How many here own guitars, but can't really play ?

[panther]

I guess the title says it all.
I have several guitars and enjoy fixing and building them, But In can't play real well.
Maybe someday that will change.
Dan

[Greg_L]

It depends on what one considers "playing well".

[dubtrub]

I've been playing professionally off and on all my life and still learning. I'll never be good enough to stop learning. I just wish they would have had YouTube sixty years ago.

[BRRanger]

I play alot less than I used to...no longer being in a band. I'd say I'm a bit rusty and collect alot better than I play.
Scott

[Greg_L]

I sometimes think I'm lucky that I'm not very good. Lol. I'm good enough to do what I like to do, so in that regard I'm happier than a pig in slop to just flick on an amp, crank it up, and let er rip with no worries. I'm already technically as good or better than my own personal guitar heroes, so it's just gravy from here. I've never aspired to be the best or even great. I just wanted to be good enough to play my songs and have some fun. I achieved that at like 16 and haven't gotten much better since.

There are times though when I realize that I should be way better than I am and it gets disheartening to hear players that blow me away. It's not inspiring for me. Another player's greatness discourages me more than inspires me. I hate that and I wish it were different, but I can't help how I feel. I don't know how to get better even if I wanted to.

[Mr. Bill]

I hear players that are far better than I am all the time. But I'm happy to be able to play the things that I know how to play and find that if I really try to learn new things, I can, but I have to spend the time to do it.

I used to find that when I felt stuck a certain level, I'd go in and take a lesson or two from somebody that could direct me in a different direction, or maybe show me a different way to do something. I'm basically self taught, so i tend to have a lot of bad habits that can sometimes be detrimental to my playing. Sometimes a second set of eyes and ears can make things go better.

[juan_10]

Playing guitar is a bit of a rollercoaster for me . Some days it goes well , some days it's like pulling teeth . Some days I enjoy it , some days it's just practice . So the question sure hits home with me.
But then if it was effortless I wouldn't get so hot and sweaty and trembly when I feel 'I really played that great '( shortly to be followed by some cock up of course) . What it is I suppose is to the observer it all seems effortless . I've watched bands and been in awe of the effortlessness

I've got five guitars now and I would certainly put my hand up to feeling 'not really being able to play' sometimes ... about twenty to thirty minutes warm up and it gets a bit easier. hehe I went to see Segovia play once in Oxford .. I reckon you can guess how I felt about my guitar skillz after that little expedition ? (He was in his eighties at the time, and he had the tiniest of fingers).

Cheers , Happy new year, Juan

[Haole Jim]

Interesting / touchy / deeply philosophical subject, however will join in...

...decades ago, it became apparent to this soul, 'was not a "natural-great" musician and over the following decades that "fact" became all too clear, often to sadness and "hopelessness-ultra-lite."

However, perspective and deeper-thinking can be your "saviour."

By endeavouring to play at all, one joins the history-world-wide cadre' of "musicians." This becomes "deeper" as one puts in additional time playing, studying, tinkering, repairing, building, socializing about, going to hear, listening to...guitars.

Those efforts put one WAY ahead of the world population who DOES NOT EVEN MAKE THE ATTEMPT.

'Have played 450+ Masses and services at church, 'am in a band which has played out 50+ times (and am least-good-player in the band)...and coffee houses, etc and am a many-decades hack musician who is blown away by others' talent (when they were in their teens).

Personal mantra; "Anything truly worth doing is worth doing truly poorly...rather than not at all."

And paraphrasing from Shakespeare, "Better to have played guitar and not been great, than never to have played guitar at all."

[AZ Mike]

I play better than I did in the band almost 50 years ago, but now I'd rather get on the Harley with my girlfriend and go on a weekend trip. But this would make it hard for any band leader to book gigs when the lead guitar's often gone. So I just play at some jams among senior citizens in trailer parks in the winter here in Arizona. They think I'm good, but it's all relevant.