Best advice you ever got from a pro?

[Dean Gray]

A few years ago I had a dobro lesson with Michel Rose, Australia's number one session pedal steel picker (his "fun" band the Feral Swing Katz are fantastic). After a few minutes of my whiney, scratchy attempts at fiddle tunes on the dobro he stopped me and said "No! No! No!"....

He then made me play very slowly, focussing on tone, timing and volume.

He told me to "Never, ever practice without a metronome", and that whenever I play to "project myself". I had been trying to practice as much as I could, but not wanting to disturb the family I had been playing very quietly, and subsequently had a hard time getting a good full sound. His message was that half an hour of focussed, quality practice was better than my 2 hours of aimless noodling. After the initial depression of being embarrassed in front of one of my heroes, I started working on the basics again, and wouldn't you know it - it helped me tremendously.

I now remember his advice everyday when I pick up my Tele. Even on an electric instrument, so much of the sound is the product of a well trained picking hand.

So what is the best advice you have been given by another musician, pro or otherwise?

[Telenator]

I'm a big fan of Les Dudek's playing and had a great opportunity to sit with him and play some guitar. When I asked him, "what scales are you using in your playing?" he looked at me a little funny and said, "I dunno man, somethin' like this," and he kinda fumbled through an ionian/ major scale. That's when I realized that his playing isn't so much about major or minor scales, that it's more about making expressions within those contexts. What an eye-popper that was!

[Durtdog]

From a friend who's a very famous pedal steel player, commenting on my guitar playing:
"Take 2 weeks off, then quit."

[graphs]

after struggling through a rather embarrassing open mic session with a singer friend, she said, "you're trying to do too much. just try to make it sound beautiful. you'll always learn more chords, just learn to make the ones you know sound good first."

it's good advice that stuck, but i am still definitely guilty of noodling quietly instead of projecting at performance volume. i am shy and don't want to impose my caterwauling on the neighbors!

[caffeinate_ed]

I was able to take a few lessons, until I had to move, from a guitarist who had been touring 7 years as the guitarist for Ray Charles' band.

He taught me Scale Degree's and chord numbering (not sure that's the right term) which helped me understand which chords to play for certain keys. Since then, I've discovered the connection between the scale degrees and modes which has opened up a whole new world for me.

The best part was, he taught me using "Georgia on my mind" as an example. He wrote everything down as he explained, saying "these are Ray's changes". It wasn't anything you couldn't have figured out while listening to the song but it still felt like I was being let in on a secret, and that was pretty cool.

I have to second the advice about using a metronome and dedicated practice, I think they are THE most important bits of advice for any musician, guitar or not.

[Stackabones]

While sitting in for a song, Robert Earl Keen yelled at me across the stage, "The FOUR chord! It's the FOUR chord!"

[hamish5178]

Originally Posted by Telenator

I'm a big fan of Les Dudek's playing and had a great opportunity to sit with him and play some guitar. When I asked him, "what scales are you using in your playing?" he looked at me a little funny and said, "I dunno man, somethin' like this," and he kinda fumbled through an ionian/ major scale. That's when I realized that his playing isn't so much about major or minor scales, that it's more about making expressions within those contexts. What an eye-popper that was!

It always surprises me that people who know MUCH less about music than I do can still be infinitely better than me!

[Flat357]

Most of your audience can't do it - and the ones that can would have their own gig going on right now if they were as good as they think they are

[squeezebox]

"Just F*#kin' DIG IN!!!" (GE Smith)

[Larry F]

I studied with a mathematician who told me: "You rely a lot on intuition. That's good, because it sharpens your insights. Unfortunately, intuitions are usually wrong." That was a turning point, because it meant that I had to prove my ideas every step of the way, in turn, led to new intuitions.

[robhisgtr]

e.

[Colt W. Knight]

"Keep pickin'," Marty Rayban of Shenandoah

[JimiBryant]

Chicago blues harpist/guitarist, former Chess sideman, the great Louis Myers
once told me the secret was to "get so your fingers can play what you hear in
your head without you having to think about it"

pure & simple, words of genius.

the man played with all of the greats and from all accounts it was Louis
who taught Howlin' Wolf to play the electric guitar - you'll see his name
as well as that of his brother David Myers on many, many Chess sessions
of the 1950s and 1960s..

Louis has passed, bless his memory, but I'm glad that I got to hang out with
him and some of his friends as often as I did: his tales about being on tour
with Muddy Waters in the 1950s were priceless as well as very funny.

oh, man! Les Dudek. what a killer player! I got hip to him soon as I learned
he ghosted that smokin' solo on The Allman Brothers' Ramblin' Man in the
Duane style..

[dijos]

sig line. I asked him,"how can I learn to play like that?"

[grasspicker]

From Alan Munde, watch your banjo technique. From other not so famous bluegrass folks, watch the melody on the banjo and get as close as you can.
From a local blues guitarist, after my band had all busted up - 'now you are going to get better'. When asked to explain, he stated 'now you will play when and what you want to do' and that will drive your playing...as opposed to 'showing up for practice and gigs and just going through the motions'....

[RCinMempho]

Learn to take a compliment with a smile, and never, ever apologize for a performance.

[Stevie 202]

From Mark Levine (whom I've never met) in his book "The Jazz Theory Book":

"Learn to think key, not chord as much as possible"
Helped me.

[Dean Gray]

Thanks for sharing all that good advice folks.

Hey Jimi -
"Chicago blues harpist/guitarist, former Chess sideman, the great Louis Myers
once told me the secret was to "get so your fingers can play what you hear in
your head without you having to think about it"

pure & simple, words of genius."

I agree completely, and apart from the tone, this advice is basically what Al Di Meola was getting at in a quote of his in another thread here earlier this week.

If I can get my musical ideas to bypass my conscious mind and go straight to my fingers I will be very happy!!

[mudbean]

When I was playing horn in drum & bugle corps, Maynard Ferguson came by our rehearsal one time (one of our old guys was a buddy of his). He told us,

"Don't be afraid. You're gonna make mistakes - so make 'em LOUD."

We won the World Championships that year, with the highest score ever recorded in our league. I can hear my mistake on the record.

Edit: Yikes, I just realized that was 30 years ago!

mud

[woodman]

i took classical guitar lessons in the '70s from a crusty old pro who gave me these three rules to live by if i wanted to make a living in music:

(1) practice every day for as long as you can.
(2) perform every chance you get - you never know who'll be listening.
(3) keep all of your women out of town.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by woodman

............. if i wanted to make a living in music:
(1) practice every day for as long as you can.
(2) perform every chance you get - you never know who'll be listening.
(3) keep all of your women out of town.

Pretty much the same advice from my teacher except :-
(3) keep all of your women in different towns.

[BillyC]

Duke Robillard once told me to buy the cheapest quality guitars I could get for the road,set them up the way the way I want them and then you won't worry about them getting broken or stolen.Don't worry about whats on the headstock.

I've taken his advice.

[klasaine]

"Learn to make a Fender medium pick and a Boss DS-1 work for you ... you can get them anywhere". - Carl Verheyen

[Jaxson612]

Play it simple,stupid!
or as Ernest Tubb once said to Buddy Emmons, "Son, can you stick a little closer to the melody?".

[studebaker hawk]

I heard an interview with Delbert McClinton. When asked this question,
he replied "Never leave your wallet backstage!"

[elmerbumpkin]

1 - "Hold on for a second"

2 - "Stop doing that"