Okay, i was looking at a Boss pedal online once and read a review by a 14-year-old who gave it all ones. at the end he made a claim of how awesome he was and that he was "as good as Joe Satriani". He also said he was only playing for a year.

okay, when people think they are as good as an artist just because they can play one of their songs. also there's this kid at our school who can play Eruption by EVH, so he thinks he's the best ever. i asked him if he played his own stuff, and he said no.

i say that speed is good, but not everything. a good guitar song or solo is one with a good tune and a nice feel to it. i write my own music and when i practice, i play some pretty nice sounding blues, all original.

Just wanted to vent, that's all...

-Jake

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"I don't care how good you are, how fast you are. You ain't good enough no lessin' you got the soul." -Hubert Sumlin

Jake

I'm 53 been playing guitar since I was 11. I consider myself "decent" but could stand to be more rounded as a musician. That kind of stuffs been around forever. Just go to any GC or Sam Ash on a Saturday and you'll not only see it, you'll hear it.

It is what it is. Copying someone's else's stuff is easy if you practice it day in day out. Writing it is a different story. Lots of people play "Eruption". Most of it sounds like garbage. Timing and phrasing is so far off it's funny.

First off,any review by a 14 year old is hilarious. No offense to the young feet on the forum. You need things to compare and have reference to. In order to give an accurate opinion.

Try things out for yourself and see what YOU think about it. That's what's important. Doing original stuff is the key, not being some half arsed parrot.

+1 Supro.

Once I was in a guitar store and I plugged in to try out a few things. After I'd been playing for a while the clerk said to me, "Wow, I'd forgotten what it sounds like to hear someone actually play in time." You think it's bad shopping in one of those stores on a Saturday... imagine the crap you hear working there!

I'd as well say I'm decent, but nowhere near great. I think the reach of my wallet exceeds my abilities these days. I'd say I'm an accomplished rhythm player. Crazy solos are lost on me. Parroting stuff doesn't impress me either. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's great if someone can pull off a classic solo - as long as it's in context - like if you're on stage and the band is playing that song.

This "pissing contest" BS is extremely evident in youtube demos of gear. Great, you can solo for 5 minutes, now does that gear do anything else?

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Youtube videos are funny. Notice most people cut their heads off while they're wanking mindlessly away for what seems like forever? It's so no one will recognize them on the street and slap them for being a total wanker. LOL
I don't know if I could work at a music store.

not a problem,Jake. Being psychic hasn't worked very well for me, so, I try not to think about other peoples thoughts. If you are a blues man who writes his own songs, you're all good Bro.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

I have to weigh in here.. Whenever I go to the local music store to try out gear prior to a purchase I am amazed at what these kids are doing. They think because they can play fast and do someone else's stuff they are great. I plug in and all I do is play rhythm...and it is not anyone else's stuff...it is mine or just random chords I will put together. These kids are like...What was that....why don't you solo. I have one simple answer 99.9% of your playing is rhythm...not soloing.. Sadly it is lost on them..they go back to being buzz saws

Back when I was 14 I learned Eruption, was really into tapping, arpeggios anything fast and I really didn't care about anything but showing people I could play fast. I thought I was a good guitar player, not great, but good. And I did write my own songs. But I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I was and neither were my songs. And most of the gear that I loved back than I either don't like, or moderately like now. I didn't have the experience then to know exactly what I liked and what I didn't, and I probably still don't. But my tastes have changed quite a bit since then.

The concept of not playing to show off, but playing from your heart is only something that's only dawned on me recently. I've been working hard on rhythm, which is something I never did before. I just played power chords and tapped. And I've been trying to learn how to solo and not just play a bunch of licks. It's really tempting to just start wanking, but I really would rather listen to or play something interesting. Some people have great technique, great tone and everything, but they never pause when they solo. They just go on and on and on. I used to do that, but I've been trying to break that habit.

Most of my friends didn't really get why I'd want to slow down or why I wouldn't do tapping anymore at first. But it's been about a year now and I've actually been able to get several of my friends listening to music other than metal and even playing it, especially blues.

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I know what you mean. When I go into a music store, every once in a while there is a kid there that is really good. But, most of the time I go in these people are playing as fast as they can, and never anything original.

I am by no means a good player, but consider myself a less-than-decent player. There is always something to learn, something to improve on. It kills me when I play something in the store and someone asks me which song I am playing, I usually laugh and say my own song. I only play my own stuff when in the stores because when I try gear out I want to see what I sound like playing my music (and usually with my own guitar too when not buying a new guitar).

With that being said, I do play mostly Boss pedals and think most of their stuff sounds really good and is built to last. I own pedals that are older than my kids and my son is almost 18. My only pedal/effect I use in my set up is a Dunlop Original Crybaby wah and strangely enough that is the only pedal that has ever failed me and had to recently buy a replacement.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I'm a legend in my own mind. YMMV.

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You dig?

Jeff,

Don't forget the Stevie Ray "Vaughnabees" too.

I'm from the same 'school' and generation you are with a most similar musical background. Unfortunately, from what I've seen over the years, our ilk is indeed heading toward extinction. It seems that now, it's all about how fast one can play mutated scales and sloppy, ambiguous 'chords' with at least 5 pedals exacerbating the situation. And those abstract facial contortions they make, trying to convince anyone and everyone that they're, "into it"! The only thing those grimaces would convince me of is them reacting to an acute hemorrhoid attack.

Maybe it's us?

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You dig?

Not a Chance, Jesus would play a Ibanez Jem with a scaloped finger board through 6 or 7 100watt stacks and 6 violin bows....and uh, a fender bassman hidden behind them so he can claim to be "old school Blues" at heart...

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I agree with 63supro. Being original will take you much further than cloning someone else. At 14 it is easy to get carried away with yourself and believe you are the best ever. Most find at some point that there are lots of better guitarists out there than themselves. I took lessons when I was a kid, got away from guitars until about 9 years ago at the age of 40. I feel like I know alot, but can learn from almost anyone. I like to play my on stuff even when I'm just noodling. No desire to copy someone else.
Dont waste your time paying too much attention to the ones who sing their own praises.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

I always go in with the mind that I'm just a guitarist, not great, not good, but not terrible neither. I like to think that when you lower your expectations, you never leave disappointed ^^

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

i don't like people who are full of themselves..especially musicians. I, personally, don't think I'm that good...but I know I'm not bad. I prefer trying to write my own stuff and figure things out by ear. just because I don't play something the "right " way doesn't mean I'm wrong. I just prefer to do things that way because I believe anyone can read a TAB.

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Paddle faster! I hear banjo music!

Yes. Being able to write quality songs at the end of the day is everything. If Eddie Van Halen didn't write all those awesome Van Halen tunes, you never would have knew his name regardless of how good a guitar player he is. The fact is that gunslingers (highly accomplished git players) are a dime a dozen. The '80s were filled with great guitar players that could not write great songs ... that's why they all washed up on shore while Eddie - 30 years after releasing "Eruption" - is still selling out arenas. It's the songs, not the solos.

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