Next Guitar God? or what drives you?

[Zuben]

What motivates your desire to be a better player? Sounds simple but it is actually pretty complex.

 

I have been watching pieces of reality shows (puke) and the banner ad here, GUITAR HERO.

 

I have been playing for money (I break that down as I didn't consider myself a professional for years) for 35+ years. The band I had for 8 years and a few special occasions that we got back together we all musicians first. All of us but our drummer grew up in musical families with lessons at an early years. We played to have fun, push ourselves and become better. Money was great to finance our gear. We had a stage in 12th grade that most touring bands would have loved to have.

 

Most of us continued in music One the director of music at Memphis State, another went in to music direction becoming the musical director of the Forrester Sisters, a few other top acts that I would have to ask and just a few years ago, Englebert Humperdink (sp) He had the talent and stage presence to be a star.

 

I continued on and off playing with some top names of the 70s. My close brush with rock stardom died with a close friend and mentor. But I wasn't driven by the GUITAR HERO mentality. I have been putting together another band with a promise of a indie record company and guest artists to catch the attention of critics. But my drive is to prove I am not dead nor is my music.

 

I have been a student of music, commercial and no commercial to know that age plays a big part in the success equation. Contemporary Adult is what most of us here play. Covers, new music performed by 40 year olds no matter how good, are going to be pigeonholed by the industry.

 

You have heard me say this before but it is a hard fact the best musicians are rarely recognized. The Internet has change a lot of the way music makes its rounds and it has opened my eyes to many styles and artist I would have never known about. Ho many are looking to be the NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND

 

There is enough proof in the past the industry can create money making artists but rarely are they true musicians.

 

As much as I love the music I grew up on, playing, some of it was music you wouldn't play at a Homecoming Dance or at NOLA Spring Fest. I love playing in front of people, the more the better. Yes, I get nervous stepping out to 50,000+ as I did May of 2006 New Orleans Spring Fest, but you feed off the energy of those people. I can play to 3 people even if they are not paying attention, I play to myself. Trying to make each song a part of me and improve on my interpretation.

 

I play 1st for myself, 2nd I play for others. Who do you play for and what drives you. Do you want to be the next American Guitar Hero, American Band, pack stadiums and have groupies everywhere, play to stadiums to prove you can to yourself, your own expectations, strive to make yourself better, a drive that can't be quenched by anything less...You add your reasons.

 

Peace

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I have no idea why I play, and would you believe, I often FORGET that I play.

 

People ask me the usual "what are you into, man?" intro questions and I add, as an afterthought, "oh, yeah... I play a bit, too", even though I spend about two hours a day practising and noodling around, and quite a bit of time here talking about guitars and music. It's so much a part of me that I forget that I'm into it.

 

I'm in a weird situation in that I play (bass) in a way I've never heard anyone else play before. I always get that comment, so I'm not bragging or anything. And now I'd like to get out and gig on my own, simply because if I don't play my music, nobody else will. Not because it's bad, but simply because it's different.

 

I don't think I really play for others because a bad gig is a bad gig, no matter what people say afterwards. It's nice to have people clap and that, but I *know* when I've done well,. and when I haven't. Sometimes, though, I play FOR people, even though they may not be in the audience. You know, play thinking about some old girlfriend or a dead friend or whatever. I think everybody plays for somebody, at least in that sense.

[A String]

I play because I'm a musician. It's what I am. It's part of me. If it wasn't guitar, it would be something else, but I would definitely be playing something.

[Hardtail]

I play because I can. Everything else I want from music is derived from that.

[The Geoff]

I've played on & off since I was about 13.

 

During my late teens & up to my middle twenties I played as much for the cash as the enjoyment.

 

Skip over 25 years of nothing....

 

Now,at 60, I feel I am a better, more rounded player than I ever was.

 

I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE!!!

 

I have - what - 5 years max. left to me (probably) during which I'll be fit enough to do this.

 

The other thing, of course, is that as I am retired, it gives me a sense of worth.

 

G.

[Trucks]

I dunno. I am happy when I am playing. I have a real problem turning the thinker off, when I am playing the thinker goes off (most of the time)... Although sometimes I am playing something, and my mind wanders.. ya know.. and then a couple of minutes go by and a realise I am still playing.. and have no idea what I just played... Sometimes I am recording, so it is quite interesting to go back and listen to what happened LOL...

 

But anyway.. Ya see.. I digressed..

 

I love to play...

 

Sometimes I think of playing for somebody too, although I won't sit and think "im gonna play this for you X" (I guess because I don't know anybody named X) it just happens, I think it shuts me off from outside distractions, as if I were alone, yet maintains the adrenaline push from playing too an audience. Yep... I have played to a lively crowd of at least 5 people. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Zube. lol :-)

 

But... If I don't feel like playing, well people can go for it.

 

So I guess after all that meaningless meandering.. I play for me.

[A String]

sometimes I am playing something, and my mind wanders.. ya know.. and then a couple of minutes go by and a realise I am still playing.. and have no idea what I just played.

 

That used to happen to me. I'd be thinking of what I was going to do the next day and where the laundromat was in town and suddenly realize that I had no idea where I was in the song or even what song I was playing. Luckily, I could clue in fairly quickly...

[splitting hare]

Hmmm...

 

There are MANY reasons but breaking it down as simple as I can, it is that wonderful feeling I get when plugging in my Les Paul and hitting a crunchy A chord. Or strumming an open G on an acoustic and hearing it resonate. I know all is all right in my world then!

[picker]

Guitar has become this sort of ongoing contest I have with myself. I admit to a certain amount of envy when I hear somebody do something I can't, but these days it's about playing more melodically, and less out of licks and scales.

[Guitarzan]

i love music.

guitar is part of me. i love reading about guitars and learning new things about them.

as for me playing. i enjoy it and play to be happy. i live to create, or to just groove out with some guys.

i like to ride the wave, if it is happening and it is fun then Yahoo!!!!

i could care less if i am rich or famous. it is fun and i love it.

[Gifthorse]

I started out like most players worshipping guitar heros. In the beginning it was Rik Emmet and Eddie Van Halen. Eventually it turned to shred.

 

Now after playing for 26 years or however many I really only care about the music/songs. I am a slave to the song. I play for myself and believe if you like something it projects onto your audience.

 

Seems like connections are everything. My buddy is a successful producer and has produced/mixed/engineered for some major label artists including Elton John, Filter, Creed to name a few. Anyways, he listened to our CD last night and of course tore the production to pieces cuz his studios are world class (with an arsenal of boutique amps including Dr.Z, Badcat, Matchless, Marshall to name a few). But thats fine we did it ourselves in the basement knowing its not going to stand up to that..

 

In the end he said, "dude, its all connections and production quality now. The A&R guys are idiots and they are all in their 20's. The music they grew up with is hip hop and rehashed grunge era rock. They have the attention span of a gnat and if your songs aren't recorded to the highest level of quality they won't even consider you because then they need to invest in production."

 

He came up with a plan for us to record live in his studio and then license our songs out. We will probably do it, but he is busy now working on something else and we are broke from buying CD's. After hearing how much better his stuff sounded than ours it is a no brainer. He also said he can get us on the radio if we get a better production value.

 

This guy does know everyone. IN detroit he has some clout but he has worked with and is best friends with some big producers.

 

Hopefully down the line this kind of connection will pay off for us to get our music heard by the right people.

 

In any event, we want to get good gigs. Thats all connections too. His band opened for Brad Paisely just from his connections!! By the way his guitarist is EXCELLENT. The guy can play any style great and he has Steve Vai hands.

[miroslav]

But my drive is to prove I am not dead nor is my music.

 

I enjoy playing...but that's not what drives me.

 

My goal is to leave something behind.

If all I do is focus on the playing, then it's more like self-indulgence that will quickly fade away and completely disappear when I am gone...unless it's captured for others to enjoy after I'm gone.

 

I want to leave some music behind that has greater appeal than just for me and my circle of family & friends or that is some compilation of "audio files" floating on some "MySpace" website.

 

I would like to hear my music on the radio, the "air waves"...and being played by others.

For me, it's all about the songs. My playing is there to support the songsthough I do enjoy just playing too.

 

[Michael Patrick]

I just wanna rock... and prove that middle-aged, paunchy, balding dudes can still bring the ROCK!

[Dr. Ellwood]

First I play guitar because it's always been a passion, it's not my only passion but it sure is one of the top ones. I like to be known as a good player, not a hero but respected by other players that I respect, not necessarily the known guitar hero's but players that are my personal hero's, most are unknown but they are every bit as notable as players and are world class players. I've always loved business things, I like the business of the music business, I mean I love to negotiate,organize and make things work well down to the last detail. For me the preparation required to do a good job is as interesting as actually doing the gig. At the same time I like to make as much money as possible in everything I do, this is because it is another way of verifying that a marketable skill was appreciated. I love competition, and the personal preparation it takes to compete. None of this is of coarse would be possible if I didn't love music, I have always loved it! I like to be part of a very good organization that can go out into a very though market and excel, these days that is not easy. When I play, I play with every bit of passion and skill I've been able to muster and always give the very best performance I can, my fellow band mates are exactly the same as me, we don't let each other down and we push each other all the time, it shows and it pays off.

[Dr. Ellwood]

"and he has Steve Vai hands."

 

Which is always better than Betty Davis Eyes!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-RdAzkKlXY

[Bluesape]

I play for the escape it gives me from an otherwise mundane existence. Never got to the fame and adulation point, not beyond the bar scene, anyway. The highest compliment I've been paid is: "Man, you're just not human!" That guy was sober.

 

I love hangin' with musicians. We're delightfully insane, benevolently twisted, team players, yet obnoxiously competitve, in a supportive way, if that makes any sense(it shouldn't). All my closest friends are musicians. The family members who understand me are at least musically inclined.

 

Being a good musician grants me access to other musicians. They are my own kind. Makin' good music with them gives me joy. Sure, the audience approval is a rush like no other, but the communion of nailing a great tune well lasts way beyond the actual performance.

[jbote]

I think Reif might have put it best, for me anyway - it brings me joy. That joy is what drives me to continue to play, and continue to learn.

 

[bennyguitfiddle]

I just love it. I like to hang with friends and jam.

It's always fun. If it wasn't I would quit.

I might be obsessed with guitars because I havn't

sold not 1 of my guitars.

the only guitars i don't have were stolen from me.

 

My best friend and i started playing at 14.

learned together, practiced together.

in fact every band i've been in so has he.

so maybe it's just about friendship.

nah!! I just love music and want to be a part of it.

 

[Caevan O’Shite]

I just love playing; I play what I want to hear, that I pretty much don't hear elsewhere. When I seek to improve my playing, it is to make myself able to do what I want that I'm not quite capable of yet.

[Guitarzannie]

I know that most of you here know that this is my second time around with taking lessons.

 

The difference between now and then is that back then I had the illusion of making it "big". I didn't want to do the things I needed to do to make myself a good guitar player. I didn't find joy in doing the "little" things like scales, etc.

 

Now at 43, things are completely different. I was GIVEN this guitar, which has a lot more meaning to me than if I just went out and bought the guitar. I take it as a sign that there is a much bigger picture for me than just taking lessons.

 

Also, at 43 I have no illusions about making it "big". My dreams have changed slightly -- I will be happy if I can play in a church, a little coffeehouse, etc. I have a lot of things I want to say with my music, as you can probably tell from my signature line!

 

Besides, making it big is highly overrated if people don't get the message of what you are trying to say with your music, IMHO. I would rather play to three people who get what my music is trying to say than to play to 3,000 people who don't.

 

What has also changed between then and now is that I also find a lot of joy and comfort in playing the "little" things like scales and little 8 bar songs.

 

What also drives me is that each week, I know that there will be another challenge to conquer and another chance to look back and to see what I have conquered. One challenge I have is to develop interpretive skills. I had learned interpretative skill when I took vocal lessons -- it is much easier to develop interpretative skills with vocal lessons than it is with guitar lessons, IMHO.

 

And I have found that I like hanging with musicians. The musicians I have come across, whether IRL or the internet, seem to be like gardeners -- willing to share what they know with others.

 

A nice little plus to all of this is that I also absolutely love the way my guitar sounds. Sometimes I can't wait to play it.

 

Michelle

 

[Rampdog]

I play causin' I like it... I play guitar causin' it's lighter than a piano... (although I really like piano but I was never that great a piano player)

[Guitarzannie]

There is enough proof in the past the industry can create money making artists but rarely are they true musicians.

 

 

It's funny, but I re-read this after hearing "Borderline" by Madonna. IMHO, Madonna is an artist who is, at best, an average singer.

 

Michelle

[splitting hare]

I just wanna rock... and prove that middle-aged, paunchy, balding dudes can still bring the ROCK!

 

That's hilarious! By the way, I resemble that remark!

 

 

[Wolfgangsta]

I play because I love music. It's such a cool feeling to hear a song on the radio and think, ' Yeah, I can play that'. Or to figure out that neat little riff on a TV ad and have my wife say 'isn't that from the commercial we just saw?'.

[Rampdog]

Or to figure out that neat little riff on a TV ad and have my wife say 'isn't that from the commercial we just saw?'.

Too true... I do that all the time...that or a Keith Urban song, (my wife would leave me for him) will come on and I'll pick up the accoustic and start playing the chords... she always looks at me and says, god you are so talented. 3 chords can blow a non player away... LOL

[Guitarzannie]

I play because I love music. It's such a cool feeling to hear a song on the radio and think, ' Yeah, I can play that'. Or to figure out that neat little riff on a TV ad and have my wife say 'isn't that from the commercial we just saw?'.

 

Have you seen the ads for freecreditreport.com? I get a kick out of it. I have been trying to figure out what kind of guitar the lead is "playing".

 

One ad has him singing "I married my girlfriend, I married my girlfriend" in their apartment. If you look closely, you can see the drummer sitting on the toilet playing the drums!

 

Michelle

[GuitarPlayerFL]

My idea of great Rock music is no longer selling as it did in the 70s. I don't care about most new popular music. If I was going to do something, it would be in the Smooth Jazz area....the stuff I listen to at least 1/2 the time now.

 

I just want to get as good as my heros...that's all. Carlton, Johnson, Martino, etc. I don't care about busting tail to be successful in the Rock music biz today so the pressure is off to get better because I have to. I want to progress because I want to.

[blanco]

I play because I just can't avoid it.

 

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I play because I love music. It's such a cool feeling to hear a song on the radio and think, ' Yeah, I can play that'. Or to figure out that neat little riff on a TV ad and have my wife say 'isn't that from the commercial we just saw?'.

 

I love playing along with the ads on TV. It's a bit like skeet shooting because you only have a few seconds to find the key and do something coherent over the top of it.

 

If I try and do it during the actual programmes though, my wife can get rather stroppy. In which case, I leap off the couch and in front of the screen and practise my windmills!

[mdrs]

Yo Zub,

 

It's like an itch...........