By Mike O’Cull
Because I have been asked:
1 - LOVE MUSIC. - Sometimes, it is just this simple. To be a great guitarist or any other kind of musician, you need to love music. We all become fans before we become players. I am always amazed at how many students miss this. I always ask new students on their first lesson with me why they want to play the guitar. I ask them who they listen to and who they find inspiring. Those who have succeeded at learning to play answered my questions with specific bands and artists who make them want to play. The students who say ‘I just listen to the radio, whatever’s on. I don’t know the names of the bands’ never make it. You need to have your head in the game.
2 - ACTUALLY PRACTICE! - Pick up your guitar, plug it in, and play. Every day. This is not a punishment. If it feels like one, you are not meant to be a musician. Musicians practice; that’s what we do. No matter what your goals are on any instrument, you reach them with a whole lot of practice time. We all have different styles and ways of practicing, but they all come down to time spent with the ax in hand.
3 - RECORD YOURSELF - One of the best ways to get the ‘suck’ out of your playing is to record yourself regularly and listen to it back. The recorder does not lie and, if you hear things on the playback that you don’t like, you then know where you should be practicing. I have recorded steadily since getting my first cassette 4 track for Christmas in the early 1980s. Even if you just record yourself into your smart phone or other device, the benefit will be the same. You hear yourself the way an audience is going to hear you, warts and all. Speaking of audiences…
4 - PLAY LIVE - Music is a performing art, so go out and perform. You can only get so good in the practice room. You go the rest of the way by regularly facing an audience of strangers. Playing for people is why we do this, isn’t it? I wanted to do that from the beginning. That was always the payoff. The performance experience closes the circle and gives you the full musical experience. Without performing, you are kind of cheating yourself out of the best part of this thing of ours. The more you gig, the less you suck. Open mic nights are a perfect place to start. Work up your nerve, put on a clean shirt, and give it a try.
5 - TUNE UP! - Guitars go out of tune easily, so get a tuner and learn to use it. Again, this is pretty simple but often overlooked. Tune up to show the world you care.
6 - LEARN SONGS! - It is easy when practicing to be seduced by the exercises. Practicing scales, modes, arpeggios, and Spaghettios makes us feel studious, educated, and like we are really doing something great, that we are really learning. Don’t get me wrong, all those things ARE important and have their places, but playing music is about being musical. You need to have songs to play. If you can’t play 20 songs all the way through at their proper tempos, don’t sweat exercises and theory too much. No one is going to come watch you practice, but they will watch and listen to you play songs. Never forget that understanding always follows playing.
7 - GET A DECENT AMP - Electric players, this one is for you. I have seen tons of students spend all their money on an expensive guitar and then wonder why it doesn’t sound so great plugged into their $79 practice amp. Guitars are pretty simple things and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a decent one. Amps are a pretty huge part of your overall sound but are often treated as second class citizens by many players. In truth, you will get more return on your investment by spending a little more on your amp than on a fancy guitar. Around the ol’ guitar shop, we used to say that the best way to sell a $200 guitar is to plug it into a $2000 amp. Think about it.
8 - GET A SETUP! - Regular maintenance is important for your guitars, just like it is for your car. Most students can get by with getting a set up done, which is the guitar equivalent of an oil change, a couple times a year. You will be amazed at how much better you sound on a guitar that is actually in proper adjustment than on one that hasn’t seen a repair person in years.
9 - LEARN TO USE YOUR PEDALS - If you use pedals, which you don’t have to, learn what each one of them does alone and in combination with your other effects. Try each control through its entire range and listen to what each does. It is very easy to make an electric guitar sound terrible. Pedal abuse is one of the quickest ways to do so. Turning everything you’ve got on all at once and hoping for the best just pisses people off.
10 - DON”T QUIT!!!!!!! - This is really the most important item on this list. Playing an instrument is a difficult endeavor, as is writing songs, recording, and performing. You will have many ups and downs in your pursuit of these things and the paying of dues is never complete. If you know, however, that music is the thing for you and you feel it in your bones like I do, you just can’t quit. Don’t let one bad lesson, performance, or practice session turn you off from playing. We all go through those things, just like all quarterbacks lose some games. Just learn from the experience you had, try not to repeat the same mistakes again in the future, and keep moving forward. That’s all any of us can do. Play for the love and you will never go wrong.
