The guitar, be it electric or acoustic, is the most versatile of instruments. You can strum a
few chords, adopt a highly disciplined classical guitar technique, or play sophisticated jazz
chord and scale progressions. The choice is yours. Whatever your bag, the journey to
achieving your goal and the fundamental sound is the real buzz.
It's a funny thing, but music is unlike most other activities. Take football for example,
there is no escaping the fact that if you want to play pro-football you had better be good
and there are no short cuts. Technique and fitness is an absolute must. Musical
expression is different and shares may similarities with the spoken word. A few well
chosen words can be far more effective than a tidal wave of sophisticated verbal
statement. So it is with playing the guitar.
The fact to take on board is that technical ability has little to do with musical talent. If
your groove is a simple country, reggae or blues feel you can be damn good and highly
relevant without being a technical genius. The simple player who plays with feel and taste
is a musician, the same as a highly accomplished classical or jazz guitarist. It is amazing
how formally trained musicians, i.e. classical, or other technical jazz players, are usually
the most ineffective exponents of rock, country, pop or blues music.
Playing guitar is essentially an attitude, combined with feel and the necessary musical
knowledge to express what you wish to play. Don't be fooled into following the path of so
many potentially great musicians and be fazed by more accomplished players.
Playing guitar has an infinite number of possibilities. It is the most adaptable, useable
instrument, and it's the journey to your goal that's the fun part. You will never stop
learning guitar. Each time you pick it up you will discover something new and it needn't
be hard to play to be relevant!
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