It’s a personal preference. List your music when you are ready for me (a general audience listener) to pay attention to it. Most of the time I will subscribe to member channels and play their music on my feed when it gets released. Unlisted music is typically something that a player isn’t really comfortable sharing yet, and will not come up on my feed. If a croaky throated, fat fingered oaf like me can list his music so can anyone else. You can turn comments off until you build up some confidence (or no longer give a dang).
EDIT: So yeah, a good guitarist with some chops will share their music openly.
To be honest I don’t really care if I am a good guitarist or not. This is just a hobby (as it is for most of us) and I have fun playing and that’s all that really matters. I never get hung up on what category of guitarist I am.
Sort of… For some of us music kind of works its way into our DNA. Too many artistic elements for me to compare it to stamp collecting or hiking. Best to find something else to do when it stops being fun though. That’s typically when I go fishing.
Solid sense of rhythm and groove.
Ability to play melody and chords together.
Fine control of palm mute and percussive strumming.
Equally proficient with fingerstyle and pick.
When in doubt about what good sounds like, watch this
For me a good part of it is how well they’ve got the groove. Most players I know that have the groove also seem to play from memory, although there are exceptions to that.
I also think they are a good performer if they engage with the audience. A sense of confidence and a clear image that they are enjoying being on stage.
After that it varies widely. Choosing songs that suit their vocal range, whether by capo or just good choice of songs helps.
Hi Brian,
Not in my head and reality for most people I hope…from day one 4 years ago I was a happy guitarist but not a good guitarist for anyone during the first weeks/months a happy guitarist yes but if you are just starting out or just for everyone sounds bad, why are you a good guitarist?
Or … I could go on and on about where this doesn’t apply for me…
greetings
Hehe, ‘good guitarist’, as you well know has many meanings for each of us.
One important factor is ‘Who are you playing for?’
The most important person of course is ‘Me’, so if I’m having fun enjoying the sounds I produce with my guitar, I’m a good guitarist
Now if I choose to play for family or friends (eg.at one of our open mics)- if I am able to play a song I learned as well as I am able, with something new or different, and especially if I am able to entertain the listener, that makes me a ‘good guitarist’.
A stranger stumbling across an average AVOYP post is unlikely think of it as ‘good’, as they will be comparing it to professional recordings.
I’ve mentioned before that although Tommy Emmanuel has fantastic technical abilities and is entertaining, his music leaves me cold, and I could never see myself listening to one of his albums.
(longer answer as I put 4 in-laws on the train yesterday after long visit )
I’m an avid hiker/backpacker and I see many similarities with guitar playing. As with guitar, there are many “levels” of hiker. If you’re adventurous and seek challenges, you find yourself needing to be creative and improvise fairly frequently. The thrill of coming up with something that works beautifully on-the-fly is very similar for me in both realms.
But I’m a big proponent of “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
I wanted to point out that linking to a person’s quote on a topic is completely acceptable, but I don’t dig or need to have someone speak for me. My thoughts on sharing music vs unlisted music are all over this webspace. Note that some members disagree with me, and justify it a number of ways & that’s perfectly fine, and other members reach out to thank me directly for giving them the encouragement to open up their channels. I’ve said this before: “Make sure to go out and encourage someone today, you never know how you might just change their life.”
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