I came across this video on YouTube the other day (the magic of the algorithm) and it resonated with me. I shared it in a thread and @tRONd reckoned it should be it’s own post.
We’re so conditioned to seeing polished performances that it’s easy to feel we’re not good, and how whatever we’re listening to is great and from more talented people. We see our own frustrations and we only see practiced results of others (including here!). They’re talented and we’re not… it’s not that.
Found that video to be very much inspiring, and it puts a lot of thing in perspective. Reccomends everyone to watch it. Lasts just a few minutes.
It is so easy to watch yourself «blind» on other highly skilled, longtime musicians on the internet and put yourself down and think «why bother?»
Thanks for sharing. This really is an inspiring video. I mean, when I see some of the videos uploaded here, I’m almost speachless since the performances are so good. Then there is the thought in my head as well " you failed for almost three decades, why even try now?"
So it’s good to remember that behind every great performance there might be a lot of trial and error, pain, frustration and many hours of practicing
That is a great share JK and how very, very true is it.
I agree with @tRONd as well, everyone should give it a watch.
Maybe I should have recorded myself trying to get my amp to talk to Reaper to talk to OBS? Then again maybe not, I think the mods would have banned it for excessive use of the F bomb.
Haaa, also saw this in YT recommended ones, and the guy is very chill. My mind said: he says nothing new, my heart said: that’s exactly what I need to hear to fight narcissistic Hendrix-or-gtfo life approach
JK thanks for sharing this. An excellent perspective and reminder of the process of practice; we are all constantly learning, at the very least trying.
Loved the line “it’s all journey, there is no destination”. For me this sums up so much in so many endeavors be it love, work or play. So this afternoon I’m going to suck at guitar just a bit more.
I suppose the only thing I’d disagree with is that people are quick to blame the likes of Instagram where everything is polished as being the reason why people get discouraged. I quit guitar more than once before Instagram was a thing. It’s never really been a widely stated thing that playing guitar is hard and that most people struggle with the basics for at least a while and for many it’s a lot longer than just a while
That’s right. Most people think, guitar is one of the easier instruments to learn and so did I before I started. I didn’t know how divers the requirements for learning guitar are. So sometimes we get discouraged by our own false expectations.
What @mattswain said!! I too have this impression that we who plays guitar, and certainly those who dont do belive that it is a «walk in the park» thing to do…
In reality it is very difficult, takes a lot of effort and time… and still my playing sounds «meeeh»
I for one need to remind myself very often that this is not easy at all… and every «small achievement» is a huge win!
Our (now adult) kids seem to get a lot of entertainment / laffs from watching YT videos of people effectively demonstrating their incompetence, and my wife and I look at one another and share the thought “why would you want to put that in display?”. Maybe it’s a generational thing, I dunno.
OTOH, we greatly appreciate when skilled practitioners share that they don’t get it right the first time. An example in a jewelry making magazine from a professional maker that showed a handful of the intermediate tries among dozens to get to a finished piece was both educational and reassuring. For me that translated into always being interested in other people’s studio recording processes.
Everything is difficult when you first try it, I think that is the same for everybody.
It’s by being stubborn and refusing to give up that you get good…
Just relax and play a song 
