One of the many, many great and rewarding things about playing the guitar is that you are always LEARNING. There is no limit to how far you can take it. Even the greatest guitar Gods and prodigies like Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, etc, still PRACTICE their instrument.
Playing the guitar never "gets old" or boring. This is what inspires me most about playing, besides the instant satisfaction and pleasure playing the guitar provides. It's the simple fact that there is always more.
Playing the guitar is addictive. Music is addictive. It is very much like a drug. Plugging in and cranking up to 11 gives you that fix of pleasure you long for when you are away from it too long, and when you are done it isn't long before you are wanting it again.
But sometimes we plateau in our playing. Meaning we get to a certain level where we think we have learned all there is that we will ever be able to do. This is especially present in those who have been playing for many years.
I am not talking about writer's block (for those who compose their own music), or as some like to call it; "loosing their Mojo".
I am talking about our physical level of guitar playing ability.
When we hit those "plateaus" it sometimes becomes easy to, not loose interest in playing, but to become content at where we are in our ability.
Thinking this way, content at where we are, is a major contributor that will hold us back even further from progressing.
So I guess with that said, it means in order to progress we have to stay hungry. So how do we do that?
Obviously everyone is different. Methods are different. What works for some won't necessarily work for others. Let me share what works for me.
What I love the most is jamming with other people.
Of course another one of the great things about playing is that you can do it by yourself. That's how most of us as kids learned to play. Locked away in our rooms for hours on end with eager hunger and dreams of rock n' roll splendor.
And it stays with us even now. There is nothing like coming home from a long day, picking up your axe and hammering away for what can sometimes turn into hours. We can loose ourselves in it. And I think that this solo time is very important. This is where we hone our skills and sharpen our blades. This is where we practice those scales, etc, over and over, or hammer out certain riffs to get them just right. This "alone time" is, after all, the setting where we all did most of our learning. It's what gave us our confidence to come out of our rooms and play in front of other people.
But when it comes to feeding the hunger, staying inspired, and keeping those fires lit hot, it is jamming with other players I enjoy the most. I have played in bands with other guitarists and I have played in bands where I was the only axeman.
I gotta say, I get pushed harder and driven more when I am in a setting when another guitarist is in the equation. I love coming home from a jam or a band practice in a studio someplace completely WIRED. Even though I was just playing for a few hours and I am tired, sweaty and my ears are ringing; I am so wired, excited and inspired that I sometimes can't help but go immediately into that alone time, and PRACTICE.
Playing with other guitarists is what provides me with the fuel I need to keep the passion burning. It keeps me on my toes and pushes me to progress. It's not unhealthy competition where I feel like I have to out-do the other guy, it's an honest feeling of genuine inspiration I get when I am in a room with another player as we engage in a little friendly session of guitar battle.
Last night I had one of those magical nights. Jamming with a friend and we laughed out loud as we both heard one another pull crazy stuff out of thin air. I heard him play stuff I know I wouldn't have come up with, and I heard myself playing things I know I could never have come up with if I was just playing there alone.
Yes, music is addictive. It is magical, it is mysterious. It is powerful.
This is what keeps me inspired. This is what helps me to not be content when I plateau. This is what keeps me excited about music and about playing the guitar.
Happy Jamming!
Combat Colin.
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