Should I practice?

[Unhorizon]

I have come to a crossroads. Throughout the past year, I have practiced a decent amount on guitar. 2-3 hours a day consistenly, which isn't great, but it's enough that I have improved significantly over the past year. Lately, I have started to practice more and more, about 5-6 hours a night, in hopes of one day becoming a good guitar player. But one there is one thing I am very afraid of. If I practice for hours a day for the next few years and I don't "make it" I am afraid I will feel my whole teenage life was wasted ( I am 15). I don't know whether to totally go for music as a career, or hobby. But at the same time, I would love to be like Steve Vai or John Petrucci one day (not like their playing, but their status, like they inspire people and give them joy through music), but am afraid I won't make it. Has anyone else come across this problem, and how did you get over it or did you not, and what do you think I should do?

[Koala]

I guess part one is to decide wether you wanna take a shot at it or not. Nobody in this world can guarantee youll be the next John Petrucci, but if you go to lawschool i cant guarantee youll be the next Johnny Cochran either.
Keep in mind youre only 15 and life can take many turns, if you wanna practice 24 hours a day, do it, if you wanna stick to 3 hours plus have a life, do it as well. Remember that you musnt have killer technique in order to make it in music. You hafta be an all-around good musician, and living life definitely gives you all the inspiration you need.
I know i spent my teens practicing and playing and it was totally worth it.
Its all up to you, and dont give it much thought just let things happen.

hope this really helps ya,

[Caffeinated Cat]

Just get in a band and I can pretty much guarantee you you'll never feel like your teenage years were wasted :D

[Axe-aholic]

Good question. I'm kinda wonder the same thing at times, except I'm turning 18 soon so it's a bit more of a bigger deal- i.e I already wasted most of my teenage years :p.
You know, I don't really have a big group of friends outside my immediate family (two, actually), I live out in the country and was homeschooled...plus I'm a shy person so I didn't get around socially too much. It used to get me depressed a lot, but then I began to realize that the only reason I was depressed over it was because I thought I wasn't living the life of "success" (socially, finacially, etc) that is portrayed by our warped culture through the media and other things.
What is the true meaning of success? It's really an unanswerable question except by the individual himself. But I can assure it's not the image of rich bourgeois with the latest everything who's the hit of every party. At least, that's not the image everyone should hold.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is...let's say you do try to make the guitar thing work. If it's really what you desire..even if you don't 'make it' then your teenage years would not be a waste regardless. Man can follow wholeheartedly after what he desires without achieving some level of success.
If your desire is to become a great guitarist, I say go for it. Just make sure it's your desire. If it is, I wouldn't worry to much about being afraid of 'making it'.

Anyway, end of rant. I doubt it made a bit of sense, lol.

[xenor]

I have lived the same crossroad with you. Whane I was 15, I was thinking about whether I should be a professional or not. I didn't make a decision back than and keeped practicing. Right now, I'm 17. I'm giving lessons to 3 students right now and made my decision about musicianship. I'm finishing the high-school next year and going to the college to study music.
And there's one more thing. Even if don't go pro, you won't be dissapointed if you play good. After all, it's not about money or the status, it's just about playing. But I recommend you to make a growth in all things about music. Study Music History as well as you study alternate picking. Study Solfege as well as you study sweeping etc...
Hope this helps

[Lowthorpe]

Axe-aholic, that 100% makes sense IMO, those were a few ideas I was kicking around before, and for me, 'making it' in music and guitar would be able to play at a level that is competent in my view, and just to be able to express myself and to create my own music and songs.
Sure, I would love to be the next <Insert virtuoso here> but I know that I just don't have the determination to go ahead and practice all the time to get there, but that doesnt mean I wouldn't be able to make it, because like Axe-aholic said, 'making it' can only be defined by yourself.

[Ein]

Daily, I tell myself to practice, I don't. I find myself playing guitar less and less and spending time on the internet learning, and telling people things, things which I have learned, and have theorized about, and damn, I should be playing. But, you're 15 man, I wish I was 15, even though I'm 17. I wish I knew back then, what I know now, two years is enough time to change things, I'm going to be next year, then then off to (community )college for a music program ( I can't go to a university, because of my grades, and lack of studying, what I did instead of studying? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING :( ) Beauty of school kids, is you can't really have a life five days of the week if you want to get through the next day well. You've got friday night, saturday, and a good part of sunday to get through what you wish to do. I would suggest this, for school time situations. Lets say you're done with homework, by 8, or are doing homework, you've got 5 hours before 8 to do things in, right? 5 hours is enough, and by 8, you're home, doing homework, an hour later, its 9. And lets say you go to sleep at 12, or earlier, or later, heck, it don't matter, but you've got a couple hours of practice, and you can watch TV and practice, watch TV and do scales to get your accuracy down, and stuff. You can have a life and practice guitar to perfection. And I don't practice, as much as I doodle around for time to time. I wish I had a strict practice, but, I'm not strict enough of a person, hahaha. Play on. :D

[Danster]

Hey Unhorizon, good questions. I guess my question for you would be, what would you be doing with your time if you werent' playing the guitar? That is, do you feel like your social life, school studies, or something else is suffering because of your guitar playing? If so, you might wanna cut back a little.

While you really oughta follow your dreams, and goals are very worthwhile, its best to realize that there are a lot more Vai- or Petrucci-wannabes than there will be guitar god slots to fill. It is risky to "put all your eggs in one basket" if you're going for a high risk career like something in the entertainment industry. There are many many highly talented guitarists out there who are unknowns (including some awsome players who frequent this board). There is more involved in being successful and famous than just having chops. It often takes connections, incredible tenacity, and a lot of luck. I'd say if you will consider yourself a failure if you don't reach the status of Vai or Petrucci, then I think your goal is too high.

If you love the guitar, the time you spent practicing won't be wasted regardless of whether you reach Vai status or not.

Good luck dude!

[Rizla]

I think 10 hours a day is a little excessive. I mean there are people who could play for 2 hours a day and become a better guitarist then people who lock themselves in their room and play 24/7. If you are playing 10 hours a day then there is a good chance you will get some nasty condition with your hands if you are not careful, then you will never "make it". Still there are many guitarists out there that are probably 10 times better then Vai but haven't made it because they don't have the confidence or the looks or whatever. Anyway, if you truly believe you can make it then you will. Don't try to be as good as Vai or Petrucci though, try to be better.

Oh and think of it this way, if you don't make it, you can atleast teach and make money that way to.

[Dommy]

My dad practices Aikido(as do I), and sometimes when a prospective student comes in, they ask how long it takes to get a blackbelt, and my dad gives them a truthful answer (a couple of years), then they ask what if I come 5 days a week? He just tells them it will take 5 times longer.

The lesson is that after a certain point, practicing 10 hours a day probably wont do ask much as a regular schedule of disciplined 2-3 hour sessions, because it doesn't sink in as well. The human mind has limits.

[sugarbee]

I'm also of the opinion that forcing something because you think you should kind of negates the activity. I find myself often thinking, I should be using this time to practice, instead I'm vegging on the couch...surfing the net...whatever. So I grab the guitar and start in on it. But If I'm really not in the mood it doesn't do me a lot of good. Not that I'm saying there aren't times when you should do it even if you don' feel like it, but there's a limit. If you feel there is something else you would rather be doing, don't ignore that voice too much. But I also agree with some of the other posts in here that if you enjoy playing, don't worry too much about what you might be missing. I think it's really a personal, instinctual thing.

[jmtyjmrf]

yes you should practice, but only if it is what you want to do, there is nothing wrong with practicing excessive amounts either. i play about 8-14 hours a day depending on what i am working on. it is absolutely ignorant to think that the more you practice the more you will suck. you have to have a passion to practice this much though. when i was 15 (im 17 now) i was playing 8-9 hours a day daily, take advantage of your free time. and if you feel that you could waste your teen years, then you are most likely not the kind of person that should practice excessive amounts. in my expieriance, all of the guys i grew up with decided to live out their teen years in an atypical fashion, i chose the path of my guitar. two guys i used to play in a band with out of that group of people are now in jail for drugs. the rest of them surrendered to apathy and are now very boring to be around. my point from this is that the guitar can keep you out of a lot of trouble, when i was practicing 8 hours a day i didnt exactly have time to go smoke pot or drink, nor that i wanted to, those are for weak people. so to end this i rant i say, if your want to be great, truly have a passion for it, and dont care if you are famous or not, play as many hours a day as you can. if you want to be average and still have a normal life (mine is far from it) then practice even 2 hours a day or less, it comes down to WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY. i hope this advice helps, i hope you find the upmost joy in music regardless of your involvement. i must get back to practicing now - justin :cool:

[theguitarist]

Even i am passing through this stage or should i say i passed.I got my answer,i will do what im best at and have satisfaction that i did what i wanted.I don't want to regret that i could have been a musician etc..etc....So i want to make the use of time and practice the hell out and go through the pathway of being a musician.But im my personal opinion i think the path i am talking about is a long and rough one.So "IN CASE" theres an emrgency i could try out plan B.Thats why i have kept two options in front of me.So i need to keep track of two things and decide what can be given priority number 1 in the later years of my life.But for now,both are going smooth :D

[redmunk]

i am in a constant battle between humans and guitars. Not that i practice a huge amount 2-3hrs, but just that it's enough to eat into time with friends and my girlfriend. In the end, I have decided that much as i don't like being dragged out of my rat hole of guitar playing to hideous things like movies, dinner and sick like, without this constant knocking on my door from the outside world i would be no kind of musician at all because i wouldn't be human anymore. I have my girl to thank for that. ;)

[redmunk]

obviously that was meant to me 'such like', not 'sick like', Thank you freud

[aaeolean]

I'm 27 now and I once thought like you. I was actually thinking about this last night. What is "making it"? I don't really know. I look at my present situation and here' what it is:

Part time Pawnbroker
I teach about 12 students a week
I play professionally about 10 times a month (solo acoustic)

Do i think I've made it? No, cause I still work at the pawn shop. Do i feel like my life is fullfilled? Definately. I realized when I was about 20 that I was put on this earth to play guitar. I don't fight it any more. I know I'll never be famous but that doesn't bother me at all. When I was younger I used to worry about not making it. Now all of a sudden I'm 27. There's still lots more that I want to acomplish and I just have to keep working on it. My biggest fear is of wasting what I have and the amount of time that I've put into it. I think it would be a waste if I just played as a hobby now.

Just keep at it and make sure you're enjoying yourself. Like someone said above and I can really relate......get into a band and you'll never regret your teenage years.

BEN

[Axe-aholic]

without this constant knocking on my door from the outside world i would be no kind of musician at all because i wouldn't be human anymore.

Well, it's my goal to trancend humanity....Humans ain't all they're cracked up to be :p

[Unhorizon]

I absolutely love playing. I play as much as I can during the day before I get too tired. I get tired easily so usually wind up in bed by 12, 1 if I'm lucky. This leaves me with a solid 4 hours a day, sometimes 5. I don't know of many bands where I live but hopefully I will find one when I get to college. But my playing is still fuled by dreams of one day being someone like John Petrucci or Steve Vai. Until then, I'll go practice. Thanks for the responses guys.

[axe_man_oli]

I am 15 also, and I'm going for a life as a musician. Its all i want to do. I probably wont make it as big as all the really famous shredders but i would be really satisfied to just make music for a living. If that means playing all the time and making peanuts I'm up for it. It sure as hell beats normal work. Who knows? if i put my all into guitar for the next couple of years i should be able to see wether i have good musicians potential, if i still cant string a lick together without sounding like turd then i will just take it down a notch and go about life in the norm....

One thing i might have to do is relocate. In England there isnt much hype for shred or extremely precise technical guitar playing. I might have to move to the U.S. to stand a chance of being noticed for my ability. I think if I stay in the U.k., and potential i migth of had as a great guitarist will drown.....

If i do make it into the big time... then i'll be happy...:)

[Axe-aholic]

I might have to move to the U.S. to stand a chance of being noticed for my ability.

Oh...and here I was planning to move to Europe to get noticed :p

Shredders don't get noticed in the US either, pal

[Tenebrae]

But at the same time, I would love to be like Steve Vai or John Petrucci one day (not like their playing, but their status, like they inspire people and give them joy through music), but am afraid I won't make it. Has anyone else come across this problem, and how did you get over it or did you not, and what do you think I should do?

Yeah...I decided I didn't want to be like those guys(well...maybe like Satch...he's my favourite out of all those "muses")...I'm 21 now and much happier :D

And about practicing...you MUST practice if you want to be good...in fact you MUST practice if you want to play even the simplest of chord progressions or the simplest pentatonic. Practice does not make perfect...practice makes everything...

Cheers

EDIT: And study too...practice and study....

[axe_man_oli]

Oh...and here I was planning to move to Europe to get noticed :p

Shredders don't get noticed in the US either, pal

oh great.. well maybe i'll move out to some other europan country because here the whole shred thing is DEAD...

I don't know of any really really good English guitarists who are big... THere are some really good players but they are too few and far between... there isnt much of a market for shredders here... I think that shred is more popular in other european countrys as is metal... Germany is a good place to be at.... not sure about the other countries.... I guess its all about being at the right place at the right time and being able to play well.... I mean if a really awesome already established guitarist happens to catch you shredding at some show and they really like it, then you have a good window of oppertunity.....
I have to do something with my playing... i enjoy it but i just dont want all this hard work to go for nothing... Still, everybody else had it this way... its not like satch and vai arent the same as everybody else... they just did the hard work and got what they deserved...

[Gandalv]

Norway has a few really good guitarists, but they aren't acknowledged or very well known. There's a guy here in Bergen called Mads Eriksen who plays the heavier types of music and is brilliant technically. He has awoken some interest down in Europe, but he isn't near being as well known as some of the other "underground" guitarists. It's a real shame that many artists in his class aren't recognized more by the mainstream market, I say..

[axe_man_oli]

It is a shame that so many talented players go unnoticed... I don't want to go unnotced if i ever get that good...
Actually... i think a very good way of becomeing noticed is maybe through the internet... A lot of big people in the music industry probably cruise past a few of these kind of sites every now and then... A few rising players got to where they are at threw the net... I guess if i get that good i will get a website together and try and spread it around...

There isnt enough demand for this kind of music for there to be that many famous players out there... with the internet, people from all over can share their music and some will get well known for it...
I think you just have to find where its at at the right time and go along with whatever is happeing and if enough people like what you are doing then you can make a good living from it... it sure aint easy though...

[Maarten]

I've never practised more than 2 hrs. per day for longer than, say 3 days. There are days on which I don't touch the guitar at all. I'm progressing steadily, and am in the last year of my conservatory study.
But I do listen to about 3 cd's per day. I noodle around on the piano for 15-60 minutes a day. I try to figure stuff out when I hear it. I try to compose as much as possible. I search the internet for new stuff and knowledge. And during the school periods I study for all kinds of different music related subjects.

What I want to say is: There are more ways to learn music than just practicing guitar. I don't believe 4 hours is going to do you any more good than 3, unless you have an extraordinary concentration span and endurance, or unless you spread it out over the day (like 4x an hour).
I also don't think practicing is the most important thing. Listening to music and playing with other people are. I like to compare learning music to learning a language, sans the technical aspect. You'll learn French faster when you go to France and try to talk to people, and are surrounded by the language all day than when you buy a french learning book and sit with it in your room each day.
About the technique aspect that's left out of this: Most guitar players have technique that is way ahead of their listening/aural imagination skills and thus play technically impressive crap. I like guitar, but I like music even better.

[Axe-aholic]

I think shred is bigger in Asia, isn't it? I think Tom Hess said that most of his CD sales are to Japan

[LarryJ]

i didn't read through all these, cause i have my own opinion (maybe its shared with others, in that case I'll agree) but from the sounds of it, you really enjoy playing guitar, how is that wasted time? Guitar is something that will last you a lifetime, and something you can always turn to. Even if you dont end up "making it big" you can still play out regularly and really impress people, or teach or whatever you want to do on the side.

It's a lifelong obsession, try to think of it like that, instead of a means to a career. It's not like your learning to program a computer, and will never use it if you dont get a job. Think of it like a sport or something where you can play to relax and whatever else.

[Bongo Boy]

But one there is one thing I am very afraid of. If I practice for hours a day for the next few years and I don't "make it" I am afraid I will feel my whole teenage life was wastedThis is exactly why I keep repeating this: it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. There are very, very few things in life that you can afford to be unhappy with because of a promise of something good when it's over. I'm not sure I can think of ANY, actually.

There're at least two real dangers in maintaining even the concept of 'making it'. First, there are many folks who really saw the world that way--and who, at one point, believed they had 'made it'. At that point, they begin to deteriorate, rest on their laurels, get lazy, lose the 'edge'. This happens to all sorts of folks in all sorts of fields of endeavor--they stop striving to get better, stop getting educated, stop doing 'homework'.

Second, there are the folks who never feel they've made it, but who keep hoping the ship will come in. They aren't happy in their quest, because they have no love of the chase--they just want the elusive quarry.

You have to have the passion for the 5 hours of daily practice--otherwise, whether you 'make it' or not, it will all be wasted. I think.

[axe_man_oli]

Well said... I have the passion.. but i guess i would feel a little peeved if it was all for nothing... which im sure it wont be because i have learnt so many new things that will last me a lifetime....


I think Japan is booming in terms of shred... thats where everybody gets big in shred music... i guess i could go there... its supposed to be a cool place as well...

[Bongo Boy]

...its supposed to be a cool place as well...Sometimes referred to as "Pluto" by the Westerners who are assigned there--I've heard it takes a lot of getting 'acquainted with'.

I'd expect the sushi to be pretty good, though. :)

[Rizla]

If you have the talent, determination and looks then you will succeed with whatever it is you want to do in the music business.

[Bongo Boy]

...and determination will overcome any shortcomings with the other two.

[Rizla]

You would have to be one very determined person.

[axe_man_oli]

Sometimes referred to as "Pluto" by the Westerners who are assigned there--I've heard it takes a lot of getting 'acquainted with'.

I'd expect the sushi to be pretty good, though. :)
It does look a little weird there... but if thats where all the guitar players are at them I'm going there...

[LarryJ]

Actually shred and metal isn't any more popular there than it is here. 90% of what sells in japan, is japanese bands. Mostly japanese pop and soft rock/ska type stuff. This stuff will make your head explode, its so catchy and girlish. When I was there thats all you heard anyways; also I've read/listened to a few interviews with Marty Friedman and he said the exact same thing. They buy into stuff like some big international artists, but most of it is strictly japanese stuff. For some reason people have these images of japan being the home of shred metal guitar, probably cause like 1/2 the videos in the 80's were in japan or had japanese-esque stuff in them, and alot of cd's are import cds.

Japan has more shred cd's because there is a following for it there, but its limited like in the US. The difference is that the japanese actually BUY cd's....it also might be cheaper to release cd's there as well, but I'm not sure about that.

[LarryJ]

Guitar.com: How does the music scene in Japan differ from the U.S.?

Friedman: As far as music goes, it just seems like there's a bigger demand for more varied kinds of music here. There's just more music - there's more quantity of music and if there's more quantity, then that kind of means that there's more quality, because the standard is really high. People really buy a lot of music and listen to a lot of music here. What might surprise you is that domestic music in Japan outsells the international music by about 90 percent to 10 percent. When I'm talking about international, I mean U2, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Metallica, and those types of artists. All that takes up about 10 percent of what gets sold over here. The other 90 percent are all Japanese artists. It's absolutely a massive scene here and it's not unusual for a Japanese artist to sell a million copies. Like the Japanese artist I'll be touring with, Aikawa Nanase, she's sold 12 million records here in Japan.

There's just a lot of music and the more you dig in, the more you learn. The music is completely different from American music. They borrow from American music to some extent, but the sense of creating a melody is, I think, very different from the way of creating melodies in America. Because people intend to sing these songs at home or in karaoke, the melodies have to be relatively easy to understand and really sink into your head after the first listen. They can't be too ad libbed or improvised, or too wacky. I think it's an art to create a melody that is really easy to pick up and understand right away. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

[axe_man_oli]

Yeh your right... but there is still a bigger following for it...
They arent all shred heads but there are more people interested in that type of music than in other places...

also if you think about the 90 - 10 percent.... Japan is very largely populated.... That ten percent is going to be a big number of sales... I read somewhere on Vai.com where Steve talks about how he is doing really god in Japan and how they like his kind of weird music... i think they like that stuff... The japanese always seem a little different.. kinda crazy...

A lot of shred artists have done marvelously in Japan... more than they have in other places... I think its a good place to be noticed because they are always willing to hear new things...

All I'm gunna do if i get to a stage where i can take my playing to a properly proffesional status is record a demo... send it about... see if i can get some kind of endorsement and travel... get around to some new places and spread my music.. if a get really lucky people will start to pick it up... if im not... then I'll teach or.... set up a website such as this...
My ambitions might sound a little farfetched but i wont get there if i dont try in the first place....

[Tenebrae]

My thoughts on Japanese music fans are that when a Japanese likes it he doesn't...he's just fanatical about it. So, it doesn't matter what type of music you're playing, if he likes it he probably likes it A LOT!
If you watch video bootlegs or official live videos of any of the Japan gigs of a band like Arch Enemy(Swedish melodic death-metal is quite trendy nowadays, not just in Japan, so trendy I'm beggining to grow a personal hate for swedish melodic death-metal bands) you can see hordes of Japanese screaming their lungs out like a 60s teen The Beattles fan.
This is true for music and other "gaijin" stuff, just look at Real Madrid's famous Japanese Tours...people going crazy, screaming for Beckham and Figo...going wild all over nothing really...I think they're just crazy.... my 0.2€

:D NIPPPOOOOOOOOON! :D

Cheers

[axe_man_oli]

They are somewhat crazy... thats what i mean.. they have some kind of addiction to out of the nromal things... like flashing lights and crazy music....

And if they like it then they like it ALOT....