This Is Only An Exhibition

“This is only an exhibition; this is NOT a competition…..Please, no wagering”

Those immortal words from David Letterman really hit home for me when we think of it in terms of playing guitar. Why do we have to think of playing guitar as a competition? The answer is fairly simple in terms of human psychology. Human beings are naturally competitive. We live in a world of competition, from sports, to battling for career advancements. Competition can be very healthy in the right areas. Let me share with you a few short stories and maybe a bit of advice on why I don’t see a lot of benefits in the competitive aspect of learning guitar.

I have been playing guitar for over 25 years. I play strictly for my own enjoyment, but over my years of study, have learned some advanced tricks and techniques. Our house is filled with teenagers and all their friends in that age group to mid 20’s. It is a very active household, so much so that I was contemplating installing revolving doors due to heavy traffic of all of their friends. Many of these people are guitarists. On one particular night, I fell victim to competition.

I was in the next room watching TV when I heard an amp fire up. I do not know who was even in that room, but he was playing guitar. It was a style of playing that I hadn’t heard before. He was playing a song that I knew quite well. Certain parts, he was playing hot, but other parts, he was just butchering. Next thing I knew, I had my guitar in my lap and my amp was turned up just a little bit louder and I proceeded to let this kid hear how that song SHOULD be played. After I finished, I heard total silence. I won, right? I showed him a thing or two!!! Next sound I heard was the front door closing, as whoever it was just left.

Believe it or not, my intentions were good when I fired up my amp. I thought that when he heard that song played properly, that maybe we’d hook up afterwards and I could help him learn it the right way. All I did was slam the door on this person forever. I definitely used the wrong approach. I never saw him again.

Another time a similar situation occurred. I was in the living room with my wife when somebody started playing guitar. The sounds I heard were definitely “rough,” to put it in good terms. I looked over at my wife and she said to me, in a rather sarcastic tone “OK Steve, go get your guitar and show him up!” This got me really thinking. Am I really like that? Am I that competitive? I didn’t like what I was realizing.

Many of you may know if you’ve read my previous article titled “Humble Pie” that I had a similar situation happen to me. The guitarist that I played with could have humbled just about anybody, and he knew it. He didn’t have anything to gain by getting competitive and beating me into the ground. He had a much better approach to teaching than I did, and I’ve managed to learn a few things from him on that topic.

The first thing I should have done would be to go into that room, introduce myself and say something like…”Hey, you play pretty good….I like your technique. I also play that song and if you don’t mind, I’d like to show you the way I play it. Then, maybe we can work on it together.” This approach would have opened doors where a competitive approach can close the doors for good.

You have to remember that when somebody plays something for you, they are doing the BEST job that they can do!! Respect that. Most people that pick up a guitar and try to learn to play simply won’t make it. They get discouraged and move on to something easier. They will never get past the early stages in their learning and the absolute last thing that they need is to get squashed like a bug by a far more experienced guitarist. Severe competition can squelch future talent.

Compliment people on their accomplishments, break the ice, challenge them, then show them the way. This way it will allow you to play your best for them in a non-threatening way. It will give them a goal to shoot for (to be able to play as good as you). Then the door is wide open for you to teach them how to get where they want to go. Who knows, you might just pick up a trick or two from them too. I’ve picked up a lot of tricks from other guitarists, some were better than me, some were worse, but one thing is certain, you will pick up absolutely nothing if the door is closed.

One of the first things I did when I was just learning guitar was to seek out other guitarists that played and tried to get them to help me. I will always remember the first contact I made. I saw this guy play a song on stage and it just totally blew me away. I wanted nothing more than to learn to play that song. I almost forced this guy to hook up with me and show me this song. At the time, I maybe knew 3 chords. I was a total embarrassment of a guitar player. I did manage to set up a time to go over to his house and he did work with me. Of course, I couldn’t execute anything that he showed me at the time, but I took good notes. I wrote down everything he said. I worked diligently trying to learn that song and after a short time, I could play it at will. To this day, I still play that song, or at least part of it almost every time I practice. I will always remember how I got my start.

Somebody that was MILES above my skill level took the time to help me, didn’t try to blow me away, and gave me encouragement. Might be the only reason that I’m still playing today. Dave, if you ever read this…..THANK YOU!!

Somewhere along my travels, I remember a quote (although I do not remember who said it, or the exact verbiage), it goes something like this: The more people you can help to get what they want, the sooner you can have anything YOU want. I guess I’m a firm believer in “what comes around goes around.”

The whole point of this article is simply this: Don’t try to blow people out of the water. This is not a race. There is no prize for the fastest chops. I know that at times it can be fun to compete, or maybe even necessary if you’re fighting for a spot in a band or something, but most of the time, it’s just ego. Ego will slam more doors for you than it will open. If you really want to take your playing to the next level, try to get as many doors open for you as you can. Sometimes, there could be a hidden gem for you behind one of the doors you might open.

About the Author

Steve has been playing guitar for almost twenty-five years, strictly for his enjoyment. His career sometimes puts unrealistic demands on his time and music is his release from an overly hectic lifestyle. He enjoys helping people and GuitarNoise seems to be all about helping people, so if any of his words helps even a few people….well, then he’s happy.