but the theory was always there even if it wasn't learned. gravity existed before i understood it. its kinda the same as what came first the chicken or the egg. idk just rambling haha
I am self taught, from books videos (when they where cassettes) internet etc, and I have a pretty good knowledge of harmony, modes, etc to the point I teach a pal stuff as he needs it. A teacher WILL get you there quicker if there any good, but we are all individual, with individual needs! Have fun is the only way forward in anything you do
What's interesting is that some of the most influential musicians have been self taught. Then, it's their work that ends up being taught in music school. (Coming from a guy who has been taking drum lessons for 10 years)
Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery were Self Taught Jazz Guitarists! My Dad was a Jazz Musician who was Self Taught because he was Musically Literate.
I'm self taught and I don't suck! I only kind of suck! My level of mediocrity is very difficult to attain. People could train for years and not be as mediocre as me.
Not at all, however you probably didn't really understand my point (which was poorly made I admit). My point is that being self-taught has NOTHING to do with being a good musician.
you're probably average at best, and you probably make all the common mistakes if you want to get really good at an instrument you pretty much need lessons
I’m a self taught guitarist and programmer. Now I work for a big company like google and Microsoft. Will start doing covers of major songs. Guys where there is a will there is a way ✌🏻
I'm a self taught guitarist who understands music theory because I've done the work to learn it. I play mostly by ear BUT I CAN tell what note names are, where they are on the fretboard, octave, sharp or flat. I have that special sense of musical memory where I can listen to a song, learn it after a few times through, and play it back for you note for note., I've done this all of my musical life starting at the age of 3 years playing my mother's piano practice pieces, and it just progressed from there. Now I'm 62 years old and can play circles around the "haters". I'm not bragging but doing the work is an essential part of the learning curve. I have no regrets and I've benefitted from this ability. So, for all lyou self taught musicians, keep doing what you're doing and don't let people tell you anything different. Ignore those haters, they'll hate themselves after a time.
It depends on what the word SUCK means to you..because even when you are selftaught you can still be a succesful musician...sure,you will probably not know a lot of like techniques and sheet music and this kind of stuff...but it doesn't matter because even that way you can make a great music,it will just probably take you more time.the most important thing in music,I think,is to play with passion.
This is kind of Bullshit tbh. When I say I'm self taught, which I have been since I was 16, I mean I learn all that stuff. I subdivide my practice time into technique and music theory. For technique i do things like scales, arpeggios, repertoires etc and for theory I read a PDF file of Music theory in Conjunction with one of the guitar method books. You can do soo much on your own. When I started I would go to the websites of universities and look at the course syllabus of Guitar classes and just emulate them.
I struggle with the concept of being a self taught musician. Technically I never took a formal lesson, and beyond a few years of music and choir classes I took early in my educational career, never pursued music classes in high school or college. Yet I put in countless hours over the past 6 or so years trying to unlock the mystery which at the time and still is the bass guitar. Everything I learned I was taught by the bass players who give free lessons on TH-cam. Scott's bass lessons, Mark from Talking Bass and many others. despite never having any one on one time that catered to my development, I have had to judge my own playing ability over time and determine myself where I need to work more on and what I already feel comfortable with. That is where the self taught comes in. The ciriticism comes from within, rather than from an outside source. But where to look for information and its availability come from this wonderful resource we call the internet. All the lessons you could ever have are right up in that search bar.
I'm a self taught guitarist since about 1967 and although I like to think I do a good job ( I've been in many bands with many line up's and still gig now )I often wish I had taken lessons early on as I feel my skills are limited. I'm not hung upabout it and find this video quite funny but I do like working with skilled musicians most of which with a bit of flattery are more than happy to impart some technical knowledge to improve my lead solo's or chord structures. Essentially music should be about expressing yourself and it should be fun, not about how many notes you can hit per second, I think music ( particularly lead guitar)has been turned into a sport and a lot of the soul has gone out of it.to quote keith Richards " the music rocks but doesn't roll .
"I play the guitar. I taught myself how to play the guitar, which was a bad decision because I didn’t know how to play it. So I was a shitty teacher. I would never have went to me." -Mitch Hedberg
i don't get how anyone can claim to be self taught. if you learned it from somewhere, then you aren't self taught. i learned my scales from a google search, i didn't sit there and go, "well i don't know what scales or chords are so i'm just gonna fret different notes till i like what i hear"
ben garcia you should be able to figure out scales by ear. Maybe not the correct finger positions though. As for chords, I learned most of them online or from friends with the exception of a few.
actually, ben, that is precisely what some of us do. I can't read sheet music, I don't know any actual chords, I can't seem to be taught anything by anyone (not just music either) without both sides becoming incredibly frustrated with each other. I can barely read tab enough to figure out a basic blues scale. On paper, it seems like I shouldn't even be allowed to own a guitar. however, I can do power chords, finger taps, pick sweeps, and chugging, drop D stuff like a mother fucker. in fact, even though I don't know enough to not suck, every time I play around a non musician, they want me to teach them a simple punk or metal riff. I guess wingin' it isn't always a bad thing.
"Self taught" means not having an actual live human coach telling you what you're doing wrong on real time and being able to figure those things out by yourself. Your idea doesn't make sense, no one learns stuff out of nowhere, we're not living in the XV century anymore. If I went out in the woods disconnected of everything and just sit there in silence I won't learn physics.
***** if nobody can just learn stuff out of nowhere, than how does music even exist? Better yet, how does any form of knowledge or talent even exist? Everything has to start somewhere, and a lot of times, that "somewhere" is through experimentation.
That's not the same thing. That's why I said we're not living in the XV century anymore. Experimentation and discovery is a must on scientific fields where there's a lot of stuff in this universe that's not properly explained yet, but music's a different matter. You'll never learn music theory out of nowhere. You can train your ears to understand dissonance by yourself (I did that), but you won't learn actual theory that way.
Diatonic harmony, chord formulas, scales, modes, arpeggios... All this information is available for free. An instructor might save you some time, but like Dave said, you still have to do the work, so you still have to invest yourself regardless of whether or not you pay for tutelage.
+eddieisfiction I totally agree. You're never finished learning. You've never really mastered the thing, and just when you think you've got your arms around it, you find yourself in a rut. Then you have to approach the instrument from a whole other angle. Sometimes you forget stuff you could play blindfolded! Maybe it comes back, maybe it doesn't. It's a bumpy ride, but still totally worth the migraines and blisters :)
True that!!! I never had a lesson in person but the amount of hours I spent watching people play and talking about it is mental. I still can't read music but before TH-cam I didnt even understand guitar tabs.
I agree, I am mostly a Self Taught guitarist, and I consider myself not a good one, but eventually I took lessons from very good, competent musicians and I improve sustancially after those lessons. Conclusion: I would be a better musician if I take more often real live lessons from compelling professional musicians
brilliant title and very good points! There are so many resources online that there is no excuse not to further increase your musical skills to whatever level you are striving for. I took piano lessons as a teen. I am now 47 and learning guitar. I've learned at my pace and there are a ton of free online teachers . there is bound to be a person that you "connect" with. your spot on with the point in the video!
First off, I didn't even see the original video and I don't really get what is going on. I am not some offended guy, but I do want to comment on your definition of self-taught in this video. If you had a formal teacher, you were not self-taught just because you learned. You were taught. You had someone tell you exactly what to learn and what to practice and you just did that. The difference between being taught and self-taught is that self-taught musicians have to figure out what they need to learn, as well as actually learning those things. It takes more motivation and more trial and error. There is a difference between having someone show you the scales and chords and you going home to practice them, and you messing around on the guitar alone and figuring out what sounds good, or looking online for different chord types etc. I understand the internet can still be a form of "teacher" but it isn't quite the same.
Salut David !Comme tu es un peu français, je me permets de t'écrire en french !Merci pour tes tutos, tes astuces et ton jeu particulièrement mélodique que j'apprécie beaucoup !Je te suis depuis plusieurs mois et c'est bien agréable.Avec cette video, je pense que tu peux tourner dans un melodramatique, tu le fais bien, hihi !Petit question annexe STP : ou peux t-on trouver, gratuit ou payant, le backing track en fond de cette video ?Palmer melodic backing track du 11 mai 2012 : (impossible de coller le lien youttube dans le commentaire, désolé !)Thx, greetings from FranceKeep on rockin'Ricou
you sir just earned a sub im self taught but that doesnt stop me from doing research on techniques and other such. it's a lot better than a teacher because you can move at your own pace.
I've always had an ear for rhythm and tempo and could play by ear really well. I regret learning many instruments by ear, though. Reading music from a sheet makes it so much easier and faster to learn accurately, and if I put in the time to learn that at the beginning then I'd probably be a lot better off now...
This video made little sense to me. What if I learned music theory through separate instruments and self-taught myself guitar? Do I have to learn music theory through guitar also in order to not suck?
There is a diff between skills and creativity you need to learn guitar technical chords notes sweeps picking from a teacher Creativity is your own quality
Hey great video man, I've been playing gat for about 10 years but learning theory for the last 2 years, wow, really helps to know what your doing. One question though dude, what is the order in which to learn theory? Your right about the vast expanse of digital material on the web, but where do 'self taught' guitarists start? I think it would be safe to assume that most self taught guitarists know basic chords and chord shapes, pentatonic, blues and major/minor scales, maybe even some of the modal shapes. But where do we start to really learn? There is so much stuff out there like, interval theory, harmony, rhythm and timing (probably most important), melody, modes and their application (great vid by the way), etc. What should we start with and what to go to after that, and so on. Any info would be great, thanks David. Jack.
Can you do a video on how to work with people who don't know theory when you do? I'd really like to hear you explain some about that if you could help.
Myself, I haven't watched the original video but I'll have to check it out! I'm self taught, and am a few months away from 18 years of playing and to be honest, dedicating that much time hasn't yielded too much progress up until a couple of years ago. About 7 years ago, I vehemently opposed lessons and learning theory but things have changed. I used to believe that learning the technical and theoretical approaches to guitar would take away the fun and that I'd just wank and do nothing but boring noodling, and diminishing the songwriting process. I haven't done so yet, but I'm definitely interested in investing money to learn under a skilled teacher. Once the modes, scales, and legato are picked up I'll definitely be able to tell a difference. I can already tell a difference in my playing now vs a couple years ago and I look forward to improvement! It's amazing what constant practice can do to make a guitarist better, and now I'm off to watch this other video! Take care and have a great day!
I know lots of smug people who went to some expencive music school, but in reality can't play one song straight, while I am personally someone who invested the past years into guitar and bass on my own, practicing at least 2 hours daily, with the result of playing in a rather sucessful band now (which I thought would never be possible, because people kept telling me, that I have to go to music school to have any chance of that ever happening). I do want to catch up on the theory as soon as I'm done with university and can afford a teacher, but I think first and foremostly, learning how your fingers, ears and eyes work together is more important than knowing the location and name of every note by heart from the start. There is a difference between feeling for music and knowledge about it and feeling is something that can't be taught, but has to be discovered. And on a side note: Only self-absorbed idiots (not talking about you necessarily) pretend that music is some kind of rocket science only they and a chosen few can master x3
I never took lessons and did teach myself to play guitar and am a theory junkie and find this hilarious! What's funny is most people that are really into theory aren't "elitists" but are just perceived to be by people who think it makes you less of a musician to actually know what you're doing. I can very slowly read some music but can't sight read. People are always like "Jimi Hendrix couldn't read music!" or "Wes Montgomery couldn't read music!" but that's not to say they were completely clueless. They actually both knew their instruments AND music VERY well. Just because I'm self taught doesn't mean that I can't know the reasons behind things. Knowing theory to me is more about knowing a "language" that enabled me as a teenager to sit in with bands of older musicians on a second's notice because they would just go "it's a I-IV-5 in G" and I would instantly know what to do. It just opens more opportunities is all.
Mel Alvarez A 1 4 5 is the 1st 4th and 5th "scale degrees" of the major scale. The formula for that scale is Whole Step Whole Step Half Step Whole Step Whole Step Whole Step Half Step. The first note is the 1 the 4th note is the 4 and the fifth note is the 5. The 8th note is the octave and from that you keep counting up and that's how a lot of jazz chords are built.
Ohhhh okay, what's some videos on here I could watch to get a better understanding of the whole half step half-step whole step and the different scales, I really want to get this info down, thanks for replying man I appreciate it
Well if you look at the first dot on your fretboard it is on the 3rd fret. If you look at the next dot it is on the 5th fret. That's a whole step. The half step is the space between that. A half step just means one fret up from the fret you are currently on. A whole step means 2 frets up from the one you are on. It also works backwards like that. A half step DOWN would be on fret DOWN from the fret you are currently on. A whole step DOWN would be two frets DOWN from where you are currently at. That's the basics. Also a good way to learn your "Fourths" easy is to look at your guitar in standard tuning. It is generally tuned to "fourths" with a major 3rd going from G to B strings. Basically, from low to high, from E to A is a 4th. From A to D is a 4th. From D to G is a 4th. Then from G to B is a Major 3rd. The reason for that is because B is the 3rd scale degree in the major scale of B. Then from B to E is a 4th. Also the thing to know about Major 3rds is that all major chords are built off of them. A standard G major just means it has a G,B,D in the chord. A major chord is built off of the 1,3,5 of the major scale. So in the key of C the 1 3 5 would be C-E-G. That's a C Major chord. Then a G Major chord would be G,B,D because G is the first scale degree. B is the 3rd scale degree. D is the 5th scale degree. I hope this helps lead you down a road of understanding. It's really not as complicated as people make it out. I'm a self taught musician and even I can understand it and I'm really a pretty big moron. LOL!
As a self taught guitar player I actually agree with you, what you say very much reflects my own experience. There is just so much stuff out there and quite often it doesn't make sense at all. But I did (accidentally) bump into a few good books that taught me theory. Most of all, I learned a lot from playing with other musicians, especially musicians who were way ahead of me. I do practice my ear on a daily basis, do sight reading (horrible, painful stuff) play along to as many (jazz) records as I can, try to keep up with the theory and am painfully aware that it's actually the simple stuff that is most in important. This way I kind of taught myself to play jazz, sort of. But I do miss proper feedback from time to time, especially when I get stuck. I can figure out a Charlie Parker lick allright, but applying all that musical quicksilver in my own playing is really difficult. I only got a bit of discipline in training and practicing the guitar in my forties. I have made a lot of headway, but look back at the past thirty years with a certain regret - just to realise how much better I could have been if had had some discipline and yes, a good teacher.
true, been going to guitar lessons for a few weeks now, and I learned more in the past 10 minutes by looking at tabs and learning how to play than all those classes put together
I'll admit I don't know shit about fuck when it comes to music theory. Hell, I can't even tell you the name of the note I'm playing at any given moment. I realize that I can never be a huge rock star without knowing at least half that stuff, but that isn't why I play. to me, it's purely for my own enjoyment. I do it mostly for the therapeutic effect music tends to have on me. I have actually rejected joining two different bands, partially because of this, but also because they seemed to think I was way more talented than I actually was. the point is, whether I suck or not, I just don't care. I enjoy my keyboards, bass, and electric guitars, and to me, that's all that matters.
You're right. There is no longer any excuse for not learning music theory. I may be self-taught at guitar, but having a life-long relationship with music at mother's insistence, taught me the value of learning the theory behind what I was doing.
Funny stuff, Dave. No idea why people get twisted about these things. Thanks for continuing the videos, and for the great learning materials at Guitar Playback.
Dude come on, self taught musicians would obviously take that to heart. I sort of understand what he is saying tho. I learned guitar by myself by ear and yes a teacher could take me to new levels of playing, but iv always believed that if your self taught then your music shows your own style of playing instead of other people's songs and reach higher levels by yourself.
honestly.. my main reason why I'm investing money for music school, skilled teacher, etc. It's because there are many "links" music business industry that i need, whether i become session player for artist, composer, producer, or session player for recording. The other reason is, i love to meet a new people, especially when they are high skilled musicians, so i can exchange some ideas with them and maybe steal their "language prhases". Music theory always have same concept but when people start to using it, there will be a different implementations because each person have unique "prhases"
i self taught myself all the modes / scales but what i lack is confidence in what im doing since i always question things like " if i play phyrgian on the key of A *brain farts, does random sweeps* why do i hate C mode on the key of C. its too damn happy. wheres my evilsounds again
Considering I have a heavy metal band that has 2 albums and I'm currently writing more and I understand theory just as much as anyone else I suck right?
i agree with you. I thought i was good until i had guitar class. the teacher is amazing and fun. didnt even know what aeolian ionian mixolidian and those things were. I really think that if you want to become a great musician, you'd have to learn and understand music theory. And there is A lot to learn like the circle of fifths, minor/major triads, how to know which is major, minor, or diminished in a key... yea theres a lot more. So if you're self taught, you should probably try to learn more. and being self taught doesnt necessarily mean you suck, you just dont have enough knowledge. so yea those are my thoughts about this topic.
What about self-taught pianists? :p I totally agree though, when I get lessons the 20 minutes a week I spend with my teacher makes up for only 1% of the work I actually put into my playing and developing as a musician... great video man.
Definitely agree, and I was definitely the type of person you were talking about. The type of person who just knows the basic major chords and some minor chords maybe, and their training is mostly using tabs online to learn their favorite songs. But they really know very little about their instrument and they couldn't create a song of any quality on their own. People say Jimi Hendrix was self taught, and maybe he was or wasn't, but he knew music theory which is imperative to being a good musician.
Im a self taught and you can learn theory if you study hard and practise daily. You can try purchase books on theory and plenty of online stuff. The guy is right, to properly teach yourself you need major discipline.
Knowledge is power and deliberate practice with a great teacher can be amazing. However, I'm still amazed by guys like Wes Montgomery and their harmonic command without any formal training and no TH-cam, digital slowdowns etc.
Most people who claim they're "self taught" aren't actually self taught, they just learned from the Internet or from an app. Guys, being self taught is literally just listening to music and watching people play and teaching yourself! Not, "not having a teacher"
Jimi hendrix, best guitar player of all time and don't get me started you metal douches (Vai, malmsteen now they don't even come close), was TRULY self taught
+DailyHumour And he DID play with a lot of people. In fact, he played in a LOT of bands way before he started his career as a solo player. I think that was David's main point. Being self taught and also avoiding contact with other musicians, music theory, practice routines and whatever makes you improve as a player and a musician. Peace
I think he's bending the rules of what "self taught" means. Basically don't get your knickers in a knot when a lot of the most renowned artists didn't have mammy and pap shell out money for their lessons. Thank god for it too or else everyone would play like a robot like this guy. Josh Homme is an amazing example.
Jimi might be one of the first greats and had so much inlfuence, but still calling him the best guitar player of all time is abit silly. There have been so many great players since him, like Shawn Lane, Guthrie Govan, Buckethead, Jason Becker,... the list goes on. Even the 2 you mentioned, even though i personally don't like em alot, have created really great music and have aspects in their playing in wich they exceed what hendrix could ever have dreamed of. There is no such thing as" the best guitar player of all time". All these guys have brought so many new things to the music that we know.
Hendrix was objectively pretty average. Sloppy play without cohesion or structure does not equal "innovative" or "revolutionary". Face it, you revere him for what he represents, not his actual skills with the guitar. Also, nobody becomes famous for playing good, at least not since the 20th century. Being famous today is pretty much a guarantee that you're average at best, because the average person isn't musically literate enough to understand truly virtuous music/musicians.
Good for you man, no one is really self taught but eveyone is self motivated. It's up to the player to seek out thier own improvement. There is no excuse to not know even basic theory today. Maybe not at first obviously but it should be a sign post on the road to improvment. I feel the whole "self taught" label is usually a humble brag when you get down to it. I know because I'm "self taught" and I used it that way. I know others who did too.
It always freaks me out when someone posts a reply to something I wrote and I'm thinking I don't even remember writing that. Then looking at the date it's something I wrote a year or more ago.
Love your comedy-videos :D Also, i always felt that self-taught should be reserved for those really hardcore people, who taught themselves by listening to and emulating records and stuff. As long as you're taking lessons, from a teacher, online or what-not, you're not actually self-taught. It's kinda like the irony of "Do-it-yourself" books. You're reading a damn book telling you exactly what to do, you're NOT doing it yourself -.-' Not that it matters at all. I'm just a total nazi with this semantics-stuff
I tried learning with a teacher at first but I didn't like his style of playing and how slowly he made me go so I left that and just taught myself, I figure some people who are guitar teachers say that self taught guitarists suck only say that since they're getting no money from them, I personally just learn quickly and like being able to learn without getting in the habit of playing like a teacher
Similar thing happened with my brother. He learns computer technology and got a lot of knowledge from the Internet, and that's it! He learnt more by sitting in front of the computer than by school teaching! His ICT teachers also tell him that his level of knowledge is that of a university student. Seriously, he is the best of the best in his class! Musicians can do that too and be the same. All we need to do is find the information from a trust-worthy website.
Nice video, man. I've learned the vast majority of what I know by myself, but that's because I learn backwards. I never looked anything up, I just used my ears. I was taught basic chords by my Dad and went from there. I ended up playing lotsa stuff that I'd never have learned if anyone tried to teach me. Sometimes I picked out a chord note by note, string by string. That was using a song as a reference, so... the song taught me? I dunno. Anyway. It's better for me to just play the damn thing, then figure out what it is afterwards. Hence, learning backwards. If I know How to do a thing already, the What and Why are just filling in small gaps in my knowledge.
having attended university for a semester in music, I'll say this: you can read all the theory you want, but it really takes a teacher to show you how to apply it. and I DO feel self taught musicians are at a disadvantage in playing, and especially, composing.
I'm a "self taught" guitarist only because when I was younger I didn't have money to pay a teacher and living in the south you either learn country or bluesy styles of music.. nothing wrong with that but as a youngster I was wanting to be a "shredder" and I completely ignored the most important things so I regret learning like I did.. I can play damn near anything by ear and read tabs and all that but I can't tell you what key I'm in or the notes I'm playing or even the chord names.. so to everyone out there save up or find a local guitar clinic and attend.. learn from people who know what they're doing
I'm planning on buying a guitar soon... and self-teaching myself, I personally feel more comfortable watching vids or reading books than being schooled by a teacher (I know this from my personal experience from highschool)
*Opinion* You don't really need music theory to write songs, you just need a good ear. Theory only explains why something sounds the way it does and not how you got there. Otherwise most music would just be paint by numbers. You need theory for transcription, and explaining to other musicians what you've written/how to play it if you cant physically show them at the time. Or if your just reading other peoples music. I'd be a decent session musician if I could sight read standard notation. I know what it all is. I can read notation for drums too. But the thing that put me off standard notation for guitar was when I was younger was being given chords written for a piano on stave and realising it bared zero resemblence to what was possible on a guitar. I just ended up writing Gsus4 or whatever above it to compensate anyway. Any decent transcription I was ever given for accuracy included both TAB and stave, with performance notes missing on the stave. I started to see TAB as more accurate for guitarists when coupled with rhythm notation. Turns out, it was just people not knowing what they were doing when transcribing for my instrument. Although I have noticed that in advanced pieces where string tonality is important or a run is only viable in a partical position even accurate stave notation has fretting written above said note. Then you have the issue of alternate tunings and capo... can ypu really expect a guitarist to memorise every single postion variation for every possible tuning you might come across to siggt read. from where Im sat it just gets to the point where IMO standard notation doesn't cut it. Any you start to question why guitarists are mocked for using tablature... Especially when alot of great guitarists cant read stave music for shit, but ubderstand theory, and tab and rhythm and notes. I'm open to other more experienced guitarists viewpoints...
I was "self taught" ie, never took lessons but picked up bits & pieces from this guy or that guy then youtube & Jam Play and even some guy named David Wallimann ! last year though I took a big step at the ripe age of ??? and got some one on one lessons with Dave Nassie from Next Level Guitar fame and learned a stack of things from him in a short time that I doubt would happened otherwise or would have taken 5 years instead of 5 months .
As was said to me - "A talented professionally schooled musician can always learn something from a beginner". I play "by ear" and it is hard. Ears are soft and it hurts like hell.
i'm self taught. i taught myself how to play guitar by watching my dad and my uncle. id pay close attention on how they'd put their fingers and i would go play what i thought i heard and that's how i learned, then i started improving my tone, learning new songs. and then bam not to brag but people say i'm probably one of the best guitarists in my little area.
Some famous self taught players: Dimebag Derryl Prince (kinda he took guitars lessons later on but he learned a lot himself and he’s self taught in most of the instruments he played) Eddie Van Halen Jimi Hendrix Stevie Ray Vaughan (flunked out of music class) Eric Clapton Also fun fact Paul McCartney said himself that he as well as all of the Beatles couldn’t read music very well, but they still wound up to still be the most successful iconic band in the history of rock and roll
I am knee deep into music, engeneering, audio postproduction, voice over acting. paying the bills with it full time (twi kids). I am completely and intentionally self thaught.
its good to learn music theory- i mean at least a little bit! it really does help with experimenting with weird chords that can make your music stand out. go online and look it up and try it out, that's what i call self teaching
Exactly, good one, in the end the information that goes throught your ears and sticks in your mind most matters. I bet noone will know "all" the theorie or perhaps allot but does that really matter, you can always create your own rules like some said once like it doesn't persay have to be what you know and such or rehearse scales. Some like to rehearse scales for days and others just like to pick up a guitar and jam and see what brings them, i gues the practical persons and those who are more about theorie.
as a self-taught player I think it doesn't really matter of you have lessons or not, what truly matters is to start playing with other musicians as early as you can and do it a lot, I know some guys who have all the theory and everything, but still suck at playing with others because they just never practised it
Im a self taught guitarist and bassist but I know theorybecause of my piano teacher. My dad is a full time guitarist and has His own musicschool so I also learned from him.
Wish to add a few thoughts of my own...might help....might hurt.....dunno..........anywho.............I am a 'self taught' guitar player (47 years and counting).......and you are right.......I SUCKED. (thought I was a hot shot just because I played in a local band, small community, and we were very popular. Had a solid following.) Then I moved to a larger community with establishments of higher learning. Introduced myself to some local musicians who spoke to me as if I was one too (my fault for introducing myself as one)....I didn't understand the language. Long journey (25+ years later). Lots of searching to educate myself about music theory, and I am humbled to realize I am running out of time to learn as much as I would like to know about the subject. Have I learned......YES. Am I still learning.......EVERYDAY. Am I a better musician (notice I didnt say 'player'??).........YES. It is exhilarating to NOT have to play leads using the 'search and find' method most 'self-taught' guitar players have used for so long.......wonderful to 'amaze' onlookers with dexterity and confidence to "know" where to play and utilize the entire fretboard with ease. But, I am still a novice.......with mountains of theory to learn and digest and apply. So, Thank you David for your willingness to share knowledge with novices, such as myself, so we can become guitar proficianatoes and amaze our friends and musical associates. "Ignorance can be cured with education......stupidity........well....thats another story." Salute..Russ
10 years ago i picked up an electric guitar and just watched people play and would just copy them and that's how i learn. i can do it with pretty much every instrument besides the drums. i need to listen to someone playing it in order to learn. apparently it's a "gift".
Who existed first though. A guitarist or a guitar teacher.
Bass Lightyeah A luthier! Ha!
what came first music or theory?
Rock Lobster Probably music. I mean why would you think about something that doesn't exist?
Music came first obviously, how could their be a theory for something that doesn't exist..
but the theory was always there even if it wasn't learned. gravity existed before i understood it. its kinda the same as what came first the chicken or the egg. idk just rambling haha
If people were disciplined enough all you need is TH-cam. seriously... it has EVERYTHING
Absolutely right
I am self taught, from books videos (when they where cassettes) internet etc, and I have a pretty good knowledge of harmony, modes, etc to the point I teach a pal stuff as he needs it. A teacher WILL get you there quicker if there any good, but we are all individual, with individual needs! Have fun is the only way forward in anything you do
I agree! I'm self taught too actually.
What's interesting is that some of the most influential musicians have been self taught. Then, it's their work that ends up being taught in music school. (Coming from a guy who has been taking drum lessons for 10 years)
I'm a self-taught bass player, so I suck by default.
Lol it would be by default even if you werent self taught
well, it's hard to suck when you only have 4 strings
you suck by default the moment you picked the bass
not to sound butthurt but there are some really mind blowing bassists
i can play both but i prefer bass and am the bassist in my band
Guitar instructor saying people who teach themselves suck. Nothing suss about this at all aha.
Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery were Self Taught Jazz Guitarists! My Dad was a Jazz Musician who was Self Taught because he was Musically Literate.
I'm self taught and I don't suck! I only kind of suck! My level of mediocrity is very difficult to attain. People could train for years and not be as mediocre as me.
Looks like 3 self taught guitar players still didn't get it... Maybe I should do an apology video for this one? :D
well now they're 86 ..
Smug sarcasm is not an effective marketing tool
there is no return
you should just stop making music related videos... trust me
Rajdeep - trust an uncomprehending idiot? I wouldn't.
I can play piano, drums, guitar and bass without ever having lessons... So I suck right?
Not at all, however you probably didn't really understand my point (which was poorly made I admit). My point is that being self-taught has NOTHING to do with being a good musician.
I did, I enjoyed the video and found you made a good point, I was just trolling :)
you're probably average at best, and you probably make all the common mistakes
if you want to get really good at an instrument you pretty much need lessons
wolffe93
So Brian May is average at best and makes all the common mistakes and needs lessons urgently, doesn't he?
or perhaps jeff beck?
I am offensive and this video is self taught
I get it.
i've never had money for a teacher, and now i can play a bit
Me too
I’m a self taught guitarist and programmer. Now I work for a big company like google and Microsoft. Will start doing covers of major songs. Guys where there is a will there is a way ✌🏻
Dimebag Darrel never took a lesson. And he was by far and wide, regarded as one the absolute greatest.
+Chris Toney Agreed!
I'm a self taught guitarist who understands music theory because I've done the work to learn it. I play mostly by ear BUT I CAN tell what note names are, where they are on the fretboard, octave, sharp or flat. I have that special sense of musical memory where I can listen to a song, learn it after a few times through, and play it back for you note for note., I've done this all of my musical life starting at the age of 3 years playing my mother's piano practice pieces, and it just progressed from there. Now I'm 62 years old and can play circles around the "haters". I'm not bragging but doing the work is an essential part of the learning curve. I have no regrets and I've benefitted from this ability. So, for all lyou self taught musicians, keep doing what you're doing and don't let people tell you anything different. Ignore those haters, they'll hate themselves after a time.
Paul V. Gentile I AM RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!!!
I’m self taught and I’m getting better every single day. I think that now I can teach people how to be self taught. Peace!
It depends on what the word SUCK means to you..because even when you are selftaught you can still be a succesful musician...sure,you will probably not know a lot of like techniques and sheet music and this kind of stuff...but it doesn't matter because even that way you can make a great music,it will just probably take you more time.the most important thing in music,I think,is to play with passion.
Totally agree man!
Yea man take Kurt Cobain, Hendrix, Grohl, Prince, Bowie they never had a single lesson
This is kind of Bullshit tbh. When I say I'm self taught, which I have been since I was 16, I mean I learn all that stuff. I subdivide my practice time into technique and music theory. For technique i do things like scales, arpeggios, repertoires etc and for theory I read a PDF file of Music theory in Conjunction with one of the guitar method books. You can do soo much on your own. When I started I would go to the websites of universities and look at the course syllabus of Guitar classes and just emulate them.
+Logan Creagh or Eddie van halen
I struggle with the concept of being a self taught musician. Technically I never took a formal lesson, and beyond a few years of music and choir classes I took early in my educational career, never pursued music classes in high school or college. Yet I put in countless hours over the past 6 or so years trying to unlock the mystery which at the time and still is the bass guitar.
Everything I learned I was taught by the bass players who give free lessons on TH-cam. Scott's bass lessons, Mark from Talking Bass and many others. despite never having any one on one time that catered to my development, I have had to judge my own playing ability over time and determine myself where I need to work more on and what I already feel comfortable with. That is where the self taught comes in. The ciriticism comes from within, rather than from an outside source. But where to look for information and its availability come from this wonderful resource we call the internet. All the lessons you could ever have are right up in that search bar.
Create your own theory. Break the system
Jack Valentine jazz.
Jazz has so much theory behind it what?
Lol so easy
Ya like jazz
th-cam.com/video/XiId__J-ATg/w-d-xo.html
I'm a self taught guitarist since about 1967 and although I like to think I do a good job ( I've been in many bands with many line up's and still gig now )I often wish I had taken lessons early on as I feel my skills are limited. I'm not hung upabout it and find this video quite funny but I do like working with skilled musicians most of which with a bit of flattery are more than happy to impart some technical knowledge to improve my lead solo's or chord structures. Essentially music should be about expressing yourself and it should be fun, not about how many notes you can hit per second, I think music ( particularly lead guitar)has been turned into a sport and a lot of the soul has gone out of it.to quote keith Richards " the music rocks but doesn't roll .
The good thing about being self-taught is that you might just develop some unique techniques along the way.
"I play the guitar. I taught myself how to play the guitar, which was a bad decision because I didn’t know how to play it. So I was a shitty teacher. I would never have went to me."
-Mitch Hedberg
i don't get how anyone can claim to be self taught. if you learned it from somewhere, then you aren't self taught. i learned my scales from a google search, i didn't sit there and go, "well i don't know what scales or chords are so i'm just gonna fret different notes till i like what i hear"
ben garcia you should be able to figure out scales by ear. Maybe not the correct finger positions though. As for chords, I learned most of them online or from friends with the exception of a few.
actually, ben, that is precisely what some of us do. I can't read sheet music, I don't know any actual chords, I can't seem to be taught anything by anyone (not just music either) without both sides becoming incredibly frustrated with each other. I can barely read tab enough to figure out a basic blues scale. On paper, it seems like I shouldn't even be allowed to own a guitar. however, I can do power chords, finger taps, pick sweeps, and chugging, drop D stuff like a mother fucker. in fact, even though I don't know enough to not suck, every time I play around a non musician, they want me to teach them a simple punk or metal riff. I guess wingin' it isn't always a bad thing.
"Self taught" means not having an actual live human coach telling you what you're doing wrong on real time and being able to figure those things out by yourself.
Your idea doesn't make sense, no one learns stuff out of nowhere, we're not living in the XV century anymore. If I went out in the woods disconnected of everything and just sit there in silence I won't learn physics.
***** if nobody can just learn stuff out of nowhere, than how does music even exist? Better yet, how does any form of knowledge or talent even exist? Everything has to start somewhere, and a lot of times, that "somewhere" is through experimentation.
That's not the same thing. That's why I said we're not living in the XV century anymore. Experimentation and discovery is a must on scientific fields where there's a lot of stuff in this universe that's not properly explained yet, but music's a different matter. You'll never learn music theory out of nowhere.
You can train your ears to understand dissonance by yourself (I did that), but you won't learn actual theory that way.
Diatonic harmony, chord formulas, scales, modes, arpeggios... All this information is available for free. An instructor might save you some time, but like Dave said, you still have to do the work, so you still have to invest yourself regardless of whether or not you pay for tutelage.
+eddieisfiction I totally agree. You're never finished learning. You've never really mastered the thing, and just when you think you've got your arms around it, you find yourself in a rut. Then you have to approach the instrument from a whole other angle. Sometimes you forget stuff you could play blindfolded! Maybe it comes back, maybe it doesn't. It's a bumpy ride, but still totally worth the migraines and blisters :)
True that!!! I never had a lesson in person but the amount of hours I spent watching people play and talking about it is mental. I still can't read music but before TH-cam I didnt even understand guitar tabs.
Who's gonna give me back those 4 minutes of senseless video?
I agree, I am mostly a Self Taught guitarist, and I consider myself not a good one, but eventually I took lessons from very good, competent musicians and I improve sustancially after those lessons.
Conclusion: I would be a better musician if I take more often real live lessons from compelling professional musicians
True I am self taught and I don't know cords and what notes the strings were until I ask people and did the same improve dramatically
why cant i like this video more than once!!
brilliant title and very good points! There are so many resources online that there is no excuse not to further increase your musical skills to whatever level you are striving for. I took piano lessons as a teen. I am now 47 and learning guitar. I've learned at my pace and there are a ton of free online teachers . there is bound to be a person that you "connect" with. your spot on with the point in the video!
Did the guy who invented the guitar, have a guitar teacher... hmm okay then
+Eric Castilo I don't think you got my point. :)
Just joking around man, nothing but respect for your videos just making fun :)
+Eric Castilo I totally misread your comment, I apologize! Thanks so much for your support! :)
First off, I didn't even see the original video and I don't really get what is going on. I am not some offended guy, but I do want to comment on your definition of self-taught in this video.
If you had a formal teacher, you were not self-taught just because you learned. You were taught. You had someone tell you exactly what to learn and what to practice and you just did that. The difference between being taught and self-taught is that self-taught musicians have to figure out what they need to learn, as well as actually learning those things. It takes more motivation and more trial and error. There is a difference between having someone show you the scales and chords and you going home to practice them, and you messing around on the guitar alone and figuring out what sounds good, or looking online for different chord types etc. I understand the internet can still be a form of "teacher" but it isn't quite the same.
Salut David !Comme tu es un peu français, je me permets de t'écrire en french !Merci pour tes tutos, tes astuces et ton jeu particulièrement mélodique que j'apprécie beaucoup !Je te suis depuis plusieurs mois et c'est bien agréable.Avec cette video, je pense que tu peux tourner dans un melodramatique, tu le fais bien, hihi !Petit question annexe STP : ou peux t-on trouver, gratuit ou payant, le backing track en fond de cette video ?Palmer melodic backing track du 11 mai 2012 : (impossible de coller le lien youttube dans le commentaire, désolé !)Thx, greetings from FranceKeep on rockin'Ricou
you sir just earned a sub
im self taught
but that doesnt stop me from doing research on techniques and other such. it's a lot better than a teacher because you can move at your own pace.
Um, you can learn at your own pace with teacher too.
+SlenderBird with a private teacher
I've always had an ear for rhythm and tempo and could play by ear really well. I regret learning many instruments by ear, though. Reading music from a sheet makes it so much easier and faster to learn accurately, and if I put in the time to learn that at the beginning then I'd probably be a lot better off now...
This video made little sense to me. What if I learned music theory through separate instruments and self-taught myself guitar? Do I have to learn music theory through guitar also in order to not suck?
dude can you tell me the piece of Piano? it's Bach if I'm not wrong
Dimebag Darrell was fully self taught and he turned out to be one of the best guitar players that ever lived
does this apply to drummers..?
There is a diff between skills and creativity you need to learn guitar technical chords notes sweeps picking from a teacher
Creativity is your own quality
Hey great video man, I've been playing gat for about 10 years but learning theory for the last 2 years, wow, really helps to know what your doing. One question though dude, what is the order in which to learn theory? Your right about the vast expanse of digital material on the web, but where do 'self taught' guitarists start? I think it would be safe to assume that most self taught guitarists know basic chords and chord shapes, pentatonic, blues and major/minor scales, maybe even some of the modal shapes. But where do we start to really learn? There is so much stuff out there like, interval theory, harmony, rhythm and timing (probably most important), melody, modes and their application (great vid by the way), etc. What should we start with and what to go to after that, and so on. Any info would be great, thanks David. Jack.
Cheers bro!
I enjoyed the first video and I did enjoy this one too. Great job and please,,,, keep on posting !!!
Im a Widow in guitar. Self taught since I was in 3rd Grade. I Play Jazz and earn a living out of it do i suck now?
Dave, you're a hoot man! Thanks for helping me yesterday.
Can you do a video on how to work with people who don't know theory when you do? I'd really like to hear you explain some about that if you could help.
Try watching the whole video before commenting
Myself, I haven't watched the original video but I'll have to check it out! I'm self taught, and am a few months away from 18 years of playing and to be honest, dedicating that much time hasn't yielded too much progress up until a couple of years ago. About 7 years ago, I vehemently opposed lessons and learning theory but things have changed. I used to believe that learning the technical and theoretical approaches to guitar would take away the fun and that I'd just wank and do nothing but boring noodling, and diminishing the songwriting process. I haven't done so yet, but I'm definitely interested in investing money to learn under a skilled teacher. Once the modes, scales, and legato are picked up I'll definitely be able to tell a difference. I can already tell a difference in my playing now vs a couple years ago and I look forward to improvement! It's amazing what constant practice can do to make a guitarist better, and now I'm off to watch this other video!
Take care and have a great day!
I know lots of smug people who went to some expencive music school, but in reality can't play one song straight, while I am personally someone who invested the past years into guitar and bass on my own, practicing at least 2 hours daily, with the result of playing in a rather sucessful band now (which I thought would never be possible, because people kept telling me, that I have to go to music school to have any chance of that ever happening). I do want to catch up on the theory as soon as I'm done with university and can afford a teacher, but I think first and foremostly, learning how your fingers, ears and eyes work together is more important than knowing the location and name of every note by heart from the start. There is a difference between feeling for music and knowledge about it and feeling is something that can't be taught, but has to be discovered.
And on a side note: Only self-absorbed idiots (not talking about you necessarily) pretend that music is some kind of rocket science only they and a chosen few can master x3
Lyosha Mikalenkova YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!!
I never took lessons and did teach myself to play guitar and am a theory junkie and find this hilarious! What's funny is most people that are really into theory aren't "elitists" but are just perceived to be by people who think it makes you less of a musician to actually know what you're doing. I can very slowly read some music but can't sight read. People are always like "Jimi Hendrix couldn't read music!" or "Wes Montgomery couldn't read music!" but that's not to say they were completely clueless. They actually both knew their instruments AND music VERY well. Just because I'm self taught doesn't mean that I can't know the reasons behind things. Knowing theory to me is more about knowing a "language" that enabled me as a teenager to sit in with bands of older musicians on a second's notice because they would just go "it's a I-IV-5 in G" and I would instantly know what to do. It just opens more opportunities is all.
so whT does a I I'v in g mean? lol I want to learn all that shit too like the numbers and which key but don't know where to start
Mel Alvarez A 1 4 5 is the 1st 4th and 5th "scale degrees" of the major scale. The formula for that scale is Whole Step Whole Step Half Step Whole Step Whole Step Whole Step Half Step. The first note is the 1 the 4th note is the 4 and the fifth note is the 5. The 8th note is the octave and from that you keep counting up and that's how a lot of jazz chords are built.
Ohhhh okay, what's some videos on here I could watch to get a better understanding of the whole half step half-step whole step and the different scales, I really want to get this info down, thanks for replying man I appreciate it
Well if you look at the first dot on your fretboard it is on the 3rd fret. If you look at the next dot it is on the 5th fret. That's a whole step. The half step is the space between that. A half step just means one fret up from the fret you are currently on. A whole step means 2 frets up from the one you are on. It also works backwards like that. A half step DOWN would be on fret DOWN from the fret you are currently on. A whole step DOWN would be two frets DOWN from where you are currently at. That's the basics. Also a good way to learn your "Fourths" easy is to look at your guitar in standard tuning. It is generally tuned to "fourths" with a major 3rd going from G to B strings. Basically, from low to high, from E to A is a 4th. From A to D is a 4th. From D to G is a 4th. Then from G to B is a Major 3rd. The reason for that is because B is the 3rd scale degree in the major scale of B. Then from B to E is a 4th. Also the thing to know about Major 3rds is that all major chords are built off of them. A standard G major just means it has a G,B,D in the chord. A major chord is built off of the 1,3,5 of the major scale. So in the key of C the 1 3 5 would be C-E-G. That's a C Major chord. Then a G Major chord would be G,B,D because G is the first scale degree. B is the 3rd scale degree. D is the 5th scale degree. I hope this helps lead you down a road of understanding. It's really not as complicated as people make it out. I'm a self taught musician and even I can understand it and I'm really a pretty big moron. LOL!
wow made thanks for breaking it down so simple like that I finally get it man, I can't thank u enough man that helped big time
Good grief, judging by many of the comments here, .some people just don't get irony.
As a self taught guitar player I actually agree with you, what you say very much reflects my own experience. There is just so much stuff out there and quite often it doesn't make sense at all. But I did (accidentally) bump into a few good books that taught me theory. Most of all, I learned a lot from playing with other musicians, especially musicians who were way ahead of me. I do practice my ear on a daily basis, do sight reading (horrible, painful stuff) play along to as many (jazz) records as I can, try to keep up with the theory and am painfully aware that it's actually the simple stuff that is most in important. This way I kind of taught myself to play jazz, sort of. But I do miss proper feedback from time to time, especially when I get stuck. I can figure out a Charlie Parker lick allright, but applying all that musical quicksilver in my own playing is really difficult. I only got a bit of discipline in training and practicing the guitar in my forties. I have made a lot of headway, but look back at the past thirty years with a certain regret - just to realise how much better I could have been if had had some discipline and yes, a good teacher.
I am not self-taught, but I am learning on my own. Still a long way to go, and you inspire me. Thanks!
Hey David, love your channel. Is it a DS2 on the rack case? That orange Boss thing? How do you use it?
+lowyaw It's actually a DS-1. I haven't used it in a long time though.. I used it as an Overdrive mostly...
true, been going to guitar lessons for a few weeks now, and I learned more in the past 10 minutes by looking at tabs and learning how to play than all those classes put together
I'll admit I don't know shit about fuck when it comes to music theory. Hell, I can't even tell you the name of the note I'm playing at any given moment. I realize that I can never be a huge rock star without knowing at least half that stuff, but that isn't why I play. to me, it's purely for my own enjoyment. I do it mostly for the therapeutic effect music tends to have on me. I have actually rejected joining two different bands, partially because of this, but also because they seemed to think I was way more talented than I actually was. the point is, whether I suck or not, I just don't care. I enjoy my keyboards, bass, and electric guitars, and to me, that's all that matters.
You're right. There is no longer any excuse for not learning music theory. I may be self-taught at guitar, but having a life-long relationship with music at mother's insistence, taught me the value of learning the theory behind what I was doing.
Funny stuff, Dave. No idea why people get twisted about these things. Thanks for continuing the videos, and for the great learning materials at Guitar Playback.
Dude come on, self taught musicians would obviously take that to heart. I sort of understand what he is saying tho. I learned guitar by myself by ear and yes a teacher could take me to new levels of playing, but iv always believed that if your self taught then your music shows your own style of playing instead of other people's songs and reach higher levels by yourself.
honestly.. my main reason why I'm investing money for music school, skilled teacher, etc. It's because there are many "links" music business industry that i need, whether i become session player for artist, composer, producer, or session player for recording. The other reason is, i love to meet a new people, especially when they are high skilled musicians, so i can exchange some ideas with them and maybe steal their "language prhases". Music theory always have same concept but when people start to using it, there will be a different implementations because each person have unique "prhases"
i self taught myself all the modes / scales
but what i lack is confidence in what im doing since i always question things like " if i play phyrgian on the key of A *brain farts, does random sweeps* why do i hate C mode on the key of C. its too damn happy. wheres my evilsounds again
Considering I have a heavy metal band that has 2 albums and I'm
currently writing more and I understand theory just as much as anyone else I suck right?
Did you finish the video before you commented?
+Game Central Not at all
man, however your comment might mean that you didn't watch the rest of the video. :)
i agree with you. I thought i was good until i had guitar class. the teacher is amazing and fun. didnt even know what aeolian ionian mixolidian and those things were. I really think that if you want to become a great musician, you'd have to learn and understand music theory. And there is A lot to learn like the circle of fifths, minor/major triads, how to know which is major, minor, or diminished in a key... yea theres a lot more. So if you're self taught, you should probably try to learn more. and being self taught doesnt necessarily mean you suck, you just dont have enough knowledge. so yea those are my thoughts about this topic.
What about self-taught pianists? :p I totally agree though, when I get lessons the 20 minutes a week I spend with my teacher makes up for only 1% of the work I actually put into my playing and developing as a musician... great video man.
Wait so I'm self taught but I know music theory circle of the fifths enharminic notes and all that other stuff. Am I cliche?
Definitely agree, and I was definitely the type of person you were talking about. The type of person who just knows the basic major chords and some minor chords maybe, and their training is mostly using tabs online to learn their favorite songs. But they really know very little about their instrument and they couldn't create a song of any quality on their own. People say Jimi Hendrix was self taught, and maybe he was or wasn't, but he knew music theory which is imperative to being a good musician.
Im a self taught and you can learn theory if you study hard and practise daily. You can try purchase books on theory and plenty of online stuff. The guy is right, to properly teach yourself you need major discipline.
Tommy emannual is a self taught guitar player does he suck ?
Knowledge is power and deliberate practice with a great teacher can be amazing. However, I'm still amazed by guys like Wes Montgomery and their harmonic command without any formal training and no TH-cam, digital slowdowns etc.
I am self taught on string bass and play in my school's jazz band.
Your school has a jazz band? That's awesome!
looks like we got a special fucking snowflake
Georginsky2000 Seems like he is.
Then why did SRV and Jimi Hendrix take off?
+avery surratt Did you watch the end of the video or just comment on the title? ;)
Most people who claim they're "self taught" aren't actually self taught, they just learned from the Internet or from an app. Guys, being self taught is literally just listening to music and watching people play and teaching yourself! Not, "not having a teacher"
Jimi hendrix, best guitar player of all time and don't get me started you metal douches (Vai, malmsteen now they don't even come close), was TRULY self taught
+DailyHumour And he DID play with a lot of people. In fact, he played in a LOT of bands way before he started his career as a solo player. I think that was David's main point. Being self taught and also avoiding contact with other musicians, music theory, practice routines and whatever makes you improve as a player and a musician. Peace
I think he's bending the rules of what "self taught" means. Basically don't get your knickers in a knot when a lot of the most renowned artists didn't have mammy and pap shell out money for their lessons. Thank god for it too or else everyone would play like a robot like this guy. Josh Homme is an amazing example.
Jimi might be one of the first greats and had so much inlfuence, but still calling him the best guitar player of all time is abit silly. There have been so many great players since him, like Shawn Lane, Guthrie Govan, Buckethead, Jason Becker,... the list goes on. Even the 2 you mentioned, even though i personally don't like em alot, have created really great music and have aspects in their playing in wich they exceed what hendrix could ever have dreamed of.
There is no such thing as" the best guitar player of all time". All these guys have brought so many new things to the music that we know.
Hendrix was objectively pretty average.
Sloppy play without cohesion or structure does not equal "innovative" or "revolutionary".
Face it, you revere him for what he represents, not his actual skills with the guitar.
Also, nobody becomes famous for playing good, at least not since the 20th century.
Being famous today is pretty much a guarantee that you're average at best, because the average person isn't musically literate enough to understand truly virtuous music/musicians.
Christian Smith Do you even into Shawn Lane?
Good for you man, no one is really self taught but eveyone is self motivated. It's up to the player to seek out thier own improvement. There is no excuse to not know even basic theory today. Maybe not at first obviously but it should be a sign post on the road to improvment. I feel the whole "self taught" label is usually a humble brag when you get down to it. I know because I'm "self taught" and I used it that way. I know others who did too.
It always freaks me out when someone posts a reply to something I wrote and I'm thinking I don't even remember writing that. Then looking at the date it's something I wrote a year or more ago.
You are so right about that bro. The two things you need our passion and discipline. I have the passion but I lack discipline. lol
Love your comedy-videos :D
Also, i always felt that self-taught should be reserved for those really hardcore people, who taught themselves by listening to and emulating records and stuff. As long as you're taking lessons, from a teacher, online or what-not, you're not actually self-taught.
It's kinda like the irony of "Do-it-yourself" books. You're reading a damn book telling you exactly what to do, you're NOT doing it yourself -.-'
Not that it matters at all. I'm just a total nazi with this semantics-stuff
... You're a nazi? Didn't Japan nuke you guys in Vietnam?
I taught my self half note whole notes quater note 8th notes and 16 notes and so on and i am really good at guitar,ukulele,drums,bass,Piano,trumpet
I tried learning with a teacher at first but I didn't like his style of playing and how slowly he made me go so I left that and just taught myself, I figure some people who are guitar teachers say that self taught guitarists suck only say that since they're getting no money from them, I personally just learn quickly and like being able to learn without getting in the habit of playing like a teacher
Similar thing happened with my brother. He learns computer technology and got a lot of knowledge from the Internet, and that's it! He learnt more by sitting in front of the computer than by school teaching! His ICT teachers also tell him that his level of knowledge is that of a university student. Seriously, he is the best of the best in his class! Musicians can do that too and be the same. All we need to do is find the information from a trust-worthy website.
Nice video, man. I've learned the vast majority of what I know by myself, but that's because I learn backwards. I never looked anything up, I just used my ears. I was taught basic chords by my Dad and went from there. I ended up playing lotsa stuff that I'd never have learned if anyone tried to teach me. Sometimes I picked out a chord note by note, string by string. That was using a song as a reference, so... the song taught me? I dunno. Anyway. It's better for me to just play the damn thing, then figure out what it is afterwards. Hence, learning backwards. If I know How to do a thing already, the What and Why are just filling in small gaps in my knowledge.
having attended university for a semester in music, I'll say this: you can read all the theory you want, but it really takes a teacher to show you how to apply it.
and I DO feel self taught musicians are at a disadvantage in playing, and especially, composing.
I'm a "self taught" guitarist only because when I was younger I didn't have money to pay a teacher and living in the south you either learn country or bluesy styles of music.. nothing wrong with that but as a youngster I was wanting to be a "shredder" and I completely ignored the most important things so I regret learning like I did.. I can play damn near anything by ear and read tabs and all that but I can't tell you what key I'm in or the notes I'm playing or even the chord names.. so to everyone out there save up or find a local guitar clinic and attend.. learn from people who know what they're doing
Im not gonna bother finishing this. I wish you luck on your quest for more views my boy. God luck and good speed!
I'm planning on buying a guitar soon... and self-teaching myself, I personally feel more comfortable watching vids or reading books than being schooled by a teacher (I know this from my personal experience from highschool)
*Opinion*
You don't really need music theory to write songs, you just need a good ear. Theory only explains why something sounds the way it does and not how you got there.
Otherwise most music would just be paint by numbers.
You need theory for transcription, and explaining to other musicians what you've written/how to play it if you cant physically show them at the time. Or if your just reading other peoples music.
I'd be a decent session musician if I could sight read standard notation. I know what it all is. I can read notation for drums too.
But the thing that put me off standard notation for guitar was when I was younger was being given chords written for a piano on stave and realising it bared zero resemblence to what was possible on a guitar. I just ended up writing Gsus4 or whatever above it to compensate anyway.
Any decent transcription I was ever given for accuracy included both TAB and stave, with performance notes missing on the stave.
I started to see TAB as more accurate for guitarists when coupled with rhythm notation.
Turns out, it was just people not knowing what they were doing when transcribing for my instrument.
Although I have noticed that in advanced pieces where string tonality is important or a run is only viable in a partical position even accurate stave notation has fretting written above said note.
Then you have the issue of alternate tunings and capo... can ypu really expect a guitarist to memorise every single postion variation for every possible tuning you might come across to siggt read.
from where Im sat it just gets to the point where IMO standard notation doesn't cut it. Any you start to question why guitarists are mocked for using tablature...
Especially when alot of great guitarists cant read stave music for shit, but ubderstand theory, and tab and rhythm and notes.
I'm open to other more experienced guitarists viewpoints...
I was "self taught" ie, never took lessons but picked up bits & pieces from this guy or that guy then youtube & Jam Play and even some guy named David Wallimann ! last year though I took a big step at the ripe age of ??? and got some one on one lessons with Dave Nassie from Next Level Guitar fame and learned a stack of things from him in a short time that I doubt would happened otherwise or would have taken 5 years instead of 5 months .
As was said to me - "A talented professionally schooled musician can always learn something from a beginner". I play "by ear" and it is hard. Ears are soft and it hurts like hell.
i'm self taught. i taught myself how to play guitar by watching my dad and my uncle. id pay close attention on how they'd put their fingers and i would go play what i thought i heard and that's how i learned, then i started improving my tone, learning new songs. and then bam not to brag but people say i'm probably one of the best guitarists in my little area.
Some famous self taught players:
Dimebag Derryl
Prince (kinda he took guitars lessons later on but he learned a lot himself and he’s self taught in most of the instruments he played)
Eddie Van Halen
Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughan (flunked out of music class)
Eric Clapton
Also fun fact Paul McCartney said himself that he as well as all of the Beatles couldn’t read music very well, but they still wound up to still be the most successful iconic band in the history of rock and roll
I am knee deep into music, engeneering, audio postproduction, voice over acting. paying the bills with it full time (twi kids). I am completely and intentionally self thaught.
its good to learn music theory- i mean at least a little bit! it really does help with experimenting with weird chords that can make your music stand out. go online and look it up and try it out, that's what i call self teaching
Exactly, good one, in the end the information that goes throught your ears and sticks in your mind most matters. I bet noone will know "all" the theorie or perhaps allot but does that really matter, you can always create your own rules like some said once like it doesn't persay have to be what you know and such or rehearse scales. Some like to rehearse scales for days and others just like to pick up a guitar and jam and see what brings them, i gues the practical persons and those who are more about theorie.
as a self-taught player I think it doesn't really matter of you have lessons or not, what truly matters is to start playing with other musicians as early as you can and do it a lot, I know some guys who have all the theory and everything, but still suck at playing with others because they just never practised it
"if you don't have the ability to find the answers on your own, then that's because you're self taught" 100% accurate and 100% hilarious! !
I think both self taught and taking lessons have its benefits. As long as am getting information to improve everything counts.
What if someone was self-taught by another person? Does that count?
Im a self taught guitarist and bassist but I know theorybecause of my piano teacher. My dad is a full time guitarist and has His own musicschool so I also learned from him.
will check it out,good luck to you,be safe.
Wish to add a few thoughts of my own...might help....might hurt.....dunno..........anywho.............I am a 'self taught' guitar player (47 years and counting).......and you are right.......I SUCKED. (thought I was a hot shot just because I played in a local band, small community, and we were very popular. Had a solid following.) Then I moved to a larger community with establishments of higher learning. Introduced myself to some local musicians who spoke to me as if I was one too (my fault for introducing myself as one)....I didn't understand the language. Long journey (25+ years later). Lots of searching to educate myself about music theory, and I am humbled to realize I am running out of time to learn as much as I would like to know about the subject. Have I learned......YES. Am I still learning.......EVERYDAY. Am I a better musician (notice I didnt say 'player'??).........YES. It is exhilarating to NOT have to play leads using the 'search and find' method most 'self-taught' guitar players have used for so long.......wonderful to 'amaze' onlookers with dexterity and confidence to "know" where to play and utilize the entire fretboard with ease. But, I am still a novice.......with mountains of theory to learn and digest and apply. So, Thank you David for your willingness to share knowledge with novices, such as myself, so we can become guitar proficianatoes and amaze our friends and musical associates. "Ignorance can be cured with education......stupidity........well....thats another story." Salute..Russ
Thanks...I will keep that in mind......
10 years ago i picked up an electric guitar and just watched people play and would just copy them and that's how i learn. i can do it with pretty much every instrument besides the drums. i need to listen to someone playing it in order to learn. apparently it's a "gift".
jacob harmer how did you learn what tuning your guitar should be in if nobody ever taught you and you never read any material?
I wish I had time to make a long comment but I"m too busy self-teaching right now! LOL