The question no player ever wants to answer - can you really play?

[veniculum]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum...but I'm posting here because Jackson/Charvel guitars are kinda synonymous with shredding. So I figured where better to start this thread.

I've been playing for 25 years now. I'm not a great player....I'm a decent player and I admit it. I love to play, I love to write riffs, and to a non-musician, I do shred...but to real players, I'm just a rhythm guy who can play some leads from time to time. I can admit it. But guitarists tend to be a little egotistical...aren't we

I guess I'm bringing it up because I'm looking to start another band (in central jersey...just good 'ol hard rock music..some covers, some originals...you get the point). But in all my years of playing, it's kinda hard to find players who are just sorta laid back. Good players, who know how to write songs, and aren't all about showing off.

I would actually really like to know how you guys view yourselves as players. I certainly am self conscience about my playing...but isn't everyone..at least a little? I'm pretty much self-taught...and I learned in the days when there was no internet..no tabs (or god forbid, video lessons) that I could just pull at the click of a button...

If anything, I'm as much as a collector as a player. Don't get me wrong...I find at least an hour or two every day to play..at some times I'm really proactive about my playing...I practice new stuff, write a lot, etc. Then other times will go by where all I do is practice what I already know...just trying to perfect my playing....although, it never really happens...some days better than others...aint that a bitch

Anyway...I just figured this is something that I haven't really seen posted...and I really would like to know what people think of their own playing.
I'll start. I can play...I won't blow the doors off any true musician..but I could easily play rhythm in any band...and I've been the single guitarist in a few bands in my 25 years. I love to write riffs and piece them together into songs. I wish I knew more theory..but have trouble finding the time or discipline to really practice that stuff. Oh...and I love buying guitars...lots of them, much to the dismay of my significant other. And once again...if you're located in central jersey and are interested in starting something up, PM me.

Later guys!

[charvel750]

I guess I'm somewhere in between EVH and RR. :P No, seriously, I'm more like yourself. Good enough to hang but in the company of seasoned musicians I'm not a standout. Now I can blister the paint off the fingerboard and in my band do a 3 minute solo spot which the crowds love, but there's always that guy in the back of the club with his arms crossed as if to say, "That ain't really all that."

[Scooter]

No, I can't shred. Although I play Jackson/Charvel, I don't feel I can play them 'like they should be.'
Don't know theory. Played by ear since 1986.
Love to jam though. Don't really care who wrote it, if I like it I try to learn it. If I can't learn it all (solo) I may fudge or forget it. Original material is always awesome when it is inspiring. I also love to watch people better than me. Live music (any type) is best when its in the right groove.

[Devotee]

I can shred but i can't sweep. I don't really know any scales so most of the time when i do shred it ends up sounding like complete chaos - which is kind of the point anyway. I'm actually quite sloppy until i get really warmed up - then i'm just a little less sloppy.

At the end of the day, i just like to pick up the guitar, make some noise and write some good music. This is what i want to do and my (albeit limited) playing abilities allow me to do just that.

I know a lot of 'great' players who sit around practicing sweeps, legato runs, ten-finger tapping techniques and all kinds of ridiculous shit, but if you ask me, being a great guitarist isn't always about technique - it's about how much emotion you can squeeze from the instrument. Sure, you can play the whole mixolidian scale with all ten fingers, that's great - but can you write a good song with that?

EDIT: In case you didn't already guess, my knowledge of theory is basic at best and i play completely by ear.

[markD]

i do not shred, nor have i ever wanted to. i was always into guys that played with precision and feel. i CAN play solos that have pretty quick scales, i can tap (only with one finger), i can use my floyd for interesting things besides divebombs/pull backs and i recently even learned a couple sweeps....BUT i only use them for flavor not as my whole style. i tend to work out my solos ahead of time and keep them melodic and bluesier.

i am lucky enough to play in a band where we are slightly progressive, so i am constantly challenged as a player. i get to use what i learn because we gig often. so i am happy.

but as far as if i can really play?

haha, yeah. i am good at what i do. i couldn't go sit in on death metal jam...or jazz...or country jam. i try to stay humble, but latley i have been told, a lot, that i am really good. i don't 100% believe it because i know there are guys that can smoke me, but i don't care. i get to write songs and record/perform them and i am happy.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I'm a decent player, I'm no guitar hero, but, I can play.

[CMH (OH)]

I suck majorly, but have fun scaring the cat/kids/wife.

I was once "decent", but am so far out of practice now that it is laughable.

Maybe once my kids are older I'll have more time to play/practice. (hope springs eternal)

Cheers,
Chris

[DonP]

I'm a bedroom hobbyist. I love to play, but I don't have enought left side brain cells where music comes naturally. I can bash it out to CD's and DVD's, but I don't know a single scale. I can follow along to solo's by ear.

I know, I suck.

[Musician78]

I wouldn't say I suck, but I am not great either. I am a bit sloppy so I tend to use more distortion than what is probably necessary. I could be either a rhythm or a lead player in a band, BUT I am not confidant enough in my abilities to be in a one guitar band.

I can "fake shred" very well (picking as fast as I can and letting my fingers go anywhere and everywhere) and every non musician and even a few musicians who at the very least act pretty damn impressed. I can play some quick solos but I will never be Marty Friedman.

My rhythm playing is what tends to impress people though because I can downpick very fast and learn stuff that is on the more complicated side with weid time signatures and general weird fast patterns.

I do however, SUCK on an acoustic.

[Grandturk]

I'm a hack. Not just as a guitarist, but at most things in life. Playing 20+ years.

Also - let's hang out and jam - I'm from central Jersey originally.

[atomic charvel guy]

i suck the sweat off a yaks balls.

[tcwil8]

Hell, I'm not even the sweat ON a yak's balls.

[micha]

I pretty much suck as well. and I hate it when people state the opposite call me "guitar god" and whatnut...
I'm nowhere near where they think I am just because they've never seen a REALLY good player...

But anyway; when I nail that solo live which has been scaring the shit out of me the whole gig, I pretty soon mention noone gives a shit.
but as soon as I do some pointless tapping licks or the propeller-move with my rhythm arm people go nuts!!
most people who don't know me in person but see me at gigs once in a while know me as the humble guy, since I seem to be the only one who knows how much I suck, but I don't care anymore.
as long as I like playing and people seem to enjoy what I do everything's fine with me.

[diablomozart]

in all honesty i would consider myself competent...meaning most people can't tell if i am having a bad day playing or not...i've been called a shredder by many close friends for years but i don't see it...in fact what i hear most in my playing is the mistakes and imagine it will always be that way to me...while i do believe i can play, i also believe i am not as well rounded a player as i would like as there are so many other styles out there that are just jaw droppingly good that i don't even have a clue as to how to approach them...classical, fingerstyle, flamenco, jazz, among others...add in that i may be possibly the world's worst blues player too...lol...i dunno...to me playing guitar was always more about using it to write songs and trying to make whatever crazy melody i heard in my head a reality...so yeah competent is about all i'll ever be...d.m.

[rjohnstone]

I'm self taught. I've been playing for 30+ years and can hold my own when it comes to jamming, but in the eyes of a seasoned pro, I'm a hack.
I watch, listen and learn at every opportunity.
I can't "shred" but I have my moments of "awesomeness" from time to time.

I play for fun and enjoy a good jam session. The minute the egos come out, I pack up.