How good at you on your instrument & how long?

How good at you on your instrument & how long?

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crofty1984

Original Poster:

15,830 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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2 questions really.
How good (honestly) are you on your instrument and how does that compare to how long you've been playing?

I play guitar. I'd say I'm a good rhythm guitarist, I can wang out a blues solo if needs be (and a few metal riffs) but I'd not call myself lead. I do the odd open mic with decent sucess and local gig (very rarely) but for the last few years I've mainly just been strumming along on my acoustic doing covers. Been dusting off the old electric recently too.

Trouble is, I'm no better than I was 10 years ago. I started playing at about 15 and I'm 35 now. If I'd practiced really hard for 20 years I'd be amazing! Now I think if a 15 year old picked up a guitar and had proper lessons and practiced they'd probably be at my level in 3-4 years max. Though maybe the basics come more naturally to me through years of use.

What about you? Continuous improvement over many years, or have you plateau'd?




Chicken Chaser

7,744 posts

223 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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Good post. I started Keys (I say that as I've been on various and not actually trained on piano) since I was 7 years old. It was my foundation in music and gave me the building blocks to take up the guitar. I'm probably at a reasonable gigging standard although I don't pursue it.

Guitar wise I started at 13 (late 30s now) and after a few years, gave up the electric for acoustic only. Make a decent camp fire guitarist. About 7 years ago, picked up a Tele and I've progressed in stages ever since. I keep plateauing largely due to gaps due to life getting in the way but I reckon I could probably do a similar job to you OP in a covers band.

Playing with others makes a massive difference. I've had a bit of that but not much. I really need to push myself to get involved in playing live but none of my mates play so it's difficult.

languagetimothy

1,075 posts

161 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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I've been playing guitar since 11 and now 56. I only had a couple of lessons back in the day so self taught. Oh how I wish I had the wonders of the internet back then. I use it now sometimes to learn new things.

Ability level?, I know I could, and should, be considerably better. I do play in a band, covers mostly. We are bass, drums, me on guitar (and backing) and a singer. I also do some acoustic things with a singer. So.. competent enough to get away with it but know there's plenty of others will make me look more average than I am.


w1bbles

984 posts

135 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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Slightly different. Started the bagpipes at 9, hit my peak at 19 playing in a grade 1* pipe band. Have progressively got worse every year since! In all seriousness I’m probably about the same as I was then so 10 years of improvement followed by considerably longer flatlining.

  • appreciate this will mean zip to 99.9% of PHers. Google it.
Edited by w1bbles on Friday 22 November 21:32

dieselgrunt

684 posts

163 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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Been playing piano starting as a complete beginner since 2006.
I have worked through all the grades, passed grade 8 and went back to complete grade 7 with a distinction.
Now working again on grade 8 with the intention of getting a merit or better. Then i’ll work on a diploma.

cherryowen

11,682 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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I started learning the guitar 30 years ago when I was 19.

Daft as it sounds, my "teacher" was the USA Guitar World magazine publication which always had tabs and lessons from guitarists I wanted to learn from. In my mid-twenties, I was technically OK and could play the tunes I wanted to play (mostly blues / rock and went through a stage of jamming to Pearl Jam and Soundgarden).

After a six year hiatus in my late twenties / early thirties when I discovered Trance and sold all my guitar kit, I re-discovered it after getting a nice Christmas bonus from the company I was working for at the time. Bought a PRS guitar and a Vox modelling amp, but still played the same stuff as before.

A couple of years ago, however, I took a punt on an Ibanez SA guitar with HSS pickups with coil tap as I was after a Dave Gilmour tone (I can't get comfortable with Strats, you see). Then got a Fender Princeton to hook up to. It transformed what I play, because the clean tones are sensational. I started compiling a "Little Book Of Tunes", where I've written down the chords / progressions of various songs from Telephone Line by ELO to Without You by Nilsson to Take Me To Church by Hozier.

Then I discovered music theory videos on YT..............

Where I'm currently at is I can play all parts to Comfortably Numb (although I wing the second part of solo #2), have played a solo guitar version of Dream a Little Dream of Me live, can do a solo guitar version of Fly Me To The Moon including the extended Tony Bennett intro and currently finalising a solo guitar version of Silent Night ready for Christmas.

I can play all the modes (Aeolian / Dorian / Mixolydian etc etc), but it's making the solos sound "natural". Chusss music on YT is helping a lot on that front.

My main problem is stagefright, even in front of a camera!


thebraketester

14,191 posts

137 months

Friday 22nd November 2019
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I’m grade 15, been playing for 27 years.

enjo

339 posts

137 months

Saturday 23rd November 2019
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crofty1984 said:
2 questions really.
How good (honestly) are you on your instrument and how does that compare to how long you've been playing?

I play guitar. I'd say I'm a good rhythm guitarist, I can wang out a blues solo if needs be (and a few metal riffs) but I'd not call myself lead. I do the odd open mic with decent sucess and local gig (very rarely) but for the last few years I've mainly just been strumming along on my acoustic doing covers. Been dusting off the old electric recently too.

Trouble is, I'm no better than I was 10 years ago. I started playing at about 15 and I'm 35 now. If I'd practiced really hard for 20 years I'd be amazing! Now I think if a 15 year old picked up a guitar and had proper lessons and practiced they'd probably be at my level in 3-4 years max. Though maybe the basics come more naturally to me through years of use.

What about you? Continuous improvement over many years, or have you plateau'd?
You've basically described me exactly in your post although I am 3 years younger so there is still time...

Grrbang

724 posts

70 months

Sunday 24th November 2019
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18 years guitar. I’ve improved tonally but regressed technically.

Currently enjoying just strumming along, maybe a few fills. More often than not I’m playing the cajon instead as I’m in a 2 guitarist household!

davidd

6,443 posts

283 months

Sunday 24th November 2019
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I’m 51, started playing guitar at 14 had a couple of lessons then was straight into a new wave/ punk band.

Did that for a few years, really enjoyed playing fast chord based stuff and lead bits with delay (I was a big edge fan ). The life happened, still played in a few bands but never really got any better. More or less stopped from early 20’s to late 39’s. Always had a guitar and would pick it up and play but apart from singing at my children there was nothing.

Then a drunken impulse purchase I bought a ukulele, within a couple of weeks I’d found some friends to okay with and we started playing and doing g the odd gig. Then it was acoustic guitars, then electric and now I play lead in a proper dad band.

I’m not very good, but I get through the solos in our set without much of a problem ( stuff like whole lotta love, are you gonna go my way, word up ). My theory is still st and I don’t know any scales so improvisation is piss poor. Bloody love it though.

So to answer the original question. About 37 years and pretty crap wink

dojo

741 posts

134 months

Monday 25th November 2019
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I'm alright, good enough to survive. (Been playing 26 years)

We are all our own biggest critics. Its hard to be subjective on our own ability.

Plus the better you get the more you realise there is to learn!!



Edited by dojo on Monday 25th November 11:00

Skyedriver

17,655 posts

281 months

Monday 25th November 2019
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Rubbish
Ages.

I'm 66

Got an acoustic guitar as a Christmas present as a teenager, a Hold down a Chord book. Dropped it after a few years (playing, not the guitar or book).
Started again about 5 year ago when young son started guitar lessons, and I joined in. Now get practice in whenever I can (most days) along with YT teach vids.

Tried piano when in my 30's, little old lady who played in the Methodist church, I loved to practice but other things always got in the way. Could knock out a few tunes inc "The Entertainer" etc (probably wasn't very entertaining mind you). Dropped it after a few years with other distractions but acquired a keyboard some years back and like to go back to it now and again.

And finally, in the 90's had 6 months with a set of Northumbrian pipes. A loan from Colin Ross of the High Level Ranters. Really enjoyed trying but the distance between the holes on the chanter is quite small and I found when I lifted a finger off the chanter, there wasn't space to get it back again....

Still, there's time yet....

cherryowen

11,682 posts

203 months

Monday 25th November 2019
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dojo said:
We are all our own biggest critics. Its hard to be subjective on our own ability.

Plus the better you get the more you realise there is to learn!!



Edited by dojo on Monday 25th November 11:00
Agreed 100% on all counts!

I did my first live solo guitar piece last New Year's Eve. I practiced and practiced it over and over again beforehand so I had it nailed i.e. being hard on myself / being critical. Come the night, wobbled the opening fingerpicking, got into my stride, then the pub started singing along and I largely lost my way! Sort of saved it, but was disappointed at myself.

As you say, there is always more to learn. Dabbling in music theory got me wanting to learn jazz guitar, but fk me it's still mostly smoke and mirrors.

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Wednesday 27th November 2019
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Here's an interesting angle...

I 'used' to be good (I was a pro session bass player and played Ronnie Scotts over 100 times), but I gave up playing over 30 years ago and now I'm pretty rubbish. It ain't like riding a bike! I now employ bass players if I need them. Sad but true.

deckster

9,630 posts

254 months

Wednesday 27th November 2019
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Define "good".

I did my grade 8 piano about 30 years ago. Given a score and a few weeks practice I can still knock out a bit of Beethoven or Rachmaninov and have it sound reasonably close to what the composer probably intended, although my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be. From that measure, I'm probably half-decent.

More recently I've been messing about with a couple of rock covers bands. There's nothing overly difficult from a technical perspective although replicating some of the classic 70s organ solos from e.g. Jon Lord or Keith Emerson can get a bit interesting. However the skill comes from finding your place in the band, filling in the gaps, creating the right sound and generally being part of something that is bigger than just you. From that perspective I'm definitely in the learning phase; I can just about hold my own but I wouldn't feel comfortable say just rocking up and depping for somebody else.

I occasionally play with people who have never been formally taught anything - they can't read music and would struggle to tell you a C7 from a G minor - but their harmonising skills and improvisation just blow me out of the water. These 'feel' players are, to my mind, the real geniuses and I will never hope to get close to them.

My point, such as there is one, is that if you just do the same thing for 20 years you will absolutely reach a plateau. If you're practising three hours a day then the level of that plateau will be quite high; if it's a couple of times a month, less so. But you can't expect to continuously improve a single skill forever. Mixing it up, learning new stuff, and taking yourself out of your comfort zone is the way to get better.

crofty1984

Original Poster:

15,830 posts

203 months

Thursday 28th November 2019
quotequote all
deckster said:
My point, such as there is one, is that if you just do the same thing for 20 years you will absolutely reach a plateau. If you're practising three hours a day then the level of that plateau will be quite high; if it's a couple of times a month, less so. But you can't expect to continuously improve a single skill forever. Mixing it up, learning new stuff, and taking yourself out of your comfort zone is the way to get better.
Absolutely agree!

Z06George

2,519 posts

188 months

Sunday 1st December 2019
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20 years drums and percussions. My sound on the kit is probably the best it's been but technically I was a lot better 5 years ago. The work I do at the moment requires me to be better at percussion so that's improved more than ever. I can't seem to find the hours in the day to keep them both at the same standard!

Newky Brown

1,372 posts

227 months

Wednesday 4th December 2019
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I've been having guitar lessons for around 5 years, now 52 and it's very slowly starting to come together.

Chord changes are getting there so a song is almost recognisable but my phrasing and timing is virtually non existent.

My fault for not practising enough but as my teacher agreed, I'm by no means a natural!

brickwall

5,192 posts

209 months

Wednesday 4th December 2019
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I started learning the piano at age 4.

Got Grade 8 when I was 16, and then probably hit my ‘peak’ at about 18/19.

Tailed off in the 10 years since then but I can still play, though I would definitely have to practice a bunch to pass Grade 8 again!

paulguitar

23,104 posts

112 months

Wednesday 4th December 2019
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I started when I was 15, 48 now. I don't think I have improved all that much as a guitarist, the hardest instrumental stuff I do (Classical Gas, Cavatina etc) I could play after 2 years.

At the risk of sounding like David Brent, I do think I have improved as an 'entertainer' hugely. I spend 3 hours per night, alone, having to entertain a room, so hopefully, I am reasonably competent by now.