Is this you?

(1) You really love playing the guitar.

(2) You love playing music for your audience.

Then congratulations you have potential to MAKE IT BIG!

How can I be so sure you may ask? Well...I am still holding onto my dream...

Where It All Began For Me

Growing up, there had always been a lot of great music around so naturally, you would think that I would have started down the path of wanting to learn to play the guitar much sooner. With having two older brothers who also played guitar there were plenty of opportunities, but things didn't work out that way.

One day I heard the song Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne which featured the original Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads, and it was then that I knew I wanted to learn to play the guitar. Randy Rhoads became my all time favorite guitarist and is the very reason that I felt inspired to start taking lessons.

Through reading articles about Randy I learned who his influences were and I went and listened to them to see what I might be able to learn. I also developed an interest in classical guitar after hearing the piece Dee, which Randy wrote for his mother Delores.

Prior to his passing away, I had the privilege of seeing Andres Segovia perform twice, however, I, unfortunately, can't say the same where Randy Rhoads is concerned, but I have listened to as many studio recordings and live performances as I could find in order to learn as much as I could from him.

I have had many great guitar teachers, and to this day I see myself as someone who is continuing to learn while getting better and better all the time, and that's as it should be.

My Musical Influences and Having a Proper Perspective

Everyone has musical influences, that is to say, everyone has at least one guitar or bass player that they've listened to one or more times and thought to themselves "I'd sure like to be able to play like that."

I too was one of those who admired a string of musicians and rock stars and at times tried to emulate them, but through the years my perspective has changed some what and now I just want to be the best original me out there. What I'd like to encourage and remind an aspiring guitar or bass player is that what was possible for someone else just may very well be possible for them too.

In many a guitar store you are likely to walk in and hear a new or novice player doing their level best to play riffs or chord voicings from their favorite guitarist or bassist, and sometimes this can be quite enjoyable and entertaining. However, more often than not, what most hear being played can be rather unpleasant depending on how developed or undeveloped the guitarist is!

Believe me, when I say, I too was there! This pretty much sums up what I mean:

Now, this isn't meant to be demeaning in any way, but rather an encouragement, so unless one is playing cover tunes in a top 40 band, what I've learnt through the years is that no one really wants to hear you trying to play like your favorite famous guitar player. Rather, people are bound to be much more interested in what kind of original idea you as the aspiring or novice player can come up with and how you will continue to develop your own musical skills and abilities. With that said, I believe there is a strong case that can be made for the fact that whatever or whoever a player listens to, that artist's influence will to some extent come out in their playing. The ultimate goal of any musician should always be to be great in their own style and strive to have as much originality as possible.

Another point that I'd like to make and encourage you to do is to use your favorite songs played by your favorite player as a measuring stick of sorts so as to gauge what is possible. This way you can set goals that you can work towards. As you mature more and more as a player in your own right you will hopefully be able to start improvising your own riffs, chord voicings, and even solos if that is what you desire to do. With patience and determination, you can reach whatever goals you set for yourself if you just stick with it.

Making It BIG

The desire to make it big or in other words to become very successful in a particular field is something that everyone wants. At least that's what a lot of people say, however, there are many things to consider when it comes to setting out to achieve this goal. In this case, we are of course talking about becoming or attempting to become successful in music, which despite all the technological advances can be, and more times than not, is still a very difficult field to break into.

One conclusion you could come to is that music just isn't your strong-suit and that you should probably either keep music as a hobby or give it up completely. But, is one of these two alternatives really the right decision to make? In all honesty, for some people, it may very well be. But, what about you? What decision could you make without ending up living in regret for the rest of your life? Is there a happy medium?

Through pretty much every form of media, we can imagine we are and continue to be constantly inundated with words, visual imagery, and photographs of famous people who have "Made It Big." To be clear, I am not trying to knock anyone for their success, but as a guitar teacher, I strive to not only provide lessons but also to encourage my students to be well grounded and think things through very carefully because there is a harsh reality that comes with being a highly successful person.

I mean, how many times have we heard about celebrities who have trouble holding relationships together, or who just don't seem to be able to handle all the pressures and demands that come with their chosen career? Yup, sadly too many for me to keep track of. And yet, we are told that they are who we must strive to be like if we want to be successful, happy and generally accepted in society. Wrong!

With that said, we can still be very successful in music or any other field that we choose to go into. This is especially true today with all the advances in technology. Will we have the lavish life style that those who are rock-'n-roll royalty seem to be enjoying? That's debatable, and depending on who you ask, the answers will obviously vary from person to person. However, that doesn't mean that you can't be successful. What I'd like to propose is this, ... there are various levels of success and one doesn't have to necessarily be playing in huge arenas to be a successful person.

So, what are your goals?
What will it take to achieve them?
Who must you meet and get to know?
What time constraints and schedule demands are you willing to accept?
What or whom would you have to give up?
Will your relationships suffer or survive as a result of your career choice?

Personally, I believe that staying well grounded, especially as you begin to gain more and more attention in your field of choice is the primary key. Sure, you have to tend to business, and you may not have as much time for other people as you once did, but as long as your friends and family know that you love and appreciate them then the relationship side of things should be able to remain intact.

One thing that sets music apart from quite a large number of other fields is that there can potentially be a lot of traveling, interviews, meet and greets, writing and recording sessions, sound checks, etc. If you are anything like me then you would know that playing music is something that is really enjoyable, and there's is nothing else that you would rather do. If music is where your interest lies then stay focused, practice as often as you can, and stay true to your core values. In other words, never lose sight of who you are and why you are doing what you do.

Remember, each player is unique in their own right, which means that we all will eventually play the same notes at one time or another, but we will seldom if ever play them the same way or in the same order.

Looking forward, what you or I will be able to come up with in our own playing style is just as cool sounding as that of our favorite artist. If you enjoy playing guitar as much as I do your passion for the instrument will shine forth.