Confidence, please read Options

[RIP Dime]

Confidence is something I'd liked to see discussed, it's a huge part a playing I think. As of recently I've realised without confidence in your playing you can't play to your full potential.
I'd love for Kris to read this, it's a success story of someone who learned guitar from nothing, with GMC to guide me the whole way.

Kind of a long story here, but please read it, you need to read it to understand where I'm coming from, if you don't have some time on your hands, just walk away LOL

I've been really bad with confidence, I've never thought that I was a music person, and that made me put off lots of things, like learning to play guitar, I've always wanted to learn since I first got into listening to music(at around age11), but I never thought of myself as a guy that would be good at an instrument, everyone I knew that played an instrument made it look so easy, but I was intimidated, because it all seemed so hard when I tried to play instruments. But I finally, picked up the bass guitar, and started learning with no goals or ambitions, just "let's try it and see where it goes", it was rough in the beginning, it took me a 1 months to learn how to tune the guitar, and 2 months to play a power chord, I was too intimidated to take lessons, and too proud to admit I needed them.

My first real breakthrough was Kris' lessons on UG, it was lessons on the song Curious Coincidence, the way Kris explained everything was so easy for me to understand that I actually learned the entire first lesson in one day! I was actually playing cool licks. That's when it hit me, that I could do this, I could eventually learn to play guitar well.

My second big breakthrough was recent, I learned that when I was playing I wasn't using my full abilities, I would tiptoe around the fretboard, trying so hard not to make mistakes, but I would still make mistakes, and it would kill my confidence. I was also in a band, and lets just say it didn't work out, it killed my confidence. I thought that I had no natural talent for the instrument, since the guys I was playing with all came from a musical family.

Now for the confidence breakthrough. I was in a particularly good mood one day, when I decided to crank my amp and jam just for the fun of it, I warmed up with Marcus' warm up exercises, Gabriel's Muse riffs, and some warm up stuff of my own. I then ran into Gabe's Rocker 2 lesson I think, the Led Zepplin kinda one, I didn't really pay attention to not making mistakes, and I of course made some, but I have played it cleaner before, but never before as fast or as toneful, I couldn't believe my ears, I played it so well. I thought it was just a one time thing, I played it again but trying to be perfect, total crap, another time, just jamming it, it came out awesome, better than I've ever played it. "There's gotto be something to this" I thought, so I pushed myself, I played Gabe's John Petrucci lesson, the one with odd time riff and solo, I totally ripped the solo part(in a good way), I was so pleased I had never played that fast and had it sound that good! I had the same result with David's country lesson, and Muris' Fast Country solo. I then just improved in E, wow I never knew I could play so fast, and that my vibrato was so good, it was crazy, like all my practice time with the metronome payed off all at once.

If you're bored, I really am sorry, if you think this is as cool as I do(if there are any of you ), thanks for reading.

I'd like to know if people have any guesses as to why confidence comes through your playing so much.
Does anybody know how you can improve your confidence? So maybe the long period I went through of sucking can be avoided?
I'm sure lots of you didn't have a problem with confidence in playing, any guess as to why?

Much thanks for any replies.

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[OrganisedConfusi...]

Glad to hear it man. I have zero confidence about any aspect of myself or my guitar playing but maybe one day I will post something like this Congrats again

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[RIP Dime]

Glad to hear it man. I have zero confidence about any aspect of myself or my guitar playing but maybe one day I will post something like this Congrats again

You can do it! (Trying not to sound like a wieght loss commercial) If I can do it you can to! (Nope still soundslike a commercial)
uhhh, I'll just stick with you can do it.

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[Nemanja Filipovi...]

well..first I am glad you struggled out of your problem..
I know people that never had that problem....and they are great guitarist know...and I know people who always had that problem..and never come trough that...
maybe it sound like a old story....but U need to tell your self from time to time..."I can do this"..."I can Do this"...and a lot of practice makes the confidence even stronger....

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[blindwillie]

I guess this is why so many of our instructor's emphasizes "Listen to the music" and " feel the music"

I'm sure everyone lacks of confidence to some extend, at least during some period.

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[Iluha]

Confidence comes with time, and I agree, it's one of the most important qualities you need as a musician, if you'r not comfortable and don't like what you play, than you can be sure other people won't like it either.

To me it was only a case of realising what I want to do musicly to gain confidence, once I realised my goal, my playing changed completely and I can proudly say that now I can play things that even a year ago I would say that I will never be able to play it!

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[Andrew Cockburn]

Great story

I would say that a big part of what happened was that you consolidated all your hard work and just relaxed. The reason we do all this practice is so that we don;t have to think about it when it matters - just letting your mind off the hook and trusting your body loosens you up mentally and physically to do the right thing and put your head where it matters - in the music not in the individual notes

Congrats!

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[Kristofer Dahl]

Well to be honest I don't think anyone is completely comfortable doing what they do - we are just more or less good at pretending.

I think the most important thing to realise is that if you feel you have made a fool of yourself in a particular situation - it is not a symptom of you being bad (many people assume this and it gives them bad confidence), instead it just means that you are not use to that situation.

If you put me in a situtaion I have never been in I will make a fool out of myself. If you ask me to play a pentatonic scale I will do it with confidence because I have done it sooo many times before.

I think bad confidence comes from someone else giving the "you are bad" signal (usually parents, and sometimes so early in people's life they don't even realise where they got it from!)

So I think the fastest way to get rid of bad confidence is to realise that everyone sucks before they get good - there is no way around that!

PS Awesome I could help you, RIP!

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[RIP Dime]

Of course Kris, I wouldn't be be where I am today if it wasn't for your efforts!
And yes Andrew, I do feel out the music much better now, and relaxing was a big part in me gaining confidence. The crazy part is the time that it took to turn around my playing, it was like I was playing guitar at less then half the ability I was capable of, then all of a sudden I'm playing with much more of my ability(I still think I got more work to get out the rest of my current ability, and who knows about my potential?).
Confidence is an awesome tool, it's great if you really listen you can hear the confidence in some one's playing, Dime's playing oozes with confidence, what a vibrato he has!
I hope people that struggle with confidence can get through it, I think it was actually easy for me, because I was completely ignorant of it, once I realised the problem, it almost corrected it self.
But it didn't just go away like nothing, old habits die hard, I'm trying to stay relaxed, and confident all the time now, it's not easy but with some mental effort, and positive thinking it helps.

I guess what Kris has been saying all along is true, about the fact that talent is actually confidence installed in someone at a young age. I never thought about it, but my parents didn't really sway me either way about music(I was into comics as a kid), but I did have this horrible music teacher in 3rd or 4th grade. He was a good musician, but a horrible teacher, so condescending, and mean to his students, he picked on many kids, and I was one of them. I guess that's what filled me with bad confidence. Wow, what a cool story, I was instilled with bad confidence by a bad teacher for years, and with the help of these great, positive teachers here at GMC, my confidence has pulled a U turn! Thanks to all the GMC staff, and my fellow students!

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[Scott Gentzen]

I'm sure lots of you didn't have a problem with confidence in playing, any guess as to why?

I don't know why it works, but it does, bigtime.

Even bad playing has its place when the player's confident in what he/she does. Kurt Cobain's a good example. Didn't really play well, but believed in his music and he kinda changed the world. Jimmy Page was kinda sloppy, but was absolutely confident in what he was doing. Sid Vicious literally didn't know how to play his instrument. The Ramones. KISS is a classic example of intentional style and confidence before substance and their results speak for themselves.

It goes a lot further than music though. Confidence, or at least the perception of confidence is a big factor in separating people that succed and people that don't. I know some people that spend a lot of time talking in front of groups of people who have terrible fears of public speaking...but they know how to "look confident" and they put that on when they step out and keep it up, the audience picks up on the confidence and has no idea they want to run off stage and throw up.

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[Daniel Robinson]

Awesome story.

IMO confidence comes from the enjoyment of the music your playing. Not the tecnique. You have to lose yourself in the moment and not be thinking about everything else. Sure having a good foundation makes you a better player. But honestly if the most simplistic riffs are played with enjoyment and enthusiasm you will reach the fundamental goal as a guitarist.


I don't care that i am not the fastest or most technical player on the planet. When i play it takes me out of myself.

Sure i want to improve my skills but at the same time i don't want to be a robot. Music has to touch you on a deeper level then scale theory and memorization. Once you break through this barrier your music takes on a whole greater level.

Its this constant striving to turn yourself inside out and translate that into music that the true guitarist has to live.
It doesnt matter if you can play a million miles and hour or if you only know one scale. If you take that one simple scale and transform it into a mirror for your own truth of music the feeling comes out and your audience will appreciate it more then if you can play the most technical piece of music like a robot.


A perfect example of this imo is Andy Timmons "Cry for you" its definately not a very technical piece of music. But watching him play it and listening to his spirit trancends the technical aspect.

This is where the confidence comes from by just being a musician.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaVVZYOvMFY


Daniel

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[RIP Dime]

Great Daniel, wise words. I didn't really notice it, but you're exactly right, when I am confident and relaxed is when I can just hang back and enjoy playing, and that is also when I create the most from-the-heart music. I'll heed your words, and try to always keep that in mind when trying to write MY music, or preform, record, or just jam it for fun.

But I also am far from the technical level I need to play the kind of music I hear, and feel inside me. So I'll continue practicing speed, accuracy, and tone control. That is my goal when I practice, to be able to express myself in form of song. I'm not at the level yet where I can speak all my feelings through my guitar, but I'm definitely working at it.

Thanks for the clip as well, powerful stuff.

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[Moon Boots]

Nice story dude

But my problem was the total opposite. In the past I never recorded myself and I just assumed that I was a decent player. It was only when I realised that I sucked that I began to make real progress. For me, the worse I feel about my playing the easier I find it to spot my mistakes and improve as a guitarist.

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[Tsarpf]

Wow, this is a good thread. I'm going to spend the rest of the day understanding it fully thanks.

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[Preston-Melodici...]

wow I support anything you do with my band Melodicintensions we do our first performance June 22 Parry Sound Bobby Orr Stockey Center! wooot cant wait

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[Ivan Milenkovic]

Very cool story I'm glad you see your progress pays out. It's a struggle but in the end all that hard work always pays out

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