Moi?
A cheap acoustic guitar from Amazon… That’s what happens when you’re unemployed, you waste that little money you have… I can’t even play it, I though it would be easy to at least pretend to play it but not, is a pretty dust collector now that I want to destroy.
Also I guess cyberpunk 2077.
The guitar (any instrument) is not like learning any other thing. It is a part of your life and something that you care enough to have or not. It is okay to suck at it and still enjoy it. There are a great many reasons to play that do not involve any social context. I tell people all the time, you do not hear of all the concerts people play using the masterful compositions of Albert Einstein, yet he played the violin.
I never play a guitar with or for other people. It is my emotional refuge. I’ve sucked at it for many years, but I simply do not care to make it an academic like pursuit so far in my life. I enjoy zoning out to my thoughts while my fingers move without.
I haven’t made any regretful purchases in a long time. Maybe some woodworking gear (planer/jointer) I’m unable to utilize well due to space constraints.
I’m the same way. I play music solely for fun, by myself. I love playing with others as well, but even in the times in my life when I was lucky enough to be able to do that I still would play music by myself. Common attitudes about music are really toxic imo. Music is at its best when it is free, live, amateur, and enjoyed alone or with close friends, not for an audience with outsized expectations based on the ubiquity of recorded professional music.
Ubiquity haven’t heard that since college. Good word usage mate…no sarcasm.
I care about playing the music that I like but without sounding like dog shit though. That’s the difference between you and I. For me is not okay to suck for so long.
How long is “so long”?
Weeks
Oh, dude. It takes years to get good at guitar, unless you’re one of those very rare, exceptionally gifted people. Although with the right practice routine you should start sounding pretty decent by the 6 month mark. Musicians have a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice before they ever step into a recording studio.
And then you ask I gave up
Ask yourself why and address it. Maybe try lowering tension on the neck and finding strings that work at lower height and tension. I play with an acoustic that has nearly the same action dynamics as an electric.
There are also some minor things that often do not get communicated. Hold the pick near the tip of your index finger and not near the middle or upper joint/segment. Keep the end of your thumb on your fretting hand behind the guitar neck; don’t palm the neck. Most pattern-like music that you use TABs to play are accuracy exercises someone heard and made a song out of. One of the first songs I learned was December by Collective Soul. It happened to be TAB’d in a magazine and I played it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6exsatE-DUk
The first dozen or so songs you learn are harder, but choose them wisely, you will not forget them for your entire life. They will stick harder than anything else you learn.
3 Doors Down’s Kryptonite is another song based on both an ultra simple strumming rhythm that may not feel natural but will expand your understanding of strumming, while the picked line is another simple practice/pattern training system.
The Alice in Chains acoustic album’s Rooster is a simple chord and picking combo of two chords that are overly rewarded for their simplicity.
You’re being nice, but I’m sorry. I’ve seen similar videos anyway, and the lowering thing requires tools and certain knowledge that I’m just not capable, plus I’m broke. That’s why I put the guitar in a “things that I instantly regret buying” you know?
Some people are just fucking stupid, dude. My mom can’t use a phone or a remote control, I cant learn guitar.
To say you can’t is a convenient way to explain it. It’s okay to say you don’t have enough motivation to learn it. Even once you can play an instrument you still need the motivation to keep playing, and if you don’t, then that’s all good. No one thing is for everyone.
No need to say you’re stupid or incapable, you’re absolutely smart enough and capable, you just don’t have the motivation to overcome the learning curve, and that’s completely acceptable.
Man, you don’t know me. I’m stupid and negated.
I mean, I’ve seen you on here enough to know that your brain trends towards negativity and that there’s a solid chance that if you put the time in you could get somewhere with it, even if it’s just average.
I’m not saying everyone can just be Eddie Van Halen, I’m also not saying that you should just bash your head against the wall and learn if you don’t want to, but learning the basics of guitar is not intellectually difficult, it just requires dedication, and it’s cool if you like the sound of guitar, but don’t want to learn the technique, (which isn’t musical at all, it just ends up producing music).
Life is hard enough as it is, try not to be hard on yourself.
Cmon man, I’ve heard that before for like a decade now. Some people are just destined to fail. I accepted it. Is a hard fact.
As you get older, your perspective will likely shift to where “can’t” as a concept changes. It is a matter of mental focus and persistence. There are lots of things I won’t do or am too lazy to do but could if I apply myself for long enough. This is really true of almost anyone. I largely learned to overcome my impatience by doing auto body work. There were countless barely passable jobs where I let my impatience override my reality before I could overcome myself. Most people could not see my mistakes because they do not know what to look for, but I knew.
You’ll likely encounter some aspect of life that alters your perspective in this area. You already made the purchase. This is one commitment that will impact your view of yourself for the rest of your life. There is no hurry or time limit for learning. Ultimately, it is only 12 notes.
I’m already old.