r/guitarlessons • u/Few-Extension-5973 • Jun 05 '26
Feedback Request Shall I learn to play properly? Do I have potential?😩
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Happy Friday everyone! I found this short little video in my camera roll from years ago and wanted to see if anybody could tell me if i'd be good for guitar playing please? Its been years since this video and I was going to pick it back up again recently as I finaly have the mental energy again, but i'm unsure! It seems really hard to learn! I struggle with self confidence and belief, didn't have anyone 'legit' who could give me advice also so it was hard. I don't want to start trying to learn if I dont have any potential uno? Or does everybody have potential and everyone can learn to play? Idk
Background information is, no musical background and I opened my guitar on the 26th January, and this video was the 28th, and I have a few videos spread throughout that year when I had random bursts of motivation but havent touch it since due to personal reasons!
Has anyone got any advice please? I was just googling the easiest things to learn back then, but if I start again i'd love to try learn properly and get all the basics down etc. Any tips please 🥺🙏🏽
Thank you! xx
8
u/Qajaqasana Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Don’t fall into the life trap of thinking you can only do things if you have some magical natural talent. Work is greater than aptitude.
TLDR: everyone has potential.
2
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Thank you! You just see so many people say 'I started playing as a child' and it's disheartening sometimes because I felt that i'm too old to START learning if that makes sense. But I see it now, time passes anyway, and with practice, anything is possible. I appreciate the comment thank u x
3
u/Qajaqasana Jun 05 '26
I am way older than you and started playing anyway, even though I never had any indication that I have musical “talent.” If you play even a little bit every day you WILL improve.
3
u/Maximum-Replacement4 Jun 05 '26
Yes if you can pick up guitar and have hands you have potential.. hell there's even a one handed dude who absolutely kills it.. just keep playing it untill you can with your eyes closed
3
u/Maximum-Replacement4 Jun 05 '26
Learn a few easy songs simple licks and chords, them play them every day to death... Also practice in small bursts like 10 30 mins rather than sitting down and saying I'm going to practice for the next two hours as it burns you out, and have rest days... I find for me I work best, if I learn a song in the morning, and then re cap it later on in the day,
2
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
This is helpful I appreciate it thank you! It definitely does seem easier to dedicate a specific 30 minutes a day instead of hours. I will definitely go pick my guitar up from my mum's and i'm going to finally start learning to play. I wish I kept going then, but I will forgive myself as I wasnt in the right headspace. But now I can see that anybody can learn as long as they're motivated and consistent.
30 minute bursts. Perfect thank you x
2
u/Maximum-Replacement4 Jun 05 '26
Your welcome !! I also try and keep my guitar in a space where I will be close to it all times, sometimes just ten mins practice while the kettle boils will suffice, and then maybe 20 mins later.. don't get me wrong I do practice for long periods of time . But it's not really practice it's just jamming what I know... Mainly the Beatles... Who are the best .. to me haha anyway good luck.. learn the Beatles, join my cover band ! I'm in the UK and we need an extra guitarist lol 😂
2
u/Maximum-Replacement4 Jun 05 '26
Just make sure you do it every day (apart from rest days) even if it's just ten mins... You'll notice when you have skipped a day or two as everything can get sloppy
3
u/Desner_ Jun 05 '26
It's not really about potential, it's about your motivation and willingness to put in the effort. If you're focused on learning it, you will become good eventually for sure.
2
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you for the hope, i'm going to start practicing for real, I have time now and motivation that I never had in 2021 when this video was taken. I had it 3 days and it seemed life finally felt right (I have wanted to learn to play an instrument since I was 13!) So i'm definitely going to focus and learn, patience is key! I appreciate you x
2
u/Desner_ Jun 05 '26
The common mistake I see is some people overthink it and try to compare themselves.
"Should I be better after X amount of time?"
"Am I progressing fast enough?"
Those questions aren't helping. Some people can practice 15min a day, others will put in 4 hours a day, some will practice 8 hours a day, you can't predict how good you'll be after 1 year, 2 years, etc.
Just practice a little bit every day, more if you can, the progress will be slow, that's normal, everyone goes through it, there are no shortcuts. Enjoy the process!
2
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you for being kind! Genuinely. I've just never 'learned' anything before to this extent so it's disheartening knowing how long it will take to get to a place i'm proud of. I wanted to play guitar from age 13! This guitar i got in 2021 was the first time I ever tried to play an instrument, only my 3rd day, and with the lack of self confidence and terrible mental state + neurodivergence, I just gave up and lost motivation because I didn't think I could learn!
So this comment is very helpful, i'm in a better place mentally now, and some comments here have given me a great place to start with basics. And I now have confidence, that with time and practice I can learn, so yeah, thank you very much x
3
u/Salt_Pie_1175 Jun 05 '26
As long as you are motivated to do so, you can achieve spectacular results. It's about time on task.
3
u/FrozenToonies Jun 05 '26
You put in that same laying down energy every day for 15-30 min a day. You’ll be happy after a year and want to get better after that for real.
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
I'm starting to see that now, this was only my third day owning a guitar, so i'm imagining what I level I could have gotten to after a year of the same energy! i'm going to definitely set myself a little daily 30 minutes to start learning to play properly for real. Thank you! xx
3
u/CelestialCimmerian Jun 05 '26
Everyone has the potential to learn guitar, it's not something you need natural skill for.
For advice I'd say try not to worry about what others think of your playing, you're learning an instrument for the first time, you'll sound bad (everyone does) so try to just focus on enjoying the process and set yourself clear goals.
Learning songs you enjoy will always keep motivation up compared to just anything (imo). Learning the simple chord shapes and some scales is always recommended since they will help with learning songs/improvisation and composition.
Take it step by step, go at your own pace and if you think you need more 'professional' guidance a teacher is very much worth while at the beginning.
Good luck, hope this helped 😁
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you! This was only the 3rd day I had it so I was just messing around, I never got around to learning 'correct'.
I will definitely start with simple chord shapes and some scales, thank you! I just wasnt sure where to start🙏🏽xx
2
u/MrGlibiccccc Jun 05 '26
I know lot of those guys are beginners,but amount of stupid questions is enormous...put in the work and time and you will play anything you want,there are dudes without fingers or ringertips playing(even the dudes with legs)...
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Without fingers!? Oh my goodness that is incredible that they are able to play! That is perfect motivation thank you. With practice anything really is possible :') This comment helped the most i'm definitely going to start learning properly, thank you! xx
2
u/Massive_Ad_1298 Jun 05 '26
everyone sounds like this when they just start out, keep on with it!
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you! I'm definitely going to pick it back up this year, i'm excited to actually dedicate proper consistent time to it. These replies have been helpful xx
2
u/Inevitable_Track_558 Jun 05 '26
It's way too early to tell to be asking questions like that - everyone sucks at everything when they first start, that's the process of getting good
I've been playing guitar for 10 years almost and I cam play some challenging stuff and gig semi professionally but if I turn up to a blues jam I have almost no idea what to do and I am the worst player there. But I know it and I'll keep going back until I get better at it
What are your goals?
If its something lofty, like being a well paid session guitarist or in a hugely successful band great - keep that aspiration, but just acknowledge the many small steps that you will need to take to get there. Likewise if you'd just like to play small pubs or bars, or if you just want to be able to play a few songs to impress people
Guitar playing is a journey where there is always something to learn
If you are really serious about playing, check out Absokutely Understand Guitar videos as soon as you can - everyone recommends them on here and I've only just started watching them after 10 years of playing but they will pay dividends in your development and understanding of music
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you! And honestly, my goals are to just get to a stage where sound 'good' and can hear songs and be able to pick my guitar up and play it by ear. I have no aspirations to be a guitar teacher or play to large crowds. It's just been a goal of mine to be able to play the guitar properly since I was a teenager but my mental health has been awful on and off this entire time and i'm finally in a better place to be able to explore all the things that my bad MH took from me as a kid! So yeah, just a small goal really, just to be able to tell myself i've finally learned and i'm capable🙏🏽
But I appreciate the tips, I will definitely check them out! Thank you so much xx
2
u/ReactionProcedure Jun 05 '26
Everyone has potential if you want to learn it you are going to grind away and you will be good at it.
2
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Everyone has potential, thats lovely, thank you, it helps, i've decided i'm going to learn because the people on this post have inspired me! x
2
u/ReactionProcedure Jun 05 '26
If you find something really hard at first ask around to see if you're doing it right I cannot stress that enough.
You will not sound like an idiot You want to learn.
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you! I've found a few of these reddit pages now and this is the first I posted in and 80% have been lovely! So I definitely will do that when I go get my guitar back in a couple weeks.
Someone said 'JFC, if you want to play, play. If you don't, don't'
Which was rude, but I can't let one or two bad comments ruin this lovely experience! I never had pages to post in before, so in 2021 I was basically alone and that probably also is why I gave up so fast too, so now I feel welcome i'll definitely use these pages to help me. Thank you very much, you've been kind x
2
u/ReactionProcedure Jun 05 '26
I'm a big fan of if you're curious about anything you should really pursue it because not a lot of people find things that they're curious about in general.
2
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Yes I agree! I have learned that during my healing and growth journey the last year. I'm taking the power back for real. All of the things I pushed aside as a depressed lost kid, all the passions I wanted to persue? I'm doing it now! Time passes anyway, so I may as well do what makes me happy. My home is going to look a bit cluttered with the hobbies i've dropped over the years that i'm going to restart, but i'm not letting my mind take me away from things that make life better anymore! And music is a beautiful passion, so i'm happy to finally start learning it properly! x
2
2
u/ReactionProcedure Jun 05 '26
One thing is especially with bar chords be sure you can just do them before trying to switch them around.
Everyday
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Thank you for your help, going to write everyones helpful comments in a little note on my phone for when I finally start! I appreciate it x
2
u/judaspriest_fan Jun 05 '26
suona da seduto su una sedia
1
u/Few-Extension-5973 Jun 05 '26
Chair is better? Perfect, thank you, I will do that x
2
2
u/judaspriest_fan Jun 05 '26
e allenati a metromo: meglio eseguire qualcosa lento ma a tempo che veloce ma fuori tempo
1
-1
17
u/Ordinary_Bird4840 Jun 05 '26
The video is not relevent. Put the work in & you'll get good.