So when is enough enough

I like to shoot for the stars but I'll settle for the moon if that's the furthest I'll come.

I think the important thing is to set realistic attainable goals to be acheived in increments if you will. If you want to make it to the stars but know for a fact that the moon is attainable, shoot for the moon. Once you get there you can shoot for Saturn. And from Saturn shoot for Pluto, and from there the stars.

The stars are a lot closer to Pluto than here on earth.

If you've never played guitar before, your first goal should not be to sell out Carnegie Hall. Make your first goal to learn that first song, then to write your first song. Pretty soon your goal will be to buy some recording equipment and record your first demo.... small incremental attainable goals will get you farther than the huge daunting goal of ....(fill in the blank)....

I like to shoot for the stars but I'll settle for the moon if that's the furthest I'll come.
Well, the closest star to here is the sun, and if you look at it as a percentage, the moon is only 0.25% of the way to the sun.

If "the sun" is your ultimate guitar goal, you're probably already to the moon by now.

And if you meant a star outside of the solar system, you were probably past the moon the first time you even looked at a guitar. :lol:

I think the important thing is to set realistic attainable goals to be acheived in increments if you will. If you want to make it to the stars but know for a fact that the moon is attainable, shoot for the moon. Once you get there you can shoot for Saturn. And from Saturn shoot for Pluto, and from there the stars.

+1 to that approach. :)

I like to keep my dreams in perspective. Put them into different categories might be another way of looking at it.

So I might have a fantasy about reaching the stars - or playing a sell-out stadium gig. In fact, I'd think that anybody who was learning guitar who didn't occasional daydream about playing to a huge appreciative crowd was singularly lacking in imagination. But I know that it's a Fantasy, and not a Plan. Yet.

Dreams don't become Plans until I have some data and experience to back them up and give them some realistic shape. And the more information that comes in, and the more experience I gain, then the better the plan becomes. It usually also changes to incorporate some of the new knowledge. And as it progresses, the more clearly I can judge where the line between Fantasy and Achievable Goal will lie.

I'm sure that I had many fantasies as a kid that didn't come true. Doubtless, some of them involved marrying at least one supermodel and winning a number of Grand Prix car or bike races. They've mostly been binned. :wink: But I also had other fanatasies - such as one day designing and building my own house, which seemed well up in the stars back then - that I did eventually turn into plans and achieve.

Currently I have a plan to write a song this week for SSG. I expect to make that goal. I have plans to improve my playing and recording abilities before the end of this year. I expect to make that one too. As for the "Play like the famous" or "Play the big Gig" dreams I don't expect to turn them into Plans anytime soon. But they still make excellent Fantasies, and who knows what the view will look like in a couple of years time.... :wink:

Cheers,

Chris

It's been said over and over again, but I'll add it one more time:

The key is well defined, achievable, realistic goals.

Wanting abstract things, and having a bulldog attitude won't get you very far. Because you won't know where to go.

Having no goals and a relaxed attitude won't get you there either.

Having well defined, achievable, realistic goals is the key. Now, once you have that, you can have a mono-focus, bulldog attitude or you can have a laid back attitude, but you can still achieve those goals in both cases because one thing good goals take into account is your own abilities, tendancies, likes and dislikes -- those are part of what make them achievable and realistic.

The one problem that "bulldogs" can run into is an inflexibility to change course when a course change is required. Having laid out a plan that looked good at the beginning, they can run into an unforseen brick wall, and instead of looking for a new path to the same destination, will continue to pound their head against that wall.

But at that instant, they've gone from a realistic, attainable goal to an unrealistic, unattainable one. Goals are fluid, as life is fluid. If you aren't revising your vision as your circumstances change, you'll quickly find your goals are no longer achievable at a cost that you are willing to happily pay.

In that sense, bulldogs can have a handicap against those who are more laid back. But that is not intrinsic to the issue.

IMHO goals constantly change. In the beginning stages of playing I had the goal of knowing how to play chords. Then my goal was to play the riffs and solos. There are guitar players that I look up to and I enjoy playing there songs. If I set the goal at playing exactly like them it would be unattainable, so I'm happy just to play the songs the way I hear them and do it to the best of my ability. The main thing for me is the enjoyment I get from playing.

Denny

Clint Eastwood once said, "a man's got to know his limitations". Very true. I am only 5'9" tall and realized years ago I would never be able to dunk a basketball. But I practiced hard and developed a good jump shot.

Guitar is the same. You have to know your limitations. I have worked for years to pick very fast, but it is not natural for me. I have improved, but I know I will never be a shredder. I am not really bothered too much by this, I have never really cared for the style. But I would love to be able to play some super fast runs at times.

What is good when it comes to guitar?? You don't have to play like Steve Vai. If you ever see a great Country band you will almost always see one player sitting in the background strumming an acoustic guitar. They are normally playing very common chords that beginners play. But these guys (or gals) are great. What they do is relatively simple, but they have mastered it enough to be on stage with the most famous players in the world.

Check out Johnny Cash in this old video. He played very basic guitar, but he had a unique sound. But there is nothing very difficult about this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgja26eNeY

I think everybody can develop the basic skills, good enough to perform in front of other people. You don't have to shred or know every scale in the world. You just have to have good solid timing for the most part. This is the most important skill any musician can have.

I think everybody can develop the basic skills, good enough to perform in front of other people. You don't have to shred or know every scale in the world. You just have to have good solid timing for the most part. This is the most important skill any musician can have.

+1 to that. :) Do you mind if if I quote you in my sig please? Demo below... :wink:

I've seen your advice about timing here before, and always I thought "Hey,"'I'm sure that's right... but I'm good enough to strum away at home.... maybe I'll get to the timing thing one day.......later.... How much of a big deal can it be anyway...I sound fine to me...probably got natural rhythm ..."

But then I started to try and write and record songs..... and whaddya know? It IS a big deal. A VERY BIG DEAL! :shock: As soon as I put a click track on I discovered that I wasn't keeping anywhere near as good time as I thought. And when I tried to sing to a backing track that I'd just recorded.... what a joke!! I hadn't a clue where I was or what I was doing. Guitar timing around 5/10, singing timing about 1/10 :roll:

So I'm doing some daily practice now. Just putting the drum machine or click track on, doing some playing and singing, and slowly burning the skill into the brain... gently does it..... :)

Cheers,

Chris

If you can't read the caption it says "Inteptidude- if you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly.

I may never play like Steve Vai, but I'm having fun :D .