Did you have natural talent or did you really, really suck then got better with practice?

well, i kind a knew how to Aleternate pick as soon as i picked it up, slow, but i knew how, probably instinctually or something but yah, we ALL suck when we start

im sure some will agree with me
there are very few that are naturally talented or gifted
most just work at it and improve and become great


people who work at it to become where they are = petrucci,vai,satch,johnson etc..

people who are naturally gifted = hendrix,becker,yngbert,macalpine etc..

me...ive just practiced none stop dont go out much
i know im sad i just work on scales n shit.

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not natural talent [not any talent? ]

I don't believe in natural talent. Everyone has it, just some can make better use of it than others.

I improved VERY quickly within weeks of starting, because I played for several hours per day, constantly learning new tabs and challenging my fingers' ability with harder songs. I was playing Deicide and Children of Bodom(sans solos) within a month or 2 of playing on acoustic. Now I learn at a much slower pace but I still improve both technically and musically, as I experiment more writing my own stuff.

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oh yeah? well i could play holy wars

I was playing Megadeth too.

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I don't think "Natural Talent" exists at the level many people think it does.

the majority of guitarists that everyone thinks had "natural talent" worked very hard to get where they were.

For example, just because Yngwie is self taught dose not mean that he started anywhere near the level he is today. These guitarists spend many hours practicing and honing their skills to get where they are.

I for one have pretty much spent the last two years studying and practicing and
to improve my skills and it has payed off. I has cost me a little bit in the way of academics and my social life but I feel it was well worth it.

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Disciplined practice really takes you farther than just playing tabs, I've found.

A old friend of mine played all throughout high school and I always thought he was pretty good. I saw him recently and showed him what I could do after 10 months of my playing and he honestly felt I had surpassed him. He's a nice dude though coulda just been encouraging me...

But sitting down early on and running through exersises (most from this very forum) has been probably of most benefit. Starting slow with a metronome helps as well and techniques can then be applied to songs you'd like to learn. Playing 4 hours a day helps as well

Jamming with tracks helps a lot as well.

i sucked when i started bur i have just gotten to this streek where i can actually play good

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natural talent does exists, depends on what you think natural talent means, someone with no talent for guitar at all, will never be realy good or skilled, someone with natural talen will mostlikely learn things pretty easily compaerd to others.. it will still take alot of time and practice though.

atleast thats my idea about it,

like most people i sucked when i started.

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yeah i guess.
like my friend is absofuckinglutely clueless aout playing and he's played for one year
but then again he practiced for probably a net worth of.... 2 hrs

I've always been one to deem talent as an idiosyncratic abilty to persevere with a specific task... It isn't down to a natural skill or talent for it, but just a unique enjoyment that means some people can stick at a certain skill (i.e. guiattaring in this case) where as others just don't have the interest or passion to practice appropriately to give a noticable improvement rate... This ends up relative to other people int he world or friends within your peer groups, and you naturally begin to excel them as you find it easier and enjoyble to put time into somethign they just can't. A great example for what I mean would be the world of 'web development' and all that shite - It isn't a raw talent, just some fuckers (such as my brother) have the character traits and interests to allow them to develop skills in that area

Also there are similar things that lead and influence not only the physical skill, but also the mental sides. It's just a case of human ability meaning muscle memory develops better for things you enjoy or things that are essential etc....

But yeah.... I remember when a power chord was too hard to play, and how I couldn't use a pick so just got stranded with using a thumb, haha

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The rhythm's in my blood. I have skinny fingers so I naturally could make the shapes quite easily. I was driven so I pushed myself to learn and practice, but wouldn't consider myself blessed with any natural talent to play. All playing skills were acquired and honed.

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I sucked terribly when I first started to play guitar

I asked my parents to buy me a guitar. When they finally did, I didsn't know what to do. I just... Started playing. NOT GOOD of course, I sucked tremendously (fret buzz, weak bends, feeble pulloffs, etc.) , but I doodled around to the point where I am now. Even today, my playing guitar has been just doodling around. It sounds a whole lot better though.

One thing that has improved most significantly over the years is my rhythm. I had a good sence for rhythm from the start when I was a kid. After spending many years polishing up my skills though, my rhythm has definitely gotten better.

i came out of my mom shredding!

ha nah...i sucked ass when i started. i wasn't even into metal then though..just played a lot of punk.

I think everyone sucked when they started, just some suck more or less than others.

A lot depends on the encouragement you get, from friends, relatives, but most of all, yourself. How motivated you are to master a particular riff/song/technique.

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This forum has been a great tool not only for talking to other guitarists but for motivation. Watching others play on youtube or reading about theory or hell just general chit-chat always motivates me to sit down and play

Yeah Yngwie practised VERY HARD. He started playing at 7 years old and when he was like 16 or something stopped going to school and practised for like 8 to 14 hours a day. EVERY FUCKING DAY! I heard some stuff that his mom even found him asleep with his guitar, so tired from practicing guitar the whole day.

The same story goes with Steve Vai, Marty Friedman,... all those guys never had a normal dayjob all they did was play guitar, of course their good at what they do.

Dont call it "talent" its rather Skilled through practice"

Sure... all the greats practised, but I think there still has to be an element of talent to be forward thinking enough to push the boundries. Perhaps that applies more to song writing than technical skill though.

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find that very hard to believe

guitar teach said i pciked up shit fast... first position chords and shit. I find its easier for me to learn when working with shapes and numbers... fantasmic.

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Why?
You finish compulsary school by the age of 16 in Sweden (of course, most people continue their education on higher levels after that)

the 8 to 14 hrs part, if i played that much i probably wouldn't like it any more

I consider rhythym to be one of those things you either have naturally or you don't, but it can be gained through practice.

Some friends that i've tried teaching guitar to or playing with just cannot have a steady rhythym and it's weird.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but i've always had a decent "mental metronome" and I think a lot of my progression with guitar is due to that.

I played my acoustic for 8-10 hours on sunday, at night I had to stop because my pointer finger that I thought was incredibly tough and callussed was in a lot of pain.

that's pretty brutal

Yeah, my friends are all like "wow you don't suck that bad for a beginner" but it's because of days like those haha

haha yeah when i was starting out i played 4 hrs a day consistently

Well its the truth, he skipped so many lessons that his mom decided to send him to a luthier or something a place where they make guitars and work there as student. But yeah he was basically playing all day and doing not much else.

For myself I started to become "ok" after the first 3 months. Then things started going better. The first 3-4 months were a bit of a struggle.

People say I have talent, I think you need to have a bit of a feeling for it. Its like riding a car, some people are very smooth while others are very wild and ride like drunk.

Yeah man. I agree.

I guess the general consensus is that these "natural talents" had to work incredibly hard to get where they are at. I've always been a firm believer that genious is 100% hard work and dedication.

For me, what inspired me to play guitar was Children of Bodom. I made it absolutely imperative to learn Silent Night, Bodom Night, and within days I was tremolo picking on time, with an acoustic guitar. It hate to admit this, but I look at some of my friends who have been playing for 3 years, and they have gotten nowhere. They lack the passion and desire to get better. It's key to aspire to something great and never let up until it is accomplished.