Personality and playing

Rob1742

Does anyone else learn to play, in a way that is akin to their personality?

For me learning the guitar is just a mirror of my life and its just another way of telling me what I am like as a person.

So I am entrepreneurial. I build, I have ideas, but I do 80% of the work and leave the rest to others to clean up. Others being those more measured reliable folk, with an eye for detail, the important ones who make sure everything is as it should be. I also like stuff, always have, I enjoy looking for things, whatever that maybe and I like indulging. 

So I take up the guitar, so what do I do, I don’t listen to the tutor, I tell him what I want to learn. I am not interested in theory, I want to know how to play certain songs. 

Then I do okay, I get through the hard yards, but then when I have done 80% of it, I am done and I move on. 

I have loads of songs where there are just easy bits left to learn, but it’s the end detail so I can’t be bothered, there is something bigger around the corner.

So frustrating as I can’t progress to the level I want to as it’s not me, it’s not my personality.

I look at people and think “ you would be good because you are detailed” . You just know who is going to have the patience to do it and those that won’t have a chance because it’s just not like them.

Gear is the same, I like shiny new things, I like to do a deal, so again you can see where that leads.

People say dentists like PRS guitars, but I bet they are decent with a guitar, electricians too maybe, accountants. 

I am angry as I want to do better, but my personality is stopping progress and there is nothing that can make me nail that last 10% to make things perfect. 

Just wondered if anyone else sees their own personality in life mirror the way they play the guitar?

I reckon you can tell by the posts on here too. Most people are quite bright and there is a level of intelligence that goes to playing the guitar in my view. Detail needed that I unfortunately haven’t got.

Thoughts? 

munckee

I think you are barking up the wrong tree as my playing is lazy, sloppy inaccurate uninspiring and selfish. 

Cranky

@Rob1742 you sound like me.  A lot.

If that's the case, then maybe try to get yourself to a place where you feel compelled to learn X, and you feel compelled to practice the A, B and C skills required to learn X.  Maybe even find yourself a more firm instructor who will insist on you taking certain steps.  Doing these things has improved my technical knowledge and skills and gotten me closer to wanting to create my own stuff.

You could also be more purely psychological about it and do some soul searching about why you are the way you are.  I did this, too,, though not exactly by choice.  Turned out I had a pretty rich history of avoiding things that required practice and focus, of self-alienation, of self-sabotage and self-loathing, an pervasive sense of worthlessness that affected a lot of my decision-making and reactions.  Turned out I grew up in a rather dysfunctional family in which I was the scapegoat for two abnormally angry parents and an abusive father.  But now I try to keep all that stuff in mind as a reminder to stick with it, to act like I'm worth the effort (it starts to feel more natural after awhile), to acknowledge my own passions and desires and accomplishments.

It all goes together, I think.  The former is like CBT for guitar, the other is proper personal dev.

John_A

Rob1742 said:

Does anyone else learn to play, in a way that is akin to their personality?

For me learning the guitar is just a mirror of my life and its just another way of telling me what I am like as a person.

So I am entrepreneurial. I build, I have ideas, but I do 80% of the work and leave the rest to others to clean up. Others being those more measured reliable folk, with an eye for detail, the important ones who make sure everything is as it should be. I also like stuff, always have, I enjoy looking for things, whatever that maybe and I like indulging. 

So I take up the guitar, so what do I do, I don’t listen to the tutor, I tell him what I want to learn. I am not interested in theory, I want to know how to play certain songs. 

Then I do okay, I get through the hard yards, but then when I have done 80% of it, I am done and I move on. 

I have loads of songs where there are just easy bits left to learn, but it’s the end detail so I can’t be bothered, there is something bigger around the corner.

So frustrating as I can’t progress to the level I want to as it’s not me, it’s not my personality.

I look at people and think “ you would be good because you are detailed” . You just know who is going to have the patience to do it and those that won’t have a chance because it’s just not like them.

Gear is the same, I like shiny new things, I like to do a deal, so again you can see where that leads.

People say dentists like PRS guitars, but I bet they are decent with a guitar, electricians too maybe, accountants. 

I am angry as I want to do better, but my personality is stopping progress and there is nothing that can make me nail that last 10% to make things perfect. 

Just wondered if anyone else sees their own personality in life mirror the way they play the guitar?

I reckon you can tell by the posts on here too. Most people are quite bright and there is a level of intelligence that goes to playing the guitar in my view. Detail needed that I unfortunately haven’t got.

Thoughts? 

Yes, some people defiitely approach guitar like they do other things in life, but not everyone.  I know some amazing guitarists that can't hold down a regular job, and people who are great at what they do but shit guitarists.

The answer to your problems is easy.  Join a band.

Stratavarious

Yep.. if you just want to play songs..  a band and playing live or with others can give you a powerful external motivator.  Screwing up a big solo is a lesson that you will either learn from or that will crush you.  Gotta have some skin skin in the game.  If you are 90% there you are going to be able to hold your own in bar band... and if its insecurity, tell yourself you are still a better guitarist than most everyone else in the audience. 

I love getting paid to play. Professionalises the whole thing and my rule is paid gigs/recordings = gear = motivation.

Also, what does 100% look like for you?  Playing someone else’s music super accurately, savant like improvisation, getting to the end of a song when the bass player starts in the wrong key and the singer misses a chorus.. and the audience never knew?  Do you have a target for your music. 

Most people poodle along through life and good enough is good enough though if it lets you enjoy lots of things.  To be exceptional and make than final 10%, you’d likely have to sacrifice something or compromise. A stricter/better teacher might push you to look at the theory and musical underpinnings of songs so that you can learn songs faster and better in the future.   Are you just avoiding what you think might be ‘hard’? It might not be.

I can procrastinate the details in most things unless I write a job list or I am to the wire.  It’s quite normal.  If it wasn’t, we would have billions of virtuoso guitarists.  Hell. I am procrastinating on a guitar forum now and have a dog to walk, emails and job lists to write and do!!

koneguitarist

I think a bit of us is mirrored in our playing, however so man6 people are trying to copy what has gone before so not sure how accurate it really is. 

For me, I tend to let rip when I get a chance and often put myself in situations where I sink or swim in music. Sometimes I float sometimes I don’t. So my playing can be very hit and miss. 

HAL9000

I’d say I’m fairly laid back and sometimes (but not always) my playing reflects that. I deliberately keep things fairly sparse and economic although some of that is because I’d rather play one note well than ten notes badly. Trouble is laid back-ness (laziness?) can easily lead to not being properly prepared - however I’ve learnt from that after one particularly embarrassing performance - I now make sure I’m well rehearsed and familiar with what I’m going to be playing.

Benm39

munckee said:

I think you are barking up the wrong tree as my playing is lazy, sloppy inaccurate uninspiring and selfish. 

Yup, this is me completely!

axisus

Nope.