People!

There will be challenges to face and situations in your life that you think you'll never get through or overcome. Life's road has its rough spots, you will successfully make your way. This will make you stronger, wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable as a result of it all. Draw from these experiences, use them culivate the creativity from with-in your heart and soul. Then communicating this throught your guitar and the world will listen. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this. Work hard at what you like to do and overcome all obstacles.

Success is getting up one more time than you fall down, It also takes both the sun and the rain to make a rainbow. There comes a time when you must stand alone, feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams. You also need to be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved. Be strong, strong enough to make your life better.

Some of us have emerged from the most painful circumstances with strong insights about who we are and what we want. Each step of the way, we learned. We went through exactly the experiences we needed to, to become who we are today. Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either.

Everyone has problems. A problem-free life is an illusion - a mirage in the desert. Accept the fact that everyone has problems. This will help you to move on with your life rather than sitting and feeling pity for yourself. Your problems will not live forever, but you will! Storms are followed by sunshine. Winter is followed by spring. Your problems will get resolved given enough time.

Guitar players learn to choose the most positive reaction in managing problems. Remember, you have control on how you react and manage the problems. Positive people chose to react positively to their predicaments. Accentuate the positive, not the negative.

Find your rainbow and live your world of dreams always remember life is better than it seems.

Joe

OK, Joe did a good job of covering what it is all about with life's goals and success and all that so I will cover the other side of what you were asking for help with.

Young Ethan, you have lots of potential to be a great guitarist so get off you butt and gets some lessons and keep practicing whenever you can. I don't care if you have to sell pencils on the corner get them lessons. And don't forget to clean your room, take out the garbage and by all means get your homework done. :lol:

How was that for support and pushing you. :?:

And most of all, if you like the guitar stick with it. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy but it will always be there for you. :!:

Ethan, the way I read your post you seem to have four seperate problems, so I'll try and adress them all seperately:

1) Your parents/surrounding ain't supporting you.
This is really quite common, unfortunately. However, it isn't really *that* big a problem if you yourself care enough about playing guitar. While we all could use some support now and then to push is forward, you yourself can learn all you want to all by yourself. You can either continue to do what YOU want to do, or stop and become a clone of your parents.

2) You don't have lessons.
Not having lessons is certainly a negative thing (although it didn't stop Jimi Hendrix and SRV from playing some decent tunes!), and if you're serious about playing guitar you should do something about it. However, you cannot expect your parents to pay it for you. Lessons are very expensive, and I'm sure your mother doesn't have unlimited funds. So, what to do? Put that guitar down and get a job! It's springtime, go fight the ever-growing grass of your neighbours, wash cars/dishes, flip burgers, whatever. Besides earning money, you'll meet new people and see something else then that Hendrix poster above your bed.

3) Your friend Nick is the only one to give comments and feedback to help you.
That problem is gone now. Post whatever clips, recordings, questions, ideas or anything else you might have and someone around here will give feedback. That's one of the reasons GN is so cool. 8)

4) Sometimes you feel guitar is the only thing you've got.
Bad situation, and sounds like the one that needs to be fixed before all else. While guitar is cool, it can't be the only thing you do, that's just plain unhealthy. Go play sports, get a job, maybe start a band to meet new people, go party someplace, etc. You can play guitar for a few hours and still have plenty of time to do other stuff.

And welcome to GuitarNoise. :D

Thanks alot,

I do have a job, proab the best one there is... i make around $200 for sitting at a desk and walking around talking to bands for 7 hours.. http://www.supernova.com thats who i work for.. so thats monthly.. I can affor them... i just cant find the right teacher...

I do get out just not enough...

Track, and CC are my things, but i took the track season off for mental issues, school issues and medical(screws in my ankle)...

Thanks for all the support here...

First off, I noticed you're from Buffalo. I'm in Jamestown. If you're ever in the area for a track meet or something, which may very well happen (god knows how many times I've been in Buffalo for football games and track meets), let me know and I'll try to swing by and check it out.

As for the rest of the stuff, my family doesn't support me either. They hate the music I listen to, the music I play, the fact that I've spent more money on guitars than saving up for college (and I DONT have a job), etc. It doesn't bother me, I've came home from school and locked myself in my room with my guitar for hours on end before.

Also, Im completely self taught (with the aide of sites like GN and jamming with friends and such).

I do have friends who play guitar, bass, drums, every instrument I know of, I know someone who plays it so that's always good. I even have a teacher I jam with and who has taught me a lot about playing. And he has some sweet guitars. Last week I spend 20 minutes before school, my entire study hall, and about an hour after school playing his resonator.

I too have felt sometimes the guitar is the only thing I have. I don't have many friends, Im borderline clinically depressed, etc. I will tell you, sometimes playing and getting everything out through music is the best therapy there is.

Im gonna end this with a quote from the band Bright Eyes, who if you haven't heard of, I recommend checking out, specifically the album Lifted...

"And your eyes must do some raining if you're ever going to grow. And if crying doesn't help you compose yourself, it's best to compose a poem. An honest verse of longing or a simple song of hope. That's why Im singing..." -Conor Oberst 'Bowl of Oranges'

my parent didn't mind my guitar playing but they were very focoused on me acheiving academically and my parents were also annoyed by the sound but i bought them ear plugs their are some real quality ones out there and they never complained again.

headphones....

headphones....

I have to sometimes fight for the discman with my sister. :lol:

My guess is your parents just don't like your kind of music. Having decided a couple of years ago (at the age of 39) to go back to school to study music ,I watch with amazement as so many young musicians experiment with different types of music and find they enjoy it all. One of my best friends at school is a guy with tons of piercings, tattoos, etc. Though he never listened to or played classical music before college, he discovered he has a real talent for it. You should hear him play Mozart and Beethoven. Another is a Blues singer with the most amazing bluesy voice I have ever heard, yet he sings Opera like a first language. Another is a classical pianist who discovered MIDI and has made some pretty amazing electronica.

The point I am trying to make is that I encourage you to experiment with different genres of music. You know what music your parents like. Learn some songs they will appreciate, and they will see how dedicated you are to music and the guitar, and that its not just teenage angst venting and raging against the machine.

Pull them into your world one song at a time. And whatever you do, don't give up on music. Over the years your tastes may change and evolve, but if you don't persue your love of music, it will fester inside you until you either go insane, or finally yield. I think I got to the insane part before I decided to yield.

To write anything more now would be just to continue bablling, so I'll shut up now.

Yeah ive had that same problem. But you have to realize that you cant play and get better just because people tell you to and you cant stop playing just because they dont tell you to. Here's what i say you do. I say you work extremely hard at it. Get really good and try to become famous. Then they'll show interest and you can just say what about all those years when i just played in my room. :D

headphones....

I have to sometimes fight for the discman with my sister. :lol:

Don't forget the batteries! :D

headphones....

That was going to be my suggestion! I bought my 14 year old nephew his first electric guitar and amp and my 13 year old neice her first bass and amp and made sure that they both had headphones to practice at home with. Right now the only time they're allowed to play without them is when they come to my house to play! We rock the neighborhood!! (I'm their cool aunt! :D At least for now!!) But, their parents aren't very supportive either. So, luckily, they have me to let them do their thing. Don't let your parents unsupportive attitudes discourage you. Find a friend who shares your interest. Start a garage band (in somebody else's garage!). There are lots of ways to accomplish what you want to, as long as you have the drive to pursue them. The best of luck to you!

I guess I'm jumping onboard a little late on this one and I'm not going to give you some long drawn out hart felt crap! get your music from your emotion. Headphones, like Dude said. plug in & crank it up when you can.
For what it's worth Ed Van halen very seldom even uses an amp at home!! :wink:

good advice...

Dude quit your pity trip!

;)

just kiding :)