This is an unofficial list based on my observations over a number of years. They are in no particular order and the list could certainly be expanded considerably! These are just the ones I’ve seen most often.
Playing over other musicians – this could also be titled “Doesn’t play nice with others.” People not used to playing in a band situation (and some who are!) will often play constantly through an entire song, stepping on vocals, others trying to take solos, etc. This is a really quick way to earn the ire of your fellow musicians. Listen to the rest of the group and try to find a place where your instrument fits into the fabric of the song. It’s not a contest to see who gets the most notes in. The idea is to create a musical experience that’s enjoyable for the players as well as the audience.
Playing the same licks over and over – this really comes down to one word: listening! I can’t tell you how many players I’ve heard who know one or two bluesy-sounding licks and beat them to death in the course of a solo. For whatever reason, it always tends to be the same couple of licks only varying by instrument. Listen to the music! For example, the blues isn’t always the same three chords and the same three or four signature licks. There’s immense variety in most every genre of music. Your playing will improve 1000% by simply learning the subtleties of your favorite music and introducing more variety into your playing.
Playing too loud or too softly – usually, it’s the opposite, but there are those who don’t play loud enough to be heard at all. Sometimes that’s a blessing, but if you’re going to get up there, at least be heard! I knew a guy who could cup a harmonica over a vocal mic and look like he was blowing his lungs out, but no one could hear him. How he did it I have no idea, but it was bizarre to watch. At least he wasn’t damaging anybody’s hearing that way! Cranking your amp to 11 in order to be heard over everybody can be hazardous to someone’s health, quite possibly your own!
Buying too much gear – the musical instrument industry thrives on Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or GAS. Musicians, especially amateurs, believe that if they buy another piece of gear, preferably the exact model played by Joe Rockstar, they’ll suddenly become the player of their dreams. Sorry, folks, it ain’t gonna happen. If you have the money and love toys, go for it, but if you’re wanting to be a player, spend the money on lesssons and practice! You don’t need a zillion effects to play well. The effects only color your sound. If your sound sucks to start with, all the gear in the world won’t help that. Buy an amp big enough for your needs, but save the stadium stack for when you and your band hit the big time.
Not practicing properly – many amateurs spend their practice time playing things they already know. While it’s good to run over your repertoire occasionally, the purpose of practice is to hone your skills. That usually means learning something new and perfecting it. Make it a goal next time you practice to learn something new. Do that every time you practice and you’ll be amazed at how far your playing will come in a relatively short time. Practice only makes perfect if it’s correct practice. I know it’s easier and sometimes more fun to play things that are easy for you, but you won’t grow unless you keep stretching your abilities. In the long run, it’s way more fun to look back and realize how far you’ve come than to be playing the same stuff a year down the road.
This is probably the most commonly asked question when someone is just starting out with the guitar. There is a bewildering number of choices in all price ranges, so the prospective player needs to answer a couple questions to narrow their focus.
First, what style of music do you want to learn to play? If you want to shred like the metal monsters, you obviously don’t want a nylon string acoustic guitar! The simplest thing to do is to check out the guitars played by the players you most admire and look at similar models.
Second, how much do you want to spend on a guitar? The guitars played by the pros, generally speaking, will be way out of the budget range of most people. The axes you see on stage typically cost thousands of dollars each. The good news is that there are usually very similar models available for a few hundred dollars. The differences are many, but basically, the major reasons why the pro models cost so much more are: better pickups and electronics, more expensive materials for the body and neck and much more attention to detail in the fit and finish of the instrument.
You want to buy as good an instrument as you can afford, for two reasons. One, better quality guitars are easier to play meaning you won’t have to work as hard to get the sounds you want out of them. Two, if you decide after a while that you want to trade up to a better guitar, or you give up guitar playing for whatever reason, you can sell a better quality used guitar more readily than a cheap one.
Keep in mind that having the exact same model as Joe Rockstar plays will not automatically make you as good a player as he is! Buy one that looks like his if you want, but don’t break the bank until you know you’re going to stick with it for the long haul.
You’ve got a lot to learn before you’ll begin to push the limits of what a good inexpensive guitar can do. Save some of your hard-earned cash for how-to-play courses and concert tickets!
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