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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I don't recall this ever being covered here.
But what do you want to do with your music, or your abilities to play? How far do you want to go? Why do you do this?
Do you want to get to where you can figure out tunes by listening to them? Write tunes? Site read? Play leads like Clapton without thinking about it? Play slide like Sonny? Licks like Tony Rice? Or just be a good solid rhythm player? (frankly that's harder than the leads) Be able to play guitar, bass, fiddle, mando or, dare we say it banj.. no I can't go there. Or something else altogether?
I learned how to play a little in the 60's. I progressed a little bit through the years. Through always being around the top guys in music I gained a great knowledge of how to play. The only thing that was lacking was the ability to do it. Since selling the Gas Station I've really focused on translating knowledge to skill and it is hard work. Knowing just what to do doesn't mean that your fingers will do it, especially when you need to run on semi-autopilot.
My goal is to be able to hear a tune and figure out how to play it quickly. Sit in with somebody new and play an unfamiliar song and play the right notes, not necessarily the best but just right. Write a tune that will make you laugh or punch you in the gut, good enough to be a hit record, but that part's not necessary.
I don't care about being the best because half the world will ALWAYS be better than you. I just want to be in front of the other half. I'm half way to that and it's taken about 5 years of pretty applied focus.
OK, somebody else? |
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Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | My only musical "goal" is to Improve alittle bit every time I pick up the Guitar. Weather it's learning a new Chord I've never used or discovering a scale pattern I've never used before. Of course now that I'm thinking about it, being able to Improvise is something I would love to be able to do consistantly. But overall,Tiny steps forward NEVER backwards and I'm happy. :) |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My goal is to be able to hear a tune and figure out how to play it quickly. Sit in with somebody new and play an unfamiliar song and play the right notes, not necessarily the best but just right. Write a tune that will make you laugh or punch you in the gut, good enough to be a hit record, but that part's not necessary.
I think you nailed it pretty damn close for me. Enjoyment for myself and hopefully enjoyment for those around me who listen. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Being realistic, older and with MADD (Musical Attention Deficit Disorder, I get easily distracted by a 'new' chord/song/discovery and lose focus on my original intent) , my main 'goal' is to play well enough to encourage my G-babies to take up and appreciate music, especially the guitar.
My selfish goal is to keep learning and expanding my capabilities. As said earlier, it can be ploddingly slow, but rewarding.
I guess my last goal is to be able to play "Classical Gas" to perfection. But each time I'm determined to sit down and learn it, MADD kicks in at some point and *poof*... < now what's the topic again? >  |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Started playing in the very early 60's, including a few years in a surf band playing school dances and private parties, then branched out a little in the 70's playing solo accompaniment for weddings and the like, but didn't really focus on improving until the last five years. Two years ago, I joined a semi-professional band that gigs every week, and this is what really pushes me to improve. I don't have time to genuinely compose, although I can lay down rhythm tracks and noodle on a looping machine such that it sounds like original stuff, but that doesn't count. I continue to push for improvement in memorizing chord theory so that complex and infrequently used chords (9ths, 11ths, 13ths, doubles) come more naturally. I'd also like to improve playing lead lines down in the lower strings as well. I can always use more improvement in reading music, but I am now resigned to the fact that I will never be able to determine a specific chord from a vertical string of notes. Hats off to those of you who can. Lessons somewhere along the line would have helped. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4820
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I want to write a song that people will be singing 300 years from now. Like Jingle Bells.
Oh. AND get the girls, man. That still hasn't changed. (though now it's a catch-and-release program) |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | Originally posted by BT717:
My only musical "goal" is to Improve alittle bit every time I pick up the Guitar. That's me too. I have to say that before we started having local jams, I didn't pick up the guitar and play every day. Now I do. |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I have been playing for so long that I don't have much trouble hearing a song and figuring it out. I am trying to coach that ability in my students. I want them all to learn NOT to need me. I'd like to get better at playing classical, but frankly, it's too much work. I enjoy the pieces I play, but if I come up against something that isn't fun, I give it up. I guess what I'd most like to do is have a song I wrote become a mega-hit. But I don't want to be the one performing it. I'd like someone like Carly Simon to do one of my songs. Let her go on tour and deal with all the hassles. I'll sit home and collect the royalties. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | wow cwk
this is something I struggle with every day.
I want to be the best player I can be. I strive to learn more chords, scales, modes, arpeggios etc to keep my playing fluid and interesting.
I too would like to be able to sit in with anyone have them shout the chords or structure to me and just play on from there.
I spent a good deal of time in the 80's with an original band and I just figured I would forget about learning covers. Now I learn new covers every week.
Ultimately my goal would be to be able to play whatever I wanted to with minimum effort and to be the best player that I can be.
I don't care about the guitar slinger competition. I know that there will always be people that are better than me.
I played "let it be" with my nephew at his high school senior farewell. I played a solo in it and I have to admit I thought I did not hit one bad note in the solo, I was totally happy with all the phrasing and how it started peaked and resolved. I don't think I was ever that happy with a solo I ever played. It really made me feel go to nail one for the kid at his HS thing. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | My goal is to have a fifty song repertoire that I can play well enough not to embarrass myself (too bad) in public.
I was influenced by the Boston street musicians that I knew in the 70's. Long before internet Tab sites these people could hear a song, pick out the basic melody, figure-out the rhythm with some barre chords, and finally have the whole song down in an afternoon. And be playing a good rendition on the street that evening.
Not necessarily lofty goals... I just wanna be able to play well enough to make myself happy and not have people throw vegetables at me. |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | i'd like to eventually compose a song or two that will reward me enough financially to help take care of my aging parents and in-laws. then pay off our debt and allow my wife to choose the first home she would ever own. and keep my kids in private school. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Mine have changed recently. There were a bunch of songs that I wanted to learn when I started and that's still the case. I've learned several, a couple to perfection.
I used to think in terms of performing and I still day dream about it, but with age has come reality, if not some wisdom. Plus, age has brought me enough confidence to realize that all I need is to be good enough for me and I don't really care whether anyone else thinks I'm any good. The reality is that most of the songs I want to play aren't arranged for multiple guitar parts, so I don't need anyone else. That's just fine. Playing the rhythm part or playing chords to a fingerstyle song just won't do it for me.
It's hard for me to set definite goals. My dad was a Dale Carnegie business guy who'd always ask what my goal was for the day, week, year or life. My response was generally to get through the day, week, etc. without thinking of a goal.
Anyway, the long term goal is to play some decent electric guitar. Specifically, a couple of Clapton songs and Hotel California, but generally, it would be nice to join in the jam like we had at Miles'.
Short term is to add a few Croce, Denver and McLean songs, particularly Castles in the Air. That's one I have had trouble with for years. I can't even get a good start. I figure I'll get distracted with a few other songs that catch my ear, but that's OK. Iffy and I have the same disease, but I managed to carve out a year where I learned Classical Gas. I miss a few notes, but I'll pick those up someday. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | This is a great thread.
I play mostly finger style. I tend to pluck the note of the chord that i feel should be next in the progression. I'm not a disciplined player and I play,(read mess around), more than I practice.
I want to work on some of those great riffs using chords like Jerry Reed and Chet used to do.
I also want to pick up more chords than I know now and be able to play them in different positions. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | Originally posted by alpep:
I just figured I would forget about learning covers. Now I learn new covers every week. What does Matt Smith say about practicing your repertoire? "Learn the standards in whatever style you're playing. I cannot stress this enough." |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | What a brilliant topic!!!
"What do you want to do with your music, or your abilities to play? How far do you want to go? Why do you do this?"
This is the one million dollar question for me and as I begin to respond I don't have the slightest tingling of an answer for it.
I started playing when I was 6, that was 1964. I played on and off for years, even wrote several tunes, but didn't start playing "seriously" until the late 80's and early 90's when I was in bands. I never enjoyed playing the guitar by myself and still don't. If there is no band and no gig, no audience, I have no motivation to pick up the instrument. I actually didn't realize that until just now in typing this. I guess it's the reason I don't play much anymore or at least part of it.
The other part is going from playing a few hours a day for 10 years to not really picking up a guitar other than to noodle or tune it for the next 10 years, doesn't make for a very pleasant experience when one finally decides "todays the day" and I pick up a guitar and plug it in.
So I guess my goal, is more like a wish.. I guess I'd like to play, be able to play, the 30 or so songs I have written again and finish them.
I have no idea how to accomplish this goal, but I guess it's nice to at least have one... and I didn't when I started typing this 3 hours ago.
Very cool topic... |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Good topic Bill..
I had to think about this one for a while.
Like OMA said above, I'd like to have 40 or so songs ready for public consumption with a certain percentage of tunes dropping out and new ones taking their place in the rotation.
As far as musicianship, I just would like to add enough bling to an arrangement to avoid sounding, as Cliff puts it, "strummy-strummy singy-singy".
I think I enjoy the singing part of it as much a the guitar part.
When I attend a factory tour or an event like Amelia I think, "Oh... I wanna be that guy!"
Reality is that I most likely don't have the genetic make-up to work with. And I do beleive, to a large degree, that those musicians I admire are born with a gift that allows them to grasp the idea. And to be fair, part of it is also the lack of time spent and dedication on my part.
Recording is adding some good things to the mix. It's only going to help my musicianship if I stick with it.
Although I admire the hell out Steve Sutton, Matt Smith, & Templeman my musical goals will best be reached by taking a lesson from the book of Cliff, Dave, & Bobbo.
Someday I would like to learn my way around some 12 bar blues. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I started playing in the early/mid 60's with chords written on a piece of school notebook paper by a friend...drove my parents crazy w/2 songs until I progressed to memorizing chords which led me to play in a small group and later to play in the High School Jazz Band w/ my Gibby SG...I traded the SG towards a nice acoustic 12 string in 1970 which did me well in collage and allowed me to play in the coffee house scene which was popular...it was there that I was given the neckname "music" because of my ability to learn a vast array of songs (currently over 500 but I have lost count) as well as my album collection (now over 3000)...it was also then I discovered that girls loved guys that played guitar...so armed with a various Gibson Les Paul Customs I played Rock and Pop for years on the road...I added a Pacemaker 12 string and started writing songs in the mid 70s...My band recorded an album in 1976 which included two of my originals...it sold reasonably well and the band "Silk and Steel" opened for several regional and national acts...when we disbanded in 1978, I put together a duo for 5 years and then I did a single act for the 7 years before joining an established regional act in 1992 as lead vocalist and rhythm guitar...and I cut an album of my originals that same year...I have an ability to learn songs quickly which serves me well in the Contemporary Christian music that I still play; along the way I taught myself to fingerpick, play lead, and a little bass, mandolin, and fiddle...I have strived to concentrate on my original compositions for the past 15 years...I try to write songs that will appeal to people on a gut level basis and to tell a story in each song...I strive to write positive music and hopefully just bring a smile to someone's face. I learned that whatever gift I may have been given was for others benefit and not solely my own...I try to learn new things to keep me fresh and avoid getting stale and stiff...my style is my own flavored over the years by some awesome singer songwriters...just to still be playing after all these years is a gift! |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Real good one, Beal. This is what I call open-kimono time.
The simple answer is this: I want to be able to play and sing what I hear in my head. Fortunately, what I hear in my head is not too complex. Or so it seems until I try to play it.
The more detailed answer is that I do still want want be a musician. Where I can attract a following and go play what I hear in my head, and the audience connects with the music and becomes a part of it. Sell some CDs and t-shirts and make enough to keep the show on the road. I've got about 20 original songs that my biggest fans ( ;) ) think are pretty good and a bunch of new ones spinning around in my head and in various stages of development (translating what's in my head into playing it). My plan is to take the next four years to get it all together, close up the parts of life I am still engaged in, and then I'm hitting the road. Crazy dream? Sure, but why not? Life is full of crazy dreams ready to be lived. |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 247
Location: Delaware | What I would like to do with my music is build up my repertoire (only about 35 songs as of now) so that I could resume my solo gig at happy hours, parties, weeknight entertainment at local bars, etc., to supplement my pension when I retire. I strum melodys and sing to them, and it's great to bring a smile to peoples faces when they hear a song they like, one that brings back memories or makes them tap their foot or nod their head in rhythm, that is the biggest reward of all. So I guess what I want to do with my music is share it with others and give them something to enjoy ! |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | BTW: great topic Beal! |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Yeah, going to hit everyone in here and make us all think a little with this one Beal.
For me the line does change as I progress. I used to just want the speed and the flash of playing to an appreciative audience. That was 25 years ago. This time around I am having a blast learning songs that used to elude me in the past and picking up some good technique along the way. I am now enjoying my time trying to understand how to make a lead scale flow through a series of chords. Finding that my "Ear" is actually very good compared to what it was long ago.
Learning is truly... at least!... Half the Fun of it all!
As for the stage experience I still have a big desire to find about four more musicians who can try to do a project that covers bands like Genesis and Yes, Rush, Floyd, The Who and Zeppelin. There are several probelms with finding members for a project like this. And the liklihood of accomplishing this before I loose the determination is very slim. So the solo gig's let me cover some of this material quite nicely, so this has been my outlet for all my musical efforts to date and has been a very satisfying effort. I have reached the point where I can learn a song quite quickly including the difficult and not often used chord variations that make them sound right when covered so I do not have the drive to dig in and learn as I once did. Playing Music is the best fun you can have for free.
An additional note; The Adamas's have been a pleasure to work with and I have had so many comments not only from the audiences but from other musicians I would not ever change my choice of stage guitars for as long as I continue to play. |
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Joined:
May 2006
Posts: 4221
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | My initial response was that I wanted to get the songs I had written recorded so my kids would have them after I'm gone. And I still want to do that.
But I was reminded by a twinge today that I had to cut back my playing about 7 or 8 years ago because of arthritis developing in my left thumb. It was getting to the point where I sometimes had real difficulty holding the guitar's neck at all, much less make decent chords. (We won't even talk about barre chords.)
So I cut back...a lot. And a year or so (and lots of naprosyn) later, the discomfort was pretty much gone. But it can come back anytime. So my overly melodramatic answer is that I simply want to keep playing. The rest is gravy.
Although finding time to record would still be nice. |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | I'm never going to be famous (or if I do, it won't be for playing guitar) but I really enjoy mastering something difficult. I started playing in 1982 and bought my first guitar (legend 1117) three months later while on holiday in the States. After getting married twice and digging into kids and career, the guitar sort of sat in the case for years.
Late last year (after 6 months of too much study combined with too much work) I decided to get the guitar out and get back to the standard I had at the end of the '80s. Now I find I'm playing the best guitar of my life.
My musical goals are to learn some pieces that involve some challenging licks and sound good, instead of just having a repertoire of strum & sing songs. Almost every time I pick the guitar up I have a shot at bits from Crazy on You. In 6 months time it will be smooth and then I can work on speed. I practice nearly every day (this group really helps with that) and tend to be very focussed, playing difficult things so that I get sore fingertips very quickly. In comparison, if I just go through a whole lot of songs I can do easily, the fingers don't suffer at all. |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | i'm the most un-disciplined person i know. although i pick up the guitar and play nearly every day, i never focus on a particular song but just play spontaneously. if i happen to have recording gear set up at the moment, i just play and keep the best track, foibles and all, and then go back and try to clean it up later, if ever. i am not too interested in doing songs by other folks real well. i'd rather spontaneously compose my own, undisciplined music and hope for a hit! i've heard it said, "if you aim for nothing, you'll probably hit it". so with my attitude, i may never realize my goal of just stumbling upon the magic melody... |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Thanks, Richard. You reminded me that Crazy On You is one of my goals. There's a very good instruction video in 3 parts by some kid on YouTube that's very good, by the way. You need an Adamas slothead to play it properly, however.
Randy, that sounds like a good goal, "be more spontaneous." I'll write it down, post it on the mirror and put it on the calendar. Then I will have turned into my father. |
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Musical Goals
