[AEngland77]

my question is- How do you know when you are playing good?. ive been playing for several months now (self taught)- and i can never really see where the line between good and bad is. Its not like I just learned all the powerchords and thats all i play- no- im progressing and learning lots of different things.. So is there an end to this guitar pit? do i just keep playing and learning all i can? because i couldnt tell you the difference between good and bad practice. - Any suggestions? comments? concerns?

Thanks,
Aubrey

[Lcjones]

Hey AE,

How do you answer such a question?

You can't look at it as "good and bad". You can look at as inexperience vs. experience. Each person is going to have their own threshold where the line between inexperience and experience is crossed.

At any particular moment one guitar player may not be as "accomplished" as the next but that does not make the one guitar player a "bad" player.

My suggestion is, unload the good/bad. Playing guitar is, as our Grandwizer Allthumbs would say, a life long adventure.

Best to you.

**
LC

[mattz196]

There is no line in the sand between good and bad playing , for mine playing well is when you get enjoyment from it, simple as that .

[geitenvla]

I totaly agree on the enjoyment thing... that's what matters. I've been playing for 12 years now and I consider myself an medium-advanced player. People like to hear me play, but on my turn I meet people who can do stuff I can only dream about. I guess you are as good as whatever you compare it with. Compare yourself with a new or none player and you're great. Compare yourself with Clapton and turn pale...

[starsailor]

I think if you've been playing for a while and you like what you're hearing and you're happy thar you're making progress then you can say that your playing good, if you want to confirm that your playing is ok you need to play guitar to other people maybe get involved in a session or do some recording and play it back to see if you like it or even post it on here to see what fellow members think. If you think you're not doing something the right way you can always ask questions on here or think about lessons to sharpen you up, I don't know what the experienced guitarists think but a lot of guitarists have thier own unique style that's what makes them stand out. You don't say if you play guitar to other people or just keep it to yourself, if you're just playing guitar on your own all the time with no feedback from anyone I think you could end up in a rut but that's just my point of view.

[AEngland77]

i understand now, thanks alot guys- ive just been in marching band mode where you can point out the people who are "bad". Thanks alot. This is what i love about guitar..

[Lcjones]

Originally Posted by AEngland77

i understand now, thanks alot guys- ive just been in marching band mode where you can point out the people who are "bad". Thanks alot. This is what i love about guitar..

It doesn't matter what instrument one plays. Marching band, stage band, garage band.

It isn't about who is a bad, inexperienced or lackluster. It's about the love of music and what a soul puts into it. Period.

**
LC

[eddiez152]

Everyday I do OK, and tomarrow I'll do better. Been chasing that since I started. Should you get a little praise from others well thats always a plus.

[pamelody]

Aubrey, I just recently recovered from comparing my playing to Tommy Emmanuel and have emerged having the time of my life. When I'm having the most fun, I don't know what it sounds like.

I think eventually you will want to record yourself and compare that with how you sound later. Be kind to yourself on this journey and remember you are still learning!

[scotty_b]

Originally Posted by pamelody

Be kind to yourself on this journey and remember you are still learning!

I think it is important to remember it is a journey, and we can go on that journey for as long as we like. I have just clocked up 31 years with the guitar and I can see how much I have learnt - and have gone further than I would have ever believed I could have - and I can also see how much further I have to go.

[solidwalnut]

Like pamelody says, eventually you'll want to record yourself. Like Les and everyone is saying, it's not about whether you're good or bad, it's how you play the game It's about enjoying the ride.

But part of what you're asking is: how do I find out what measuring sticks there are to guage how I'm doing? Record yourself. Study what some of your favorite players are doing and how they approach playing and learning. Set short-term, achievable goals for yourself and be sure to reward yourself when you reach them. Record yourself again and hear how you're doing.

Learn to be the best rhythm guitarist you can be and the rest will come. I'm not saying just stick with rhythm, I'm saying that rhythm is important and completely helps all other aspects of playing.

Most of all, have fun!

Steve

[Stratrat]

"Good" and "Bad" playing is such a subjective concept that it shouldn't even be considered. Good compared to who? Bad compared to who? I'm a by-gawd STAR when compared to somebody who's been playing guitar for a week - but compared to Rockerbob, LCJones, EddieZ, Scotty_b and a lot of other very talented folks on this board (not to mention the people we listen to everyday on the radio and our CDs), my playing stinks beyond all recognition.

When you get beyond the 'oooh my fingers hurt' beginner's stage and can play a few chords well enough to play a whole song all the way through, you start feeling like you're "good".....then you want to add some flourishes or start improvising over those chords, and you're "bad" again because you can't do that yet. You get to where you can pick a little bit and play some leads/improvisation over a backing track, and you're feeling "good" again - then you realize that you'd like to play faster or use more of the fretboard and you're right back to being "bad". And so on and so on, throughout the journey of playing guitar. I'll bet that even the "big guns" here who gig and record regularly will tell you that they can always find room for improvement, or something new they want to learn....but it doesn't make them "bad" players because they can't do everything yet.

[AEngland77]

Thanks again for the feed back everyone- I think I am alot more advanced than other people that have been playing for less than a year. But what you put into it is what you get out of it- and imo i have been putting ALOT into it (~3hrs a day). I find alot of joy in the art of guitar playing. Thanks again everyone.