Guitar Player Quotes to Live Your Life By

December 17, 2020 2 min read

Guitar Player Quotes to Live Your Life By

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. 

Jeff Buckley - Wikipedia

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

How To Sound Like B.B. King | Happy Bluesman

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

Chuck Berry Turns 90: The Father of Rock 'n Roll's Top 5 Best Albums | |  Observer

“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. 



Also in Fingerboard Stories

When Twelve Is Better Than Six
When Twelve Is Better Than Six

October 04, 2024 3 min read

I’m not sure what the origin of this particular instrument was (though we may find out later), but maybe it was a crafty guitarist who thought: “You know what’s better than six strings? Double! Twelve strings!”

This story likely isn’t true, but the 12-string guitar is valuable in any guitarist's arsenal. With its thick, bright, and lush sound, the instrument has been a staple in most styles of music since its inception.

Picking Through History
Picking Through History

September 06, 2024 4 min read

From being found in the wash to being left on counters and desks to being counted with change out of a guitarist’s pocket, guitar picks are the definitive proof that the holder undoubtedly plays the instrument.


But as omnipresent as they are, how many guitarists have pondered the history of the pick itself? Who are they? What were they doing?

How Jazz and Banjos Gave Us Heavy Metal
How Jazz and Banjos Gave Us Heavy Metal

August 16, 2024 3 min read

The origins of Heavy Metal can be traced back to a couple of bands. The most average ones that get name-dropped include Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer and many other contemporaries. 

Dear reader, in this writer’s opinion, the only band that can be defined as ground zero for Heavy Metal, as far as sound and style are concerned, was Black Sabbath, a band from Birmingham, England.