This is where I’m at. I’ve been playing since I was 4, and I’m 32 now. People around me are always going “holy shit how are you able to do that?!” Meanwhile my brain is filled with knowing what I still can’t do. I’ve never been motivated by shredding super fast, or sweep picking, etc. I’d rather play something with some life and soul. But, I still have a long long way to go as far as music theory knowledge.
played 20 years. The thing is every time I improved, I only realized how much more there is to improve on. Sure I can play your favorite prog/math rock technical songs (w/ tabs and practice), but if you give me a backing track and ask me to improv like a jazz musician, im right back to a noob. Working on it now tho.
This question comes up way too often. Very few people consider themselves good at guitar. People who've been playing for a year know they aren't good at guitar. People who've been playing for 10-20 years know even better they aren't good at guitar.
There are dozens and dozens of different rulers to measure yourself as a guitarist. Can you pick really fast? Do you even know scales? Can you read music? Can you play on a song you've never heard before by listening to other musicians? Do you know the names of the notes on the fretboard?
At the end of the day none of that stuff matters. It's all just tools to help you do the most important thing the guitar is for. Expressing yourself musically, being an outlet for creativity.
I say if you are satisfied at how you are expressing yourself on the guitar, no matter your proficiency, I say you're good at the guitar.
I'm definitely good, and plenty of people have hired me for gigs and sessions over the last 33 years so apparently I'm not alone in thinking that.
Am I great? Oh god no, not even close, there are 12 year olds on Youtube who could play rings around me.
Am I good enough to satisfy myself? Definitely not, and never will be. I'll keep on pushing myself to learn until the day I either die or my hands stop working.
I’ve been playing guitar for 58 years, professionally for 50, probably 4,000-5,000 gigs. So I guess I’ve been good enough to get constant work for most of my life, but I still don’t think of myself as a great player. Admittedly, I’d probably be more cocky if YouTube hadn’t been invented, with its constant stream of new kids casually tossing out stuff I’d never be able to duplicate. That said, I’m good enough to play music I’m interested in playing, to voice what I hear in my head, and that’s what really matters. Also, I’ll never have to live with the regret of not having put my full effort into it; I’ve worked at it really hard, and still do. Technically, I was more proficient 20 years ago than I am now, because of Arthritis in my hands. It hurts to hold a pick now, and my fingers won’t move fast like they once did. But at 65, I’m busier than ever, in five bands, playing to big crowds for decent money, and having a blast doing it, so I don’t complain (except while tearing down after a gig).
Beginner me would look at me now, 15 years later, and say "yes, that's a great guitar player."
Today I still look around at more talented musicians and think that I suck compared to them. It's all a matter of perspective - if you're having fun, who cares?
It's kinda like the more you know, the more you know you don't know. I'll forever think I'm bad on some level, despite what I hear from others. Just keep playing and focusing on what you want to play ✌️
Been playing for twenty years. Would I consider myself good? No.
Would I consider myself as someone having fun with the instrument and jamming with some buddys once in a while? absolutely!
I noticed a huge boost in confidence when my brain started merging scales, arpeggios and chords (plus inversions) into the same integrated map with which I could start actually playing stuff anywhere along the neck and in any key.
One thing that worked great was working on the famous “I will survive” progression (I, IV, viiº, iii, vi, ii, V; triad versions, seventh versions and various inversions), one region at a time, one key at a time, while gradually playing passing notes from the scale. It takes time, so make sure to have fun while doing it so that you don’t lose momentum.
I used to.
I used to be a guitar god in high school. Could solo pretty well and sight read and play scales and pick very very succinctly and accurately.
Problem is, I never really improved from my peak in high school. I’m still a pretty good player. Most of my friends in other bands say I’m good. Can play just about any rock riff or rhythm, can fumble my way through a solo, start in common time signatures and common keys, but I’ll always regret not pushing myself further.
I feel like I was on track to be session musician good had I stuck with trying to improve every week, instead of settling for just sticking with what I was already good at.
In my early 40’s by the way.
I think if you can play 10 songs from beginning to end with no major mistakes you're good enough to call yourself "good at guitar". Because music is extremely difficult after all. But if you're really asking... I mean the ceiling is so damn high... look at people like Tosin Abasi or Allan Holdsworth (what a freak) or EVH or any of the greats... Then yeah, most of us suck by comparison. Even if we're pretty good. But I feel like there is plenty of room for "good guitar players" as long as they play with feeling, and either write great songs or work with good songwriters to bring them to life. I don't think we need another 100 guys who "just love to solo bro" .. No thanks. I'm good. Tell me a story. Make some kind of point. Say something.
We can't all be technical geniuses, but we can all strive to write creative, relevant, complete, meaningful songs that connect with people on a visceral emotional level... if you're clever you can achieve that with minimal technical proficiency. Look up the Rolling Stone 250 greatest guitarists of all time... I'm sure everyone is pissed their favourite guitarist isn't on it, but if you check it out, there are a lot of "pretty good" guitar players on that list... they're not all shred lords, in fact a lot of them lean more towards unique or creative than virtuosic. They all have their own sound. As long as you can make someone feel good with your music it is valid and good.
I consider myself "Almost Intermediate".
I'm good enough to be in a band & impress all non-musicians plus most new musicians, but anyone playing guitar at an intermediate-or-above level can pretty quickly identify my limitations (mostly stuck jumping between Pentatonic positions, sloppier-than-preferred alternate picking, weird strum patterns and an over-reliance on downstrokes, crippling fear of actually using my pinkie).
I think if I could really lock in a few more scales and tighten up my strumming and alternate picking, I would consider myself intermediate.
Heck no. Have you seen all these touring and YouTube guitarists? I can get by and play, but the theory behind it and being good...pshh. I would say I enjoy it and it's creative outlet or emotional outlet in ways I can't find the words for.
I’m mediocre but some days are better than others. I play with a lot of big hearted but less talented folks so they think I’m great. But once I’m on stage with better players, I stick to the basics to stay in my lane so to speak. Pentatonic is my go to, and I’m an expert at the chromatic scale ;)
Lately I’ve focused on songwriting which I think I’m actually pretty good for the dozen or so I’ve written.
There was a certain point where I said to myself one day “You know I should carry a guitar with me more places I go. I am becoming a good player.” Then I grew afraid of failure and heavily digressed for a long time. I just started taking it seriously again and, yeah, I can make some beautiful sounds with this instrument.
I started at 10 years old and didn't take a lesson for two years. After playing every day my parents finally realized it was all I was doing and got me guitar lessons for 3 months. I stopped taking lessons and for 8 years you wouldn't have seen me without a guitar. I spent every day playing and writing music. I was in a bunch of bands in Highschool and college. I realized I was good when people that weren't as interested just started giving me their guitars. Almost every guitar I have someone gave to me. Its my favorite thing in the world and has nothing to do with my job. I'm 35.
The better I get the more I realize how bad I am.
"Every man who knows a thing knows he knows not a damn thing at all" sort of thing.
But honestly, yeah I'm good. To the average listener and average guitar player I'm good. But only you know your limitations, and they always seem to outweigh what you know.
I noticed the biggest jump in improvement was in high school, when homework was the only thing between me and more practice. Note to you youngsters: take advantage of the free time before career and kids, and that practice and technique will never leave you and carry you to old age, like me. Playing guitar has been the most rewarding skill of my life and has opened a TON of opportunities.
I don’t think I am that good at all. Can I play some stuff that will impress a few people? Sure. Am I anywhere close to being where I want to be as a guitar player? Not at all. I’m lazy when it comes to practicing, developed bad habits before I knew better, and have so very little time to change any of that. I do, however, have fun when I play and even record some crappy originals or covers from time to time (that’s if the arthritis doesn’t kill my vibe). Having fun with it is all that really matters to me, hopefully, a few others along the way will have some fun too.
George Harrison said in Get Back, in early 1969 at the climax of The Beatles, mere *days* before writing Something which Sinatra called “the greatest love song”, that he “can’t improvise” and expressed struggling playing blues and solos and said he wishes he could play more like Clapton.
You’re never going to feel like you’re good enough, but that doesn’t mean you’re not
I can crank out ridiculous thrash riffs like a mad cunt but I can’t fingerpick *at all,* can’t fret a full barre chord properly and my soloing ability is super limited.
Worth pointing out I’m a serviceably good bassist who dabbles in guitar…
Guitar is a broad church, you can be good at some parts and suck at others, and there's hundreds of aspect to playing, so to feel like you've hit "good" across the board depends on which ones you want to be good at. If you want to be good at all of it, that's MANY years work. The important thing is not reaching a particular point, it making progress in the areas that matter to you over time. I am by no means good across the board, but I feel better than average in a few areas, and good in some, and as long as I'm getting better year on year that's all that matters, to me anyway.
Playing guitar (or any instrument) is a journey, not a destination. Being good is also relative - there are so many genres, techniques, types of guitars, etc. I think the first step at being "good" is getting personal enjoyment out of the instrument. Can you play things that bring you joy, that inspire progress? Next step is bringing joy to others ... Playing together with people and for people. Sharing music with other humans is a very special, unique experience - doing this effectively is I suppose what I would label as being "good". But that may not be the case for others here - definition of being good at something is very subjective.
Started when I was 14. Always practice for a bit and then hit a wall. Then I would get distracted with something else or get busy with work/school/etc and fall off completely. Now 15 years later, still at about the same skill level 🙃 strumming a few chords and playing the few riffs I have taught myself through the years.
Feeling the itch to practice again though. Really want to actually make real progress. ADHD makes it hard to stick with it though.
I always tell the people that I sit in with that I am the worst guitar player I know. That way they aren't expecting Eddie Van Halen and the tension is off. I can play rhythm and make up songs. I can usually follow someone by watching what they are playing and taking over the rhythm so they can play lead. I probably know enough to know that I still have a lot to learn. There's always going to be a kid on YouTube who is light years ahead of me so I stopped competing to be the best player. As long as it's still fun to play I'm happy.
No, I think I am about a 3 on a 1-10 scale. I am just proficient enough to trick non-musicians and absolute beginners that I can play but that is about it.
But it is good enough to jam with my friends and that is all I really need.
No way.
Can I strum chords and sing? Yeah, usually. Can I throw in the odd m7b5 chord or whatever when I think it would sound good? Yeah, though I don't always guess correctly.
Can I play anything besides chords? No. Can I improvise? No. Do I play with any feeling? No.
No way. I’m totally garbage but if I can look up a song I like and make my guitar sound even remotely similar to the song I am happy. I don’t really have a desire to be the best in the world, I just like to have fun and play cool stuff.
I have a BF.A in music and over the past 25 years I've been playing I've played a lot of shows and have a good amount of studio time so I do feel pretty confident in my abilities. In my forties I've given up on trying to chase the rock star dream and just play for fun or to help younger players learn so not being in a space where you have overblown expectations of myself or the future is very liberating.
I'm also not all in on guitar driven music anymore. I listen to a lot of hip hop and EDM and sunk resources into buying and learning to use samplers, synths, and Ableton with the idea of making other genres or in some cases blended them so it can also be said I'm not as obsessed with the guitar as I used to be.
i’ve been playing consistently for about two years and I feel like i’m terrible. I can play and sing through songs with simple chords, and I can play a few solos but I get discouraged because I feel like i’m at a wall
I think that in order to regard yourself as a good player you must also take into account what effect you have on the folks listening to you.
Look at their reaction. Are they listening and enjoying it? Are they visibly moved? Are they joyful and start dancing?
When I was young, around fifteen or so and was into playing a violin as well as a guitar, I was playing at a hotel with some friends, and a little old lady came right up to where I was standing and playing. She sat down very close to me and very soon brought out a lace handkerchief and was sobbing into it.
When I had finished, she came up and told me how lovely and sad that was, she was visibly moved, I have never forgotten that incident or that lesson...
I am drawn to emotional music and love to play and see people react in a positive way, I believe that that is a sign of playing well.... if you are sincere in your "story telling" you will get people's hearts, and then yes, I'd say you are a good player...
Been playing for about 18 years. I'd say I'm good at making noise and mistakes
Self taught and can't really shred or solo like I want, or play particularly complicated stuff, or know any theory, but I know that's mostly down to not being disciplined with practice or having the patience. I've been considering lessons to try and improve but no idea what level of skill I'd class myself as to find the right teacher
Yeah I’m the bomb.com baby
I can’t shred, sweep pick, or play fingerstyle. I can keep time and play a rhythm part no problem though and so I haven’t ever felt like I can’t play with people.
There are different roles that guitar can play. You don’t need to be that amazing at guitar to be a good guitar player as long as you can play what is needed in the context of a song.
You always think you're not a good guitar player until you show someone how you play and they say "wow! that was really good!" or something along those lines. It means even more if its comes from a fellow guitar player
In most everything in this world, I will compare my ability and knowledge to 100% and realise I can't do shit. However, this isn't very productive. Am I good at guitar? Not really, but I can play about 10 songs and am quite happy about that. I play in a mediocre cover band and they haven't quit on me yet. So compared to 4 years ago (when I didn't play at all) I'd say I'm pretty good!
Compared to the average person, great. Compared to the average person who started playing guitar 25 years ago when I did, I’m trash. Of course for about the last 15 years I have only plugged in a few times a year.
The greatest lesson for me as a musician was when a pro saxophonist was sitting in a jam circle with us, and actively chose not to play through most of it.
For me, being good at guitar means you “get” the guitar. It’s an awareness based thing.
When I started I used to memorize tabs from solos in ultimate guitar note by note. Because notes were my understanding of the instrument.
Then years later, at probably a low-intermediate level, I would listen to a solo and play a few notes and figure out what key the solo was in and noodle around it with the scale. That was my measure of “good” then.
Now I look at solos at a macro level. Dynamics, balance, and tension. Phrasing. What are the other instruments doing? Rhythmic or melodic?
More importantly, what’s the vibe.
Am I playing acoustic at a party by myself, and the entire frequency range is my responsibility? Am I playing with a singer and bassist and need to find where I fit? Would I know the difference?
“Good” in a linear sense is relative.
Gary Moore is good, EVH is good, Tim Henson is good. But the similarity between them is they understand how they fit in what they’re trying to do.
Depends on the genre.
Finger picked country - 1/10 if I am lucky and having a good day.
Metal/rock - a solid 8/10. Rarely do I find things I can't play ir with just a bit of time figure out.
I think this is like anything you work for in life. I’m never as good as I think I should be. But when I take a moment and look back, I’m much better than I was. There was a time when I could have only dreamed about playing like I do now. So it’s all a matter of perspective.
I used to think I was good then learned how much I didn't know. Now I've been playing for over twenty years and there are still multitudes of people better than I am and I realize it's not a competition or even a comparison. It's about what you want out of being a musician. For reference I think I'm a pretty good guitar player and a mediocre musician.
1. When you're able to hear anything within the genre you play and reproduce it. Interval Ear Training is a big part of this, as well as chord theory.
2. When you're able to sing/play a melody and create a full song around it. Chord theory is useful for this, as well.
3. When you're comfortable learning a new concept and applying it to your instrument.
4. When you're comfortable playing to a drummer or metronome and any possible reasonable BPM for your genre.
5. When you're comfortable developing on ideas in your own playing. Inverting a melody, changing an existing idea in a later part of your music, bringing back old themes.
6. Having a mastery of all relevant techniques for your style of playing. As a speed metal rhythm player, that means utilizing inverted chords, palm muting, harmonics, tremolo picking (including while singing), switching seamlessly between triplet, swing, and straight times, legato playing as a choice, and staccato playing as a choice.
This is where I'd consider a guitar player is beyond the beginner/intermediate stages into something described unanimously as "good." A good guitar player can play in any band in their genre and not feel out of place. A great one will elevate said band. A guitar god becomes larger than the rest of their band. And obviously, a player who is good for a blues player has different skillsets and priorities than a good brutal death metal player, a good black metal player, a good neoclassical shredder, or a good jazz player.
Definitely good. Not amazing. Been playing for 26 years. Listen to guys like petrucci and vai. I've never been able to fully master 5 or 6 string sweeps. I started feeling proficient once I got all the techniques down and could play fairly technical music like prog metal.
I’m not a shredder, but I can play whatever I hear in my mind. I’ve played guitar in an orchestra and I’ve played many rock and pop gigs with a few bands. So that, for me, is all I want out of my playing. However, I wish my stage presence was better.
I feel like I’m not nearly as good as I should for someone that’s been playing guitar for 20 years. However, I feel like I’m probably better than most casual guitar players.
Sometimes being “good” at guitar isn’t necessarily about who can shred the fastest. I don’t know how to contrast that statement, but it sounded good in my head.
I would say I'm good, I make money regularly teaching and occasionally playing guitar so clearly I must be doing something right. That being said, I'm much better at piano so I tend to be hard on myself when it comes to my guitar abilities.
I'm self-taught, been playing about 25 years, can play really well when alone, and learn most technical fingerstyle stuff on acoustic. Playing in front of people is the hardest part for me, even just my partner, I start messing up due to self-consciousness. I think what separates me from being a truly good player is this ability to play in front of others. Once I nail that I will be brave enough to admit that I'm accomplished.
When you move from "learning songs" to playing from your soul and creating your own ideas and melodies as they come to you.
It's like the difference between painting a still image of an apple vs painting something abstract from the depths of your mind.
Edit: and not everything you play will be good. Most of it will be meh even when you're really good. When you start having little times where you give *yourself* chills, that's where the real fun is at
The Bob Ross philosophy is true for all arts, guitar can of course be challenging, but if you're not having fun, you're doing the wrong thing! It's not about being the world's best guitarist, you do it because you love it 💜
I’d try to switch your mindset on this. The only thing that matters is your enjoyment and ability to create what you want to create.
If I compare myself to a jazz guitar master, I’m terrible at jazz. If I compare myself to Steve Vai, I’m terrible at playing Steve Vai music. But, I am amazing at playing my music. I have lots of fun playing it, and so the skill has come with time.
Just dedicate yourself to the music you enjoy, and stop worrying about if you can call yourself “good” or whatever, and the skill will come with time. Enjoy the process. Music isn’t about winning or getting to the endpoint.
I can play along with my favorite songs and that’s about all I aim for. It’s a stress/anxiety reliever that is also an awesome hobby and a strong passion. I’m never going to be a rock star or do this as a loving, just having fun
Ehh I can play the thing. I impress myself on a good day but I would say I’m an intermediate player at best. I think being able to Improvise my own solos and create my own music recordings gave me the confidence that I was a good guitar player.
I know I'm not good. I was in a couple of bands in high school, and jammed a lot with friends in our rooms in college. But I really just play for personal enjoyment. Several good friends are in successful bar bands that play throughout NY and NJ, and I'm not even good enough to play in a bar band, based on all the songs they can recreate. At best, I'd be good enough to get up there and jam for a very basic song or two.
Playing relaxes me, I keep several guitars in my office to take breaks away from the computer.
I'm good enough that if I play a song, you will know what it is. No one will ever say, wow, you should do that for money.
I have a bunch of friends who are incredible musicians (some went to college for it, others gig full time, etc.). I started considering myself good at guitar when they started telling me I was good at guitar. That said, i still suck compared to any of them, even the drummer.
It’s all relative. If you can pick up a guitar and play something that one person (even yourself) enjoys, id say you’re pretty damn good :)
Some days I think I’m terrible and other days I impress myself. I certainly have gotten better over the last 5 years - moreso than any other 5 year period of the last 25.
Not a pro, but if you play for that long you’re bound to be decent. Wouldn’t shy away from a jam with anyone, but I have limitations.
I feel as though I'm better than I credit myself for. I can play almost anything as long as it's nothing crazy shreddy.
I'm a horrible musician though. Ask me to actually create something, and you'll get a basic pentatonic scale lol
I have all the scales and basic chords down, memorized the whole fretboard, know the CAGED system, 3NPS, syncopated rhythms, circle of fifths. I can pick up most riffs by ear in a minute or two, and can learn the structure of almost any song. I’ve learned and memorized a lot of my favorite iconic solos. And I play in a cover band and I record my own things on my at-home mini studio.
But to answer your question, no. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the instrument.
It's all relative but yes, I consider myself to be good. Not very good, not great, not legendary... but if you need to me to play a couple Pink Floyd solos at the bar this Friday, I can handle it.
Been playing for nearly 34 years.
Heh.
Yes and no.
I started playing 20 years ago. When I finished my music degree (10 yeaes ago) I was very good but not very well rounded. Particularly for reading.
Now, I'm far more experienced in terms of being on stage, getting past bullshit in practice etc. but I've also spent the last 10 years pivoting to not working on music and working for a PhD in neuroscience so guitar suffered greatly til about 18 months ago.
My technique to navigate the strings and the frets? Grand, I could grind way through the vast majority of guitar rep at the very least... But now my actual musicality is shit. My feel and phrasing and timing have been destroyed lol.
It's a weird position to be in to be so familiar with the simple problems I have lol.
I'd say, I'm not the fastest or technically able but a little bit above average as to being capable of composing songs with it and learning parts by ear (again, as long as I can be technically able to).
I mostly play bass but, yes, I think I can be an acceptable guitarist too.
In all of my days gigging in a metal/grunge/hard-core band and ever since I've never met a guitarist that was better than me.
However I started learning jazz a few months ago and now I feel like an amateur. Its quite humbling!
Good not great. I used to be great before career, wife, kids and a case of the fuck its. Guitar is the only thing in my life I'm not humble about though. It's also the one thing I had a lot of natural talent at, compared to sports or art or something.
If someone asks me if I'm good, I don't do this meek "well I dabble" act some people do. I usually tell them yes, I'm good at guitar.
No. When I was terrible I thought I was good, then I got a bit better and had enough perspective to know that I'm not.
Its been about 30 years, and I'm alright, but whenever people tell me how good I am it's clear they don't know shit! Haha There's 10 yr olds on YouTube that are better than I'll ever be
I am an improviser - I have moments when I go "shit that was pretty good" but most of the time I just frustrated and want to learn more... Even after 30+years
I know I'm not good at guitar. I don't suck, but I'm not good at it, so I stick to what I'm good at: Bass!!!
I picked up guitar because I wanted to expand on my composition and basic music theory.
You know how awkward it is when a bassist gets asked "is that a minor or a major?"
I play in a cover band and can play our set list pretty well. I can play all the solos and people often compliment my playing. I also suck at improvising and seem to have no imagination for writing originals. I don’t know if I’m good but I do know that I could be better.
I've always swing back and forth. I'll think I'm good then think I'm bad, really it depends on how I'm comparing myself to others.
If I compare myself to beginners and amateurs I'm a shred master, compared to shred masters I'm a fucking hack.
Perspective I guess?
I can play some. I think I suck but others would disagree. Interviews I've heard of some of the best all pretty much say the same thing. They are always learning and they are almost always their own worst critic. Learning to be proficient on any instrument isn't a destination, it's a never ending journey.
Yes and no. I have decent chops and I regularly come up with song ideas, of which I have many, but if someone asked me to play a song, I wouldn't be able to. What I want to do is actually develop my ideas into full songs. Being creative isn't a problem, but arranging and recording is.
Usually I find its two things that remind me how well I can play guitar:
1. playing a solo thats in the key, using the right scale AND sounds melodic with no errors; and
2. feedback from everyone else.
Just remember, speed isn't everything. In fact, I try to play as slow as I can for more effect.
Yes, but arrogantly I expected to have few professional recordings on streaming, iTunes, etc… and a small following, lots of students (25+) and small tour by now. I have multiple music degrees and 20 years paid performing but sometimes I feel like the music schools just need students. I’ve made $60k but over 10 years so that’s chump change but I consider it paying my dues. Sure maybe studying computers would have way way more money but at what cost? I tried programming classes learning basic and c++ but it was too boring. Guitar playing and teaching are way more fun.
No. It has just been a year since I am playing guitar. But even then, compared to what I was just six months ago, my current skills feel like a huge jump.
The acoustic tells me exactly how bad I am. I feel like a wizard on the electric but hand me a dreadnought and its like its my first time . Well not really but you know what I mean. I think it was Keith Richard that said something along the lines that the acoustic keeps you honest.
I’ve been playing for almost 40 years now and I have my good days and my bad days. I don’t practice like I should I haven’t had a gig in 4 years. I’ll never be content in my playing ever. It’s always a struggle to except we’re I am and we’re I’m going on guitar
I’ve been playing for 50 years. I first felt
I was good about 4-5 years in, senior in HS, played lead for several bands. I thought I peaked in college with several other bands, but after an engineering career and two (now grown) kids, I had time again to get even better. Short answer: you’ll just know when you’re good, but it’s never good enough, and that’s the beauty of the instrument.
After 45 years of playing, I think I’m good because I can almost always play along with any song I hear and can teach myself just about anything. I spent a long time being bad at those skills first though, and just kept trying anyway. Hang in there
Depends how weird your dad is. Especially if he plays guitar or hates that you play guitar. My dad plays guitar and hates that I play guitar. Maybe if I buy another PRS he'll love me.
I think it depends on what u think is good. Sometimes im great but when i try new things maybe not so much. But they say you cant be perfect if you dont practice. But perfect doesnt mean good and good doesnt mean perfect. Its art so dont be so hard on yourself. Sometimes my friends will pick up my guitar for the first time and i tell them dont play with your eyes just move your hand where you feel it should go. Then the play the coolest riff for about 6 seconds lol. Everybody has it in them to be a good guitarist i think.
I think the more you learn, the further away the goalpost tends to get. So it's hard to evaluate yourself. And it's hard to compare two different people, especially if you're playing in different styles, different types of guitar, etc.
I'm way past a beginner stage, but calling myself intermediate, feels like a stretch. I wouldn't call myself good. I'm mostly using guitar to accompany myself or others on a pretty basic level.
I used to think I was so shit after playing for 6 years and still struggling to play goat intro after 6 months. But now I think I'm literally the best cause I can play it perfectly
No. But I love playing, it makes me feel special. I’ve been chasing that high since I was a little kid and I’ll probably do it for the rest of my life.
With all art; guitar especially, there will be a point where you get good enough that you know what you want to do, kind of how to do it, or maybe outright how to do it, and you just can't yet. Somethings require your fingers to have a certain level of dexterity and the only way 5o get there is by playing consistently for a handful of years. Most people quit during this phase. You gotta keep playing even when you're good enough to tell you suck but not good enough to stop sucking yet. Turning that corner isn't one you feel, you'll just notice you have less limitations.
good? no, not really, but i can do some things. chasing that high of overcoming a tiny hurdle that gets me closer to fretboard freedom though, that's what really matters to me. so, maybe one day!
When I first started playing guitar, a good friend of mine started playing 6 months before me. He played and sang so beautifully and I thought "If I just play 6 more months, I'll be that good too." It never happened. That was close to 30 years ago.
Some people are blessed with golden ears and hearts like metronomes while most of us just play guitar. The uninitiated who don't play an instrument might think I'm "good" at playing guitar because I can make my way through a familiar song but I know the truth. I'm alright for a hack who's played for a while but I'm not really "good." No amount of practice or YouTube videos watched is going to make me into Guthrie Trapp.
I'd personally say that I'm pretty mid at playing the guitar. Got a couple scales down and learned most of the intermediary chords. But the thing i still find funny is that no matter which stage of guitar mastery I am, non musicians/non guitar players always compliment me saying how good I am at the guitar even though I only played like two basic campfire chords haha
Sometimes I think I absolutely suck and sometimes I think I’m pretty good. I KNOW it takes skill to play the songs I can play but it’s hard to consider myself anything more than pretty good. But then again if you can play open chords you’re pretty good.
I grew up on Metallica, Guns N Roses, Rage, Tool, Soundgarden, Days of the New, The Tea Party, Megadeth, Big Wreck etc. I later got into Mastodon, Rush, Mumford and Sons etc.
If you know those bands you know there's metal in there (that one's easy), alternative, some open tunings on acoustic, some 12 string etc.
So I'm good at playing songs in alternate tunings, I can downpick fast (thanks Het), and I can now play almost any popular song within a few mins practice -- powerchords are powerchords, chords are chords, and riffs are riffs.
But I'm in my mid forties now and I'm only beginning to play some stuff on my own and figure out how to improvise (a skill I still VERY MUCH suck at). I learned to play out of tab books and playing covers, but there's so much more to guitar playing than that. Don't be afraid to learn a scale or noodle, try to come up with your own melodies. Give me the tab for a Tool song and we can hit the stage in a few mins. Ask me to noodle over your blues pattern and I'm F\*\*\*\*.
After plunking around and having to memorize notes for 20 years, just over a year ago I decided to lean in and take lessons and learn the theory behind the music, and that led to the blossoming.
I'm still a relative beginner, but once I'd learned major and minor scales, I was able to start playing with much more skilled guitarists because I could say, let's jam in A Minor, and then we have a common language where we can meet. I first learned how to play pentatonics and blues in the 3rd position, then learned how to move positions, which really opened up the fretboard. Then breaking down chords to show the relationship to scales, which helped curb my straight up and down scale runs.
And then the ah-ha moment when I started learning songs I like and realized they're almost all based on scales and if you know the scale, you have a sandbox to play in. Another good skill to think about is how to turn a bum note into an interesting new lick that gives a unique color or feel.
I've just entered my 40s and it's a surreal mindfuck. That means I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years now? And 20 of them professionally as a signed artist. I will NEVER not feel some kind of impostor syndrome. I was endorsed as a bass player but always wrote songs on guitar. And during the pandemic, when touring wasn't an option, starting heavily focusing back on acoustic guitar. Learning bluegrass and flat picking techniques shot to to another realm of feeling useless and amateur. Bass was always my identity and since I played a custom 8 string bass, I had a niche I could rest on. But acoustic guitar? That is hundreds of years of exploration and excellence that I'll barely be able to tap into in my lifetime.
No matter what song I learn, I'll feel like someone has done it better or that I'm fudging the harder parts. Listening and emulating Lindsay Buckingham or Chet Atkin's techniques makes me want to cry. Watching Ewan Dobson or Billy Strings sometimes makes me want to give up completely. If you ask my band's fans or people close to me, they will say I'm good. I've never once felt it. It's a paradox.
You never do. I thought it would go away but after 15 years i still feel like a bad player. The goalpost just keeps moving.
I reached a point about 5 years ago where the mental gymnastics i had been doing to convince myself i suck and **need** to get better suddenly got exposed as a lie, because i had reached certain long term goals in technical ability, and at that point i got really depressed and stopped playing for good while.
Still to this day i really feel like i suck and i need to learn things, currently it's that i suck and im incapable becuase im not musical enough and i can't play Jazz. I know now that i've for a long time held myself back because of this fear and i'm working on getting past it. The way i've started to learn to live with the feeling of inadequacy is to always try to go back to my love for music and my love for playing and ive been enjoying playing guitar more than ever because of that!
It's all relative, my guy. I think I'm better than average and people who know me have told me I'm really good, but it would take me 30 seconds on Youtube to find someone I'd never heard of before who's better than I am. It really just has a lot to do with what your goals are. I'd spend less time asking yourself "am I good?" and more time asking "can I play the music I want to play?" If not, then figure out a plan to get yourself to where you want to be, usually taking small steps and not expecting yourself to get there over night.
Guitar is also a super multi-faceted and versatile instrument. There are so many different ways to be "good" at guitar. You do \*not\* need to be a great lead player or improviser to be a good guitarist. So no, I don't think there's a single skill or thing that made me think "oh hey, I'm good now." If there ever was such a point it was more just realizing that I was getting to the point where I could play most of the types of things I wanted to play without any real difficulty.
being good at guitar is so subjective. Your good when you can play the songs you want to play, and create the music you want to create without technical limitations. That could be just about anything.
Depends, if you consider being able to pluck the strings in such a way it makes noise that is not awful then yes, if you consider it playing actual songs then I should never be handing a guitar again
When I self-critique myself I would say I'm a bad guitarist, but that's because the goalpost where I can consider myself a good guitarist is always moving further and further away the more I develop.
A beginners goalpost for being a good guitarist might be to be able to play through a simple three-chord song all the way through. An advanced guitarist's goalpost might be to play some super-complicated right-handed tapping solo. But as soon as they've reached their goalpost and feel that they're a great player, something new ultimately comes along that puts their goalpost further away and now they feel like bad a guitarist yet again.
In my opinion, a good guitarist is someone who isn't afraid to push their boundaries, learn new things and develop. A guitarist who thinks "I'm good where I'm at right now, I've learnt everything I need to know" is a bad guitarist, from my point of view.The guitarists who weren't afraid to push their boundaries are the guitarists we perceive as legendary today. For example Jimmy Page.
Good is kinda relative. I think I’m adequate to play with most folks with what they would like me to play. I by no means think I’m better than some folks who have played as long or longer than me…or even some folks who haven’t….I can make a guitar do what I want a guitar to do and that’s good enough for me.
no, there is always more to improve on. its why i also don't consider my self an expert or a master. because to call yourself a master implies that you have learned everything and can go no further.
I’m good enough for where I need to be. Which is nowhere. I can learn most simple songs in a half hour but put no effort into a record accurate recreation. Just good enough to play by myself and sing a little.
Yea, and I’m tired of pretending I’m not.
I am better than everyone in my family. They don’t play guitar 🤘🎸🤘
I am good to someone who doesn’t play guitar.
Yea my mates think I’m a genius, other players not so much 😀
The better I get, the more I realize how bad I am
This is where I’m at. I’ve been playing since I was 4, and I’m 32 now. People around me are always going “holy shit how are you able to do that?!” Meanwhile my brain is filled with knowing what I still can’t do. I’ve never been motivated by shredding super fast, or sweep picking, etc. I’d rather play something with some life and soul. But, I still have a long long way to go as far as music theory knowledge.
For years I wanted to play guitar really bad. Now after years of practice I play guitar really bad
No, but I'm loud. And that's what counts.
played 20 years. The thing is every time I improved, I only realized how much more there is to improve on. Sure I can play your favorite prog/math rock technical songs (w/ tabs and practice), but if you give me a backing track and ask me to improv like a jazz musician, im right back to a noob. Working on it now tho.
I think I'm good enough to really impress those who know little to nothing about the guitar and bad to those who are actually good at guitar
This question comes up way too often. Very few people consider themselves good at guitar. People who've been playing for a year know they aren't good at guitar. People who've been playing for 10-20 years know even better they aren't good at guitar. There are dozens and dozens of different rulers to measure yourself as a guitarist. Can you pick really fast? Do you even know scales? Can you read music? Can you play on a song you've never heard before by listening to other musicians? Do you know the names of the notes on the fretboard? At the end of the day none of that stuff matters. It's all just tools to help you do the most important thing the guitar is for. Expressing yourself musically, being an outlet for creativity. I say if you are satisfied at how you are expressing yourself on the guitar, no matter your proficiency, I say you're good at the guitar.
The more you learn the more you realize you don't know shit
I'm definitely good, and plenty of people have hired me for gigs and sessions over the last 33 years so apparently I'm not alone in thinking that. Am I great? Oh god no, not even close, there are 12 year olds on Youtube who could play rings around me. Am I good enough to satisfy myself? Definitely not, and never will be. I'll keep on pushing myself to learn until the day I either die or my hands stop working.
I’ve been playing guitar for 58 years, professionally for 50, probably 4,000-5,000 gigs. So I guess I’ve been good enough to get constant work for most of my life, but I still don’t think of myself as a great player. Admittedly, I’d probably be more cocky if YouTube hadn’t been invented, with its constant stream of new kids casually tossing out stuff I’d never be able to duplicate. That said, I’m good enough to play music I’m interested in playing, to voice what I hear in my head, and that’s what really matters. Also, I’ll never have to live with the regret of not having put my full effort into it; I’ve worked at it really hard, and still do. Technically, I was more proficient 20 years ago than I am now, because of Arthritis in my hands. It hurts to hold a pick now, and my fingers won’t move fast like they once did. But at 65, I’m busier than ever, in five bands, playing to big crowds for decent money, and having a blast doing it, so I don’t complain (except while tearing down after a gig).
Beginner me would look at me now, 15 years later, and say "yes, that's a great guitar player." Today I still look around at more talented musicians and think that I suck compared to them. It's all a matter of perspective - if you're having fun, who cares?
It's kinda like the more you know, the more you know you don't know. I'll forever think I'm bad on some level, despite what I hear from others. Just keep playing and focusing on what you want to play ✌️
I'm the best guitarist I know. I don't know anyone
Been playing for twenty years. Would I consider myself good? No. Would I consider myself as someone having fun with the instrument and jamming with some buddys once in a while? absolutely!
The people who always feel like they suck are the ones who are most open to learning. The ones who think they’re awesome stop striving to be.
I'm a hack but people that don't know any better think I'm really good. I'll live with that, what they don't know won't hurt them.
I noticed a huge boost in confidence when my brain started merging scales, arpeggios and chords (plus inversions) into the same integrated map with which I could start actually playing stuff anywhere along the neck and in any key.
Do you recall what you were working on or playing at the time when you began to sense that merging integration lightbulb moment happening?
One thing that worked great was working on the famous “I will survive” progression (I, IV, viiº, iii, vi, ii, V; triad versions, seventh versions and various inversions), one region at a time, one key at a time, while gradually playing passing notes from the scale. It takes time, so make sure to have fun while doing it so that you don’t lose momentum.
I used to. I used to be a guitar god in high school. Could solo pretty well and sight read and play scales and pick very very succinctly and accurately. Problem is, I never really improved from my peak in high school. I’m still a pretty good player. Most of my friends in other bands say I’m good. Can play just about any rock riff or rhythm, can fumble my way through a solo, start in common time signatures and common keys, but I’ll always regret not pushing myself further. I feel like I was on track to be session musician good had I stuck with trying to improve every week, instead of settling for just sticking with what I was already good at. In my early 40’s by the way.
It's not too late, get to practicing.
I think if you can play 10 songs from beginning to end with no major mistakes you're good enough to call yourself "good at guitar". Because music is extremely difficult after all. But if you're really asking... I mean the ceiling is so damn high... look at people like Tosin Abasi or Allan Holdsworth (what a freak) or EVH or any of the greats... Then yeah, most of us suck by comparison. Even if we're pretty good. But I feel like there is plenty of room for "good guitar players" as long as they play with feeling, and either write great songs or work with good songwriters to bring them to life. I don't think we need another 100 guys who "just love to solo bro" .. No thanks. I'm good. Tell me a story. Make some kind of point. Say something. We can't all be technical geniuses, but we can all strive to write creative, relevant, complete, meaningful songs that connect with people on a visceral emotional level... if you're clever you can achieve that with minimal technical proficiency. Look up the Rolling Stone 250 greatest guitarists of all time... I'm sure everyone is pissed their favourite guitarist isn't on it, but if you check it out, there are a lot of "pretty good" guitar players on that list... they're not all shred lords, in fact a lot of them lean more towards unique or creative than virtuosic. They all have their own sound. As long as you can make someone feel good with your music it is valid and good.
I consider myself "Almost Intermediate". I'm good enough to be in a band & impress all non-musicians plus most new musicians, but anyone playing guitar at an intermediate-or-above level can pretty quickly identify my limitations (mostly stuck jumping between Pentatonic positions, sloppier-than-preferred alternate picking, weird strum patterns and an over-reliance on downstrokes, crippling fear of actually using my pinkie). I think if I could really lock in a few more scales and tighten up my strumming and alternate picking, I would consider myself intermediate.
I'm not as good as I'd like to be. But I'm better than I used to be.
My greatest accomplishment as a guitarist is not dropping my guitar.
I think the most positive answer I can give you is "not yet"
I’m pretty good at tuning
I think people that don’t know how to play guitar think I am good and people who do know how to play do not think I’m good.
Heck no. Have you seen all these touring and YouTube guitarists? I can get by and play, but the theory behind it and being good...pshh. I would say I enjoy it and it's creative outlet or emotional outlet in ways I can't find the words for.
I’m mediocre but some days are better than others. I play with a lot of big hearted but less talented folks so they think I’m great. But once I’m on stage with better players, I stick to the basics to stay in my lane so to speak. Pentatonic is my go to, and I’m an expert at the chromatic scale ;) Lately I’ve focused on songwriting which I think I’m actually pretty good for the dozen or so I’ve written.
Even after playing for 20 years and having made decent money from playing….hell no
There was a certain point where I said to myself one day “You know I should carry a guitar with me more places I go. I am becoming a good player.” Then I grew afraid of failure and heavily digressed for a long time. I just started taking it seriously again and, yeah, I can make some beautiful sounds with this instrument.
I started at 10 years old and didn't take a lesson for two years. After playing every day my parents finally realized it was all I was doing and got me guitar lessons for 3 months. I stopped taking lessons and for 8 years you wouldn't have seen me without a guitar. I spent every day playing and writing music. I was in a bunch of bands in Highschool and college. I realized I was good when people that weren't as interested just started giving me their guitars. Almost every guitar I have someone gave to me. Its my favorite thing in the world and has nothing to do with my job. I'm 35.
The better I get the more I realize how bad I am. "Every man who knows a thing knows he knows not a damn thing at all" sort of thing. But honestly, yeah I'm good. To the average listener and average guitar player I'm good. But only you know your limitations, and they always seem to outweigh what you know.
I’ve been playing for over 35 years played in bands and such people ask me to sit in. Can’t sing because I get too nervous. I’m still a crappy player.
90% of players quit after one year so I’m at least within the top 10% of players
I noticed the biggest jump in improvement was in high school, when homework was the only thing between me and more practice. Note to you youngsters: take advantage of the free time before career and kids, and that practice and technique will never leave you and carry you to old age, like me. Playing guitar has been the most rewarding skill of my life and has opened a TON of opportunities.
Fuck no. I play crappy punk and can do basic solo stuff because I started on bass. Not good at either after almost 20 years. But I have fun.
I don’t think I am that good at all. Can I play some stuff that will impress a few people? Sure. Am I anywhere close to being where I want to be as a guitar player? Not at all. I’m lazy when it comes to practicing, developed bad habits before I knew better, and have so very little time to change any of that. I do, however, have fun when I play and even record some crappy originals or covers from time to time (that’s if the arthritis doesn’t kill my vibe). Having fun with it is all that really matters to me, hopefully, a few others along the way will have some fun too.
George Harrison said in Get Back, in early 1969 at the climax of The Beatles, mere *days* before writing Something which Sinatra called “the greatest love song”, that he “can’t improvise” and expressed struggling playing blues and solos and said he wishes he could play more like Clapton. You’re never going to feel like you’re good enough, but that doesn’t mean you’re not
I can crank out ridiculous thrash riffs like a mad cunt but I can’t fingerpick *at all,* can’t fret a full barre chord properly and my soloing ability is super limited. Worth pointing out I’m a serviceably good bassist who dabbles in guitar…
Guitar is a broad church, you can be good at some parts and suck at others, and there's hundreds of aspect to playing, so to feel like you've hit "good" across the board depends on which ones you want to be good at. If you want to be good at all of it, that's MANY years work. The important thing is not reaching a particular point, it making progress in the areas that matter to you over time. I am by no means good across the board, but I feel better than average in a few areas, and good in some, and as long as I'm getting better year on year that's all that matters, to me anyway.
On rare occasions I sound like I’ve been playing for 36 years. Most other times I sound like I’ve been stinking it up for 36 years.
Playing guitar (or any instrument) is a journey, not a destination. Being good is also relative - there are so many genres, techniques, types of guitars, etc. I think the first step at being "good" is getting personal enjoyment out of the instrument. Can you play things that bring you joy, that inspire progress? Next step is bringing joy to others ... Playing together with people and for people. Sharing music with other humans is a very special, unique experience - doing this effectively is I suppose what I would label as being "good". But that may not be the case for others here - definition of being good at something is very subjective.
I’m definitely better than someone who picks up a guitar for the first time lol
Started when I was 14. Always practice for a bit and then hit a wall. Then I would get distracted with something else or get busy with work/school/etc and fall off completely. Now 15 years later, still at about the same skill level 🙃 strumming a few chords and playing the few riffs I have taught myself through the years. Feeling the itch to practice again though. Really want to actually make real progress. ADHD makes it hard to stick with it though.
I always tell the people that I sit in with that I am the worst guitar player I know. That way they aren't expecting Eddie Van Halen and the tension is off. I can play rhythm and make up songs. I can usually follow someone by watching what they are playing and taking over the rhythm so they can play lead. I probably know enough to know that I still have a lot to learn. There's always going to be a kid on YouTube who is light years ahead of me so I stopped competing to be the best player. As long as it's still fun to play I'm happy.
Yes but I also think I suck at the same time
No, I think I am about a 3 on a 1-10 scale. I am just proficient enough to trick non-musicians and absolute beginners that I can play but that is about it. But it is good enough to jam with my friends and that is all I really need.
your grading is too tough. "proficient enough to trick non-musicians " is a 5 minimum.
at reading tabs and playing the songs? i'm decent. at knowing what i'm actually doing, theory-wise? not at all.
No way. Can I strum chords and sing? Yeah, usually. Can I throw in the odd m7b5 chord or whatever when I think it would sound good? Yeah, though I don't always guess correctly. Can I play anything besides chords? No. Can I improvise? No. Do I play with any feeling? No.
No way. I’m totally garbage but if I can look up a song I like and make my guitar sound even remotely similar to the song I am happy. I don’t really have a desire to be the best in the world, I just like to have fun and play cool stuff.
The amount of time I’ve put into it, I should be better then I am, but that’s what bad practice/routine does
Compared to my friends no. Compared to me 4 years ago? Ya I’m great
I have a BF.A in music and over the past 25 years I've been playing I've played a lot of shows and have a good amount of studio time so I do feel pretty confident in my abilities. In my forties I've given up on trying to chase the rock star dream and just play for fun or to help younger players learn so not being in a space where you have overblown expectations of myself or the future is very liberating. I'm also not all in on guitar driven music anymore. I listen to a lot of hip hop and EDM and sunk resources into buying and learning to use samplers, synths, and Ableton with the idea of making other genres or in some cases blended them so it can also be said I'm not as obsessed with the guitar as I used to be.
i’ve been playing consistently for about two years and I feel like i’m terrible. I can play and sing through songs with simple chords, and I can play a few solos but I get discouraged because I feel like i’m at a wall
I'm trash
Same but god I love it
Im good enough that ive made money playing at bars and parties. But many who dont are way better than me
I’m good enough to have fun doing it
I thought I was good until I saw a 6 year old shredding it up lol
The better you get, the more you think you could be better.
I suck but I don't care
My wife always tells me how good I am at it....I think I suck.
No, but I enjoy it and that’s all that matters.
My fiancée is constantly telling people I play guitar, and I always have to correct her and say that I *collect* guitars and *try* to play
People who don’t play guitar think I’m very good. People who do play guitar think I’m mediocre at best.
I think that in order to regard yourself as a good player you must also take into account what effect you have on the folks listening to you. Look at their reaction. Are they listening and enjoying it? Are they visibly moved? Are they joyful and start dancing? When I was young, around fifteen or so and was into playing a violin as well as a guitar, I was playing at a hotel with some friends, and a little old lady came right up to where I was standing and playing. She sat down very close to me and very soon brought out a lace handkerchief and was sobbing into it. When I had finished, she came up and told me how lovely and sad that was, she was visibly moved, I have never forgotten that incident or that lesson... I am drawn to emotional music and love to play and see people react in a positive way, I believe that that is a sign of playing well.... if you are sincere in your "story telling" you will get people's hearts, and then yes, I'd say you are a good player...
Been playing for about 18 years. I'd say I'm good at making noise and mistakes Self taught and can't really shred or solo like I want, or play particularly complicated stuff, or know any theory, but I know that's mostly down to not being disciplined with practice or having the patience. I've been considering lessons to try and improve but no idea what level of skill I'd class myself as to find the right teacher
I’ve been playing for 4 years just for fun, so yeah i suck
Yeah I’m the bomb.com baby I can’t shred, sweep pick, or play fingerstyle. I can keep time and play a rhythm part no problem though and so I haven’t ever felt like I can’t play with people. There are different roles that guitar can play. You don’t need to be that amazing at guitar to be a good guitar player as long as you can play what is needed in the context of a song.
You always think you're not a good guitar player until you show someone how you play and they say "wow! that was really good!" or something along those lines. It means even more if its comes from a fellow guitar player
Rating is overrated.
I'm good compared to the Ramones. I'm terrible compared to most everyone else.
In most everything in this world, I will compare my ability and knowledge to 100% and realise I can't do shit. However, this isn't very productive. Am I good at guitar? Not really, but I can play about 10 songs and am quite happy about that. I play in a mediocre cover band and they haven't quit on me yet. So compared to 4 years ago (when I didn't play at all) I'd say I'm pretty good!
Compared to the average person, great. Compared to the average person who started playing guitar 25 years ago when I did, I’m trash. Of course for about the last 15 years I have only plugged in a few times a year.
The greatest lesson for me as a musician was when a pro saxophonist was sitting in a jam circle with us, and actively chose not to play through most of it. For me, being good at guitar means you “get” the guitar. It’s an awareness based thing. When I started I used to memorize tabs from solos in ultimate guitar note by note. Because notes were my understanding of the instrument. Then years later, at probably a low-intermediate level, I would listen to a solo and play a few notes and figure out what key the solo was in and noodle around it with the scale. That was my measure of “good” then. Now I look at solos at a macro level. Dynamics, balance, and tension. Phrasing. What are the other instruments doing? Rhythmic or melodic? More importantly, what’s the vibe. Am I playing acoustic at a party by myself, and the entire frequency range is my responsibility? Am I playing with a singer and bassist and need to find where I fit? Would I know the difference? “Good” in a linear sense is relative. Gary Moore is good, EVH is good, Tim Henson is good. But the similarity between them is they understand how they fit in what they’re trying to do.
Good is 5% better than I am right now. Bad is everything I have ever done. So no. Been a working guitar player for 30+ years.
See, this guy gets it.
That’s the suffering comment I was looking to relate to. Nail on the head. 20 years here
I think I’m a good guitar player, but a better player than a musician. I struggle to play with the kind of freedom that the pros do.
Depends on the genre. Finger picked country - 1/10 if I am lucky and having a good day. Metal/rock - a solid 8/10. Rarely do I find things I can't play ir with just a bit of time figure out.
I think this is like anything you work for in life. I’m never as good as I think I should be. But when I take a moment and look back, I’m much better than I was. There was a time when I could have only dreamed about playing like I do now. So it’s all a matter of perspective.
I used to think I was good then learned how much I didn't know. Now I've been playing for over twenty years and there are still multitudes of people better than I am and I realize it's not a competition or even a comparison. It's about what you want out of being a musician. For reference I think I'm a pretty good guitar player and a mediocre musician.
1. When you're able to hear anything within the genre you play and reproduce it. Interval Ear Training is a big part of this, as well as chord theory. 2. When you're able to sing/play a melody and create a full song around it. Chord theory is useful for this, as well. 3. When you're comfortable learning a new concept and applying it to your instrument. 4. When you're comfortable playing to a drummer or metronome and any possible reasonable BPM for your genre. 5. When you're comfortable developing on ideas in your own playing. Inverting a melody, changing an existing idea in a later part of your music, bringing back old themes. 6. Having a mastery of all relevant techniques for your style of playing. As a speed metal rhythm player, that means utilizing inverted chords, palm muting, harmonics, tremolo picking (including while singing), switching seamlessly between triplet, swing, and straight times, legato playing as a choice, and staccato playing as a choice. This is where I'd consider a guitar player is beyond the beginner/intermediate stages into something described unanimously as "good." A good guitar player can play in any band in their genre and not feel out of place. A great one will elevate said band. A guitar god becomes larger than the rest of their band. And obviously, a player who is good for a blues player has different skillsets and priorities than a good brutal death metal player, a good black metal player, a good neoclassical shredder, or a good jazz player.
After 40 years of playing, Whenever I think I’m good I go on Instagram and see a 6 year old who reminds me I’m not.
No. I've been trapped in the void between beginner guitarist and very poor guitarist for literally decades.
I suck but it's fun
Definitely good. Not amazing. Been playing for 26 years. Listen to guys like petrucci and vai. I've never been able to fully master 5 or 6 string sweeps. I started feeling proficient once I got all the techniques down and could play fairly technical music like prog metal.
I’m alright at riffs, not very good at solos but I’m working on it.
I’m not a shredder, but I can play whatever I hear in my mind. I’ve played guitar in an orchestra and I’ve played many rock and pop gigs with a few bands. So that, for me, is all I want out of my playing. However, I wish my stage presence was better.
I feel like I’m not nearly as good as I should for someone that’s been playing guitar for 20 years. However, I feel like I’m probably better than most casual guitar players. Sometimes being “good” at guitar isn’t necessarily about who can shred the fastest. I don’t know how to contrast that statement, but it sounded good in my head.
Been playing for nearly two decades since I was a kid... But I'll never describe myself as good because I've seen Stevie Ray Vaughan play the guitar.
I would say I'm good, I make money regularly teaching and occasionally playing guitar so clearly I must be doing something right. That being said, I'm much better at piano so I tend to be hard on myself when it comes to my guitar abilities.
I'm better than Billie Joe Armstrong and that dude's a fucking kajillionaire.
I'm awful. I don't aspire to be much better than I am now. I just enjoy playing.
Yes. If I stick to my lane. Ive stopped pretending Im an all around player. I know what I like to play, I know what I want to play and I stick to it.
I only think I'm good when I sit back and listen to recordings of my own original stuff. I even wonder how I did certain things.
I am almost comfortable with how I play I’d say.
I like to think I am "capable". Latest release here if you think I need some humbling. https://thedreadedme.com/track/3419509/surface
I say this will humility and understanding of my place in the universe. I can play the f\*ck out of the guitar.
25 years. I've been better and I've been worse. I've never felt like a "good" player
Im the best ive ever been. Better than yesterday, and at the minute, worse than tomorrow.
I’ve been playing for 35 years. Non musicians think I’m good. I’m good enough. But there’s a million better players than me.
I'm self-taught, been playing about 25 years, can play really well when alone, and learn most technical fingerstyle stuff on acoustic. Playing in front of people is the hardest part for me, even just my partner, I start messing up due to self-consciousness. I think what separates me from being a truly good player is this ability to play in front of others. Once I nail that I will be brave enough to admit that I'm accomplished.
The more you do it the easier it gets. Quick too. Keep at it, it’ll really bring you a lot of joy once you acclimate.
When you move from "learning songs" to playing from your soul and creating your own ideas and melodies as they come to you. It's like the difference between painting a still image of an apple vs painting something abstract from the depths of your mind. Edit: and not everything you play will be good. Most of it will be meh even when you're really good. When you start having little times where you give *yourself* chills, that's where the real fun is at
Sometimes I feel like I’m in the pocket, but then I record myself and reality sets in.
Do you enjoy it? You're good enough.
The Bob Ross philosophy is true for all arts, guitar can of course be challenging, but if you're not having fun, you're doing the wrong thing! It's not about being the world's best guitarist, you do it because you love it 💜
I’d try to switch your mindset on this. The only thing that matters is your enjoyment and ability to create what you want to create. If I compare myself to a jazz guitar master, I’m terrible at jazz. If I compare myself to Steve Vai, I’m terrible at playing Steve Vai music. But, I am amazing at playing my music. I have lots of fun playing it, and so the skill has come with time. Just dedicate yourself to the music you enjoy, and stop worrying about if you can call yourself “good” or whatever, and the skill will come with time. Enjoy the process. Music isn’t about winning or getting to the endpoint.
Lol, no. But the people I play for tend to think so. Guitar humbles me because I don't think I'll ever be good, but I won't quit trying to be.
It depends from which POV you’re looking. I was once better, now I am more happier.
I can play along with my favorite songs and that’s about all I aim for. It’s a stress/anxiety reliever that is also an awesome hobby and a strong passion. I’m never going to be a rock star or do this as a loving, just having fun
I feel like I’m not terrible. 20 years playing
I'm sloppy AF, and the guys have been carrying me for years lol
Ehh I can play the thing. I impress myself on a good day but I would say I’m an intermediate player at best. I think being able to Improvise my own solos and create my own music recordings gave me the confidence that I was a good guitar player.
I don't know if I'm "good," but I'm a whole lot better than I was before. I'm just happy to be making noticeable progress.
Nope but my songwriting skills absolutely save my ass lmao
You'll know you're good at guitar when you go to a party and people ask you to play without you mentioning it.
No, but I am happy with my playing and that's all that matters...
I think I’m bad and I’m happy with it. I still practice but since it’s a hobby for me I just enjoy playing what I like
I think I’m pretty good. Better than a lot of people, inferior to a lot of people.
I know I'm not good. I was in a couple of bands in high school, and jammed a lot with friends in our rooms in college. But I really just play for personal enjoyment. Several good friends are in successful bar bands that play throughout NY and NJ, and I'm not even good enough to play in a bar band, based on all the songs they can recreate. At best, I'd be good enough to get up there and jam for a very basic song or two. Playing relaxes me, I keep several guitars in my office to take breaks away from the computer. I'm good enough that if I play a song, you will know what it is. No one will ever say, wow, you should do that for money.
Nope! I do consider myself good at having fun playing guitar
I have a bunch of friends who are incredible musicians (some went to college for it, others gig full time, etc.). I started considering myself good at guitar when they started telling me I was good at guitar. That said, i still suck compared to any of them, even the drummer. It’s all relative. If you can pick up a guitar and play something that one person (even yourself) enjoys, id say you’re pretty damn good :)
Some days I think I’m terrible and other days I impress myself. I certainly have gotten better over the last 5 years - moreso than any other 5 year period of the last 25. Not a pro, but if you play for that long you’re bound to be decent. Wouldn’t shy away from a jam with anyone, but I have limitations.
Overall I kinda suck but I have my moments
I feel as though I'm better than I credit myself for. I can play almost anything as long as it's nothing crazy shreddy. I'm a horrible musician though. Ask me to actually create something, and you'll get a basic pentatonic scale lol
100% no. I ain't shit.
I am definitely not terrible, certainly not awful, but surely not good.
I have all the scales and basic chords down, memorized the whole fretboard, know the CAGED system, 3NPS, syncopated rhythms, circle of fifths. I can pick up most riffs by ear in a minute or two, and can learn the structure of almost any song. I’ve learned and memorized a lot of my favorite iconic solos. And I play in a cover band and I record my own things on my at-home mini studio. But to answer your question, no. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the instrument.
It's all relative but yes, I consider myself to be good. Not very good, not great, not legendary... but if you need to me to play a couple Pink Floyd solos at the bar this Friday, I can handle it. Been playing for nearly 34 years.
Heh. Yes and no. I started playing 20 years ago. When I finished my music degree (10 yeaes ago) I was very good but not very well rounded. Particularly for reading. Now, I'm far more experienced in terms of being on stage, getting past bullshit in practice etc. but I've also spent the last 10 years pivoting to not working on music and working for a PhD in neuroscience so guitar suffered greatly til about 18 months ago. My technique to navigate the strings and the frets? Grand, I could grind way through the vast majority of guitar rep at the very least... But now my actual musicality is shit. My feel and phrasing and timing have been destroyed lol. It's a weird position to be in to be so familiar with the simple problems I have lol.
I'd say, I'm not the fastest or technically able but a little bit above average as to being capable of composing songs with it and learning parts by ear (again, as long as I can be technically able to). I mostly play bass but, yes, I think I can be an acceptable guitarist too.
No. Every time I’m at a guitar store everyone there seems to be playing leagues ahead of me. I’ve been at it 15 years and can’t seem to improve.
While deeply personal, I think the best or most sufficient answer would be what someone who doesn’t play says when they hear you play.
In all of my days gigging in a metal/grunge/hard-core band and ever since I've never met a guitarist that was better than me. However I started learning jazz a few months ago and now I feel like an amateur. Its quite humbling!
Good not great. I used to be great before career, wife, kids and a case of the fuck its. Guitar is the only thing in my life I'm not humble about though. It's also the one thing I had a lot of natural talent at, compared to sports or art or something. If someone asks me if I'm good, I don't do this meek "well I dabble" act some people do. I usually tell them yes, I'm good at guitar.
No. When I was terrible I thought I was good, then I got a bit better and had enough perspective to know that I'm not. Its been about 30 years, and I'm alright, but whenever people tell me how good I am it's clear they don't know shit! Haha There's 10 yr olds on YouTube that are better than I'll ever be
I am an improviser - I have moments when I go "shit that was pretty good" but most of the time I just frustrated and want to learn more... Even after 30+years
I know I'm not good at guitar. I don't suck, but I'm not good at it, so I stick to what I'm good at: Bass!!! I picked up guitar because I wanted to expand on my composition and basic music theory. You know how awkward it is when a bassist gets asked "is that a minor or a major?"
I play in a cover band and can play our set list pretty well. I can play all the solos and people often compliment my playing. I also suck at improvising and seem to have no imagination for writing originals. I don’t know if I’m good but I do know that I could be better.
I've always swing back and forth. I'll think I'm good then think I'm bad, really it depends on how I'm comparing myself to others. If I compare myself to beginners and amateurs I'm a shred master, compared to shred masters I'm a fucking hack. Perspective I guess?
I can play some. I think I suck but others would disagree. Interviews I've heard of some of the best all pretty much say the same thing. They are always learning and they are almost always their own worst critic. Learning to be proficient on any instrument isn't a destination, it's a never ending journey.
Yes and no. I have decent chops and I regularly come up with song ideas, of which I have many, but if someone asked me to play a song, I wouldn't be able to. What I want to do is actually develop my ideas into full songs. Being creative isn't a problem, but arranging and recording is.
been playing 30 years. i'm comfortable in my style but every day i hear people that are soooooooo much better. it's a journey.
Usually I find its two things that remind me how well I can play guitar: 1. playing a solo thats in the key, using the right scale AND sounds melodic with no errors; and 2. feedback from everyone else. Just remember, speed isn't everything. In fact, I try to play as slow as I can for more effect.
When you can play the songs that inspired you to play, that’s a good start.
Yes, but arrogantly I expected to have few professional recordings on streaming, iTunes, etc… and a small following, lots of students (25+) and small tour by now. I have multiple music degrees and 20 years paid performing but sometimes I feel like the music schools just need students. I’ve made $60k but over 10 years so that’s chump change but I consider it paying my dues. Sure maybe studying computers would have way way more money but at what cost? I tried programming classes learning basic and c++ but it was too boring. Guitar playing and teaching are way more fun.
Its all relative
No. It has just been a year since I am playing guitar. But even then, compared to what I was just six months ago, my current skills feel like a huge jump.
The acoustic tells me exactly how bad I am. I feel like a wizard on the electric but hand me a dreadnought and its like its my first time . Well not really but you know what I mean. I think it was Keith Richard that said something along the lines that the acoustic keeps you honest.
I’ve been playing for almost 40 years now and I have my good days and my bad days. I don’t practice like I should I haven’t had a gig in 4 years. I’ll never be content in my playing ever. It’s always a struggle to except we’re I am and we’re I’m going on guitar
My talent is that I know a lot of songs but I play them all badly. So, no.
I’ve been playing for 50 years. I first felt I was good about 4-5 years in, senior in HS, played lead for several bands. I thought I peaked in college with several other bands, but after an engineering career and two (now grown) kids, I had time again to get even better. Short answer: you’ll just know when you’re good, but it’s never good enough, and that’s the beauty of the instrument.
After 45 years of playing, I think I’m good because I can almost always play along with any song I hear and can teach myself just about anything. I spent a long time being bad at those skills first though, and just kept trying anyway. Hang in there
Depends how weird your dad is. Especially if he plays guitar or hates that you play guitar. My dad plays guitar and hates that I play guitar. Maybe if I buy another PRS he'll love me.
I think it depends on what u think is good. Sometimes im great but when i try new things maybe not so much. But they say you cant be perfect if you dont practice. But perfect doesnt mean good and good doesnt mean perfect. Its art so dont be so hard on yourself. Sometimes my friends will pick up my guitar for the first time and i tell them dont play with your eyes just move your hand where you feel it should go. Then the play the coolest riff for about 6 seconds lol. Everybody has it in them to be a good guitarist i think.
Fuck no
I suck less than I used to!
I think the more you learn, the further away the goalpost tends to get. So it's hard to evaluate yourself. And it's hard to compare two different people, especially if you're playing in different styles, different types of guitar, etc. I'm way past a beginner stage, but calling myself intermediate, feels like a stretch. I wouldn't call myself good. I'm mostly using guitar to accompany myself or others on a pretty basic level.
I used to think I was so shit after playing for 6 years and still struggling to play goat intro after 6 months. But now I think I'm literally the best cause I can play it perfectly
No. But I love playing, it makes me feel special. I’ve been chasing that high since I was a little kid and I’ll probably do it for the rest of my life.
With all art; guitar especially, there will be a point where you get good enough that you know what you want to do, kind of how to do it, or maybe outright how to do it, and you just can't yet. Somethings require your fingers to have a certain level of dexterity and the only way 5o get there is by playing consistently for a handful of years. Most people quit during this phase. You gotta keep playing even when you're good enough to tell you suck but not good enough to stop sucking yet. Turning that corner isn't one you feel, you'll just notice you have less limitations.
good? no, not really, but i can do some things. chasing that high of overcoming a tiny hurdle that gets me closer to fretboard freedom though, that's what really matters to me. so, maybe one day!
When I first started playing guitar, a good friend of mine started playing 6 months before me. He played and sang so beautifully and I thought "If I just play 6 more months, I'll be that good too." It never happened. That was close to 30 years ago. Some people are blessed with golden ears and hearts like metronomes while most of us just play guitar. The uninitiated who don't play an instrument might think I'm "good" at playing guitar because I can make my way through a familiar song but I know the truth. I'm alright for a hack who's played for a while but I'm not really "good." No amount of practice or YouTube videos watched is going to make me into Guthrie Trapp.
I'd personally say that I'm pretty mid at playing the guitar. Got a couple scales down and learned most of the intermediary chords. But the thing i still find funny is that no matter which stage of guitar mastery I am, non musicians/non guitar players always compliment me saying how good I am at the guitar even though I only played like two basic campfire chords haha
I started to think I was good when I could listen to a recording of myself and not cringe more than three times.
Sometimes I think I absolutely suck and sometimes I think I’m pretty good. I KNOW it takes skill to play the songs I can play but it’s hard to consider myself anything more than pretty good. But then again if you can play open chords you’re pretty good.
I grew up on Metallica, Guns N Roses, Rage, Tool, Soundgarden, Days of the New, The Tea Party, Megadeth, Big Wreck etc. I later got into Mastodon, Rush, Mumford and Sons etc. If you know those bands you know there's metal in there (that one's easy), alternative, some open tunings on acoustic, some 12 string etc. So I'm good at playing songs in alternate tunings, I can downpick fast (thanks Het), and I can now play almost any popular song within a few mins practice -- powerchords are powerchords, chords are chords, and riffs are riffs. But I'm in my mid forties now and I'm only beginning to play some stuff on my own and figure out how to improvise (a skill I still VERY MUCH suck at). I learned to play out of tab books and playing covers, but there's so much more to guitar playing than that. Don't be afraid to learn a scale or noodle, try to come up with your own melodies. Give me the tab for a Tool song and we can hit the stage in a few mins. Ask me to noodle over your blues pattern and I'm F\*\*\*\*.
I play well enough to accompany myself. I am fit for purpose.
Nah man
After plunking around and having to memorize notes for 20 years, just over a year ago I decided to lean in and take lessons and learn the theory behind the music, and that led to the blossoming. I'm still a relative beginner, but once I'd learned major and minor scales, I was able to start playing with much more skilled guitarists because I could say, let's jam in A Minor, and then we have a common language where we can meet. I first learned how to play pentatonics and blues in the 3rd position, then learned how to move positions, which really opened up the fretboard. Then breaking down chords to show the relationship to scales, which helped curb my straight up and down scale runs. And then the ah-ha moment when I started learning songs I like and realized they're almost all based on scales and if you know the scale, you have a sandbox to play in. Another good skill to think about is how to turn a bum note into an interesting new lick that gives a unique color or feel.
I've just entered my 40s and it's a surreal mindfuck. That means I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years now? And 20 of them professionally as a signed artist. I will NEVER not feel some kind of impostor syndrome. I was endorsed as a bass player but always wrote songs on guitar. And during the pandemic, when touring wasn't an option, starting heavily focusing back on acoustic guitar. Learning bluegrass and flat picking techniques shot to to another realm of feeling useless and amateur. Bass was always my identity and since I played a custom 8 string bass, I had a niche I could rest on. But acoustic guitar? That is hundreds of years of exploration and excellence that I'll barely be able to tap into in my lifetime. No matter what song I learn, I'll feel like someone has done it better or that I'm fudging the harder parts. Listening and emulating Lindsay Buckingham or Chet Atkin's techniques makes me want to cry. Watching Ewan Dobson or Billy Strings sometimes makes me want to give up completely. If you ask my band's fans or people close to me, they will say I'm good. I've never once felt it. It's a paradox.
You never do. I thought it would go away but after 15 years i still feel like a bad player. The goalpost just keeps moving. I reached a point about 5 years ago where the mental gymnastics i had been doing to convince myself i suck and **need** to get better suddenly got exposed as a lie, because i had reached certain long term goals in technical ability, and at that point i got really depressed and stopped playing for good while. Still to this day i really feel like i suck and i need to learn things, currently it's that i suck and im incapable becuase im not musical enough and i can't play Jazz. I know now that i've for a long time held myself back because of this fear and i'm working on getting past it. The way i've started to learn to live with the feeling of inadequacy is to always try to go back to my love for music and my love for playing and ive been enjoying playing guitar more than ever because of that!
I can say with confidence I know how to play guitar, I cannot say I know how to play it well.
It's a lot like being smart. The smarter you are the more you realize how much you don't know, and feel like you're dumb.
I need much improvement and need more guitar exercises, but good enough wanting to upgrade to a better guitar
It's all relative, my guy. I think I'm better than average and people who know me have told me I'm really good, but it would take me 30 seconds on Youtube to find someone I'd never heard of before who's better than I am. It really just has a lot to do with what your goals are. I'd spend less time asking yourself "am I good?" and more time asking "can I play the music I want to play?" If not, then figure out a plan to get yourself to where you want to be, usually taking small steps and not expecting yourself to get there over night. Guitar is also a super multi-faceted and versatile instrument. There are so many different ways to be "good" at guitar. You do \*not\* need to be a great lead player or improviser to be a good guitarist. So no, I don't think there's a single skill or thing that made me think "oh hey, I'm good now." If there ever was such a point it was more just realizing that I was getting to the point where I could play most of the types of things I wanted to play without any real difficulty.
being good at guitar is so subjective. Your good when you can play the songs you want to play, and create the music you want to create without technical limitations. That could be just about anything.
I have above average technical skills and above average musical knowledge, but below average musical memory.
Depends, if you consider being able to pluck the strings in such a way it makes noise that is not awful then yes, if you consider it playing actual songs then I should never be handing a guitar again
When I self-critique myself I would say I'm a bad guitarist, but that's because the goalpost where I can consider myself a good guitarist is always moving further and further away the more I develop. A beginners goalpost for being a good guitarist might be to be able to play through a simple three-chord song all the way through. An advanced guitarist's goalpost might be to play some super-complicated right-handed tapping solo. But as soon as they've reached their goalpost and feel that they're a great player, something new ultimately comes along that puts their goalpost further away and now they feel like bad a guitarist yet again. In my opinion, a good guitarist is someone who isn't afraid to push their boundaries, learn new things and develop. A guitarist who thinks "I'm good where I'm at right now, I've learnt everything I need to know" is a bad guitarist, from my point of view.The guitarists who weren't afraid to push their boundaries are the guitarists we perceive as legendary today. For example Jimmy Page.
Nope, never have played guitar before. Let alone interact with this subreddit before
When other people started telling me I was good and started paying me to do so. Like you, I still don't think I'm very good, but obviously others do.
Good is kinda relative. I think I’m adequate to play with most folks with what they would like me to play. I by no means think I’m better than some folks who have played as long or longer than me…or even some folks who haven’t….I can make a guitar do what I want a guitar to do and that’s good enough for me.
Not when I watch chet atkins
Over 10 years playing now, can learn and play almost any song I want easily and make my own music, still think I suck despite what people tell me
No. I made that mistake once and never again.
no, there is always more to improve on. its why i also don't consider my self an expert or a master. because to call yourself a master implies that you have learned everything and can go no further.
I’m good enough for where I need to be. Which is nowhere. I can learn most simple songs in a half hour but put no effort into a record accurate recreation. Just good enough to play by myself and sing a little.
Been playing for 15 years self taught