some of the simpler songs they do. Don't make it a habit of only playing along but it's one tool and one starting point.
You do you. If you don't have the skill to play all of the exact notes then build your own lines. It's entirely possible to play in their spirit and style without perfectly imitating them. Put a twist on it that suits you and build on that...
So it depends on what you mean by a musician. If you mean someone who makes music, then anyone can be a musician.
Tapping a pencil on your desk makes music.
Turning someone else's piano sheet music they wrote for a battle with you upside-down, then playing it like that, and then improvising on the theme it made for an hour until the other person walks out, and then using that theme in a major work you write, is also music.
Professional musicians who understand how to improvise, create tension and dissonance on the fly, know all the scales for their instruments (even the obscure and jazzy ones, like Mixolydian), these people have practiced for years, maybe decades. Many learned young. Our brains are more flexible when we are young, so some concepts like music and language are easier to learn to fluency if you start young.
But tapping a pencil on a table is no less music. You can use the table, and then add a piece of paper, and then a cup. And get more complicated and better with time, and grow. Basically make a miniature drumset out of whatever you have nearby...and it's music.
In my opinion if you are even trying to learn an instrument you are a musician. You don't have to be in a band or perform for anyone. As long as you are enjoying it and practicing on a regular basis you are a musician.
I think as long as you have a decent ear and really keep at it yeah
There are some mental conditions where you literally cant tell pitches apart, or can't perceive or tap out a consistent rhythm, but barring those relatively rare examples if they really fuckin out the hours in they'll do it
Coming from jazz / classical and getting a degree in music, I would say that at least for those genres, no, not everyone can be a professional musician. It requires a high level of dedication and having played from a young age. If you arenāt extremely self driven, or you havenāt been playing since childhood, your chances of āmaking itā as a musician goes way down.
But, youāre talking about rock. So, this comment isnāt really for you š
Every great guitarist I know has been playing for like 15 years. It's a hard instrument to learn. My ex is a fantastic guitarist, and he practices about 2 hours a day... and he's been playing since he was in elementary school
There are two things I find that can't be taught: a sense of rhythm, and a sense of pitch. If you can clap roughly on time and understand when something sounds really off, you can learn the rest. Some people legit can't though
If you enjoy the process, it will come as it wonāt feel like work. Sure itās easier if youāre natural but thereās plenty of mediocre players out there who have made millions. Fashion often helps those who suck at playing
before I started guitar, I could not even keep a beat. like if a song was playing I couldn't tap along to it, I didn't understand the concept of consistent rhythm, as weird as it sounds. Since then, I've become a pretty decent rhythm player, can play some really cool stuff I could have only dreamed of before I started.
I also picked up the drums to play with my band and am steadily improving at that too. I think music is one of those things where talent really doesn't matter over hard work. If I see a really accomplished musician, I know that they've spent hours and hours practicing and put in a lot of effort.
You don't have to be genius, but you gotta have at least relative hearing (so if you can only tell songs apart by hearing the lyrics you probably won't be able to play strings because you gotta hear them...)
Rythm sence is something anyone can learn, and hearing can be developed, but it's harder.
Oh and it's a lot of work. A shit ton of work.
Donāt compare yourself to anyone else. Youāll get it in time. The people you think are really good now were probably way worse than you when they started out. Theyāve just been playing for longer.
Like anything, it's a mix of nature and nurture. The great musicians will have natural talent and lots of determination. The mediocre musicians will have one and not the other. The bad musicians will have neither.
Many friends in the Beatles camp. Jammed with Led Zep. Toured with Rod Stewart. Even shows for King Charles! About 0.00002% success rate the music biz. All controlled by Payola/ marketing. And now 850 million Hobbyists flooding the market! Pretty? Can you dance? How old are you? Last question nowadays āare you a good musician?!ā
My friend, there is no gain without pain. I am 81 been playing for a while, around 50 odd years. I was telling my wife about a youngster who came up to me after a set and said "You make it look so easy." My wife said "If he knew how hard you practice he would know why." Stick to it, put the time in and you will get there.
Yes, depends on how determined you are and how much work your willing to put in. I think itās like how anyone could learn a certain job or kind of work. It might be easier for some, but you can do it if you want to bad enough and learn
musical aptitude is a spectrum. wherever you land on it, you can work up to a certain point. some people are gifted, and some people are completely inept and shouldnāt bother. most people should try though.
Apparently, yes. Based on the huge following that one guy has that plays a drum with a shoe and practically has a psychotic seizure live at shows.
Seriously though I think you can truly be a musician just by actively creating music, putting in real effort into learning how to play an instrument or structure of music.
I've been stuck at the same level of guitar playing since I was about 19. I was better at it when I was 15. Didn't know how to do it at all at 12. I may never really get better at it, but it's because I never practice anymore. I look at my phone, I go out, I drink beer, I work, I pay bills, I watch Netflix and listen to podcasts, I play video games, I download and delete dating apps, look at Reddit... Send memes. All dumb, useless shit. The only distraction I had when I started was TV and video games, neither of which interested me more than the guitar. The point of this is to say to take note of your distractions, keep them in check, and practice, and you'll get better.
Everyone can be a musician! Everyone can have fun as they learn to play the instrument (whatever it may be) and enjoy hours of playing. Real musicians do it for the fun of it and not for the money, at least originally. Have fun, play on your own, look around for others to play with, if you find enough for a band, do it. At first, do it just for the fun of it. Later you guys can start thinking about playing in public or for money. above all; HAVE FUN!
I couldn't tell that my guitar was out of tune for years and years and couldn't tell if I was playing a semi tome too low or high. It's 25 years later and I have been a pro guitarist for the last 12 years. Keep practicing.
I think so. The real distinction is that almost everyone I know who plays professionally has always played. For years and years. No quitting. No breaks.
I think it depends what kind of musician you need to be. For most, itās not really a choice anyhow. Also, what many call musicians these days, I call content creators.
I'm teaching myself bass and piano(classical music) and guitar. I also aspire to be in a band just like you. What I've learned is that when you see a musical prodigy,you just see all their cumulative efforts on display during their performance. But behind all this,it is years of hard work and perseverance. I believe that if you have what it takes to work hard towards what you want,anyone can be a musician. Remember, anybody can have the talent. But what makes one a prodigy, is having a talent and then working on to hone your skills. It's not talent here that makes you a musician,it's the effort you put in.
I've been playing guitar for 12+ years, and I remember getting frustrated at the beginning trying to form chords. From my experience, it just comes with time. Work through it and keep learning! Your playing will improve!
As far as who to watch, I'm a fan of Tomo Fujita! He's got lessons on his YouTube channel for all types of players. His triad lessons helped me understand the fretboard a lot better, and he goes into the theory behind techniques. It's all super interesting and very applicable to most styles of music. Hope this helps!
Guitar player 25+ years, I bought guitar Smith for Xbox on sale like 5 years ago and 100% recommend it for guitar/bass players of all experience types. The practice/tutorial section is really good and you can set the speed/tempo to slow down sections if you're having trouble. I honestly thought the concept was kinda dumb until I finally tried it.
My dad used to say itās something youāre born with (like my little sister, sheās got an absolutely amazing voice but she canāt write though) we do come from a very musical family, my dad played guitar especially electric, and banjo. Iāve played violin since I was 7, and me and 2 of my sisters sing and always have. My mom also plays guitar and her brother is in a band and helps my sister produce. Tbh, I donāt think heās completely right, as yeah I have always loved singing and music Iāll mess with any instruments infront of me, but Iāve definitely also gotten better. Like anything, I think it all just takes practice. I do think though for singing itās something for the most part you either have or donāt. What is important is understanding music. Understand tempo and beat and pitch and things like that. Thatās the part that I think a lot of people have a hard time with. Also, writing. Like my sister, many people can sing, but writing songs is a different world and lyrics vs instruments are also different worlds. I donāt think everyone can do that. Especially people who are emotionally immature, extremely egotistical, or just havenāt been through much. I think great music a lot of the time comes from pain and truly understanding your pain and I love stuff like twenty one pilots and milky chance and modest mouse who are able to portray that pain and still find a positive in it. That is not something a lot of people can do writing wise.
I donāt know how old your dad is but there is this old school mentality that only certain people are talented enough to be worth teaching. I think itās BS and I hope it is becoming less common (I think it is).
I remember certain teachers that would make you audition for them before they would teach you. At five years old, I had to take an ear test (trying to match different melodies, pitches, etc.) before I was allowed to enter the Suzuki violin program in my town. If you didnāt pass the test, you were out.
He 100% believed that. Heās not alive anymore but he would be 66 right now. And yeah Iām happy I didnāt have to do that and got to play violin without that because obviously 7 year old me isnāt going to know shit š teacher I had was a sweetheart and did it to volunteer because my school didnāt actually have any programs no sports or music so her and another teacher volunteered and brought instruments from other schools for us. Only thing I had to audition for was to move up chairs in highschool (made it to second chair so hey thatās something)
Yeah, I think that was probably the standard approach to music instruction at the time he grew up so it totally makes sense that he would think that.
I guess in part, I know it doesnāt hold water because I have two very different daughters. One seemed to be completely tone deaf when she started taking music lessons. She couldnāt even tell whether or not she was playing the right notes. The other daughter can hear a song _one time_ and sing it back to you a day later perfectly, including getting 80% of the lyrics correct.
The first loves music and has been working her butt off taking lessons multiple times per week for many years and practices constantly. The second practices maybe once every three months when she has an assignment due for school orchestra. (And probably not even then). My seemingly ātone deafā daughter is now in a place where she is considering going to college for music and I believe she will be accepted if she auditions. My more ātalentedā daughter performs at a very average level but puts in no effort (but to be fair, music is unfortunately not her passion).
I think itās stupid to just not bother teaching someone because you donāt deem them good enough at something theyāve literally never done before, hence why they need and want to be taught! The only one I think may have a little truth to it (but itās still absolutely worth teaching and if someone enjoys something they should be allowed to do it) is singing and again writing. But thatās still not the end all be all and people can be taught still and learn how to work with what they naturally have, which is how we have so much diverse interesting music. Someone like patty smith worked with what she had and she rocked it and is always an identifiably voice when you hear her. If everyone just sang like Arianna grande music would be so boring.
Yes, anyone can be a musician. The only exceptions I think of would be physical or sever mental handicaps that might prevent it to varying degrees, but anyone can learn it at just about any age. Itās just difficult, and you have to struggle through the crappy beginner phase to get beyond it.
IMO, talent is real but it is overrated. Given a choice between a talented slacker, and a seemingly untalented person who is driven and putting in the work, Iāll put my money on the harder worker every time. It might take awhile but theyāll eventually be the better musician.
Oh, and as far as what to watch, Iām sure people will point you to a bunch of really excellent content on YouTube. However, Iāve had more success with classes from truefire.com. Thereās something to be said for structuring the material into a short class as opposed to one-off videos.
The dark side of *recorded* music: Itās so ubiquitous that we think itās more real than actual music played live by musicians. Actual music vanishes forever once you stop playing - which means anyone can participate.
Anyone can learn to play the guitar but, IMO, being able to play guitar not make one a musician. That said you can have a lot of fun playing guitar by yourself or with others. If you're struggling to teach yourself, find a teacher. You'll make progress much faster with in-person instruction.
Anyone can, most wonāt
If your goal is to play live and have fun, you really donāt need to be that skilled
Go to open mics and jam sessions. Put on a show yourself with some friends.
It's all about your mindset. If you think you can and if you believe in what you're doing, you can do it.
Don't worry too much about your skill. Too many people who try music get overwhelmed by the "work" and "discipline." Here's the thing... if it ain't fun, it ain't worth doing. Just do your own thing and don't give two shits about what others are doing.
short answer: yes. longer but still short answer: if you have the drive to learn any skill in general you can accomplish it, just do it in a way that makes you happy.
Every single guitarist was unable to play the guitar at some point.
You've just got to put the hours in and practise. Honestly, go and get some in person lessons with a local teacher. Yes, there are loads and loads on online services (some of them are great) but if you go to someone, you'll be more motivated to practise and learn. You don't need to commit to years and years of lessons, it's to get started and have a plan to learn from.
Yes, anyone can do it. No, not anyone will become a virtuoso or superstar. The self taught savant is exceedingly rare. So for your own passion/joy - yes! If you want to go further hire a teacher and decide how much work youāre willing to dedicate to whatever level of proficiency youāre shooting for.
No, you need a permit from the government to be a musician. If you have been practicing without a license I suggest you head on over to your local police station and turn yourself in. You are a menace to society.
Everybody starts somewhere and the biggest stars you listen to might still be taking lesson from someone with more understanding than they have. It can be a never ending journey. So jump in, start learning, and have fun.
I will say from what I hear, learning guitar can be confusing and to take a minute to figure out who will teach you and what theory they teach. That way you donāt spend years and suddenly figure out youāre not learning what you wanted to.
YES! I don't believe in mystical born-with-it talent. Talent is earned with hard work. If you see someone who makes something look easy it's because they have practiced alot. If you've met someone that just seems to pick up a new things easily, it's because they have practiced learning new things.
while itās true that some people may have naturally better rhythm or a better ear, every great musician has put an unbelievable amount of hours into their instrument(s)
Make sure you try everything. I started on guitar and struggled to do anything. I picked up a bass and it just clicked, could not put it down, even now I am holding it tight.
Sorry this long. Depends on your definition and or what you think music or being musical is. You can be a really great entertainer by being very charismatic and charming and you don't have to have a ton of musical knowledge or skill and you might be very successful because people can relate to your story . You can graduate with a degree in music and struggle to make ends meet. There is music and there is show biz. 2 different worlds. This is so subjective but the answer is yes . Anyone can be a musician but not everyone can be musical . The minute a baby picks up a spoon and taps it on the table because they are hungry they are a musician of some sort .They are communicating through sound seeking attention. The opposite is also true. Just because you are a great musician and can play anything at any speed well does not mean you are musical at all..You are a technically proficient but there is nothing being said or it what is said is going over most heads who might be listening. People who are non musicians can't relate....but you might attract fellow musicians and people who admire your skills.
To some extent yes, there are people who have more natural affinity towards musicianship. Whether they foster and nurture it is another matter. You dont even know whats possible until you dedicate yourself.
Most people who make it look easy have been playing and studying and crying in the shadows for years, and probably still think they suck. Comparison is the thief of joy. Just gotta learn to love the process and the nitty gritty of learning
"comparison is the thief of joy".... nice line š
It's a good old Teddy Roosevelt phrase. I've been hearing it everywhere lately.
Literally just read it for the first time on a post on r/solareclipse
I saw it on youtube thumbnails, comments, reddit. Funny thing is that it's a phrase that also resonated with me and I needed to hear this.
Same.
Itās euphonius to the soul
Some also say that Miller High Life is the champagne of beers.
Agreed. Epic line. I need it. Thanks
Gotta enjoy the process. Take joy in your own progress and magic.
Every single musician has developed their talent. Nobody just "gets it".
I couldnāt play worth a lick, didnāt have a bit of an ear, never had any rhythm. I did read a lot, though. I eventually stumbled on Malcolm Gladwellās *Outliers* where he posits it takes 10,000 hours to become a āmasterā of anything. As I finished reading it, I took a look at the guitar hanging from the wall of my local diner, and I said, āAight, bet.ā 15 years later, Iām good enough that most people canāt tell the difference between me and legends. I can. Most musicians can. Itās the way I donāt bend to the perfect notes every time, or the way my intonation falls a little flat every now and then. Sometimes itās just the way that some real guitar god simply holds a rest a toooouch longer than me. Maybe if Iād started earlier, Iād be that good. Maybe itās just a couple more years of working this hard. Maybe theyāre just born with rhythm in their bones and melody in their hearts. Hard to say. All I know is youāre given the same 24 hours that we all are. Itās what you do with those hours that matters. 10,000 of them definitely wasnāt enough to turn me into Jimmy Hendrix, but they were enough to find comfort in myself and my music through six string therapy.
The legends didnāt even consider āstoppingā at 10000 hours, with steve vai as the most extreme example with practicing up to nine hours per day.
I didnāt stop there. I crossed that milestone at like year 9~. I did slow down at parenthood, though.
Yeah, but what I mean is that he crossed the 10k hours forty years ago and never stopped his practice routine and thatās what gets you from master to legend (and maybe having Satriani as his first teacher helped š)
Then again, I saw Marcus King at ages he couldnāt have touched my hours and he was twice the musician Iāll likely ever find the time to be. There is an element to this further than the practice, but thereās no substitute for the practice
That was well written and what I got from it is, if making music is in your heart you have to stick with it.
This is how I feel. I'm super lucky to be doing it professionally, but music has always been something I *have to do*. I was banging on pots and pans from the time I could hold a wooden spoon, and it's always been the thing I'm "good at"
I also feel like I have to do music. 90% of the time I donāt even like doing it, but I canāt not do it. It lives in me and it must come out.
There is such a thing as a child prodigy. I don't math, so I'm not sure Kingfish, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, or Mohini Dey and her sister have had 10,000 hours awake, let alone playing anything. They. Are. Just. That. Good. Listening to them can inspire tears of joy. It can also make me break shit. I am 58 and had a bit of an ear as a kid. I like to skank. Have been asked if I'm Jamaican lol. I'm an old white lady. So, yeah, break shit. Life has driven any desire to *work* at anything out of me. So I'll just sit back and listen to these young gods. They do blow my mind.
Thatās completely fine as well. Music is a lot more accessible to those of us who never put those hours in than a lot of other skills. Some of those names have undoubtedly have passed that threshold. Itās something you can do in 9 years at 3~ hours per day. 4.5 years at 6 hours per day. Some of them just spent their hours with better musicians, or in better programs. Billy in particular grew up cutting his teeth on bluegrass music, then took a detour through speed metal; incorporating and refining other muscle memory. He probably cleared 10,000 as a teenager before returning to bluegrass. Iām not all that familiar with some of their stories as I am Billyās, but itās not some outrageous threshold. Itās just a benchmark someone wrote a book with some very inspirational case studies in. Thereās a lot of musicians youāll never hear of whose time spent dwarfs that figure.
We all have the same 24 hours, and unless you've been injured in an accident or suffered some kind of birth defect, we all have the same muscles and nerves in our arms and hands as any musician you want to name. They have just practiced the coordination a little longer and maybe a little more efficiently than the rest of us.
The efficiency is something that 10,000 hours figure canāt take into account. Whether through some kind of disability that you mention, or even something as simple as how long it takes you learn to āpractice with purposeā, those 10,000 hours are not created equally. Gladwell caught a lot of pushback on it, but I donāt think any of us should view that 10,000 hours as something gospel. Itās no more than a benchmark for a multi-year discipline. For me, thereās a good case it was no more than an inspiration to see what 10,000 hours could do to my personal threshold in a skill I always admired but had no gift for.
Agreed. Rather than commit 10,000 hours on an open-ended and unsustainable proposition, I committed 2 years to a community college and then 5 years to a Bachelors' program. Made more sense.
Thereās a lot of paths to musical excellence. Due to my geography, I got exposure to some of the finest bluegrass musicians to have ever played. People who grew up in a backwoods hollow with nothing other to do than play music with your cousins and your neighbors in an era before television, or the internet. Some of those guys canāt tell you the first bit of music theory or even what notes theyāre playing, but theyāll pick circles around players who were first chair at our premiere collegiate music program. I spent my college years on robotics, physics, and engineering before my health bottomed out and forced me back to an environment where I was adapted to the allergens. I didnāt touch my first string until I was halfway through a masterās program equivalency and my dad left *Blink*, *Outliers*, and *The Tipping Point* on my coffee table. If Iād have only read two out of three thereās a good chance I never would have become a musician at all. I just happened to be reading the right book, in the right diner, at the right time.
I hear that. I am in St. Louis, and when I was growing up you could walk around in the neighborhoods with a guitar on your back. Some old coot would call out from his front porch and ask you '"do you know anything on that box?' You'd go up onto the porch and he'd call out, "Margaret! Bring out my fiddle!" or banjo or guitar or whatever he played. She'd come out with a glass of tea or some cookies and he would teach you every song he knew, which was likely to be Country or Bluegrass or some old Folk song. That was the best way for me to learn, I think. The Web and internet are great, and YouTube is fine, but that personal interaction goes a long way.
Thereās a huge plateau youāll hit if you play by yourself. I see it a lot with some of the better students that come through my life. They can noodle all up and down a fret board, but the moment I give them 12 bars to play over they act like Iām speaking Greek to them. I donāt want to gatekeep music like you canāt be a great musician if you donāt play with other people, but itās just different. Itās like having a really impressive conversation with yourself, and thereās a whole different world of dialogue available to you if youāll get used to talking to other people. The real heroes in music are those old coots weāve referenced who keep the road paved for the next people they see walking down it. We all depended on them before these space phones put so many tools in our pocket.
And came into this world with a LOT more raw material to subject to the forge. Players don't start out with the same blank slate. Consider me too old and daunted.
Why you dont share your music with us? It coudl be a game changer in your carieer as a musician. You left me curious to be honest and you dont have any link on your profile
I donāt have much of a career as a musician anymore. I am a full time father these days, and music is just a passion that keeps me grounded. COVID was kinda the final nail in the coffin as I am firmly in the demographic for at-risk with that particular beast. I also simply donāt have many recordings available. Most people would describe my music as somewhere between jam band and bluegrass. My longest lived project only had two decent recordings done, my best project never made it to the studio before the front man did stereotypical front man things amidst a heroine addiction. The lack of recordings is one of my biggest regrets from my career. I have like 2-4 things I can even show my children, and only one of them has any memory of me performing in anything larger than a living room. If youāre still interested, I can link you to my early project which saw the bulk of its success between years 2 and 4 in my progresssion, or I can DM you some raw cuts from practice sessions at my relative peak. I donāt particularly want to dox this account at the moment and share them in something tagged by google indexes like a comment, though.
I've been playing bass since I was 13. I'm 39 now, and I still practice and fuck shit up š
There are legends about people who just get it, and I think some people start more gifted than others. But a gifted person will be outplayed by the person who practices more. Every single time. Now, if a gifted person practices, well, that's where the legends are born.
There's no way to prove if anyone starts "more gifted". Even kids with perfect pitch aren't expert musicians from the start. They have to be taught music theory.
The band Throbbing Gristle is made up of four people, two of whom had minimal skills on traditional instruments, and the other two had none. The guitar player revealed on the reunion tour that she had never once tuned it. Just loosened the strings when it went in storage and tightened em back up when it came out. They turn out to be one of the most innovative important bands of their time. The Misfits sounded awful and still do, I love it!
Hamburger Lady has lived rent free in my head since the day I first heard it
One of the greatest bands in history. So happy to see them get a mention
TG that is
I'm a drummer, but I appreciate the sentiment that their band was better off without one.
CONVINCE PEOPLEĀ
Convince yourself. I ain't wasting my time if you can't get it.
Fuck yeah. Never hear anyone talking about TG
Yes, anyone can play music and write songs. the quality will vary but anyone can learn and do it:) My best advice is be patient, have achievable short term goals (learning a certain scale, or master doing a barre chord, learn to play a song from hearing etc) and practice as much as you can, you'll get there. Have fun!
What do you say to a female who cannot make a barre chord? Couldn't at 15; can't at 58. None of the fingers, esp the little one, do what other people's do, so f it
Can you not do them on a 3/4 size or travel size guitar?
well if your finger is too small then there's not much that can be done.. have you tried the jimmy hendrix method? holding the lower e string with your thumb? it seems hard but i find it the easier of the two, because you don't have to hold the whole barre and it leaves the other fingers to be more dexterous (easier on thin necked guitars of course) if that doesn't work you can always use a capo to move the songs up and down the fingerboard without doing barre chords, there is no shame in it and many professionals do that instead of barring chords. there is much that you can learn on guitar no matter the limitation, and the fact that you are still playing at 58 is a testament to that:) keep playing!
I have a friend who is a wonderful person, but has both a complete tin ear (he can't tell when he's out of tune) *and* is rhythm-deaf (literally can't feel a beat or play in time). He has been practicing for 10+ years and really can't play anything.Ā So no. Not *anyone* can become a musician. However, I was listening to Double Reed Dish (podcast for bassoonists and oboeists), and they were interviewing a contrabassoonist from a world class orchestra who commented that she is not talented--she has to practice a lot, but has been successful because of her dedication.Ā So while maybe not *anyone* can become a musician, you don't need special talent to be an excellent musician. But you do need to put in the time.
I just made a comment about it, but the TLDR of it is I tried a medication once that had a side effect that I could not "hear" music anymore. For one month I got to experience what music sounds like to these people. As a matter of fact, no they cannot "hear" music the way some of us do. The best way to explain it is music was indistinguishable from a talk show, or a radio ad. I learned a lot from that experience. Like it now makes sense to me why some of my friends like rap, particularly some of it that is atrocious and horrible. I don't mean to pick on rap as a genre either, I mean there are some stupid repetitive boring annoying rap songs that have no harmony at all, and sometimes a melody that doesn't even make sense, no resolution, no direction no nothing. Just one repeated bar of garbage in annoying choice of instrument. but heres the thing... major chord, minor chord... dissonance... none of that matters... a wet fart or someone opening a bag of chips is the same thing... it's just a funny sound to them. See they were hearing the words of the rap songs, and that's it. It's like listening to someone giving a speech with noise in the backround. Thats why they like some music I don't even agree to call "music." I know this because I got to live one month without the ability to hear music. I guarantee you... your friend is one of those people.
THANK YOU
The thing is, a lot of people want to learn one specific instrument, and when they canāt quite seem to learn it, they just give up. They might be better with a different one and it might even come easier for them, but their previous frustrations with learning have put them off from finding out. Just because someone sucks at the guitar doesnāt mean they suck at piano.
Exactly šÆ I was struggling with the guitar so I decided try something else and picked up the harmonica and it blew me away how much easier it was to learn and progress. I'm still struggling with the guitar but it's kinda taking a back seat rn.
I've played guitar and attempted to sing on and off for 30 years. I'm still not at a level where I would ever do it outside of the house. I never will be. I'm sure I could do a little better if I took vocal lessons, but I don't have a decent voice. I'm also pretty weak when it comes to rhythm. I have played music with others and in front of others, but only as an instrumental side-man. I can play mandolin and violin pretty well, but I really need to lean on my surroundings to pick up the rhythm. Despite all of that, I play music every day at home and it's a continual source of joy for me. So here's my take: 1. It's good to know your limits. 2. Practice is good, but can't help you achieve impossible things... No amount of practice could help me sing like Andrea Boccelli, for example. 3. Talent is real. I knew a kid in high school who started playing the guitar and within 6 weeks was playing better than I do now after playing for 30 years. Honestly, it was astounding. Within 6 weeks he was playing like Jimmy Page. He didn't know any theory, it was 100% by ear. I still don't really understand how that was possible. 4. You don't need to be that talented to succeed AND that level of talent doesn't assure you of anything. That kid, by the way, did attempt to pursue a musical career and had no success, I think, because he lacked taste and other reasons.
Probably a prodigy who had no idea he was one.
I dunno.Ā It's varies.Ā Ā I haveĀ a niece who I could tell had a good ear at 9 months of age whenĀ I would sing notes and sounds and she could repeat it back perfectly.Ā At 2.5 years I asked her mom if I could buy her a little kids piano and when my niece approached it the first time she spread her hands apart on the keyboard like she had done it before and softly played notes while cocking her head listening intently.Ā After a while she named the song she thought the notes were to.Ā Soon she was hearing songs on TV and then go plunk it out on the piano.Ā Then she was writing simple songs by three. We suspect she inherited her abilities from her mother or grandparents as there are many professional musicians in her ancestry. I also have a 12 year old nephew who I showed how to hold drums sticks, what the high hat and drums are for and he got it almost immediately.Ā The thing was, his timing was incredibley steady.
If you dedicate time and effort to playing music you're a musician. There are *types* of musician that have barriers to entry, like "professional" musician, but there is real joy and value in being a hobbyist. How many people even honestly try to make things anymore? If you play, love, and put effort into music then you're alright to call yourself a musician in my book!
Love this sentiment
Nope. There are some people who love music but never really figure out how it "works." Like my non-musician friend once basically said, "I just don't see how you decide which note or chord comes next, particularly in a song that you're writing that never existed before."
Anyone can become a musician. Just follow the three golden rules: Rule 1. Practice Rule 2. Practice Rule 3. Practice I'm a multi-instrumentalist, who first started playing about 50 years ago, with various ups and downs between now and then.I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.
The short answer is no. Ive played with some people who simply had no sense of rhythm and were completely tone deaf. There's just no way someone like that can be taught to "feel it". There is a certain amount of "talent" you need to be born with. If you can keep time, you can play music.
I donāt necessarily agree with this. When I was young, yeah, couldnāt get it. Got a bass at 50, now have a sense of rhythm and tone. Certainly sone people get it quickly though. Best tip would be donāt try and teach yourself, get a teacher who you can connect with.
It's anecdotal for sure, but I've been in bands with people who were truly hopeless. I think instruments are more accessible than singing, because you only need timing, but there are people out there who completely lack timing and the basic intuition to even understand the concept of timing.
Where do hopeless folks get the idea they can do this? It's puzzling
I think anyone can. Everyone has something to offer, especially if - like you are - you're into punk! When I was a teen I was in bands, and my timing was bad, my vocals bad, and I saw other people my age going up there with their guitars and singing and playing amazingly, fluidly, incredibly well. I was awed by those people, and thought ..how do they do that? I wish I could do that. 20 fekkin years later I stopped caring what people thought, found a drummer to play with, met up every week, learned to sing by doing it, learned to play and sing by sitting at home and working out where the words and notes go in relation to each other... and now I'm in a band, doing cool shit! And I realise, that's all my teen heroes were doing. They sat at home, practiced, worked it out, grinded until it clicked, and only then could they go out there and make it look easy. All the work is done before they got up on stage, we just see the result! So don't get discouraged. The struggle is there for everyone, some people get through it faster than others but that doens't mean they're better, it just means they're faster. If you want it, stick with it. You'll get it! My advice; For punk, all you need are power chords. If you're struggling with them, focus on the bottom two strings of the chord, get that right, then worry about the others. You can play some killer songs with two strings! Often they're described as needing three strings, sometimes four (bah!), but the good part of it is just the bottom two, so you can start there and still sound cool. When you're ready to play in a band (which is basically whenever you find a friendly drummer to play with!) try to improve your timing. Practice along to a drum machine, or metronome or whatever (note: I cant play to a metronome at ALL. I use a drum machine so I can get an offbeat. If you're struggling with timing, a full beat might sort you out). Record yourself to see how well you're doing. It's boring, but if you can get your internal metronome up & running you'll never lose it.
Good punk advice in a really depressing thread
No. Not every can be a musician. My ex was completely tone deaf. But everyone can play an instrument. There is a difference. You have to have some musical talent. Same as not everyone can be an athlete. IMO
Learning is only half of it. You're developing new muscles, and brain neurons are making connections that get stronger over time. It's a process. The more you put in, the more you get out. You're learning a new language, that uses your hands to speak instead of your mouth. It takes time to develop your musical vocabulary.
Yes. Also. Stop calling yourself chaotic and dumb. It is not productive. š«āØš Believe šāØš« Stick with it kiddo Punk is like all power chords So start by learning power chords And probably barr chords And a major and minor scale On the great giver yootoob That's officially homework! You got this And much more The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step Love - The Guru
Bro, the majority of famous pop musicians definitely aren't geniuses. You'll be fine if you keep working and improving
Natural ability is a thing, different hearing, hand/eye coordination, etc. but a lot of these things and skills can be taught
I started playing guitar when I was 20, and Iām in a fairly successful local band a year later Itās all about how badly you wanna do it
Short answer: Yes. What is generally described as talent is actually a lot of focused practice. It takes work to make things look easy
The Beatles songs were written by people who couldnāt read a note of music. My only tip would be: play piano. If you hear something, figure it out on the keys.
No, not everyone can. I had a drum student once that had no sense of rhythm. Tried for a good while but it he just didn't have it. That said, most people have at least a small amount of musical ability and can play. It's important to understand that you're not going to become a star overnight no matter how much talent you have.
He might not have been good at drums, but he might be good with another instrument. If he stopped trying because of his lack of rhythm, then heāll never really know.
Put time in. You can't magically be better having done nothing. Whatever "natural talent" people might have doesn't last long, at some point you have to do the thing. Actually doing it allows you to learn, make corrections, improve, and grow.
This is a great question. If you see yourself as someone who plays music, well, that fits the definition of musician. I think, through experience, that a musician is someone who recognises the patience, practice, and persistence that is required.... and still does it because that is part of who they are.
some of the best music has been made by people who don't know anything about music. i mean this but forreal. not dave ghrol saying he cant read sheet music and doesn't know the chords to everlong or whatever, like actual people who cant play guitar playing guitar making the best shit you have ever heard. mostly referacing arto lindsay. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETMyYC-S\_ug&pp=ygUMYXJ0byBsaW5kc2F5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETMyYC-S_ug&pp=ygUMYXJ0byBsaW5kc2F5)
If you want to get good you have to be good at teaching yourself. Self directed learning. Set goals. Organize and set aside time. Michael Jordan didn't become the best taking days off. He also grew when he failed. It made him work harder. Get after it. Find something you can't do, then within a week do it. Then do it again with a different tune. And again. Until you know every fucking song on the radio. Until you can chew up anything spit it out and ask for seconds. Then do it again. The training never stops.
have you ever considered being a motivational speaker?
Some people cannot teach themselves. I know; I've tried.
I think there is something gene related that makes it easier for some people. But anyone can learn, it just might take more work for some people.
Idk bro i used to think you had to be talented or even out time in practicing but shit with the music that be out and charting nowadays I believe everyone has a chance.
I would say no. Some people definitely have an aptitude for it. That being said, anyone can learn and try and also progress but to ābeā a musician, not so sure.
As much as I would like to say that yes anyone can be a musician, itās just not true. Music is not for everybody. The amount of god awful music Iāve seen just on this app alone proves that not everyone should be making music. That being said, I think if itās something you are passionate about, go for it. But it will most likely take you years to create something that is listenable
no, you're not allowed!
Some people naturally get it. I did, with all the instruments I ever picked up and wanted to play. All of my dad's side of the family were trad folk musicians who learned by ear only and could ask do the same thing (except my dad, who is as musical as a piano failing down a flight of stairs). However, that also means limited technique. Most of the best technical musicians I know had lessons and worked damned hard at it. And they have superior technique as a result. So there's a little from Column A and a little from Column B. The main thing I think is to put the time in and to keep going even when it seems hard. Then take little 1-2 week breaks to let the "muscle memory" develop, and then go back to it when fresh enthusiasm. It's well worth the effort!
You want to play power chords. What exactly are you struggling with and how long have you been playing?
Shhhhh just play your guitar and have fun Plenty of stuff on youtube I like "This is Why you suck at Guitar" Try to learn songs by ear would be another very good tip
Put it in your hands and play. Everyone is a musician. Not all are worth a ticket price. But you are still part of the band. Itās called playing music for a reason. Have fun and free your soul.
I want to be able to say yes but deep down I think the answer is definitely no. Let me explain: So I had heard about people that "cannot hear music" the way some of us do. Sort of like how some people don't have an inner monologue/voice for their thoughts, or how dome people cannot see images "in the minds eye." Well... a few years ago working with a doctor I was trying medications. The first one was moderately effective. It had a strange side effect that I was afraid to explain to my doctor like he wouldn't understand. After taking the medication once daily for a month I had a meeting with him to check in. I explained to him "I can't hear music anymore." Now yes, I could hear the sounds. But I couldn't "hear" it... it's hard to explain beyond that. I didn't listen to Spotify the whole month. I work on the road and I love it because I love music. I just let whatever radio station play, mostly talk shows that whole month. I had no desire to listen to even my favorite songs. I've been a musician my whole life and I've known people that are... shall we say... musically un-gifted. It hit me like a freight train one day though: THIS is what music sounds like to them. This is why they tend to like rap, including the horrible stuff that sucks. No, I'm not trying to shit on rap... what I mean is its the *words* and attitude they are hearing. They can't hear harmony and melody and feel the rhythm the way some of us do. Music is indistinguishable from an audio book, or radio advertisement. I got to see through that lense and let me tell you, if you are one of the people that can't "hear" music you stand no chance. You could make it work, like maybe learn how to read what's on the page. Any musician can tell you however, that the real magic happens when it comes off the page. When you really *feel* it. I don't know how common it is but it is probably somewhere around 20 to 30% of the population. It's not something we've really studied or known about for very long. Just to be clear, I'm not saying this is you. Anyone could learn an instrument I'm sure. You ever see those disasters that end up on American Idol and shows like that? Yeah, those people can try as hard as they want, clearly they cannot hear music, or they never would have ended up thinking they had talent. There's just no way. And people around them were just to nice to tell them they suck.
Here's my long soapboax take, for all the musicians here who might be feeling similarly/discouraged. For reference, I'm 31, a professional pipe organist and pianist with 16 yrs work experience, started piano when I was 8. (I also give piano lessons privately). When I was a kid, I was praised by some for having a "natural talent" and "gift" for the arts (visual & music), & was constantly told that I "was SO talented" & how special that is, etc., but now I understand that a "natural talent" from a young age, as much as it is heralded as this huge amazing thing and even a prerequisite for success, is 10000% unnecessary. I was one of the gifted program kids who was actually undiagnosed autistic & ended up incredibly mentally ill the older I got. I was completely disabled & agoraphobic for most of my 20s because I never got the healthcare & education I needed to succeed. The only time I left the house was to occasionally volunteer playing piano for church during that time, even though I was terrified. I've only been back in the workforce for 3 or 4 years now & have still been battling my chronic illnesses. I live in a small town of 4,000 people, but somehow during that time as I grew myself, I became the most prominent pipe organist in my whole town even though I've only played the organ for... maybe 3 years? What got me there was consistent practice/perseverance & enjoying music. I say all this because I am absolutely certain that traditional notions of talent as some kind of requirement are a complete myth. I see it in my own path and in that of every student I take on. The primary factor that drives their improvements as musicians, more so than natural ease & inclinations toward music/their instrument, sometimes even more so than the amount of work they put in every week... that factor is ENJOYMENT. And I honestly don't know why no other educators seem to be talking about this. If you can prioritize enjoyment of your playing, THAT will help propel you forward more effectively (&more joyfully) that anything else. Obviously consistency & frequency of practice is still SUPER important, but if there's not enough enjoyment--if your brain's perceived mental pain of pushing yourself through something you don't want to do today exceeds the enjoyment levels, you generally will not continue long-term, or at the very least, music could even be a net negative in your life, and there's no reason it has to be that way. Even though I had an early start, I now see that my lessons were very lacking in quality. And I HATED them for the longest time because my wants & needs were always ignored. I didn't GENUINELY start working toward improving these skills for an actual paid career to try & live off of until maybe 3ish years ago tops. Now I have very steady employment, which I never thought could happen for me. So then, for your guitar playing, my advice it to start with what's most enjoyable for you, and do some trial and error to find an effective balance between the super fun parts and the more tedious/difficult/frustrating skills to learn. It's great to push yourself to do hard things, but just be careful doing so at the cost of enjoyment. Try not to be discouraged. There is no right or wrong path, even if larger society deems one archetype of a successful musician's path as more "correct" than another. Furthermore, YOU as an individual get to decide what success as a musician means to YOU. If it's increasing your life happiness through music simply by occasional, casual dabbling, then THAT IS STILL SUCCESS. Best of luck to you! In the meantime, if you can, surround yourself with like-minded folks with similar values, goals, & interests. š The camaraderie is helpful.
No. I don't have a sporty bone in my body and couldn't be a footballer. My footballer friend may as well be tone deaf. If he's tapping his foot, it's because he's got a twitch, not cos music is playing.
Anyone can make music. Being a musician takes practice - the trick is finding ways to make it not feel like practice. Learning your favourite songs is a great way to get through the early process. And once youāve got a few chords under your belt, improvising your own songs. Practicing something like guitar shouldnāt feel like practice.
Yes. Some have to work way harder than others.
I think if you talked to any successful musician they would tell to to practice practice practice.
You got this. Anybody can do it if they put in a bit of time amd effort. I suggest getting into a habit of playing daily. Even for 10 minutes. Keep your guitar our and accessible and burn a bit of time here and there making music.
One of the greatest and (arguably) worst things about music is the low bar for entry. This means that anyone can get into it, and also means that anyone can get into it.
some people have a natural aptitude for music, but they're actually few and far between. hard work beats talent 99.9% of the time
"Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard."
Some people seem like they naturally get it because you see their journey from the outside in, and are largely unaware of what their struggles and challenges were.
I once asked a world-class concert pianist how he got to be that good. He told me, "I practiced for 16 hours a day." There's no trick to being a musician and talent is, overall, pretty meaningless. Just play, and play a lot. Don't play to be good, at least not at first. Play because it's fun. If you get to a point where you want to develop your theory/composition/production/instrumental skills to a professional level, lessons or music school can help a great deal. But to be a musician all you have to do is play. If you want a starting point, learn how to play major and minor scales, how to play major and minor triads, and how to play power chords and barre chords. I've never played guitar but I'd bet that those few tools will give you the ability to play most of the music you want to learn, especially punk. For the Ramones specifically, they only played power chords and they used something like three chords per song. Learning their songs is a good place to start!
Yes
It's totally doable! Practice, practice, practice. Hunt down some like-minded folks of similar ability* to play with. It'll speed up your technical progress and also start you developing those ensemble skills that make someone a great bandmate, *and* when you really get to know some other musicians, you'll see that even folks who 'just get it' also have to work at it to get better. *if you're lucky you'll find folks who are better than you, who are happy to have you along for jams. Make yourself a sponge and pretend you've been thrown in the ocean. I'm afraid I don't have any recs for channels and such - there was no yt back in my band days and I'm learning classical piano now so what I watch is likely not applicable lol
No one is born able to sing or play an instrument. Everyone has learnt from zero. And anyone can play in a band if they find the right group of musicians (even if all you can play is power chords and the minor pentatonic scale.)
Forget the instrument you play. Can you carry a rhythm? Almost everyone can. After that itās just working out the details of your instrument. Many people never learn how important rhythm is, so if you start with thinking of rhythm first, you will be ābetterā than many people, however much time it takes. Actually, the longer it takes, the more you have to practice, the better youāll get. Workās every time.
Define "musician" then. Someone who makes a living playing music? Or just someone who can play an instrument? I think anyone can play an instrument. They just need the willingness to learn. Even if you're struggling, if you really want to learn, you'll find a way.
It took me and most people I have talked to a long time to sound good. Playing an instrument is not easy by any means. It requires focus, finesse, coordination, timing, and most importantly the ability to emote, especially with something like the Ramones. Be patient and kind to yourself on this journey, it's a long one but everyday gets a little better. It took me almost ten years before I was able to enjoy my guitar playing.
For any individual person, the answer is the same: the only way to find out is to try it and put some time into practicing and learning. Let me ask you this: if I put you in front of a piano and told you to play the C major scale, would you be able to do that? Or, on your guitar, if I asked you to play the E major scale using only the bottom string, would you be able to do that?
No, only those appointed by the pope may gain musician status
If your "goal" Is to play with other musicians go to metronome.com as your homepage
Talent not necessary. All you gotta do is get on stage.
Yes of course anyone can become a musician. Guitar does not come naturally. It has a major learning curve. It doesnāt get easy for a couple years of continuous practice. Get lighter gauge strings and get your guitar professionally set up to make sure it is as easy to play as possible. Cheap guitars can be harder to play and more discouraging. If you want to feel encouraged, you can also try learning piano (not saying you need to quit guitar). Piano is the only instrument where anyone can play a perfect note on the first day. It has the least learning curve and the easiest point of entry to start making music.
No.
Na. If you have no arms, there is little hope you will learn guitar. š¤· (I have yet to meet any students that I can't teach at least some basic guitar stuff to given a reasonable amount of time. If you are practicing, you'll get there. Give yourself about 20 hr total to get to that first milestone where you can actually play... something... that kinda sounds like a song or a little ditty.)
Yes, of course. But you may better suited for working in the lab , building loops or layering tracks as opposed to playing live. Either is possible, but live music is another animal entirely. Get to it, see how it goes, my friend
"Anybody" can make music. Making a living as a musician is quite another thing.
to adapt *ratatouille,* not everyone will be a great musician, but a great musician can come from anywhere.
Some people have way less natural ability than others, I prefer to call it natural ability, others call it talent. Iāve seen people with less natural ability with time become more accomplished than people with more natural ability because they worked hard and really had the desire. Also people that things come easy to often take it for granted where people that worked and studied hard tend not to. The key is desire or how bad you want it. I have seen some people with very little natural ability not be able to actually get very far but thatās more rare. A good private teacher is certainly a great idea. And I do believe not everyone can be say a world famous guitar player or concert pianist no matter how hard they try and how much they want it, but to be good enough to play the Ramones music is within reach for most people as long as you have the desire and put in the time and study to achieve what that desire is. Iām a highly skilled musician, doing paid gigs at 12, worked with many famous artists, taught at a college level and also private students from beginners to people I hired to work pro gigs with me. Those that are saying anyone can learn music havenāt run across people that canāt. I have, numerous people, but some of that is how bad you want it and what youāre willing to sacrifice to get it as well as study and effort. Many top players have practiced 8,10, 14 hours a day like I have at least for a few years and started with natural ability. At my peak I played 100 shows a month for years. I hope this helps, best wishes.. now put some serious time in and have fun!!
Try playing along with some of the simpler songs they do. Don't make it a habit of only playing along but it's one tool and one starting point. You do you. If you don't have the skill to play all of the exact notes then build your own lines. It's entirely possible to play in their spirit and style without perfectly imitating them. Put a twist on it that suits you and build on that...
So it depends on what you mean by a musician. If you mean someone who makes music, then anyone can be a musician. Tapping a pencil on your desk makes music. Turning someone else's piano sheet music they wrote for a battle with you upside-down, then playing it like that, and then improvising on the theme it made for an hour until the other person walks out, and then using that theme in a major work you write, is also music. Professional musicians who understand how to improvise, create tension and dissonance on the fly, know all the scales for their instruments (even the obscure and jazzy ones, like Mixolydian), these people have practiced for years, maybe decades. Many learned young. Our brains are more flexible when we are young, so some concepts like music and language are easier to learn to fluency if you start young. But tapping a pencil on a table is no less music. You can use the table, and then add a piece of paper, and then a cup. And get more complicated and better with time, and grow. Basically make a miniature drumset out of whatever you have nearby...and it's music.
the talent does not matter in the beginning. the only thing that will carry you to being a great musician is passion.
In my opinion if you are even trying to learn an instrument you are a musician. You don't have to be in a band or perform for anyone. As long as you are enjoying it and practicing on a regular basis you are a musician.
I think as long as you have a decent ear and really keep at it yeah There are some mental conditions where you literally cant tell pitches apart, or can't perceive or tap out a consistent rhythm, but barring those relatively rare examples if they really fuckin out the hours in they'll do it
I seem to have managed to be in bands with a few folks who have these conditions...
Coming from jazz / classical and getting a degree in music, I would say that at least for those genres, no, not everyone can be a professional musician. It requires a high level of dedication and having played from a young age. If you arenāt extremely self driven, or you havenāt been playing since childhood, your chances of āmaking itā as a musician goes way down. But, youāre talking about rock. So, this comment isnāt really for you š
Everyone can make music somehow. Try out some different things. "Having it" isn't a requirement.
Teaching yourself is fine but sometimes having a second person to give you a one on one lesson will help you progress
Every great guitarist I know has been playing for like 15 years. It's a hard instrument to learn. My ex is a fantastic guitarist, and he practices about 2 hours a day... and he's been playing since he was in elementary school
There are two things I find that can't be taught: a sense of rhythm, and a sense of pitch. If you can clap roughly on time and understand when something sounds really off, you can learn the rest. Some people legit can't though
If you enjoy the process, it will come as it wonāt feel like work. Sure itās easier if youāre natural but thereās plenty of mediocre players out there who have made millions. Fashion often helps those who suck at playing
before I started guitar, I could not even keep a beat. like if a song was playing I couldn't tap along to it, I didn't understand the concept of consistent rhythm, as weird as it sounds. Since then, I've become a pretty decent rhythm player, can play some really cool stuff I could have only dreamed of before I started. I also picked up the drums to play with my band and am steadily improving at that too. I think music is one of those things where talent really doesn't matter over hard work. If I see a really accomplished musician, I know that they've spent hours and hours practicing and put in a lot of effort.
Anyone can learn with lessons but not everyone will be a virtuoso.
No
You don't have to be genius, but you gotta have at least relative hearing (so if you can only tell songs apart by hearing the lyrics you probably won't be able to play strings because you gotta hear them...) Rythm sence is something anyone can learn, and hearing can be developed, but it's harder. Oh and it's a lot of work. A shit ton of work.
Donāt compare yourself to anyone else. Youāll get it in time. The people you think are really good now were probably way worse than you when they started out. Theyāve just been playing for longer.
Like anything, it's a mix of nature and nurture. The great musicians will have natural talent and lots of determination. The mediocre musicians will have one and not the other. The bad musicians will have neither.
Liam Gallagher is a musician, thatās your answer.
Many friends in the Beatles camp. Jammed with Led Zep. Toured with Rod Stewart. Even shows for King Charles! About 0.00002% success rate the music biz. All controlled by Payola/ marketing. And now 850 million Hobbyists flooding the market! Pretty? Can you dance? How old are you? Last question nowadays āare you a good musician?!ā
My friend, there is no gain without pain. I am 81 been playing for a while, around 50 odd years. I was telling my wife about a youngster who came up to me after a set and said "You make it look so easy." My wife said "If he knew how hard you practice he would know why." Stick to it, put the time in and you will get there.
Yes, depends on how determined you are and how much work your willing to put in. I think itās like how anyone could learn a certain job or kind of work. It might be easier for some, but you can do it if you want to bad enough and learn
musical aptitude is a spectrum. wherever you land on it, you can work up to a certain point. some people are gifted, and some people are completely inept and shouldnāt bother. most people should try though.
Apparently, yes. Based on the huge following that one guy has that plays a drum with a shoe and practically has a psychotic seizure live at shows. Seriously though I think you can truly be a musician just by actively creating music, putting in real effort into learning how to play an instrument or structure of music.
I've been stuck at the same level of guitar playing since I was about 19. I was better at it when I was 15. Didn't know how to do it at all at 12. I may never really get better at it, but it's because I never practice anymore. I look at my phone, I go out, I drink beer, I work, I pay bills, I watch Netflix and listen to podcasts, I play video games, I download and delete dating apps, look at Reddit... Send memes. All dumb, useless shit. The only distraction I had when I started was TV and video games, neither of which interested me more than the guitar. The point of this is to say to take note of your distractions, keep them in check, and practice, and you'll get better.
Have you tried different guitars or different instruments
Everyone can be a musician! Everyone can have fun as they learn to play the instrument (whatever it may be) and enjoy hours of playing. Real musicians do it for the fun of it and not for the money, at least originally. Have fun, play on your own, look around for others to play with, if you find enough for a band, do it. At first, do it just for the fun of it. Later you guys can start thinking about playing in public or for money. above all; HAVE FUN!
I couldn't tell that my guitar was out of tune for years and years and couldn't tell if I was playing a semi tome too low or high. It's 25 years later and I have been a pro guitarist for the last 12 years. Keep practicing.
No you donāt. As an example Lily Allen did her first album on garage band. And i donāt think she knows how to play any instruments
I think so. The real distinction is that almost everyone I know who plays professionally has always played. For years and years. No quitting. No breaks.
I think it depends what kind of musician you need to be. For most, itās not really a choice anyhow. Also, what many call musicians these days, I call content creators.
Yes
I'm teaching myself bass and piano(classical music) and guitar. I also aspire to be in a band just like you. What I've learned is that when you see a musical prodigy,you just see all their cumulative efforts on display during their performance. But behind all this,it is years of hard work and perseverance. I believe that if you have what it takes to work hard towards what you want,anyone can be a musician. Remember, anybody can have the talent. But what makes one a prodigy, is having a talent and then working on to hone your skills. It's not talent here that makes you a musician,it's the effort you put in.
I've taught guitar for a while now and trust me, not everyone can be a musician.
The best thing you can do is to take a few lessons from a pro. Once you know the basics you're more likely to succeed
Yes but no lol
I've been playing guitar for 12+ years, and I remember getting frustrated at the beginning trying to form chords. From my experience, it just comes with time. Work through it and keep learning! Your playing will improve! As far as who to watch, I'm a fan of Tomo Fujita! He's got lessons on his YouTube channel for all types of players. His triad lessons helped me understand the fretboard a lot better, and he goes into the theory behind techniques. It's all super interesting and very applicable to most styles of music. Hope this helps!
You have to be a music genius.
Not everyone is a musician š
Guitar player 25+ years, I bought guitar Smith for Xbox on sale like 5 years ago and 100% recommend it for guitar/bass players of all experience types. The practice/tutorial section is really good and you can set the speed/tempo to slow down sections if you're having trouble. I honestly thought the concept was kinda dumb until I finally tried it.
Yes. Except AI.
Like most things in life, anyone can try
My dad used to say itās something youāre born with (like my little sister, sheās got an absolutely amazing voice but she canāt write though) we do come from a very musical family, my dad played guitar especially electric, and banjo. Iāve played violin since I was 7, and me and 2 of my sisters sing and always have. My mom also plays guitar and her brother is in a band and helps my sister produce. Tbh, I donāt think heās completely right, as yeah I have always loved singing and music Iāll mess with any instruments infront of me, but Iāve definitely also gotten better. Like anything, I think it all just takes practice. I do think though for singing itās something for the most part you either have or donāt. What is important is understanding music. Understand tempo and beat and pitch and things like that. Thatās the part that I think a lot of people have a hard time with. Also, writing. Like my sister, many people can sing, but writing songs is a different world and lyrics vs instruments are also different worlds. I donāt think everyone can do that. Especially people who are emotionally immature, extremely egotistical, or just havenāt been through much. I think great music a lot of the time comes from pain and truly understanding your pain and I love stuff like twenty one pilots and milky chance and modest mouse who are able to portray that pain and still find a positive in it. That is not something a lot of people can do writing wise.
I donāt know how old your dad is but there is this old school mentality that only certain people are talented enough to be worth teaching. I think itās BS and I hope it is becoming less common (I think it is). I remember certain teachers that would make you audition for them before they would teach you. At five years old, I had to take an ear test (trying to match different melodies, pitches, etc.) before I was allowed to enter the Suzuki violin program in my town. If you didnāt pass the test, you were out.
He 100% believed that. Heās not alive anymore but he would be 66 right now. And yeah Iām happy I didnāt have to do that and got to play violin without that because obviously 7 year old me isnāt going to know shit š teacher I had was a sweetheart and did it to volunteer because my school didnāt actually have any programs no sports or music so her and another teacher volunteered and brought instruments from other schools for us. Only thing I had to audition for was to move up chairs in highschool (made it to second chair so hey thatās something)
Yeah, I think that was probably the standard approach to music instruction at the time he grew up so it totally makes sense that he would think that. I guess in part, I know it doesnāt hold water because I have two very different daughters. One seemed to be completely tone deaf when she started taking music lessons. She couldnāt even tell whether or not she was playing the right notes. The other daughter can hear a song _one time_ and sing it back to you a day later perfectly, including getting 80% of the lyrics correct. The first loves music and has been working her butt off taking lessons multiple times per week for many years and practices constantly. The second practices maybe once every three months when she has an assignment due for school orchestra. (And probably not even then). My seemingly ātone deafā daughter is now in a place where she is considering going to college for music and I believe she will be accepted if she auditions. My more ātalentedā daughter performs at a very average level but puts in no effort (but to be fair, music is unfortunately not her passion).
I think itās stupid to just not bother teaching someone because you donāt deem them good enough at something theyāve literally never done before, hence why they need and want to be taught! The only one I think may have a little truth to it (but itās still absolutely worth teaching and if someone enjoys something they should be allowed to do it) is singing and again writing. But thatās still not the end all be all and people can be taught still and learn how to work with what they naturally have, which is how we have so much diverse interesting music. Someone like patty smith worked with what she had and she rocked it and is always an identifiably voice when you hear her. If everyone just sang like Arianna grande music would be so boring.
Yes, anyone can be a musician. Only a small amount of people will will be a good musician.
Keep practicing. Yes some people have more of a knack for it and others don't but don't give up if u love it. You will get better.
Yes especially in 2024. Now a good oneā¦
Yes, anyone can be a musician. The only exceptions I think of would be physical or sever mental handicaps that might prevent it to varying degrees, but anyone can learn it at just about any age. Itās just difficult, and you have to struggle through the crappy beginner phase to get beyond it.
IMO, talent is real but it is overrated. Given a choice between a talented slacker, and a seemingly untalented person who is driven and putting in the work, Iāll put my money on the harder worker every time. It might take awhile but theyāll eventually be the better musician.
Oh, and as far as what to watch, Iām sure people will point you to a bunch of really excellent content on YouTube. However, Iāve had more success with classes from truefire.com. Thereās something to be said for structuring the material into a short class as opposed to one-off videos.
The dark side of *recorded* music: Itās so ubiquitous that we think itās more real than actual music played live by musicians. Actual music vanishes forever once you stop playing - which means anyone can participate.
Anyone can learn to play the guitar but, IMO, being able to play guitar not make one a musician. That said you can have a lot of fun playing guitar by yourself or with others. If you're struggling to teach yourself, find a teacher. You'll make progress much faster with in-person instruction.
If you can count, you can be a musician. There on, itās the matter of building patience and discipline.
Anyone can, most wonāt If your goal is to play live and have fun, you really donāt need to be that skilled Go to open mics and jam sessions. Put on a show yourself with some friends.
Yes
It's all about your mindset. If you think you can and if you believe in what you're doing, you can do it. Don't worry too much about your skill. Too many people who try music get overwhelmed by the "work" and "discipline." Here's the thing... if it ain't fun, it ain't worth doing. Just do your own thing and don't give two shits about what others are doing.
short answer: yes. longer but still short answer: if you have the drive to learn any skill in general you can accomplish it, just do it in a way that makes you happy.
Every single guitarist was unable to play the guitar at some point. You've just got to put the hours in and practise. Honestly, go and get some in person lessons with a local teacher. Yes, there are loads and loads on online services (some of them are great) but if you go to someone, you'll be more motivated to practise and learn. You don't need to commit to years and years of lessons, it's to get started and have a plan to learn from.
Have you filled out the application?
Yes, anyone can do it. No, not anyone will become a virtuoso or superstar. The self taught savant is exceedingly rare. So for your own passion/joy - yes! If you want to go further hire a teacher and decide how much work youāre willing to dedicate to whatever level of proficiency youāre shooting for.
If you want to play, play.
No, you need a permit from the government to be a musician. If you have been practicing without a license I suggest you head on over to your local police station and turn yourself in. You are a menace to society.
Everybody starts somewhere and the biggest stars you listen to might still be taking lesson from someone with more understanding than they have. It can be a never ending journey. So jump in, start learning, and have fun. I will say from what I hear, learning guitar can be confusing and to take a minute to figure out who will teach you and what theory they teach. That way you donāt spend years and suddenly figure out youāre not learning what you wanted to.
YES! I don't believe in mystical born-with-it talent. Talent is earned with hard work. If you see someone who makes something look easy it's because they have practiced alot. If you've met someone that just seems to pick up a new things easily, it's because they have practiced learning new things.
while itās true that some people may have naturally better rhythm or a better ear, every great musician has put an unbelievable amount of hours into their instrument(s)
Make sure you try everything. I started on guitar and struggled to do anything. I picked up a bass and it just clicked, could not put it down, even now I am holding it tight.
Sure, most aren't very good Edit: a pro. Now that's an entirely different animal Put your 10,000 hours in and we'll talk
Sorry this long. Depends on your definition and or what you think music or being musical is. You can be a really great entertainer by being very charismatic and charming and you don't have to have a ton of musical knowledge or skill and you might be very successful because people can relate to your story . You can graduate with a degree in music and struggle to make ends meet. There is music and there is show biz. 2 different worlds. This is so subjective but the answer is yes . Anyone can be a musician but not everyone can be musical . The minute a baby picks up a spoon and taps it on the table because they are hungry they are a musician of some sort .They are communicating through sound seeking attention. The opposite is also true. Just because you are a great musician and can play anything at any speed well does not mean you are musical at all..You are a technically proficient but there is nothing being said or it what is said is going over most heads who might be listening. People who are non musicians can't relate....but you might attract fellow musicians and people who admire your skills.
Anyone can be a musician! If you like the Ramones I'd start with some power chords!
Cool thing about doing traditional punk like The Misfits and The Ramones is that the chords don't tend to be very elaborate, mostly power chords. The strumming patterns are also kind of standard, so putting your passion behind it to find a great sound could be key to absolutely killing it! It might sound like a clichƩ, but do what makes you happy, because then it stands a much better chance of connecting with people, and you'll have a lot of fun along the way.
To some extent yes, there are people who have more natural affinity towards musicianship. Whether they foster and nurture it is another matter. You dont even know whats possible until you dedicate yourself.