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Sometimes, we all need a pick me up; something to remind us that we’re on the right path.
That sentiment’s as true in life as it is in guitar playing. It’s easy to get lost in the woods on your guitar journey. But, when it comes to saying the steady course, I find that these words of wisdom from some of guitar playing’s greatest characters are truisms to live your life by.
If you’re in need of some inspiration, then check these out.
“Be seriously involved with growing, with your own development, and never fear. Be the kind of person who is naturally powerful, positive, ingenious, open, to the highest degree. Be the best. No negativity. No weakness. No acquiescence to fear or disaster. No errors of ignorance. No evasion to reality.”
– Jeff Buckley
“I feel guilty when people say I'm the greatest on the scene. What's good or bad doesn't matter to me; what does matter is feeling and not feeling. If only people would take more of a true view and think in terms of feelings. Your name doesn't mean a damn, it's your talents and feelings that matter. You've got to know much more than just the technicalities of notes; you've got to know what goes between the notes.”
– Jimi Hendrix
“With every mistake, we must surely be learning.”
– George Harrison
“Every time you pick up your guitar to play, play as if it's the last time.”
–Eric Clapton
“Playing the guitar is like telling the truth - you never have to worry about repeating the same [lie] if you told the truth. You don't have to pretend, or cover up. If someone asks you again, you don't have to think about it or worry about it because there it is. It's you.”
– B.B. King
“Music has become really important now. It's helped me to open up more and take a chance on loving people. Music is a good reason to care. It's just a vehicle though. It's a way to try and give somebody something that you feel. If trying the best I can isn't good enough, I'll just have to try harder next time...it's all I can do. If I do the best I can, then at least I did the best I could in this life The way I like to look at it is… if that's the last time I ever got to play, I'd better give it everything I've got.”
– Stevie Ray Vaughan
“To hell with the rules. If it sounds right, then it is.”
– Eddie Van Halen
“Let me explain something about guitar playing. Everyone's got their own character, and that's the thing that's amazed me about guitar playing since the day I first picked it up. Everyone's approach to what can come out of six strings is different from another person, but it's all valid.”
– Jimmy Page
“You don't find a style. A style finds you”
– Keith Richards
“It's amazing how much you can learn if your intentions are truly earnest.”
– Chuck Berry
What’s your guitar playing mantra? Share your stories in the comments.
So, what do Keith Richards, Charlie Starr, Robert Johnson, Joni Mitchell, Rich Robinson and Lowell George all have in common? They all play differently, work in different genres, and are even generations apart... The common element is that they’ve tuned their guitars to Open G. This is one of the more common open tunings there are and provides a great starting point for those who want to experiment with something beyond standard tuning. It’s also fun for those who want to try and play slide guitar.
The Motown Sound. Everybody knows what it is. Even if you don’t know what it is, you’ve certainly heard it. You’ve heard it with Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Little Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, and The Jackson 5, among many, many others.
